December 24

Lumpy pregnant belly. My belly button is so indented that I acutally have a huge belly dimple that makes my belly not totally round. Too weird!

Classes, Family Christmas, Vacation

I just signed up for all the classes we want to take regarding the birthing and care of Baby T. That should keep us busy in February-March--good practice for when we actually have a baby:)

Pasquale opened one of our presents for us last week. He was just too overcome with holiday spirit I guess. It was a book called "On Becoming Baby Wise" which is supposed to be helpful for getting your baby on a schedule and sleeping through the night early on. I am in the philosophy portion of the book and some of it seems hokey but the general ideas are good (I just think the presentation is a bit ostentatious). I was really excited Max's grandma Judy got it for us because I had wanted to check it out and the library copies are all gone. Someone I work with highly recommended it--seems like they are of the Dr Spock mind on a lot of things with a few 'twists' of their own. So thanks Pasquale for being bad!

There were about 45 people at family Christmas, ranging in age from 22 months to 80+ years old. It is always something else! Even though I called and tried to talk to everyone about being pregnant, AND put it on the family website message board, there were still several people who didn't know, including my dad and his family. Oh well, c'est la vie. It went fine except for the akwardness of turning around and finding my dad, my half-brother AND my half-sister all staring at my belly. I need to get a belly shot and post it so you can all see. I still feel like I am in the 'is she or isn't she?' phase--there is definately something going on there but I am not sure people know it is a baby. I hope they don't think I'm just fat. What can you do?

Next week we are off for 10 days in a row. I can hardly wait. I need a break and am especially excited since we can just relax and enjoy the season while only using 3 vacation days. Life doesn't get much better than this, does it?

2nd Ultrasound

Our second ultrasound was yesterday. I am now at 21 weeks and the baby measured in just fine.

My doctor is still very cool. Since we didn't want to know what we were having she didn't look either. She said it is too hard for her to keep quiet so she just doesn't look and that way no one knows. She was with us for about 10 minutes just looking around in there and at one point the baby's arm was up kind of like it was waving and I made a comment--then seconds later the baby moved his/her arm and actually did wave:)

If you can guess all three you win...knowledge! The originals are much crisper on this so if something looks fuzzy we can always show you the print-out version sometime!

6-8 weeks

Usually 6-8 weeks means 8 weeks, right? The baby furniture was ordered about 1.5 weeks ago and it has already arrived! Craziness!! The guy just called and asked if I was ready for it or if we needed them to hold on to it for a while. Considering I wasn't sure we would be ready for it in mid-January I know we aren't ready for it now!

I need to decide if/how we are going to paint and get a move on this I guess!

2nd ultrasound is tomorrow!!!!

Thanksgiving Weekend Update

We had a beautiful thanksgiving and baby liked all the delicious food prepared by the Treboni soon-to-be-grandparents! Afterwards we all just hung out and talked and it was a nice, relaxing day.

Friday I made a quick run to Target to pick up some of their super deal stuff. I managed to go to Target, Best Buy and Old Navy all within one hour (including drive time and purchasing items at Target). I was pretty proud of myself for all of this:)

Saturday, Mom T and I went shopping for baby furniture. The Treboni's really wanted to buy the baby's crib and dresser and we found a set that I absolutely love and that I think will be really useable once baby comes and even beyond that. We also got the conversion kit to turn the crib into a full-size bed frame some day. The combo unit dresser has a changing table area and a really neat pull-out stack of drawers that are very cool PLUS a secret hidden drawer that was a strong selling point because that is where I plan to put baby changing supplies like diaper ointment and such. The picture shows the combo unit with a hutch (we did not get the hutch because I really think I would accidentally whack baby on the thing when trying to change him/her. But this gives you the basic idea. This is also the color finish it will be in. I am very excited for everything to come in which should be mid January! I am also very thankful to Mom and Dad T for buying us and the baby such a beautiful and nice set of furniture to use for now and later!

Sunday my mom and I did a little shopping but we actually didn't buy anything. I was thinking about getting a rocker recliner for the baby's room or for use with the baby in our family room but am 1) not sure the recliner would fit in baby's room, 2) already have a rocking chair we can use, 3) decided that the area of the family room where we would put a recliner would be perfect for the pack n' play and later for a table/chair set and shelves for toys (it will be so cute), so we are holding off on this for now.

I also have got the flu or something AGAIN. This makes at least the fourth time this season. I am going to the doctor later today--I even got the stupid flu shot and I am STILL catching everything that is going around. I must just be lucky!

