First and foremost, we had our first ultrasound on Wednesday. It was pretty amazing. A few important things to note:
1. There is only ONE baby. THANK YOU SWEET BABY JESUS. Turns out, I just have a long uterus. Jealous?
2. The Bean looks much more like a tiny shrimp at this point.
3. Internal ultrasounds are as awkward and uncomfortable as they sound.
4. Hearing her heartbeat for the first time was an incredible and humbling experience.
Truly, at 120 bpm, it was the most beautiful sound ever. It is real. The Bean is healthy, measuring right on time and is already adorable (tail and all).
On the mommy front, I thought I was so slick. I was sure I could avoid nausea and morning sickness at my will. Well...I was put in my place. You just can't be prepared for that never ending nauseous feeling. No matter how many times your predecessors try to tell you, you just don't know until it happens. I pretty much feel like I'm on a very unstable boat...24/7.
Other than that and the fatigue, and the sore boobs, and the food aversions...I'm doing fantastic. I will say I have gotten my sense of taste SOMEWHAT back. Now it's just super intense. I'm like some sort of super hero.
"People who say they sleep like babies usually don't have them." ~ Leo J. Burke
Friday, April 25, 2008
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
6 Weeks: Lentil AND Pinto?
So I went for my first prenatal visit last Friday and it was interesting to say the least. Apparently I am some sort of enigma. The conversation between the nurse girl and myself went something like this...
NG: At first your urine test was negative....But then it was positive.
Me: Sooooo was it positive or negative?
NG: Oh it's positive, but I had to wait 5 minutes for it to show up and usually it shows up right away.
Me: So what does that mean exactly? Is that not right?
NG: Oh no. Everything is fine. I'm supposed to wait 5 minutes before reading it anyway.
Me: Well. Thank you for thoroughly confusing me.
Ok I didn't say that last part but I'm sure I made a face that expressed as much. And while we are on it, aren't all tests negative until they show up positive? I mean, really. One line and then two lines or one line and still one line -- either way, it starts out with just the one line. Come on. And if you were supposed to wait 5 minutes anyway, why even tell me it was negative before that? You might as well have come in and said "Oh well it was negative first. When I took it out of the box it was negative, and it was negative when I handed it to you, but then I waited the appropriately specified time after you peed on it and it was positive. So yeah. It's positive."
So we move on from all of that mess and the Dr tells me I'm just very early and my hormone levels might be lower than they normally see at a first visit (usually closer to 10 weeks). Good to go. Here is where the real doozie gets dropped....
She does the pelvic exam to measure the uterus after we have discussed my minor symptoms and such. She looks up with a perplexed face and says "I need you to be prepared for the possibility of twins. You are measuring 2 to 3 weeks ahead." What did you just say? Two? Maybe? What?
She schedules an ultrasound for 7 weeks. We will not only see the Bean's heartbeat next Wednesday, but possibly her brother's as well. What have we gotten ourselves into?
"Diaper backward spells repaid. Think about it." ~ Marshall McLuhan
NG: At first your urine test was negative....But then it was positive.
Me: Sooooo was it positive or negative?
NG: Oh it's positive, but I had to wait 5 minutes for it to show up and usually it shows up right away.
Me: So what does that mean exactly? Is that not right?
NG: Oh no. Everything is fine. I'm supposed to wait 5 minutes before reading it anyway.
Me: Well. Thank you for thoroughly confusing me.
Ok I didn't say that last part but I'm sure I made a face that expressed as much. And while we are on it, aren't all tests negative until they show up positive? I mean, really. One line and then two lines or one line and still one line -- either way, it starts out with just the one line. Come on. And if you were supposed to wait 5 minutes anyway, why even tell me it was negative before that? You might as well have come in and said "Oh well it was negative first. When I took it out of the box it was negative, and it was negative when I handed it to you, but then I waited the appropriately specified time after you peed on it and it was positive. So yeah. It's positive."
So we move on from all of that mess and the Dr tells me I'm just very early and my hormone levels might be lower than they normally see at a first visit (usually closer to 10 weeks). Good to go. Here is where the real doozie gets dropped....
She does the pelvic exam to measure the uterus after we have discussed my minor symptoms and such. She looks up with a perplexed face and says "I need you to be prepared for the possibility of twins. You are measuring 2 to 3 weeks ahead." What did you just say? Two? Maybe? What?
She schedules an ultrasound for 7 weeks. We will not only see the Bean's heartbeat next Wednesday, but possibly her brother's as well. What have we gotten ourselves into?
"Diaper backward spells repaid. Think about it." ~ Marshall McLuhan
Thursday, April 10, 2008
5 Weeks: Does This Smell Like Feet to You?
I count myself as one of the lucky ones so far*. There is no morning sickness to be dramatic about, my husband has let me pull the "but I'm pregggnnnaannnt" card already, and overall, I feel pretty good. What I was not prepared for was the sudden interruption to my once impeccable sense of smell. Since when did raw chicken smell like impending death? As someone who would die without the ability to cook fabulous dishes, this is especially heartbreaking for me. And as we all have learned from our bouts with colds and flus, a change in your "sniffer" sense most definitely causes a change in your "yum" sense - taste. BOO TO THAT.
Chocolate tastes like dirt. Milk is sour. Cereal reminds me of hay. Berries are just gross. Even water tastes like metal. I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS.
