27 weeks

Had an appointment with Amy today, and this pregnancy continues to amaze me with its similarities to my pregnancy with Cayden.  After gaining steadily over the last few months, I ended up losing about a half-pound in the last three weeks, similarly to how I lost a pound leading up to my 29-week appointment last time. And this picture of me at about 27 weeks looks pretty darn similar to the 28-week photo from the last go-round.

Blood pressure is still on the low side of normal (100/52 today), fetal heart rate was 143 and no protein in the urine this time.  Oh, and my glucose test results came back normal (93, lower than the 120 from three years ago, and well below the 140 max), so I get to skip the three-hour test again this time.

Amy tried to get the "turtle indicator" via ultrasound this morning, but all she could get was an image of a little round blob peeking out from under butt cheeks.  So we're pretty sure it was a scrotum, but Amy is going to try again to get a better photo at the next appointment. :)  Which is nice, because Barrett didn't cooperate for a nice head profile shot today either, and I'd really like a little face to show Cayden.

25 weeks

Up about 13 pounds since pre-pregnancy, 2 pounds ahead of last time at this point as far as weight gain, but at exactly the same spot weight-wise, as I started this pregancy two pounds less than last time.  Baby's heart rate on Friday was 140, I measured right at 25 weeks in fundal height and blood pressure was the normal for me, a bit on the low side.  I did have trace protein in my pee, but Amy wasn't concerned about preeclampsia risk given the BP. 

She did ask me about our 20 week ultrasound, and I shared with her our disappointment that the Doc would not confirm the gender and went so far as to tell us, "I certainly wouldn't paint the nursery."  The ultra-sound tech pointed out the boy parts on one of our frames, but the image wasn't as clear as last time, so we asked the Doc for confirmation.  We're not terribly concerned, but we wouldn't mind a determination more conclusive than the tech's "we can't confirm anything with any certainty, but I think I saw what I saw."  And when we checked the photos we got to take with us from the 20-week ultrasound, the "boy parts" one wasn't there.

So Amy, as wonderful as she is, will do an ultrasound at my next appointment to double-check the gender. :)  Hopefully we'll get a better picture April 17, and we'll also get the results of my blood-glucose test (April 2) and copies of all my records to take with us to Disney World.

FOUR WEEKS UNTIL DISNEY WORLD!!

19 weeks

I noticed my linea negra starting to climb upwards within the last week, and this baby is definitely flopping around in there. 

Nursery is arranged and the carpets have been steam-cleaned, so it's a blank canvas ready for the gender news we hope to hear on Feb 29.

17 weeks

Earlier this week I had to get out my belly bands (work pants are getting a little tight), and the maternity clothes came out of the basement this weekend. 

Oh, how I forgot how much I HATE maternity jeans.  They're worse than too-small tights, what with all the yanking and squatting and yuxting to keep them up.

And tonight, for the first time, we felt the little bugger.  I felt the unmistakable scraping and poking for a few minutes before I called Brian over, doubting that he could feel from the outside what I felt from the inside.  But wouldn't you know it, the little guy/girl wound up and gave a hearty punch/kick right into Brian's palm.

Last weekend Cayden proudly gave up his toddler bed and changing table/dresser in exchange for a brand-new big-boy bed, so the nursery furniture has transitioned into the peacock room.

14 weeks

And daddy painted the nursery.  Cayden is happy to tell anyone interested, "the baby's room is peacock."

He's insistent on a baby brother, although we keep telling him he would love a baby sister, too.

The backstory, then 10 & 12 week photos

After another frustrating ordeal getting here, we're on our way to #2.

We quit birth control in March and started trying in July, but my irregular periods kept us guessing again for a few months, until I succumbed to the temptation of charting and ovulation predictor kits.  We had just about given up again (remember last time?), and I scheduled a consult with Hershey's reproductive endocrinologist in October.

I also got a +OPK on Oct. 14 (25 days into my cycle), but ended up in the ER with shortpants after a suspicious fall at school that day.

Long story short, I POAS Oct. 29, the morning of Katie and Brad's wedding, and got two lines.  So later that day, on the way home from swimming lessons, we stopped to get a digital POAS, just to make sure.

So I called the RE on Monday, to see if the bloodwork from Oct. 29 read the same as my tests.  Nope, the qualitative bloodwork said negative.  So then I did a series of additonal POAS at the doc's request and started weekly ultrasounds/bloodwork on Nov. 4 to try to date this baby.

The official due date is July 14, but I think this baby is coming a week earlier, based upon my +OPK (even if ovulation was actually delayed by a few days due to the ER stress) and +POAS dates.



So, here are the first of the belly pics:

As compared to 10 weeks and 12 weeks last time around.  Weight gain through the first trimester has been almost identical to the first round (3 pounds), but I'm sensing an earlier shape shift in the mid-section this time.  And I'm already into my maternity bras from last time around (purchased at 22 weeks), so here's to hoping for no more shape shifting up top. :) 

Since I'm so close in timing to the first pregnancy (due July 22; delivered July 28), I'm hoping my maternity clothes from last time will suffice, perhaps maybe with a few additional add-ons.

