Week 19: Ultrasound

The story of Lovelylinguist, Hubby, and The Ultrasound:

(1) Arrive at 8:30 a.m., only to be told that L.L. had no appointment. Although it had been scheduled since the first week of November. And they reminded L.L. about the appointment the last time she was in two weeks ago. And now somebody else has that time and we're SOL.

(2) L.L. vows to sit in the waiting room until they fit her in (even though they are totally booked) or her bladder explodes from the required 16 oz of water.

(3) The 9 a.m. patient is detained elsewhere so Hubby and L.L. get their ultrasound at 8:50 a.m.

(4) The technician types in, "Baby Girl Lastname!" and Hubby and L.L. say, "Wow! Uh... really?" Though happy, they felt so boy-like. Surprise. Then technician says, "No, wait a second..." She then decides it's a boy. Hubby says, "We'll take the best two out of three." After the third pass, it's still (apparently) a boy.

(5) Hubby and L.L. plan to use ultrasound video of "Baby Girl Lastname!" to torture son when he hits puberty.

ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL...

The only thing they have to keep their eyes on is my "low-lying placenta". Apparently, if it doesn't move up, it will block the baby's exit into the world. So a C-section is possible. I say... whatever it takes to get the baby out safely is what I'll do.

In the meantime... Merry Christmas to all!

17 weeks and I'm losing track

I seriously have trouble with math. How stereotypical is that - a WOMAN have trouble with MATH? Impossible. Ha.

I can barely remember how far along I am. Not to mention that I'm nearly done with my fourth month, thus I'm like 3-3/4 months along, not like, say, 4-1/2. I'm totally out of it.

I'm also going to start splurging on pregnancy facials, because for someone whose nickname in high school was "Perfect Skin", I now look like I'm covered in boils. Although every time I see a picture of the dashingly handsome Viktor Yushchenko and what he looks like now after being poisoned with dioxin, my troubles are very small indeed. (Still won't stop me from getting a facial.)

In better news... I went to the doctor on Thursday.

Me: "I've been feeling buzzing down here." (Pointing to about four inches below my navel.)
Doc: "Like fluttering?"
Me: "No, more like... zzzzzzz. Zzzzzzzzz."
Doc: "Hey, that's some early movement!"

No sh#t, Sherlock. More of an observation than a question. But that's... OKAY.

She took a listen via Doppler... and this time, the heartbeat was QUICKLY found and totally unmistakable and strong.

So I called my husband afterward.

Me: "The baby has a message for you."
Him: "Oh yeah? What is it?"
Me: "WHOMPWHOMPWHOMPWHOMPWHOMP."

He called me again two hours later just to hear about it again!

Nearly 16 weeks - wow

Didn't have a chance to take my every-five-weeks picture, due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Don't think one week will make a difference, though, at least picture-wise.

Finally bought some new shirts and pants. Shirts because my chest wasn't fitting into my work clothes that well, and pants because when you spend a lot of the day bent over double with tiny kids, you need something non-binding at the waist!

Hubby found some great Gap "barely showing" jeans that, when I wore them yesterday, sent the women here a-flutter. They couldn't believe how cute the pants were. They averred that when they were pregnant 1-3 years ago, they didn't have cute jeans like that! I also got some olive green cargo-like pants. Hubby is happy that they're not "mom pants" and that they have style. :)

I still feel like I'm not a grown-up yet. Being a mom will be even weirder.

14-and-a-half weeks and counting...

Finally ate (cooked) zucchini for the first time in, oh, about eight weeks. Last night. Have had an aversion to it since about Week 6, when I went all psycho on... Oh God, I feel the bile rising and that weird twitchiness in my throat just thinking about it... wheat pitas with Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese and raw zucchini.

Oh my God my eyes are watering. I can't believe I didn't throw up typing that (much less admitting it). Ugh. So when people ask if I have any aversions... it's raw zucchini. But the cooked ones last night weren't too bad, although I'd rather not think about it.

Okay, I need to go get some juice or something. That zucchini story put me over the edge. Bleh.

P.S. Tummy is starting to show...

P.S. 2: Time for the Baby Ticker again....

Approaching 14 Weeks

And all's clear. ;) Last Thursday, went to doctor for checkup and to hear heartbeat. Hubby came with. (I told him that I'd be fine going to most appts. by myself, but would tell him if a "meaningful" appt. was planned so he could attend.)

The doc moved the Doppler around my abdomen. Nothing. Just as I thought - I couldn't really have been pregnant this whole time. I was just getting fat. And tired and hungry. For no reason.

The Doppler heard my thoughts and replied, "Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."

Then the doc said, "Oh- there it is!"

I strained to listen: "Ftftftftftftftftftftftft."

My husband leaned forward. "I can't hear it."

Fetus replied, "Ftftftftftftftftftftftft."

