36 Weeks

Well here we are closing in on the final few weeks. I can't believe how fast time has passed. I had a growth ultrasound a few weeks ago and everything is looking great. The baby was measuring in the 45th percentile at a whopping 3 lbs 9 oz (this was at 31 weeks). He has been head down since that appointment which is great. He continues to beat on my ribs and now enjoys sitting on top of them rather than pushing from underneath them. My ribs are bruised and so sore that my bra feels like it's strangling me. It's really strange, I even get a numbness/tingling right under my breasts. The heartburn and acid reflux has continued to get worst and Tums are my new best friend. I've also had some swelling in my hands so I haven't been able to wear my wedding rings for little over a month now. I wake up several times during the night with numb fingers and a lot of pain in my joints (along with having to pee all the time). So far so good though that my feet have only had one or two days of swelling and that is was only in the morning. Other than those few complaints things overall have been great and I am really fortunate and happy to be having such a wonderful pregnancy.

I am now going to the doctor once a week and after today am considered full term! As of my appointment last Wednesday I weigh 132 lbs. which puts my total weight gain at 29 lbs. The doctors are really pleased and even commented how there is no fat around my belly and how I'm all baby. I hope this means that I'll be back down to my pre-pregnancy weight fairly quickly after the baby is born. Here is my 36 week bump pic:

We are making progress in the nursery. The chair rails are up but the nail holes need to be caulked and given a final coat of paint. The frog and dragonfly decals are on the wall and I've gotten the window valances hung. The crib arrived this week and R is supposed to put it together today. The only things I'm waiting on are the area rug and side table (by the glider) to be delivered from Target, which should be within the next two weeks. Once those are in then I'll take some pics and post them.

We did not do maternity pics after all. We had a freak snow storm at the end of October and all the leaves fell off the trees before turning. I think I'm just going to have my girlfriend come over and take some pics once the nursery is finished rather than spend so much money on professional pics. I'd rather save that for when the baby is born and I can have really nice newborn pics done instead. I did have my baby showers a few weeks ago. The CT one turned out a big crowd and we got so much stuff! The food was amazing and everyone was so generous! The NY baby shower was right after Thanksgiving and was only the immediate family (about 25 of us). We had a delicious brunch and all of R's aunts and uncles surprised us and went in on the crib together. My MIL was also very generous and got us a lot of stuff as well. We are so fortunate that the only thing we ended up having to buy was the stroller and car seat, which I picked up last week. So now we just need to finish putting things together and I think we are ready for this little one to get here. I am secretly hoping he comes soon. I'd be lying if I didn't say that I was extremely uncomfortable at this point but I'd love for him to be here for Christmas. I guess we will have to wait and see when he decides to make his appearance.   

28 weeks

So it's been a few weeks since my last post but not much has changed. My bump has definitely gotten bigger but luckily everything else has pretty much stayed the same size, lol. I'm up 20 lbs as of my doctor's appointment last week. I'm pretty sure this baby is going to be a gymnast because he kicks, punches and does summersalts like crazy! His favorite thing to do is to kick me in the ribs on my right side, which makes me pretty sore. It also doesn't just feel like little bumps anymore, you can actually feel him rolling around in there. It's amazing but weird. He's definitely on a schedule now. He wakes me up every night to pee at 1:30am, 3:30am and 5:30am. I'll be curious to see if this will be his feeding schedule once he's born.

I'm feeling good over all accept for the heartburn. If the old wives' tale is true then this kid is going to come out with a full head of hair. OMG! the heartburn is terrible! Luckily it doesn't start until around 8:30pm which is good because I'm not suffering all day but it makes it hard to fall asleep sometimes.

We've started on the nursery as well. It's all painted but we still have to hang the chair rail and put up the decals. I'll post some pics once it's all done.

We also have some fun stuff coming up. In two weeks we are going to take our maternity pictures at a local park (once all the leaves have changed colors) . The invitations for my shower on November 13th have also gone out and we've been getting lots responses. I can't wait!!!

So here is my bump pic which was taken yesterday at 27w4d.

22 Weeks

Well we are moving right along now at just over 22 weeks. I am definitely looking pregnant now and even strangers have begun to comment. The baby moves around all the time and I'm even starting to figure out his schedule when he's going to start kicking away.

