Hello! My husband and I were married at the end of May 2007, but delayed our honeymoon to Portugal until August. Not only did we have a wonderful time, but we also brought back something very special - a honeymoon baby! We couldn't be more excited. Everyday I look forward to coming to this site to read more of your stories: some happy, others sad... but mostly all filled with hope. This is a very inspiring place to visit, and I'm excited to be sharing this journey with all the other mommies-to-be.

My Pregnancy Journal

September 29, 2007 - 8 weeks, 5 days

We had our first ultrasound today! It was such a thrill, and such a relief. Our wee berry waved at me! The tech called it a "bounce", but I choose to believe the more emotional explanation, hehe. We saw the little heart beating away, and I wanted to cry. It was such a relief to see it as this means our chances of m/c drop to 5%.

My MD sent me in for an early U/S because he felt I was showing waaaaay too large for my dates, meaning that I could either be further along than we thought, or carrying multiples. He said I was about the size of someone four or five months along - Yikes! It turns out that everything was right where we thought it should be - 8 weeks & 5 days, and only one li'l berry. The early bump is a result of my tilted uterus apparently. I've been trying to pass it off as too much Sangria and a daily dose of french fries while in Portugal, but I hate to lie about something so exciting. It's just about time to come clean...

October 2, 2007 - 9 weeks, 1 day

Time to come clean indeed... I had decided to tell my boss that I was pregnant pretty early on so that she would be more understanding should complications arise and I needed time off from work. She wasn't surprised since I let it slip at my staggette back in April that we'd "start trying" on our honeymoon. She actually asked me this during a rather bleary-eyed conversation, and at the time I thought she wouldn't possibly remember what I told her. Wrong! Oh well - it made the announcement softer than it might have been. The unfortunate thing was that she decided to announce it to the whole company at a company-wide staff meeting while awarding me my 5-year pin. So much for waiting until after the first trimester. It's rather a relief to have it all out though - I much prefer not having to hide my excitement. Besides, now people won't think I'm just getting chubby since I'm definitely already showing, hehe.

October 23, 2007 - 12 weeks, 1 day

I had the strangest dream last night. I dreamed that I gave birth to a healthy baby boy, who promptly announced his own name to us: Phineas George. I recall thinking to myself: "Oh - babies name themselves? I always thought it was the parents' job. Oh well." When I woke up, I told my husband my dream. He just laughed and said, "You know what people would call him, don't you? 'Finny'." I think that's what we should call our wee berry until he/she arrives. It's just strange because I've never thought of the name Phineas in all the names we've discussed - not once! Hmmm...

I looked up the name, and found that it means "oracle". Interesting!

October 30, 2007 - 13 weeks, 1 day

We had our second OB/GYN visit today - and everything looks great! We heard the baby's heartbeat: 166 BPM. It took a bit of effort to locate since our wee berry was so active... all we could hear were intermittent thumps and rumbles that the doc identified as somersaults. I laughed and commented, "well, if we've got movement, it must mean we also have a heartbeat." Hubby thought it sounded like a submarine. Overall, it was so exciting - and once again a relief. It's so difficult to wait for a whole month between appointments to have actual validation that I do indeed have a li'l one inside me. It still seems so surreal, even with my belly getting bigger every week. It looks obvious, sure, but I just can't wrap my mind around the reality. I can't wait until I can truly feel the baby move... that'll seal the deal right then and there!

November 5, 2007 - 14 weeks

Yay! Made it to the second trimester - I'm SO excited. I think I'm starting to feel the flutter of my wee berry, too! Over the weekend, I could feel a kind of "tapping" in my lower abdomen whenever I had something close against my stomach. I felt it in bed when I had the pillow against my belly, and felt it a number of times when my kitty was curled up in my lap, purring away. How cool is that?!

