16 Weeks

Bad, horrible, me for not posting. I knoooow. Baby is now fluttering about and I can certainly feel it moving. Also, I no longer look pudgy and actually appear to have belly. :) Christmas we received a baby bag from Vera Bradley (thanks mom!) and some UK baby clothes, that can be fixed to be more Gator-like :) (from my mother-in-law). Both made me realize that time is flying by quickly! New Year's Eve is just 1 day away, and the baby is going to party it up...in my belly lol. We also had a doctor's appointment on Monday, all blood tests came back normal!!! Praise God! And the baby is still very hyper. All we could hear was static for the longest and about 5 seconds of solid heart beat before it moved again. It definitely takes after both of us. Michael is a bit more hyper, but I can never sit still. Bad genetic combo LOL. I'll post some belly pics soon!!

Baby's First Picture

Ah, yes. Our hyper little baby. Would it be kind and sit still for a good picture? Of course not. With my bladder pretty full and the technician chasing the baby around with the transducer, that was the best picture we could muster. Even so, you can see the blur around the nose as it was turning away to swim some more. Michael swears the baby has my nose already. I think baby really inherited it's swimming capabilities from me. Oh yes. :)

Today was the Nuchal Screening. For those who want to read more about it here is a link : http://www.babycenter.com/0_nuchal-translucency-screening_118.bc Basically it is a 2 part test to calculate percentages for any chance of genetic/chromosome defects. The second part of the test will be done at the end of December.

Baby is 2 inches from crown to rump and has a good heart beat of 152 beat per minute. We'll know the sex of the baby in January. At the time of the sonogram (yesterday) I was 11 weeks and 4 days pregnant. :)We're a few days away from being into the second trimester!

9 Weeks and a Cure

So yes...I am nine weeks pregnant today. See link for details. http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-9-weeks_1098.bc Also, thanks to my parents (yes, they know all), I have found a cure to my nighttime "morning" sickness. CLUB SODA AND LIME ON THE ROCKS. Oh yes...it's my hero. Not that it gets rid of my nausea entirely, but enough to where I no longer puke! Annndd I can have conversations without stopping and running to the bathroom. Lovely. I feel so much perkier. Additionally, 3 more weeks until I am out of the first trimester! All I have to say is, it went by super fast but not fast enough. I can't wait until I feel semi-better.

Heartbeat and Nausea

So...as soon as week six rolled around (literally), I found myself with my head in the toilet. I have noticed a pattern, though. In the morning, I feel slightly nauseous, so while I'm in bed, I eat a couple of crackers. Then, I get up and do my normal routine and eat some breakfast. I go through my day as normal until about noon...hell unleashes. I start out with a very mild nausea (similar to my morning queasiness) BUT, by 3 or 4, I am absolutely just dying. What's worse, this just results in a lot of dry heaving...until after dinner. The moment I eat dinner, it takes literally 5-10 min before I make a mad dash to the bathroom. Bye-Bye dinner. That's what I get for gloating to my other preggo friends how "fine" I feel in comparison to their misery. Sorrrryyy!! :)

On Monday, October 25th was my first OB appointment. We got to SEE the heart beat!! Michael was glowing and I was squirming from the way the Doctor put in the ultrasound thingy. I wasn't prepared for that one. She pointed to a quarter-sized black circle and told us that was the fluid around the baby, then the little grain-of-rice sized baby and inside that, about the size of one of the ends of a bobby pin, you could see the heart beat flickering away, looked very much like a strobe light(it was that fast). We were very proud. I almost got smacked into reality...but not quite. I still feel like I'm in la-la land. Oh well... There's always the next sono on Nov. 29th. :)

Cute Hospital Gowns

I know...a bit ridiculous... but I feel grossed out in the fact that other people have delivered in what you are now wearing...blech. That grosses me out..honestly. So I found this cool link with cute patterns. http://www.girliegowns.com/store/WsAncillary.asp?ID=3 Amazon.com also carries some, but the price ranges are about the same. Although, if you use the previous link you can save 15% if you type in CM15. Here's another link that sells on ebay and has free shipping EBAY HOSPITAL GOWNS

Baby Development / Decisions

http://www.baby2see.com/gender/external_genitals.html

Pretty much what a baby's special parts look like. :) I thought it was interesting.

Also, looking into these OBGYN offices since they deliver at St. Joe's Womens Hospital.
http://www.thewomansgrouptampa.com/index.html
http://www.womenscarefl.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/site.content/mode/dtl/type/40031/post/34440.cfm

Now, since I really love my OBGYN I may take a tour of Brandon Hospital next week, to give it a chance. According to Health Grades, they are a 5 star hospital whereas, St Joes is only a 3 star (even thought it has level 3 NICU). I dunno, we'll see. If I don't like it, I may just have to switch OB's.

