22w5d- Nursery time!

I went shopping last week and FINALLY found a crib set I like. I don't have a pic of it, sorry... I did a search for the set online, but it must be a discontinued set because I can't find it anywhere. It's made by Kidsline, and I got it at Sears... I checked both websites for a pic, but no luck :-(

Anyway, the set is called "Heavenly Hearts" and is a quilt-type pattern. On the comforter and bumper, one square is pink and white gingham, another is little tiny rosebuds, another is purple and white gingham, and another has a cute little heart with flowers on it. (If that gives you SOME idea of what it looks like!) The mobile has little white and pink teddy bears holding either a pink or purple heart. It's adorable. I can't wait to get everything set up!

Since I finally have the crib set, I set out to look for paint and wall border to match it. I found THE cutest border at Lowe's, made by Disney. It's edged in pink, with purple bows that look like a big bow swag all around the room. I did my painting last night, and put the wall border up this morning. Here are pics of the nursery in progress :-)



This one has my boxers Cody and Lucy in it... they barely left my side during all this decorating, and ended up with pink paint on their fur as a result :-)



In other baby-related news... little Aly has been kicking like crazy, more each day it seems! She's not usually that active during the morning, but today she must be practicing for her black belt in karate! Maybe she's just excited that mommy finally started on her bedroom. Yeah, that must be it. Hehe...

Well, that's all for now.

21w5d: I FELT IT!

This morning was kind of a pregnancy milestone, you could say!

Around 4am (yeah, another night of insomnia), I was laying back in the recliner watching tv, when I felt little Alyson kicking me to the right of my belly button. Every few seconds, there was another kick. I put my hands on my belly, figuring I still wouldn't be able to feel the kick from the outside, when I felt a big WHOMP against the palm of my hand. I swear, I was grinning from ear to ear. It was THE neatest feeling to be able to feel those kicks with my hands. She kept on kicking and when I took my hands off my belly and just kept an eye on that very spot, I actually saw my belly move too!!!! Amazing.

She really hasn't been kicking much during the day today, but that seems to be the usual. Just another reason I believe she's a night owl like mommy... she must have all her energy late at night and veeeeeery early into the morning. Seems she's on her mommy's sleep cycle too!

21w4d

I just got home from work. I'm bloated.... my legs are swollen.... and my pants DEFINITELY don't fit me anymore. I didn't make it to the uniform store yet to get new scrubs for work, so I've been getting by these past 3 nights by keeping my pants right below my belly.As a result of that, my pants sag all down and I've been walking on them for 3 nights. Not fun.

Man, I could really use a foot massage right now...

Anyway.....

Baby Alyson has been kicking like CRAZY these past few nights. I've been reading on websites that the baby can respond to his/her mom's voice by this point in time. Well, at work we tape report on our patients for the following shift, and when I was taping my report, Aly was just kicking and kicking and kicking away while I was talking. (Kinda like right now... she must like the Strawberry Honey Bunches of Oats cereal I just ate. hehe...)

Not much else to talk about... just wanted to post real quick. Hopefully I make it to the uniform place soon. I was hoping to go today, but it's snowing like crazy here. We're supposed to get up to 9 inches by tomorrow morning. There goes the whole idea of going baby crib/bedding shopping too. For a few days, anyway.

Well, baby and I are off to take a little nap. I'll update again soon :-)

21 weeks

Hello :-) Wow, I didn't realize a whole week went by without a new post.

Here's a recap of the week... last Sunday my husband and I went shopping and bought our baby furniture! We found the set up around Youngstown, and were esctatic to find that a local furniture place had it too! We ended up getting the bedroom furniture locally... it's sooooo cute and girly. It's actually 'kid' furniture... we figured we'd get something that the baby can grow up with. It's white with pine accents... the set is called "Blossoms." At the top of each piece are small pink painted flowers and ribbons. Here's a picture:



We ended up buying the full bed instead of a twin, the dresser/mirror combo (which we'll use as the changing table), the 4 drawer chest, and the nightstand. I can't wait to see it all in the baby's room!

