Heartbeats and private parts

Sorry for being a few days behind with this week's post. We have had a lot going on lately, most notably dealing with a home loan and closing dates with Wells Fargo. I'm not even going to get into it, but prayers would be appreciated. Also, as I type this, Taylor is currently in surgery. He is having his right ACL replaced/reconstructed. Poor guy....so again, we'd appreciate prayers.

Anyway, Monday I had my third prenatal appointment. My regular OB, Dr. Nix, actually started her own maternity leave early so I got to see a MALE doctor. Cue the gasping. Call me weird or superficial, but I've always maintained a strict no-male-doctors policy. Some women don't care who they see. I care. I want a female OB only. No mid wives, no male doctors, no PA's, no nurse practitioners. (Though I've been told I will change my mind when it's time for labor and delivery...and that's probably correct.) But that all changed on Friday when I got a call from Roswell OB/GYN informing me that Dr. Nix had her baby early so I could either see a male OB or a mid wife on Monday. I definitely did not want to see a mid wife. No offense to them and all they do, it's just not for me. Luckily this appointment didn't even require a pelvic exam, so it was just fine. Yes, I survived. We just discussed my medications (still on the Zofran and Promethazine...but NO MORE progesterone!) and symptoms, which are all normal, and they let us hear the heartbeat for the first time. It was a neat sound...they did not tell us the BPM which is okay with me since I know some people base that on what gender the baby is.

That brings me to another topic: private parts...or, finding out the baby's gender. We have absolutely zero desire to know his or her gender before birth. A lot of people I've talked to find this hard to understand. Others (surprisingly) get annoyed because they won't know what to bring to a baby shower. I promise you, there will be plenty of items to choose from once we register. Also, you can NEVER go wrong with something containing a giraffe or giraffe pattern or print. Just throwing that out there.

And for those who don't know, we will have a giraffe themed nursery! So if you see ANYTHING baby related with giraffes, holler at me! I find myself on Etsy and babybedding.com a lot lately, getting ideas.
See the pattern I'm attached to right now:

**Side note 7/19/12: I just ordered my first baby related item! A Vera Bradley diaper bag....pattern is Symphony in Hue, my favorite! I already have a purse, wallet, duffel bag and travel kit in that pattern. Plus, I figured it'd be a perfect gender-neutral print. Here's a picture!

I just love it!!

Okay, weekly photo: (And yes, I have decided to post them on Facebook weekly. Guilty as charged, I am turning into one of those people I hate. Haha.)

How far along: 13 weeks

Trimester: Second

Total weight gain/loss: Down nine pounds. No concern from the doctor.

Maternity clothes: Not yet, though my wardrobe is very limited right now.

Sleep: No problems there. I have to learn to not sleep on my back anymore though.

Stretch marks: Nothing new, though my hips are widening. 

Best moment of the week: Listening to baby Bear's heartbeat.

Miss anything: Not this week.

Movement: I haven't noticed anything yet.

Food Cravings: Yeah, I get some. A lot. I just don't always indulge because there are SO MANY. Usually I crave spring rolls the most.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Yes, still feel nauseous most of the time unless I've taken Zofran. 

Other symptoms: Headaches, dizziness and low back pain. But these are normal symptoms.

Have you started to show yet: Yes.

Gender: Won't know til delivery.

Labor Signs: None.

Belly button in or out: In.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Moody or not moody?: I think the moodiness is finally starting to disappear.  

Looking forward to: 1.) Finally nailing down a closing date for our loan. 2.) I get another ultrasound in three weeks!

Chalkboard!

Yessss we finally bought a chalkboard! I know it's not the most original idea, but I think it's cute. At first Taylor didn't understand how I was going to utilize it but now he loves it! Also, I am not artistic in any way, so each week will be pretty simple. Sorry for that.

July 4 was Taylor's birthday so we headed down to Locust Grove to his mom's house - everyone was going to come over for a pool day and then his birthday dinner. We went down early on Tuesday night. I was so anxious to tell his mom, Jody, that as soon as we got there I handed her the gift we made. Didn't even sit down first. Of course, in true Sally fashion, I forgot to take a photo of it so you'll have to use your imagination. I thought Jody was going to start crying when she looked at the frame. Luckily she never suspected a thing. Matt & Catherine got there a few hours later. While we were preparing dinner Taylor asked me to show Catherine the onesie we got Jo & Kim. She started screaming and was so excited! Lots of hugs all around that night.
Since they were the last to know I went ahead and posted something on Facebook. I know, I know...earlier I said I couldn't stand women who posted every detail about their pregnancy on  Facebook...and don't worry, that still remains true. But I did want to share our news with all of our friends without being overbearing about it. So, don't expect a ton of Facebook activity from me - that's what this blog is for!

