1 year

It was one year ago today that I had my second IUI which resulted in my BFP with Chase. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by. Today also marks the first time he sat up by himself. I usually recline him back into the boppy next to me while I check email or watch tv, but today he decided that he didn't want to recline and pulled himself up into a sitting position. So, I plopped him in his bumbo seat and he sat in it, big as he pleased, kicking his feet and jabbering and drooling all over himself. My baby is getting so big :`(

He is a stubborn one too. Cereal time with a bottle is a daily battle of the wills and usually takes him about an hour of goofing around with it before he relents and takes it. Funny thing is, if I take the bottle away and say "ok, you must not be hungry" he fusses loudly. Stinker.

We had the appointment with the GI specialist about his reflux last week but didn't get much out of it except a prescription for prevacid. The prevacid isn't doing much either (he threw up quite a bit of milk today) but then he probably isn't getting too much of it because he does everything he can to not let me put the dropper in his mouth, then he spits it out. It's a liquid and the pharmacist had to mix it. After I turned in the script, they called and said I couldn't pick it up for two hours because they had to mix and watch it. Whatever that means. Anyway, I get it and it's sodium bicarbonate mixed with lansoprazole. Yum. No flavoring or anything and if the faces he makes are any indication, it's utterly disgusting. I'm about to scrap the whole thing and just deal with the vomiting. He hasn't had any of the weird spazzing spells lately and I'm hoping he's just grown out of that. But then again, maybe the medicine is working...I don't know.

He has his 4 month check up next week and it will be interesting to see what his stats are then. I don't think the nurse there does a very accurate job of measuring him. We'll see how they compare with what we got at the GI specialist office, 16lbs 4oz, 26.5 inches tall.

13 weeks/3 months

Chase is 3 months old already and I just can't believe how fast the time has gone by. Every night when we get ready for bed I look at the clock and think, "where did the day go!?" Of course, sleeping in until 10am will skew your days for you, but what can I say? He's an awesome baby. He goes to bed around 10:45pm and sleeps until  9am - 10am. I have been staying up pretty late, doing things like paying bills, checking emails, working on my job applications (trying to get back home to my family) so I need that late morning sleep. Sometimes I have to go in and get him up so he won't sleep the day away (he must get that from me) or because I'm so engorged I wake up with milk running along my chest and neck. Sometimes I think he wakes up and entertains himself in his crib before nodding off again. One morning I was spying on him with the video monitor and I caught him rolling around in his crib, laughing and sucking on his fingers. Either way, he doesn't fuss or anything. He rarely cries, and is pretty clear in his communications with me. His reflux is still an issue though, and at our 3 month checkup Friday the pediatrician gave us a referral to a GI specialist but the damn appointment isn't until mid Nov and I'm trying to get an earlier one. He definitely isn't losing any weight or having developmental issues, but the constant spitting up, projectile vomiting and weird choking spells have me pretty concerned.

He HATES tummy time with a passion and I find myself not wanting to do it. Partly because of the reflux and because I hate getting him so upset. It takes a while to calm him down and it just doesn't help the vomiting. It is a little funny watching him get so mad though. He just lays there face down, kicks his feet, pounds on the floor with his fists and chews on the blanket while angrily hollering. He is sooooo close to rolling over from back to front and he definitely can hold his head up and sit in his booster chair and bumbo seat for a while though so I keep telling myself it's okay to not be crazy about doing tummy time everyday.

The doc told me I could start him on cereal which would help with the reflux. It makes me sad though because he's growing so fast, and I didn't want to start solids until he was around 5 months or so. Anyway, we went to the store and got some cereal and spoons. I could put it in a bottle, but he doesn't like bottles (gotta work on that) so I thought we'd try a spoon. Yesterday I mixed up some runny cereal and I fed him while he was in his carrier. We'd just walked the dog and I thought it would better for his digestion to be inclined a bit. He ate from the spoon like he’s been doing it all his life and even opened wide for me. He seemed to like it and had a good time. I skipped it today to give his digestive system time to adjust. We'll probably have some tomorrow because it did seem to lessen the amount of spit up afterwards.