November 20, 2007 - 16 weeks, 1 day

Well, I had my triple marker screen this morning - not much to report, though. I went in, they took 2 vials of blood, I left. The nurse did think I should have my results by the time I see my OB/GYN next Wednesday, so guess I won't have to wait too long to hear the news. I'm strangely calm about it - I guess deep down I realize that until I know the results, there's nothing I can do, and worrying isn't going to change that. Nevertheless, here's hoping for good news... I'm so excited to hear my baby's heartbeat again in a week, too!

November 29, 2007 - 17 weeks, 3 days

Saw the OB/GYN today - we were supposed to see him yesterday, but our appointment was bumped by a day due to a hospital emergency. Unfortunately the triple screen results weren't back yet - but the doctor said that no news is good news as far as he's concerned. He's sure that they would have contacted him by now if the results came back abnormal. I feel a great sense of relief in that. Otherwise, the visit was pretty simple: we got to hear our Wee Berry's heatbeat again, and it was SO strong! Now 155 BPM. My uterus is apparently up to my navel, which is a little further ahead according to dates... I'm 17.5 weeks, and it's supposed to be at the navel at week 20. No big deal, though - I am only 5'1" after all, and my torso isn't very long to begin with. We've been referred for the next u/s - a detailed scan - in just over a week, at 9am on Saturday, December 8th. YAY! We're SO looking forward to seeing our little one again - at that point it will be 10 weeks since our last view! In the meantime, baby is kicking up a storm down there, making sure we know darn well that all's well in his or her little world. We're sticking to our guns about waiting to find out the sex, but it's sure awkward saying he/she all the time, and we definitely don't want to refer to our little bundle as an "it"! Part of me hopes that we'll accidently see something telling at the u/s, hehe. The most important thing is that the baby is healthy and developing well, of course. Can't wait to see you, dear one!

November 30, 2007 - 17 weeks, 4 days

We scheduled all of our prenatal classes today! On Monday evening we go for our "early pregnancy" class, and then we go for the big prenatal session on two Saturdays in early March. I don't know why, but it suddenly feels like things are speeding up... and then I stop and think about the fact that I'm not even halfway through, and it seems like there's a looooong way to go yet, lol. Sometimes it still hits me that I really have a BABY inside of me, someone who will have their own distinct little personality, and who will play a very important part in the rest of my life! It's so daunting, exciting and overwhelming all at once. I LOVE it! :o)

December 7, 2007 - 18 weeks, 4 days

FINALLY got our triple screen results back today - and the news is AWESOME! Everything came back just fine, thank you God! Tomorrow morning is our U/S - I almost don't care that I have to get up at 7am on a Saturday to drink water until I'm ready to burst... almost. If the past two mornings are any indication, baby will have me wide awake just before with his/her morning kicking ritual. The wee one was doing the jitterbug in there this AM - I could swear! lol.

December 8, 2007 - 18 weeks, 5 days

WOO HOO! We finally had our second U/S today, and it was SO amazing! Our little bundle was definitely doing its dance, and then some! Even the tech commented (with a little frustration, I'm afraid) that this baby moves more than she's ever seen before - especially considering it was non-stop for the whole time we were there. At one point, the tech ask me to roll onto my side to get some of the measurements, because baby just wasn't cooperating. As a result, we've decided to call the baby "Bucky" while I'm pregnant. Where I live, they won't tell you the sex of the baby before 24 weeks - not that we want to know, we're going to wait - but even if we'd wanted to find out, I doubt the little one would have obliged us a peek anyway. I can't believe how big our wee berry has gotten - I was only able to see bits and pieces on the screen. Fortunately we were given four images - of which one is a scary looking little skull photo, but one of the others is perfect. I could see the little nose, lips and a pointy little chin - definitely an adorable little baby! Mind you, Rando my hubby insists that this little dickens still resembles an alien - but I don't know what the hell he's talking about. All I see is our baby... our beautiful gift from God. I'm so happy - I'm dancing on air!!

December 20, 2007 - 20 weeks, 3 days

Saw the doctor for our monthly prenatal visit today. He says everything looks great as far as the baby is concerned, but my body is doing a couple of strange things. My placenta is a little low - not full-on placenta previa as it's not covering my cervix, but he'd prefer to have a 10cm clearance for when I dilate. As a result, I'm going to have to go back for another ultrasound at 34 weeks to see if it's moved up any further. From what I've read, it usually does, so I'm not too worried - I'm more excited that I'm going to get another peek at our Bucky before the big day arrives! The other oddity is that although Bucky is measuring maybe 4 days larger than my dates (at 19w 3d we were measuring 20weeks), my uterus is measuring 23 or 24 weeks already. I don't know what it means, and it seems as though my doc is perplexed as well - his comment was "Hmmm - that's strange. I wonder why that is?" I guess it's not a reason for concern at the moment, because he didn't suggest anything be done. We're going back in another month - the weeks are flying by now!

December 31, 2007 - 22 weeks

Rando felt the baby kick for the first time today - yippee! He's been trying for weeks and never believed he could feel it. I'd even see his hand move on my belly when the baby kicked, but he insisted he couldn't feel a thing. It was so precious when he finally knew without a doubt that he'd truly felt a kick. What a great way to end off 2007!

January 17, 2008 - 24 weeks, 3 days

Saw the OB/GYN again today - I can't believe how quickly the time is flying by between visits! Once again, all looks just peachy - thank goodness. The strange thing is that my uterus is consistently measuring 4 weeks ahead of my dates. My doctor thinks it could be due to it not sitting as low in my pelvic area as usual, higher fluid levels, or simply a big baby. I have no idea which it is... but the key is that it's consistently larger, so he's not too concerned. Besides, we have another u/s scheduled at 32 weeks, so much will be revealed at that time (I hope!). Bucky's HR was 162 bpm this time around, and he/she was moving like crazy once again. It's getting pretty insane - even waking me up some nights... I can see my stomach undulating from all the choreography going on in there. It's pretty neat... Bucky's starting to be more interactive now. I'll tap a spot on my belly, and there's a speedy kick/punch back to the same area. I'm finding that the baby especially loves it when I'm listening to music or attending one of my husband's basketball games (he coaches senior boys)... I feel ecstatic little bounces right along with the drums or roar of the crowd! It certainly makes for a wonderful bonding experience.

The only other thing I can report is that my libido has gone crazy! I'm having erotic dreams 5 nights out of 7... probably due in part to the fact we don't have enough time during the week to work off the excess energy. We fall into bed too exhausted for much more than a quick cuddle and kiss goodnight. I know I'm not that different from many of the women on this site - it seems a hot topic for many on the weekly forums, hehe. But seriously folks... something's gotta give!

February 4, 2008 - 27 weeks

Welcome to the third trimester - WOOHOO! I can't believe it's here. It seems like the end is so close, but still so far away at the same time. I have my gestational diabetes screen this Wednesday, so hopefully all goes well with that. I see my OB/GYN next on Valentines Day, so I have oodles to look forward to. I've done some shopping finally for some of Bucky's big things, like bassinet, crib, car seat, stroller and chest of drawers. It was SO fun! Definitely entering baby preparation mode now... we're scheduled for an infant CPR class next month, and in April we're taking a labour support massage lesson for my hubby to help assist me when I go in for the Big Day. All of this organizing makes it real to me that Bucky's on his/her way. Speaking of which, I had a dream that my stomach was sore from the stretching, and a friend of ours put his hand on my tummy, asking if that was where I was hurting. As he did so, the baby went shooting out of me! I thought, "wow - that didn't hurt at all: that was easy!" I attempted to breastfeed immediately, and after some minor frustration, was successful. I handed Bucky over to Rando to hold, and suddenly realized that we still didn't know what gender Bucky was. I snuck a peek down below the bum, and saw two little testicles. A boy! Funny, another boy dream. I have no idea what the baby is in truth - perhaps my dreams are suggesting that deep down I hope we have a boy. I'll be thrilled regardless - that's the ultimate truth. Just as I'm thrilled everyday by this miracle inside me.

February 14, 2008 - 28 weeks, 3 days

Happy Valentine's Day! A beautiful day so far indeed... saw our OB/GYN this morning and got the all-clear on our gestational diabetes screen. We also found out that Bucky - our little over-achiever - is already in the head-down position. Yay! Heartbeat today was 146 bpm. My uterus has slowed down in its measurements: I'm now measuring 2 weeks ahead instead of the usual 4, so that's good news. It was funny - my doctor wagered a guess that Bucky may be a boy, because my belly is getting hairier as I go along (gross, I know). I had wondered that myself, thinking extra testosterone might have something to do with it. He said we'd find out soon enough because we're going for another ultrasound in a month, but we reminded him we didn't want to know before the big day. After measuring the heartbeat, however, he said, "then again, the heart rate has been measuring consistently higher, which is indicative of a girl." I asked him how much truth there was to the heart rate theory, and he said it tended to be more indicative toward the end of the pregnancy. I'm thinking he doesn't want to ruin the fun of the surprise for us... but a part of me wants to know SO BAD! I can wait - I must - I so need that "carrot" during the peak of labour, something to keep me going, to look forward to! Hopefully the tech won't let anything slip at the U/S on March 13th.

One last bit to report before I end this entry: after the great visit to the OB/GYN, I went straight to the office. I bought those little school-kids valentine day cards to hand out to my co-workers for fun. No sooner had I handed them out when my receptionist brought a HUGE bouquet of a dozen long-stemmed red roses to my desk. They're so beautiful! The card read: "Hi Honey! I love my honey so much. I still can't believe that I get to spend time with you everyday - I am looking forward to fatherhood! Your Husband."

Sigh. Life - when it's good, it's AWESOME.

March 13, 2008 - 32 weeks, 3 days

Went for our 3rd U/S today - goodness, is Bucky ever gettin' BIG! You should see the chubby little cheeks on our chipmunk, lol! Already our wee berry is 5 lbs, 2oz... the tech said this is definitely on the large size for our dates, and is indicative of about 33-1/2 weeks. HB was slower this time at 133 bpm, good and strong. The unfortunate news is that my placenta hasn't moved up at all - still within 2 cm of my cervix. I'm thinking I'm going to hear the words "C-section" from my OB/GYN at our appointment on Monday. I reeeeallly don't want one, but it's out of my hands... I'm trying to look on the bright side: at least we're going to know when Bucky will be making his/her appearance official. I was also really hoping for a May baby, but I believe that C-sections are earlier by a couple of weeks. No use whining about it - it is what it is. Like I could really complain about the chance to meet our little one sooner than later, hehe. It's all so unbelievable to me even now... I'm gonna be a mommy soon!!

March 17, 2008 - 33 weeks

Sometimes I hate it when I'm right. My OB confirmed that I'll be needing a C-section, and we've scheduled it for April 30th - I've missed having a May baby by a mere day! I am super excited that I'll manage to be in my 40th week at least, so wee Bucky will be perfectly cooked. I'm going in for another u/s on April 9th, just to be sure that my placenta has stayed low and to double check a couple of other things that could be an issue since the placenta is lying to the back of my uterus. In the meantime, I'm trying to overcome my disappointment by thinking positively: Bucky's head won't be misshapen, since it won't have to squeeze through the birth canal; I won't have to suffer through painful contractions; the procedure takes 1/2 hour to 1 hour rather than hours and hours of labour; my vag muscles will remain tight (even if my stomach muscles won't be - boo hoo); and hopefully, Bucky can escape any incidence of fetal distress. The most important thing is that we can now look forward to the arrival of our wonderful, beautiful child SIX WEEKS from Wednesday!! All in all, this pregnancy has been super smooth, no morning sickness, very little physical discomfort or pain, no spotting or blood - no scares whatsoever. Plus, I've decided to bump up the start of my mat leave by a week, so only 18 working days to go, or just over 3 weeks. Now THAT'S a plus, lol...

