16 Weeks

Some of you are receiving our Christmas Card this week and visiting my blog for the first time -- WELCOME!  We are so happy to share this news and we hope you find the blog useful to find out what's been going on with our new "pickle" (nickname my brother-in-law Andy came up with this past weekend).  We certainly have a lot to be thankful for this year!


I feel like I am really starting to "pop", what do you think?!  I'm starting to notice I don't bend quite like I used to.

15 Week Checkup

Everything went swimmingly at my 15 week checkup.  I got the hear the heartbeat for the first time, which was really neat!  Heartbeat was 150 bpm!

My doctor said she thought I was measuring 2 weeks early.  We'll see if that means anything!

I have been feeling really good.  It's nice that work now knows and I don't have to worry about what I wear.  I have been a lot more interested in food.  I haven't had any cravings, but have been more interested in "comfort foods" (think mac & cheese, grilled cheese, pb&j).

I have only gained 6 pounds so far, which I think is really good.  Working out has for sure helped.  The strangest thing is really feeling my belly stretch.  The baby is so small but I feel like he/she is doing bear stretches in there!

I thought I was doing really well on my weekly picture taking, but it seems weeks 11-14 skipped by with no pictures... opps :)

15 Weeks and the Cat's Out of the Bag!

We have made the announcement to immediate friends, family and work!  I am now 15 weeks along and feeling much better.  Obviously some days are better than others.  I'm still finding it hard to get in the recommended servings of fruits, vegetables and water!  Who wants to eat that stuff?!?  Not when you could have french fries or potato chips :)

Everyone was very excited for us.  We actually got a lot of "I knew it!" so I guess it's about time we have a baby!  I have my next appointment this week and I'm excited to see how things are progressing.  I have started to wear some maternity dress pants since they are oh so comfy!  At this point, it's really hard to tell if I've just gained weight around my midsection or if I'm pregnant.

5 more weeks until we find out if we're having a boy or a girl!!  Can you tell I'm really excited?!?

12 Week Checkup

I had my 11/12 week checkup at the OB on Thursday, November 13.  Man was I nervous!  When the doctor saw me she said I had great growth in my belly.  Which was nice because it felt like all bloat to me at this point!  She wanted to find the heartbeat using the belly doppler, which was exciting since I have yet to hear it!  She tried to find it for a few seconds and was unable to (it felt like an eternity!) and instead of making me freak out, she took me to another room to look on the ultrasound.  She quickly found the baby and saw the heart beating just fine!  It was amazing to see how much the baby had grown.  The first ultrasound was a little spec, and now I could actually see a head and make out a body!  In all of the commotion, I forgot to ask for a picture or take on on my phone!  Luckily, my 12 week ultrasound at Washington Radiology was on Monday!

That weekend we headed down to Roanoke to tell some exciting news!  We were also celebrating my birthday, and after presents I told everyone we had 1 more souvenir from Jordan we wanted to give them.  I had the old ultrasound in picture frames, and gave one to Sandy, Sarah and Tyler's Dad Claude.  They opened them at the same time, but Sarah finished first and immediately screamed!  Sandy knew something good was coming and once everyone had it open they were so excited!  Hugs came and we discussed how far along I was, baby names, etc.  Sandy said she had a feeling this week that we were coming to tell us some good news!  And Sarah said she was wondering when we would be making this announcement since she knew we had been trying for some time.

It was a short weekend, but it was nice to just relax for a bit.  And since they all knew, I was able to be extra comfy in maternity shirts :)

Monday morning we had the 12 week ultrasound.  Again, I was quite antsy and really had to pee since they make you come with a full bladder!  Everything went well with the ultrasound.  They had some trouble with the baby's position (he/she was resting on my hip), but were able to get the shots and measurements they needed.  The doctor reviewed the scans and everything looked good.  The baby's heartbeat was 167.  Both Tyler and I were amazed at the little bean flipping about, and kicking her/his arms and legs!  It reminded me of Finding Nemo where the sea turtles are riding the Great Barrier Reef!  I think it got really real for both of us, and we were excited that everything seemed to be progressing just fine.

