So much for not puking... Things I'm thankful for....

Whelp - I get to be a "real" pregnant woman now, complete with hurling. Woot woot. *Heavy sarcasm here*

But after a night spent cleaning the bathroom post-purge, I am grateful for a few things. MAINLY LYSOL WIPES! Seriously. Those are the best!!!

I did have a round of dry heaves the following week (what is it with Saturday nights?!) but this time hubby didn't obliviously sleep through it all... and hovered over me trying to be helpful. GODDESS BLESS THIS HUSBAND OF MINE ALWAYS!

I am afraid between bouts of retching up nothing I wasn't the most courteous wife... He asked if he could bring me anything, and I requested a hair tie - trying to hold my hair, NOT smell the toilet water (seriously - pregnancy nose is like nothing on earth. Is this what it's like to be a dog? HOW COULD THEY DRINK OUT OF THERE IF SO!?!? GROSS!!!!) and heaving until I was sure I'd get scolded by doc for working abs when I'm not supposed to do core work was not my idea of a good time.

This dear man brought me a glass of water, which was sweet, but not what I needed. I *needed* a hair tie. Then he brought a wooden stool for me to sit on instead of trying to kneel over the bowl... and then quickly went out and came back with a couch pillow to make it more comfortable. But still no hair tie. He asks, "Can I get you anything else?"

Ladies & gentlemen, I'm afraid the "Hangry Hulk" (as I now call my pregnant alter-ego) came out... and I snapped at him "All I REALLY need is a hair tie!!!" And then started crying because I NEVER yell at him... and he helplessly says "I can't find any?"

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? They are in the living room, looped around my water glass, covering the bedstand, inside the drawer where the Q-tips live... they literally are all over our entire house... and he couldn't find any?

He eventually came back with one, and tried to be helpful, but I was so wracked I could barely gasp for air between retching wretchedly. (HAHA! Well, it wasn't funny at the time...) I did have a moment like the cartoon below: "Why... oh WHY ME?!!"

But I've really had very few of the worst symptoms after the huge scare of the bleed - so I will be GRATEFUL and try to remember the baby is ALL worth it. It's going to be an amazing moment when I can feel it... right now leaning against our clean, but still somehow utterly disgusting and smelly toilet where even the WATER smells tainted to me.... well, that is sometimes hard to remember.

Finally I felt a little better, was able to sip my water, sit up on my pillow-on-a-stool, and realize HOW DAMN LUCKY AM I!?

We wanted this baby so much, were one of the lucky ones to get pregnant RIGHT AWAY (um... budgeting is going to become a WAY bigger priority!) and other than a few rounds around Thanksgiving hovering over the white throne, I am the luckiest pregnant woman I know. Okay, well, EXCEPT my workout buddy Jackie who never threw up even ONCE, and she has like 3 or 4 kids! She is probably the luckiest pregnant lady I've ever met.

Next up: our 14 week appointment. Um... which I'm not sure what exactly we do. I sure hope it doesn't involve taking off my pants again. Last time at our first appt meeting the OB, that pelvic exam, she told me I'd "feel pressure"- UM! THAT WAS PRESSURE!? Better brace myself for whatever other fun surprises I get in store... even before the baby arrives!

YIKES!

Still very grateful down to the bottom of my heart (and stomach) that we are pregnant! And that I have the nicest husband who doesn't even hold it against me when HANGRY HULK yells at him about hair ties when he's just trying to help.

HOW VERY LUCKY AM I!? Just have to remember that while doubled over retching... maybe that was the last time? C'mon kid, coming into the 2nd Trimester we're supposed to be getting BETTER, not worse! LOL!!!!

Ultra #2 11/11/15

Today's OB visit was fairly straightforward! I was excited to finally meet our doctor, and to get to see our little bean once again! I've been feeling so very good that sometimes it's really difficult to remember that I AM still pregnant!

I am so VERY thankful that the terrible sickness from before has abated - honestly I feel so great that now I can finally understand those women who say they enjoy being pregnant! (The first part was extremely rough, however, so I empathize entirely with those who struggled through their first trimester OR BEYOND! Though I seem to have a pretty light case of morning sickness as I was extremely nauseous, but thankfully never *actually* threw up, my symptoms have almost entirely abated since the bleed.

Doc told me to use common sense, but I can go back to being A REAL HUMAN BEING AGAIN! AND YES... I CAN RUN AGAIN!

She advised me to just listen to my body, and do *limited* jumping movements, but continue as per normal pre-pregnancy routine! Lifting, even okay'd some core work...

In fact, we can do everything as per normal - with the exception in the end of my second trimester no lying flat on my back exercises, like sit-ups or whatnot which are out. And don't get overheated or too exhausted. The nurse advised to keep my heart rate below 140 bpm, which even in the toughest part of Monday's workout I never peaked over 120. So hooray!!!!!!!!

I FEEL LIKE A REAL HUMAN AGAIN!

