Thrift Store Shopping

So I scored some great steals at our local thrift shop this weekend. Why spend $19.99 at the maternity store, or even one of the big box stores, when I can get a pair of pants for less than $5. Woot! Today they are going in the laundry so I have more clothes to wear. I have a few pair of pants that I can wear with the bella band, but some are just too tight to even try. I am very grateful for more options!
My next appointment is on Wednesday. I am very excited to hear the heartbeat again. I will also have to do my one-hour glucose test. They didn't tell me to fast or anything...do they make pregnant women fast? Dr. Google says no. What has been your experience?

13 weeks

I looked back at my entry for 13 weeks for Sprout's pregnancy and it was funny how I mentioned that I get up to pee at 12:15 and then am fine until the alarm goes off at 4:15. My body just switched to that cycle about 1 week ago. Amazing. By this point, last time, I had already been spotting a bit. Thank God for no spotting this time! I am glad I have an appointment next week (so close to that dangerous mark last time).
I'm definitely bigger this time around. I keep wondering if people are secretly thinking "Is she, or isn't she?" It's probably just me being paranoid though.

Research Appointment

Yesterday was my final appointment for the research study. This appointment had been rescheduled a few times. When I get there, the nurse told me that the doctor was in the OR, so it will be a quick appointment. Basically it was paperwork, bloodwork, weight, and blood pressure. According to their scale, I have gained 6 pounds. I can't wait to see what my ob/gyn's scale has to say next week. I will be sure not to wear 2 shirts and a sweater to that appointment! The nurse didn't seem concerned at all about the weight gain.
So needless to say, I did not get to hear Nugget's heartbeat, nor did I get a bonus u/s. Oh well. My next appointment (1 hour glucose test too) is on October 20th. One week from today. Tomorrow marks 13 weeks. We are still being very cautious about who we are telling. Only one person at each of our jobs know, a handful of friends, and my immediate family. A few more weeks and we can be a little more public with it.

Bloat be gone

I am far less bloated than I was the past few weeks. This is wonderful. However, that means I am looking less pregnant. Coupled with the "feeling better since I'm entering the 2nd trimester" I am getting a wee bit paranoid. B has done a great job of keeping me calm and reminding me that I have nothing to worry about. Everything is normal.
My appointment for next Thursday was moved (yet again), but this time to Tuesday. In less than a week I will have medical confirmation that everything is going just fine.
Tomorrow marks 12 weeks.

199 beers on the wall

199 beers. You take one down and pass it around, 198 beers on the wall.
Or approximate days left in this pregnancy.
We are in the 100's now and there's no turning back for us!
My symptoms are almost all gone, except the peeing. I wake up to pee at least once a night, but usually twice or sometimes three times.
Last night I woke up twice, but slept horribly. I couldn't fall asleep or stay asleep. That was frustrating. I don't feel exhausted this morning, but it may hit later this afternoon.
My class this year is exhausting. Actually all 3 of the 5th grade classes are exhausting and hard to deal with. One of my teammates taught them when they were in kindergarten and she said this was the year she would go out drinking after school and the year she started researching other careers, besides teaching. Luckily, this is the year I get to take a couple months off. I just need to make it to April. April sounds much more doable than June. AND, I don't have to go to 5th grade camp with this group. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee! What a blessing this pregnancy is, in so many ways! LOL

Bump the bump

I really don't have anything to say, but I wanted those pictures bumped. I don't see a baby bump in the pictures, I just see fat. LOL.
Now when I feel bloated, the top part of my stomach gets hard and then I feel REAL pregnant. However, you can feel where the baby pouch is below my belly button, but not see it.
I'm sure it will show up to others soonish.
11w2d today!

Belly Shots!

Here are the belly shots so far. Hopefully J doesn't mind that I am posting these without her permission! You can't tell much by looking, but you can definitely feel the difference between 8w and 11w by touching the bellay pouch. I lurve it.

8 weeks:

9 weeks:

10 weeks:

11 weeks:

12 weeks:

13 weeks:

14 weeks:

15 weeks:

16 weeks:

17 weeks:

19 weeks:

20 weeks:

And a bonus Nuggette shot at the 20w u/s:

I love her little mouth!! =D

24 weeks: (sorry, things were a little busy around here!)


25 weeks:


26 weeks:


27 weeks:


28 weeks:


And just for fun, how about a little side-by-side comparison of 8w and 28w?

Dehydrated

Apparently I am dehydrated. The nurse called yesterday with my urinalysis results and although there is no infection (yay!), there is evidence that I am not getting enough water (boo!).
I drink 50oz during the day at school and then whatever else I drink at home. I am peeing constantly and wake up twice during the night to pee. I can't imagine drinking much more, but alas, I will.
I think this will just mean more trips to the bathroom at school. I still haven't told any of my teammates, except my best friend (who incidentally found out the same day we did that we were pregnant.) I'm waiting for the perfect opportunity to tell both of them at once, but best friend wants to be there to hear their reactions. So, I have to wait until we are all together, but no extra staff members. So far, I have had one opportunity (yesterday), but it just didn't feel right. I know the perfect opportunity is out there. I'll just wait. I'm not a fan of the telling part.