We plan on going to Burlington Coat Factory soon and picking out the crib. We saw a few there that we like, so we have some ideas so far :-) We also think we found bedding we like. We're about 90% sure it's what we'll use. It's called Dream Teddy, and the colors are sage green and ivory. Part of me wants pink though, so we'll see. Here's a pic of the bedding...



As for me, I can't believe I'm already 21 weeks!! Today I did a lot of house cleaning, and now I'm feeling it. I've been having dull cramping all day, which aches down my right thigh. It's that dull aching I had when I first found out I was pregnant... kinda like the "aunt flo is coming soon" cramps. It's nothing that concerns me too much... just feels like everything's stretching. My belly's definitely popped out more! I've been feeling the baby move like crazy too, more and more over the past week. She's given me a few good whomps in the belly too! I still can't feel it from the outside though... still waiting for that.

Other than that, nothing else going on pregnancy-wise. Just wanted to give a little update. Night!

20 weeks- HALF COOKED!

Well, today is the HALF WAY POINT! I am officially halfway through my pregnancy!!!

As of now, I feel great. I've been feeling the baby kick a little more, mostly late at night into the morning. I've worked the past three nights, and lastnight I didn't really feel the baby during the day....but come midnight, she was moving around every so often until about 2am. I just still can't wait until my husband can feel the kicks too. The other night I was laying on the couch and said, "Oooh... she's kicking me" and I felt bad because my husband goes, "Can I feel??" and I said, "No, honey.. I can't feel anything from the outside yet, I've tried." So we're still waiting.

I've come to the conclusion that I need to get to the uniform store-- QUICK! I'm getting too big for my britches. I went to put on my work scrubs Tuesday night and the waistband is getting pretty tight against me. Luckily once I sat down for awhile they stretched out a bit... I was worried there for a little while, and thought I'd have to get some surgical scrubs from the hospital so my butt could fit in them!! haha So that's on the priority list this weekend--- new scrub pants!

Speaking of my growing belly... BOY, IS IT!! When I lay on my back, you can REALLY tell.. my belly's this little oval hump. It's so amazing to see the changes taking place with me. Some good, some not so good though! The other day I was looking in the mirror and I noticed a few tiny pink marks on the left underside of my belly, and I'm reeeeeeeally hoping it's not the beginning of a stretch mark. I know that if I'm gonna get them, I'm gonna get them, but you can bet the first thing I did this morning was go out and buy some Palmer's Cocoa Butter stretch mark cream!! I'll be slathering THAT on from now on, you betcha! Thankfully though, no other signs of stretch marks for now. My mom didn't get any, so I'm hoping I inherited THAT from her!

That's all for the new signs/symptoms of the week.... :-) I still have a voracious appetite, and get cravings here and there. I went to the grocery store this morning and while shopping (after work and HUNGRY, no less), I had cravings for all sorts of things. Things I never looked twice at before, I'm now thinking, "Hmmmm.... that sounds pretty good now!" This mornings cravings consisted of a grilled cheese sandwich (which I plan to make shortly), and ICE CREAM. That's my one guilty pleasure lately. I've been trying to eat healthy (lots of fruit and veggies as snacks) but the ice cream aisle was calling my name this morning, so I had to give in and buy some! :-)

Alright, off to do some (MORE) cleaning. I'm off for about 4 days, and it's snowing like crazy right now, so I figure I'll take advantage of the weather and stay in with my friends Pledge, Windex and Lysol. (Sounds like FUN, I know!)

19w3d

Today I had yet another prenatal checkup. Everything's going great... I gained 2 pounds since my appointment 2 weeks ago, so I'm pretty much averaging 1 pound a week which is good. :-) That makes about 7 pounds so far. If I keep up the 1 pound a week thing from here on out, I'll be around the 25-27 pound mark. But you never know how things will go. Right now appetite-wise I feel like I could eat a horse, but who knows how I'll feel later on in the pregnancy.