I haven't decided when to go back to work. I keep putting off contacting the daycare center, but I know I really need to. I need to find out where we are on the waitlist, as that will determine a lot of things. Right now, I can take the rest of the year, but that leaves my sick leave and vacation leave balances at next to -0- which is not good with an infant. I just really don't want to go back to work here. I am trying for a position back home, and PRAY that I get something soon and can just move back there before I have to go back to the office here. My chances for the two jobs I put in for are pretty slim though. Not much I can do on that but wait. I know I really should go back to work after this month and save my leave, but it just breaks my heart. I fall more and more in love with him everyday (I didn't even think that was possible) and I can't bear the thought of putting him in daycare for so many hours a day. I can't go part time (daycare doesn't do part time and the job won't allow it) and financially I have no choice but to do the daycare center. ~sigh~The things we go through...

His 3 month stats:
15.75 lbs and 25.75 inches long

Sweetness overload

New booster chair

First cereal

Wipe my face!

7 weeks

I just can't believe how fast time is flying by. I have been meaning to write and I have been checking Shannon's blog everyday for news about her and Finn. That whole situation is absolutely terrifying to me and I think of them often. [Chase is awake and fussing. BRB.]

An hour later...

He has been a little stubborn about going to bed. He falls asleep after some weak fussing but then wakes up after 15-20 mins and starts seriously fussing and wanting to nurse, but he really just wants to suckle himself to sleep. He doesn't want to have anything to do with the pacifier anymore and prefers my nipple. I let him nurse one last time and then put him back to bed and he usually sleeps anywhere from 4-6 hours.

He is getting so big. We have his 8 week appointment next week and will get his stats then, but I think he's over 13 pounds (according to my scale) and I sure feel the weight. He's heavy! He has problems pooping and passing gas and spends a good part of the mornings grunting, straining and kicking his legs. I massage his stomach and bicycle his legs for him and he poops several diapers throughout the day, mostly in the late morning. He doesn't seem to be in any pain and often just sleeps through it but he does tend to get frustrated. I'm told this is just because his system is so new that it hasn't gotten the hang of things yet. He also has started to projectile vomit on occasion. He did it once when he was about 4 weeks old and then again a couple of nights ago and then again this afternoon. We're talking shooting about 3 oz of milk clear across the room exorcist style. It's probably because he keeps using my boob as a pacifier and ends up getting way more milk than he needs. He's definitely not losing any weight so I don't think it's anything to be concerned about, but I do plan on asking the pediatrician about it next week.

I think he is finally asleep for the night so I am going to hit the hay myself.

26 days old

Time is flying by!

Things are going well. Chase is doing very well and growing fast. He's a big boy and eats a lot! He's a good baby and really only fusses when he's hungry (and wants his food NOW) and pooping. Sometimes he has a hard time pooping and really strains and fusses. I've been giving him gripe water for the gas and tummy troubles and I think it seems to calm him down some.

My dad flew in last week and this past weekend my mom went back home. I have had a really hard time with her leaving. She was much more help and I needed/need her more than I expected. I have dad with me for the next two weeks so that's really nice. Mom and I are not so great in the kitchen so meal time was a little difficult, but that's where dad comes in. He's been making me some really nice meals and helping out with the dishes and washing pump parts which is a neverending chore.

I had a root canal last week that necessitated taking several medications and my research led me to think that I shouldn't feed Chase breastmilk within several hours of popping my pills. The dentist gave me vicodin (which I haven't taken) and Prednisone which I needed to take. I BF during the early morning hours, pump in between to try to build a supply, take my pills around 2pm, pump and throw out my milk from 2pm until 10pm and then supplement his feedings with formula if I have to. It's a lot of work, but thankfully this kid is such a chow hound he doesn't give a rat's ass what he's eating or how it's given to him; boob, bottle, formula, milk, he doesn't care and just wants his fill.

His chord stump finally fell of this morning. YAY! That darn thing was gross and annoyingly in the way. We had a diaper blow-out yesterday and I had to give him a bath (he hates them) which is much harder to do with a fussy, squirmy baby while trying to avoid and keep the chord dry.

