New Car!

E and I bought a brand new 2012 Chevy Cruze.  It's beautiful! 

We traded in his old Honda that we inherited from my Mom when she passed away and the Charger that I used to drive went to him.  I love my new car!  Lucas likes it too! :) 

An update on the spit up.  We dropped him back down to 3 oz and only 4 oz before he goes to sleep.  It's worked perfectly!  He doesn't spit up anymore and he seems to be happy.  I guess those couple of days were just a fluke and the 4 oz were too much for his little tummy.  We are still doing tummy time and he's still not enjoying it! 

His outfit of the day was so cute I have to share!

He's getting so big so fast that it makes me sad.  Tomorrow is my 6 week post partum check up with my dr and I hope she gives me the all clear to work out. I'm ready to go back to zumba and get my high school body back!  One can wish right! :)

Goodbye 2011-Hello 2012!

I guess I better write my recap of 2011 before we head out tomorrow because I don't think we're taking the computer with us and I doubt I will have time to blog before the new year.  Let's see, where do I even begin. 

The end of 2010 left me feeling unknown.  I felt like I didn't know what the future held for us, if a baby was in our cards, if E and I really were ready to take on the possibility of long, never ending fertility treatments.  I was feeling very let down and just had no idea what was going to happen.  Dealing with family deaths seemed easy compared to not knowing if you would ever become a Mom.  I wasn't sure if this was something I could handle. 

When 2011 hit, it seemed like something blew over me that said "get over it!  Life WILL get better, you WILL have a baby, you CAN'T give up!"  I didn't.  I found a new dr who was AMAZING and we will be forever grateful for giving us our special gift.  Lucas is amazing.  Edgar was amazing throughout our whole journey and I think feeling positive throughout everything really helped us conceive.  Seeing those 2 lines on the pregnancy tests just seemed like yesterday.  I will never forget how I felt that day or the look on E's sleepy face when I ran to wake him up.  It brings tears to my eyes and a big smile on my face.  Who knows if we will ever get to experience it again but we are going to try.

I got to spend great time with family throughout this year.  Saw friends and even made a few trips.  Going to CT and hanging out with friends was awesome.  Ice Skating in the snow at a casino was outstanding.  Seeing our cousins get married in California and spending 10 days sight seeing and visiting the Kardashians store "Dash" was something I will continue to remember.  Hearing the ultrasound technician tell us "its a boy!" even though I was expecting a girl but deep in my heart I know he was a he.  :)  Watching my niece graduate high school and go off to college was the greatest family moment of the year.  We were all super proud of her.  Being induced at 38 weeks was quite the experience and even though it ended in a c-section there is nothing I would change about it all.  I had a wonderful recovery and Lucas is everything I could have ever asked for.  He is truly an angel and we are really blessed. 

I know 2011 was probably one of the best years E and I have had together and I hope 2012 tops it.  I wish great health and fortune for our family.  I wish we are able to save our money and get into our own house by the end of the year.  I wish Lucas continues to grow and stay healthy and we enjoy watching him along the way.  I'm not ready for my Baby to grow up but I know its inevitable.  There are amazing things coming our way, I just know it. With that, I'll leave you with a picture of my little 3 week old man.  He's precious.

38 wk check up turned induction!

I went on Monday to my 38 wk check up.  It was a very routine deal, nothing out of the ordinary was supposed to happen.  The nurse took my weight and bp.  She realized my bp was higher than normal.  I explained that I had allergies/cold and had been taking benadryl but haven't done anything else different compared to last week.  We went along with the appointment and the dr mentioned I had a higher level of protein in my urine.  Hmmm, ok.  So she explains that they are going to check me and check the hb of the baby.  Everything was normal.  I was still about a 2-3 dilated and 70% effaced.  She asked if I had any swelling and I lifted up my pant legs and showed her my legs were a bit more swollen than normal for the morning hours.  She brought out her reflex tool and started banging at my knees.  My right one didnt bounce at all but my left one did.  She was pushing and rubbing and didn't seem to excited about the whole thing.  She explained that they were going to take my bp again.  It was still high, but a very tiny bit lower than what it was before. 

Then I got the "pre-eclampsia talk".  I wasn't ready for this but I definately knew it was an option considering my history with GD.  She told me we were going to do a 24 hr urine check and that I would need to go drop it off exactly 24 hrs after I started it.  I would have to wait for blood work and then I would need to see my GD dr.  If I had one more high blood pressure reading I would be sent to L&D immediately.  I was realy panicked because I wasn't ready for this kind of news.  She told me that if the urine sample came back high I would be induced.  If my GD saw low amniotic fluid, I would be induced.  Basically right then, I knew this guy was coming way sooner than later.

