Monday, November 29, 2010

Thanksgiving Recap

This year I truly felt blessed.

We spent Thursday with the in-laws. I made the full spread, there were 9 of us at the table, and it was so much fun! Everyone loved everything, and I couldn't have been happier.

Favorite part: getting to talk about next year and how there will be a new member of the family.

We left pretty late (for us), and arrived home just as my cell rang.

My family's tradition is to sit together just before diving into the food and share what we are thankful for. Everyone takes a turn, and it is one of the best moments of the year for me.

That phone ringing?

That was them calling as they were about to begin in order to have A and I be a part of it.

There were tears and laughs, and I realized I missed them even more than I had thought.

It also made me realize how much we love one another, even with the distance and time apart.

I really cannot wait to see them all again and have time to really talk. Or just watch a movie.

Just time to be together will be enough.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

A Real Ultrasound - Kinda

Every single ultrasound has been the wand being inserted. The last one was actually no real fun because they squeezed us in, he seemed to be in a rush, and it was just for viability.

But today. Today was different.

Part one of the NT scan was this morning. Everything looks perfectly normal and the ultrasound tech was amazing.

Best part?

Having a second screen to look at things and being able to see and hear the heartbeat. As well as movement.

Our little one was bouncing and moving arms around. The tech gave the bean points for being so well-behaved as every time she was ready to measure all the baby did was lie still.

Here is hoping that behavior continues.

The baby was so well-behaved, in fact, that she kept printing picture. I have 6 of them from today!

Tomorrow is 13 weeks and I cannot wait for the next appointment!

Sunday, November 21, 2010

Holiday Cards

Interested in some free holiday cards?

Go check out my mini-review here!!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

The Joy of Hormones

This literally happened about 20 minutes ago.

I was reading this blog and went to leave my comment for Katie.

After posting, I turned to A and told him the story. Which I was bawling at by the end of the tale, especially when I mentioned that one of the commenters was the voice actress of Padme Amidala on Star Wars: The Clone Wars.

Me: I know that I am crying like crazy and I hate it.

A: Are you going to be ok?

Me: Yes, I just can't stop.

A: I really wish you could drink.


Which resulted in me laughing so hard that I stopped crying.

It's going to be a long pregnancy....

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

The Kitty Perspective

Our cat has always had mommy issues.

He has followed me everywhere since he was a kitten. From the kitchen to the living room to the bedroom. And most importantly the bathroom.

It was a running joke back in CA. He could be sound asleep, but if I took two steps down the hallway to use the bathroom.... Well, he'd dart past me and be sitting by the toilet waiting for me.

Even now in our little apartment, if I leave the room he is following close behind. He talks a lot more now, chatting when either of us calls for him, and getting under foot at every opportunity.

You have to understand that when I say he follows everywhere, I mean even in the dead of night he moves when I move. He sleeps with us in bed, and whenever I would get up to do anything he gets up, wanders in, and either grabs a drink of water or waits to see if I pick him up and scratch him.

I've mentioned before that even at my worst diabetic phase I never peed as much during the night as I have during this first trimester. This usually means that every two hours or so I am up, making my way to the toilet, and then back to bed.

The cat is finally sick and tired of it. And has been for a few weeks now.

He will follow me in to the bathroom on the first trip, but after that, nothing. He lifts his head, watches me in the dark, and settles back in.

I still get followed during the day, trust me. But apparently he needs his beauty sleep and it's just too much of an effort to get up and check on me in the middle of the night.

I can't wait to see what his reaction to night feedings is going to be next summer...

Friday, November 12, 2010

The One Thing The Colonel Didn't Check...

I don't know why I thought of this earlier this week, but I realized that neither the RE nor the Colonel have weighed me.

At all.

The RE appointment in July was what triggered the dieting, and since then I had a physical and then my endocrinologist weighed me in October.

But nothing for the baby doctors.

So yesterday morning I had A turn on the Wii, turned on the Wii Fit Plus, and proceeded to do a quick test.

The history there shows that my last weekly weigh-in was on September 20th, 2 days before the pregnancy test turned positive. I was officially at 271.4 lbs, meaning a loss of 25.6 lbs in roughly 2 months of diet and minor exercise.

On October 11th, the Endocrinologist weighed me and the official number was 272.8 lbs. That meant that in 3 weeks I had gained roughly 1.4 lbs.

Which I insist is all in my boobs.

Yesterday morning put me at 11 weeks, 1 day. And according to the Wii, my weight is at 274 lbs even. It's been 4 1/2 weeks since the doctor's office gave me a number, but since then I've gained another 1.2 lbs.

