Our Baby Shower

On Sunday Aug. 14th, we had our baby shower. It was a coed affair... which turned out AWESOME! The original intention was to have it at the Blue Crabs Stadium so that the guys could sit outside of the clubhouse and watch the game!!.. while us ladies did baby shower stuff inside.. but Mother Nature had other plans. It poured hours before and due to the muddy conditions of the field, they cancelled the game. However, the guys still had a great time. Mom and Carey did a GREAT job planning out games that were really fun including "tinkle in the pot" and the fan favorite... "the pregnant man relay race".

Below are pictures from the guy's game - I haven't laughed that hard in a LONG time.

"Big Daddy" and "Papa Joe" doing the Pregnant Man Relay

Daddy appears to be birthing his baby outward!

Here are some "Tinkle in the Pot" pictures...

Not only does Wendy make a great looking pregnant woman - she's spectacular at holding her bladder too - and aiming for that pot SPOT on!

"Gi Gi" was too quick to even get a good picture of her - she is super-competitive and ALSO a great pregnant woman!

I had an unfair disadvantage... I'M ACTUALLY PREGNANT and didn't get the coin in the bucket until my 6th try...

"Iggy" did a great job holding that coin between her knees and was determined to make it into the pot the first shot!

 The cake was AWESOME! Thanks to Katrina for doing such a great job!

We were QUITE overwhelmed with presents... but appreciative of all of them!!!

A great time was had by all and then we were off to sort through all of the goodies........ and find places to put it all!!!!!

 

I'm not sure why I'm making this face... but the present was AWESOME!



Keith showing off his pirate diaper bag, made by Wendy



Reading a card from "Gi Gi and Big Daddy"

















I got Keith this Redskins 101 book so that he can teach Spencer about the important things...

I also got him this shirt to wear when I'm in labor and delivery  :)

  

Mom & Amy hung up all of the cute little outfits on a clothesline as I opened them!



4D Sonogram

We had our 3rd 4D sonogram on Aug. 12th - but this one we did for fun because we were able to bring the family!  It was incredible!  My parents, Keith's parents and Ben & Carey were able to come.  The technician had told us at our prior appointment to come back with an iPod playlist of 6-7 songs that she could play during the sonogram.  We opted to buy the "fun" package that came with the DVD of his live-action movement.  It was worth every penny! I wish there was a way for me to upload the whole 25 min video onto here so everyone could see our active little man!  Here are some still shots that we were able to get... the technician had a hard time getting facial expressions because he is "the most active baby I've ever seen" (direct quote from technician).

Big Yawn

Sucking his thumb

Eyes wide open!

Giving us the finger... bad boy!

"Aren't we done YET?!?"

Another wide-eyed shot!

If you're ever around my house and you want to watch the DVD, just ask me :) I could watch it over and over and over and over and over....

30 weeks

Well we've made it to 30 weeks... I say it that way because I'm officially starting to really feel REALLY pregnant.  My back hurts constantly and I've been blessed with sciatic nerve pain that is radiating down my legs (mainly the right one).

Ugh... so sorry if this post sounds so negative.

Here is a quick update on how things are going:

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 30 weeks

Size of Baby: 16.25 inches approx. - the size of four navel oranges (this is according to the average measurements --- I'm sure our boy is a LITTLE longer than this)

Total Weight Gain: 12 pounds - I haven't addressed the weight gain in a while... I lost all that weight at the beginning of my pregnancy and I've slowly gained it back +12.  The last appt I went to my doctor wasn't too happy with me - I had gained 6 pounds in a month... oh well - I feel like I'm doing pretty good - I don't look like a whale......... yet... hahaha - and we only have a few more weeks to go!

Maternity Clothes: Slowly growing out of the first set of maternity clothes I bought -- moving on to looser-fitting shirts... can no longer wear "regular" shirts.  I bought my first few nursing bras the other day -- just to be prepared... holy god.  Let's just say that this blog is brought to you by the letter F.................

Movement: Movement? Not the best way to describe it... how about internal earthquake?... this child never ever ever sits still - he is currently enjoying kicking the shit out of my ribs and frequently has hiccups.  All in all - I wouldn't trade these feelings for anything - it's soo cool to feel him moving inside of me.  My favorite is when he does what I like to call the "loch-ness monster move" when he rolls over and we see his little baby butt roll across my stomach... its like rippling waves

Sleep: sleep is on and off... some nights I sleep really well - most nights I am up 3-4 times to pee and about 20 to reposition myself.  Spencer has positions that he DOESNT like me to sleep in - like on my right side... he pushes hard on my ribs when I roll that way... so sleep is a challenge right now.  The good news is that Keith is sleeping great! hahahaha

Symptoms: Sciatic pain running down my leg and back pain... and tylenol doesn't really cut it.

What I Miss: sleep... guess I better get used to it.

Cravings: Dairy Queen or any ice cream for that matter...

Best Moment of the Week: beginning to get some packages in the mail that people are buying for us from our registry! Yay!!!

