15 weeks

How far along: 15 weeks!

Size of baby: Baby is the size of an orange!  Baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces. She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam. There's not much for your baby to taste at this point, but she is forming taste buds.

Maternity clothes: I am wearing maternity pants and a mix of regular shirts that still fit and maternity shirts.

Sleep: I have the most bizarre dreams anymore so my sleep is still not the greatest.  (Last night I had a dream that I was watching someone break into my house and I went and hid in the closet, um what?)

Best moment of the week: Having our family at our u/s with us and finding out we are having a girl!  It was such an awesome experience and I will never forget it.  They were all pretty amazed at how much she moves around in there :)

Movement: I know she's moving but I am still waiting to feel it. 


Symptoms: All in all I feel really good.  I'm tired and get winded pretty easily but I'll take this over nausea any day!  Also my skin and hair are changing a lot,  I'm breaking out more than usual, my face just looks red to me, and my hair is really dry.

Food cravings/aversions: I haven't really had any cravings but I have found myself eating a lot more fruit than I ever have- especially oranges.  And Steve's mom brought us this fruit that was a pear crossed with an apple and it was the BEST thing I have ever had! 

Gender: We are having a girl and now that we know this bit of information our name list is growing.  How do people pick??

Belly button in or out: Still in but getting a little more shallow

Stretch marks: Nothing new

What I miss: There are days that I miss coffee!

What I am looking forward to: Feeling her move, I can't wait!

Weekly wisdom: hmmm I can't think of anything this week. Feel free to share any wisdom you have for me :)

Easter weekend

Thank you all for the congrats on our news and for the support. I know it's not easy for those of you still waiting on your BFP and I appreciate it more than you know.

This past weekend was so much fun!!  Here are some pictures from our festivities.

We had an awesome visit with Steve's parents that included lots of yummy food, shopping, and checking out the flooded Mississippi river.  (Thank you so much Mom & Dad G. for making the trip to see us!)

a few of the books we got for the baby

a blanket from Grandma & Grandpa

so cute and true!

we just couldn't resist these PJ's

the flood of 2011

On Sunday, our families combined for a big Easter lunch and egg hunt at my grandparent's house.

Steve and I with his parents

My Dad

 

Our family

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter as well!

Pink!

Notice the pink ribbon...

that's right, we found out we are having a little girl!!

Today was the ultrasound with our families and it was such a great experience.  Our little one was very active and has grown so much!! 

Pretty early in the appointment the u/s tech winked at me and asked quietly if I wanted to know what we are having.  I said yes and she said- it's a girl!  I asked how she knew and she pointed out the three lines that distinguish a girl.  I think everyone in the room was surprised- most of us thought it was going to be a boy.

I didn't think we would find out the gender today, I knew it was a possibility but I didn't have my hopes up because it's still early.  The u/s tech seemed very sure- I hope she is right and we don't end up with a surprise little boy :)

It hasn't quite set in for me yet, I feel like I'm dreaming...a really great dream that I don't want to wake up from! 

Here are a few pictures of our sweet little girl, we already have a name picked but we aren't ready to share it just yet.  Enjoy!



Baby's profile & spine



Baby doing a flip

Thank you to all of our family members who came to our appointment today, it was so amazing to share this with all of you!

Versatile Blogger Award!

Well after almost a week of feeling miserable, I finally feel a little more like myself today! Thank you for all of your kind comments throughout the week and thank you so much to Baby Hopes at Chasing Our Stork for giving me the versatile blogger award! If you haven't been to her awesome blog yet, I highly recommend it.  No matter what, I can always count on her for a supportive comment, thanks again Baby Hopes :)

So, here's how it works:

1. Winners grab the image and put it in your blog.
2. Link back to the person who gave you it.
3. Tell 10 things about yourself
4. Award 15 recently discovered bloggers.
5. Contact the bloggers you have awarded to let them know they have won.

10 things about me: (I feel like I've done this a few times and I can never think of anything new!)

1. I'm terrible at thinking of 10 things about myself
2. I'm shy around new people
3. I would rather email or text than actually call someone (I know this is terrible)
4. I am almost always cold (especially my hands and feet) 
5. I have to have a fan on when I sleep 
6. I prefer salty snacks over sweet
7. I don't like going to movie theaters
8. Halloween is my favorite holiday
9. ??
10. ??

Here are my nominees for the versatile blogger award: these are so hard to pick, I hope I'm not doubling up on anyone! (and not all of these are recently discovered...)

1. Do I have to be a DINK
2. Candid Confessions of a Southern Princess
3. The Daily Miracle
4. Greetings from Nowhere, NM
5. Journey Through IF
6. Traditionally Nontraditional 
7. The Mensing Baby Adventure
8. Adventures of an Infertile Myrtle
9. The A.R.T. of baby making
10. Club TTC
11. Making Baby Giraffes
12. Palm Trees & Rainy Days
13. A Miracle 4 Us
14. Yolk...a blog about eggs and sperm
15. Park Slope Purgatory

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!!

14 weeks tomorrow!

How far along: 14 weeks!

