My name is Amy. I've been visiting this site (obsessively) since my first pregnancy this past fall. We miscarried on November 4th, 2007 and just found out at the end of April we are expecting again!! (YAHOO!!!!)
We've been married for almost 6 years and my hubby has a son who is 12. He lives with his mom and we see him on weekends ~ he is a great kid who we would love to see so much more of. My husband is an amazing father, and a phenomenal husband ~ truly my soul mate. I'm so blessed to have him.
(I've rearranged again....the first pregnancy and ttc journey is in the blog section and pregnancy journal will be here with the newest dates first!)
September 3, 2008 - 24 weeks: Midwife appointment #4: Saw the midwife for the last time before we move to South Dakota! It was a little sad since I know this lady really well and really, really like her. I did get all my medical history from her beyond, which was fun for a science nerd like me to read. Baby looks great....HB of 150 and growth is right where it should be. She expects a 7 poundish baby. My weight gain is perfect (17 pounds) and blood pressure is low. No concerns or changes in anything we're doing! We're just having a blast being preggo. Kai just looks at me and laughs right now then touches my belly and says, "wow, you're really pregnant!" We're both a little tripped out still that we're having a baby and it might not really sink in until after the baby is actually here : ). Well, next appointment will be in SD with the new midwife in the beginning of October, which will also be the beginning of the third trimester! Woah!
August 29, 2008 ~ 23 weeks, 2 days: I haven't written for a few weeks. Time is just flying by. We're having a great time and enjoying being pregnant soo much. I'm still sleeping well and sometimes sneek onto my back but no longer my tummy. I've got a great little bump that some say is very small but Kai and I think is just right : ). We had a great trip to NM, where most of the skin on my bump was rubbed off from so much touching, which I loved. Mom felt a kick and so did my aunt and up to that point hubby had not yet felt movement! He ended up feeling baby move from the outside at just under 23 weeks. The look on his face was priceless and so much fun. We're enjoying the belly while it is still manageable and just having a great time! Next midwife appointment is next week sometime to hear the hearbeat and tell the midwives that we're not going to see them anymore b/c we're moving : (. Kai and I found a midwife in SD though who we really like and are excited to work with. We'll start care with her in November I believe, by the time we really get settled in there. Well, that's all for now I think. I'll try to keep pics updated.
August 10, 2008 ~ 20 weeks, 3 days: We had our ultrasound last week.....made it through without finding out the sex. It was awfully tempting but I'm glad we're waiting. I like the surprise and tradition in not finding out : ). Baby is measuring at 19 weeks almost exactly....weighs 11 oz. Everything is looking proportional and where it is supposed to be. Placenta is in the front up high, amniotic sac has just the right amount of fluid. Saw the midwife and she was pleased with the report. HB at appointment was 144 bpm, which is great! I got the go ahead to drive to NM for a wedding...just have to take breaks every few hours. My has had a growth spurt and all of a sudden clothes aren't fitting like they used to but luckily my girlfirend just gave me a TON of barely broken in maternity clothes. We are the same size so we figure we'll just add to the pot through each pregnancy and pass the clothes back and forth until we're done having kiddos. She just had her first and is planning a few more close together so they'll get a lot of good use. Well, I think now we get to just sit back and enjoy being preggo. Our next appointment will be in September sometime an until then we'll just grow and keep on rubbing the belly!!
July 29, 2008 ~ 19 weeks tomorrow: Starting to feel much more consistent movement although will still go a day or two in between any flutters. They are getting stronger though! It's been fun and we've been enjoying ourselves (we meaning kai, baby and i)....just slowly getting to know eachother. I'm enjoying my belly and Kai and i are trying to keep it nice and lotioned up...using shea butter actually...feels good on the stretching skin. Ultrasound 6 days....can't wait!!! I'll let everyone know how it goes and MAYBE figure out how to put a picture on here!!
July 21, 2008 ~ 17 weeks and 5 days: Flutters and country music : ) Well, I've been noticing a little bit of movement! thought I had been but wasn't sure but the other night on the couch after dinner I felt a definite flutter although not what I thought it would be from the way people describe it. Now I can't wait to feel it all the time! It's been happening every so often although not every day yet...chocolate milk did make some definite movement though : ). In other pregnancy news I was listening to country music today and started bawling my eyes out over this great upbeat song about friends! Good thing I was alone in the car : ). I also called my brother a day early for his birthday - I could have sworn it was today - at least I was early, usually I'm really late and never had a baby to blame it on. Two weeks and counting until the ultrasound!!!
July 17, 2008 - 17 weeks and 1 day: Waiting.....I haven't written much lately because things are just kind of moving along nice and mellow-like. Belly is growing slowly but surely. I switched to maternity clothes for work and am wearing sundresses' evenings and weekends. The biggest excitement is waiting to feel baby move for the first time....i keep wondering if i've felt it b/c i feel funny things but they happen fast and don't repeat themselves readily so it's hard to tell. i'm looking forward to that very definite wiggle that says, "i'm here momma!!". We've had a few people giving hand me down gifts already - a new car seat, a hiking backpack and a baby bjorn (yeah!) and possibly a pac-n-play. we're so blessed. Welcome to the newbies stopping by to say hi. Hope you enjoy the little occasional blurbs. oh, and i promise i'll get bump pictrures up soon - they're closer than ever before : ) tata for now.
July 7, 2008 ~ 15 weeks and 5 days: Ultrasound appointment and ENERGY!!! Yeah!! Scheduled our free ultrasound for August 4th. We'll be just a few days shy of 20 weeks. We're not going to find out the sex but want to be sure baby is healthy and developing well. Our next midwife appointment will be sometime that week too. I'm feeling great! I went for a jog/walk yesterday - jogging is hard with all the extra stuff in there my bladder got some bumping so it was a little uncomfortable to go fast. Today i went to the gym and walked on the treadmill and lifted weights. I'm feeling great although now that the afternoon is here I'm definitely ready for a nap : ). I'll keep you all posted.
July 2nd, 2008 ~ 15 weeks today!: Midwife appointment and grizzly bear: So I got to meet a few girlfriends down in Jackson Hole, WY and do some hiking and camping. It was so much fun being with old college friends getting caught up by the mountains and sunset. The day we were leaving we had about 30 minutes and wanted to go for a quick walk....long story short we ran into (almost literally) a grizzly bear! He was off the trail a little bit and around a small bend eating in the shallow water my friend wanted to take a picture of!!! It was amazing! He never acted like he saw us (he was about 75-100 yards away) so we backed up a little extra just to be safe and took some pictures. My adrenaline was pumping so intensly. We commented on how fun it would be to have an ultrasound at that moment and watch what little noodle was doing when my heart was racing!!
so yes, we've named the baby noodle as my craving for any type of pasta has not abated in the slightest : ). It's fun to have a little nickname. We had our second midwife appointment yesterday - she was very thourough....asking about my diet in detail and all my pregnancy symptoms so far. We heard the heartbeat again! 152 : ). As soon as she put the doppler on my belly we could hear that little heart, she didn't even have to move the handle. It was lots of fun. We go in one month and a week for our ultrasound. We're going to try to not find out the sex but we do want to make sure baby is healthy. If we sneek a peak at the goods and find out then that woudl be ok too : ). My digital camera is broken but friends have been taking pics for me. Once they get emailed over I'll post them b/c my belly has quite the little bump. I'm not out of the "is she chubby or preggo?" zone yet but we're getting there. When i'm not wearing clothes it is a decidedly rounded and cute little bump though. Not quite into maternity clothes but probaby within another month (maybe sooner at the rate i'm enjoying my noodles!). Till next time.....
June 23, 2008 ~ 13 weeks, 5 days: Baby's First Camping Trip: Well, baby went camping this weekend. I got a little sunburn trying to get a browner belly for summer : ). Aside from searching for shoes in a dark tent to get up for my nightly 2:30AM rest room break the trip was very fun and relaxing. I think two naps in one day are always fun and relaxing : ). I'm feeling much better as of late....a lot more energy. i've been exercising a little bit and even went grocery shopping and cooked dinner all in the same week! monumental : ). i think kai is relieved to be getting bits of his wife back. next appointment is on July 1st with the other midwife in the practice. i know her b/c she works in my office but this will be the first time for Kai to meet her. We'll get to hear the heartbeat again and make sure my size is correct. I think a urine and weight check too....that should be it though. Well, till next time.....keep sending happy growing baby thoughts our way!