I went over my mom and dad's today, and my mom and I went up to see my cousin and her little baby girl. Holding her baby just made me more excited for my little one to arrive! She is sooooo cute... I can't wait til our little girls can have playdates, and all of us can take little shopping trips together. But that's way down the road yet... :-)

My mom gave me a few things she and my dad bought for the baby... they got her a cute little plush doll with brown hair-- she has little bangs and ponytails tied with little pink ribbons. My mom said my dad picked it out... I KNOW it reminded him of me, because when I was little I had dark brown hair, with straight little bangs and wore ponytails alot. He's all sentimental now that his little girl is having a little girl... it cracks me up. Gotta love him.

Also, they got me a photo album for the baby... it's pink with little ribbons and says "Little Princess" on it. It's adorable... and I'm sure I can never have too many photo albums when this little one arrives!

Yeah, she's getting spoiled already... :-)

19w2d

Just over the past few days, I've really started to become uncomfortable. The other day, I thought, "Wow, I am feeling so great lately." Then THIS happens. Aching... muscle pains... ugh.

I am uncomfortable sitting AND laying down. When I am just sitting up on the couch (like right now), I get these aches/pains under my breasts, in my ribs. I don't know whether it's because my growing uterus is slowly forcing everything upward or what. My uterus is only at my belly button... can it really do that ALREADY?!?! But MAN it hurts. It's like the ache and pain lightswitch was turned on all the sudden. One day I'm fine, the next I ache all over.

Sleeping has been affected too. Getting comfortable in bed is a CHORE. I have a body pillow which DOES help a little... but it's still hard to find THE right spot. Even when I lay down in bed, I still have those aches in my ribs. I turn to the side,the rib pains go away, but my back aches. I push a pillow under my back, then my ribs start hurting again. I can't win.

It just sucks knowing I have another 5 months of aching, which will probably only get worse as my belly grows... :-/ I keep telling myself "It'll all be worth it in the end...."

19 weeks

Well, today I did it. I bought my FIRST BABY GIRL CLOTHES. I couldn't help it. I saw a sales rack with lots of adorable baby dresses, and I couldn't resist. I bought the little one THE cutest christmas-type dress. It is black velvet on the top and red on the bottom, with tiny rosebuds around the neck and little red baby bloomers. My description doesn't do it justice. And the best part? It was on sale for $7. Also, I got her a few sundress outfits in 0-3months, since it'll be June when she's born. I saw some other things, but figured I'd better stop since I DO have another 5 months of shopping ahead of me yet.

I also bought a Bebe Sounds monitor... it was $20, but I'm not sure yet if it's worth it. The box says that you can hear the heartbeat as early as the middle of the 2nd trimester, but today I heard a bunch of nothing. The only things I heard were the sounds I was making while trying to hold the thing against my belly. Maybe it's just too early... I'll have to keep trying.

Well, that's it for now. I worked lastnight, so I'm off to take a nap.

Oh,one more thing... I keep getting these odd feelings around my bladder. Like a big tap, then nothing. Then a tap, then nothing. I don't know whether it's spasms (never had those before), or whether my little girl is a future karate champion and is somehow kicking me right there. It feels weird though, I'll tell you that.

On that note... nap time.

18w4d

Today we went to Pittsburgh for Genetic Counseling and my Level II ultrasound. We most definitely found out the sex.

Without a doubt.........






She gave us the "money shot" right away. No boy parts between THOSE legs, I'll tell ya!

The Level II ultrasound was so neat.... the lady measured every little thing on the baby. We got to see the face up close, the hands, feet, and even the ventricles of the brain and the valves of the heart. It was amazing and I could have watched that screen forever. The baby flipped over halfway through the ultrasound and was kicking her little legs... it was so cute! I couldn't feel the kicks at that point, but I can only imagine what I'll be feeling when she gets bigger and stronger!

Well, I'll write more later. It's been a long busy day, and I'm WORN OUT.

17w5d

Not many changes to talk about...except for one.

YEEEEEEEEEEEOW, the girls are starting to hurt again! They are sooooooo sensitive!!!The slightest thing rubbing against them makes me cringe. I have told my husband to stay away from them, as he's been obsessed with them lately. (TMI, but hey, it's the truth.)

