Sono Picture

So I had some trouble getting the scanner to work--but here is the pic I was talking about in the post. Definitely see a baby in that one! Just wanted to share!

Conniving!!

So I have a little news to share. As I have mentioned before Aunt Jill works at my OB office. So Tony has been bugging me to go in this week to listen to the heartbeat again. I mentioned to Aunt Jill yesterday that I might stop by this afternoon to do that. I went to lunch and to get a pedicure after I got off at 12:00. Well Aunt Jill had called me like 5 times by the time I got to the nail salon. I called her back and she said that she thought she had convinced the doctor to squeeze me in at 1:00 for a "play" sono but since I didn't call her back that she wasn't sure anymore. I told her it was no big deal, that hearing the heartbeat would be good enough.

So I got my pedicure and called her when I left the salon to let her know that I was on my way. When I got there I went back to her office and she got one of the nurses to come and do the Doppler so we could hear the heartbeat. She found it right away and it was 156 bpm and it sounded good. So we left the room and Jill wanted me to "hang out" until Dr. B came out of the room she was in. When she did, she started laughing when she saw me and told me that Jill had be conniving all day for her to do the sono. I just laughed back and then she asked if I wanted to take a peek--I told her that I wouldn't turn her down! She said I better call Tony and make sure that it was ok if we did it. I called him and he reluctantly agreed to do it. Dr. B told me that she would see me after her last patient. Well, Tony decided he would head to the office in the meantime and actually made it there before Dr. B was finished. Aunt Jill said that her only request was that she had to be allowed in since she was the one who got the sono early--Tony agreed and we headed to the room.

So after much anticipation and me confirming to Dr. B that I had absolutely nothing to do with the conniving of the sono, she squirted my belly with jelly and we started. The baby was moving all over the place when she first started--Dr. B actually told it to stop dancing so she could get some pictures....and pictures she took! We have 9 that she sent home with us! I will post one when I have a minute to work the scanner (we got a really awesome one of the side profile of the whole baby)!! Everything looked really good, heart had 4 chambers, head and brain looked good, spine looked good, 2 arms and 2 legs and there was possibly something lurking between the legs!! Yep, it MIGHT be a boy. Dr. B said we have to take it with a grain of salt, but she was pretty sure--and so were we--that we saw something there between the legs. At one point it looked like the baby had the hiccups--very cute to watch.

So needless to say we were very excited that everything looked good and was where it was supposed to be! Tony is cautiously pumped about the possibility of a boy, but is keeping it in check at this point. No buying lots of blue items just yet! I have my regular appointment next week (9th) and then should schedule the regular sono for 2-3 weeks after that. Then we should be pretty sure of the sex after that one! Just thought I would share our little news with you!

15 Weeks

Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds. Finally, if you have an ultrasound this week, you may be able to find out whether your baby's a boy or a girl! (Don't be too disappointed if it remains a mystery, though. Nailing down your baby's sex depends on the clarity of the picture and on your baby's position. He or she may be modestly curled up or turned in such a way as to "hide the goods.")

Happy Anniversary!

This is a picture of the 9 beautiful white roses my husband sent me today! (He made me cry!!) It is hard to believe that we "tied the knot" 9 years ago today! It is crazy to me that we have been married that long. We have been through so much together, yet it seems like just yesterday we were saying our vows. Who knew it would take us through a college graduation, too many moves around the state to count (but I bet our family knows the number!!) and several years of trying for a baby. I have to say that we have really grown closer as a couple and really learned to rely on each other through everything. He is my best-friend and I can't imagine my life without him! Now I am so excited to be able to give him a child--something that we have both wanted for so long. I look forward to the next 9 years and can't wait to see where it takes us! I love you Tony!

14 week picture

Ok, so here is the picture of me that my dad took on Friday. There is just a slight little "bump" there. Granted this is after lunch:) To be honest, I think it is mostly just my stomach being pushed out on top as my uterus starts to expand below. Pretty soon, it will be one rounded entity--the lower is beginning to catch up with the upper! My pants are becoming much snugger--I've bought a few pairs a couple of sizes larger than I normally wear, or I use the bella band that Tony bought to hold the others up that I can't button anymore:) My work-weeks should be slowing down a little, so I hope to get back to a regular walking/exercise routine--although I may be having to get up early in the morning to do it before work--the heat index is going to be near 100 all week--not good to get too overheated!

Happy Father's Day!

First I want to say Happy Father's Day to my daddy-to-be! I gave him a card this morning with a little note written inside reminding him about how excited I am to be on this journey with him:) (although my mom gave him the same card on Friday!!) Next I'd like to say Happy Father's Day to my Dad--I gave him his card and present and took him to lunch on Friday before he left on vacation. And finally Happy Father's Day to those who wish to be dads and those "animal dads" out there--you are important too!

Hope everyone had a good weekend! Ours has been good. Friday we went to dinner and a movie (The Hangover--very funny!!). Saturday Tony worked downstairs on the basement (almost all of the walls are up!!) and I did a little much needed cleaning. Later in the evening, we went to the mall--I was in desperate need of some new bras! (went up a cup size as well as a "chest" size). We also walked through the Motherhood Maternity Store. I didn't buy anything--not quite there yet, but I am guessing in the next few weeks will need to be spending some money there! I may take my mom or a girlfriend--not sure Tony was the best person to take:) I think the big tops scare him:) He has been very supportive though overall!! (love you honey!) Today Tony is golfing with his dad and brother--I finished up the cleaning here at home and went grocery shopping. I will be meeting them all soon for some dinner. Then I need to come home and do some things for work tomorrow--always fun:)

I do have a picture of me that I will post later. My dad took it before he left on the family vacation we didn't go on. I was exactly 14 weeks--there is a little pooch--so I will post it for those who are out of town and haven't been able to see me yet.

14 weeks

This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny features form one expression after another. His kidneys are producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too, and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of a lemon— and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body. (His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo, all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this week — a sign that it's doing its job right — and his spleen starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch long) are more flexible and active.

I know, I know!

I know there are no excuses--I have been slacking on the posting! I apologize. I really do think that things will start to get better. Over the weekend we were busy with a wedding and our first trip to Wrigley together! Sunday was Tony's birthday and we went with his aunt and uncle to the bleachers. It was a great game to go to because the Cubs actually won! We had a really good time, but it is such a long day!

On Monday Extended School Year (ESY) started, which meant two very full days of working! I am one of the on-site supervisors, so everyone is coming to our office to ask questions and get things they need, plus taking care of anything else that comes up! Students started on Wednesday, which meant that 1/2 days started, but the first day is always crazy! Plus I had a dentist appt that afternoon and then I took a much needed nap when I got home:) Today we stayed until 1 for training after ESY and then I went for another intralipid infusion at SIRM. It was nice to see everyone and they all wanted to come and see my little baby bump! Everyone there is so excited for you--almost like they go through it with you--so I was glad to go back and talk to everyone again. I will have at least 2 more infusions, if not 3--it will depend on how the scheduling goes from here on out. Dr. Sher says that you have to go through your 24th week (once every 4-5 weeks). I will be almost 19 weeks the next time I go, which means that I will be almost 24 weeks after that--so probably 3 more! Whatever needs to happen for the baby is fine with me:)

Sorry again for the long delay between posts. I promise I will try to be better!

13 weeks

Sorry it is a day late. Crazy week last week!

Fingerprints have formed on our baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed and your odds of miscarriage drop considerably.

OB Appointment Update

So I got in trouble for not updating last night, but our computer shut down in the middle of a post and then when we got it back on, Tony shut it off before I had a chance to get back on! So here I sit at my training quickly updating from my phone!

The appt went well. My blood pressure was lower than the last time, which is hard to believe since I have been at this training all week. We got to hear the heartbeat again-it was at 160. Tony left after that-he heard all he wanted! I then met with the other doctor, Dr. R. We reviewed everything we have been through. He poked around on my tummy a little, and then we talked some more. At the end, he said he was labeling me officially high risk! Not because of anything being wrong with the baby, but just because of everything we have been through.

I don't go back for another 4 weeks. Tony was a little upset with that, he might go buy our own thing to hear the heartbeat!

Gotta go! Will check in a little later!

12 Weeks

12 Weeks: The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

So it is hard to believe that I am officially 12 weeks along! The above is from BabyCenter.com--they send weekly updates and pictures, so I thought I would share with all of you! Tony and I are very excited to be entering into the 2nd trimester! I have to admit we were never sure that we would be at this place, and it is still very surreal that we are here. Sometimes it is hard to believe that I am even pregnant (although my clothes are starting to tell me otherwise!!) but we are getting more and more excited with each passing day.