The bedding came in for the nursery and I absolutely love it! I ordered a sample of the border yesterday so that should be here in a few days. It's the history of the corvette (guess whose idea that was) done in vintage blue, cream and red colors. I figured it was better to order a sample to make sure we like it before ordering enough to do the entire room.

We haven't gotten too far on the name yet. The only one we kind of agree on is Mason but neither of us are convinced that's it. I do really like it but my problem is that it's really popular right now. We'll see, we still some time to think about it. I think that's about it for the moment. Here is my 22 week bump pic:

 

20 Weeks

Well we hit the half way mark! I can't believe how fast time is flying by. We had the anatomy scan on Monday and we are having a little boy! I had a feeling over the past couple weeks that it was a boy but we were certain at the beginning that it was a girl. Everything checked out perfect at the anatomy scan, the heart and brain looked beautiful and the tech was able to rule out the chance of club feet (which runs in my family). We got to watch our little boy kicking away and waving his arms and even grabbing at his little winky, lol (yes, it starts that early). I also learned that I have an anterior placenta. The doctor said it's nothing to worry about and she was surprised that I was able to feel the baby kicking already as usually with an anterior placenta you don't start feeling kicks until after 22 weeks. My total weight gain is 10 lbs which 10 - 12 lbs is perfectly normal at this week so overall everything is looking good.

Now that we know we're expecting a little boy I started buying things for the nursery. I ordered the bedding and it should be here next week. It was on clearance from Pottery Barn Kids but they only had the crib bumper in stock (marked to $40 from $70). I found the matching quilt and crib skirt brand new on ebay so now all I need to find are window valances that match. I'm so excited!!!

Here is the ultrasound pic:

Here is the picture of the bedding:

 

18 Weeks

I can't believe I'm 18 weeks along already! It seems like just yesterday that I got my bfp and now I'm well into my second trimester. I started feeling the baby move this week, which is the most amazing thing in the world! There was a good week where I wasn't sure if I was feeling the baby or gas bubbles but then three days ago I was sitting on the couch at work and I felt two very distinct flicks. Since then I have been feeling flutters and flicks like crazy. It reacts to certain foods I eat. The other day I ate some salsa that had a bit of a kick to it and the baby was dancing like crazy afterwards. I can also feel it move across my belly. I'll feel a hard like pressure on one side (about the size of sweet potato this week) and then it's suddenly on the other side. So weird!

No belly pic this week since it's roughly the same size as my last pic. I had to go buy some maternity clothes because none of my pants fit anymore. They are so comfortable and I'm glad that I got them.

One more week until our anatomy scan! I can't wait!!!!!

17 Weeks

Well here I am at 17 weeks and I'm definitely starting to get big now. It's extremely uncomfortable to bend over and even slouching when sitting hurts. I can't be sure if I have felt the baby move yet. The other day I felt a flick that I guess might have been a kick.  I also get these weird little flutters but I'm not 100% sure it's the baby and not a gas bubble. What is weird is that there is a large lump roughly the size of an orange that moves around in my belly. Of course I assume that is the baby but I don't actually feel it moving, it's just suddenly in a different place.  I have been have terrible stretching pains for the last couple days and I get charlie horses in my legs at night. I get up to pee at least once a night so I haven't been sleeping great. Other than that I feel good over all. Can't wait for the anatomy scan on the 15th to find out what we're having.

Here's my 17 week bump pic:

16 weeks

Well actually I'm a few days short of 16 weeks but close enough. Yesterday I went for another ultrasound and everything looks great! We watched the baby kicking away at my bladder (no wonder I have to pee all the time, lol) and sucking it's thumb. I was hoping we'd be able to get an early peak at it's gender but no luck. The baby refused to cooperate and the one time it rolled over the umbilical cord was in the way. Oh well, I guess we'll have to wait until the anatomy scan on August 15th.

I feel amazing! My morning sickness is completely gone and my energy is back. I have gained 7 lbs since the beginning of the pregnancy and my bump has really popped this week. I am going to have to get a belly band or buy some maternity clothes this week because none of my pants fit me anymore.