Total so far this trimester is now at 2.6 lbs.

And I am eating, Internets. I am. In order to maintain the diabetes I am snacking every 2 hours and never go hungry.

It's just that the baby seems to need it all right now.

Which I have no problems with.

According to the books, someone of my size should really aim to gain roughly 15 lbs over the pregnancy. If I can get to that I will be content. I am not pushing it, not gorging myself, and listening to my cravings and trying to determine what they mean before diving into the vat of peanut butter or grabbing chips and guacamole.

Next appointments with both the Colonel and Endocrinologist are on November 19th, 1 week from today. I know at least 1 of them will weigh me, and from there I will be able to ask what I should be aiming for.

For now, pass the tangerines and apples!

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Veteran's Day

What I find the most interesting about this holiday is that I never appreciated the impact of what it really was for.

Growing up, the boys in our neighborhood had a father who served. My own father worked for a company that manufactured tanks and actually test drove them.

But that was about it.

Today as I updated Face Book with a thank you it was meant for A's cousin. He's back on duty after being on leave last month, and though not on deployment, he is working up North until the next trip. When I stopped to think about this morning I remembered his visit, and the fact that his brother is still under way at this time.

Then I received a thanks for posting what I did and another person "liked" the comment.

These two people I have known for well over 20 years. We knew each other in high school, have stayed in touch, and they know my family so well.

They are also veterans. Something that I had never stopped to think about when I thought of this day.

So, now that my brain is back on right and I stop to think about it, I realize I have known so many veterans since I've grown and I love them all. I never thought of them as ex-military, just old friends, and I owe them thanks for everything they have done.

And to those I don't know, thank you, too. You are the ones that keep us safe and help me to know that it's safe to sleep at night.

Friday, November 5, 2010

Fatgiue and Nausea and Infections, Oh My!

Where did the last week go?

Oh yeah. Fatigue hit.

At the end of last week I was beginning to struggle with being able to stay awake. I gave in Friday night and ended up sleeping almost 12 hours.

Thank goodness for Saturdays.

We did the family BBQ thing, and again that night I crashed earlier and slept another 11 hours.

Needless to say, Monday was hard and this week dragged because I don't feel as if I slept enough.

Tuesday's appointment came with lab work. Lots of lab work. Which I expected to get results from next week.

Then last night we had dinner and sat back to relax. I was content, feeling good, and a little tired.

And then it happened.

I felt wrong. Really wrong. And I suddenly knew what was going to happen.

I am proud to announce I made it to the toilet just in time to return dinner back into the world. The cat was freaked and A asked if there was anything he could do.

A note: Men are messy when using the toilet. I had mentioned to him about 5 weeks ago that if I got sick I was afraid to lift the toilet ring because of the stuff that splashes there. He has since made an effort to clean regularly. I didn't notice until last night. And I made sure to thank him as soon as I'd finished brushing my teeth.

So, I had just sat down and started sipping on water when the phone rang. Caller ID said it was the Colonel's office calling.

They needed the name and number of the pharmacy I use to phone in a prescription. You see, I have a UTI.

I honestly have no symptoms I know of. And even after the flu shot on Tuesday afternoon there have been no side effects of any kind. I actually asked the nurse if she was sure this was supposed to be for me.

So, now I have another pill to take twice a day for at least the next week. Side effects include sleepiness and change to urine color.

Joy.

I immediately whined to A that I was so close to being able to say we had a smooth 1st trimester.

At the same time, A has started talking to my tummy. He even gave it a little fist bump yesterday and said "Mini fist bump, homie".

I can't help but laugh. I think seeing the ultrasounds and meeting the doctor who has nothing to do with reproductive endocrinology has put him in a place where it's happening.

Now if I can avoid losing any more meals, I will be so happy!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

10 Weeks Today

So the appointment yesterday went really well. Even after they took 4 large vials of blood, 3 small vials of blood, and had me give 2 separate urine samples within 1 hour of each other.

The new doctor, who oddly enough reminds me of Colonel Sanders, is just amazing. He made both of us feel at ease, has years of experience, and was very straightforward with us about everything. Afterwards we both talked about it and we are definitely keeping the Colonel on board for this.

We didn't get an ultrasound due to timing, and went back this morning for that. Heart is beating at 170 BPM and the baby is a little over 1 inch long.

My MIL is always saying she can't tell what anything is on an ultrasound, so I labeled everything for her. And here it is for the Internets to see: