Our second sonogram and baby aces it! April 22, 2008

Anyone who’s been through this process understands the hidden worries behind each dr. visit. You try really hard to think nothing but positive thoughts, but of course you worry something will be wrong no matter how reassuring everyone is. Our sonogram was scheduled for 4:30, but oh those dr’s how they just LOVE to change things up on you. I received a call at 7am asking to come in at 9. ‘Scuze me but huh?! So here we go, scrambling to get out of work early instead to make this appointment. No way and I missing seeing our gummy bear (which is what I think it may look like now hehee).

The dr’s lobby is packed. First time I’ve seen it this way…and we wait…until 10:50 to be exact. What happened to that 9:15 appt we set? Uh huh.

I am so exhausted that laying on the examining table is a welcome chore. In fact, I seriously could have fallen asleep while the exam was being done except that I wanted to see the obvious. That is just how tired I am today.

And WOW, what a change 2 weeks makes!

compare our sono to a photo of a baby at 8wks in utero (this photo below is NOT our peanut)

Isn’t that amazing!!!

My last cycle was 8wk1day ago but I’m measuring ahead by 1 day as it says + or -2.

and the hb has gone up alot from 122bpm last time to 163! Ray saw it first …and he noticed the cute little pads which will become the babies hands and arms. Funny because I never thought he would be able to read a sonogram but he’s impressed me! The black dot is the eye socket. Pretty cool huh!

Ray says that below baby looks like a big foot with the “toes” being the little circles on the left haha

AND we have a new estimated due date.

November 17 – IF I deliver at 38 wks. I hear this is highly unlikely given its my first pregnancy.

My 40wks estimated due date is Nov 30th.

I’d really like to bake this Nov. turkey until Nov 23rd so its a sagittarius

Sagittarius babies are born full of optimism. The Sagittarius toddler is inquisitive
and loves to explore. You may need to watch them in crowds since they will tend to wander off. You may also need to teach the little Sagittarius not to be rude, since
these children are often scandalously blunt.

AIN’T THAT LAST LINE THE TRUTH HAHA

current weight : 120.6lbs @ 8wk1day

The cat’s outta the bag April 21, 2008

News travels FAST. In a matter of 7 days all of Ray’s family knows that we’re expecting and I’ve still yet had the chance to go to San Antonio and visit with the rest of my family to tell them the news. I will likely just call them after tomorrows sonogram because our schedule is so hectic I may not be able to tell them in person like I”d hoped. Everyone of course having heard the news is real excited about the prospect of a lil one joining our family. We’re equally excited

Yesterday we shot a wedding and then met up with Letty for her 30th birthday where I was able to enjoy a cold non-alcoholic glass of watered down orange juice. Haha. Happy Birthday girlie! Love ya!

This top has easily become a favorite of mine as its 1) black 2) loose. Its sewn perfectly enough to allow me to wear it until I deliver. I love clothes like this already! Good thing that empire waist clothing is still in style.

Today also marks my 8th week so its time for a photo update. My jeans are now fitting me snug and I don’t think I’ll be wearing them before the next 4 wks is up. I love wearing low rise jeans but looks like I”m going up a size soon. Woo hoo! Here are a couple photos one month apart. I see a little change!!!

We also spent the day visiting 3 hospitals in Austin , specifically the labor & delivery and post-partum wings to see which suited us best. The candidates were Seton Southwest, Seton Medical Center and St. Davids.

and the winner is…

St. Davids Hospital

The L&D rooms are so nice and spacious and will suit the number of anticipated visitors hours and the day after delivery. I can’t believe this is truly happening!

Another awesome surprise April 14, 2008

This weekend we drove to the valley to tell my inlaws the news. They had already made plans to eat at Boca Paila, a nice mexican inspired restaurant on the lake so this was a perfect place for us to gather as a family and share the news.