Baby's first (and only) in utero Michigan Game

Well, after another nail-biting and tense game OSU has beat Michigan again! I am not too good at keeping track of what is going on with football anyway so a game like that is really hard for me--I mean bad flags by refs and this and that and I have no clue what is happening!

Baby T probably heard daddy speak for the first time--Max was so pumped on that last touch down that he was just yelling 'yeah' and waving his arms around. I think people in Canada heard him. Baby might have also thought daddy was mad so I reassured the little T that daddy was just super excited. I think baby T understood. We'll see:)

I *think* I am feeling baby movement. For about a week I have had these off and on weird little pin-prick 'pains' in various areas of baby land. I am not 100% sure they are baby movement since I guess I was expecting something else, but I get the prick, it goes away, comes back to the same spot, goes away (repeat however many times) and then is gone until I get it somewhere else. My books all fail to describe what it is like and the only other example I have heard is little bubbles, so I could just be crazy:P but I think it is baby letting me know s/he is there!

Are we...halfway...there yet?

Still have 2 weeks to go before we hit 20 weeks/the halfway point. Pretty exciting stuff. I am ready to start feeling baby t kick (I think cause once they start it keeps on coming I hear:) ) and get our 2nd ultrasound even though we are not going to find out the sex of the baby...not until s/he comes out somewhere on or around April 20th that is!

I am trying to tell my dad's side of the family about the good news and no one is home. It is 8:30 p.m. on a Thursday so you would think someone would be home but of the 9 or so numbers I have called (dad has 5 siblings they all have kids, some of whom have kids, you get the picture) only 2 answers. And I really want to tell grandma myself before someone else spills the beans.

I am not going to tell my dad personally. Since we don't have a relationship I figure he can find out like all the other people I don't know very well who will hear about the pregnancy--from someone else. Complicating this is the fact that he is visiting my relatives this weekend in Cinti so he is bound to find out sooner rather than later. My grandma has dementia so even if we wanted to swear everyone to secrecy we can't. Plus, it is not a secret. I just don't want to talk to him (hey we've managed to not speak since last family Christmas so let's keep the good times going I say!).

Other than that nothing much going on. I got my stitches out from my under-arm mole removal and it came back an ugly mole but not cancerous. I caught the stomach flu and was home 1/2 days on Monday and Tuesday (after mistakenly thinking I was better on Tuesday), and I seem to be 'all cured' on that front.

I've worn preggie pants twice this week because I was getting sick of my 3 pairs of pre-pregnancy pants that still do fit. I felt a little silly but they looked nice and with a longer shirt on no one could tell they had a big ol' elastic panel:) I expect I won't be able to 'pass' for non-pregnant sometime here in the near future!

Date Reminder

I have trouble remembering exactly how far along I am so here's a ticker to help me, and maybe you too, out!

Have I mentioned I love the Gap?

I ran by the mall today to get something for my student worker's birthday and I peeked in Gap Maternity. I seriously need to go every 2 weeks!

This time I spent $60 and got 9 items which I think is pretty amazing! I picked up a black knit skirt, black pants and a pair of tan pants ($5!). I also got 6 shirts--the most expensive of which was $5 and the cheapest of which was $2. They also had a skirt for $1--but it was ugly and a size too big really so I passed on it. I mean really--talk about deals. Plus one of the shirts was a 2-parter--lace overshirt with a black cami with built-in bra underneath for $4.95...which would have been a steal on the cami alone.

Love the Gap Maternity @ Polaris. Every pregnant person I know needs to at least investigate it!

Back at last

My final big trip for the fall...is done! Welcome back to Ohio! Baby vastly prefers it here and thinks the water is higher quality than the water other places:)

Next year the conferences I went to are in:
-Las Vegas--conference is a waste of time, right before classes start and I hope to get out of it.
-Austin--conference was ok may try a second year.
-Miami--conference sucked big time and will never go again!
-Anaheim--my birthplace and home to Disneyland

Not a bad spread--better than Atlanta where I spent this week!

Shopping Part 2

Carrie and I went shopping a the outlet malls today. It was lots of fun and I got in some great 'baby time' or 'pregnant lady' time! I bought a cute piggy bank where you record each month's height/weight and a cube of board books--one for each letter of the alphabet--from Pottery Barn. They had a nifty dresser there in a weird color so I passed on it but may go back...who knows?!

We also got some clothes from Motherhood--we even both bought the same shirt which was fun. I got 3 pairs of pants (one was $10 and will probably only last me thru for a little bit) and 4 shirts. I also bought 2 baby outfits that were too cute and on a great sale.

Thanks to Carrie for a great baby day! And the Fish's nursery looks awesome--they have done lots!