We have his one month check up on Friday and I can't wait to see how big and tall he is.
His stats so far:
Birth - 9lbs 1oz, 21 inches
4 days - 8lbs 7oz
8 days - 9lbs
14 days - 9lbs 13oz, 21 3/4 inches (95% & 90% respectively)

Pictures I took after his feeding yesterday morning.

Quickie

Chase is now 5 days old and doing wonderfully. He is so darn cute I can't stand it. Chubby cheeks and a full head of super-soft hair. We had our first pediatrician appointment today and he's doing well. A little jaundiced but nothing to be concerned about.

Breastfeeding is going okay. At first it was unbearable because he is a chomper and likes to bite down and I have super-sensitive nipples. I have done a lot of bleeding and scabbing over (yes I have been using the lanolin cream religiously and that does seem to help) but my milk came in last night full force and I have been able to feed him and pump the remaining for relief. He is very active with his hands and likes to push and pull and grab my boob when I'm trying to get him to latch. Once he does latch, it's usually good, but we have been having a little problem with him using my boob as a pacifier. He likes to suckle for a little bit but then falls asleep. I tickle his cheek or his feet and then he'll suckle a little more before nodding off again. The doc called this snacking, and that's about all he wants to do which isn't so good. He does take the bottle with breastmilk a little less lazily, but still likes to snooze during feedings. Doc said to take his clothes off and not make him so comfortable and he should get down to business a little better.

The first night we were home (I was only in the hospital for 48 hours) was terrible. He literally cried from the time we put him in the car seat until 9am the following morning. No sleep at all. The following night was much better and he actually slept in between feedings and diaper changes. Last night was awesome and he sleep for about 4 hour increments. Of course, my boobs were about to explode before each feeding but the sleep was great. We'll see how tonight goes.

Weight stats; I ended up gaining 32 lbs and weighed 142 when I checked into the hospital. Today I weighed myself at the pediatrician's office and I'm at 126. My appetite is still going full-force and I'm eating quite well. TMI: I still have not pooped since checking into the hospital, but I'm not going to worry about it until I feel uncomfortable. I am taking stool softeners so it probably won't be too much longer until I have to pay my toilet a long visit. My incision looks great and will probably not leave too much of a scar. I also don't have any stretch marks. How lucky am I?

Pics:

Surprise!

Well guess who decided he didn't want to wait until his scheduled delivery appointment date and time? Yep, baby Chase is here and I am doing wonderfully.

Short version:
I woke up with different contractions on Thursday morning and figured that since I had a dr. Appointment that afternoon, I could wait until then and mention the change in braxton-hicks and the added back pain. I have to admit that I had a sneaky suspicion that it was labor, but I kept telling myself he was two weeks early.

I go to the appointment and doc says, "I think you're in labor", does a cervix check (OW!) and concludes that I was at 3cm. She sends me on my way to the hospital and baby Chase was delivered via c-section at 8:30 that night.

Oh, and he weighed 9lbs 1oz and was 21 inches long.

24 Days to go!

The countdown is getting serious now! And I am getting seriously rotund around the middle and having a darn hard time with my clothes (as is evident in my photo from tonight). This week someone (a guy on the elevator) asked if I was having twins and then he thought about it and asked if anyone has asked me that. I said nope, that he was the first of what is sure to be many in the coming weeks. I also had some random foreign lady reach out and rub my belly while I was getting my almost-daily slurpee at 7-11. It was hard not to kick her in the shins for doing it. I don't care if people I know want to cop a feel, but random foreign strangers? No thank you. Seriously? What is wrong with people?

I am having a hard time picking out a name. One of the names in my top 3 and the one I liked the best is/was Chase. I keep changing my mind about the names, but the one and only issue I have with Chase is that my sister named my newest nephew Chance and it's already screwing up my poor parents. I have been discussing names with my mom and dad from the beginning, but my sister refused to discuss potential names for my nephew. My mom has been voting for Chase for my son from the beginning, is okay with one of the other three names (but I have two issues with that name) and neither one of my parents likes the last of my three. I know I shouldn't care what any of them think/say or like about the names, but I feel like it's important and I want the input. But I admit, I have to think for a second before I say Chance's name because Chase wants to come out first, and since they'll only be about 3 months apart in age, I can see it being a lifetime of name mix-up in the family. I'm irritated with my sister over this because I just knew we would pick the same if not similar names, we did it with my first nephew too but I wasn't preggo then so no biggie. I have a feeling she'll be pretty irked with me if I name him Chase. Darn her but I'm inclined to not give a crap.