Fast forward to the next day, I go and visit with my GD dr.  Everything seems fine.  My BP was great, the baby looked good, the amniotic fluid was fine and my sugar levels were in the safe range too.  He said he wasn't sending me to be induced but ultimately the decision would be on the 24  urine sample.  I also had to make appointments with his office for 2x a week now as I am now considered high(er)-risk.  After I left there I gave E a call because he was at work waiting on pins and needles.  Wondering if he needed to leave right away and meet me at the hospital.  I went to drop off my urine sample, gave blood and then left. They told me I should know something the following day (Wednesday).

Wednesday morning my alarm went off at 9 am.  I forgot to mention after my Monday appointment the dr decided to take me off work.  This was a whole 2 weeks earlier than I had previously wanted but a whole week earlier than I had recently decided.  This was a shock because my boss wasn't even at work that day and I had to text her the news.  Anyway, my phone rang a little after 9 and I shot out of the bed because it was my dr's office calling.  She explained the urine results were high but not high enough for an emergency induction and that we needed to be at L&D Friday December 9th at 6 A.M.  Talk about a splash of cold water in the face to wake you up in the morning.  It was so unreal.  I thought they would let me go at least 1 more week and then talk about induction.  NOPE! I called E right away and we talked about it and the more I seemed to get nervous the more excited he seemed to get.  I will do anything to keep this baby healthy and if that means to deliver early, well then so be it. 

So today, could technically be my last "free day".  No baby....but I can not wait for tomorrow.  I want to hold him and kiss him and love him.  I can't wait for our family to be complete.  Afterall, this is what we've been waiting for. 

37 Weeks and FULL TERM!

So excited to announce that I'm FULL TERM today! :) The little guy could come any day now and it would be perfectly fine with me.  I'm still betting on the 21st of December (when they will have to force him out) but a girl can dream right?!?

I saw my Dr this morning and found out the GBS test came back negative!  I was surprised to hear that because I am RH negative, I have Gestational Diabetes, didn't have any progress last week, being positive for the strep was just right up my ally.  :) I was really happy to hear it was negative though, one less thing to worry about. I also found out I was 2 cm dilated and 70% effaced.  What does that mean?  It means, its real!  Labor is just around the corner and I am stoked!  I am super anxious about the actual labor part.  I've spoken to a couple of people about it and they've all said that once it happens, the anxiety will be out the window.  I really hope this is the case.  It's the only thing i've really been nervous about this whole pregnancy.  

There aren't any real plans of induction as of now.  I will see my regular dr again on Monday and she will check for progress.  I'll see my GD dr on Tuesday and we will have an ultrasound to measure how big the baby is right now.  From there we will go on to determine if I will be induced earlier than 40 weeks or if I'll be induced at exactly 40 weeks.  Either way, the end is in sight.  December 21st.  I will have an outside baby by Christmas and for that I'm truly blessed!

35 wks 3 days

It's getting harder and harder to wake up in the morning!  I feel like I could sleep for many more hours!  We are in bed by 9 or 10 every night and I wake up at 6:15 (ish) so its not like I'm not getting my 8 hours....I just wish it were a little more!  I'm almost out for Thanksgiving break so I will be able to sleep in all I want next week.  I'm so excited about that.  

After we get back from Thanksgiving break I will only have 3 weeks of work left.  I'm so looking forward to the maternity leave.  I've been back and forth about how many weeks I'll take off and I've finally decided my last day of work will be Friday December 16th and I won't come back until Monday March 5th. It turns out to be 11 weeks.  I could take 12 and then get the following week off for Spring break and not be back until March 19th but I want to be able to ease back into work.  Going back for a  full week and then having a week off will help the process, I think.  Plus, the baby will be with my Sister so it's not like he's going to be at some random daycare or some place else.  I will have easy access to him and I'm very thankful for that.  

I've thought a lot lately about how labor will happen.  Will my water break at work?  Will I be at home by myself?  Will Edgar be able to make it to the hospital at a reasonable amount of time if he is at work?  Will it be a long drawn out process?  Will it be so fast I won't know what happened?  All of these questions and I can't wait for them to be answered.  We are literally down to single weeks, weeks I can count on one hand and I can't believe the time is finally here.  I have an appointment with my GD Specialist on Tuesday and then an appointment on Wednesday with my OBGYN and she will see if I have any sort of progress going on.  Please keep your fingers crossed that I do.  I'm so ready for this little guy to be here.