My next OB appointment will be in 3 more weeks and I scheduled my 20 week ultrasound for January 12, 2015.  I can't wait to find out if we're having a boy or a girl!

The Next Few Weeks

I went to the OB on Monday, October 6, for more bloodwork.  Results were good!  My HCG levels are now 50,259 ("normal" range for 6 weeks is 158-31,795).  Then Tyler and I got to get our first ultrasound on Wednesday, October 8.  There is a really, really, really tiny baby in there!!  She dated me to 6 weeks, 2 days, which goes right with my calculations of my ovulation date.  My next appointment will be in another 5 weeks, and I scheduled my 12 week ultrasound as well.  The next 5 weeks will be an eternity!!

We decided to tell my parents that weekend.  They were both very excited!  I had started a 6 week bootcamp workout class with my Mom on October 11, and I didn't feel like I could keep it from her much longer!

My next thyroid appointment was on Thursday, October 23.  More bloodwork, and the results actually came back within the normal range.  So I am sticking to the dosage, and will continue to get monitored throughout my pregnancy.  Next appointment date in another 5 weeks.

That weekend we went to visit my sister and family in Indiana, outside of Chicago.  We had a great weekend of eating unhealthy (when in Chicago...) and doing lots of fall things!  We were able to squeeze in Maddie's Fall party at Preschool, a visit to the pumpkin patch/apple orchard, Blaine's 2nd haircut, Trick-or-Treating at the South Bend Zoo, a walk along the beach of Lake Michigan in New Buffalo, MI.  Not to mention eating ice cream twice!!  Maddie made sure to take me to her spot in town, Valpo Velvet, and then we ate at Oinks in New Buffalo.  And we fit all that in 3 days!  We told Madeline while I was there that I was pregnant (to make sure she didn't accidentally jump on me or kick me) and her reaction was priceless.  She got so excited, ran up to me and said "There's a baby in there?!? How do you know?  Can you feel it?"  I told her when she comes to visit next for Thanksgiving and Christmas she'll start to be able to see my belly grow.  She could hardly wait!

I have been very tired and nauseous these past few weeks.  My clothes are still fitting fine, but I can tell a little belly starting to poke out (either that or bloating, hard to tell!).  No food cravings yet, but certainly food aversions.

My Mom had my younger sister, Marianne, and her husband, Andy (or as we like to call them MariAndy), over for a birthday celebration on the evening of November 2.  I told them the good news, and they were really excited!  It was nice that the whole family now knew!

My next appointment is 1 week and 2 days away from today.  I am a nervous wreck.  I am thinking she may do an ultrasound since it has been awhile since I've seen her.  We wanted to wait for this next appointment before we tell Tyler's family just in case something were to happen.  I'm praying for the best, but there is always that chance.  We will go down to Roanoke that weekend of November 15 and break the news.  There will be some excited family members!

New Updates

Well, it's been quite awhile since I've posted anything.  And I think the saying "No News, is GOOD News"... that's right, folks... I'm pregnant!!! (start your happy dance now)

Two days before we left on our trip to Jordan, I got my latest round of bloodwork back from the OB.  Turns out I have a thyroid issue, as well as they said I am Vitamin D deficient!  I scheduled an appointment with a thyroid doctor right when we got back from Jordan for their earliest appointment available, which was during the week of October 1.

I took a positive pregnancy test the afternoon of Friday, September 19.  I had intended to wait until my missed period to test, which would have been that Monday, but my sister talked me into taking the test early!  I got home right before 5 pm, took the test, waited and waited and waited, and then -- boom.  Positive!  Tyler was not home yet so I left the test on top of the toilet, knowing he would see it as soon as he went to the bathroom.  I was actually outside turning off the garden hose (right under the open bathroom window) and Tyler's head popped out and he said "did you see this?!?"  Surprise! 

I immediately called my sister with the good news.  We were both pretty shocked.  I tried to call my doctor to set up an appointment, but they were already closed.  So I would have to wait until Monday morning!