Luckily there is nothing exciting in this post.

I find this part of pregnancy rather boring. By now (10w5d-but measuring even further ahead) I am starting to feel better. I have less bouts of nausea, less extreme fatigue, and I am sliding into a routine at work. The bloating even has seemed to pause itself. It's still there, just not getting worse.
I am completely grateful for all of this.
My research doc appointment, which was scheduled for Thursday has been rescheduled until October 14th. I now have to wait until October 14th for any confirmation that this pregnancy is still going along as planned. I know in my heart it is, but I do like that confirmation. By then I will be 13 weeks along. Woot.
This time, last time, spotting began. I have been kind of following along my blog from Sprout during this pregnancy, but I am going to stop now. I'll go back and reread a little later, just not right now.

Lots of News

• U/s and new clinic was wonderful-the u/s tech was great and funny and very welcoming. She gave us two pictures of our little Nugget and let us hear the heartbeat. A beautiful 175 beats per minute! I love that they have a screen mounted on the ceiling so I don't have to twist or turn to see what she is looking at.
• Doctor is awesome. She seems so much more proactive than my last ob.
• Nugget is a big baby. Yesterday (based on ovulation) should have been 9w4d. Based on LMP it would have been 9w6d. However, Nugget was measuring 10w5d. The u/s tech measured it 3 times, just to be sure.
• Our due date was changed to April 21st. This puts us at 10 weeks today (instead of Saturday)
• I have no gained a single pound this pregnancy. This may be my favorite fact from yesterday's visit. My pants don't fit and to myself I look very pregnant, however, I think I actually lost a half a pound or something since the last time I was weighed. (Now each doctor's scale could be different, so I will find out for sure when I see the research doc next week.)
• We told my mom last night. She was very excited. We told her she cannot tell anyone until Halloween and she is on strict orders not to mention anything on facebook. Let's hope she obliges.
• Next appointment is October 20th (and I get to do the 1 hour glucose for that one...yippee! /sarcasm)

Fetus Club!

Our baby is now in the fetus club. Woot!
Today marks 9 weeks.
I'm a fan of 9 weeks.
Very few of my pants are buttoning now. Yesterday's jeans had a good 3 inch gap between the button and the button hole. eek. Time for some new (or new to me) clothes.
My mom keeps asking me to come over and clean her house. She and my dad try to do the surface cleaning as best as they can (both being disabled), but the deep cleaning doesn't get done unless it's by my sister and me. I haven't told my parents yet, so she has no idea of why the thought of going over there has no appeal. I'm so tired and MY house needs cleaning. I told her that next weekend I may come over on Sunday to help with some cleaning. I'm also hoping to possibly bring over an u/s picture to let her know. The problem with telling my mom is she is a big blabber mouth, and now she is on facebook, so I'm a little worried.
Betsy and I have been wondering about twins the last few days. We are still not convinced there are not two in there. Even though I have already had one u/s, we won't be convinced until the second u/s next week. 4 more days!

Plowing Along

Second week of school (first full week with kids), and I'm a bit exhausted. I am usually pretty great, right through lunch, but when my afternoon classes start, I find myself sitting on my stool instead of standing and walking around during my lessons. I am very grateful to only have two preps, so my schedule is pretty easy.
My pants, however, not having such a great time. We pulled out the maternity box this weekend and I put a pair of jeans on for a birthday party we attended. So. much. more. comfortable. We only found one bella band, so I am going to rock that baby this week and hopefully hit up a thrift store for some other choices. My maternity clothes from Sprout (some of which still have tags on) are spring-ish. Capris and short sleeve shirts. Now the short sleeve shirts I will be able to use, but not the capris-at least not right now. Perhaps in the Spring. I'm looking forward to clothes that fit. With the bloating and the grapefruit sized uterus, I look pregnant to me. I'm pretty sure I just look fat to everyone else.
This week is a hectic week for B at her store. She has a world famous author coming in for a visit on Thursday and all of her time is set aside to prepare. She will be relieved when Friday rolls around.
Next week I have my first official ob appointment and u/s. Do you guys think it will be a pants on u/s or a pants off u/s?

Emotional

To say I have been emotional this past week would be an understatement. Let's take yesterday for example.