Tonight's photo: Yes, those are Care Bear pajamas.

Getting Closer!

I think I'm past that 30 week freakout, thank goodness. I'm nearly 34 weeks along now and it's going by so fast. My mom will be here in 4 weeks and my c-section is scheduled in 5 weeks. Let's just hope my little man stays put until then. He is sitting head down and extremely low in my pelvis and sometimes it's hard for me to sit down for fear of cricking his neck. He continues to move around quite ferociously and it's funny to see people watching my stomach get that look of horror as he makes it contort into weird shapes.

Work has settled down (I think) for now and something seems to have changed around the office. I've been treated a lot better lately and was even given the option to stay on nights with the skeleton crew if I want. I know at first thought that sounds awful, but it's actually good for me. The only time little one lets me sleep is in the early-morning hours, from about 5 or 6 to about 10am, so I have been getting some decent sleep. Also, not coming into the office until 2pm allows me to miss all the morning crazy and meetings and general running-around-chaos. I get a couple of hours of overlap (and the day's craziness is usually calmed down by then) and then it's all quiet from about 7pm until I go home at midnight. During that time, no one bothers me, I can get stuff done and keep my feet up most of the time. I have been trying to get a bunch of performance reviews done and other admin crap that will be due when I'm out so that quiet time has been really nice. The schedule also allows me to get all my appointments and odd errands done in the late mornings without having to worry about sneaking out of the office. Now, if we can start having weekends again things will be about as good as I could hope for.

I am quite round now lol (my big belly dwarfs my lovely D-cups!) but I haven't gained an ounce anywhere else but in the belly. I'm still wearing my pre-pregnancy undies. I actually went out and bought some granny panties for afterwards, but they are too baggy. It seems my hips haven't budged an inch (not complaining!), which makes me even more grateful that I went ahead and scheduled the c-section. He is measuring too big (a full week ahead of his dates!) and I'm just not up for hours and hours of labor to end with a c-section anyway. 

A belly picture from 32 weeks:

Approaching 30 weeks

This week I reach 30 weeks and I feel like I'm slowly losing it. The fear and panic of "what the hell have I done?" are starting to get to me. Work has been nothing but a nightmare with all the drama, assholes, long hours and weekend work. I don't know what I'm going to do if this continues after the baby comes. I can't work 12 hour days everyday and through weekends. I'll be damned if I'm going to have my baby in care every single day. Even if I only work 1 or 2 weekends a month, I'll still only get 4-6 days a month at best with my baby. What kind of life is that? They preach all the live long day about how family comes first but it's utter bullshit. The minute you say "I can't..." you lose face and any bit of respect you may have. That's one of the many downsides to the "good ol' boys" club. Then there's the "so what? Just because you're pregnant shouldn't mean you can't carry those boxes. Suck it up and quit complaining." I can't even talk about what happened when I inquired (after a fire drill) about the emergency evacuation procedures for people who can't climb 6 flights of stairs, without getting worked up and angry. I was given the eyeroll treatment and berated for "asking for special treatment." Then there's the enormous asshat who literally screamed at me, rattled off every beef, issue and complaint he had about me (he also threw in the "if you were male...." which bothers me so much I can't even explain) then called me an asshole (?) for making a snide remark when he shut a door (which requires badging and a combo) in my face as I was carrying a heavy box into the office last week. This was after I was sent to the warehouse (with bio-hazard in it) and told to retrieve some boxes off tall shelving. I am at my wits end at work. I have no recourse. If I file formal complaints, it would just make things so much worse for me. It's a temporary condition and I have to come back to work after I have my baby and will likely need any ounce of understanding I can get for those sick days and daycare issues. If I destroy my reputation by making formal complaints now, I'm doomed later and I will have NO hope of getting a transfer closer to home. But how can I get them to understand that it has nothing to do with me, that it's about keeping my baby safe and healthy?