Why, Bean, why do you do this to your Mommy? All I want is to nurture you and keep your home nice and healthy and well fed. How do you repay me? Torture? You don't know me at all, do you?
You are so lucky that I love you more than life itself.
And I really do.
So I forget about the dirty chocolate and horse feed cereal. Because it's ok that you don't like those things right now. I'm pretty sure you're still amazing, regardless.
*I am well aware that "[I] know nothing yet!" and that "this is cake compared to week 9!" I get it. You can jump off of your "Been There/Done That" high horse right now Missy. This is between me and my Bean.
"Raising kids is part joy and part guerilla warfare." ~ Ed Asner
Chocolate tastes like dirt. Milk is sour. Cereal reminds me of hay. Berries are just gross. Even water tastes like metal. I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THIS.
Why, Bean, why do you do this to your Mommy? All I want is to nurture you and keep your home nice and healthy and well fed. How do you repay me? Torture? You don't know me at all, do you?
You are so lucky that I love you more than life itself.
And I really do.
So I forget about the dirty chocolate and horse feed cereal. Because it's ok that you don't like those things right now. I'm pretty sure you're still amazing, regardless.
*I am well aware that "[I] know nothing yet!" and that "this is cake compared to week 9!" I get it. You can jump off of your "Been There/Done That" high horse right now Missy. This is between me and my Bean.
"Raising kids is part joy and part guerilla warfare." ~ Ed Asner
4 Weeks: The Little Embryo That Could
"What day is today?" I started counting back from what I thought was my last menstrual cycle*. "Oh hm. That's odd."
So begins the process of purchasing and frantically peeing on about 4 different home pregnancy tests. Being the lifelong research and analysis student that I am, I knew that I needed different test types, brands, and "samples". I mean, come on, this is serious business, I need to know that my findings will be valid. This is no time to joke around.
Is there a second blue line? Am I hallucinating? WHAT IS GOING ON!?
Let's try this again. Now with feeling. And again the next morning for good measure.
Ok. It's about that time when I realize there are, in fact, two lines. And this does, in fact, mean that I am currently growing a baby. The increasing darkness of each test line pretty much tells me that my Bean is sending out a very important signal. Something along the lines of "I AM IN HERE DIVIDING MY CELLS AT A RAPID PACE!!!"
So as of April 2nd 2008, I am officially pregnant according to $30 worth of Rite Aid, CVS and First Response pregnancy tests. Here we go.
*Listen up - if THAT term makes you uncomfortable, this blog is not for you. We're talkin' about baby birthin' and all that gook (literally) so maybe you'd be better suited here or even here .
"A child is a curly, dimpled lunatic." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
So begins the process of purchasing and frantically peeing on about 4 different home pregnancy tests. Being the lifelong research and analysis student that I am, I knew that I needed different test types, brands, and "samples". I mean, come on, this is serious business, I need to know that my findings will be valid. This is no time to joke around.
Is there a second blue line? Am I hallucinating? WHAT IS GOING ON!?
Let's try this again. Now with feeling. And again the next morning for good measure.
Ok. It's about that time when I realize there are, in fact, two lines. And this does, in fact, mean that I am currently growing a baby. The increasing darkness of each test line pretty much tells me that my Bean is sending out a very important signal. Something along the lines of "I AM IN HERE DIVIDING MY CELLS AT A RAPID PACE!!!"
So as of April 2nd 2008, I am officially pregnant according to $30 worth of Rite Aid, CVS and First Response pregnancy tests. Here we go.
*Listen up - if THAT term makes you uncomfortable, this blog is not for you. We're talkin' about baby birthin' and all that gook (literally) so maybe you'd be better suited here or even here .
"A child is a curly, dimpled lunatic." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Preface
So here I am. Pregnant. Wow. I'd like to thank my husband, without whom this would certainly not be possible. I'd like to thank the Academy...
As I sit (still in slight shock) I realize this is very cool. Like, "coolest thing we've ever done" cool. I should probably document this process to remember exactly how awesome we were at this amazing time in our lives. And if not for the fuzzy feeling factor, so later when our baby is old enough to argue with, I have some hard evidence of just how much I have been through for her. You know, the classic catholic guilt trip that I know she will be exposed to -- I'm just prepping!
Sarcasm aside (weird, right?)...Dan and I are probably the most excited we have ever been and will ever be. Get ready for the ride!
"It sometimes happens, even in the best of families, that a baby is born. This is not necessarily cause for alarm. The important thing is to keep your wits about you and borrow some money." ~ Elinor Goulding Smith
As I sit (still in slight shock) I realize this is very cool. Like, "coolest thing we've ever done" cool. I should probably document this process to remember exactly how awesome we were at this amazing time in our lives. And if not for the fuzzy feeling factor, so later when our baby is old enough to argue with, I have some hard evidence of just how much I have been through for her. You know, the classic catholic guilt trip that I know she will be exposed to -- I'm just prepping!
Sarcasm aside (weird, right?)...Dan and I are probably the most excited we have ever been and will ever be. Get ready for the ride!
"It sometimes happens, even in the best of families, that a baby is born. This is not necessarily cause for alarm. The important thing is to keep your wits about you and borrow some money." ~ Elinor Goulding Smith
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