Movement . . . I think

Here I am, comfortably in the 2nd trimester (I'm 13 weeks and 5 days today!!), and I'm still battling morning sickness. I've been thinking that I might be feeling movement for the past several weeks. Yes, I know it is pretty early, but I'm hyper-sensitive and notice things many other people would miss. I think since maybe 10 or 11 weeks, I've had these feelings, mostly at night or when lying down in a certain position, that almost feel like a flutter or bubbles in my lower abdomen. They would just last a second or two and then disappear, so I kept dismissing the feeling. It has been increasing gradually the past few weeks, and the past few days, I have noticed the feeling, a bit stronger, during the day, too.

Well, today I'm sitting here on the couch watching Wimbledon and waiting for my mom to bring Paige and Peyton over so we can go to the pool, and I'm CERTAIN that the baby is moving. It has been on and off all morning - kind of between a flutter and a tap. I've felt it in a few different spots, but I'm now convinced I'm feeling the baby move! This is so exciting . . . I'm sure over the next weeks the feeling will get more intense! I can't wait until Elliot can feel it, too! He asked already if I thought he could feel it, but it just isn't strong enough yet.

Morning sickness is back . . .

Whoever said morning sickness disappears in the second trimester lied!! My morning sickness returned full force (and with a vengeance) around 12 weeks. I've been so sick, and back to puking. I couldn't keep anything down this weekend. It was particularly bad on Saturday and Sunday during shiva for my grandmother. I finally gave in on Sunday and sent Elliot home to pick up my Phenergan (prescription anti-nausea medication). I have to say - it is a wonder drug! If only it lasted longer . . . it wears off, and then I try to put off taking another one . . . well, let's just say I ended up sick again at night last night.

We are driving to New Jersey tomorrow for my niece's high school graduation - you can bet I'll be popping pills all day long!!

Baby's Heartbeat

I think we finally figured out the technology . . . hopefully this will work for sharing the baby's heartbeat. Just click play to listen! Partway through, there is a loud "thwap" sound, and we were told it was the baby kicking!

A new chapter . . . . maybe a boy?

Time marches on . . . this week has been pretty rough. We drove 9 hrs in a car up to Utica to go to my grandmother's funeral, and my morning sickness was out of control! I puked 3 times on the way up, and was generally feeling miserable. My cousin Trenna and her husband John came in to join us for dinner. Unfortunately, they got a little turned around as we were trying to find a restaurant . . . and I ended up puking out the window AGAIN!! We had a small graveside service, which was nice . . . except for the horrible, miserable and inappropriate Rabbi who conducted the service. I was appalled by his behavior towards us, and some of the things he said during his "eulogy." I will try and be kind and not post any of the things he said to me here. We did have a nice luncheon afterwards, paid for by a close friend of my grandmother's.

We had to leave right after lunch since we had such a long journey home. Luckily, the car ride back from Utica was not quite as horrible (it was only 7 hours and I only puked 1 time)! We returned here late Thursday night to discover that Arleen and Lorin had left a pitcher of water outside the door for us - a kind and thoughtful gesture (and part of the Jewish tradition to wash your hands before entering a house of mourning/after leaving a cemetery, for those of you who do not know). We went to services on Friday night, and our family friends Gail and Steven, Arleen and Lorin, and Suellen and Gregg brought over dinner for us. Saturday night we held Shiva at our house, and we just barely had enough people to make a minyan (10 people - the minimum needed to say the prayer for mourning). Thanks to Heather and Brad for coming over at the last minute to meet our quota!! Today we have more family and friends stopping by to visit and we will have another night of shiva at my parents' house. Hopefully, we won't have any problem obtaining our minyan tonight.

The good news is that on Friday we had a midwife appointment. It was a fantastic appointment. She took the time to answer all of our questions, and discuss options for my fear of needles. I really like this practice, and I'm so thrilled I switched. I also picked up a prescription to help control my morning sickness, so hopefully that will help. We were able to hear (and record) the heartbeat, which I will try to figure out how to post here later. There is a "thwap" sound about halfway through, which we were told is a kick!

Then, just for fun, we decided to take the IntelliGender test today . . . I figure it must be about 50% accurate!! According to IntelliGender, we are having . . . .


I suppose we will see in August if this is correct!

Sad News

I can't believe I have to post this right on the heels of our wonderful news, but my Grandma died this afternoon. My father and I were planning to visit her today to check on her. About 5 minutes before my father arrived, the nurses went in to check on her blood pressure. They stepped out while the machine was reading, and when they returned, she had died.

The cat is out of the bag!!

Late last night, Elliot and I finally shared our news with everyone! We told some family friends in person, my mom called all of her friends and shared the news, and then we sent out a mass email to all the rest of our friends and family! We uploaded some pictures to Snapfish and sent the invitation to view our photos to everyone. We've gotten so many wonderful emails and calls in response to our note, and we are just so excited to finally be able to share this!