That weekend we actually went to visit my Godparents in Blacksburg.  It was so hard to not say anything.  We had a wonderful weekend visiting and ate a lot of good food!

On Monday I called both my OB and the thyroid doctor to see if they could see me any sooner since I had the positive pregnancy test.  They were both able to squeeze me in on Wednesday, September 24.  My appointment went fine with the OB - and the urine and bloodwork confirmed I was in fact pregnant!  My HCG level was 957 (over 10 is pregnant).  I then went to see the thyroid doctor, where they also took more bloodwork and got me started on the medicine while waiting for the results.  There is no risk to the baby whatsoever with the medicine, however there could be harm if I went untreated.  So, next round of appointments with the OB in 2 weeks and the thyroid doctor in 4 weeks.

Nothing New

It's been just over a month since my miscarriage, and not much has changed since then.  I did go see an OBGYN, and everything looks "normal".  I have another appointment scheduled in 3 weeks where she will do bloodwork to check for thyroid, vitamin deficiencies, etc., to make sure I'm in tip top shape for when we try again!  The only news I have is we've booked our trip to Jordan (with a stopover in Dubai) which will be happening in 4 weeks!  We will be gone for 15 days (including travel) and are quite excited (and maybe nervous)!  And we also found a deal on a flight to Chicago that we could just not pass up, so we will be going out to see my sister and her family right before my birthday in October.  Happy 28th Birthday to me!  These next few weeks will be busy as we prepare for our trip: getting travel insurance, making travel plans, and packing.  It will be an incredible experience and I cannot wait!

Progress

Well, it absolutely PAINS me to say this, but I have had a miscarriage.  I started to have some cramping and bleeding on Thursday when I got home from work.  I decided to stay home from work on Friday, since my new doctor's office didn't open until 8:30 am and I knew if they wanted to see me I'd basically leave work when I got there to drive back to Arlington.  Although the doctor did not see me, they ordered bed rest and to monitor my symptoms.  I tried not to move on Friday (other than to get food and go to the bathroom), and took it easy Saturday and Sunday as well.  When I called the doctor again Monday to report my progress over the weekend (the cramping and bleeding stopped Saturday morning), I was able to move up my initial new patient appointment a week to July 9.  I really wanted to get checked out and get some blood work taken to make sure things were still progressing.  My sister recommended I call my current gynecologist and see if they would be able to do blood work.  I called them and luckily they squeezed me in and said they wanted to see me ASAP because of my symptoms.  My doctor was concerned about the bleeding, and ordered some blood work.  He called me today after getting the results, and the blood work came back negative.  Although my doctor said this is never good news, it is good news that we know that I can get pregnant.  I knew this could be a possibility and had already tried to mentally prepare, but I was still not expecting his news.  I cried in the bathroom at work for about 40 minutes, while texting my sister and a few other friends I had reached out to.  My doctor recommended we wait a full period cycle before we try again, just to make sure everything has sorted itself out.  I am really sad and it's just so crazy how up and down you can go in exactly a week.

My Fourth Pregnancy Test

The only plus about the bogus pregnancy test was I got to share a very special moment with my sister, Amanda.  The day dragged on yesterday, but finally it was time to leave and I jumped in my car and couldn't get to my Mom's house any faster.  Amanda was waiting there for me with a plastic cup in hand and ordered me upstairs.  I took the test and we anxiously waited outside the bathroom for the test to finish.  This was my first time having someone else there, so it was nice to not be the only one pacing about.  She went in to check on the test, and came out of the bathroom with it in hand and smiling, so I assumed it said "pregnant".  She asked if I wanted to know and showed me the test and it did say "pregnant".  We hugged (and cried!) and were just both relieved.  Amanda said she had a dream 2 nights prior that woke her up at 4 am that I had taken a pregnancy test that came back positive so she had a feeling I was in fact pregnant.  I took a picture of the test and we hid the evidence since my parents would be coming home any minute.  The best part is we were surrounded by a 1 and 3 year old and neither of them had any clue what was going on.

