Can anyone tell me what I am referring to when I say “4 Weeks”? I’ll make it easy for you…

It is the ridiculous amount of time that ha passed since I’ve updated this blog.  I can’t believe myself.  I have no excuses.

I guess I haven’t had anything much to write about.  And one tip I seem to read over and over again in regards to blogging is, if you don’t have anything to write about, don’t write at all or your audience will hear it the forced post in your words. 

Well, to say I had nothing to write about is probably a bit of a lie.  I mean, I could have written daily about my insane food aversions; like how the thought of handling raw chicken, smelling it cook, and then eating it makes me gag.  Or how much I love peanut butter, jelly and fluff sandwiches now.  Or how pizza is the one staple I can pretty much count on 100% of the time…plain cheese pizza that it.  Extra cheese if I’m feeling frisky!  But truth is, you don’t want to hear about that.  Do you?  Does that interest you?  Please tell me if I’m wrong. 

I could’ve also posted a couple weeks ago about how I woke up one morning to find my waist completely G. O. N. E.  I mean so gone I ran back to check the bed to see if I maybe just left it behind!  But guess what…it wasn’t there.  I am now officially at that awkward phase where strangers in stores don’t know I’m pregnant, instead I just look a bit thick around the waist, as if I’ve gained a few lb’s eating too many tubs of sherbet at night.  So it’s kind of weird.  After all, this is my first stab at this pregnancy thing.  So I don’ know exactly how my body is going to respond and what parts of it are going to be thrown out of whack first.  Today I am 12w2d.

As a matter of fact I went out and bought a Bella Band, and it works wonderfully.  Especially since I bought a pair of jeans a size larger than my normal size and this helps to keep then from falling down past my crack. 

I have a 12 week prenatal appt tomorrow as well as the 13 week ultrascan (genetic testing).  So after not seeing our little one for 4 whole weeks (this is a very long time since we had been having weekly scans with the specialist!) we get to see him or her, finally!  We can’t wait to see how much he or she has grown!  Last time we got a peek inside we were looking at a little embryo the size of a green olive, now we will be taken back by a fetus the size of a lime!  Time certainly is flying!

I will be sure to catch up again tomorrow after the first appt to post a new picture!

I first want to say thank you so much to all of you who left so many wonderful comments for me over the last week!  It is so greatly appreciated!  You’re all so wonderful and I’m glad to know you.

I can’t believe it’s been a week since I’ve posted already.  Time flies when you’re sick.  Take a recurring bladder infection coupled with the never ending Flu, 2 antibiotics, a cough that sounds like I’ve been smoking 3 packs a day my entire life, on top of the first trimester grossness and you’ve got what I’ve been smothered with the past 11 days.  I feel like the walking dead.  I really don’t know how else to explain it. 

I don’t have the energy to do anything productive.  I am starving all the time, but the thought of anything but Honey Nut Cheerios and egg sandwiches turns my stomach so bad that I so fear the dreaded vomit session.  Then I think, maybe if I wouldn’t try so hard not to get sick, then I would feel better?  No, definitely not.  Can’t do it.  I’ve never been a puker, and I’m not about to be OK with becoming one now.

On a much better note.  We had an appt with the OB Monday night, to check things out b/c I had some spotting late last week and over the weekend.  During this visit he did a basic check of the old cervix to make sure she was closed up nicely and a sonogram to take a peek at the little one.  Eric and I were in absolute shock at how much growing the baby has done since last week.  I mean astronomical growth.  Last week all we saw was a tiny blurry dot.  And this week, a little tadpole looking growth.  Beside getting to see the delightful flicker of the heart, this time we got to actually hear it!  It echoed so loudly in the room, it was just wonderful.  Nice and strong and perfect!  Eric says the baby has his heartbeat.  What a peaceful sound it was.  We got a recording of the sonogram and get to bring it back every visit so they can add to it!  Talk about a keepsake!

I’ve already scheduled my 13 week scan and blood for the genetic screening and I have to pop over to the hospital for my first trimester prenatal workup.  Parking there is an absolute bitch, nonexistent actually, so I’m thinking of going tonight when Eric gets home from work, this way he can just drop me off at the door.  I need to have it done before my actual first prenatal visit on Tuesday.

We are thinking of telling our Grandparents and Aunts and Uncles this weekend.  We have to break the news strategically however.  Why?  Because everyone knows eachother.  For example, if we tell my Grandma (my Moms Mom) first, there is a good chance she will tell my Aunt (my Moms sister) who will in turn call her sister in law, who works with and is friends with my other Aunt (my Dads sister) and we certainly don’t want anyone hearing our happy news from anybody other than ourselves.  I don’t think that’s selfish.  I think that is very fair.  After all, everyone else got to share their news when it was their turn right, so now it’s our turn.  If we tell my Granparents who live in Florida first, my Grandma will certainly call my Aunt (my Dads sister) and say something to her.  She has proven herself to not be able to keep a secret.  So we need to pick our visits and phone calls wisely.