I laid in bed, wide awake yesterday morning at 4 in full panic about work. I keep thinking that I need a different job, but the economy is so bad right now, I have absolutely no marketable skills and I can't afford a pay cut. Not to mention I have 13 years towards a pretty good retirement (granted, with 18 to go but still..) and most, if not all private sector employers no longer offer retirement packages and it would be terrible to let those years go to waste. I have pretty crappy benefits, but my health care is pretty good and it would suck to lose that. Ugh.

Then there's my dog issues. The testing I had run this past week all came back normal. This is good, but it's also bad because we still don't know what's wrong and I now need to take her for an ultrasound ($$) to check for the more serious possibilities. I have to work this weekend so today and tomorrow are out and I have my own ultrasound appointment next week and I can't take any time off. It's all so crazy. I'm desperately hoping for some time off next weekend (it's my birthday too) so it may have to wait until then. Just what I want to spend my birthday doing :`(

I have been so exhausted lately. It's bad enough that I can't hardly sleep, but everything else piling on has just wiped me out. So I am going to go to bed now and try to get some sleep.

Stress

I am approaching 29 weeks already. I can't believe how fast time is flying. The c-section has been scheduled, mom and dad have booked their flights and while there are still quite a few things I still need, I do have everything that's important to have in the first week.

Of course now things are starting to go awry elsewhere in my life. Mainly with my beloved dog. I rescued her on my birthday almost 6 years ago (it'll be 6 years in two weeks) so she's somewhere between 7-8 years old. I took her for her annual physical and all her shots this weekend and the vet informed me that she's obese. Now, I know she's overweight and it's been a battle we have struggled with for years, but she just seems to be putting weight on no matter what I do. Special foods, no goodies, NEVER table scraps, more exercise (although not as much as I'd like her to have) and she still adds on a few pounds every year to where she's now about 10-15 lbs overweight. This vet (new to the practice) ran some bloodwork and one of her liver enzymes came back through the roof indicating some kind of liver disease. I am devastated. I know it's early and I have to take her to the vet in the morning for some more tests, but I just can't help feeling so scared and unbelievably sad. I keep trying to tell myself that there's a good chance that whatever it is, we caught it early and hopefully it will be treatable, but I can't bear the thought of losing my fur-baby.

Then there's the money issue. I spent $650 for all the shots, the check up, the bloodwork and her heartworm preventative this weekend and will incur another $300 tomorrow for the tests. Then she will likely need an ultrasound sometime this week which the vet said will run another $400 if they don't have to do anything else. Ironic that I tried to get doggie insurance last year and the insurance denied her coverage because they thought something in her bloodwork was off. At the time the vet's office brushed it off and said it wasn't abnormal or anything to be concerned about. I have been so upset all day and I know it's NOT good for the baby. ~sigh~ it's always something going haywire in life. Things can't ever be easy can they?

25w3d

Things have been moving along at lightening speed lately. I can't believe I'm this far along and as big as I am. It's strange to have this 13.5lb bowling ball jutting out in front of me. The 13.5lb weight gain has gone ENTIRELY to mah belleh and is the source of much amusement all around. The doctor yesterday even joked that when she came in the room she thought she had the wrong patient for a second because from the back you can't tell at all.

I feel fine with the occasional cramp or weird twinge. He moves around ALL.THE.TIME and I swear he doesn't sleep. I know I don't get much sleep because he's goofing off in there. He loves playing with my bladder which isn't really a good time for me but what can you do? The last ultrasound I had we just sat and watched him kick at the wand and punch my bladder. The tech couldn't believe how active he was.

Placenta has moved a little and is now considered low-lying previa. I made the decision to go with the scheduled c-section (after calling the insurance company 3 times to MAKE SURE they covered it) and it is scheduled for 07/07/11 with a check in time of 0730 and procedure time of 0900. Awesome.