Clothes Shop

Max and I went clothes shopping today. There was this jacket at Motherhood maternity store that I saw right after I found out and wanted but hadn't bought yet. So I was searching on-line and saw that it was 1/2 off so went to get it. The sleeves were too short and the upper arm area was tight so I couldn't (and short=about 4 inches above wrist!)

So we also checked out Gap Maternity. The selection at Polaris is pretty small but I got 2 shirts and 3 pairs of pants. I will only buy stuff on sale there, but I got jeans for under $10 and nice dress pants for $12 and both shirts were under $10. I actually got 2 pairs of jeans--one with the demi-panel for anytime wear and the panel is purple with cure flowers and they had a matching shirt:). I also got a pair of really cheap jeans for fully showing that won't work for now but I will need them someday and this way I got them for $10 instead of possibly paying more later.

Both the jeans and the pants for 'now' are very comfortable and fit well. I had actually gone in to check out sizes because they had some good sale on-line and ended up finding some great prices in-store that totally beat the on-line sale! In fact the demi-roll panel jeans aren't on sale on-line but I got them for more than 1/2 off! So, if you are looking they do have really nice stuff at the GAP...but you have to really dig through their stuff to find what you want in the sale area. Also, their long pant length was way too long on me (which I had a hard time imagining)--the long pants I tried on actually fully covered my feet and were major tripping hazards!

Phoenix Trip

But I just came back from Utah, right? So I had two longer back-to-back trips but now it is done...for two weeks anyway:)

Phoenix was ok. I think Utah was a lot prettier and baby definately liked it better until the tomato sauce incident. I got another relapse os super sinus infection. Unfortunately it interferred with being able to explore during our free time since I slept most of our free time!

I had a Dr appointment today where he discovered that I have a sinus and ear infection so now I am on another round of antibiotic. I hate taking stuff but I think baby is probably better off with a mother who can BREATHE!

Utah Trip

So I am back for a whopping 1.5 days from Utah. The trip went ok, but I had to leave work early today because I am sick--and I fly out to Phoenix tomorrow. Baby took this trip pretty well--we had spaghetti with tomato sauce at lunch on Wednesday and baby still hates on the red sauce so no more of that until after the baby comes I guess. Oh well!

I had to drive all over Utah for this trip so I got to see lots more than I usually do--it is really beautiful and might make for a great vacation some day. I even saw tumbleweed when I first arrived!

Girl's Trip

Amish Country with the gals was really fun. I think we weirded Mo and Mary out since not 1, not 2, but 3 of us were pregnant! It was really fun for me to have other preggie people to talk to because this was the first time since I found out that I was able to talk with a fellow pregnant person IN PERSON (Carrie and I have phoned a few times but not seen each other since I found out). So anyway, it was really nice to see folks.

I got some really cool new stuff, including a sign that says "all because two people fell in love" which I am thinking we could put above the crib in the baby's room. I also got some cool scrapbooking decals things and stickers so I am raring to go on more pages...after my marathon travel is done on October 20! (Between now and then I will be in Columbus for 1.5 days...)

Money Money Money

One thing that seems consistent in all the baby books that both Amy & I have been reading is everywhere that mentions how expensive it is to have a baby. There are some pretty outlandish numbers that they throw around for things like how much you'll spend on X stuff during the first year, how much in these types of bills, etc. The really scary one is where they mention how much it costs to raise a child to 18.

Now, I'm not really concerned about our ability to afford the baby. I know there will be some lifestyle changes brought on by the baby and necessity, and there will likely be thin times here and there, but I'm confident we'll be OK. What it really makes me think about are all those people right around the poverty level and all the children they have... I mean, looking at these numbers, having a baby is by far the most expensive thing you can do which doesn't first require you to pass a credit check. How do some folks do it?

On Carrie's recommendation, Amy picked up a really cool book called Baby Bargains. It seems to be a great book for helping sort through all the massive amounts of purchases and decisions that are coming in the next 6 months. It's crazy how much information and how many product reviews they seem to have somehow crammed into this one book.

Baby's second trip

Baby and I are back from Denver. I am now at 11+ weeks (yipee)!

The trip was way more stressful than it should have been--messed up flights, registrations, and missing baggage. The altitude also got to me a little--you are supposed to drink lots of water (which I did--like 20 glasses+ a day!) but I still got some mini-headaches and a few bloody noses. This was not so exciting. I am also thinking I have a sinus infection so I have a Dr appt on Monday.

