December 31, 2010
Merry (belated) Christmas, and Happy New Year!
Wow, a LOT has happened since I wrote last.
S and I both survived the countdown to Christmas…wrapped up our work projects, managed to get all of the Christmas presents bought and wrapped, and had a fantastic party at our house on Christmas Eve (where I got to see my father drunk for the second time in my life, hysterical!).
And we had a wonderful Christmas morning…I woke up starving at 4am and tried to convince S to do presents then, but I guess until the baby is actually here I can’t really pull the “baby wants to get up” card, lol. I managed to go back to sleep until 8 or so, which was definitely a good move. Santa spoiled us with lots of thoughtful gifts, including U.gg slippers for me and a new go-kart racing suit for S, and of course brought Bailey and Killian some new toys, including a reindeer antler and a dangling peacock feather (their respective favorites). We all felt very blessed and had a blast playing with the fur-babies on our last Christmas morning as just us.
We also traveled to Ireland and back (!)…left on Christmas night after dinner with my folks, and just got back yesterday. We got great seats with extra leg room on the way there (S pulled the ‘pregnant wife’ card) and got lucky with a fast wind and a short flight home yesterday. It was a quick trip, but we really enjoyed the time with S’s family. Some highlights…S’s day/night out with the lads for a 12 pubs of Christmas (they only made it to 5), hitting up every maternity store in town with S’s sister, seeing our god-daughter and meeting her younger brother, and lots of time spent eating and chatting by the fire. I think it will be a few days before I can determine whether my growing belly is baby or Irish chocolate. 😉
It was a whirlwind of a trip (and will definitely be the last time we try to squeeze everything into five days), and although we’re not really sure where we are or what day it is, we’re very glad to be home.
Oh, and the other big milestone?? My definitively feeling the baby move. And get this, it happened at church on Christmas Eve. Despite being squashed into the pew by a large smelly woman and having my sciatica go haywire, it was definitely a Christmas miracle that I’ll never forget. Feeling the movement is still a little hit or miss…I think the time change really confused the little one…but I just got a few flutters as I was sitting here writing this post, so there’s officially a baby in there. 😉
Hope everyone had a happy and blessed Christmas…and wishing you all the best for New Year’s Eve and the year to come!
(NYE revelations and resolutions to come tomorrow…)
December 22, 2010
16 week update, and a revelation
How am I feeling? Finally not feeling sick any more, but now dealing with a weird numb/tingly leg thing that started over the weekend. My friend was visiting from NYC and we did a LOT of shopping…which probably should not have been done in my high-heeled boots. 😛 Interested to see what the doctor will say when I see him tomorrow…I really hope this isn’t some sciatica thing that is starting NOW.
Weight gain? 0 lbs (up another 2 lbs, and back to my IVF/pre-pregnancy weight)
Cravings/aversions? I just had my first yogurt in 10 weeks – yay! – and I’ve also been able to stomach more vegetables and meat. But I still want pasta and carbs like whoa. 🙂
Milestones? Really starting to show and being able to tell/talk about our pregnancy. I still have a hard time believing that we’ll be bringing a baby home in 5(!)+ months, but it’s definitely starting to feel more real.
Looking forward to… Feeling the baby move SOON! I had a few nights last week where I thought I felt it, but nothing definitive, and nothing since then. I’m also really looking forward to heading to Ireland (in FOUR DAYS!) to see S’s friends and family…and our god-daughter who just turned 3!!
In other news, I had an eye-opening experience earlier today. I’ve been working from home today and was catching up on some DVR while wrapping up my work project…and ended up watching an episode of Guiliana and Bill. For those who don’t know, Guiliana DePandi (of E!) and Bill Rancic (of the Apprentice) have their own reality show – which I am obsessed with – especially since they are currently documenting their struggles with IVF and infertility. On this particular episode, Guiliana had complications after her egg retrieval (exactly what happened to me post cycle #2) and then got a devastating negative. This was going to be their last time, after suffering a miscarriage from their first cycle, and I was really rooting for them.