I didn't feel the baby move much throughout the day yesterday, but wasn't worried all that much. I just figured I hadn't been paying a lot of attention to the little flutters. Yesterday I fell asleep around 10pm or so, then woke up around 2am and couldn't fall back to sleep. I got up and came into the living room and perused all the nursery bedding online. All the sudden, the little one woke up and WOW was he/she moving alot. I'd feel some teeny tiny little taps, as if baby was saying, "Hi mom!I'm awake now! Pick me out some cute stuff!" That went on for about 15 minutes or so, then baby fell back to sleep. It's just such an amazing feeling once you know for a fact that it's the baby moving and not something else! Sometimes it feels like little fluttering in there, other times tiny taps. And you know how your stomach feels all weird when you're on an elevator and it goes to stop? I get that sometimes too... only everything is situated right below my belly button. No matter what I feel, it always puts a smile on my face!

17w3d

Just got back from my doctor's appointment...everything went well! They asked if I've been having any more bleeding or anything... I told them things have been great. (knock on wood!) I really do feel the best that I have since getting pregnant.

The baby's heartbeat was beating strong as ever, though the little one kept moving all around while the lady was trying to count the heartbeat with the doppler! I have a little acrobat in there, for sure! I'm feeling more and more flutters over the past few days, too!!

I've gained 1 more pound since last week... that makes a total of 5 so far. Upon hearing I've gained another pound, the nurse practitioner goes, "Good girl!" hehe... sounds like I'm right on track.

They still don't have my MSAFP result back... it's been a week today. I told them that my husband and I go for genetic counseling the 23rd, and that I'll be having the Level II ultrasound done the same day. They want me to come back in for another appointment in two weeks just so we can talk about how everything went in Pittsburgh, and to make sure things are ok. After that, hopefully I'm back to having appointments just monthly again... I feel like I've been living at my OB doc's office lately!

Well, I'm gonna take a little nap. I worked night turn lastnight, so I've had to force myself to stay awake. Not an easy task for a mommy-to-be! So.... goodnight. :-)

17w1d

This morning I'm noticing more of those little faint flutters... it pretty much feels like the little one is doing sommersaults in my tummy. I LOVE IT! It is definitely the neatest feeling in the world. :-)

Not much else to write about right now... just wanted to add this in here real quick. :-)

17 weeks

I called the genetic counselor in Pittsburgh and set my husband and I up for an appointment. The lady told me, “You’ve been referred to us for genetic counseling and amniocentesis. I said, “Um… yeah, the genetic counseling, but I’m not sure about the amnio. I’d rather go the conservative route and do an ultrasound first and then take it from there.”

I then told her that I had my MSAFP screening done this past Monday and that I haven’t heard back about the results yet. We then talked about the relevant medical history on my side and my husband’s. She told me that they will be needing medical records from my cousin and our niece so they will know exactly what we’re dealing with. So now I have to get a hold of my aunt and brother-in-law, find out where they went for treatment for the kids, and get them to sign releases of medical info and all that crap. Fun fun.

Anyway… so then she goes, “Ok… so we’ll set up you up for genetic counseling and do a Level II ultrasound.” (One where they go and measure EVERY LITTLE THING.) I asked, “So will both of those be done in the same day?” and she said yes.

So do you know what that means? DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS????

Instead of waiting until I’m 23 weeks (I’m 17w today) to have the “Big Ultrasound” done, I get to find out what the sex of the baby is OVER A MONTH EARLIER!!!! YAY!!!! We go Tuesday January 23rd at 1:45pm. I can’t wait! But like I said, I’m nervous and excited at the same time. I just want everything to go alright with this ultrasound. If some red flags are raised during the ultrasound (God forbid), I don’t know if I’ll go through with an amniocentesis. That’s a bridge I’ll cross if or when we get there.
I just keep hoping and praying everyday that my little one is happy and healthy!!!

(Oh, and I called my OB office today and connected directly to the Nurse practitioner's extension, so I could tell her about my appointment date. I left a message on her voicemail, and said for her to call me back if she has any other questions. I haven't heard anything back, so I'm guessing that's what the message on my machine was about yesterday.) :-)

17weeks

I'm a little worried now... though it might be over nothing.