Here are the pics for this week:

12 weeks

I went for my NT scan a couple days ago and everything looked great! I got to see the baby bounce around the screen for almost an hour. He/she was not very cooperative and it took the tech forever to get a measurement. I could see it's little legs kicking and arms waving around. A few times it would even suck it's thumb. I'm also pretty sure that the baby is going to love the camera because it kept turning towards us everytime the tech would try and take the measurement. Then by the end of the appointment it must have had enough because it kept turning and mooning us, lol. I asked the doctor if he could make a prediction on the gender but again the baby was not cooperating. First it's legs were crossed and then the umbilical cord was in the way. We were just about to give up when we finally got a clear view. Unfortunately the little wiggle worm was moving around so much that the doctor was having a hard time judging the angle of the dangle. At first he said that if he had to guess that it was a girl but then a second later said he thought boy. The tech then chipped in that she also thought it was a boy. The doctor said the baby was moving around too much to get an accurate answer so not to buy anything pink or blue. The most important thing though is that all the measurements came back awesome. Chances of downs syndrome is 1 in 5,000 and chances of any other chromosomal diseases is 1 in 10,000! Woo Hoo!!!!! The baby was also measuring a head of schedule which moved my due date to January 4th now. The doctor said it's common for the due date to move around as long as it stays within the week. I'm going to stick with the 6th though since it seems to be in the middle of the doctor's estimate.

Here is a pic of the baby at 12 weeks:

As for everything else I am feeling great! My morning sickness has almost completely gone away now and my energy is definitely coming back. What isn't so good is that the other day I was cleaning out the baby's room and dropped a cabinet on my foot. It immediately swelled and turned black and blue. I went to the ER and they didn't want to take x-rays since I'm pregnant so I'm not sure if it's broken or not. They gave me this big blue orthopedic shoe that I have to wear which sucks. On the plus side I am actually starting to get a little bump not that isn't just bloat :)

Here is a pic of my bump at 12 weeks:

7 Weeks

At 7 weeks pregnant my morning sickness has really kicked in :( It's much stronger and gets really bad if I don't eat. I discovered the plain eggo waffles are the best thing on the planet. They go down easy and really do the trick. I also started using Preggie Pop Drops. My friend gave me a gift bag and they were in there so I thought I'd give them a chance. They are little citrus candies and really take away the nausea. The cramping is pretty much gone but the fatigue and bloat is still around.

I also went for my first dating ultrasound. It was so exciting! The baby is the size of a blueberry and had a very strong little heartbeat, 120 bmp! Everything looked good and my edd is January 6th! We also got a great pic of the baby. You can see it's little arms, eyes and the umbilical cord :)

Here is a pic of my bump that is starting to make it's appearance (I switched back to the blue shirt):

 Here's a pic of our little bean :)

6 Weeks

At 6 weeks pregnant I was still feeling pretty good. Still having some mild cramping but not as frequent as before. I was getting mild waves of nausea and could barely keep my eyes open after 3pm. Also I started getting really bloated at night. It looked like a little baby bump but was gone by the time the morning came. Here is my bump picture for 6 weeks (the black shirt wasn't a good idea):

5 Weeks

At 5 weeks pregnant I was feeling pretty good. I had some mild cramping on and off and I was starting to get tired in the early afternoon. Here is a picture of my (non-exsistant) bump:

Let the worrying begin

The next day I tested with another digital and got that beutiful word that I had been waiting to see "pregnant". I also went for a blood test which came positive the next day. I was so excited but also so worried that it wasn't true or it would go away. Everything was going along fine for the first week. I felt good except for some mild cramping and I was starting to get tired easily. Then I one night about a week later I was laying in bed watching tv and I suddenly got a really sharp jab. It was really low, almost in the crease of my leg. It happened quick and then went away. I thought it was weird but didn't give it too much thought since it was in a weird spot. I fell asleep and was woken up several times during the night by this sharp jab. The next morning when I woke up it happened again so I decided to call the doctor. The nurse told me it was probably nothing but she would check with the doctor and call me back. I really wasn't that concerned about it until later that afternoon when the doctor called back and wanted me to come in that day for an ultrasound. I was so nervous and upset that something was wrong. I went in for the ultrasound and everything looked fine. Even though it was way to early to see the baby the gestational sac was in the correct spot. I met with the doctor and she told me the reason she wanted me to come in because she was afraid that it might have been an ectopic pregnancy but everything looked good. She examined the spot where I was getting the sharp pain and discovered a very tiny cyst just under the skin. It was tiny, smaller then a popcorn kernel. She said that it was nothing to be concerned with and thought that I've probably had it for a long time. She thought it could have been irritated from the ligaments starting to stretch in my abdomen. I haven't felt the pain since but I felt better having had it checked out and knowing that the baby was where it was supposed to be and measuring right on schedule at 5 weeks.