In general I have been a little less tired, but not much. My stomach is hit or miss. I was fine W and R but on Friday I had pasta, which made me feel sick. Yesterday we were at a friend's wedding and I had pasta, which made me feel sick. I am going to lay off the pasta. I think baby hates it:)

It is really hard to eat well when you travel. Most of the restaurants by the hotel were cafe places with sandwiches and a small dinner plate selection but while they had a selection of fries, potatoes and chips, they had no other veggies. I managed pretty well but you would think a mid-level restaurant would have a veggie of the day or something. Salads generally have lettuce, which is a veggie, but has no real nutritional value--like broccoli or carrots do (although I tried eating a carrot again yesterday and still no go). My goal is still at least one fruit or veggie at every meal. I mostly managed it!

I am just glad to be back until my next trip (leave 10/10)!

Another week down

So I am about a 1/4 of the way there. It sounds cool but when that means there are 30 weeks left it seems like it will be forever before we get to hold on to baby t!

Last week was exhausting--lots of late nights, running around and no rest for the wicked. I am glad we only have 1 first day of classes each year because Autumn 1st day is about 100x more hectic than any other quarter (and maybe 1000x worse than summer which is usually slow/lame). I held up pretty well but I do have to say that each day I feel a little more sick than the day before. It is getting a bit old to be honest!

Friday afternoon I saw Chris, Carrie and Beth at the parking garage which was really cool--I don't think I've seen anyone other than Randy and Gary since we spread the news. Carrie looks great and I cannot wait to get past the first 14 weeks and into settled stomach territory (I hope).

Saturday I felt awful and was sick, then took a 4 hour or so nap which was great--but I still could have slept more which I find amazing.

I have hit the 'hot flash' faze so I am frequently hotter than usual, combined with short bursts of being cold. Gotta love it!

So where is this baby's daddy??? (been long time since last post!)

Scary Stuff

So, I'm reading some information about being Rh- (I am O-, so a universal donor:) ) and saw this article:
http://www.babycenter.com/rhogam/

Apparently less than 15% of people have Rh-blood. Figures. Plus it CAN lead to problems which sound really frightening. I know they have ways to ensure no problems on this but I hate the 'one more thing to worry about'! Oh well, can't change my blood type:P

I also am having huge problems with my veggies. I had green beans yesterday which worked out ok but I tried to eat carrots on Monday and let's just say it didn't go well and I don't want to try that again any time soon. Unfortunately, carrots are really good for you! Luckily I can usually eat a small amount of broccoli, which is like a power-house veggie, and several other things so it should all be fine.

Long week

I am back to one job, thank goodness, but this coming week is orientation and start of classes so it won't be slow or short days for me.

Friday we went to Half Price Books extra 20% off sale and bought some just for fun stuff and a couple of baby books. They had some nice books 'for guys' so Max now has his own books to read about the whole thing that are directed toward men. I read part of one today and it seems pretty good (you know a book by a guy for guys could be wrong about pregnancy:) ). They did not have my favorite pregnancy book there so I will have to get it elsewhere ('Your Pregnancy Week by Week' by Curtis).

Saturday I ran around like crazy--pampered chef party at my mom's, family visiting from out-of-town and I got my oil changed and brake pads replaced because lately my car hasn't been stopping when I ask it to. Seems much better now. Max vaccumed and mopped the entire house, did all of the laundry and scrubbed out the bathtub in addition to cleaning stuff up. He did all of this while I was out--what a super husband!

Today, Max worked this am for move-in and I tried to sleep in with little success. We then went grocery shopping and didn't spend too much considering we had nothing at home--no milk, bread, eggs, really nothing--and now I have food to snack on that is fairly healthy and lots of fruit/veggie items to choose from. I plan to relax the rest of the day in preparation for a long week (2 late evenings, all-day stuff on Saurday and then the general craziness of the first week stuff).

I also did the exercise bike this weekend so I am trying to be good even though I feel so tired and my stomach is a wreak. I think I have gained a couple of pounds so far:( but I am doing pretty well considering I went from being really, really careful about what I eat to not worrying so much (ie not worrying about how much--I have been careful to eat plenty of fruits/veggies and avoid fatty and sugary stuff with no 'meat' to it).

So this baby has a daddy too?

Woo-hoo, I get to add my own thoughts here as well. It was Amy's idea, and definitely a good one.
So far the biggest moment for me (other than when Amy told me in the first place) was the ultrasound. It's hard to explain, but when she pulled up the baby on the ultrasound, it goes VERY QUICKLY from "this is pretty nice" to "wow, this is real... that's OUR child right there..." Definitely one of those life-changing moments as it makes the whole thing feel much, much more real. Seeing the little blinking light that's the baby's heartbeat... awesome.

I told my boss after the appointment on Friday, and that went just fine. I wasn't worried... though I'm sure as the big day gets closer I'll have to make sure that everything is lined up and well-covered.

