Day 100!

Today is day 100. Yippie! Triple digits! Only 40 more days to halfway!

I knew that I had done a "day 100" post when I was blogging my last pregnancy, so I thought I'd pull that up for comparison.

Pretty darn close.

The great TP measurement...now: 8 1/4 squares, then: 8 squares

Weight Gain....now: +4lbs, then +1.5 (though the number on the scale is the same ironically!)

Baby's Heartrate...now: 160, then 150

Feeling blah, yes, both then and now. Dang, I keep missing that magic "wake up feeling great" day at 12 weeks with my pregnancies. Hopefully soon....

The belly...bigger this time. Though I am tempted to go put on the pants I was wearing in my last pregnancy's 14wk picture for a more accurate comparison. :) If I weren't feeling lazy today I would. I'll get over accuracy.

Last time I was super excited about being 5 weeks away from my big ultrasound and finding out the gender of the little one growing inside me. This time, I am just 30 hours away! Woo-hoo! Please, please, please let this child cooperate and make it easy to tell.....

And now I'm off to go listen to this baby's heartbeat. Because it makes me happy.

14 weeks

Still feeling crappy most of the time. Ready to get some energy back and not feel sick anymore.

VERY much looking forward to seeing this little baby in only a few more days!

Weight gain holding steady, still working out and trying to run. The running is getting interesting. It looks like I'll have to default to the elliptical sooner than I had hoped.

And on to the belly.

I'm getting a belly.

I'm freaking out because I don't grow this early. I don't start showing until 2 more months from now. The annoying part is that up to the top of my uterus, my stomach is completely flat. You can actually see a little ridge where the top of it is, and then everything else that's being relocated bumps out. My insides are rebelling against their forced relocation.

The good news is that my pants still fit. These pants.

Phew! And they fit without a muffin top pouring too far over the top of my pants. Though I'm definitely growing sideways! especially on my left side it appears.

The, uh, interesting news.....

Yep, there's a bump growing there.

For comparison, this is my last pregnancy at 22 weeks:

Uh-huh. A little scary, no? A little exciting too. I'm glad that it's still not too noticeable when I'm fully dressed and out and about, but there is a little giddiness that stirs inside me when I start sporting a belly. Even if it is a little earlier than I'd prefer.

Suddenly one more week seems SO far away....

There have been a couple of pregnancies in which I've been dying to know early whether the little being growing inside me was a boy or a girl. Being more practical, my husband was of the opinion that saving the $ and waiting a few weeks for the ultrasound that the insurance would cover would make more sense. True, when you're going to (probably) be able to find out anyway, on someone else's dime, you may as well, right?

*sigh*

I've done pretty well with that, though in my last pregnancy I was antsy as all get out waiting for 19 weeks to finally approach when that big midpoint ultrasound was scheduled, especially knowing that a number of friends of ours had found out earlier.....those 4 weeks between 15wks (when the ultrasound studios will do it for you) and 19wks when I had that official ultrasound scheduled were rough.

Fast forward to this pregnancy. I really hadn't given the find out early route much thought, especially since we've had the conversation before. And I have been fine with that.

Until this last week. And suddenly, it's been creeping into my mind.

So imagine my surprise when I randomly (and mostly jokingly) said to my husband this afternoon, "hey-let's go find out early what this baby is!", and he said, "Ok".

HUH?! Really??

Yep, really.

"Let's see if they can get us in today, " he added.

Oh, it's a temptation of the worst kind. Especially because I am still a couple of days from hitting 14 weeks, and they will do gender determination ultrasound at the little ultrasound studios beginning at 15 weeks.

And now, the wait begins.

Never mind the fact that it will probably take a week to get an appointment anyway. Never mind that I had been counting down to roughly 6 weeks until we'd find out at that standard pregnancy ultrasound. Now that I know the option is available to me, and almost within reach......ACK! One whole WEEK seems like f-o-r-e-v-e-r!

Just peachy - 13 weeks

Ok, not really, but baby is the size of a peach (awww...), so it sounds cute, right?

Let's be brutally honest here for a minute.