• My first tearing up happened on the way to school when I started to think of my high school friend that lost her twins last week at 22 weeks. They were born with heartbeats, but not breathing and died right after birth. Their memorial service is tomorrow. I am so sad for her and her family. These miracle boys were conceived via IVF. She's one of us, y'all. She had something called cervical funnelling which caused her to be put on bed rest, and then she she got an infection. Not good. She lives "up-north" but they drove her via ambulance to the hospital down the street from my house (where I will deliver). I never saw her when she was in town (and haven't seen her since HS), but I feel so connected to her. I have been emailing her and I sent a package earlier this week. When we lost Sprout, the ladies from Two Hot Mamas sent us a beautiful care package that included a small Willow Tree angel. It was such an amazing and thoughtful gesture. I wanted to find the same angel they sent us, but had no luck. Instead, I found two little ones called "Two Together" and thought it was perfect. I also got her an Angel of Remembrance.
• My second tearing-up, which became more of a cry, was when I posted a video on Fb. It was a video of a Father and Groom surprising the Bride with a version of L'Chaim. It was sweet and funny, but here I was, sitting at the computer, crying.
• Then, I was watching TV with B and an Oprah commercial came on. For those of you that do not watch TV or perhaps live under a rock, this is Oprah's last season. I love Oprah. We were able to go see a taping of her show 5 years ago. My dream has always been to be a guest on Oprah. Now I know my time is up and I won't get to. The commercials make me sad to see her go.
• I really wanted to watch the Stand Up To Cancer telethon that was on last night. Within the first minute, I was balling like a baby. They had all of the celebrities there who have survived cancer, and they had on these survivor shirts. Once I composed myself, they brought on the 46 moms. All of their children have cancer, so they all shaved their own heads. It was an amazing scene. Cue the water works. And then B was saying things just to make me cry because she thought I looked funny. Then I was crying and laughing at the same time, but in a weird way. I was a disaster.

So that was just one day. It's been a crazy emotional week here. Luckily, my "Pregnancy Week 8" newsletter said it's completely normal and may even begin to subside this week. Thank God.

Bloated

I haven't gained any weight, but man, oh man, by the end of the day, my pants are TIGHT.
When I unbutton/unzip them, it's almost like no turning back. They fit fine in the morning, but by the afternoon, super bloat. I'm looking down right now and there is a good 3 inches between the button and the button hole!
I need to break out the elastic pants! LOL. I do have 3 pair of gauchos that are elastic/pull-on (no closures/zippers). I may have to wear those for the rest of the week. Eeek.

A little ticked off right now

I just waited 2 hours in an urgent care clinic, for what I thought would be a pretty easy visit. I have what appears to be an eye infection. I am not sure if it is bacterial or viral, but it is crusty and yucky.
Anyway, I finally get called back into a room and after the MA takes my vitals, the doc comes in and says, "Are you pregnant?" "Yes." "I can't see you. We do not see pregnant people at this clinic. Call your ob."
SERIOUSLY?
I just filled out a bunch of paperwork and even answered that I was pregnant on the form I filled out TWO HOURS AGO. The doctor told me the receptionist doesn't read those forms. Well, I think she does, since she took all of my information off of it, typed it up, and called me up to the counter to verify.
I was so angry. Wait, I'm still angry.
And school starts tomorrow. So I will go, in my glasses and crusty eye, with the potential of infecting others, because I CANNOT miss the first day of school. Hopefully, I can get in somewhere tomorrow afternoon. Ugh.
How frustrating!

Less than 3 weeks away

I scheduled my first official ob appointment as a pregnant person today. The appointment is scheduled for Sept. 22nd. I have to take a half day off of work, but that is ok. I am excited that B will get to go with me! (Remember we had to fib during the research study and say that NKD was my partner.) Anyway, I know with school starting next week, the days are going to fly by.
In the meantime, I will enjoy my tiredness, hungriness, and night time queasiness. We will be 9w4d at our next appointment (and we get another u/s).

First Ultrasound

I arrived at the office early and was taken back soon after I got there. The nurse called me back(gave me a hug!), took my weight and then headed into the room. The doctor came in before I even got undressed and asked if it would be alright if his partner in practice was there for the u/s. Sure.
Then he asked if the research assistant could be in there.
Sure.
Then he asked if he could have the special u/s tech do the u/s (normally he was the one to do all of my other ones).
Sure.
Now, this is no fancy u/s room. Think small exam room. 5 adults and me on the table.
Apparently they get real excited over OB u/s as opposed to the regular pre-conception ones. The tech was teaching him how to get the measurements and such. They turned the screen toward me and showed me our little Nugget (Thanks for the name, Runyon!). The heartbeat was 134 or 124 bpm (I can't remember!).
The Dr. said everything looked great, and was measuring at 6w2d. (Which is just one day behind my calculation based on ovulation, so great!) He showed me the yolk sac and explained how it is so small now because the baby is getting ready to get all of it's nutrients from me. Our little Nugget is 5mm big right now.
He told me he is passing the torch to my ob, but in the meantime, if I should need any care or have any questions, to give him a call. He said the whole office is invested emotionally in my pregnancy. It was so cute.
The nurse gave me another hug as I left and she said, "You knew it all along." I said, "I sure did."
We did get one picture. I am hoping to take a picture of it and post it sometime this week. Today is the first day back at school, so it may have to wait until tomorrow.
Thank you for all of your support!
I have a real, live baby in there. wweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Quick update

A quick update since I'm at work and this is a totally illegal use of company equipment...

We have one happy, healthy nugget.

No news

I just talked to the research assistant. No results yet.
I sure hope we get them today.

2nd Beta Day

I had my second beta drawn at 7:45 this morning.
I wonder how long it will take for them to get the results.
Do you think they will send it off somewhere to be read?
Do you think I will get my results today?
How exactly is the test done?
Please let it be a nice strong number.