Okay so to backtrack - since I didn't mention this in the previous post -- we had our 2nd 4D sonogram last week - it was soooooo much fun! Spencer cooperated awesomely and we got to see his super-cute, adorable, chunky little face!  He even cracked a smile or too!... and it was confirmed again for sure that yes he is a BOY!

Cracked a little smirk for us

This one is my favorite - such a cute expression on his face.

The slimy looking thing is his cord that he is trying to push out of the way with his hand.

 

Next week is going to be a very eventful one!  Thursday is another appointment for me - starting to go twice a week now... and on Friday, Aug. 12th we're going for yet another 4D sonogram! - this time we get to take along grandparents - my parents are coming and Keith's mom is coming! I am SOOOOO excited for them to be able to see Spencer in live-action-time!

Then on Sunday - we're having a coed baby shower at the Blue Crabs Stadium so that the guys can watch the game while us girls do shower stuff - VERY VERY exciting!

 

Hopefully next blog will be filled with more pictures! 

Spencer's Nursery

The nursery is coming along... If I had it my way, it would be finished, furnished and READY - but I keep getting yelled at every time I make a purchase - since we haven't had a shower yet... Keith keeps saying "IF YOU KEEP BUYING THINGS, there won't be anything for anyone to buy us!" hahahaha

He's right... so I am trying to control myself.

Here are some pictures though of what we've done so far:

Keith putting crib together

Me posing with finished crib

Enjoying the new glider!

The crib with the new bedding on it!

Looking into the nursery - changing table and dresser on right - with Pooh friends on the wall above!

The shelves that we painted in the closet - just waiting for stuff to fill them with!

 Stay tuned for more updates as the nursery gets finished and stuffed with BABY STUFF!!

 

Milestones

Well as some of you have noticed --- I have been a little less than responsible, keeping up with this blog. I completely blame my lack of motivation. The good thing is - I do keep notes, so I can remember things that have happened in the last 10 weeks.

It makes me sick that 10 weeks have gone by and I haven't blogged about them... but I PROMISE that I will update weekly from now on!!!

Time is going by SOO quickly!

So here are some quick updates all within ONE blog entry:
Maternity Clothes - Around week 20, I was fully devoted to maternity clothes: mainly shorts and maternity t-shirts. I've quickly outgrown my favorite wife-beaters that now don't cover my quickly growing belly. Skirts, dresses and loose fitting clothes are a must.

Registering - We started to register right after we found out that we were having a boy. It made things much easier so that I could designate some blues rather than pinks. Being the cheapest person alive that I am, I had originally found the "ideal furniture" for the nursery that I wanted but it was waaay out of my price range. So, I shopped around and found VERY similar stuff for MUCH cheaper. We're registered at Babies-R-Us and Target. That was so much fun, after we got over being overwhelmed with all of the choices. Thankfully, I have some great friends that are new parents and were very helpful with making decisions.

Kicks - Baby boy started kicking big time around week 20 and its just been getting more intense. I've been feeling hiccups, punches and swift kicks to the bladder.

Heat - Who the hell planned this pregnancy?... clearly not someone in their right mind. It's been the hottest summer that I can remember - with days reaching a record of 114 degrees. My big pregnant butt has been spending ample time in the air-conditioning. It scares me to even think about the impending electric bill that we'll be getting soon. I can't stand to be out in this heat (normal people can't) - but it's been simply awful with this extra weight and added body heat... but all for a good cause!

Emotions - I've always been an emotional person, but recently my emotions have been out of control. I cry at commercials, songs.. anything having to do with parents and even when the dog does something cute. Recently here are some crazy things I've watched that have made me cry: A Baby Story on TLC (of course), Father of the Bride II, Lady & the Tramp, The Cosby Show, and Ellen (when she was dancing).... I know... I've lost it.

Dog - Speaking of the dog... she has been extra emotional lately too. I can't help but blame it on the fact that she is totally aware of what is going on. When mommy is busy - like cleaning the nursery or scheduling birthing classes on the computer, she rebels.... she has destroyed my comforter on the bed and other things... When mommy is not feeling good - she curls up with me and lays her head on my belly. Even one night when I was having horrible sciatic pain, I was laying on the floor and she laid next to me and barked at my stomach like, "BABY BROTHER STOP HURTING MOMMY!" and he moved!!!... instant relief!

Nursery - The nursery is coming along. Right around Father's Day, dad came over and helped Keith paint the nursery yellow. It is beautiful when the light hits the walls and it just makes me smile! (I better stop describing it or I'll start crying.. haha). We've decided to do the Winnie-the-Pooh theme. I can't wait to get more stuff so that we can get it completely ready for our little man.

 Belly - The belly continues to grow (see pictures to the right). People keep telling me "wow... you look great!" "You're such a cute pregnant!"... and then there's my mom -- "HOLY SHIT! You're huge!" every time she sees me... haha. Still have my innie belly button - I'm determined that if it hasn't popped yet, it's not going to - even though Keith claims that it gets shallower every day. It's getting more and more difficult to bend over and do things like shave my legs, but I'm still capable.