34 Weeks and Counting...

 

Today marks 34 weeks.  While it seems like yesterday that we just found out about the pregnancy,  it seems like we still have FOREVER to go! I realize the baby will be here before we know it and I'm just ready!

 

My mind is spinning trying to get the very few remaining items for the baby, trying to get into the holiday spirit and making a list of Christmas gifts.   We will be celebrating Thanksgiving at my Sister's house and E and I are in charge of bringing the ham, mashed potatoes and a dessert.  

I'm down to just 24 days of work left...not including weekends and the Thanksgiving holiday.  I've turned in my leave forms for the HR department and my last day of work will be December 16th and I'll go back to work march 5th.  I chose this day because I'll go back to work a week and then be off for a week of spring break.  I figured it will help ease the transition of working full time again.  There's so much left to do at work and I really need to try and stay focused to complete it all. 

 

31 weeks

I have a Dr's appointment today at 11:15.  I ended up failing my 3 hr.  Apparently I'm borderline gestational diabetes but the specialist thinks its better if I just begin to check my sugars just to make sure.  At first I was SUPER nervous and kind of beating myself up about it.  After going to his appointment last week, I realized, it's not THAT bed to prick your finger 4 times a day (plus it doesn't even really hurt!!) and I only have just a teeny bit to go.  He told me to check my sugar when I wake up and then 2 hrs after every major meal.  I'm supposed to snack more, which I def don't do right now, and chart my sugar readings.  I see him again next week to see how its going.  It was definitely hard grocery shopping yesterday watching the sugar levels on everything I bought.  

 

Being able to see the specialist last week meant that I got to see little Lucas.  Well, turns out he's not so little after all.  The guy already weighs a whopping 4 lbs and is expected to be 9 or 9.5 lbs at birth.  Since I am officially diagnosed with GD I will be going to be induced at 39 weeks.  That is if my blood pressure stays the same and nothing else comes up between now and then.  Apparently, pre-eclampsia  runs side by side with GD and so they are going to watch me very closely for that.  I am going to check with my dr today and make sure she agrees with the specialist on my induction date, but for now it looks like December 14 is the day.  Here's a pic of our "little" guy.  Look how flexible he is! :)

Glucost Test=BIG FAT FAIL!

Yup, I failed my 1 hr glucose test.  The results were heartbreaking to hear but I was kind of comforted knowing that MANY people fail the 1 hour and pass the 3 hour.  I'm doing the 3 hour right now and have about 10 minutes before I go back for my final blood drawal. Please send major vibes that I pass.  I realize there's nothing that can be done, if you have Gestational Diabetes you have it, it just sucks! 

I had a BUSY weekend and I'm still recovering.  The bbq cookoff was wonderful and the baby shower was amazing.  I shed a few tears, but honestly who doesn't!?!  Here are a couple of pictures to keep you entertained.

Chugging Along...

Things have been going great.  We're moving right along.  The throwing up has subsided (for now) and I'm enjoying pregnancy.  This little (big) guy is moving right on track and makes sure to kick and punch me to keep me aware he's still growing.  I'm in my 28th week and officially in my third trimester!  I am super excited, things are starting to speed up. 

I am now visiting my Dr every 2 weeks (WHOA!) and I go back on Friday.  Apparently I am RH- which means I have a negative blood type and will need an extra 2 shots.  One for sure (on Friday) and one after delivery depending what type of blood Lucas has when he's born. If he has a + bloodtype I'll have to get another shot, if he's - I won't.  Apparently my blood could attack his and cause harm to one or both of us if it's not treated.  Kind of nerve wracking but I know they are going to do the best they can for us both.

This past weekend my Sister and I went to a neighborhood wide yard sale and found a bunch of great (steals!!) items.  I got 3 strollers (one lightweight for $5, one graco for $50 and an umbrella for FREE) , an almost new bumbo with tray for $15, tons of cute clothes for about .25 a piece, a BIG bag of socks for $2, and some more items.  Here's the damage.  

I have a very busy weekend ahead of me.  On Friday I am off work to start setting up for a family bbq cookoff we do every year.  I also have a dr's appt for my rhogam shot and my GD test.  Send positive vibes for that.  Saturday is the main day for the cookoff.  We will compete for different categories.  Then Sunday is my first baby shower!  I'm excited!! My Sister, Friend and SIL are hosting my shower.  My MIL is throwing me another shower but that one is yet to be determined.  I will also have a work shower but that won't be until later in the year. 