Rocky Day . . . Happy Father's Day!

So, today was Father's Day . . . and my parents' anniversary, and my brother's birthday. Big day in our family! We had a wonderful family day planned . . . my brother, Jen and my nieces were coming down so we could spend the afternoon at the park together. After our outing, we were supposed to go back to my parents' house to bbq and have a late lunch/early dinner together. I arrived at my parents' house right on time . . . just as my father received a phone call from the assisted living facility where my grandmother lives. Apparently, she wasn't feeling well, and they wanted to call an ambulance to send her to the hospital. We decided to split up - my mom and dad went to the hospital, and Elliot & I went to meet my brother at the park. We took the girls on the carousel and the swings, and waited for a phone call from my parents.

They called about 1 hour later, and the news wasn't good. Grandma's EKG was irregular, and the doctor did not think Grandma would be leaving the hospital. He said she either had a heart attack (which would be the good news in the scenario) or that she was suffering from an aortic dissection (which would mean her valve had finally failed, and it would be fatal). We immediately left the park and went to join my parents at the hospital with Grandma. After a few more tests and a lot of waiting - the news came back that she had a mild heart attack! Ultimately, the doctor determined that there was nothing we could do for her barring invasive measures that would likely kill her, so he released her for palliative care to return to her current care facility. We do not yet know the extent of the damage from this latest heart attack, so at this point it is a waiting game - we are waiting to see if she will recover from this attack, and we are waiting to see if this is a precursor to subsequent heart attacks. Regardless . . . today she is holding steady. She is one tough lady!

In the end - it turned out to be a Happy Father's Day. My dad returned home with us after my grandmother was released, and we had our dinner and exchanged gifts. I hope Grandma hangs strong for a while longer - we've been told she has been living on borrowed time for 4 years, so maybe she still has more time left.

Big Day

Well today was a big day - it was our first "big" ultrasound - the Nuchal Translucency scan. Yes, Elliot overcame his superstitious nature, and agreed to have this scan done on Friday the 13th! This is a two-part test to screen for problems such as Down Syndrome and Trisomy 18. The first part is an ultrasound to measure the fluid behind the neck (in the spine) to see if it is within the normal range or too thick, and to confirm the presence of a nasal bone. Our little one has a perfectly normal nuchal fold measurement, smack dab in the center of the charts, and an adorable little nose! The second part of the test is a blood test where they screen for a protein that may be an indicator of a problem. We should have those results sometime next week. The test does not give you a definitive answer, but it assesses your risk for having a child with either Down Syndrome or Trisomy 18. Apparently, 70% of children with Down Syndrome/Trisomy 18 or other genetic problems will present with a thick nuchal fold, so it is a fairly reliable indicator of the health of the baby.

We really enjoyed this scan . . . the facility we went to was wonderful, the ultrasound tech talked us through everything, and we were able to watch the entire process on a huge LCD screen on the wall. We were amazed by how much the baby has grown! We could really see arms, legs, fingers, a nose, the chin . . . it was just spectacular. Our little one's heartbeat was 173, and for the first time, we actually HEARD the heartbeat! The baby was moving around like crazy and kicking, which gave us a good look at the knee and leg and an elbow (which the baby apparently likes to shove into the wall of my uterus)! The baby also kept touching his/her face with his/her hands! The tech even did a quick show of the 3D/4D ultrasound for us. It was difficult to see much detail on the 3D yet, but it was fascinating. Oh - and my ovary appears to have returned to a "normal" size with no evidence of any unusual cysts! The tech took dozens of shots of the baby, but we were only given 3 to bring home, so I'm posting all of them!! Here they are:

Baby's head, in profile (top of head on right, eye, nose, mouth, chin, neck and chest):

Baby in profile (head on right, hand above mouth, foot in the air on far left):

Baby in profile (head on right, hand above mouth, body, legs tucked in close to body):


Absolutely amazing, isn't it? I still can't believe there is a little life growing inside of me, and I'm looking forward to feeling this little one grow, and meeting him/her in December!

Spotting again . . . .

Something about appointments apparently makes me spot. I spotted right before our beta, and our 8 week u/s appointment, and now again right before the 12 week u/s . . . and every time it scares the hell out of me!! Last night before bed, I discovered I was spotting. Pretty heavily, actually. I'm trying not to panic . . . . but that is like trying not to watch a train wreck in progress. I woke up this morning . . . and I'm still spotting, but I think it is starting to dissipate.

Please let this baby be okay . . . we are in the home stretch of the 1st trimester - hang in there little one!!

Olive Garden Fantasy

Over the course of this pregnancy, I seem to have developed an obsession for Olive Garden. Yes, I know it is strange, but something about the soup and salad calls to me. I'm vegetarian, so it is actually quite difficult to find a restaurant that serves a vegetable soup that is VEGETARIAN (no chicken stock). Even more than that, I think I am in love with the Olive Garden salad dressing. It has such a strong vinegar taste . . . I guess it just excites my crazy pregnancy hormones!

