Farewell, Trimester #1

Is this your first pregnancy? Nope

When did you find out you were pregnant? Officially, January 6, 2010, but we had very good suspicion prior to that day.

Was it planned? Kinda, Sorta

What was your first reaction? Ha! I knew it!

Who was with you when you found out? No one. It was 6 a.m.

Who was the first person you told? David, of course.

How did your parents react? They were happy, and not the least bit surprised.

How far along are you? 13 1/2 Weeks

What was your first symptom? Good Ole' Ms. Nausea

What is your due date? August 29, 2010

Do you know the sex of the baby? Not yet, but we will in a few weeks

If so, what is it? Stay tuned...

Have you picked out names? Only if it's a girl. We've had that one since we were 23, thanks to a Trace Adkins concert. We're still working on the boy side of things.

If so, what are they? Not to be disclosed just yet.

How much weight have you gained? 3 lbs.

Do you have stretch marks? Doesn't everyone who has had a baby?

Have you felt the baby move? Not yet

Have you heard the heartbeat? Sure have. I actually heard it today at my checkup. 155bpm

More Baby Assessment

As the first trimester is winding down, let the testing commence!

Today I had an appointment at the Perinatal's office for my First/Integrated Screening. They conducted testing for Trisomy 18(Edwards Syndrome), Trisomy 21(Down Syndrome) and NTD(Neural Tube Defects). This is a three-part test, consisting of Blood Draw #1 (today), Blood Draw #2 (in 3 weeks) and a very detailed sonogram.

I, aside from wanting to hear that everything looked great, couldn't wait to see Hunter Baby #2 (HB2) again. It's so funny how, although I've already experienced all of this when I was pregnant with Tyler, it never gets old. With every appointment, we get even more excited and live the moment over and over again. The whole process of creating new life is so amazing, that I'm not sure it could ever get old [even if I was Michelle of '19 Kids & Counting'].

Enough digressing....The sonogram technician, whom I really, really liked, performed a VERY detailed sonogram, focusing on so many things. In plain English (which is the explanation that I always opt for), aside from measuring the baby for normal development, they measure the thickness of the skin and fluid behind the neck for early detection of NTD. In babies with NTD, the measurement of that area is very thick. I am happy to report that HB2 looked and measured perfectly. After I heard that news, I just focused on the screen and watched our 2nd little miracle wiggle and wave. The sonogram technician was so personable and made me feel like we'd known each other for years. She was nice enough to take various "pictures" from all different angles and printed them all out for me. [Did I mention that I really liked her?] I put some of the different pictures in the Gestational Photos Album for you to see. What a difference 3 weeks makes. HB2 resembled a nugget in the last sonogram 3 weeks ago. Today, a perfect little human being appeared on the screen. HB2's heart rate was 158 bpm today, nice and fast, just they way they like to see it. I also got to hear the heartbeat for the first time today during the sonogram, which is utterly indescribable. Again, it's one of those things that will never get old. Not in my book, anyway.

I go for my regular 4 week checkup with my OB next week and then back to the Perinatal to complete my integrated screening in a few weeks. Shortly following that, we should be able to find out what the sex of our newest addition will be, which we do plan on finding out. Until then, we'll keep it a guessing game. And so it goes...

Smooth Sailing

Good riddance, Ms. Nausea!!!! Welcome back, productive Mommy!

And with that statement, I breathe a heavy sigh of relief (as I simultaneously knock on wood). I have been praying for this day to come for what seemed like an eternity. I think David has been patiently awaiting this day more than I have. I've never heard him tell me he "feels so bad for me" so many times. For those that know me well, I have severe OCD and NEVER leave laundry in the dryer or dirty dishes in the sink. Well, I am unhappy to report that I did leave dishes in the sink a couple of nights and left laundry in the dryer countless times over the last month or so. That being said, it was such a task for me to even cook dinner or start a load of laundry, I felt so bad.

With Tyler, I experienced the unfriendly nausea and, while I don't remember it being as bad as it was this time around, my Mom reminds me all the time of how I would call her telling her that I was "going to die" because I felt that bad. Funny how the good always outweigh the bad. According to my pregnancy journal that I kept with Tyler, my nausea subsided just after 11 weeks. History has repeated itself, only this time, it has spared me a few days.

Last Friday, much to my surprise, I woke up on my own at 6:40, full of energy. My Niece was coming over for the day, but I had already warned my Sister to enter quietly and to just put her in bed with me when she got there. My typical sleeping habits, for the last month or so, have been extensive, not usually rising until at least 9:00, just to feel like poop for the entire day/night. When I woke up at 6:40, feeling great, I was shocked! I did 2 loads of laundry and was in the process of mopping the floor when my Sister arrived. Incredible! The day went on and so did my feeling good. I didn't want to jump to conclusions, but I thought MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, this was a good sign. Saturday morning, we loaded up and headed for Everglades City for their annual Seafood Festival. I was a little hesitant on agreeing to go to this, seeing that it was about a 1-1/2 hour car ride, but nonetheless, I figured we could just leave if I began to feel bad. I hung in there and actually had a great time. We wanted to stay to watch John Anderson perform, but ended up only hearing 2 or 3 of his songs and left at about 7:00. By then, it was really chilly out and I was ready for a nice warm shower and bed. Sunday was even better. We worked around the house and did a few small home improvement projects, all the while, I felt great!

Sunday also marked 11 Weeks gestation for Hunter Baby #2. All in all, I ended up getting sick 3 times (which, for me, is 3 times too many, as I am repulsive to vomiting) and was nauseous every waking moment since the 6 week mark. Although it was all for a wonderful reason, I am extremely pleased to see that stage go. Now, on to the next. And so it goes...

*11 Weeks*