And here is one of the first shots of ruby #2. July's birthstone is ruby, so until we know if it's a boy or girl (yes, we're finding out, hopefully in February), I'm calling him/her Ruby 2.

One week post-partum

Not quite bikini-ready (as if I could find one to fit the boobs), but not too far to go. Although my belly button has returned to an innie, it now kind of looks like a crater.

Happy Due Date to Me

40 weeks.

39 weeks

38 Weeks

Definitely a different shape than the 36-week bump.

36-week Cowcatcher

I didn't know what a cow catcher was, either, until Brian informed me. And since that time a couple of months ago, that's how he affectionately refers to my baby belly.

Today's appointment with Dr. Hazzard:
Blood Pressure: 120/76
Fetal Heart Rate: strong, fast & healthy
Fundal Height: 36 cm
Pee: free and clear
Weight: up one pound from two weeks ago, about 18 pounds overall

I also got my Group B Strep swab, and they'll give me the results at my next appointment, July 7. We decided to cancel my July 3 appointment, since everything has been going well and it's so late next week. Great for me, because Brian and I are going to spend the entire morning and much of the afternoon at the Hershey spa on July 3. One last somewhat extravagant date for the two of us, before we become a threesome.

I asked Dr. Hazzard when I can expect internal exams to start, and she said she doesn't do them, unless there's cause for concern or the patient requests it. She said her experience is that the information gained from an internal is kind of useless in most cases, unless the woman is in labor, and all it does is serve to disappoint expectant moms. Either progress isn't what the mom thought it would be, or the measurements give false hope. In either case, how far dilated or effaced I am really has little to do with when labor may begin (some women are two or three centimeters dilated at this point, but remain there for weeks), so what's the point in going through the discomfort of an internal exam. Sounds reasonable to me.

She also gave me some more food for thought regarding post-partum birth control. Her first recommendation is a progesterone-only "mini-pill," and she says most women start it somewhere between two and six weeks after delivery. She's confident the mini-pill has little to no affect on milk production, but the drawback is that it has to be taken at the same exact time, every day, to be effective. That could become a challenge, if my nights and days are mixed up with a confused infant.

The other easy option for me may be an IUD. This one seems like a no-brainer, but she said insurance companies are all over the map when it comes to coverage. Dr. Hazzard said, on average, patients get their money's worth out of IUDs when they're relied on for somewhere between two and three years. But if my insurance will cover the thing outright, it may be the best, hassle-free option. So I've got some homework to do.

And a few final things Dr. Hazzard said, that struck me as interesting:

First, she said I've likely been having contractions every now and then, and either I can't feel them or don't know to recognize them.

Secondly, she confirmed baby boy is still head-down and said he likely won't break any weight records. But she said smaller babies are a good thing, and we can just fatten him up after he's born.

And when she asked if we'd picked a name yet, I told Dr. Hazzard no, but that we have it narrowed down to a few. She advised me not to hope to be inspired to name him by baby boy's appearance in the hospital, as "they all look smooshed and wrinkley, and then three days later when they're home, they look completely different anyway." Besides, she admitted, the doctors and nurses will laugh at us if we try to pick a name based on how he looks in the hospital. Good to know.

34 Weeks

This morning I met with Amy for another regular appointment.
Blood Pressure: 104/62
Fetal Heart Rate: strong, fast & healthy
Fundal Height: 34 cm
Pee: free and clear
Weight: up 3.5 pounds from two weeks ago, about 17.5 pounds overall
In measuring my fundal height, Amy discovered and announced with enthusiastic certainty that baby boy is head-down, and most likely quite vertical. She showed me what to feel for, and what do you know, there's a softball deep down at my pubic bone. She said he may still move, but it's doubtful. They start looking for him to be head-down at 35 or 36 weeks, so he's a bit ahead of the curve.

Amy clarified from the growth ultrasound that a week and a half ago he measured about 4 pounds, 7 ounces, which placed him in the 65th percentile and me at about 33 weeks, 5 days, a little ahead of the 32 weeks, 1 day at which a July 22 due date put me.

She also said the amniotic fluid level from the ultrasound looked great, and that would be the only question she may have had, considering the way I'm carrying. Seems instead of carrying all out in front (the round basketball figure typically associated with pregnancy), my abs may be holding him in more, making my belly a bit smaller than others'. Makes sense, considering a lot of the kicks I get during the day feel like they're behind my ribs, rather than out front.

Quietly pats self on the back for entering pregnancy with a somewhat tight tummy.

Me, fully clothed

What my coworkers and 99 percent of the world see:

ME: If you passed me on the street as a stranger, would you think I was pregnant?

BRIAN: No. (sips coffee, musingly) I would think you had ginormous boobs. But that's just the way my mind goes.

That was our conversation this morning, just before I walked out the door for work. I love that he still surprises me and makes me laugh all the time with his candid humor.

In other news, Brian *thinks* he felt baby boy move when he had his hand on my tummy Monday night, at 22 weeks, 6 days.

22 Weeks

At this point, baby is 11 inches long and weighs about a pound. That's about all I know, because I haven't read my pregnancy books in a while. Gotta catch up on that this week.