Med Update: I wanted to let everyone know about my meds. At my last appointment at SIRM, I was told to continue my Progesterone shots and Estrogen/Progesterone suppositories until 12 weeks, so after tonight I am officially done with those!!! YEA!! My behind can start to heal from all of those shots!! As far as the dexamethasone (steroid) goes, I was able to wean off of that at 10 weeks, so I have been off of that for a couple of weeks. It was amazing how tired I started to get after I went off of the insomnia drug! As I mentioned in one of my other posts, I will continue with the Lovenox (blood thinner) injections throughout the entire pregnancy. Those shots are a breeze though (after everything else!) so I am not complaining. Dr. Schultz from SIRM also said we could stop all of the extra supplements and such that we were taking as well, so that will be an ease on the pocketbook:)

Next week will be very spotty with posting.....I am doing a week long training in Morton, which starts on Sunday and goes through Friday! They are very long days and I am not sure when I will be getting home at night. Lately it seems I could sleep for about 10 hours at night, so my priorities may be leaning a little more towards resting:) I do have my next OB appt on Wednesday, so I will try to update after that:)

(For some reason, blogger is not recognizing my paragraphs--no matter what I do! So sorry that it is all clumpted together!!)

New Garage Accessory

So I mentioned in my last post that I went on Saturday to pick up our new garage accessory....if you haven't already guessed....it is a new car:) We went last Wednesday night to look and drive a Mercury Milan Premier. After driving the one they had on the lot, we decided that we really liked the way it handled and that this could be the car for us:) We talked with the salesperson and told her what we wanted in color and features and then her and the sales manager found a few and printed them off for us to look at. We then went to dinner (Mexican again!!) to discuss our options. We left dinner thinking that we would go home and list the blue car and wait for it to sell and then come back and purchase one of the Milans. Well, that was a nice thought:)

On Thursday Tony called to get us pre-approved for the car loan and then he decided that he would call and "talk numbers" with the salesperson--something we hadn't done on Wednesday evening. We made several calls back and forth, as well as texts, to each other during the day. It came to the point where the numbers that they were offering us were just about too good to be true. So, Tony decided to see how good they really were.....and asked them what they would give us for the blue car on trade. He had a number in mind and if they would give us that, we would be buying a car:) Well needless to say, they met that number--sight unseen, going by just what he told them about it--including that the engine light was on! So we went in Thursday night to sign all of the preliminary papers.

There was a little glitch when we got to the dealership.....the car they had printed off the night before had already been sold....so now they had to find another one. This seemed to take quite awhile! Finally the salesperson emerged with a car, but it had an extra $300 feature.....now what? Well, luckily they were going to give us this car with the extra feature for the same price we had agreed on earlier in the day:) So it all worked out in the end. They had to go and retrieve the car on Friday (from wherever it was) and then get it all cleaned on Saturday. So I got to pick it up Saturday afternoon. And not all too soon! It seemed that as soon as the blue car knew we had "given it up" it decided to start acting very weird! In fact, I wasn't sure I was going to make it to the dealership in Peoria! It lurched really bad as I was getting on the interstate and then the engine light started blinking! (I now know that you aren't supposed to drive it when it is blinking!!) I called Tony in Michigan and told him that I would hopefully make it there! I did make it and gladly handed over the keys!

So our new garage accessory is very nice and came at just the right time it seems:) We did get a silver one like in the picture above. It is very nice and I would recommend it to anyone looking for a mid-size 4-door car:) Also it seems that dealerships are very willing to make good deals to move their products--especially at the end of the month:)

Mancation

Sorry it has been so long since I posted! I was going to do it last night, but with the huge storms that came through, I decided to delay!

What is a Mancation you may be asking?.....well a mancation is what Tony labeled his weekend get-a-way with one of his good friends to a mountain biking festival in Michigan:) They were kind of making fun of themselves because just the two of them were traveling to Michigan to enjoy a weekend of camping and mountain biking. For the past couple of years a large contingent of friends have been able to go, but this year was a little further away and others had other commitments....so Tony and Dave loaded up the car with bikes and camping gear and headed north! I am happy to report that he has returned relatively in one piece. There was one crash that has resulted in some sore ribs, but so far no need to visit our friendly physician or ER, so that is always a good trip:)

While Tony was gone I decided to use my time on Friday night to clean the house! I know, I know, pretty exciting thing to do....but I love doing it while he is away because then I can enjoy it without walking around picking up and wiping up after he does something--plus it drives him nuts when I do it:) Saturday I headed to Springfield for some high school baseball playoff action--unfortunately the team I was rooting for lost, but it was still a pretty good time. After the game, I headed back to town to pick up a new accessory for our garage (more on that in a later post!!) and then out to dinner and a movie with my mom, aunt, and cousin. We saw Ghosts of Girlfriends Past--it was cute. Sunday I went to church and then to my aunts for lunch. We had a little birthday party for my dad (birthday was yesterday). Tony came home later that afternoon. Overall it was a pretty good weekend.

I should be able to update a little more frequently this week and get caught up with everything and where we are. My last day of work was today.....well for the next couple of days at least. I go back to work on Sunday to set up for a week long training in Morton.....and then it is time for summer school to start...so I will enjoy my 3 days off:)