I am so ready to be done with being sick. SO ready. A few of my pregnancies have seen the grossness last until week 16 or even a bit beyond that, and I'm kind of thinking that's where I'm heading with this one.

The good days are finally coming occasionally, but it seems like in exchange for that the sick days make me sicker. Last night was bad enough that dinner consisted of a few bites of mashed potatoes and that was pushing it. That was the most substantial thing I'd eaten all day. It continued throughout the evening and ended with me being about a quarter of a inch away from crying myself to sleep because I was so nauseous/crampy/hurting/uncomfortable/miserable.

Ahh, good times!

I do have to say that with the continual practice I am getting better at faking my way through the crap though, most people would assume that I'm doing just fine or have no clue (unless they've heard the kids should it from the rooftops) that I am even pregnant.

Ever the tough chick, I woke up on Saturday morning-feeling particularly gaggy- and dragged a friend out for an almost 5 mile run. (it's nice to have friends who help you indulge in your crazy side!) I was thankfully able to push through the rest of that day and enjoy a Valentine's dinner and dance with my hubby. It was an exhausting night but a lot of fun. And just for the record, I won the limbo contest. Well, technically I tied since there was one other person still in with me, but had I not been in a dress, I totally would have schooled him! :) Glad to still be able to limbo at 13 weeks.

I'm afraid that if I don't keep running through these nasty sick weeks, that when I feel good enough to run I won't have it in me anymore. It's been an uphill battle to get beyond 4 miles since my tonsillectomy back in December, I'm not willing to give up any of the ground I've gained! So I push through the sick whenever I can, and do my best to ignore it the rest of the time. Fake it till you make it, right?

Anyway, the days are rolling right along (except the ones that painfully drag by), but no real changes yet. Still bloated as all get out, but no real belly growth. I feel like I'm poking out a bit, but all of the clothes seem to still fit fine (thank goodness!). The TP measurement is holding steady at 8 squares.... Gaining a little-up 3lbs now-so I guess it's good that the nausea is keeping my eating in check. I don't usually start gaining anything until 16-20wks, so that scares me just a tad.

Other than that, I'm thrilled to be leaving the first trimester in the dust, looking forward to feeling this little creature's dancing get stronger and more frequent and hoping to start feeling human again soon!

13 weeks:

It's Alive!

Well, we already knew that from the heartbeat of course, but now it's alive and kicking! The other night at 12 weeks and 1 day I got my first little bumps from our next addition.

It happened at the end of a particularly crappy day, which made it all the more exciting for me!

I have never felt a baby of mine move before 14 weeks, so it was certainly a surprise to feel it this early and so pronounced. There was no mistaking it!

Since then when I've had the doppler out listening to this little one, I am very aware of the movements it makes. It is one active little child! It is fun to hear it bumping around against the doppler.

I am looking forward to the next few weeks as movements become stronger and more frequent.

This is one of my most favorite things about pregnancy!

The cat is out of the bag

Well, I didn't get to keep it a secret for as long as I hoped, but it was longer than the last pregnancy so I guess that's good.

After being asked point blank if I was pregnant, Aaron had to answer someone. Who happened to be at my father's 60th birthday party. With about 100 other people. After she pinned him down on it he grabbed me and said "You'd better go tell your parents. NOW." And so I did. I feel a little bad about it, as we had decided not to tell them that night because we didn't want to steal any of the thunder from his big event. I really just wanted all of the focus to be on him and not at all on me.

Oh well. Everyone seemed very excited and happy for us, which was a treat because that hasn't always been the reaction we've received. My sister was especially excited as she is due in May. Last time she had a baby it was three months after I had a baby (my 6th), so it will be fun to have it the other way around. That time around mine was a boy and hers was a girl, this time around hers is a boy...it will be funny if mine is a girl! (I think so....I guess we'll find out in a little less than 2 months....)

Now that the kids know, I'm sure the rest of the world will know very soon. Very soon.

Ready or not, here it comes.

The first "official" visit

Today marked my first real visit with Julie, my new midwife.

It was the fun history appointment. With me, that takes a tad bit longer than average. But everyone is always impressed that I remember birth weights and hours of labor for all 7, and in the correct order. What can I say, it's kind of hard to forget some things.

