Week 14 - First Ultrasound

Isn't she/he quite the looker! What you are seeing is the ultrasound of our second baby. On the left of the picture is the head - you mostly see skeleton showing up in white...from right to left: cranium, cheek bones and jaw. The roundish blob to the right of that is the torso...I think you can see spine at the top or maybe ribs. We got to see the heart beating and watch the baby squirm around as the doctor tried to get a good look.

Based on the measurements of the baby and the relative uncertainty of the date of my last period, we think the baby is actually 14 weeks. I am down with that. It moves my due date into July (out of August) and since it will most likely be another c-section delivery, my doctor said she'd probably opt to deliver 1 week before my due date.

As for the summary of the doctor visit, everything looks great. Oh, and in case you wanted even more personal information...I thought I'd be 100% honest about my weight gain with this one and see what we end up with. So you can start the counter at my normal non-pregnancy weight of 132.5 (I range between 130-135, so let's split the difference). As of 14 weeks I am at 131. I guess all that barfing on Christmas Eve lost me a few pounds...it sure felt like it ;) I am also going to try to get some pictures of the belly as it expands. I better snap a 'before' picture quick because right now I look like I'm showing after I eat a meal.

Week 13 - Will the Doctor See You Now?

I had an interesting conversation with an office assistant at the Obgyn. practice where I'm trying to get an appointment. She said she couldn't simply schedule me for an appointment since I was further along than most patients when they come in for a first visit. My laziness is coming back to haunt me. She said they like to do first blood work at week 9 and that she'd have to talk to the doctor before scheduling my first appointment to figure out what they would want to do at that appointment since I'm already 13 weeks. Ooops.

Update: got a call back. I'm all good. The doctor will see me, and we're all set for this Friday. And we get an ultrasound!! Can't wait to see you baby.

Weeks 6 - 12 Too Laid Back

So I've been really laid back with this pregnancy. It's my second. I've already done this. I'm not freaked out by the changes in my body or my moods. I'm busy chasing around a toddler. But I think I'm being a little too laid back. I haven't made an appointment with my doctor yet. I've started. I called and left a message. I filled out the new patient form online. I listened to the voicemail they left me. I called back. I left a voicemail for them. We're getting there.

What's up with baby in week 12: the baby is the size of a large lime. For more on weeks 6 -12 specifically check with my notes from the first pregnancy (too lazy - I know).

What's up with mom: I'm doing well. Still not really any nausea. I think I'm out of the woods on that for this pregnancy. Many friends suspect it's a boy since I'm having a different experience. As for me, I don't have boy or girl feelings either way yet. It is a different thing being pregnant at home (as a stay at home mom) versus in the office like with my first. It's easier to get to things to eat and drink all day. But it's more physically demanding. My 20 mo old weighs over 28 pounds - probably not a weigh my doctor would want me lifting up and carrying around again and again like I do all day. We'll have to see about that when I finally get in for my first visit.

Weeks 1 - 5 Who Knew?

Most pregnancies start out this way, for the first official 4 weeks, no one knows you're pregnant, not even you! Then you miss a period and it gets fun. You wonder if you are. You take a test (or if you're anything like my friends you take 4-8 tests). You tell your spouse. You tell your mom. You tell your best friends. You get busted at a party when you refuse to drink any wine or coffee. That brings us up to week 5. My parents and most of my friends knew.

What's up with baby in week 5: there is a beating heart, and little buds of arms and legs. So much work is going on in there.

What's up with mom: not puking. Amazing if you compare it to my first pregnancy! With one exception. On Christmas Eve, I starting by getting sick at 10 am and then couldn't keep anything down. I didn't get anything done that day that I needed to... didn't clean the house, didn't go to the grocery store, didn't cook anything to eat for Christmas dinner the next day... nothing. It was so bad, my husband had to come home from work early to help care for our daughter (who saw way to much TV that day). And for Christmas day, I mostly laid on the couch recovering and we ate pizza. But since then, no sickness! What I am is tired. I usually go to bed shortly after our toddler does.

How We Shared the News With My In-Laws

This is a fun story. For a week after new years, we headed out to visit all the in-laws. We hadn't told them yet because we knew this trip was coming up and wanted to tell them in person. Our daughter (20 mo.) is very verbal and so we decided to see if we could get her to be the one to share the news. We worked for several weeks on this question and response...
Daddy says: What's new with us?
She responds: There's a baby in mommy's belly.

All was going smoothly. She said it correctly almost every time. But then the last day before we left, she decided to start saying: There's a baby in my belly. And patting her own tummy. This could be a challenge. We worked on it, but to no avail.

With massive numbers of family all in one big room, we announced that our daughter had a special trick to show everyone. Daddy asked: What's new with us? And, you guessed it, she responded: There's a baby in my belly! She said this very loudly and clearly - well done - but it was confusing. I simply said: No, there's a baby in my belly. And after a few seconds most people figured it out!

How Far Along Am I?

The first problem I encountered was trying to remember when I had my last period. I just couldn't. I looked back at the end of October, for clues on the calendar that might remind me...was I on my period at Monica's party? at our Halloween party? I still can't quite remember so I'm going to guess and say that Oct. 26 was the first day of my last period. It's as good a day as any. I also figured out why we weren't getting pregnant in those months before our Turkey trip. I probably ovulate really close to the end of my period. This was true of our first conception, and is true of this second one. I wonder what my doctors will make of that. Does it matter if my baby is 1 week ahead in existence from a normal pregnancy?

How I Found Out I Was Pregnant

This past Thanksgiving (2008), my husband and I decided to take a trip to the country of Turkey with our church. We had been trying to conceive for several (about 6) months prior to this trip and needed a break and some time alone. We left our daughter at home with my parents and headed abroad. I planned on getting my period during the trip. But then I didn't. I also was pretty weepy and a little picky about the food, but I figured this could be attributed to missing my daughter and being in a foreign place. We got home from the trip when I was a good week past when I should have gotten my period. That night my husband picked up some pregnancy tests. Thanks to jet lag, I woke up at 3am that next morning and figured it was as good a time as any to pee on a stick. So I took the test, and yes it was positive. I woke my husband up and he some something to the affect of: yes, I already knew you were pregnant (like last time) can we go back to sleep. Really, he was thrilled! Me too. We got to tell my parents in person the next day before they headed home.

Expecting Again!!

Yes! Our first, daughter Lauren, is 20 months old. After several months of trying, we are pregnant with number two. I've been super lazy and haven't gotten into the doctor yet. I have new insurance so I need to switch doctors. I've been gathering and screening suggestions from friends and am finally just getting around to it. Let's hope I don't get much of a lecture when I roll in there for my first appointment and I'm already 12 weeks :)