It was so hard for me to watch their pain, and all of the thoughts and emotions from our failed cycles came rushing back. For a moment, I was right there with her…and completely forgot that I was pregnant! I actually had to shake myself back into reality and apologize to my baby for forgetting about him/her. 😉 It’s just still so much easier for me to identify with the pain and sadness, than it is to feel part of the “smug pregnants” (to mis-quote Bridget Jones). I don’t think I’ll ever forget what we went through…and I’m actually glad about that. I know that we will always appreciate our child that much more for how hard we worked to get him/her, and I also think that it will make me more sensitive to others. I just can’t wait for this to stop feeling so surreal!
December 16, 2010
Botox gone bad, and more
Sooo…the minute my cold started to get a little better (i.e. I could sleep for more than an hour at a time without waking myself up hacking), I woke up Monday morning with the cold sore from HELL. Seriously, picture a bad case of B.otox, but only on the top right half of my lip. And after waking up yesterday with it worse, not better, I finally went to the doctor…and came home with an oral antiviral and topical antibiotic cream. Sexy. And no, I’m NOT posting pictures. ;-P But in better news, I found out that I can take C.laritin while pregnant, so yay!
Being sick for a week+ has officially sent me off the hormonal edge. Between trying to come up with ideas (and get out to purchase) the last few Christmas presents, getting ready to leave for Ireland in 10 DAYS, and trying to finish a major work project due on the 22nd, I am continually one step away from total meltdown. The things that have set me off in just the past 48 hours:
- pizza dough
- the cat attacking the Christmas tree
- the laundry pile
- the fact that I hadn’t cocoa buttered my stomach for days while I was sick
The last one was when S burst into laughter and told me to relax, that he’d lotion my stomach for me. LOL! He seriously has been an angel…despite this being his busiest time of year and the fact that he hasn’t had a day off since the end of November, he still comes home, talks me off the ledge and then helps with dinner, laundry, cleaning, etc.
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I literally had written that last “etc.” and settled down to work on my work project when all hell broke loose.
Almost exactly 45 minutes after taking the antiviral med, I got an excruciating burning pain in my urinary tract and a dull pain in my lower abdomen. I called my primary care and was put through to a nurse who said “you NEVER should have been given that med while pregnant” and recommended I go to the ER. Sobbing and in pain, I called S to come home and while I was waiting for him called the OB. The OB nurse said that yes, it was fine for me to have been given med, but that in rare cases there are problems, so I probably should go to the ER.
Four hours, a urine test and an ultrasound later, we left the ER…feeling a bit better, but with no answers. I was borderline for a UTI, so they didn’t want to treat it yet, but the baby looked fine and I was released with instructions NOT to take the second dose of the med (obviously!). I spent the rest of the evening with a headache and stomachache, and then was woken up at 11pm with a backache. I’m sitting here trying to decide whether I try to follow up with my OB, or whether I’m just generally achy from all of the drama.
Yesterday’s experiences were eye-opening…I came this-close to dissolving into hysterics – multiple times – and I realized that we have long since passed the point where I could accept something happening to the baby. I think that I have been keeping my emotions locked up just waiting for the other shoe to drop, but yesterday showed me just how fiercely I will protect this child. I basically demanded that they do an ultrasound when there was some miscommunication between the doctor and the sonographer, and they were planning to just ultrasound my organs and not the baby. My exact words? “We’re here because of the baby, I don’t care about myself!” It turns out that it was a good thing they checked me too, because they found polyps on my gall bladder that I’ll probably have to deal with post-pregnancy.
So all in all, it was a scary afternoon, but it made me grateful once again that S owns his own business and works five minutes from both our house and the hospital. Although we both got frustrated by all of the waiting around and the lack of a diagnosis – and I felt terrible that he lost out on half a day of much needed work time – S agreed that we were better safe than sorry and that the baby and I are his first priority. Even when you know that’s true, it’s nice to hear. 🙂
So for today, I’m laying low and taking stock of all of my aches…fingers crossed that everything settles down and this turns out to be much ado about nothing.
December 10, 2010
14 week update, and photos!
As of Wednesday, I am 14 weeks pregnant, and officially out of the first trimester…and it feels FANTASTIC. After outing myself on FB earlier in the week, I told my boss and have given my mother the all clear to tell her friends. Which means that the rest of the town will know by this weekend! It’s fun to be able to talk about it openly…especially now that I’m very definitely showing.