You see, my OB doc has been asking me and my husband about genetic counseling. We are going to go to a hospital in Pittsburgh to meet with a genetic counselor. Well, I had an appointment this past Monday, and the nurse practitioner asked me if the lady from Pittsburgh had contacted me yet. I said "Yes, I got a message from her before the weekend... I'm waiting on my new work schedule to come out, and then I'm going to give her a call." The NP said for me to call her at the office and let her know exactly when my husband and I are going to go.

Anyway, I got my new schedule Tuesday night, then had to work again Wednesday night. I slept most of the day Wednesday--seems I need all the sleep I can get lately. I talked with my husband a little yesterday, and he goes, "I don't think we need to do that." I told him, "Well, I think I'm going to call that lady in Pittsburgh and set up something for early Monday or something, if she can get us in."

Well.

How I said I worked Wednesday night... I slept from about noon to 4:30pm Thursday afternoon. I called my mom and we talked for over an hour.... I didn't check the answering machine until after that, and noticed it was blinking. When I checked the messages, there was one from my OB doctor's office. It sounded like the secretary's voice. So now I don't know what to think. I don't know whether it's nothing major and they're just calling to check on whether I made a genetic counseling appointment, or whether they're calling me back to tell me about my MSAFP result. I really hope it's not the MSAFP, you know? I'm SO hoping it's negative. I've already braced myself for the fact that it may be positive, just because it happens to so many people.... so I'm not going to worry TOO much. I've made my mind up though... if the result IS positive, I'll go the conservative route and go have that in-depth ultrasound in Pittsburgh to check things out further... but I AM NOT having an amniocentesis. Like I said before, if something's wrong, it's wrong, and no amniocentesis (which could put me at slight risk for miscarriage, no less) is going to change that. I don't want someone sticking a needle in there and something bad happening because of it.

I've just heard so many stories from people who had positive MSAFP's and then had amniocentesis' that STILL said there was something wrong... and the babies came out FINE! A guy I went to high school with had a child who was 'supposed' to be a Down's baby according to the amnio and all that, and the baby is perfect. One of my coworkers was told she should terminate her pregnancy (this was years ago)because her son was going to be born with severe birth defects... and he was born perfectly fine. I'm not going to put myself through undue stress over what might be nothing. If something's wrong, we'll deal with it. Abortion is NEVER an option for us, and I'm not going to rely on some test that might be wrong in the end.

I just hope that this MSAFP result comes back negative. I'm beginning to think I should have gone with my first thought and not had it done at all.

16w2d

Maybe it's just my imagination, but I *think* I felt a little something last night when I was laying in bed.... I had both hands on my belly, just kinda feeling around. All the sudden, I swear I felt this little tiny tap on the back of my hand. I told my husband and he goes, "Isn't it a little early?" I told him that around 16 weeks you can start feeling quickening, so who knows. I'm sticking with the fact that it was our baby in there!

When I was feeling around on my belly, it seems like the left side is a little harder... I wonder if the baby is more to that side, and that's what I'm feeling. The right side of my belly is alot softer. Maybe it's due to the fact that I tend to sleep on my right side. The baby probably doesn't like feeling smashed in there? heh... you never know. Yet another thing I wonder about.

Not much else to tell about... my appetite is back with a vengeance,though I still have to force myself to eat sometimes. Odd, I know. While grocery shopping the other day, I had this sudden craving for Tostitos and Salsa con queso. A little spicy, yes... and that's not me! I'm more of a mild kinda girl. But darn, I could kill a jar of that stuff right now. Weird. Not to mention, the hubby likes it too, so we're gonna be competing for the rest of the jar. And the pregnant girl better win. haha....

I find myself checking my belly out in the mirror everytime I'm in the bathroom... it's just such an amazing feeling knowing that there's a little tiny person growing in there. It's finally hitting home that "Wow, in a little over 5 months, I'm going to have a baby." I've been checking out the baby bedding sites and all kinds of pregnancy sites... I get more excited with each day.

Well, I'm going to go spend some time with my husband... have a great day :-)

15w4d

Today I had my follow-up appointment with my OB doc. Everything went well. Mommy put on a few pounds since the last appointment... that makes 3 pounds total for my entire pregnancy so far. I wore maternity jeans for the first time today, and I must say that they are VERY comfortable! It's a relief not to have my jeans digging into my waistline. I'm finally starting to FEEL pregnant too... my belly is so tender and bending down in the shower to shave my legs this morning was a little uncomfortable... I had to lean to the side a bit!