 Braxton-Hicks - I've had the pleasure recently of experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions. They come on usually when I stand up quickly or get out of the car and are very sharp. But, they go away quickly... I'm not looking forward to the real thing.

Glucose Test - I had my glucose test on July 15 and I was a nervous wreck. I have heard of so many people that don't pass the one-hour and then have to go through the ordeal of the 3-hour. I really watched what I was eating the day before and the day of and went ahead and drank the stuff... which really wasn't that bad. However, it did make me feel like I was on a sugar high. THANKFULLY, I did pass the 1-hour.... whew!

Black-Outs - I think I prayed too much asking for a passing 'grade' on the glucose test, because I was given something else to worry about a few days later. Jenny and I had plans to go to Alexandria Tuesday afternoon. I started to drive to her house and called Keith. (yes I was driving and talking on the phone....) A few minutes into our conversation I told Keith I had to go because I was having trouble concentrating on driving. I was slowly blacking out... right after hanging up with him, I pulled over on 488 and tried to concentrate on what was going on. I couldn't stop it though. I completely lost vision and hearing. Thankfully, I was right down the street from where my mom works and she was able to come pick me up. We went to the emergency room and they checked me in to the birthing center. THANK goodness, after MANY tests and a few hours, everything checked out okay. Dr. Aron said that its just part of pregnancy... I was probably dehydrated and my blood sugar dropped, and/or the baby was laying on a blood vessel.
I'm glad that everything was deemed okay but that was definitely SCARY.

Ben & Carey - Back to good news... Ben & Carey (my brother and sister-in-law) told us in early May that they were also expecting!  Carey is due almost 2 months exactly after me!  It's been fun going through pregnancy with her - I have someone to commiserate with!!!  The other day they found out that they're having a baby girl!  I cannot wait to become an aunt and for our kids to grow up together!  I have always been close to my cousins and I know that our kids will be just the same!

Maternity Leave - Excitingly (is that a word?) - I scheduled my maternity leave - I am going to take the full 12 weeks and if everything works out according to plan, my last day of work will be Sept. 23rd - then I won't have to return back to work until the day everyone comes back from Christmas break!

Planning for Baby - There is so much to do - so much to think about and prepare for in the next 10 weeks... but this time is so exciting.  It's hard to believe that in about 2 months, I'll have a BABY!!!!!!!!! I'm going to be a mom!!!! :-)

...now you're all caught up... except for one thing.

Baby Name - I said in a prior blog entry that we wouldn't be revealing the name, however I did succomb to blurting out the secret early so many people already know.
We've decided on a family name - our baby boy is going to be Spencer Michael.  Spencer is my maternal grandmother's middle name and the middle name of some of my cousins, after her.  Michael is Keith's middle name, Keith's dad's name, and my dad's middle name too!

We're beyond excited to welcome Spencer into this world! Time is going to fly by!  Stay tuned!

It's a...............BOY!

So let's all pretend and use our imaginations for a moment.. it's May 9th... (yes... it is May 9th -- see date above - it will help you picture yourself there)... humor me!

So the night before our much-awaited specialist appointment... we decided - it takes 3 hours to get to Rockville so rather than cut it close like we did last time, let's just leave at 6:00 for our 10:00 appointment... that way we'll have time to eat breakfast somewhere near the doctor's office and we won't feel rushed.
Well - we ended up leaving our house at 5:45 instead - we were just TOO anxious!  We got breakfast at Panera (near our house - also not in the plan) and then headed on our way.  Apparently getting on the road so early promptly excused us from all of the rush-hour traffic.  Our planned 3 hour trip ended up taking us about an hour and 15 minutes.  We arrived in Rockville at 7:20.... roughly 3 hours early.

What to do? What to do? Nothing is open anywhere at 7:20 in the morning.  We hung out in the parking lot until 8:00 and then decided to find SOMETHING to do.  Luckily, there was a nearby Target - so we wandered around there for a while.  I walked up and down the baby aisles looking at boy stuff and looking at girl stuff.  I was much more drawn to the girl stuff - since I was 100% sure that I was going to find out in a few hours that we're having a girl.

Two hours later (I'm not sure how the time eventually did go by...) we walked up to the specialist's office.  This time they took us straight back into the sonogram room.  I felt like I was in a movie and we should have some emotional soundtrack playing to go along with the building suspense.

The technician brought in another girl with her this time and said she was a "student - there to observe".  The student had a much better attitude than the technician - who was less than impressed with Keith's witty banter.

She measured everything - the head, the heart, the spine... which was all great!  And I hate to put this in writing but we were not worried about all of that - we wanted to know WHAT IT WAS!!!!

