I love my husband!

I called the doctor at about 2:30 because I was getting really antsy about my results and the receptionist said she'd get the message to the nurse and have her call me back. She never called back! I was kind of mad so I called Jon to see if it was reasonable to be mad. I'm not so sure these days since I can be a little hormonal (and this was right before supper time).

Anyway, Jon looked into it for me since he can access my chart. Ah, the advantages of being married to a doctor. The test came out negative. That means we aren't flagged for having a Down or trisomy 18 problem. The odds were something like 1 in 1400 that we'd have Down syndrome and even more rare would be trisomy 18. That's better than the age risk and is about 99.9% showing we won't have to deal with either of those issues. You can check my math. ;) Of course these tests don't guarantee anything, but it's definitely good news. I can't wait to hear it from my doctor though.

Also, he looked into the measurements for me because I was curious and Thunder measured in at 6.5 cm crown to rump and the neck fold was normal. It's hard to believe that I have something that large in me that is moving around and I can't feel it. I guess I will soon enough. This has been a great birthday. Now Jon just needs to get rid of our extra mattress and box spring and I'll nominate him for husband of the year. Too bad he's fixing a gunshot wound right now or I'd give him a big kiss.

It's my birthday!

I'm 28 today. So far I'm having a good day. It stormed all last night and this morning so I got to listen to lots of thunder. I like to think it was my baby wishing me a happy birthday. I'm a big cheeseball. Jon sang to me this morning and both of my parents have already called and sang to me. I've gotten a couple of hallmark cards online that were funny. I went to McDonald's for breakfast. AND I'm still pregnant. Woohoo!

Here's my 13 week picture from last night. This was about 10 minutes before we went to bed so please excuse my sleepy look.

I've started wearing maternity clothes now. Emily sent me three big containers of clothes so I've sorted through those and I bought just a few things yesterday. I remember seeing my sisters wear some of the clothes so it's neat to get to borrow their clothes. I have a feeling that the things that fit are Emily's though. Claudia is teeny and Emily and I are about the same size - although she's buff!

I'm not sure what I'm going to do today. Jon is on call so I don't know how much I'll see him. We're planning to head to West Liberty tomorrow for some mexican food. I miss living down the street from the best mexican food around.

I'm planning to go to Fort Dodge in a couple of weeks. My mom wants me to help pack up my grandma. She's moving to a retirement apartment. Also, I have to check up on Emily and make sure she's on track with her painting. She needs incentive. ;) Not really, but I love her house and can't wait to see what she does with it. Since Jon will be busy, I might as well be with my family.

I still haven't gotten the results of the NT screening. I've calmed down about it some. I could deal with Down syndrome. I just hope the odds of trisomy 18 are low since that's fatal. I might call this afternoon if I haven't gotten a call by then to ask for an approximate time that I'll get my results. I'd rather not have to wait all weekend, obviously.

Anniversary and Ultrasound

I just got back from my latest ultrasound a little bit ago. Everything went very well. The first thing we saw was Thunder opening and closing his/her mouth like a fish. Then he/she started jumping around like a little frog. He/she is very active and the heart rate was 162 BPM - really good at this stage. I love how the profile actually looks like a baby now. Thunder is pretty darn cute! We decided to go ahead with the NT testing. Hopefully we'll have results that will comfort us. I think it'll be at least a few days before I find out our odds. Oh, and the cyst looking thing by the intestines seems to have disappeared and my subchorionic hematoma is resolving well. Thank goodness! I had a feeling most of that blood was gone since I haven't had any bleeding for a couple of weeks. The ultrasound tech said that all of the anatomy looked normal for this stage - and no, she couldn't tell boy or girl. We won't find that out until the end of July or early August since I don't have another appointment for a long time.
We had a great anniversary. We went to a wedding for our friends Sahar and Justin. She's Iranian so parts of her tradition were incorporated into the ceremony. It was beautiful and unique. I'll miss them and their dog Jackson since they're moving to Texas. After the wedding we went to the oral surgery banquet. It was kind of a fancy farewell to the outgoing residents. The dinner was good and we had a reason to dress up. I managed to fit into a non-maternity dress, but I'm definitely more voluptuous than usual. Hubba hubba!

On Saturday Jon was on call all day so I went out to eat with a friend I met online. It was the first time we met so I'm happy to report she's a normal, nice person and just what I expected. It's funny how you can know so much about a person without having met. We talked for a couple of hours. There are some aspects of infertility that only make sense to someone else in the situation. She's going to get pregnant next month - I've decided that, so hopefully if you're reading this Kim, your body is taking note. :)

Hormonal

Here's my 12 week picture. You can tell I'm regaining my appetite and there is something growing in there. By some calculations I start the 2nd trimester today. Cool.

