and more bedrest …. November 13, 2008

Another doctor visit, another trip back home.

I must remember that although its quite a pain to drive into town repeatedly for checkups, it’s all for good reason but I won’t lie and pretend like it’s not getting a wee bit frustrating at this point.

Today my BP was elevated again : 135/100
I still have the protein spilling into my urine.

Another check revealed that I have a “cervix made of steel” according to the OB and while the baby is sitting directly on it and at station 0, my cervix is doing diddlysquat and still posterior and firm. The OB did say that if my cervix actually started to dilate or soften I’d go into labor fairly quickly considering how engaged he is right now. That’s wonderful,except it doesn’t seem like this baby boy is quite ready to be evicted.

What does this all mean?
If you guessed more strict bedrest you’re correct.

He’s passing all the fetal stress tests with flying colors. His amniotic fluid levels are perfect, thank God. But alas, mama is the one who needs to continue taking it easier so I can be in the best condition possible when labor comes, whether its natural or induced.

My next appointment is Monday morning with my regular OB who’ll be back by then (yay!) Please continue praying that my blood pressure remain in check so as not to put us in danger when the time comes. As always, we’ll update via blogs because it’s much easier to reach everyone this way.

Did you guess correctly? July 17, 2008

 

What a crazy two weeks! At 18wks I started feeling a pattern of kicks, usually after eating chocolate pudding and between 11-11:30pm religiously. It’s comforting that now I can play with the baby and get a response and get that affirmation that everything is ok. While we were in Cabo, I decided to test out the theory that a baby will respond to music. I chose Bendita la Luz by Mana for obvious reasons and got this clip. Sorry its so short, but Youtube wouldn’t let me upload anything longer than this.

 

 

Here’s a photo of us at 19wks and I feel like I”m in good competitions with the mountains in the back

 

I know you’re probably wondering : BOY OR GIRL?

Today was the big ultrasound. The one that would either confirm Ray’s prediction that it was a girl or mine that it’s a boy. For the record, I’ve dreamt 4x of the baby gender and its always a girl with pigtails and teeth.

Ray recorded the video and we had to get creative by playing it on our home TV and using my little digital camera to make a digital video of it. yes, I know, we need to catch up to video technology here! haha hey, but it works right? Again, we had to really shorten the video because of Youtube limits so here we share with you the most important part of the scan…..boy or girl? I’ve gained 4lbs since my last Dr visit.

*note…for whatever reason I can’t get this to play for me, but others have confirmed it’s working all 40 something seconds of it…so if you can’t see it either, please post a comment and let me know*

 

 

and the photos which show more detail of news!

 

 

We’ve got a baby dancer in there! May 15, 2008

What a long long day. First of all we’re late to our appointment because of a hail storm, but thank god that dr’s are never on time because he didn’t see us until 30 min after we arrived anyhow.

Everything is looking GREAT! Baby is measuring 11w5d+_4d ( I”m 11wk3days) and Dr. is keeping my EDD at 11/30/08. We got to see the cutie pies arms flailing around and I could see the hands so clearly! Baby has LONG arms (that has to be from momma). We got to see its cute legs kick around a bit but they were always pulled close to the body and this was the first time we got a view from “above” because the other sonos have always been from the side or the backside.

So here’s the new updated pic!

I got to have a PAP (blah!) and yes, there was spotting afterwards because of it and that is expected according to the Dr . And to prepare you ladies who are a bit behind me…the paps during pregnancy are certainly more uncomfortable now. And when the Dr. did the internal check and presses down on your uterus, holy moly. That was something new.

I also LOST 1 lb! lol
I”m weighing 119 and Dr said that’s perfectly fine since baby is measuring perfectly and as long as I gain 25lbs for the entire pregnancy I should be ok. He said from what he can tell I will probably carry small and be battered by people who tell me I am not feeding my kid enough. I am slowly getting out of my size 5 jeans and into 7s although I don’t think I’ll fill the 7’s out for a few months.

We celebrated the latest sono with a hefty lunch at PF Changs. Dan Dan noodles, crispy honey chicken, lettuce wraps, spicy shrimp and tiramasu dessert to be exact and it was OH SO GOOD.

Baby certainly loved it!

So thats it! I go back in a month and I believe we get to find out the sex then! God is so good!

ZZZZZZZZZ May 1, 2008

I thought this article that Ray sent me perfectly describes how I”ve been feeling this last week.

Amazing how this stuff just lines up for most women. 

 

Week 9: Pregnancy Fatigue

You’re having trouble lifting your head off the pillow, you’re dragging your feet all day, and you can’t wait to crawl into bed as soon as you arrive home at night. Sound familiar?

When it comes to pregnancy symptoms, you may feel like you’ve already reached your limit: Your clothes are getting tighter around the waist, you’re busting out on top, you’re still running to the bathroom 100 times a day (if it isn’t to throw up, it’s to pee). But wait, there’s more. You’re having trouble lifting your head off the pillow, you’re dragging your feet all day, and you can’t wait to crawl into bed as soon as you arrive home at night. Sound familiar? If it does, you’re in good pregnant company: You’ve got pregnancy fatigue.
  
Extreme fatigue during pregnancy is a common symptom, especially in the first trimester. And for good reason. Making a baby is hard work — make that very hard work. Consider this: During these first weeks and months of pregnancy, your body is manufacturing the placenta — your baby’s life-support system. What’s more, your body’s metabolism and hormone levels have increased significantly while your blood sugar and blood pressure tend to be lower. Add it all up, and it’s no wonder you feel as if you’re competing in a triathlon each day.

The good news:  You’ll recover a lot of the get up and go that has gotten up and left once your body has adjusted to being pregnant and your baby’s placenta is finished developing — somewhere around month four. The not-so-good news: Pregnancy fatigue is likely to reappear during the last trimester as the demands of toting around a larger fetus increase.

 

And here I am..with a slowly forming pooch that closely resembles this drawing don’t you think?

This past weekend I went to San Antonio to visit more family. My dad, my stepmom, sister and brother. It had been too long since we’d seen each other so there we were talking a good while catching up on things when I gathered them in the kitchen and pulled out my sonogram photo from my purse and said:

“we’re having a little turkey!”

What a group of shriekers. Hehe. Lisa hugged me tight, Mary Alice started to cry and my dad beamed. My brother, lazy butt, was snoozing in the bedroom with his wife after a long day so dad walked over to tell him the news.

We then went to Fiesta to enjoy the night parade. Being pregnant rocks. Dad bought me everything in sight that I craved : nachos, cotton candy, gorditas, pickles and a turkey leg that I stared at but couldn’t eat because I was just too full! haha

My dad and nephew Jordan waiting for the night parade to start.

Mary Alice and I eating way too much at Fiesta

Well, my next appointment is May 14th. We meet with the obgyn who we hope will deliver our baby. In the meantime I’ll try to post up any developing news. 

 

 

 

 

 

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

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.