5 Weeks

Today I am 5 weeks along...only a gagillion more weeks to go. Michael is actually experiencing more symptoms than I am. He has developed a craving for nachos and cheese, is consistently tired, and has an urge to consume the contents of my fridge. Me? I have only about 4 hrs of sleep (which, a few weeks ago, I needed 10 hours to function), and feel peppy! I'm not exhausted, no major cravings (although I really seem to prefer spicy foods), 4 hours of sleep really equates to the 10 hours I used to need (knock on wood), I'm very rarely hungry and have to remember to actually eat. AND my tatas don't hurt. This is a breeze...Again...knock on wood.

No more running for me. :( BUT I can briskly walk. That excites me. I have also been tracking everything I eat to make sure I eat enough. Eating an extra 300 calories is kinda hard. I'm sure in a few more months the struggle will be the opposite. :)

Statistics

Florida rate of C-sections, listed by hospital. Brandon is losing points with me.

http://www.tampabay.com/news/health/article1010726.ece


A year supply of diapers. :( Definitely considering Cloth.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_does_a_year%27s_supply_of_diapers_cost

Disposable vs Cloth Diapers

So, for the longest time I thought cloth diapers were the biggest pain known to humanity. I also assumed that disposable was sooo much better. Well, a friend of mine uses cloth diapers and just raves about them, so I decided to do some research. This link explains it all very well. http://simplemom.net/4-cloth-diapering-choices-defined/ In all reality, aside from saving money, it is much more comfortable for the baby and not really so hard to use. I am seriously considering cloth diapers, at least most of the time, while the baby is at home.
Here are a few other links :
http://www.bumgenius.com/
http://simplemom.net/visual-demonstration-how-to-put-on-a-cloth-diaper-and-how-to-get-one-clean/
http://www.abbyslane.com/
http://simplemom.net/3-compelling-reasons-to-try-cloth-diapers

Second Test

I know, I know. Yes, I REALLY did have to take a second test. Just to make sure. I'm still in lala land, living in haze. I was hoping taking a second test would snap me into reality. This test took literally 3 seconds to respond with a big ole positive. Reality is still a very distant concept, one I don't think I will grasp for awhile. Oh well... :)

On the bright side, this test is much more photogenic than the other one.

Impatience is my virtue...or am I just really on the ball?

1. Call Insurance: Check. So I called my insurance company to find out what our coverage is...pretty good coverage. I'm happy about it.

2. Call doctor: Check. Scheduled first appointment on October 25th at 10am; I will be approximately 7 weeks along. I have been in some pain and was told pain is normal, just my ligaments "adjusting." So apparently women always get cramps for one reason or another. Also found out they only deliver in Brandon... :( not too happy about it so I will have to check on their L&D ratings. Their emergency room service sucks butt. So I am kinda nervous about that. Also, I love my normal OBGYN buuuttt she may not deliver me, it just depends on who is on call. Additionally, I have to see all the Dr's at the office so I can familiarize myself with them. It's logical, but still kind of upset. I really like MY OBGYN.

3. Nap: Check. I haven't been sleeping well lately and I took a 2 hour nap and feel amazing. I am a happy camper.

The First Post....Positive

So, most of you wont know this until I am 3 months along and is considered "safe." Well, as safe as safe can be. Contrary to popular belief, I do think TLC shows not only "prepare" you for pregnancy, but make you as paranoid as humanly possible. On to "the story...."

Michael left for work, per usual, in the early AM (around 6:45). I heard him leave and I couldn't wait any longer. I jumped up, ran out of bed, and peed in a cup. (Keep in mind the first test came out negative, I took it on the day I was supposed to get my "gift" from mother nature. I know they say wait until you miss it, preferably 2 days afterward. That was Wednesday and today is Friday. The day.) Once I peed in my cup and put drops on the test, I waited. The first line came up...aka the control line. Big whoop. Now I know the test isn't broken. I stared at it some more...30 seconds passed and nothing. I know I'm rushing the test, and I felt as if I was pressuring the poor thing. So, I turned around to give the test privacy to work. 2 minutes later I see a faint "other" line. Now, I didn't bother putting on contacts or glasses this early...so now I think I'm seeing things. 30 seconds later, it darkens. I know I'm not on drugs so the odds of hallucinating are slim to none. I took a few pictures on my phone (all giddy like) and sent them to Michael's phone. I waited 10 minutes and followed it up with phone call which went to voice-mail. I figured it would since he was probably still driving to work :). I know, I should've waited to see his face and show him in person, but I couldn't waiiiittt. For those of you who know me, know I cannot wait for anything. Anyway, he returned my call was like... "you're lying." My response was "oh yes, I like to color in pregnancy tests in my spare time." The convo went on...he was happy, I was happy, the end. I know you're thinking I should've waited, but I couldn't! Plus they say morning pee is the best. So, in my defense, I did as the box suggested. :)