25 weeks 2 days

 how far along: 25 weeks 2 days.

how big is baby: Baby P is about the size of an eggplant.  During month six, the average fetus measures about 13.6 inches to 14.8 inches and weighs about 1.5 to 2.5 pounds.

 weight gain / loss: I'm not sure.  At my last appointment I was up 2 lbs from the appointment before.  My next appointment isn't until the16th so I have another week in a half. 

symptoms: None really.  Still vomiting occasionally.  I've accepted that this may last my whole pregnancy and I guess I'm okay with it.

cravings / aversions: I haven't really had any yet.

movement: He is constantly moving.  Edgar got to feel him about 2 hours ago. His face was priceless!

 gender: BOY!

belly button: Still an innie.  Not sure if it will pop out.  Hopefully later rather than sooner.
 
sleep: I'm still sleeping without any major problems.  I hope it continues.

What am I looking forward to:  my baby shower.  It's october 1st and I'm pretty excited about it.

what i miss: Still sleeping on my back and stomach.

highlights this past week: Seeing Edgar's face when he felt the baby kick.  It was awesome and something I will always remember. 

Anatomy Scan

E and I had an appointment on August 1st.  We had just come back from my family reunion in Oklahoma and before that we were in California for just over a week for a family wedding.  Traveling was awesome and I felt great...other than the 2 rounds of car sickness I experienced.  Dr's appointment was at 8 in the morning and just E and I went.  It was nice to just experience this together, just the 2 of us. 

At the beginning of the appointment the technician asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby.  We both agreed without hesitation.  She took some measurements and then all of a sudden she says "well it's a boy!"  I couldn't help but laugh because I just KNEW it was a girl.  It was pretty funny but shocking at the same time.  After getting over the immediate shock I'm pretty excited about having a boy!  We haven't decided on names yet but when we do I will update.  It's hard coming from a family with mostly boys (on both sides).

how far along: 21 1/2 weeks.

how big is baby: Baby P is about 10 1/2 inches long and weighs a whopping 12.2 ozs.  Think about the size of a banana. That's this weeks bump fruit comparison.

 weight gain / loss: I haven't been keeping track of the weight stuff.  I know that at my last appointment I was still down 8 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight.  I feel like I've been able to keep food down and have probably gained some lbs.  I'll find out Friday.

symptoms: I've been sleepy after work again.  I wake up in the middle of the night needing to pee, so far just 1 time.  My stomach feels full and heavy.  Other than that-nothing bad so its all good news right now.

cravings / aversions: I haven't really had any yet.

movement: I can feel movement in my lower stomach.  When I place my hand on it, because I'm dying to let E be able to feel the movement, he stops moving.  He's going to be a good boxer or soccer player because he's constantly hitting me. 

gender: BOY!

belly button: So far its an innie.  Wondering if it will pop out or not.

sleep: I sleep better on my right side until I wake up with a pain in my shoulder or hip.  Then I roll over on my leftside.  By the time E leaves for work (around 4:45) I find myself stealing his pillow and propping my head up so I can enjoy a couple of minutes on my back.  It feels so nice.

what i'm looking forward to: Getting rid of the puking.  I'm still puking occasionally and it SUCKS!

what i miss: Sleeping on my back and stomach.  I was venting to E about this last night.

highlights this past week: Finding out the sex of our baby.  Seeing how excited E is getting each and every day. 

17 weeks!

how far along: 17 weeks yesterday

how big is baby: The baby is the size of an onion.  It's about 5.1 inches long and weighs a whopping 5.9 oz! :)

symptoms: I'm glad to say I've gotten rid of the gagging and not being able to eat.   Now I'm hungry all the time!  Last night I woke up with a bad pain in my right leg.  I guess its from sleeping on my right side.  I was tossing and turning and trying to get comfortable, it still hurt.  I got up to use the restroom and I could barely walk.  Today it's sore but okay. 

cravings / aversions: I think I'm doing okay on this part.  I'm craving fruits and anything I can get my hands on.  I was hungry this morning so I stopped for a breakfast taco....I gagged when I ate the eggs.  I guess I'm not quite ready for that yet. 

movement: Last night when I was talking to myself trying to fall asleep :) I felt a small kick or punch. It was enough to shoot my eyes open lol  But, I've only felt it once and I'm not 100% it was the baby, but its def. different from anything I've ever felt before. 


gender: we find out on August 3rd, when we get back from vacation!

belly button: I still have an innie.  I finally took my belly button ring out yesterday.  It was kind of a sad moment.  No, I don't flaunt it-but still-I've had it for like 8 years.  Edgar was VERY happy to see it gone!

sleep: I'm having no problems sleeping right now.  ::knock on wood::

what i'm looking forward to: Going on vacation to California for a family wedding and just to hang out.  Then finding out the sex on August 3rd.

what i miss: I still miss food.  As much as I'm eating I still feel like I'm not 100% back to the way I was before. 

highlights this past week: Celebrating our wedding anniversary and realizing my belly "popped".  It's crazy to see it but I LOVE staring at it!