158 bpm, totally normal.

And that's when I realized, "OH MY GOD there's actually something in there." It's like a swallowed a little mouse or something and it's been living in my stomach. Weird. It really is. Can't believe there's something alive in there. It's like something out of "Alien", but it's real life. Wow.

No ultrasound until Dec. 23. Will definitely find out sex of baby. (Told my mom, "Not 'gender' - gender is a social construct!") People say, "Oh, you don't want to be surprised?" I say, "Something weighing eight pounds squeezing out of South Carolina will be surprise enough." ;)

12.5 Weeks and Counting...

C'mon. It's a little funny when you tell people you're pregnant and they say, "Is your husband excited?" What kind of question is that? If he's excited, that's good. If he's not... that's kind of awkward (i.e., "Uh, no... he said he's leaving me if I keep the baby."). They're just trying to make conversation, but it *could* potentially be... awkward.

So now I just play a little joke. If someone asks me, "Is your husband excited?" I reply, "No-- he's not even sure the baby is his."

;p

Just finished up 12 weeks

Amazing! I can't believe how much better I've been feeling the last few weeks. Although I did go work out today, just lightly, at the Y. Then I came home and talked to my neighbor outside for about 10-15 minutes. And I started to feel very light-headed. Not dizzy, but more like I was going to faint. So I went inside and laid down and that's been it for the last, oh, 5 hours. Except for eating, haha.

I also got the FluMist vaccine b/c I had a prescription for the flu shot and the state lifted the contraindication for FluMist for pregnant women. I ended up with a stuffy nose FOR A WEEK. Once this whole flu shot sitch gets remediated next year, I'm going back to the flu shot. I mean, I only got FluMist this time b/c I could absolutely NOT find a flu shot anywhere!

I've been under a lot of stress my entire pregnancy thus far due to a volunteer group I'm in - as an executive board member. After two years of doing other positions, this last one (VP) just about killed me and I quit. So now... I have time to scrapbook, exercise, possibly maybe even clean up the house (!!!).

I asked my husband the night I quit, "Can I just enjoy being pregnant now?" So that's what I'm going to do.

10 weeks today

On Monday, I noticed a change. I didn't feel so tired; I didn't need a nap as long as I was in bed by about 10:30 p.m. I even made it to the Y last night for 20 min. on the elliptical (only stopped because I was hungry, and hadn't exercised in about three weeks and didn't want to overdo it!).

However, my face is still Pimple City and I have to wash my hair every day.

Other than that... it has continued to be uneventful. And now that the embryo is now a fetus... it's more exciting... that is I've allowed myself to feel a little more excited... not so worried about what *might happen*.

I got a ticker!

Working on Week 9

So this is what it looks like to be five months pregnant. At just over 8 weeks. Wow.

One of my co-workers who knows that I'm pregnant said that yeah, she noticed yesterday that I was looking bloated. How other people haven't noticed (or are just keeping their opinions to themselves) is beyond me. I mean, I don't even know whose body I have anymore. It's certainly not mine. This is not my stomach and these are certainly not my breasts and as for where that fat on my hip bones came from, perhaps only God and Drs. Kinsey and Spock know.

Week 8

Tomorrow I will be eight weeks pregnant with my first child. I've enjoyed other blogs I've read about pregnancy, so I thought I'd through my own hat into the ring. I figured eight weeks is about the right time to do it.

So why the title of this page? Because I seriously don't FEEL like someone's mom. I wear rock t-shirts, I wear Vans, I get stressed out with responsibility. Plus my plants are dying both inside and outside the house. I'll chalk that one up to my daily schedule:

6 a.m. Drag self out of bed.
7 a.m. Count pimples, apply cream.
8 a.m. Arrive late to work.
8:15 a.m. - 12 p.m. Work.
12 p.m. - 12:20 p.m. Sleep in my small office. Drool a little.
12:20 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. Quick lunch.
12:30 p.m. - 3 p.m. Count hours to freedom (a.k.a. "work").
3 p.m. - 5 p.m. Physical therapy, meetings, store, whatever.
5 p.m. - 7 p.m. Sleep.
7 p.m. - 7:15 p.m. Think about working out.
7:15 p.m. - 8 p.m. Exercise at the Y.
8 p.m. - 10 p.m. Fix dinner, eat dinner, eat snack, watch TV.
10 p.m. - 5 a.m. Hopefully I am unconscious between these times.
5 a.m. - ? Pee break!
? - 6 a.m. Loathing the impending alarm.

This schedule clearly illustrates why the house looks a mess and the plants are dying. Didn't imagine I'd spend this much time sleeping!

Speaking of which... it's nearly lunchtime, which means my noontime nap.

All this... and I'm keeping it secret from work. Wow. I wonder how much longer I can pull off the "I think I'm fighting off a cold" excuse.