I can say that I'm now definitely feeling the baby move each day, however. It's been happening sporadically for probably two weeks now, but now it's consistent enough that I'm sure it's the little alien moving around in there, rather than digestive processes. Still waiting for baby boy to jump through his hoops when Brian is around or awake to try to feel it. I'm hoping maybe that will happen this week.

Guess what arrived last night ... Our glider!! Still in its original Dutailier packaging, straight from Quebec! I took the ottoman out of the box last night to see what the wood and upholstery looked like, but Brian and I were both too tired to put it together. Maybe Brian will have a chance to put it together before I get home from work, though... Too soon to make a final judgement, but it looks like this amazing deal is legit, so far.

Halfway -- Woohoo!

20 weeks.

It's amazing how fast the first half of a pregnancy can go when you don't know you're pregnant until two months in!

18 weeks

Time. Is. Draaaaaagging. I just want to get to next Tuesday, to (hopefully) find out if this is a boy or girl. I feel like that is the shotgun that starts the race to July 22. Once one more good ultrasound is under the belt and we know the sex, then I feel like we can start the fun stuff: order furniture, start a registry, decide on bedding, clean out the nursery, etc.

Did I just call all of that "fun stuff"? Wow, has my idea of fun changed. A year ago the thought of any of those things would have made me grimace.

Brian made me post this - 17 Weeks

Check this out: in the past three days my mid-section has seen some serious expansion. Nothing compared to what's to come, I'm sure, but I think I've begun to "pop."

Brian took notice last night, so we decided we should take a picture today, even though it's an odd week.

Remember my comments early on about how posture and lighting make all the difference in the world? Brian wasn't hearing it this morning, and he threatened to spread rumors about me if I didn't post his choice of picture. And he scolded me: "Dude, it has taken more than four months for you to start getting a belly, and now you're going to put this picture up. End of story."

So today you get two pictures: Brian's favorite, followed by my pick. Note, however, that my work clothes still fit, and I slipped into a pencil skirt and cinched belt this morning. Granted, the skirt is a little tighter than usual, and the belt probably helps hold everything in, but I still don't think the belly in the first photo can be detected.


Nonetheless, it looks like dressing for work will become more and more challenging in the next week or so. And after Saturday's disappointing discovery, I bought a pair of maternity jeans online so I have something to wear out in State College in a couple of weekends.

16 weeks, with Spike

Still not much, which is frustrating to Brian. But I reminded him today that Leah K. told me a couple years ago she didn't start showing until her fifth month. That would be just fine by me.

Word is starting to spread around the office, although I'm still waiting for that perfect opportunity to share the news with coworkers directly.

The good news of late is that my boss and the top-boss at Revenue reviewed my proposed plan for maternity leave, and they're fine with it. Now we're trying to figure out how to present the plan to the Gov's office, and we're hoping and praying the top-boss over there approves it. Not the Gov, that is (he will likely never know who I am or that I'm pregnant), but one of his staff. The plan is for me to take three months off paid leave (sick for the first two, annual/personal for the third), followed by nine months of a part-time, three-day-a-week work schedule, until the baby's first birthday. I was pleasantly surprised to find out how flexible Revenue is in allowing part-time schedules for parental leave, and I'm excited to (hopefully) stretch my time off with the baby over the course of the whole first year, rather than all up front. Hmmm, four day weekends every week for nine months. :) And even better, Revenue won't change my employee classification for that nine-month span, so I'll still have all my health benefits at no extra cost. Yippee!!

Add to that the fact that we may be able to swing the entire first year without having to pay for daycare (a couple of very generous family members have tentatively volunteered for regular babysitting duties *thank you, thank you, thank you*), and everything is coming up roses, so far!

So, keep your fingers crossed that we get through this last level of approval without any issues...

14 weeks

Definitely a change from 12 weeks. Although my work pants fit fine today, so maybe I was just really bloated early this morning.

Squirt is now about 3.5 inches long, it's developing the baby equivalent to down (fine hair all over) and it's peeing all over the amniotic sac! It may also be sucking its thumb, but we won't have another ultrasound for a month, so we can't see that.

Thursday morning I have a regular OB appointment, but I hear they're not all that exciting.

To address the most commonly asked question of late: No, we haven't decided on names. I have a list, and Brian is working on a list, but we really dislike most of each other's favorite names. So we're taking a break until we find out if it's a girl or boy, so then at least our arguing is more pointed.

12 Weeks

As compared to ten weeks and eight weeks. No real change yet, but my leather pants seemed just a *wee* bit tighter than usual yesterday.

We found out yesterday we've been assigned to the control group for the research project, so we'll enroll in the standard childbirth classes. Would have been nice to have the additional info from the Childbirth Plus series, but on the bright side we have less classes to attend.

Weight seems to be a common inquiry recently, so I'll just put it out there. I've gained three pounds between Nov. 18 (five weeks pregnant) and yesterday's doctor's appointments. "Normal" and recommended weight gain is two to four pounds in the first trimester, so I'm right on track.

To think I'll start packing on about a pound a week in the next few weeks is a little intimidating, though!