Gearing Up

I had a doctor's appointment last week and I am quite happy with the outcome. The doc I saw this time (I still haven't seen the same doc twice which is one of the downsides to going to a practice) was totally understanding of my situation and is on the same page as me regarding the aggressive monitoring of the previa. I now have another ultrasound appointment for March 18th. We also talked about my complete lack of support here and my parents being on the other side of the country and she offered an scheduled c-section if that was what I chose and wanted to do, but said I still had lots of time to think about it. I didn't even know that was an option. So, I have been researching, researching and reading up on everything I can find.

My personal opinion here, so no flames...  I find that there is an awful lot of preaching and judgment (opinions are a$$holes; everyone has one) on women who choose to have an elective c-section. Much like there is regarding breastfeeding. I have been inundated with the "are you going to breastfeed? It's best for the baby you know" question lately and it's annoying. My thoughts are this: I would like to breastfeed while I'm off of work. It's free, it's always there and I agree that the health benefits for the baby are the best. However, if it doesn't work out, then it doesn't work out and I'm not going to let it stress me out or let anyone else tell me what to do, what I should do or make me feel like a failure and a bad mom for it if it doesn't happen.

Everyone's situation and medical history is different and with today's medical advances, no one has the right to pass judgement on me or tell me what to do or how to live my life. My personal opinion about those who birth without medical help is that they are completely insane. You wouldn't go to the dentist and say "gee doc, I want to be Super!Patient, so please do my root canal without any anesthesia or pain relief." At the end of the day, there's no award ceremony and no one places in a top 10 birthers list. It's not a competition. Everyone (hopefully) goes home with a baby no matter how that baby was brought into the world. And when someone brags that they did it completely natural, I don't sit there in awe and amazement, I think they're crazy, ridiculous and weird. It's 2011 you know, medical advances are awesome.

As for the c-section; My list of pros is far longer than the list of cons and if the insurance company continues to say that they'll cover it (this is a huge worry) then I'm leaning towards wanting to do it. Besides, there is a good chance that I may end up needing to have one anyway with my super-narrow hips (I'm still in a size 0 and have gained a whopping 8lbs) and the previa so I'd rather just have that be the plan all along. The LAST thing I want to do is go through hours and hours of labor (and stress on the baby) and end up having one anyway.

Now for the fun stuff. I finally chose a crib, dresser, stroller system (the lightest I could find, Graco Spree travel system in Barcelona Bluegrass, 10% off your first order for new customers at diapers dot com) and pack n' play. I ordered the dresser, stroller and a diaper bag already and my mom is going to order and ship me the crib and pack n' play. The rest of the necessities are on my registry and I'll (try to) hold off buying anything else until closer to baby's arrival.

19w1d

Well, I had my anatomy scan yesterday and the baby looks perfect, measuring 2 days ahead of schedule so my due date has been changed to 7/12/11.

AND IT'S A BOY!!!!

I am quite happy about this and relieved that I won't be inundated with pink, bows, dresses and ribbons. I personally think boy stuff is so much cuter. My little nephew has a pair of baby chucks and they are the cutest shoes ever.

There is however, a little problem. I have placenta previa. Now it's still early and as the uterus grows, the placenta can and hopefully will end up away from my cervix, but for now I have to be really careful and mindful of my physical activities and pray I don't have any bleeding. I have an OB appointment in not-quite two weeks and I plan to have a long chat about being aggressive with monitoring my condition and my situation as a single mom with no local support. I don't have anyone here who can help me or take care of me if I end up on bed rest so I will have to make arrangements as soon as possible if that's the direction it looks like it's going. It won't work for me to have to wait until I'm 30+ weeks (as was suggested by the doc at the sonogram place) before they check things out again only to have them say, "oh gee, you need to be on bed rest starting tomorrow." The problem is that nowadays there are very few flights between my parents on the west coast and me on the east coast, and what flights there are are always oversold. So they can't just jump on the next flight out because there won't be seats and even if there were it would cost close to $3,000. It's highway robbery but that's the situation.

Ugh scary times man, scary times. And I have to work this holiday weekend. Naturally.