Also just let me add how unbelievably awesome Chris and Carrie are. Amy's care package they got her is incredible. I've said it before, but this just heaps MORE proof onto my hypothesis that the Fishes are the nicest, most considerate people on the planet.

Told Work

This went really well this morning and my immediate co-workers are very excited! No one is worried (yet:) ) about me missing Open House in April and my boss even asked if I was ok with my travel schedule, which was really nice of her.

That is a total load off my mind!!

I am also adding Max to my list of members so he can post from this page too. It will show you which one of us wrote the item at the bottom of the posts, so this page should get TONS of updates--maybe he'll even go back and tell you his 'first thoughts' and such!

Morning Sickness Revisited

So yesterday I felt great--no problems whatsoever on the plane a nd I felt hungry and interested in food all day long! This morning I woke up and felt decent, ate some breakfast, was having a glass of water and got sick. In the hotel room just a few hours before I had to fly back from DC on 9/11. I was really worried this would be a bad day!

My flight was fine and totally just like any other day so no worries there--I also didn't feel very sick which is good.

I got home and Max's parents were here so we had a chance to hang out and Pam and I went shopping at Target and did a trip down the baby and maternity aisles which was fun. They also bought us a really nice baby gate that has a swinging door so we don't have to climb over the gate all the time. Pam had a really bad accident this week on one of their gates so were upgrading theirs and were very nice to upgrade ours as well. The gate is really nice--it is wood and matches the woodwork and furniture in our house so looks very classy, plus it is super functional. The dogs are afraid to jump on it, so unlike the old gate, they will not knock this one down several times a week (taking gauges out of the wall).

I also visited my mom and she and my cousin Shari got me some lotion to try and help with stretch marks and baby's first two books--'Board Books' of "Goodnight Moon" and "Are you my mother". This was really great because I don't have any of my baby books anymore--they were purloined and never returned by my dad, et al.

I also got an amazing 'survival kit' from Carrie with tons of great and very thoughtful items in it! Carrie is the best--it has tums and animal crackers, ginger altoids (which sound nasty but I have found do help with morning sickness and feeling yucky; warning, they are very strong), a baby book guide, old navy gc, and some extremely caring items for me since I mentioned not sleeping well (woke up about 7 times last night alone!) that I plan to put to use TONIGHT! I don't know how she found time to put together so many awesome things and I am very appreciative:) Plus super pumped since we will be new mommies together (2 months or so apart).

We also let Irene and Jeremy and Alaina know about the little one so I think we have told almost everyone who is important to us now! They were super excited for us too:)

Baby's First Trip

I am going on my first pregnant recruiting trip today--to Washington DC. Part of my baby book will be all the places baby has gone with me--so DC, Denver, Phoenix, Atlanta, and Utah (several cities). I don't think I'm going anywhere else out of Ohio for now.

I am a little worried about getting sick on the plane since I sometimes feel sick on planes and I almost always feel a little sick anymore. Hopefully there will be no problems. The good news is I have time to take a nap between conference events so the day shouldn't be too grueling!

Last night I told my brother and sister-in-law and they were very excited. My brother was a total 'girl' about it with the piercing scream of joy, so that was lots of fun! Sounds like they will enjoy their first opportunity to be an aunt and uncle:) I plan to tell the rest of the family (extended and all) after we hit the 3 month mark--kind of spreading it out because that will be a HUGE task to call everyone--there's only 50+ some of us!

ForRealSerious

So I guess I really am pregnant, huh? Baby measures in at 1.54 cm (what a big baby!) and the 'machine' puts that at a due date 2 days behind what they had given me earlier but my doctor said she would stick with 4/20/06. We also got to see the heartbeat!!!

My OBGYN is extremely cool--she was awesome again today with our questions. PLUS, she made individual copies for each of us AND for each grandparent (they all said hi...mom/grandma/etc.). It was really nice of her to do that!

I go back in a month for Doppler and Max is joining me for that one too:)

Telling Work

For some reason I cannot cut and paste the code for this ticker, my favorite, into the screen so I have to hand enter it. That is why it does not appear in a lot of screens--I am lazy:)

I have my first ultra sound on Friday (right before my first recruitment trip this weekend!) and am very excited. I think after the ultrasound I will tell work (my boss and co-worker specifically) that I have a bun in the oven.

I am a little nervouse about telling. One, you never know what someone's reaction is going to be no matter how well you think you know them. I am pretty sure they will be first and foremost happy for me and then there will be a lot of freaking out about what will happen with my job when I am gone. I know everyone is replaceable but with all of the new stuff I have to do at work now that no one else here currently knows how to do it will be harder than it was for them 'covering' for the last person. Plus there is the whole April event that I will likely miss thing. Oh well.