It seemed to take FOREVER and then finally she said "So mom... do you want to know what we're having here?" I said "Absolutely... I can't wait!" - she said well it is still kind of early but I can tell you that I am 110% sure you're having a boy!
Keith stood up and cheered. Tears were rolling down my cheeks and I didn't say a word... I must have had a shocked look on my face because the student tech said "Mom... are you okay?" I said, "Yea... I just feel like I lost a bet. I was SO sure it was a girl."

After that, the tech left the room and let the student "play" - which was good for us - because she was just as excited as us to look around and print pictures!

We left there with about 18 pictures!!!... which I know we wouldn't have had if it were up to the tech.

When we got in the car and headed home I called my mom - "DONT TELL ME!" she screamed as soon as she heard my voice. I wasn't GOING to tell her over the phone!!! I just wanted to let her know that the appointment went well and that we were on our way home!

Our car ride was pretty quiet... we didn't turn on the radio - just sat there thinking of names.  You see... we were DEAD-SET on girl names before our appointment but never had any boy names picked out.  So... the whole way home we called out names that came to us and dismissed them all just as quickly.

That afternoon we met my mom and dad for lunch to show them the pictures and then took them right over to the quilt shop to share with the rest of the family :)

Everyone was SOOO excited to say the least and everything started to feel a little less surreal!

17 weeks!

I've been horrible... I really need to keep up with this more!  I'm making a dedicated effort from now on to do so.
So it's week 17 and we're getting VERY VERY excited!!!


The past few appointments have been uneventful... I've gone in hoping to have a sonogram, only to hear the baby's heartbeat and being sent on my way.  It's been disappointing to not see my little one in a while, but the good thing is, he or she is definitely in there movin around.
In fact, I've started feeling the movements A LOT!  We went to the Blue Crabs (our minor league baseball team) game the other night and stayed for the fireworks and Baby Henley went nuts!  I cannot believe (even though I know this early the baby is so small that its impossible) that with this much movement, we cannot see it from the outside.  I cannot WAIT until that happens!
The worst part recently is that I have a UTI - I won't go into details... I've never had one before and it's not necessarily the most fun.  The good news is that there are antibiotics that are safe for pregnancy - so I'm on one.. Everyone keeps saying 'so are you sleeping better now that you're not getting up every 5 minutes to pee at night?' and I just look at this blankly, because that has NOT happened.


Ok... so the exciting upcoming news is that Monday we have our second specialist appointment and we're pretty much guaranteed to have a sonogram.... which means.....   :-)
We SHOULD be able to find out the gender on Monday!!!!!!  ...if the baby cooperates... which I'm hoping he/she will!


Get your votes in soon! We have a poll on our page!  hehe


However, if we do find out.. though we will release THAT info... we've decided to keep our possible names a secret for now.  To be honest, I just don't want to hear other's comments/points of view on our choices... they're OUR choices.... and people will have opinions - some that I won't necessarily appreciate.  =)  so for now its a secret =)


Those of you that have seen me and have seen my recent picture on facebook see that the baby bump is QUITE a bump.  It's tight, hard and sore.  I can feel it stretching and itching and growing -- especially at night.


I have a sneaking suspicion that if I'm this big at 4 months... I'm going to be a WHALE at 9 months.  I know its silly but I'm afraid my belly button is going to 'pop' to an outty.. outties creep me out! haha - and mine is getting VERY shallow so I think its only a matter of time before Baby Henley PUSHES it out of her/his way.


I've even had some people say to me, "Are you sure you're not having twins?"... which I know they don't mean negatively... yes.. I'm sure.


The crazy thing is I haven't gained a single pound.  My doctor doesn't seem concerned... but I'm just baffled.  I'm huge! (for 4 months in my opinion)... and still maintaining my weight (which is still less than it was before I found out I was pregnant)... oh well!  I guess I should be thankful for it now because like I said - I'll probably be one of those women that ends up gaining like 100 pounds and needs a crane to lift her out of bed.


It's going to be a lonnnnnng summer I think.  =)


Ok - pregnancy highlights time:

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 17 weeks

Size of Baby: 5-6 inches approx. - the size of a large onion (I'll have exact measurements on Monday I'm hoping)

Total Weight Gain: -9 pounds still  (see above in blog for explanation)... from now on I've decided I'm going to "restart" my starting weight at what I am now... so let's say that I've gained 0 as of right now.... so my fellow pregnancy buddies don't hate me

Maternity Clothes: There are still some clothes of my own (original clothes) that I can still wear - I'm trying to wear them as much as possible for now.  But pants I'm pretty much going full-maternity now.

Movement: Feels like popping popcorn inside of me - especially during fireworks!

Sleep: sleeping better now that I'm using my "Snoogle" pillow 100% of the time - cannot roll over on my stomach at all now and sleeping on my back wakes me up from back pain

Symptoms: worst one recently is that my stomach ITCHES and I can feel it stretching

What I Miss: Carib...mmm - and real pain medication.  Tylenol doesn't cut it for back pain... and lifting things... I feel totally helpless that I cannot clean and lift and move stuff

Cravings: Still craving the greasy fast food but not eating it as much... also majorly craving ice cream/smoothies (especially Dairy Queen strawberry smoothies)

Best Moment of the Week: finding out that a VERY good friend of mine is preggo TOO!!!! =)

BELLY BUMP!!!!