I see my OB next in 2 weeks, on April 1st. Funny, 'cause these last 3 visits have been on notable days: Valentines day, St. Patrick's Day, and next, April fool's day. Tomorrow, Tuesday, we have our hospital tour, and then our Infant CPR course on Thursday. I guess I can probably cancel the labour support massage lesson we had scheduled for the 36th week - we won't be needing that this time around. Great - another plus! We get to save $30, lol.

April 1, 2008 - 35 weeks, 1 day

Phew - feels like the final stretch now! Saw the OB/GYN, Bucky's HR was 138; "it's getting low-er!" he announced in a sing-songy voice, lol. Something tells me my doc thinks Bucky's a boy, but we'll find out soon enough now! I'm starting to feel my energy drain away like a leaky sink these days. By 3pm I need a nap, and by 8pm it's all I can do to get up off the couch to do anything at all. Mornings are still productive, thank goodness. I'm SO glad I'm nearing the end of my working obligations - only 8 more days to go. I've been having some real discomfort with this growing belly of mine. Seems like I can't sit flat on my butt anymore without getting cramps, so I have to sit tipped over to one side. Last night that didn't even work: I could actually time the cramps - which I now know are Braxton Hicks - where they lasted 30 seconds each and were about 10 minutes apart for just under an hour. They eased up once I walked around a bit, thank goodness. It gave me a real heads up, though... I better make sure I'm ready to go just in case. I guess I thought that just because I'm scheduled for a C/S on April 30, it meant I wouldn't have to worry about going into labour for some reason. I've begun to get a hospital bag ready, just in case. Kinda exciting, really. You should have seen the look on my sweet husband's face: so excited -but calmly so- and very eager. He was all business when it came to timing the contractions, watch, pen & paper at the ready, lol. I've also had some yucky stomach bug as well for the past couple of days which has not been fun to deal with on top of all the other pregnancy-related discomforts. According to the doc, however, all these complaints sound pretty normal, so that's good to know. My uterus measurements have finally caught up to my dates too - where I'm measuring at 35 weeks instead of 2 weeks ahead like I was. Guess my body does know what it's doing, even if I don't, hehe. I now go back in a week for my next appointment on Apr 8, and then I have my last u/s and a baby shower at work on the 9th of April. I can't believe how close I am now... 4 weeks from tomorrow and Bucky will be here no matter what! Woo Hoo!!

April 8, 2008 - 36 weeks, 1 day

We're onto the weekly doctor visit schedule now - how cool is that?! Bucky's really keeping us guessing - today's HR was 148. I had some fluid leaking yesterday, and again this morning before going for my appointment, so my Dr. took a vaginal swab to determine the nature of the fluid. Good news - it wasn't amniotic, just good ol' discharge. Better than urine: I'd hate to have to go around peeing myself from now until the end of my pregnancy, lol. Everything is looking good he says. I have my last U/S tomorrow to see exactly what we're facing in terms of my c-section. I'm fine with whatever outcome there is, just as long as there isn't any indication that my placenta is woven into my uterine lining... please God! I'll update once I get the results - stay tuned.

April 9, 2008 - 36 weeks, 2 days

Well, the c-section is a go. My placenta hasn't moved up at all... in fact, it may even be closer. I have to wait until my next OB/GYN appointment to find out how enmeshed it is, which will be next Tuesday the 15th. Bucky's HR was spot-on 140, and measuring 6 lbs, 15 oz! The u/s tech pointed out that our not-so-little bundle also has a plump belly in the works, lol. Only three more weeks to go now - we're SOOO close!

April 20, 2008 - 37 weeks, 6 days

Only 10 days to go until my c-section... I hope I make it that long! Not that I've had any indication that something imminent is about to occur, I'm just REALLY hoping I can have at least a week off work before Bucky arrives. My official last day was yesterday -yay! It feels like time is winding down now. We've got everything we need, the nursery's ready, I'm more or less packed for the hospital just in case. The carpets have been cleaned, furnace serviced - hubby's even been cleaning all of the blinds in his own version of nesting, hehe. Now it's time to sit back, relax, and wait... yee haw!