Last night S and I were decorating the tree and several times he just stopped and looked at me and gave me a sweet little smile. I think it’s getting more real for him now that it’s obvious that there’s something growing in there. I can’t wait until we’re (both!) able to feel the baby move…
So now, on to the update!
How am I feeling? Really pretty good. I haven’t had a headache in almost a week, which is such a nice treat…but now I have a killer cold. My neti pot and I are become good friends again…
Weight gain? -3 (up another two pounds), although keep in mind, I weigh myself first thing in the morning, before I’ve had anything to eat, lol! I think the OB’s numbers are going to be slightly different. 😉
Cravings? Not much, seriously. I need to figure out what’s going to tempt me and readjust…I’ve been eating pretty crappy lately. I just went through my cookbook and found some new recipes to try…hopefully I’ll be feeling well enough to do some cooking this weekend.
Aversions? Same…any meat that needs to be cut/chewed, and vegetables.
Milestones? The second trimester! And getting my hair highlighted!!
And now…some photos! (Ignore the crappy quality, we have two cameras but one is missing and another is broken…we definitely need to do something about that SOON!)
8 weeks
10 weeks
12 weeks (and post-Thanksgiving dinner)
14 weeks
I really wanted to have the photos as a record, but I just wish they didn’t always have to be taken at the end of the day (when I’m definitely not at my best). Hopefully I’ll have some prettier photos to share soon. 😉
December 6, 2010
The cat’s out of the bag
Last night I did what I SWORE I would never do…and announced our pregnancy on FB!
I’m not a huge fan of the “look at me, look at me!” nature of FB announcements…so I had been planning on just giving my sister-in-law the green light and having her break the news. But last night, I got the urge to be normal for a change…and pressed POST!
We just told the remainder of our close friends on Saturday night and at 13w5d, I’m finally feeling pretty secure in the fact that I am pregnant and will be staying that way! Although I commented to S yesterday how strange it is to think that we are actually going to have a baby in our house next summer…it still feels so surreal.
I sincerely hope that I didn’t hurt anybody by our announcement…although I’m sure it stung for at least a few people. Even though it’s a little bit selfish, I’m just trying to do all of the things that I might ever want to have experienced, in case this is the only time we’re able to be pregnant. I’d rather be embarrassed about something I did than regret not doing it later on! 😉
With all that said, I’ve been completely overwhelmed by the amount of people who have sent comments, love, and well wishes. This baby is going to be very loved. 🙂
December 4, 2010
Green team
So the punch line to my last post is that yes, I’m strange. And you know what, I’m okay with that. S and I haven’t been following any of the rules since we found out we were pregnant…why did I think I’d start now?
The only thing that I’m still being superstitious about is finding out the sex and naming the baby. For some reason, everyone knowing exactly what you’re having and knowing its name gives me the heebie jeebies, although it worked out great for a lot of our friends (thank goodness!).
In response to one of my loyal followers, yes Ashley, I guess I am a “green teamer.” Sorry, LOL! 😉 Besides the fact that I love green (all the Irish must have rubbed off on me 😉 ), I really want the bulk of our core purchases to be gender neutral. Whether we end up finding out the sex this time or not, I know that we want to have at least one more child, and if we end up having to adopt to complete our family, then we definitely won’t be able to find out the sex!
So for now, everything is green (apple green, aqua, or turquoise…) and ivory and I’m loving it. 😉
For all those mommies out there, what “stuff” could you not live without??
December 1, 2010
I have a secret…
…I started our baby registry on Monday night.
I know that it’s crazy, and no, my IRL friends are not allowed to look at it, talk about it, and DEFINITELY are not allowed to purchase anything from it…but I just couldn’t help myself! S was working late, and all I could think about after our appointment that day was BABY.
I think this is one of the things that I’ve wanted almost as much as being pregnant…my very own baby registry, culminating in my very own baby shower. I hope that doesn’t sound greedy – honestly, I don’t even care about the actual receiving of the items – but to finally be “allowed” to pick things out that an actual baby will be wearing/using/etc. in six months…makes me feel like we’ve really made it.
Has anyone else done anything as crazy and premature as my registry?? 😉
Life by the Day 