The bump is here!  My cousin Katie got married this weekend and I was a matron of honor.  The bump was in full form in my bridesmaid's dress!

Here is a picture of the bump! 

The awkward part is that I'm too big at this point for my regular clothes but maternity clothes aren't quite cutting it yet... I just look like a little person (never thought I'd say those words) in a BIG person's clothes.

And now for something I'm going to try to do regularly now that I'm in my second trimester (Thanks Diana for the idea)!

Pregnancy Highlights

How Far Along: 13 weeks

Size of Baby: 3 inches approx. (I read somewhere that the baby is the size of a chocolate-covered Nutter Butter this week) hahahaha

Total Weight Gain: -9 pounds (haha... I lost 11 pounds in the first few weeks after I found out I was pregnant --> morning sickness) and I've gained 2 back

Maternity Clothes: Like I said above.. still not in Maternity clothes but eagerly accepting Keith's clothes donations of basketball shorts and large t-shirts - wife beaters are my best friend right now (the shirts, not the people...)

Movement: I'm pretty sure that I felt the baby move Saturday morning when I woke up.  I felt slight tapping inside of me.. but lower than gas bubbles would be

Sleep: I'm sleeping okay but rolling over on my stomach is hurting more lately mainly because of my bruised up stomach (from my shots)

Symptoms: Morning sickness is almost ALL GONE!!! I'm dizzy a lot and my baby brain (forgetfulness) is worse than ever! haha

What I Miss: I pretty much gave up drinking about 3 months before we started trying to get pregnant, but I have DEFINITELY been wanting some Carib (Caribbean beer aka cough syrup that no one likes but me)

Cravings: No real cravings lately except for greasy junk food - particularly McDs breakfast sandwiches and McNuggets

Best Moment of the Week: waking up with the bump!

That's all for now!

First Specialist Appointment

So I'm post-dating this entry, since it's taken me so long to write it, but I'm going to pretend that I wrote it the day of the appointment :)

HOLY COW!!!! What a day!!!!!

First off let me mention that our specialist is the ONLY maternal fetal medicine specialist in the DC Metro area.... and she's located in Rockville. So... that meant Keith and I took a nice long 3 hour trip up to Rockville in the middle of morning rush hour traffic. Our appointment was at 10:00. We left our house at 7:00 am and arrived in Rockville at 9:45, with enough time to grab some greasy McD's breakfast and book it into the doctor's office waiting room. I was hoping to feel more like I belong there this time (when I was there last time every single woman in the waiting room looked like she was about 12 months pregnant and then there was me... not even pregnant... just thinking about getting there). Today wasn't much of a difference. I'm still not showing so here I was -- in my same jeans and sweater that I've been wearing pre-pregnancy, surrounded by about 7 huge stretchy-shirt and legging-wearing women that look miserable, out of breath and about to kill their doting husbands.

I signed in at the front desk and the woman that took my insurance card and co-pay stood up and looked to be about 8 months pregnant and waddled to the copy machine. They finally called us back at about 10:20, and we went into the genetic counselor's office (who was also hugely pregnant). I couldn't help thinking at this point, "I WANT TO BE HUGELY PREGNANT!"... I think I'll regret putting that in writing in about 3-4 months..

The genetic counselor part was actually pretty cool -- she drew us a little diagram and we felt like we were in biology class again. She discussed the chances for certain conditions to be passed down to our kid and talked to us about the available genetic testing (some of which I'm going to have to partake in whether I like it or not - due to all of MY issues).

Then... the fun part. She told us that she was going to take us back to have a sonogram (YAY!) and I said "Well let me pee first" and she said, "Oh no honey... we need you to have a full bladder..." --- well its a damn good thing I chugged a 20 oz. thing of OJ 10 minutes ago because nobody told me this before!

Now don't get me wrong... I love my OB. He is great. But let me tell you - going to a specialist is a totally different experience -- they put us in a fun little dark room with some sonogram equipment that makes Dr. Aron's little sonogram machine look like a stone age obstetrical play thing.

I was able to lay comfortably on the bed-chair-table-thing and see what the technician and Keith were seeing -  but above me...
The sonogram technician coated my belly with warm jelly and put the doppler to my stomach.  Instantly, I saw the most beautiful sight I've ever seen... not a jellybean... not a shrimp... a BABY!!!!!! and also this huge black mass laying on top of him/her.  The technician said to me "WOAH - you're not going to like me very much - you have a VERY VERY full bladder".... no shit.  The giant black mass was my VERY full bladder... but despite the warm jelly and pushing on my bladder... I didn't even notice the pressure to pee myself.  I was too fixed on the screen.