I am also nervous that their feelings will be hurt because I didn't tell them sooner. They are 'friends' as well as co-workers so it is hard not to tell. I am just really worried about all the OCD worrying that is bound to take place once they know I am pregnant and want to delay that.

However, I think I do need to tell them soon. I am starting to feel sick much more frequently and had to leave a meeting yesterday to try and 'feel better'. I also have a lot of trips scheduled in the near future and want to make sure they know that I might need more recovery time from the trips than I got last year (I needed more last year too!). I can't fly in at midnight and then be here at 8 a.m. or work an entire weekend and do the next week at status quo. This is something I was working on negotiating anyway but I may find that it is even more important now. And I may not, we'll see as we go! I also have a few trips with other people and if this increases my motion/plane sickness the cat will be out of the bag anyway!

Finally, it would be nice to just be 'openly pregnant' so I can talk about it--someone asked me about a week ago when I planned on starting a family and I just wanted to jump up and down and say 'I AM pregnant!' but I couldn't. Soon though--wish me luck!

Actual Morning Sickness

I got sick for the first time this morning. I had to blow my nose (of all things) and for some reason it made me throw up. I have no idea what was up with that!

I genuinely hope that was the first, last, only time!

Scrapbooking

My crabiness has not subsided any but I am still trying really hard not to be crabby with people (and failing a little bit here this weekend). Oh well!

Max and I went shopping this morning and I found some cute scrapbooking stuff. I found a little scrapbook album that is not gender focused and some reall cute pictures, decal thingies and cute little paper and plastic pacifiers in different colors. Everywhere was having a labor day sale so I got stuff for a reall good price--I got a fair amount and spent less than $25. Now I am ready for my ultra sound on Friday and then I can start creating my pages with future Nana Pam!

It looks like I have gained maybe 1-2 pounds which worries me a little. I am trying to be careful but unfortunately, it seems like the only thing that gets rid of the sick feeling is being full ALL the time, which is hard to do without taking in calories. More than the slight poundage gain, my body is starting to look and feel different. I was not in very good shape to begin with (although I had lost 20 lbs and was looking lots better) so I am already starting to bulge and pooch, especially in the belly area. I feel like I have the little baby gut already!

My clothes still fit fine (because I also went down a pants size) and everything else has no change so I think it is more feeling flabby than actually being flabby. I am just hoping for minimal, safe weight gain and to go slowly--my mom said she put on most of her weight for my brother and I in the first 4-5 months and then was steady--that idea scares me a little:) I also hope I get the cute pregnant belly and not the overall gain everywhere...we'll see:)

Moody

I have been doing pretty well with this whole hormonal roller coaster and have been snippy only once really that I can remember.

However, I am very moody today. I spent most of the morning feeling really lethargic and down and then came back to work for some very administrative stuff that I knew wouldn't be fun. Part way through my computer crashed, then the back-up computer I was using crashed, then the check I have been waiting on for nearly 3 months that they promised me I would get today was NOT cut with all the other checks and now here I am. I almost cried when the person told me about the check because I just don't have the same control over my emotions I am used to having.

I also almost cried when I heard that the Blitz is no longer doing Howard Stern in the morning because he has actually started to do his show (edited of course) again instead of complain about the FCC all the time. I need a morning show I can tolerate on my way in to work.

So basically, I am just plain-old-pregnant-lady pissy moody right now. Try not to rub me the wrong way. I am not sure how much more I can take. I am trying to avoid all human contact so I don't lash out at someone.

Nothing like a little morning sickness

So I am starting to feel worse more often. I haven't thrown up yet and hope I never do but there have been several near misses. I almost tossed lunch yesterday during a meeting (thank god I didn't!). I got these things called 'Preggie Pops' and you suck on them (hard candy) and they do seem to help some but are not completely curing. Oh well!

My stomach has been super yuck today so I tried eating:
-rice cracker things
-potato chips
-graham crackers
-apple sauce
-a preggie pop drop
-carrots
and I am still feeling icky. I am not sure if I haven't picked the right item yet, eaten enough, or if I am just doomed to feel sick for a while. I hope this ends for me soon!