I can safely report that I think I'm pretty much over the throw up stage, though I definitely still feel nauseous a lot of the time. Okay, pretty much all the time. There are some days I can control those symptoms by eating regularly every 2-3 hours, but there are other days where even Zofran doesn't help and I have to more or less suffer through. I am experiencing a new set of symptoms: dizziness and headaches. Tylenol definitely helps the headaches, but I discovered that if I take progesterone and Tylenol at the same time it causes extreme dizziness. Won't be doing that again! The dizziness normally happens on it's own when I change positions, like from sitting to standing, laying to sitting, etc. Not much I can do about that but everything I've read says these are perfectly normal symptoms.

We're not going to hang the board until we move into our new house!

I'm pretty proud of this though.

How far along: 12 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: I weighed myself at the office last week and I'm down 8 pounds.

Maternity clothes: No, but we did go out and buy some great lounging-around-the-house clothes for me!

Sleep: I sleep so much and feel like I still don't get enough.

Stretch marks: Possibly one or two on my bum. 

Best moment of the week: Shopping with my hubs yesterday. It was so great!

Miss anything: I do miss having sashimi at sushi restaurants.

Movement: Still too soon, I think.

Food Cravings: I actually am having more and more cravings. Right now I am craving a house salad from Carrabba's. That dressing is SO GOOD.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Meat. And the thought of meat. 

Have you started to show yet: Yes, but you can't tell when I wear my scrubs.

Gender: Won't know til delivery.

Labor Signs: None.

Belly button in or out: In.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Moody or not moody?: Moody for sure.  

Looking forward to: Our next appointment on 7/16!

Show and tell

Hello!

I am happy to report that I got Zofran (finally!) and I am feeling SO much better. There are some days when I don't even need to take any medication. I haven't been sick for ten days and counting...that's not to say I haven't felt sick, I just haven't actually spent any extra time in the bathroom, really. Okay, enough about that. 

On Father's Day we told my dad. I wasn't quite sure how to do it. He wanted to go to Steak N' Shake for brunch...so after we ordered our meals I kind of just blurted it out. He was pretty excited and bummed when we asked him not to say anything until we're able to tell the rest of our families. 

That same evening we went for a grill-out at Taylor's brother's Josef's house. Josef and his wife Kim are also expecting a little one; their fourth baby. She's about 6ish weeks ahead of me. We bought an awesome onesie with giraffes that said "I'm going to be a big cousin." Unfortunately it did not get here in time so all I had was a photo on my phone to show them. And they were so excited!! Taylor's dad and Deborah were also there so we had Ellie, Josef and Kim's oldest daughter, tell them. 

Adorable!

Last weekend my grandmother came in town to see my sister's play at college, The Great American Trailer Park Musical. It was hysterical. After the show we all went out for dinner. I gave my sister a mug that said something about how aunts are special. Then my dad showed the mug to my grandmother. I think it took her a good five solid minutes to understand why I gave her a mug that said "aunt" on it. It was so funny when she finally understood! It was unfortunate that no one caught it on film.

Wednesday is Taylor's birthday so the whole family is going to his mom's for a celebration. That's when we'll tell her and Matthew and Catherine. In June we told his mom we "forgot" her mother's day gift. It's going to be another photo frame, like we gave to my mom. I'll post photos of it once we finish.

Okay, as promised: weekly bump photo, finally! I'm working on getting a cute chalk board for future photos.

11 weeks exactly!

How far along: 11 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Haven't been back to the doc since my last post, so still down 5 lbs.

Maternity clothes: Haven't bought any yet.

Sleep: Sleeping constantly. Yesterday I think I was only awake about 8 hours.

Stretch marks: No new ones.

Best moment of the week: Husband bought me dill pickle chips. I'm sure there are other highlights but right now that's sticking out in my mind.

Miss anything: Actually, no.

Movement: Not yet.

Food Craving: I get random, fleeting cravings. If I'm lucky I can indulge - like a sub from Subway or a  Hershey's chocolate bar, for example.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Still a lot of things, most notably the hallway on the first floor of our office building. I'm also avoiding a lot of meat and looking at the meat dept. at the grocery store. Yuck.

Have you started to show yet: Yes, You can definitely see a bulge in certain clothing.

Gender: Won't know til delivery.

Labor Signs: None.

Belly button in or out: In.

Wedding rings on or off: On.

Happy or Moody?: Guilty of being moody - a lot. 

Looking forward to: Telling the remainder of family so we can tell everyone else!

Second prenatal visit

Yesterday we had our second prenatal appointment. I'm so lucky to have a husband who wants to come and sit around with me at these appointments. Because that's what we do even when we're early. Sit around. and WAIT.

Turns out so far I've lost five lbs and my blood pressure was 110/60. I mean, I guess puking one to three times per day would explain the weight loss, but that's low as far as my blood pressure goes! There didn't seem to be any concern about that though. 

We also go to see Baby Bear again! The doctor told us she wanted to make sure we knew everything was okay before we left, since it's too soon to hear his or her heartbeat.