Where have I been?

My dear friend Jill reminded me that I don't blog enough.  OOPS!  Life has been so busy lately and if it isn't busy I am just sleeping on the couch.  Seriously.  My niece graduated from high school and we threw her a HUGE graduation party.  That took a lot of planning.  School is out for the Summer.  I still work everyday (except Friday's!!!) in effort to save all my vacation time for my maternity leave.  The end of a school year is super chaotic and so I was out of commission dealing with all of those things.  The internet at our house messed up, stupid AT&T so we are thinking of switching internet providers.  No internet = no blogging.

I ran out of the prenatal vitamins I had been taking for like EVER and decided to switch brands.  Stupid mistake!  The new ones make me so sick!  I take them at night before I go to sleep and when I wake up in the morning I am throwing up in the toilet.  I decided to do my own trial run and take them every other day for a week.  Yup, the culprit of what I thought was morning sickness, coming in at 12 weeks, was really my new prenatal vitamins.  You can bet your ass I will be going back to get the old brand I was doing so perfectly fine on.  It makes me so happy knowing I was able to figure out what was going on. 

Now on to some baby news.  As soon as I bring my camera to work I'll post my new bump picture.  I swear it just popped out this weekend.  I was looking at the pictures of my Niece's graduation party and BAM there it was. :) lol No hiding this sucker. 

Call us early planners or just crazy but we've already gotten our crib.  We chose this:

Lauren Graco Crib

We chose it in the Espresso color because we already have the following furniture in our soon to be nursery:



From IKEA

Something like this for the changing table.  It was a hand me down from my Sister, and it has the changing pad on the top.  I plan to remove the changing pad later on and just use the bottom part for storage.

We chose this nursery bedding for either a boy or girl:

Update...errr lack thereof.

Well I decided I should post an update for my few blog readers out there!  Thanks to Jill for calling me out!  :)

We've been super busy this Thanksgiving Holiday due to moving.  Not much of a vacation from work when there's packing/unpacking, organizing, reorganizing, decorating, etc.  With all this chaos comes not temping and not taking my meds regularly!  I know shame on me.  Not sure how this will effect the flow of things.  Not sure if there really is a "flow" going on anyway! lol

I'm feeling SUPER crampy today.  I *think* this is what's supposed to happen when I get my period like a normal person.  According to my chart-I should be up for a period soon anyway.  I am supposed to visit my dr sometime this week for another ultrasound or when Aunt Flo arrives to start clomid.  I'm realllly hoping AF comes so I can start the next process.  Even though that scares me just a little bit.  Either way-this was just a waste of a blog-but I just wanted you all to know that I am still here and we are still trying!  I'm hoping this holiday season brings us reason to celebrate. 

And we have an update...

Well I went to check in and SURPRISE-"you have a vaginal ultrasound scheduled".  Uhm-nice?  It wasn't nearly as bad as it may sound.  :) Oh the joys of my Dr appointments!! 

She had me sign a patient consent form about what side effects I could have by taking the steroids she prescribed me.  She let me know that they look "scary" but that I shouldn't have any of them because my dose is on the lower side.  Anyway-the steroids are for my high level of androgen or better known as male hormones.  The dexamethasone test showed that by taking the steroids my levels went from 140-20(!!!!) and I should be anywhere from 0-40...so that was great to hear!  She also said my lining looked "excellent" and she thinks I may ovulate soon.  She thinks the dex. test I did regulated my cycle (at least for this month) and instructed us to have sex every other day until I get my cycle.  Oddly enough I've been temping every morning at 5:45 when I wake up and it's starting to look like a "normal cycle".  I really hope we get our positive pregnancy test soon.  It would be such a great Christmas gift!  

On another note-if I don't start my period by the 24th I'm supposed to go in for another ultrasound and see if I even ovulated or if I'm pregnant.  If I do start my period I am supposed to go in on CD 1-5 and begin our first round of clomid!  If I'm not pregnant in 3 cycles of charting, continuing on my meds, and having sex every other day I will be scheduled for an HSG and something called an "after sex test" (which I need to google right now)! 

I'm happy with my appointment and I am really glad we seem to be moving forward.  Please keep everything you have on your body crossed for us that everything happens sooner rather than later!! :)