Pictures. . . Weeks 16 and 17

New pictures! I may never include my face as who knows where it could end up on the internet. You know that story of the US family who saw their face in a grocery store ad in Europe, right? Hahahaha!

I'm Slacking!

I've been slacking on the updates! Actually, I do update when I have something, but I haven't had too much to discuss!

Luckily, that little pregnancy ticker is moving right along. I went to my regular OB today and everything went well. The baby's heartbeat was good at 155ish beats per minute. Mine was 130! LOL I've gained 1.5 pounds total. Yes, I know I will gain more, but that number makes me cringe. All the damn books say 5-10 pounds is normal for where I am, so now I feel guilty. My doctor does not care too much though. He said as long as the baby is growing then I'm good to go. Either way, I still make sure to shove down a glass of chocolate milk each morning!

At my appointment today I had a Quad Screening done. This is where they take a vial of blood and test it for four types of diseases/defects. I should have the results of the test next week.

When the doctor listened to the baby's heartbeat he said, "WOW. That's one strong heartbeat." Hahaha. I think he knows me well. That comment sent me skipping out of the office. It was like I was a little kid and the doctor just put a sticker on my chart. It's a good feeling!

New bump pics coming soon!

Great Appointment!

I'm back and feeling very relaxed after my appointment with maternal fetal medicine! My appointment could not have gone better. Well, okay they were about 20 minutes behind and I was sent with a full bladder but hey, beggars can't be choosers!

This was a very busy office. Each nurse was very nice and talkative. I went in and had my weight taken. Then I went and had a discussion with the nurse. She referred to me as an "easy patient" because I'm in good health and have a clean history. Then, I went and had an abdominal ultrasound with a tech. She took all sorts of measurements of the baby for about 20 minutes. I'm telling you, I have no clue how they do their jobs. I couldn't tell a foot from a head without her pointing it out. Plus, the baby was so active, she couldn't give me a profile shot like I was hoping for! It was fun though, and she explained every single measurement and made sure to tell me that each measurement ranked in the normal range. The baby was measuring a few days ahead (whoo hoo). As the tech was pointing out parts, she pointed out the cervix and then she went to an opposite side of the screen and said, "Here is the placenta." I jumped right in and asked her if the placenta was still covering the cervix. I told her it was at my last scan. Her response was, "Oh, that happens all the time. Yours totally moved." SCORE!

After the abdominal she had me change for my internal ultrasound. Sounds scary, but I've had about six of these bad boys. The point was to check the cervix and make sure it was a normal length. Of course I know all about cervix length, shortening, and premature birth. I went in there already knowing that a normal range should be 3-5 (ahem, units). I watched her measure and kept my fingers crossed. Low and behold. . . 4.6!!! She goes, "Oh you are so good. That will not be a problem." Right at that point I started daydreaming about all of the stuff I would order online when I got home! LOL

So, at this point I got dressed and waited for the MFM doctor. To my surprise he came and and asked me to hop on up for another abdominal! What? Three scans in one day? I LOVE THIS DAY! So, up I went and he started rechecking some of the tech's measurements. Of course, my half empty glass kicked in and I thought, "OMG, did she see something and not say anything?" He was zooming and zooming on the babies heart. I got a little worried because the tech told me the heartbeat was 140bpm and it's normally 160. I thought she said it was normal, but I started to worry a little (yes, I have a sickness). So the doc was still doing some heart zooming and he says, "Well, I normally can't get a scan this clear and this early, but I have a great view of the heart and everything is perfect." Relief! The next thing I knew, I was done! They gave me plenty of pictures! Yes, yes, I will attach them!

So, today I'm just so excited and thankful. Mr. Later Than Most took the "Are you going to stop worrying now?" approach. Gah! Men are so relaxed! My next OB appointment is in one week, and I'll go back to the MFM in 4 weeks for my level two scan!

Here are the pics. . . yes, some are more Halloween like!

MFM Appointment This Week

At my last OB appointment, my doctor (the new one :) told me that all IVF patients will be seen by a MFM. I thought he meant just for the gender scan, but then the MFM called this week and schedule me for two ultrasounds! Whoo hoo! I love a chance to see this little one. So, this Thursday I will be going in for a short ultrasound. At the appointment they will be checking on the placenta to see if it's moved at all, and they will also be checking cervix length to make sure it's within a normal range. Not that we are finding out the gender, but our gender scan will be November 17th. That's so far! LOL Even though we are not finding out, the ultrasound is about an hour long. They will be checking the same things they check this week, and they will be taking all sorts of measurements for the baby. I'm excited to get a good ultrasound this week. The ultrasound machine at the RE was top notch, and then the OB offices don't have as clear of pictures on their machines. It's kinda like HD and not HD. Hahahaha.

Other than that, things are going well. Mr. Later Than Most and I have been working on getting our house in tip top shape. Today I'm going through my clothes and putting away things that don't fit. I've had two very generous people lend me maternity clothes, so I'll be getting those put away today as well.

As I've mentioned in many other blogs, I'm a recreational shopper. I've been good so far, but the shopping has slowly started. We bought a bassinet from another teacher in my district this week. It was really cheap and in great shape. Mr. Later Than Most and I played with it for about twenty minutes the other day. It has all sorts of gadgets. Other than that, I've bought a couple of things that I found on sale. Yesterday I found a bouncy chair that literally matched the bassinet so I bought it. And of course, we purchased our bedding which I've posted in a previous blog. It's nice to have the winter to work on things. It would be really hard to work on our house if it were 80 degrees and sunny!