To sum up what we saw.. the technician said "You have an active one on your hands".  For the first ten minutes of the sonogram we watched the baby kickbox my bladder.  Kicking, punching and rolling around and around....  The baby wouldn't sit still long enough for the technician to get the measurements that she needed to take.  She had me go empty my bladder to see if it took the pressure off the baby.  Sure enough my 'bipolar' baby (for lack of better words) went from non-stop action to super-chill mode.  The baby actually put its arms behind its head and crossed its legs like it was laying in a hammock.  THEN the technician was yelling because the baby wouldn't move or change position to get more measurements.

Meanwhile the technician and Keith were non-stop talking about our active/relaxed baby and I lay mesmerized on the table watching my unborn child enjoy swimming around!

She was able to capture some great stills for us to take home:

*The baby with legs crossed at the end and hand up waving almost!

 *Waving and sticking legs straight up in the air

*Pulling his/her legs up to his/her chest

This has been our favorite appointment by far, but of course the further along we get the more exciting things get!

More to come in the near future!

Welcome to our blog!

Well I figured since most of you are aware of the blog by now, I would go ahead and do a quick update!
Here's how this works - I've been doing this blog since I thought I was pregnant, and now that we're far enough in, we decided to go ahead and share it!  We figured that this is the best way to keep most of you up-to-date on what's going on with Baby Henley!
Make sure when you read for the first time, to start at the beginning (in February) -- the oldest blog entries are at the bottom of the page - or if your browser isn't showing them, they're in the blog archives (which are on the right side).

Since my last entry, not much has changed.  The "morning" sickness or what I've grown to call "baby sickness" has subsided... a little.  It's definitely worse at night, and mostly after my shot.  My sensitivity to smell has heightened and is definitely not a help to the nausea.  So far, the worst smells are paint, fish and worst of all... beer.  So needless to say, I WON'T be celebrating St. Patrick's Day this evening (bummer......... *sarcasm*).
In addition to nausea, exhaustion is probably my other biggest complaint right now.  I cannot seem to catch up on sleep and naps are my best friend.  I cannot wait for this phase to be over and be a happy-go-lucky pregnant woman, like people are telling me I will be soon... I guess it might have helped if I was happy-go-lucky before pregnancy.. haha
The pregnant bladder has pretty much taken over my life.. and most unfortunately, it has taken over my SLEEP.  I wake up 3 and 4 times to pee each night and its driving me insane.  But my theory is -- this is the baby preparing for the numerous times that I'll be waking up with him/her in about 6 months!

On Monday, we have our first appointment with Dr. Hammersly (my maternal fetal medicine specialist) - I have to go to her pretty regularly in addition to my obstetrician, because of my blood-clotting issue.  I'm hoping she does another sonogram so that I can see another shot of my baby :)  Maybe this time it will look more like a baby rather than a lima bean!
I'm super-excited even though it's in Rockville and we have to leave our house 3 hours before the appointment time to make sure that we get there (taking into account morning rush hour).  Luckily, I'll have my awesome, amazing husband by my side to keep me company.


I will update after the appointment next week!
 

The First Appointment

Friday was our first OB appointment!  Thursday night, I didn't sleep very much - felt like it was Christmas Eve and I couldn't wait to "unwrap" my present!
We got to the doctor's office about fifteen minutes early in anticipation and waited impatiently in the waiting area... looking through the photo albums of all of the baby's that my doctor has delivered.
When we finally got called back, they took us into a "fun room" (that's what I called it -- one of the ones with the sonogram equipment for the new mommies).  The nurse did all of the good fun stuff - blood pressure, weight, etc and then took about 3 gallons of blood from me.
I had read a lot about what to expect at the 9 week appointment, knowing that the goal was to hear the heartbeat of the baby, but also that if the baby was hard to find with the sonogram, that might not be possible.  Needless to say, I was nervous.
When the doctor finally came in, he wasted no time.  And... within seconds - we saw our beautiful little.... gummybear on the screen with a fast-paced heartbeat.  The doctor was even surprised to see movement. 
After a little more discussion about my past irregular cycles and the current size of the baby, the doctor decided to change my due date (which was previously Oct. 5th) to Oct. 10th.
So... I'm technically only about 8 weeks pregnant now.
The doctor said that he felt confident that with such a strong heartbeat and movement this early, our chance of miscarriage is less than 5% now.

So we've decided to go ahead and tell the world!

WORLD - WE'RE HAVING A BABY!!!!!!!!

Seeing the heartbeat was an experience that can't be explained.  It definitely helped to make everything more REAL!  I thought I'd cry when I saw it, but I held it together.  However, seconds after the sonogram, the doctor left us alone for a few minutes and I lost it.

I think things will feel even more real when I start showing and when I feel something inside of me - or maybe when we actually see a baby-shaped BABY on a sonogram :)

**8 weeks pregnant**

That's all for now... but before I forget I have to credit my friend from college (Diana) who has been keeping a baby blog - which I plan to steal and have stolen ideas from (I hope she doesn't mind), because she has done a great job with it :)

"Morning" Sickness

Well... so much for no morning sickness... 
That is definitely not the case anymore.  Starting about a week ago, I started feeling pretty nauseous... but whoever coined the phrase "morning sickness" was out of their damn mind.  I actually have been feeling great first thing in the morning - its the rest of the day that sucks.
I constantly feel like I'm going to be sick.  It's awful.