Ray decided to give them the gift bag right before dinner. Afterall, what makes a better conversation piece than being told you’re going to be grandparents and aunts?! As they slowly unwrap the present, I know they must be thinking its a photograph of David. For those who don’t know, David is Rays younger brother who passed away 5 yrs ago tomorrow and so it would make sense for us to be giving them something like a photo of him.

Here they are…clearly my father in law understands what he’s seeing

but my mother in law who’s had four children has obviously forgotten what a sonogram looks like

or she’s just in plain shock.

seconds after this, the tears flow and everyone realizes whats going on.

proud grandparents to be

and the family plus one

plus lets not forget my weekly photo. I fell a bit behind because we were out of town, but here we go. Looks like there’s a bit of change finally!

and the overlay.

Our peanuts first picture April 8, 2008

Introducing our strong healthy peanut at 6 weeks 0 days

and the moment it became REALLY real for me was when we heard the . I started to cry and Ray squeezed my hand and just said “wow.” He was beaming with pride.

A strong 122 bpm !

The most beautiful sound I’ve ever heard,
Like the wind beneath the wings of a bird,
like the sun rising as the days start,
is the sound of your beating heart.

I just had to take this shot to commemorate the moment

All the praise to God for this miracle. Thank you!!!

Oh yea.. I also LOST 3 lbs since I first found out I was pregnant. I now weigh 117. Go figure. I eat more and weigh less for now. Something tells me that’s gonna bit me in the butt later. hehe

Our next sonogram is scheduled for 4.21.08 in two weeks.

Then we “graduate” to the obgyn who will deliver our baby.

It’s funny because we were so excited to see the baby that we totally forgot to ask the RE any questions! haha. I was ready to ask about exercising, nutrition, etc and just went BLANK. He did confirm that I’m 6wks though. Based off that, I calculated the dude date because YES, we forgot to ask for that too hahaha

Our due date is November 30..one day after daddy’s birthday and five days after mine!

We both get the most amazing birthday present ever!

This video sums up just how we felt, but we had to contain ourselves in the Dr. office.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=jKlxjbhB9HE&feature=related

Here’s whats going on right now at the 6 week mark

How your baby’s growing: This week’s major developments: The nose, mouth, and ears that you’ll spend so much time kissing in eight months are beginning to take shape. If you could see into your uterus, you’d find an oversize head and dark spots where your baby’s eyes and nostrils are starting to form. His emerging ears are marked by small depressions on the sides of the head, and his arms and legs by protruding buds. His heart is beating about 100 to 160 times a minute — almost twice as fast as yours — and blood is beginning to course through his body. His intestines are developing, and the bud of tissue that will give rise to his lungs has appeared. His pituitary gland is forming, as are the rest of his brain, muscles, and bones. Right now, your baby is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean.

Texas chick carrying a Texas bean :) April 4, 2008

I was so excited to know today was 5 weeks 5 days (again, still assuming this until confirmed by the ultrasound) because this meant it was time for my weekly belly photo. Woo hoo! So I snap away, download it, open in photoshop and resize. All good. I thought “hmm, I should overlay last weeks over this to see if there is any change.”

and the overlay. Last weeks photo is in black and white placed over todays. I lined up the back of my waist for the starting point.

Aren’t you supposed to gain when you’re pregnant? hehe. I guess not just yet!

THIRD AND FINAL BETA RESULTS ARE IN:

Drum Roll please!!!!

HCG : 15,342 , Progesterone 42.5

at approximately cd41 or 27dpo

I found a really interesting site today. Not sure how accurate it is, but its supposed to help you calculate your doubling time.

