12 Weeks and Counting!

On Tuesday I had my "12-week" appointment with my doctor.  We were supposed to have been able to hear Boko-baby's heartbeat, but it didn't work out.  As Dr. Sloan pressed the microphone apparatus into my abdomen, trying to find the baby, she said, "Your baby is not being cooperative today!"

So, she pulled out the ultrasound machine again and we got another peek at Boko-baby.  (When I get around to scanning it, I'll post the picture we got.)  Boko-baby was swimming ALL OVER the place, from one side of the ultrasound screen to the other!  No wonder Dr. Sloan couldn't get a heartbeat ... Boko-baby was moving around too much!!

I have a theory as to why B-baby was moving around so much: 

As Dr. Sloan was moving the microphone around my abdomen, she did so with firm pressure.  And it didn't feel good.  In fact, it was a bit uncomfortable.  So, I imagine that our poor little 3-inch tall Boko-baby didn't like being pressed down with the microphone either.  Smart baby.  Swim baby! Swim away from danger!!

***

Last night, Danny and I made dinner for my mom's birthday.  All my brothers came too, with their respective significant others (where applicable), and Dan brought along his two boys Parker (almost 6) and Hunter (almost 3).

I held Hunter on my lap at some point during the evening and, as usual, he started using me as his personal Jungle Gym.  And he ended up jumping on/near my abdomen a few times.  So, I told him, "Don't jump on my uterus.  There's a baby in there."  He stopped jumping and looked a little confused.  I said, "Remember, I'm going to have a baby; there's a little baby in my belly right now.  Do you know how big it is?"  At this point, Parker was mildly interested in the conversation as well.  I held up my thumb and forefinger about 3 inches apart and said, "The baby's about this tall now."  Hunter laughed.

I asked Parker and Hunter if they hoped I had a boy or girl.  Parker said, "A boy." 

Hunter parroted, "A boy." 

"What about a girl?" I asked.

Hunter shook his head.

I skeptically asked, "Do you even know what a girl is?"

"Yeth," he lisped.

"Oh, yeah," I replied, "What's a girl?"

Hunter explained, "It has a big flower on its head."

I had to smile ... and agree. 

Last Sunday my cousin Michelle and her husband Drew brought their baby Jenna to Sunday dinner at my dad's house.  Hunter did not want to get close to baby Jenna, but he was very observant.  She was wearing this headband that had a large bow on it:

So cute!

And, I have to admit, the bow looks a little like a flower. 

Good job, Hunter.  You know what a girl is.

***

I'm excited for this Boko-baby to born and start saying clever and observant things like his/her cousin Hunter!

The First Doctor's Appointment

Okay, I actually had the appointment two weeks ago, but I haven't felt up to blogging lately.  (I haven't felt like doing much of anything but sleep, to be honest.)

The appointment went really well, and was really long.  I got all sorts of tests (blood, urine, etc.) and the doctor did an ultra-sound.  It was so thrilling to see our little baby.  Dr. Sloan pointed out a little flutter on the screen, and she said, "That's the heart beating." 

Wow.  What an amazing moment!  I started crying (of course).  There's a real baby growing inside of me!!  Incredible!!

So, for your viewing pleasure, I'm including a scanned copy of our ultrasound (the lightish blob in the center of the dark circle area is the baby):

(At the time the ultra-sound was taken, Boko-baby was about two centimeters long.  Now that I'm 10 weeks along, the baby is probably about 1 to 1.5 inches long.)

And here's a close-up of the little guy or gal:

The greatest thing is that Dr. Sloan said since we've seen the heart beating normally, we have only a 5% chance of miscarriage.  For some reason, I was convinced I would have a miscarriage ... and I guess I still might ... but hearing that we have a 95% chance of carrying this baby to term was SO relieving!!

***

I've been pretty sick lately, and I sometimes forget what a blessing it is to even be pregnant at all.  I throw up almost everyday, but lately, I only throw up once a day instead of several times a day.  Hopefully, that means I've gotten through the worst of it.  I've lost about 10 pounds since week six/seven, but from people I've talked to, it could be a lot worse. 

In about two weeks I'll have my second appointment, and hopefully by then I'll have outgrown the nausea portion of this pregnancy. 

One Small Victory.

It is 5:30 pm as I am writing this post, and to this point, I have only gagged twice.  And that was this morning while I was brushing my tongue (after brushing my teeth) in preparation for the dentist appointment I had.

I have been following the advice of friends and family to eat several small meals and to always be eating or drinking something.  My new motto is:  If something's going down my throat, then nothing can be coming back up.  The theory seems to be holding.

Over the weekend I was throwing up so much that I got a migraine.  Sleep was the only way for me to keep any food down. 

But then we bought some "Preggie Pops."  I don't know how or why they work, but when I'm feeling the most queasy, sucking on the preggie pops absolutely helps!

Fortunately, today has been a good day, with a steady stream of nibbling on food.


CRAVINGS I've had this week:
- MEAT (I just can't get enough protein for my little baby carnivore!)

Things I'm looking forward to: 
- the end of morning sickness
- my first doctor's appointment next week

That's what they mean when they say, "Morning Sickness" . . .

Over the past several days, I had been getting used to the near-constant companionship of my new friends Queasy and Nausea.

Yesterday, however, they introduced me to their well-known associate Morning Sickness.  We did not get along at all. 

In fact, I fought my first battle against Morning Sickness yesterday. 


I lost.


Today, saltines and ginger ale notwithstanding, I was forced to surrender, yet again.  And I'm certain it will not be the last time.


Does anyone know any other tricks or foods that combat Morning Sickness??

It's A . . . bout Time!

Danny and I are ecstatic to finally announce that we are pregnant for the very first time!!

We are still very early in the pregnancy (four weeks as of February 16th), so we are bracing ourselves for the mishaps that are more common in the first trimester, but we are obviously hoping for the best.

We did two home pregnancy tests on my birthday (Feb. 14), both of which appeared to be positive.  I couldn't believe the swell of emotions I felt when I saw the "second blue line" appearing.  In January, when we had first started trying to get pregnant, but then I had my period, I was a little depressed.  I wondered if we would have a hard time getting pregnant.  As day 26 of my cycle approached in February, I began to brace myself for another month of not getting pregnant.  So, when I saw those two blue lines, it felt like a miracle!  It seems amazing that somehow, two little cells can find each other, combine into one entity that implants itself inside me, and will change our lives forever.

The sweetest emotion I felt was when Danny and I were praying together a little later and he said, "Please bless our baby to be healthy."  Our baby!  I still can't believe it!!


So far, some symptoms I've experienced have been:
- Acne breakouts
- Extreme tenderness and swelling in the chest region
- PMS-like mood swings

I have not yet experienced morning sickness (knock on wood) but I read that that might not come until week six or so.

Things I have given up since trying to get pregnant:
- Caffeinated sodas
- Soda in general (for the most part)
- Ibuprofen
- Airborne (I swear by this stuff to help me get over a cold more quickly)
- Disneyland / California Adventure rides (even though I'll be in Southern California this week)
- Melatonin or Tylenol PM to help me fall asleep

But actually, speaking of falling asleep, I am almost constantly tired; I fall asleep almost as quickly as Danny does -- it's awesome! (Normally, he falls asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow, and I end up just laying there, thinking of my to-do list, the days' past events, future days' events, my Costco shopping list, etc.)

Also, I can't seem to drink enough water.  My body does not want the "CrystaLight On-the-Go Lemonade" version of water -- just ice-cold water in large quantities, please!