Tyler didn't come over until later for dinner.  Everyone was already there (my parents, Marianne & Andy) since we were having our last meal together before Amanda and the kids went back home to Indiana.  When Tyler went to get a beer in the basement, I followed him and showed him a picture of the test that said "pregnant".  Once he realized what he was looking at, his eyebrows raised (in a shocked and surprised way) and he gave me a hug and a kiss.  And we both said, well it's done now!  We were both really kind of shocked, and I still don't think it has set in.

The rest of the evening, Amanda and I continued to talk in code, which I don't think anyone else caught on.  I've got some calls to make to the doctor, and a bunch of things to read on what I can/can't eat, use, etc.  I was really happy to have shared that special moment with my sister since she has been there a lot for me in the last few months that we have been trying to get pregnant.  What a great memory!

Third Times the Charm?! I Think Not...

I haven't even thought about posting in awhile because I didn't have an update since the last post.  We are still trying, but are still not pregnant.  It has been really difficult to try to predict my ovulation, since my temperatures are not consistent and really bounce back and forth.  This is our 5th month of trying, and I know that's not a really long time, but when you have it on the brain it really seems like a long time.  

So far, I have waited until a missed period (or at least what I thought was a missed period) to test since I don't want to waste the pregnancy tests!  The bad thing with that is the suspense is always grueling just waiting!

My third pregnancy test was taken the morning on Tuesday, June 17.  We were visiting Tyler's family the previous weekend, and I decided I wanted to wait until we were back home since I wouldn't necessarily have privacy to take a pregnancy test, and I didn't think I could keep it a secret if I found out I was pregnant!  That morning I really dreaded getting up, because I didn't want to disappointment if it said "not pregnant".  I finally dragged myself out of bed and took the test... only to find out the test was a dud!  Oh my goodness, this is some cruel joke because I didn't have another pregnancy test!  So bummed as I was, I had to go to work and try not to obsess over it.  I went on my lunch break to buy another test and then waited to test when I got home from work.  And waited, and waited... the day could not drag on any slower...

My Second Pregnancy Test

I took my second pregnancy test on Friday, March 14.  I was so anxious to see the results and I tell you what, those 2 minutes you wait are excruciating!!  Much to my disappointment the test said "NOT PREGNANT".  Now I was thoroughly confused because I thought I was 5 days late and took again to the internet.

Once again, I was schooled in how the female body works.  I didn't know that your ovulation date determined when your period would start.  I know by tracking my BBT that I ovulated on day 21 of my cycle (which is considered on the late side), and then your luteal phase lasts 12-16 days before your period starts.  So I thought my period was late based on my average 28 day cycle, but in actuality because I ovulated late my period "due" date was actually not the same.  And wouldn't you know on day 14 of my luteal phase my not so friendly "friend" showed up right on time (of the "real" time).  Major bummer  :(

So back to the drawing board we go and I continue to try to chart out and make sense of the female body!

My First Pregnancy Test

(Days leading up to my very first pregnancy test)

I've been counting down the days to see if my monthly "friend" would visit me this month.  My cycle has been very consistent since stopping birth control.  I decided in advance to wait until the morning after I was 2 days late to take a pregnancy test, which would be Tuesday, March 11.  I consulted with my Sister, and freaked out with her when I really was 2 days late.  I could hardly sleep Sunday and Monday night, I was thinking so much about it!

(Morning of my very first pregnancy test)

I leapt out of bed (well not really since I had to move the dog from his slumber to allow me to get out of bed!) and ran to the bathroom.  I kept thinking I hope my "friend" didn't come.  My Sister had already texted me 20 minutes prior saying she couldn't sleep she was so anxious (and let me remind you that she is an hour ahead of us, so it was 5:00 am her time!).  I took the test and anxiously waited for the results... and waited... and waited.  "NOT PREGNANT" flashed across the screen.  My first reaction was "OMG NOOOOOOOOOOOO" because I thought for sure it would say "pregnant".  I texted my Sister the not good news and tried to hold it together.  All I wanted to do was crawl back in bed and ditch work for the day.  My Sister suggested re-testing in 2 days assuming I was still late.  She also shared some positive hope and said she knows someone who doesn't test positive until a week after her missed period.  I tried to not think about it too much until I could google more info!  Once I got to work I read from several forums that the pregnancy tests are different from person to person.  Sometimes, people know their pregnant days before their missed period, others not until days after their missed period.  I'm really hoping I'm in the latter and that I might actually be pregnant but the hormones aren't showing up yet.  Now to anxiously wait another 2 days, and going to the bathroom frequently!!