Pick a Ticker

I am trying out several tickers (the one I have been using) and then there are a few other choices:






I think Max likes '#2' on this post the best. I like it a lot but wish the baby didn't have a blue blanket and had a green one instead--we are not gonna find out, so this is not a hint:)

This weekend I felt really sick. I had tandoori chicken on Saturday that was completely rejected by my body moments later, so will not be trying that again (it was a 'high risk' but it sounded good and other spicy items have been ok). On Sunday we went to a Lutheran Church with some neighbors--we are thinking about maybe joining a church someday soon (maybe Methodist or Lutheran) so are 'church shopping' for now. I have this core/fundamental belief that children:) should be baptised. We'll see where this goes:)

Well, if you really like one of these tifckers, feel free to 'vote' for it:)

Telling the Gang

Calling people to let them in on the good news. So far I have gotten a hold of the 'OIT' group. It has been fun to tell people and is very exciting stuff:) It has been hard to not tell in some ways but it also feels a little unreal to be pregnant still so I guess that helped me keep my lips sealed:)

I have some res. life friends I want to tell soon but they are all in training so it will be nearly impossible to reach them by phone and e-mail seems so impersonal. I am waiting until 12 weeks (probably) to tell work unless I can't get away with waiting (like if I 'pop' early or have really awful morning sickness during the day or something like that). I travel in September, October and November and I have 2 trips that I am going with other people on so I might have to spill the beans before I want to.

First OBGYN Office Visit

Today was the first day for the OBGYN visit. They put me at EDD of April 20:). They are running lots of blood tests and did the urine thing too and will get back with me later this week if something is wrong--otherwise everything is fine!

This was just a weigh-in, take blood and pee thing so no pelvic exam or ultra sound. I am having the ultra sound done on 9/9. The office I go to does 2 ultrasounds usually, one around 8-10 and the other around 20 I think she said. We came home and I was trying to figure out how many my insurance pays for, because I think they only pay for one (we can decline the second if we want). What I can't figure out though is that everyone I know who has OSU insurance and has had a baby recently did figure out the sex of the child (and they do that in the second ultra sound). We don't want to know before-hand so no biggie, but there is also a lot of information out there about how more ultra sounds can reduce the need for C-sections so you'd think having 2 done wouldn't be a big deal.

Anyway, no information on-line about this, no one answering the phone at the insurance place and the message says they are closed even though they don't close for another 15 minutes according to the message, SOOO I won't know until tomorrow anyway, and its a long way off for the second one anyhow.

I am still very excited! I am also hoping that everything is good so we don't need to worry about anything more than you would with a pregnancy running its normal course! I have been doing a really good job of eating better, including getting fruits and veggies and a well-balanced meal daily and have managed not to put on any of the 20+ pounds I lost right before conceiving, so I think that's excellent too!

They also put to rest any concerns about flying, travel to higher altitude (all ok), not sleeping well, etc. In fact, I am even allowed to go bowling, which seems crazy!

Since Max and I are on vacation this week we have gone to a different park everyday and walked for at least 30 minutes. It has been fun! So far our favorites are Innis Woods in Westerville and Blendon Woods out on 161 E. We also looked at the new Westerville dog park and we may try to take the puppies there sometime soon as the 'small dog' area is not toooo big and we could easily keep track of them in there! So, here's to a great pregnancy, good nutrition and healthy exercise:)

Spa Day, Etc.

Yesterday I went to the spa with my mom and had my nails done, a massage and a facial. The massage and facial were awesome and I highly recommend the folks who did them (www.mukhaspa.com --Annisa and Nicole). There were some things they couldn't do because I am pregnant but I don't feel like I missed anything.

Today I am working on travel stuff and ran across 2 articles that say you can travel up until month 8 but that you should try not to during the first 12 weeks. So I have two work travels during this time--one in week 8 and one in week 11. I am a little concerned but trying not to worry about it too much because:

• I have to go--I could tell my work and maybe get someone else to but then that might create work stress/tension beyond just going
• Really anything can be bad if you aren't careful. I also read an article which said you shouldn't drive when you are pregnant, or use a computer. Pretty much every pregnant woman I've known, including those who have recently or not so recently delivered has driven a car to get to their job of sitting in front of a computer. So you can't always believe what you read--you have to make your own decisions with the info you have

So I am wishing I didn't have to go but it won't be that big of deal. Heck, on all my trips this year I have a king-sized bed so it could actually be easier to sleep and all that away from home!

Other than that--I still have gas, acid reflux and minor indigestion but it really isn't worth getting too excited about. I took my prenatal at night last night instead of in the morning and I am noticing a difference today (feel a smidge better) but when I woke up last night in the middle of the night I felt pretty yucko. I need to take some 'snacks' upstairs for emergencies:)

First OBGYN Visit--8/23

My first visit is next Tuesday and I have some more scoop on what will happen then. I will meet with the nurse practitioner first and mostly it is an office appointment--no nakedness or ultra sounds or anything crazy. They will basically tell me what to expect and do for the next 8 months and do some bloodwork. It sounds like they wait until 10-12 week for u/s unless there is a problem. I am cool with waiting b/c stupid insurance only pays for one typically AND there isn't much to see right now anyway. I think the blood work will ease any worries I have to date...I hope:)

Yesterday was my most yucky stomach day yet. Today started out much better but as I sit here, my stomach is starting to go bonkers and I am having acid reflux problems (I have had them before--used to be on prilosec--will have to check this with nurse on Tuesday).