But back to my appointment...

At the office, the nurse heard the fetal heart tones right away, still beating away in the 150's-160's. We laughed because the baby kept moving around away from the doppler. The nurse had to keep repositioning the doppler again and again in order to hear the heartbeat for a long period of time. My little one must not have appreciated getting poked at by that doppler! I'm still waiting to feel the baby moving around in there... hopefully within the next few weeks I'll start feeling those 'flutters.'

I go Monday morning for my MSAFP. I'm a little anxious about it, just because those come back as false positives so often. It just happened to one of my coworkers not too long ago... her reading came back positive so she was all worried something was wrong with the baby. She went to get an amniocentesis (which I'm hoping to avoid!!)and everything was fine. So I'm keeping my fingers crossed all goes well Monday.

The doctor also wants my husband and I to go to genetic counseling because I had a cousin who died of a severe form of mental retardation, and on my husband's side there is a niece who had a rare form of eye cancer. My husband and I discussed it, and we are a little on the fence where this is all concerned. The way we see it, if something is wrong, it's wrong. Abortion is NO option for us. To me, genetic counseling doesn't make sense right now since I'm already pregnant... it would be better if we were only just planning to get pregnant.

(sigh)

So I don't know. The genetic counseling will be a one-time thing, and they'll just tell us all the 'what if's'... what to do IF something is wrong, how to deal with it, what our chances are of there being something wrong, etc. I suppose that yes, it'll be helpful, but it just seems like something you should do BEFORE you get pregnant. If anyone reading this has had to get genetic counseling, when did you do it? In the planning stages, or during pregnancy?

Well I'm off to watch some tv and relax a bit. Have a good night!

15 weeks

Ok. Two things. Well, maybe three.

One: My belly is officially getting bigger. My abs have hurt like heck lately (and I KNOW I haven't done anything CLOSE to a workout), and when I poke around my belly button, that whole area is hard as a rock. I was pointing at my belly button and telling my husband, "Hey...poke me right here. Feel how hard that is? Weird!" He just kinda looked at me like, "Yeah....so?" He didn't get my excitement.

But yes, the belly is definitely bigger. I stand in the bathroom looking into my full length mirror, and can't believe my belly. It looks like I have pre-period bloating times 100. Things are 'rounding out' a little, belly-wise. Thank goodness no other places are growing along with the belly, if you know what I mean! My jeans still fit everywhere but in the belly, but they aren't going to last much longer... this girl NEEDS to get to a maternity clothing store. My mother-in-law got me a gift card to Motherhood Maternity, so after this weekend (work 3 in a row) I'll have to go hit the mall and get some jeans. My parents got me maternity dress clothes, but no jeans. My dad goes, "You're picky with jeans, so we'll let you pick those." hehe...

Number 2: I stepped on the scale yesterday and was DOWN a pound. I keep dropping a pound on my scale here at home. But I keep telling myself that last week was a BAD week for me... flu and everything, which took my appetite away. I'd eat food and it'd come right back up... not fun. That lasted almost the whole week. I didn't get my appetite back until right around Christmas Eve, and so I've been trying to eat at least every few hours, if not more than that. I've kept up with my vitamins and iron through all the sickness, so that's a good thing. Hopefully I put on a few pounds here soon. (Gee, never thought I'd be saying THAT!)

Number 3: The hubby is requesting "bedroom time" alot more lately, and I've found that I'm much more into it lately. Before, I had no desire at all. I had that "Don't touch me, don't grab anything,don't feel anything... just.....don't" kinda attitude before. But I'm actually getting that spark back again. I'm likin' it! Maybe what they say about sex drive increasing in the 2nd trimester is true afterall! Yay! I was starting to think there was something wrong with me!

So, there are my updates for now. Ahh, the joys of pregnancy.

14w2d

Well, it's officially Christmas Day in 3 hours. Hope everyone is having an enjoyable holiday season so far with friends and family!