This is between my first and second beta:

Date(mm/dd/yyyy)	HCG level
1. 03/26/2006	1. 598
2. 03/28/2008	2. 1933
Doubling Time or Half Life=1.18 days

Looks like our peanut is ahead of schedule already , doubling in less than 2 days for the first test

And then here is the comparison from the second beta and the third with some ’scientific info’ to preface the results:

Beta hCG levels usually double approximately every 2 days for the first four weeks of pregnancy [1]. As pregnancy progresses the doubling time increases. By 6 to 7 weeks gestation beta hCG levels may take as long as 3 1/2 days to double [2,3]. (I’m currently 2 days short of 6 weeks) The beta hCG may take more than 2 to 3 days to double in 15% of normal intrauterine pregnancies. About 17% of ectopic pregnancies have normal doubling times. You can use the calculator below to calculate the doubling time of two beta hCG samples by entering the date of the blood test and the corresponding beta hCG value for that day. If the hCG level is declining the the half life of the hormone will be calculated

Date(mm/dd/yyyy)	HCG level
1. 03/28/2008	1. 1933
2. 04/04/2008	2. 15342
Doubling Time or Half Life=2.34 days

For anyone else who wants to try that here’s the link :

http://www.obfocus.com/calculators/betahCG.htm

AND MORE NEWS! Because of my medical history, the RE wants to push up my sonogram by a two full weeks so now we get to come in on MONDAY!!!! We get to see our baby this Monday!!! Now, I know going in right at 6wks decreases the chances of seeing a heartbeat just yet, but I can’t believe we are going to be able to see our little bean!!!!! I”m so excited!!!!

Oh yea. I also found the perfect tank to wear in Cabo when I”ll be about 4 months.

It’s so stinkin cute! hehe

It’s the cheesiest! April 3, 2008

All I could think of doing when I got home today was eating mac-n-cheese. I sat in traffic just salivating at the thought of indulging a whole bowl of it. I barely enjoyed this bowl about an hour ago..its 10:30pm now so yea, I *almost* didn’t get my craving of the day but never fear, hubby who cooks is here

 While at church this afternoon my back pain hit its peak and certainly wasn’t relieved with the very cafeteria style chairs we have in the fellowship hall. Ray was so sweet and rubbed my back through most of dinner while I saw there praying that it gets better before it gets worse (and we know it will.)

Tonight I noticed that the “roadmap to the girls” has appeared. Yup, those slightly darker veins on the chest that lead to the girls have made their debut and while they aren’t as obvious as those on women with exceptionally fair skin, I can see them without trying hard. I already have amazing veins that I inherited from my grandpa. These veins certainly come in handy when doing bloodwork as the nurses find it a breeze to locate them and git ‘er done. I almost blogged a photo up so you could see the wonderous roadmap but they are currently covered in left over mac-n-cheese that fell off my fork so maybe next time. :p

How I ended up pregnant April 2, 2008

Well, you KNOW how that happened but I thought a video would help bring the entire scene into perspective. Copy and paste the link and enjoy! It is rated G for all viewers!   

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ngRq82c8Baw

 

 

*snicker* 

The anti-treat and mexican jumping bean April 2, 2008

What an interesting day. It began with a noticeable lack of eps (early pregnancy symptoms) that immediately caused worry, but I tried my best to remind myself that everyday will be different and you never know what tomorrow will bring. I could be giving love to the porcelain gods but I’m not so I should just chill. I spent most of the morning being a snacking piggy. A few bananas, bacon, eggs and hashbrowns for breakfast. Then for lunch I fulfilled an odd desire for chicken mcnuggets (I can’t recall the last time I ate these). And then a co-worker brought homemade rice krispy treats. Can it get better than this?!

Almost makes you want to lick the screen huh?

If only that’s how I felt after I ate my share. Talk about my first “no no” when it comes to what I should consume while pregnant.

Oh, I managed to not get ill but I came pretty close. Whew.

This meant that the rest of the day I sat in my chair being subjected to very low cramps that had caused unpredictable & uncontrollable jerks and jumps in my chair. Yes, I was a real mexican jumping bean. Best described, it was like having low voltage running through my lower body.

EPS : creamy cm with lt. brown spotting 1x