Quick Update

So not much going on. Just trying to eat healthy and not fall asleep at my desk--I had non-stop meetings this morning so it has been busy! So far my stomach has been upset but I haven't gotten sick or thought I was going to which is alright by me. I do pee more often and sleep less and am more tired. And I still have unbelievable gas and associated discomfort. So far, no weight gain that I can see:) This ticker is for a 'longer (30 day) cycle' with gestation starting at July 13--which has me due 4/21. Normally, it would be 2 days earlier (28 day cycle) and due on 4/19. But who cares, just as long as s/he comes out happy and healthy!

First Day at Work Knowing

So this is my first day at work knowing I am pregnant. I want to wait to tell work until:

1. after my ultrasound or 12th week at latest
2. after my OBGYN appt next week at earliest
3. unless my symptoms require that I 'spill the beans' so they don't think I'm toxic or crazy

Of course, this means that my supervisor asks me a question about holding an event in April, and does the date work for me? I am, of course, due in...you guessed it...April! And pretty close to the chosen day for the event. I try to casually mention maybe moving it up a few weeks but don't get anywhere with that. I have seriously known I was pregnant for 4 days so I am not ready to say, actually I plan on being out then...uh I am pregnant so I just said, 'seems ok' thinking this is not a complete lie but not completely honest--because it is ok for everyone else she has checked with it is just bad for me.

Yikes!

Then I was mentioning that I am very tired and someone joked "maybe you are pregnant" and I just did the whole eye roll and change subject thing because again, you tell one person at work you might as well tell everyone at work (unless they are your husband's best friend who maintains confidentiality well). It's like people know and are trying to trip me up. This is harder than I thought! I mean seriously--who picks a date for an April event in August unless you are doing a wedding?

Telling the parents

We decided we didn't want to wait to tell people because this will be the first grandbaby. Plus we are just too excited! We had friends over last night so we couldn't tell our parents yesterday and it was really hard not to tell people yesterday since they were over!

Then, we called both of our parents this morning and they were both busy--I was really expecting my mom to be available because she has been most of the summer and has had a slow relaxing one but she was going out somewhere. Max's dad was golfing and his mom had a red hat meeting at their house so we had to wait!

My mom got done with her thing first, so by default, got to find out first. She came over to our house to hang out and I told her I had been to the doctor and the good news is I have lost 20 lbs so far this summer. 'But I'll be putting it right back on--I'm pregnant'. She hopped up and gave me a hug and then 'drilled me' about the details. Due dates, how I am feeling and all that good stuff! Very exciting.

Right after she came over Max's parents called that they were home. So we left and went to their place and were just hanging out talking about the puppies. Max mentioned seeing a really cute beagle puppy on Thursday and asked his mom something along the lines of 'how would you feel about having 3 to watch. Well, we had just told them we weren't getting a third dog, so she said something about it--like didn't you just say you weren't getting a third? And Max said, we aren't, but we are going to have a baby! She started to tear up and then needed to sit down because she felt a little faint. She was so excited, as was dad!

My first doctor's appoinmtent with OB/GYN office is on August 23 so more news to follow. So far these are my symptoms:

• gas
• loss of appetite/yucky stomach
• exhaustion!

Exciting!

Max and I are going to have a baby--I'm pregnant. We have been trying since 11/04 and were starting to get a little discouraged. I had decided to stop worrying about getting pregnant and to work on losing some weight instead (I have lost 20+ pounds this summer!) and voila, pregnant!

I went to the doctor today for something fairly unrelated and he wanted to put me on a new medication. I mentioned that I am trying to get pregnant and that there was a 'small chance' I was, so he did a urine test. He came back after the test and said 'well that was a waste of time' which I thought meant that the test was a waste of time (so not pregnant) until he then said "I wrote that prescription out for nothing"! Apparently the test 'lit up right away' so there was no question from their standpoint that I am indeed pregnant! So exciting!

I called Max at work and stopped over to tell him the good news before my dentist appointment (I had to tell them too because they wanted to do x-rays). This explains why I am so tired right now and why I have little appetite/upset stomach regularly!

My last cycle started on July 13 so we are about 4 weeks along!