Bump Pics- By Request

I have some pics to post. Tomorrow I'll take my 15 week, but I have past weeks to share. I think week 14 looks different than the others. We'll see when I take week 15 tomorrow.

I have not gained weight yet, but I'm sure my time is coming!

First Shower- As an Attendee

Before I give an IF rant, I just want to get this out: I just realized my kid is gifted! Yup, in utero and so advanced! It's just that Trouble had the hiccups at this week's ultrasound. That was at exactly 14 weeks. In my baby books it says that babies may get the hiccups around 16 weeks! Yes! I better start looking into alternative schools for the advanced! Heheehehehehee.

So, today I will be attending my first baby shower. Nope, not for me (duh), but for a friend. Wait, wait, wait, you remember her, right? Mrs. February 2010? Mr. Later Than Most's BFF wife? She planned two years ahead to get pregnant in February 2010 and it worked! Now she is gifted! Anyway- her shower is today. This will be my first shower in about a year and a half. I hate to generalize, but I think it's safe to say that girls who deal with IF kinda skip baby showers. They have to wash their hair that day or they have another "function" to go to. Showers are so uncomfortable when everyone is discussing something you can't have.

So, why am I bringing this up? I'm totes preggo, right? Well my blog friend, those damn feelings kinda don't go away. I have no clue why. Yes, it will be easier for me to attend this shower, but for some reason, I still resent long conversations about baby making and how long it took people to get pregnant. It's my own problem, I do know that. But come on, when someone complains about blah blah, "I hate all those times I have to give blood for testing" or "That blood pressure cuff really hurts" it's hard for me to hold back without saying, "Try shooting yourself in the stomach three times a day for two weeks! Pure enjoyment." Okay- we all know I said the shots weren't that bad (and they weren't). I just hate when people complain about something that's really not that big of an issue (to me obviously). Yup, the IF mind sticks around, even after you achieve your goal. So, long story short, I will try to be on my best behavior today. Bitter is not a part of the pregnancy glow! :)

As for other updates, I'm just trucking right along. I'm not going to lie, I've convinced myself that this will be my only child. No, Mr. Later Than Most does not know this. It's just all of the twinges and pains and cramps worry me way too much. How funny is that? I could care less about the labor part or c-section, whatever! I just am scared to death of the process to get there! LOL- I'm totally ass-backwards! I do know partially what causes this. Way too much internet. As soon as I started having issues TTC, I went straight to the internet and learned way too much. Of course, there is no filter to block horror stories on the internet. I've read way too many depressing pregnancy stories, which are probably very isolated, but to me they seem so common and possible. Yes, I do need a therapist. Do you know one that's near my house? :)

Alright, I'm off to use my heart monitor!

Love That New OB

My first OB appointment with my new doctor was a great success. I love him. He answered a million of my questions and was very kind and polite. I even got an ultrasound!!!! I was not expecting that! Let me tell you, Trouble had the hiccups (yes, little 14 week hiccups) and it was the cutest thing ever. Mr. Later Than Most did not even believe me when I told him that. He said the baby was too little for hiccups. . . lol.

You know me, I don't attend a doctor appointment without issues. So, during my ultrasound the doctor told me that the placenta is over the cervix. This is known as placenta previa. I've heard of it, and this was not the news I wanted. Don't worry, I left the office before I cried (ugh, I'm such a baby). Anyway- after freaking Mr. Later Than Most out (I really feel sorry for that guy), I went home and did some research. It's for sure something that can fix itself and apparently has time to do so. Luckily, my best teaching partner talked to her MFM daughter-in-law for me. Love, love Dr. Jill. She was able to bring me back to reality, which Mr. Later Than Most is most grateful for. So, I woke up today and thought, "Damn, I need to be more positive and freaking quit worrying about what I can't control." Then, I used that positive statement as an excuse to order bedding for the nursery. Okay wait, before you think I'm slightly looney. . . go back through my blogs and read about Baby BiPolar Disorder. I have the pregnant version. The one in my blog is the infertility version, which I will never get rid of anyway.

So, before I post a picture of the bedding, let me warn you that I do not own a ranch. My husband and I are not farmers. Though we do fancy a rural town visit, this bedding just appealed to me and I have no clue why. I know it's early, but I love it and so does Mr. Later Than Most. I did have one already in mind (cute little forest friends), but Mr. Later Than Most was not excited with it. Something about bland colors! Anway- here it is. I'll let you know if it keep it :)

Hello Week 13

Yes, yes! The title shouts it from the roof-tops. . . week 13! First, I'd like to say that the IF devil is almost out the door. She seems to visit less frequent, which is just great! I'm getting tired of her bullshit ideas that just never pan out. Good riddance to her!

So week 13 has been interesting. I know the baby is growing fast and all, but holy cramps of stretching this week! Two nights I was up in the middle of the night with "stretching" (which feel like cramps). It's really scary, especially since you have no clue what it is. It wasn't painful for anything. . . just there. Either way, two nights for about 20 minutes and it was gone.

I've done a little shopping. I went to this sale and bought some baby clothes. I love a good sale. Let me tell you though. . . there is not much in the neutral department. So, I bought some general colored stuff and of course, the clothes shopping will happen after Trouble gets here. Until then, the few yellow and green things will do, which Mr. Later Than Most is not too fond of! LOL

Other than that, I'm just taking each day at a time. I'm reading all my books slowly working my way off of these progesterone suppositories. I've been taking them since July 13! October 6th is my last day with them. Maybe they will take the IF devil with them for good!