Otherwise, not much else has been going on.  Life has been for the most part boring.  Just trying to get over this illness that consumes our house.  Here’s hoping the next 2 weeks will find us fully recovered and enjoying this exciting time to the max!  

I had plenty of ideas of how I was going to let you all know “the scoop”.  But when it came down to it…I’m at a loss.  So I’m just going to put it out there.

Eric and I are expecting a new addition to our family in October; October 21st to be exact! 

There I said it!  PHEW!

I’ve been holding out on spilling the amazing news for so long because it was so early when we found out, as we knew it would be.  And it still is so early.  6 weeks= SUPER EARLY! 

So we actually found out for sure on Tuesday February 12^th (14dpiui #1) when I had my first positive beta, 198.  Two days later (16dpiui #1) it jumped to 490.  One week later (21 dpiui #1) up to 3291.  Now as of yesterday we are over 5000 and they don’t dilute over 5000, so we don’t know the exact number. 

Of course I didn’t wait until the actual first beta.  No.  I started testing at home at 10dpiui.  I got a very faint line that first day.  I wanted to know whether it was still the trigger shot or an actual positive, so I tested again the next day and got a slightly darker line.  The following day I tested again, and en even darker line popped up.  Yup, I was pretty confidant it was real, but Eric kept me grounded and wanted to wait for any excitement until we had the two initial betas to make sure there were numbers and that they were going in the right direction.  Man, were we shocked.  I still am in shock! 

We have only told our parents, and a few very close friends.  We want to wait to tell the rest of our family and friends until we hit the 8 week mark. 

My first sonogram was last Tuesday, with a different doctor.  Long story short, my doctor had an emergency and couldn’t make it to our local office so we had to go to the main office and have our sono by a different MD that we’ve never seen.  He showed us two gestational sacs.  We flipped!  One was exactly half the size of the other so he said it was possible that it would disappear.  On yesterday’s sonogram we only saw 1 sac.  I will also say that the sono machine from yesterday was not nearly as high tech as the one at the main office; I mean the clarity was like night and day.  So my doctor said we will see what next week’s sono shows.  I will take this opportunity to add that both Eric and I are just as happy with one as we are with two.  So we will see what happens.  My gut feeling is that there is just one little one in there.

Yesterday was definitely a milestone.  We got to see how much the sac has grown and got to see the tiny little flicker of our precious little ones heartbeat!  It was the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen!  We both stared at the screen in amazement.  It was an incredible moment for us as parents to be.

So that’s the update.  And that’s why I’m super fanatical about the whole fever thing…See “SICKO” post from earlier today.  I can only take Robitussin DM for my chest congestion and Tylenol ONLY if my fever goes over 101.  I hate to take anything, especially in the first trimester.  But I’m dealing.  Lots of rest and fluids is keeping me going.  No appetite, but I know I have to eat a little something. 

I’ll post the sono pics as soon as I scan them in!

Thank you all for being so patient with me over the past couple of weeks!!  It was well worth the wait, right?

UGH!  I’m sick.  So sick I can’t remember the last time I felt so miserable, physically.  I am the lucky host to a Bladder Infection along with the Flu.  WTF??  How did this happen?  My husband was very sick Saturday through Tuesday, but I’ve been a Lysol queen the past 4 days.  I mean…to the point of choking on it.  But somehow it still got me.  And I must say that Eric has been so incredibly sweet to me, not that that surprises me, because he’s always amazing.  But he’s been super incredibly sweet the past couple days.  He even left the house early today before catching his train, to go get me a new thermometer, b/c ours is not working anymore.  He didn’t come home with one, but two.  He said it was so I can check my temperature with both and compare.  If you haven’t noticed over the past 4 months, I’m fanatical.  So yeah…he’s pretty cool and I think I’ll keep him!My temperature has been between 99.0 and 99.8 over the past day.  My body is ridiculously achy, especially my upper back.  This pretty much just sucks!

So here I sit on the couch with my pillow, blankie, tissues, thermometer, apple juice cut with H2O (yes I’m a child when I’m sick), phone, Lysol and my laptop.  Not to mention I keep having to reconnect because I keep losing service!!  Rrgghhh!  Anyway…

I will be in and out of consciousness today.  I was supposed to go to lunch with Kim over at JoggingInCircles and our awesome friend Fran, to Cheesecake Factory no less- mmmmmmm- but I had to bail.  And it kills me to just sit/ lay here.  But I guess I should look at it as forced relaxation.  After all, I haven’t been sleeping so very well the past couple weeks.