Looks more like a baby now!

How am I feeling, you ask? Still feel queasy ALL the time. Still not able to get Zofran until Thursday. Phenergan can only do so much. Apparently such strong symptoms are a good sign though. Hooray for small, strange victories. Also, I've been advised to eat what I can tolerate regardless of nutritional content. I don't like going out to dinner because I've discovered I can't eat a whole meal. I take less than ten bites and I'm done. 

So, like I mentioned I'll share how we told my mom. We found a three-photo picture frame at Ingles and put an ultrasound in one frame, a photo of my positive pregnancy test in another, and a hand-written note with the due date in the third. We presented it to her as a belated Mother's Day gift. She was a little confused at first because once she unwrapped it the first visible photo was of the pregnancy test. And then she was REALLY excited! Now I have someone to discuss my nausea with! Haha.

Cute, right?

How far along: 9 weeks, 2 days
Total weight gain/loss: Lost five lbs.
Maternity clothes: Still haven't bought any. Bought a new dress though!
Sleep: No issues with sleep.
Stretch marks: No new ones.
Best moment of the week: When I indulged my first craving - hot and sour soup!
Miss anything: I still miss not feeling sick constantly.
Movement: Not yet.
Food Craving: Just hot and sour soup once.
Anything making you queasy or sick: I'm repeating last week's answer: A better question would be "what isn't making you feel queasy or sick?"
Have you started to show yet: My abdomen looks bloated.
Gender: Won't know til delivery.
Labor Signs: None.
Belly button in or out: In.
Wedding rings on or off: On.
Happy or Moody?: Ummm let's go with moody
Looking forward to: Telling some other family members this week.

Next post I will discuss how we told my dad, Taylor's dad, Kim and Josef. Oh, and I'll try and post a photo of myself if I remember.

It's official!

Yes, it's official! I'm pregnant! It feels so strange to say (type) that. We haven't told anyone yet, besides my mom, and probably won't for a while. I'm a little superstitious. (It's a pet peeve of mine to see women announce their pregnancies before they finish their first trimester. Just saying.)

The estimated due date is 01/20/2013.

So, I've only taken one photo of my "progress" so far. Honestly, I keep forgetting to ask my husband to do it each week...and I don't have a cute chalkboard yet.
Buuuuut here's my only photo so far. Sorry I don't look cuter. I'll try harder next time.

6 weeks

On June 18 we got to see Baby Bear for the first time!

Taken at 7 wks 1 day. Hi!

So, I am already feeling (and getting) pretty sick. All. The. TIME. I have to take progesterone orally 2x/day for at least the first trimester. I started that the day after my first appointment, and I must say I think it's contributing to the "sick" factor. Last Wednesday I asked for an anti-nausea prescription and my doc gave me Zofran. Great stuff.  What I like to call it is a lifesaver. That is, until I ran out in six days and discovered that my insurance plan only allows ten pills every fifteen days. Meaning I can't get my next refill until NEXT Thursday. For the past three days I've been working with my doctor's nurse to get a pill quantity override through the insurance company. Being that I work in health insurance (appeals) it was like pulling teeth to get to the correct department to have a form faxed to my doctor. Still waiting to hear something about that and my stomach is none too pleased. In the meantime have promethazine, and it works, but it causes me to become seriously drowsy. I've taken it two nights in a row now and have been in bed by 8 P. M. Not a great drug to take while at work. So please pray that we can get this pill quantity thing overridden! 

Through my hours spent on Pinterest I discovered a blog another pregnant woman wrote. She had a cute way to track her feelings/progress each week so I'm going to use that as a template and maybe add some of my own musings if I can come up with some.

How far along: 8 weeks, 4 days
Total weight gain/loss: Not sure yet. My one and only appointment so far was when I was 5 weeks 1 day.
Maternity clothes: Well, I can't fit into my jeans or shorts. Aside from my scrubs at work I've been wearing dresses, skirts and yoga pants.
Sleep: Sleep is great, especially after taking promethazine. 
Stretch marks: Believe it or not, ONE little one on my right hip! Had to get Taylor to confirm it.
Best moment of the week: Any moment not spent feeling sick.
Miss anything: Eating normally without fear of yakking it up later.
Movement: Too soon to feel anything.
Food Craving: None. Absolutely NONE.
Anything making you queasy or sick: A better question would be "what isn't making you feel queasy or sick?"
Have you started to show yet: I think so, but it could all be in my head. I just look bloated, like I ate a really big meal.
Gender: Won't know til delivery.
Labor Signs: None.
Belly button in or out: In.
Wedding rings on or off: On.
Happy or Moody most of the time: This week I am noticing how moody I actually am. Poor husband.
Looking forward to: Our second appointment on Monday.

On my next posting I'll have some news from the doc, an update on my rx (because I know you're curious), another photo, and I'll share how we told my mom.