There is just one little problem about my Olive Garden obsession . . . we don't actually live NEAR any Olive Garden restaurants. There is one about 40 minutes away, and there is another one about 30 minutes away (but in another state). It is easy to eat at the Olive Garden when I am visiting my brother, or if I happen to journey over into the next state, but I've been finding it hard to convince Elliot to go on an Olive Garden run for me at 8 pm any night.

Well, tonight, Elliot had not yet gotten home from work. I had been eating and eating and eating, and I was craving something, but couldn't figure out what I wanted. I knew I wanted vegetables, and I was thinking about making pasta with veggies . . . . but our refrigerator was completely devoid of vegetables. I then decided that a broccoli, mushroom and spinach pizza might do the trick, but then I was confronted with another huge decision . . . which pizza place to call. Thank goodness for my indecisiveness! While I was digging through the takeout menus in a deep quandary about which place to call, in walks Elliot . . . . . with 6 bowls of Minestrone soup from Olive Garden, an enormous catering-sized salad, a big bottle of Olive Garden salad dressing, and a big bin of garlic breadsticks! I thought I died and went to heaven . . . and they served Olive Garden food! Apparently, Elliot had to be in the next state over for work today, so he detoured by Olive Garden to surprise me. Sometimes, he really does the PERFECT thing!

More Crazy Days!

Sunday we went running around and visiting my grandmother. My mom brought my nieces over, and we spent the afternoon at the pool! They were just so cute - we had these little floaters for them to sit in, and they just smiled and splashed.

Monday I was caught up all day with meetings and work, and Tuesday I had more meetings, then went to spend the afternoon with the girls. Another exhausting day, and I came home around 10 and crashed almost immediately.

Today has been pretty quiet - just trying to get my work done. Friday is our 12 week ultrasound, and I'm so excited for that! If everything is good on Friday, we are finally going to make this pregnancy public!

Breast Cancer Walk

This morning, we woke up early to do a 5k for breast cancer. My friend Eric's sister died of breast cancer 4 years ago, so each year we do this walk in her honor. I believe we raised $5000 for the team - I raised about $250 in donations, and baked and decorated cookies to put out at Niki's office that brought in another $200-$300. We actually decorated the cookies the night I found out I was pregnant (April 25).

I was worried about doing the walk - the weather was hot, I've been getting easily tired and hungry, and I haven't been able to do much walking/exercising since I tore a ligament in my ankle back in November. Luckily, my friend Niki is also pregnant, so we did the 5k nice and slow. I made it! I think my ankle is finally doing a little better. Elliot was a huge help . . . he served as my "pack mule" for the day - carrying water and snacks all day for me, and pushing the stroller with Niki & Eric's son.

After the walk, I went and picked up one of my nieces to head out for a play date at Niki and Eric's house. We had a fantastic time. Paige discovered she loves to eat watermelon - and make a huge mess. It is so cute to finally watch her interacting and playing with others.

Elliot & I were supposed to meet our friends Heather and Brad for an outdoor movie tonight. We were so tired, we didn't know if we would make it there. Luckily, the weather intervened, and it POURED rain, so the movie was canceled! Heather & Brad came over to watch a rental movie instead, and we never had to leave the couch! Perfect end to a wonderful day.

So much for feeling better!

Well, after worrying about how I've been feeling so well for the past week, my body decided it missed puking tonight! Strangely reassuring, though.

Today was actually a fun day! I went to see Sex and the City with Niki, and then we spent the evening at my mom's house. My nieces are here for a week, so we helped with the babysitting. It has been fun spending so much time with them.

Hmmmm . . . Feeling better?

For as much as I have been hating the daily puking episodes the past 2 weeks, I have to say that NOT puking is equally worrisome. I know morning sickness is supposed to ease up after 10 weeks, but it does make me nervous to be feeling so . . . . normal! I'm so ready to be able to share this with rest of the world! I've been having a difficult time hiding the pregnancy (my body is just ready to pop), but this week I'm planning to tell a few more friends.

Another baby picture!

Today we had another ultrasound! Not to crank and complain, but the ultrasound tech showed up to work over an hour late AGAIN. The staff was fairly rude, and the doctor just made excuses for everything. We told her we would be leaving the practice - I really have had enough of the way this office is run.

Luckily, Elliot and I were stopped short in our complaining when the ultrasound began. We couldn't believe how much the baby has grown over the past few weeks. Elliot was watching the screen, and when he saw the baby, his jaw dropped and he said "It looks like a baby and it is moving!!" I can't believe I'm actually 10 weeks pregnant already! On another good note - my previously enlarged and cysty ovary seems to have returned to "almost" normal.