How many times did you pee today?

I was absolutely bursting at the seams to share my news with R but did not want to tell him over the phone. I sent him a text asking him if he had class that night and what time he would be home. He said he had class and wanted to know why I wanted to know. I told him no reason, because I wanted to grill and if he was going to be late then it would be dark out and I'd figure out something else for dinner. He said that he'd be home around 7:30pm so grilling would be fine. I thought I had been sneaky but then he replied "I'm watching you", lol. I guess he knew I was up to something.

The day felt like an eternity. R finally got home around 8pm and greeted me in the kitchen. He went to the fridge to grab a drink and I went over to give him a kiss hello. I was trying so hard not to smile but he immediately knew something was up and asked me what was going on. I said nothing because I wanted him to get in the door and settled a bit before I surprised him with the big news. He didn't believe me that nothing was going on and pressed me to tell him. I couldn't keep it a secret any more and lifted my shirt to reveal a small heart with the words "Hi Dad" I had drawn in the center in eye liner on my stomach. He looked at it and said, "What does that mean?! What does that mean?! Did you get your period today?! What does that mean?!". I started laughing and told him that it meant that I was pregnant and he was going to be a daddy. He asked me how I knew that so I took him by the hand and brought him to the bathroom where all the positive hpt's were lined up on the counter. He looked at them and asked me "How many times did you pee today?". It was so funny!

R was really nervous that first night. He kept telling me to calm down and not freak out but I think that was more for his benefit then mine, lol. He said he didn't want to get too excited until it was confirmed especially since the positives were so light. I explained to him it didn't matter how light the positives were a line is a line but he was still very nervous. We agreed to wait to get too excited until it was confirmed with a bloodtest the next morning but R kept talking about it and asking me questions all night long. I could tell he was so excited but didn't want to show it in case it wasn't true. It was really cute!

Is that a second line?!

We started TTC in September 2010 and like most couples believed that it would happen immediately. After all, we were warned our entire lives how easy it is to get pregnant. What they don't tell you is that it can take a healthy couple up to one year of actively ttc to get pregnant. We were lucky that it did not take a full year and it finally happened to us on our sixth try.

I had been charting my temps for months, trying to figure out my irregular cycles. On the day af was due I had a big temp dip and horrible cramps, which I assumed meant that we were out for the cycle. I was disappointed to say the least because my temps in my 2ww were completely different then any other cycle so I was very optimistic that it was a good sign that we actually got it this time. That night right before bed I thought af had begun to make her appearance so I fully expected she would be there in full force the next morning. I woke up and temp'd as normal and to my surprise my temp spiked back up. I didn't give it much thought and rolled over and went back to sleep. I got up at my normal time and was surprised that af had not shown her ugly face after all. I decided to poas and to my surprise a very faint second line started to pop up after about 20 seconds. I was in complete shock as I was so used to seeing stark white hpt's. I ran to the hall closet and grabbed a first response early response test. I quickly dipped that and again a very faint second line had started to appear. I was so excited and started yelling to Daisy and Bosco, "Is that a second line?! OMG! There's a second line!" They looked at me like I was crazy and were dancing at the door to go outside. I decided to grab a clear blue digital test and dip that one as well. I took the dogs out and when I came back in the digital test said "not pregnant". I was not discouraged though because I knew those tests were not as sensitive as the frer or the IC's I had used. I grabbed three more IC's and dipped those, all showed faint positives. Looking back I now know that what I had the day before was an implantation dip with implantation spotting. I was in such shock that I was actually pregnant! I started shaking and crying, it was one of the best moments of my life!