June 10, 2008 ~ 11 weeks 6 days: Crazy Dreams and Ramen Noodles: Ha, ha....the dreams I'm having are really keeping me laughing (which is a good way to combat the overwhelming nausea i'm fighting). My two favorites are that 1- i gave birth to Gumby, which fit into the palm of my hand and was soooo proud of my new baby and 2 - i was surrounded by boston creme pie and got to stuff my face and never feel full! it was such a delight and rather disappointing when i woke and realized i was not surrounded by boston creme pie! I also have been craving Ramen noodles of all things - eeeek, burned out on those in college! but when i eat them (which stresses me out b/c they are loaded with MSG) i feel such a deep sense of satisfaction! tried them tonight without the powder with beef bouillon substituted and it wasn't even close to the same. i'm going to hit up the health food store to see if there is a decent middle ground to my little conundrum. well, i have a little bump and most pants are more comfy unbuttoned - it's a cute one and will be growing nicely as we enter the 2nd trimester!!!
June 4, 2008 ~ 11 weeks: Well - one week left until the second trimester begins! Wooh! What better way to celebrate than to hear the heartbeat of our little one!!!!!!! Yep, you read correctly ... we heard the heartbeat! 144 beats per minute, just right for our little plum sized baby : ). It is the best sound in the world, i guess until we get to hear this little one laugh : ). We go back to the other midwife in the practice in one month!!
"Sweet baby! We were so excited to hear your little heart beating away today. Thanks for making your presence known....your heartbeat even got louder for us the longer we listened! How delighted we are that you are coming to be a part of our family! Grow well!!"
May 21, 2008 9 Weeks: Saw the midwife for a brief second today. (One of her offices is in the office where I work and she's there every other Wed). I stopped in to make our first appointment (yahoo!) and she was too excited to wait. I hopped up on the table and she did a quick exam. My uterus is growing nicely and is where it should be. She put the doppler on and could hear the placenta pulsing. No heartbeat yet as wee babe is still too small. We go in two weeks from today at 11 weeks - we being Kai and I both. He would have killed me if i had heard a heart today without him : ). Feeling pretty much the same physically - fighting an overwhelming exhaustion, i've never loved my bed so much...and sick if i don't eat regularly. i took my first belly pic that Kai attributes to my morning dose of cheese toast and 10 pm rendevous in the kitchen : ). Well, keep you posted and will put that pic up on-line when i get it set up! Until then....
May 12, 2008 7 weeks, 4 days: Good news! My levels were checked again today....I've read two ranges. One says the #''s should be between 7,600 and 229,000 ( big range!!) and the other source says they should be between 54,000 and 102,500. Either way we're good b/c my number today was 99,053. A steady move upwards, which is great. I'm feeling nauseated on and off, especially if i wait to long to eat. Otherwise pretty good. Work is exhausting though - i'll tell you that much. i slept all weekend ( i mean like four hour naps every day of the weekend!) and feel ready to crash by 7 pm each night. Whew. Well, this Thursday will be 8 weeks - two months already. At the 10-11 week mark we'll go to see the midwife to hear the heartbeat. The little heart is beating away already but it's too small to hear with doppler. So for now, we wait....and eat! : )
May 2nd, 2008 6weeks, 2 daysBecause of my first m/c due to a blighted ovum I'm going to get a blood draw today - my midwife wrote a standing order (to "keep my head in good health" as she put it). If things are developing well then the HCG levels should be between 5,000 and 20,000. i'm curious to see. not feeling stressed or anxious but definitely curious. starting to have little waves of nausea. i'm noticing it the most if i don't eat frequently. also, a super powerful gag reflex when i brush my teeth in the morning. i'll take it all and more if it means i'm going to have a strong, healthy pregnancy! p.s got my HCG levels today - 25,622 @6w, 2d - lookin' good!!!!!!!
May 1st, 2008 6 weeks
TESTED YESTERDAY ~ BFP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WWWWOOOOOHHHHHHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
The results window showed a dark blue line before the control window even began to turn! My boobs had been sore for days. I was putting off testing b/c we were sooo tired of being dissapointed but it must have worked to just relax because here we are!
My hubby jumped out of bed and swung me around - what a blessing to have him so fully excited and ready for us to do this together. We are just so, so, so excited and ready for this baby!!!
THANK YOU JESUS FOR THIS GIFT OF LIFE!!!!
We are really bummed to see you guys go but excited at what a great opportunity you have been blessed with! I can't wait to get together and share more prego experiences! I do believe we have produced quite the acrobat this time! I can't wait for Oct 9th to roll around and to finally see our precious boy! Oh- remind me to bring the car seat next time too! Hope you are feeling well and talk to you soon!!