My husband and I went to church at 4pm today, thinking that it wouldn't be THAT crowded. WRONG! It was standing room only by the time we got there. A view standing in the back of the church with tons of other people just isn't the same as being in the pews with everyone else. Oh well... I was there, that's what counts.

Standing in the back, I got to see everything that always goes on BEHIND my back during church. I saw all the mothers carrying their babies around, trying to keep them from crying and what not... all the cute little baby girls and boys dressed in their adorable Christmas outfits. I couldn't help but get a smile on my face, thinking, "That'll be ME next year, carrying around a little 6 month-old baby!" I can't wait.

After church, we went to my Grandma's house with the rest of my mom's side of the family. It was crazy (in a good way!) as usual! My cousin had her new baby there... she is absolutely adorable. I got to hold her for awhile... everyone was saying, "Practice up...it's your turn next year!" Again, I can't wait.

I THINK I've been feeling the 'quickening' lately... it feels like gas bubbles sometimes, and then other times it's just a weird feeling I can't describe... a NEW feeling that I just know is my little baby moving around. It is the neatest thing knowing that there is a little baby, only 4 inches long so far, moving all around in there.

Oh, and another update... my appetite is finally returning from the short attack of the flu earlier in the week. No more dry heaving 24-7. THANK GOODNESS. I was dreading the thought that possibly my morning sickness had come back with a vengeance. Instead, it's been replaced with several episodes of heartburn at night. I was reluctant to take TUMS at first, but after reading that it was safe during pregnancy (wasn't on my doc's list of meds I can take), I popped a couple and it worked wonders. I have a feeling TUMS are going to be my best friend in the coming months.

That's all for now. To anyone reading this--- have a GREAT Christmas! Be safe if you're out traveling!

13w6d

Well, lastnight I had my first dream about a baby BOY. Now, I don't know if this is just because of the ultrasound and all the wondering I'm doing now... all the "is it a boy, is it NOT a boy?" thoughts going through my head.

In my dream lastnight I was at my parents' house getting all dressed up for halloween (don't ask me, crazy dreams...) and there were THREE babies sitting on the floor side by side. (And YES I know for a fact I'm only having ONE.) The first was a little boy, and the other two were girls. I was dressing all of them up for halloween too... but for some reason I felt like the little boy was MINE. So who knows. This is the first dream I've EVER had about a baby boy that was mine. All my dreams thus far have only been about having baby girls. Now I'm REALLY wondering.

13w4d

Well, things went well at the ultrasound this morning. As well as can be expected I guess. The good news is that everything is fine and dandy with the baby. He/she wasn't moving as much as last time though, just the hands and occasionally the feet were dancing around.

The sonographer said that the baby is growing normally and is right up to date for how far along I am. She said the fluid was fine, and that she just wanted to look around to see why I had been bleeding. She checked my ovaries and they were fine, then checked the cervix and said it was fine too. She said there wasn't as much fluid around the cervix as with my first ultrasound, so that was probably the cause of last week's brownish spotting.

She then looked at the placenta and said it was more than likely the culprit of my current spotting. She pointed at the edge of the placenta and said that a tiny little bit was close to the cervix. She said it will heal itself and that it won't turn into placenta previa or anything, so that was a big relief.

Once the ultrasound was over, she gave me 8 pictures of the little one... lots of pics of the now-more-proportional face and side views. My husband was excited and asked, "So can you tell what the baby is yet??" and the lady said, "Well, not really since things are so small, but we'll take a look here..." She got to where we could see the baby's behind and feet, and said, "Well... there MIGHT be something..." and enlarged a section of the picture to show what MIGHT be little boy parts. But it's so blurry you really can't tell much yet. That got my husband soooooooooo excited. I'm still secretly hoping for a girl, but with all I've gone through so far, I'll take a boy OR girl as long as it's healthy.

Since this morning I was slightly cramping and still spotting (though faint brown now),along with having even more of those sharp twinges, the doc wants me to rest until they see me next, which is December 27. So now I'm on yet another leave of absence from work til then.

I just want all the drama to be over so I can truly start to enjoy this pregnancy rather than worrying 24-7.