On a happy note, we have our first appointment with Dr. Aron (my OB) on Friday 2/25.  I've taken off that day and Keith is going to go with me.  We're so excited we can barely wait!  I'm hoping we'll have a chance to get our first sonogram and hear Baby Henley's heartbeat :)


I will update after Friday's appointment!

Shots Shots Shots

Shots for all!  Actually... just me. (and not the fun kind of shots)...

Picture this... I am someone who has had IVs so many times I can't even list them.  I've had blood taken so often that I don't even remember most of the times.  EVERY SINGLE one of those times, I'm the patient who annoys the doctor or the phlebotomist (I had to look up how to spell that), telling them that I have collapsing veins and that I'm terrified of needles.  Every time, they give me the same annoyed eye-roll and say "You'll be fine.. make a fist... don't watch".... like they have to tell me.
I HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TERRIFIED OF NEEDLES!!!!!

But now, here we are....
On Tuesday, I went to the doctor to be taught how to give myself injections.  I was a nervous wreck, and Keith couldn't go with me... so Mom graciously volunteered to go for moral support.  Surprising to us all (the nurse included), it didn't go that badly!  The nurse could tell I was freakin out so she gave me a "practice belly", which was like a little gel mouse pad lookin thing, to try sticking a few times.  After one time, I was ready to get it over with.  The nurse told me she couldn't believe how brave I was... neither could my mom... neither could I.
It was time to put the practice-belly aside, and actually do it.  So I prepped my poor little belly and did it.... no hesitation.  I didn't feel the needle at all going in.  The medicine however burned like hell.
That night, I was ready to do it again... (I have to give myself shots every 12 hours)... but it didn't go as well as I had hoped.
I think without the audience... or more like the PRESSURE, I was much more reluctant.  But eventually, I did it.  Again, I didn't feel the needle but the medicine was awful as I pushed down on the little plunger thing.
The next morning (Wed morning), I got up when the alarm went off, gave myself my shot and went on with my day... no problem.  Wed night was another story.  I blame it on the stressful day I had at work coupled with my recent surge of uncontrollable hormones.  I was hysterical come shot time.... right around 7:15 (which I have deemed "nightly shot time"), my anxiety was out-of-control.  Even with Keith's mild-tempered words, I wasn't able to compose myself.  It took me 30 minutes to give myself my shot.  Keith had to implement "tough love" and had to talk me through it and count down until I actually did it.
Since then, I've been okay.  I realize that I don't have a choice in this matter.  There is no sense in continuing to stress over giving myself shots (which when I began to do this, was like breaking my own arm).  I'm now 7 shots in and I feel much more comfortable with what is going to be a daily routine for the next 8 months plus.  The worst part has been the pain that lasts about 10 minutes after I give myself the shot of the pain dispersing... that shit burns!  Also, my poor stomach looks like there has been a purple Sharpie explosion... I have lots of little bruises... but who cares - I'm the only one lookin at my belly (for now) anyway...
I've done a lot of research on the risks of the shots and more importantly, the PURPOSE of them.  They are coagulants which thin my blood further, to prevent blood clots, since I'm at high risk for them... and furthermore helping to prevent miscarriage.

I have to focus on why I'm doing this.  When I picture what is growing inside of me and think of how important this is, not only for the health of my growing baby, but for me... I don't even think twice about something that just a week ago made me pass out just at the thought.

Month 1

**The 7 pregnancy tests I've taken since that first night - all positive - I insisted that I keep taking them just because I liked watching the 2nd line pop up**

I'd like to say a lot has happened this month... but the truth is not a lot has happened, but I've learned a lot.  For starters, by the time I found out I was pregnant, I was already 5 weeks pregnant!.. which makes this week 6.
I've scheduled my first appointments (with my ob and with my maternal fetal medicine specialist).
I've also had to schedule an appointment to be taught how to give myself Lovenox injections (my new blood thinner).  This thrills me about as much as banging my head off the coffee table thrills me.  I am scared to death of needles... so much that the past two times I've gotten blood drawn, I've come close to passing out in fear.... not pain... fear.  I guess this will be a good way to overcome my fear of needles, since I'll be giving myself shots in my belly twice a day for the next 8 months.
I've had a few pregnancy symptoms (some that I won't discuss online... ha) - but the worst one has been daily/nightly gas pains... that bring me to my knees.  I've read that gas pains of this sort are normal during early pregnancy, yet I've never met anyone that has experienced this.
However, I have to say that I'm very thankful that I haven't had any "morning sickness" yet.  Knock on wood, I'm hoping I'm one of the few lucky pregnant women that WON'T experience this :)
We simply cannot wait until Feb. 25th (the day of our first ob appointment), where we're hoping to get our first sonogram and news that everything is headed in the right direction!!  Then, I'm hoping to spread our exciting news.  It's driving me crazy to hold it in! I want to tell the world that I'm going to be a mommy!  I'll feel better about telling more people when we have heard the heartbeat!
Until then, I am not going to make this blog public... so those of you that read this after Feb. 25th have a lot of catching up to do!! =)