Of course, the baby's health is paramount, but I've been FEELING so good that it's very difficult to stay down. So being able to just be "me" is great!!!

Also, I have been cleared of everything in our first blood draw screening. No diseases, no lack of immunities, and confirmed my blood type. Always good to know, though I had mine confirmed in college.

The only concern is an ovarian cyst, which if it twists requires emergency surgery. At this point it hasn't bothered me UNTIL she pushed on it, but good thoughts to keep me safe and happy through the entire pregnancy are appreciated!

So now the question remains: BOY? or GIRL!? The heart rates have been teasing, one higher, one lower, and we won't have another ultrasound for a while. As long as it's not a velociraptor and is happy and healthy, I'm thrilled!

Here's our photos from today! (The little balloon-looking thing is the yolk sack, which has been feeding the little bean for a while until it is depleted! COOL!)

Going FULL Ninja!

Hello blog-o-philes!!!

Well, I have been absent my blog for far too long.

But there's a REASON for that!  SURPRISE!!! 

This was very definitely planned, but we've had some hiccups along the way.....

We thought we lost this little pumpkin a few weeks back, and I had to go in for blood draws to monitor my HCG levels to come back down to zero post-miscarriage.

Well, they called me after my second blood draw (the first being the baseline to determine the levels which we were starting) and then let me know the results were at half - which is what they anticipated after a miscarriage.

I was desperately sad, and maybe ate a half gallon of ice cream by myself - and actually got sicker than I had been the entire pregnancy to date!!!! I ended up needing to go get a prescription antacid because I wasn't experiencing so much nausea as extremely acid stomach and excruciating pain. NOT FUN!

Well, last week they did another blood draw, and realized their "transcription" error! My levels were not, in fact, at HALF, they were DOUBLE the week prior, and DOUBLE from the week before! She called me on 10/28/15 and though I could hear her saying things to me, I truly couldn't understand! I was STILL pregnant???

All my symptoms were gone. No desperate hunger, no queasiness, no soreness in my chest... and I truly thought I was just fluffy from all the ice cream that I was using to drown my sorrows. I must've made the nurse repeat it four or five times. "There was a transcription error - you're STILL pregnant!" I asked her if she was REALLY sure... because they had already made ONE error... was it possible that they had made TWO? And that I wasn't pregnant at all? After all, I felt FINE! 

Once that sunk in that my levels looked great and DEFINITELY increasing,, she said I needed an emergency ultrasound and they would schedule me that day, if possible!

I drove like a crazy person to be down next to the hospital for when they called, drank my QUART of water an hour before my visit, and James went with me to our first-ever ultrasound on 10/28/15.

The tech didn't say anything for a LONGGGGGGGGGGG time........ which got my heart racing because I was so scared the fetus wasn't viable. After about 15 minutes to the point where I was anxious enough that my heartbeat was showing in my uterine wall jumping on the ultrasound, I finally asked in a quavering voice, "So... does everything look okay???"

And she said "Oh yes! I was just taking measurements! Here's the baby, (and she pushed in until I feared I would wet the table!) and here's the heartbeat!" 165 beats a minute for the little bean! HOLY SMOKES!!! (Which is actually normal, but *may* indicate.... a girl! We have to wait nearly 10 more weeks to actually know gender, however!) The tech estimated that we were at 7 weeks and 5 days!

I cannot even tell you how reassuring it was to see that little flutter of that heartbeat on the monitor! I told James we're not having a baby, we're having a HUMMINGBIRD!!!!

But everything looks fine. I do have some restrictions as I am high risk due to my "advanced maternal age" (ACK!) and due to the bleed, but the good side is we may get ultrasounds every 2 weeks when most women only get two their ENTIRE pregnancy!

This little ninja is going to be very used to be photographed.... even before arrival!!!

I am so in love with my newly-popped out bump - YES, I CAN TELL! And my husband was thrilled - his eyes were utterly GLUED to the monitors watching our little bean appear as the tech moved the ultrasound around! 

We are still very early, so only an extremely limited group of people know, and we are not yet in the "safe zone" of 12 to 14 weeks when miscarriage risk drops to 3% and after 16 weeks drops further to just a mere 1% so all prayers, good thoughts and wishes are appreciated!

Our first OB intake appointment was yesterday, on Nov 9th, and tomorrow will be actually meeting our OB and having our second ultrasound which should be just about 10 weeks (9 weeks and 5 days to be precise) on Nov 11th. For now, however, their best guess is I'll be having a baby for my birthday - early June! (June 9th - subject to change pending tomorrow's ultrasound!) I feel great after being so very sick after the bleed - no serious symptoms, and we are going to take the best care until we are in the very safest of safe zones! 

Hopefully they tell me I can run tomorrow - so far they have restricted me only from jumping and doing core exercises!

Welcome, Baby B (the ninja who fooled mommy into thinking they were no longer there!)