17w5d

I can't believe how fast time is flying by. I finally broke down and started wearing my maternity clothes today. I had been using safety pins to keep my pants together and wearing my button down shirts untucked, but no more power suits for me until after my maternity leave is up. I have to admit, I do like my maternity pants from the gap. The semi-waist band is so soft and it's really handy going to the bathroom. No more suit jacket, no more utility belt, no tucking in the shirt, which all used to add significant time to my pee trips. The maternity pants are so easy though! However, I strongly dislike the maternity tops. There are so few to choose from, they are all short sleeved (it's freakin FEBRUARY and it's obscenely cold!) they are all the same style (baby doll) and they are all sickeningly froo-froo-girly. Really not a good look for someone of my position and it's almost offensive. All day people were teasing me about how cute I looked and how girly and school-marmish I looked. Grrrrrrr.

SO excited for next week though. I have my anatomy scan appointment and I get to find out the sex. I can't frickin wait. The only thing is that the radiology clinic I have to go to has some not-quite-top-of-the-line equipment (the fertility clinic had better which gave the 3d images) and I would really like some high tech images of my baby. There is a 3d/4d ultrasound company in the area and I thought about setting up a session there. I would have to pay for it though, but I think it would be a really cool thing to do. We'll see.

14w3d

Quick update:

All is well. I got my early risk screening results back and they are normal. My numbers were, to quote the nurse, that of a 20 year old. My Trisomy 13 & 18 was 1:10,000 and my Trisomy 21 was also 1:10,000. I had no doubt that everything was fine. Truth is, I only did the screening because it meant I got to see ultrasound pictures lol.

My belly is protruding a little, but I am thankful that I still, for the most part, fit comfortably in my normal non-work clothes. Sometimes as I sit at the computer or lounge around watching TV my pants feel a little tight so I undo my button but so far that's about it. My work clothes are another story. So far, I can still wear my suits, but 3 of them I have to use a safety pin and wear a longer shirt over the waist. 2 of my others still fit normally, but that probably isn't going to last long. I have noticed I'm overflowing in my bras too. Hee! I went to the mall today and did a little looking around. I tried on a bra (D cup OMG!) at the Motherhood store and it fit. It fit so well that I didn't buy it because I figure I still have a heck of a long way to grow and I was afraid I'd outgrow it by the time baby gets here. Normally I'm a small C cup, which is perfect in my opinion for someone of my body frame, but trying on and fitting in a D was thrilling. hee It's the little things. I hope they don't get ridiculously big though...

I really hope I carry a cute little round bump in front with no other gain anywhere else. Since I'm on the topic of wishful thinking, I would also like to ask for a healthy, but smaller baby. Somewhere around the 6-7 pound range. None of the 9-11 pound baby craze my family seems to have. Seriously. I was 8.5, my sister was 9, my 1st nephew was 10 and my second nephew is going to be somewhere around 10.5-11. No thank you.

My anatomy scan appointment is scheduled for Feb 17th and I can't friggin wait.

13 weeks tomorrow

I have been a terrible blogger lately. I know and I'm sorry. With the holidays and all kinds of crazy happening, these last couple of weeks have absolutely flown by.

I had my first trimester screening this afternoon and they had just gotten a new ultrasound machine that the tech was still trying out and fiddling with so I got some experimental 3D pics! woohoo! Baby is measuring 13 weeks 1 day and is right on track. Everything is looking perfect and wow did that little one squirm around. It was amazing to watch. For as bad as I had to pee, I still could have sat there and watched it all day.

Things at work have been picking up. It's open season this month for selecting an office/location of preference, so I put my name on the list to go home. Hopefully all will go well (it's based on seniority and availability of positions) and I can move home and have my baby there with my family. I have been very excited today. These are such awesome pictures:

On a slightly down note though, I have been desperately trying to find maternity clothes. Now, I am fairly slender and always have problems finding pants sized 0-2 and small shirts but maternity wear is an entirely different pain in the ass. I ordered some jeans from the gap because their jeans always look awesome on me and online they actually have my size (1 regular) in maternity. They arrived last night and this is what I was greeted with when I tried them on:

Ugh. So far, every pair of pants I have tried on do this. I could have the biggest badunkadunk in the world and that extra bit of fabric between the pockets and elastic waist still wouldn't sit right. Besides, don't they know babies grow in the belly, not the butt!