Everything looks good and appears to be right on track. Thankfully we can just transfer all of the extra paperwork and bloodwork info over from my previous dr so that I didn't have to go through the needle thing again. I am not a fan of needles.

I am excited for my next appointment as Aaron will finally get to come with me. He was bummed not to be able to go in with me when I first met Julie, and to have to miss this appointment as well due to some training that he is doing at work.

I wondered if I would love Julie and the rest of her staff as much as I did when I first met them, or if I was just on the rebound after a crappy first appointment with the other OB. Great news-I still did! I am really looking forward to working with them for the rest of this pregnancy!

12 weeks

Same old, same old.

Still not feeling great, trying to just push through it.

No real growth, but since it's a tradition, the weekly belly pictures:

Things that bug me more than usual when I'm pregnant-a vent

You can bet that this will become a regular installment. Especially in the last few months or pregnancy.

Pregnant women are irritable. This is only news to you if you've never spent more than 5 minutes around a pregnant woman. In general, I'm one of those fairly obnoxious "I love pregnancy even with the sickness/aches/pains" kinds of people. But as my husband and close friends can tell you, I'm happy to share the things that bug me. I mean REALLY bug me.

First up:

The pregnant women who insist that they are feeling their baby move at 6, or 7 weeks. Really people. Especially if you've done this whole pregnancy thing before, you should know that a 6 week embryo is roughly between the size of an apple seed and a raisin and is just starting to get arm and leg buds. It's not dancing around inside you to the point that you can feel it. Hate to burst your bubble! Your baby looks like this:

And just for size reference, this is roughly how things stack up:

I know-creepy little face on that thing, but that is what size a 6wk embryo is.

Don't get me wrong-I'm not the jerk who goes around telling these women they are full of it, or more likely just misguided, but I am rolling my eyes when I read it or hear it.

Next up, and along those same lines, the "I can feel my baby kicking! And so can my husband! Right up here by my belly button!"

Now wait-when that happens, it is truly a magical moment. I will sit for hours and just relish in feeling my baby move and wiggle and kick and stretch. But when you are still in your first trimester (latest offender-an 11weeker, first pregnancy), you are not feeling your baby kick you up by your belly button. You've just got some seriously crazy intestinal issues. Either that or your dates are horribly far off!

The whole movement misconception gets me feeling very Dr Cox-ish. (Scrubs anyone?)

Don't get me wrong-I do truly think that some women can feel those first flutters very early-but if that's what you're really feeling, it's waaaaay down low, and certainly not strong enough for someone else to feel.

I get that I'm kind of a pregnancy nutcase. It's a running joke between my husband and I. After I made plans to become a doula (I readily admit that I never finished certifying-didn't attend the required number of births b/c my own growing family took priority), doing gross amounts of research and reading and my own pregnancies, I feel like I know a tad more than the average person.

Funny thing is, if most people would just pick up a decent pregnancy book (and please get at least one more book beyond your standard "What to Expect" deal), they would know what is actually happening with their bodies.

And that's all for today's vent. Now I will go eat some chocolate and get back to my cheery self.

But just for the record, I know that I'm not the only hormonal pregnant woman that gets especially bugged by little things.

The Lime and the Coconut

So baby is now as big as a lime. Yay! So much cuter than a prune.

(and yes, I get that the baby isn't actually looking like a lime as opposed to a prune, but really, would you rather be referred to as a prune? I think not.)

I am still loving all things coconut (maybe baby is just craving a trip to the beach?), and even bought the Coffee-mate Coconut Creme flavor yesterday to try in my hot chocolate. A neighbor of mine recommended it (neither of us drink coffee though-go figure!), and let's be honest, I'm pregnant enough that the power of us suggestion is a force to be reckoned with. After the mention of it days ago I haven't been able to get it out of my head. I can't wait to try it.

And it may even spark some new baked creations, in addition to the coconut cupcakes and the coconut brownies, being chased by pina coladas. And honestly, right this second a coconut creme pie sounds heavenly.

Dang it, I'm drooling on the keyboard again.

Good thing that I've made it to 11wks without gaining anything. I have a feeling that won't last too much longer....