My first OB appointment went well. It took a few hours though. I got to hear Thunder on the doppler before he moved on us. The doctor said he seemed to be moving a lot because he was hard to track down. I really liked my doctor and her nurse. I got a lot of information today. Jon and I are trying to decide whether to get the nucal translucency test done on Monday or not. It gives you an indication of the risk of having Down's or Trisonomy 18. For most people it gives them comfort, but some people are flagged for high risk and then go on to have a normal, healthy baby after months of worrying. Hmmm...

I'm very hormonal these days. I'm not mean, or at least I don't think I am, but I'm very emotional. I cry very easily. It's mostly tears of happiness and disbelief that things are going so well after the hell of this past year. Sometimes it's tears because of things I see in the news. I just feel so bad for Paris. LOL!

I've had a fun week with Euclid. I got a party pool at Target that has a seat cushion and I've been laying around and playing with him intermittently. He gets in the pool with me if I don't notice him for a while. My tummy is getting a little tanner. It's been very relaxing.

Tomorrow is our five year wedding anniversary. We're going to a wedding and then to the oral surgery banquet afterwards. It'll be a busy night. I need to figure out if any of my dresses fit my enlarged bust. It's such a terrible problem. ;)

I might meet one of my internet friends for dinner on Saturday. I have a whole network of people that have helped me through the last year. Hopefully I've helped some of them too. It'll be fun putting a face with a friend.

I'll update with pictures from tomorrow night if we get any good ones. We bought a new camera tonight so I bet we'll get some great pictures.

11 weeks

Here's my latest belly picture. I've gained a pound - FINALLY! There's only a few days difference since my last picture, but I look more and more like buddha when I first get up in the morning and when I get bloated at night. My eating has improved now that I'm done working. It's a lot easier to eat healthy snacks at home. I've been eating lots of strawberries, cheerios, and orange juice. I still have problems getting enough protein though.


Jon has been very busy this week on call. It seems like people have more issues when it's nice outside. In July he'll switch to a general surgery rotation so then he'll be really busy. We're just warming up. I'm a little nervous about not getting to see him.

Next Thursday I have my first normal ob/gyn appointment. That'll be strange. The normal waiting room is such a meat market. The last time I went there was for an annual exam before starting IVF. There were moms that looked to be about 20 and had 2 or 3 kids. Scary! Hopefully I won't get an insensitve nurse like last time. She kept asking me what I want to name my kids and calling me mommy even though she knew I was there because of infertility. Okay, this has taken a bitter turn so I'll end here.


It's a beautiful day and I'm going to hang out with the dog outside. Maybe I should get a little bit of color on my long torso. :)

Here's Thunder!

I went in for an ultrasound this afternoon because I've had some spotting and I was nervous. Here's the picture of Thunder:

Isn't he cute? He waved at me at the beginning of the ultrasound. The blurry dark spot to the right of the baby is where the blood is coming from. The ultrasound tech and doctor said that everything looks good though and he's actually measuring a day ahead. I'm just calling Thunder him for now, but who knows. If the old wives' tales are true, then Thunder is a she. The heartrate was 180 BPM today.

Now I'm going to be able to enjoy myself a little more. It's summer! I'm unemployed! I'm going to have a baby!

10 weeks, 3 days

Time sure flies sometimes! Here's my latest belly picture at 10 weeks, 3 days. I'm definitely starting to see a little bit of a bump right under my belly button even though I haven't gained a pound. It's not as obvious when I'm fully clothed. Just wait until I change my outfit during 2nd trimester.

I had a very exciting week and a half since I posted last. We had a fantastic time in Fort Dodge visiting family. My niece Anya lost a front tooth. My niece Macy made bubbles bigger than herself. My nephew Milo was the first to catch a fish when we went fishing at the pond. My niece Hailey made tentative plans to come visit me for a few days in July. Oh, and the rest of the family was great too. :) I'll have to go back to visit now that I have so much free time. Poor Jon will be stuck here all alone though.

My last day of teaching was Friday. Before school started a couple of students came in with roses and presents for me. They took a picture of us together and had it in a frame so I won't forget them (as if I could) and they got me a fancy baby picture frame. It was very touching. I'll miss my kids so much. They want me to come visit and bring the baby. I even had offers for babysitting. They really made my last day special. I have to go in in the morning tomorrow to check out, but after that I'm a SAHM-to-be.

Friday night there was a retirement party and I was in a skit. I haven't acted since I was the lead in a musical playing the part of Betty Body (remember that I sing like a cat in heat on my good days). I played myself so that made things easier, plus there was no singing. I think I was the only person in a group of about 75 that didn't have any alcohol. That was strange, but I didn't mind one bit. Hmmm...baby or beer?

I haven't been feeling too great these days. Ever since I got sick last week it's been a battle to eat. I'm not really nauseous, but nothing is appetizing. The only things I can consistently eat are strawberries and popcorn and I can drink milk or water. Jon made me fettucini with parmesan cheese for lunch that was good. I think we'll go for Dairy Queen for supper tonight. This is the only time of my life I can enjoy a blizzard without guilt. I'd better live it up.