Groundhog Day

Skip ahead to Feb. 2nd... All day I was having a strange feeling that something was different.  I was determined to come home and test AGAIN.  Revealing that news of testing yet again, after two negatives was comical to Keith.... but he didn't talk me out of it.  
Funny... because I kept thinking of the movie Groundhog Day and how he goes through the same thing over and over and over... hence the repeated negative pregnancy tests.
We planned to go to Outback for dinner with my mom that evening so I had to make it quick.  Again, I knew my chances of getting that ominous second line on the test were slim, since I was testing at night, and also after testing twice this cycle with negative results.  Still... nothing was stopping me from taking that test.
The usual 5 minutes went by and I returned back to the test.  However this time, it looked faintly different than the many negatives before.... a faint second line appeared where usually nothing appeared before.  I yelled downstairs to Keith, who trudged upstairs to see what the hell my problem was.  I needed clarification or just someone to deter me from my hallucination.
Looking at the look on his face though, I knew it wasn't a hallucination I was having, unless I had roped him in too.  He saw it too..
"What does a faint second line mean?" we both were wondering.... so google we did.  Turns out - any second line is a second line = POSITIVE... faint or not.
Our Groundhog Day curse was over.  We were finally able to live out our experience of getting a positive test, like we'd tried so many times (or so it has seemed) before. 
We went out to dinner with mom about 10 minutes later... and I couldn't mention it.  We were too worried that this was a fluke.  We'd decided to re-test the next morning.


You must understand that at this point, neither one of us could believe what was happening.  We were still in denial and adopting a pessimistic outlook, but still holding onto an ounce of confidence in that poor faint line.
After coming home from Outback, we both couldn't stop smiling at each other. We couldn't help but think... This might be it.
Believe it or not... I resisted the temptation to test again that night........
Until 1:00 am.. haha
I didn't sleep hardly at all anyway, so at 1:00 am I decided I'd waited long enough.  I got up and took another test.
ANOTHER faint line = positive!
4:00 am - Keith's alarm went off and I jumped out of bed to take another test... he still didn't know about the 1:00 am positive.  4:00 am's test yielded yet another faint POSITIVE line!!!! "When did you take another test?" -- he had found the second one... I confessed my mid-night's weakness.


Unfortunately, Keith had to leave shortly after, but he left with both of us knowing... WE DID IT!

Uncertainty

Not having been pregnant ever, I have no idea if what I'm feeling is just my usual "medical marvel issues" as Keith calls them... or something new and exciting!


On Jan. 28, I woke up to go to work.  Except today, that wasn't happening.  I was rushing in and out of the bathroom, feeling like I was going to be sick repeatedly.  I never did get sick, but nausea and exhaustion consumed me.  I also was not interested in ANY food whatsoever, which is NEVER like me.. even when I'm sick.  Jan 29 we went to my cousin Rachael's wedding and I was still very nauseous and weak.  I still never really suspected pregnancy.... until my cousin Jesi suggested the thought.  I came home that night and immediately took a pregnancy test..... negative..... again.... big surprise.  We were once again... disappointed.


But it was suggested to me that since I didn't take it in the morning (those who know how home pregnancy tests work know that they read the best in the morning)... so the next morning, I took another one.... negative.

The Beginning

Let me start a few months ago.  Keith and I decided pretty much right away that we would like to start a family.  We hit a small roadblock in our plans though.  In September, I found out that have a genetic blood clotting disorder.  I went and saw a maternal fetal medicine specialist to find out what I needed to do for before even trying to get pregnant, and what to do after I became pregnant... What it all boiled down to is that I was cut off of birth control IMMEDIATELY and considered a "high-risk pregnancy" before ever conceiving.  I was also told that as soon as I found out that I was pregnant, I'd have to begin giving myself injections, twice a day, of a blood thinner.  The chance of me having a miscarriage as compared to most women is much higher.  Therefore, I left that appointment scared and thinking that this wasn't going to be as "easy" as I had hoped.


For the past few months, we've been trying and hoping and praying.  But negative pregnancy test after negative pregnancy test has kept us discouraged.  I know that I can't complain, since we've only been trying for a few months... and some people try for years and years with no success.  Those that know me and those that know Keith, know that we're both creatures of instant gratification... when we want something, we want it NOW!
Me being the pessimist that I am was thinking... geez this is never going to happen.


In mid-January, we went to Disney World with my parents.  Seeing all of the families with little kids just made me want a baby of my own more and more.  And as corny as it is, every time we watched the Wishes fireworks shows and heard "When you wish upon a star, your dreams come true..." all I thought about was "I wish for a baby... to make us a family".