Tracking Your Ovulation Is Harder Than It Seems

For "most" people, you can track your ovulation by charting your temperature from day to day.  The norm is for your temperature to be lower prior to ovulation, then a spike down and then up for ovulation, and then an increase or high temperature during the rest of your luteal phase.

The first month of charting, I had this perfect example of the temperature differences, including a spike down the day prior to ovulation and a significant spike up on ovulation.  So I figured, hey this thing is easy, we got this, let's try next month.  Well here's where it goes wrong...

The second month of charting I did not have the sudden spike signaling ovulation.  I thought maybe I didn't ovulate because I was kind of stressing over "the perfect time" since Tyler really wanted to try for a boy.  Since I didn't think I ovulated, and wasn't able to track it, I pretty much hoped that month would be a fluke and we'd try the next month.

The third month of charting I also did not have the sudden spike signaling ovulation.  I had several spikes, but then the following days the temperature would decrease or increase.  I was getting really frustrated and took again to the internet to see what I could find out.  Apparently not all ladies get the sudden spike in temperature for ovulation, it can also be a gradual increase over the rest of your luteal phase.  Now this was starting to make sense, because that's what happened in month 2.  I also found out that you don't necessarily ovulate on the same day from month to month, something else I was predicting wrong.  Bottom line, each month can be completely different, from the day you ovulate to how your chart signifies ovulation... great, this may be harder than I think!  Since I didn't feel confident I could "pinpoint" the day of my ovulation, we decided on the other route -- try multiple times during my "fertile" window.  I believe I was able to pinpoint my ovulation after the fact, and we just hoped that our method worked this month.

First Blog Post EVER

Well, I've come into the 21st century and created a blog!  It seems like all the cool kids have done it, and I'm not gonna lie I've always wanted one.  I hope I can be as smart and witty like the other bloggers I read out there, and actually post about cool stuff that people will read.  Who knows if I'll get any followers (other than my Sisters, my Mom, my Sister-In-Law and my Mother-In-Law), but I'm going to give this blog thing a shot!

In an ideal world, we would be starting a family at a time that I could *gasp* quit my job and be a stay at home Mom/Avid Crafter/DIY woman!  But since we live where it is ridiculously expensive we cannot afford this little dream of mine.  I always thought I'd be able to stay home until my kiddos went to elementary school, and then I'd go back to work doing something part time.  But we've just realized if we were to wait until then we will run out of time.  The clock is a ticking!

So we started on this baby possibility journey like any engineer-mind would -- spreadsheets and planning!  Last year during our open healthcare enrollment we decided that we were definitely going to try for a baby in 2014.  So we put money aside in our Flexible Spending Account, and I created a spreadsheet with all of the possible options on timing, pricing, etc, because that's what I do.  If I can make a spreadsheet and determine the most financial way to do anything, then I feel accomplished.  Sometimes it's a sickness...

Both of our families have a lot of celebrations from May-September, so we are trying for a late Fall baby.  And Fall just happens to be my favorite time of year!  

I went ahead and consulted my Sister, Amanda, since she has had 2 babies of her own and I knew I could trust her to keep my secret!  She told me that after 7 months of trying and no baby, she started to do some research.  Apparently it is common to track your ovulation by taking your basal temperature each day.  She did this and was able to get pregnant right after, and then again used the same method to get pregnant with her next.  So off I went to buy a basal thermometer and away I went.

Note: There are some really cool phone apps out there that help you in tracking... really kinda takes this technique into the "new age"!  I first was just charting using what came with the thermometer until Amanda told me about the phone apps!