Size of baby: Baby is the size of a lemon which seems weird to me because I think a peach is bigger than a lemon but what do I know? Baby is 3.5 inches long and weighs 1.5 oz.  According to thebump.com baby is busy with thumb sucking, toe wiggling, (not so cute but equally amazing) making urine, and breathing amniotic fluid as the liver, kidneys, and spleen continue to develop. Lanugo (thin, downy hair) is growing all over her body for warmth.

Total weight gain/loss: I think I've gained another pound since last week.  I'm beginning to dislike this question and here's why- all the other bloggers I'm following who are due the same time as me have only gained a couple of pounds- is something wrong with me??

Maternity clothes: I am wearing maternity pants and regular shirts when I leave the house but I wish I could live in sweat pants. As soon as I get home changing into sweats is the first thing I do.

Sleep: Terrible this week with the strep throat/sinus infection/coughing.

Best moment of the week: Being 14 weeks pregnant!! Oh, and we ordered a children's book that I used to read over and over at my grandma's house when I was little- I found it at a vintage book store online and I can't wait to get it! It's called Little Lulu Lucky Landlady.

Movement: Not yet

Symptoms: I don't really have any symptoms this week which makes me nervous but I think this cold is masking a lot of things.

Food cravings/aversions: Nothing has sounded good this week except carbs.

Gender: Don't know yet but I'm excited to find out!

Belly button in or out: Still in

Stretch marks: Nothing new, same ones I've had

What I miss: I haven't really been missing anything this week, I am just happy to be pregnant :)

What I am looking forward to: Feeling the baby move and finding out what we're having!

Weekly wisdom: Rest when you need to rest.

**I wanted to say a quick thanks to Baby Hopes for the Versatile Blogger award- I promise I will get to handing it back out as soon as my brain is functioning properly! I appreciate it very much!

Strep throat

Ugh, I thought I could go a whole 9 months without getting sick.

I started feeling really worn down on Thursday but I thought it was just from a busy week at work planning a huge annual event...guess not.

I have pretty much been asleep all weekend and last night my throat started getting really sore. Throughout the night it got worse and by this morning I could hardly swallow.

We went to the local clinic this morning and the Dr informed me I have strep.  He called in a prescription for me and said it was safe to take while pregnant.  Of course I wasn't going to take his word alone.  I went home, called my RE's nurse on-call and while I waited for her to call me back I got online and searched for everything strep and pregnancy related.  The nurse said the antibiotic I was going to take was fine and that it would be worse for the baby if I didn't treat the strep.

It makes me nervous to take anything while I'm pregnant but it sounds like this is for the best.

13 Weeks

How far along: 13 weeks!!!  Some websites say I have one week to go until the 2nd trimester and others say this is the first week of the second trimester.  I don't know who to believe but I am SO HAPPY to be here!

Size of baby: Baby is the size of a peach almost 3 inches long and weighs nearly an ounce.

Total weight gain/loss: Up one pound at our Dr appt on Monday.

Maternity clothes: I can still wear two pairs of normal dress pants forget that- I wore one of these pairs on Monday and every time I sat down I thought the zipper was going to rip open.  Maternity pants with the small elastic bands are my friends even if they are baggy. I am still wearing normal shirts although I'm pretty sure some of them look too tight. I finally got a bigger bra and I am so happy about that.

Sleep: Same as last week- I haven't been getting very restful sleep unless I take a nap which only happens on the weekends.  Otherwise I'm tossing and turning, having (really) weird dreams and getting up to pee.

Best moment of the week: There are a few; our OB appt on Monday, listening to the heart beat on our doppler, and being nominated for Humpday Hero :)

Movement: No but I have had dreams about feeling the baby move

Symptoms: I get dizzy pretty easily and I get a headache just about every day.  But I'm not nauseous anymore so that's awesome!

Food cravings/aversions: I've been craving fruit this week and I can't eat anything greasy.

Gender: Don't know yet but can't wait to find out!

Belly button in or out: Still in all the way

Stretch marks: nothing new, same ones I've had forever

What I miss: Fitting into all my clothes

What I am looking forward to: Easter weekend with family and having them see our ultrasound on the 23rd.

Weekly wisdom: From my sister's hilarious friend when I asked for advice on baby stuff...
Go for comfort over cuteness when it comes to the rocking chair in their room.  Trust me.  You will be in that bitch…a lot. And keep Clorox wipes in their room.  They will spray poop on the wall.  It’s only a matter of time.

Here's my first "belly" picture- it's not the most flattering but oh well :)

Humpday Hero!

I can't tell you all how surprised I was when the amazing Carlia over at The Stork Drop Zone told me I was nominated by her readers as a Humpday Hero.  To the person or people that nominated me- thank you so much, it means the world to me!! And Carlia, thank you for creating such a wonderful idea!

This blogging community has given me so much support and connected me to so many women who are brave, inspiring, hilarious and strong- I appreciate all of you!

In case you don't already know enough about me, go check out Carlia's blog and if you aren't one of her followers- become one, she's a great read!

Happy Hump Day!

OB appointment- 12 weeks 4 days

We had another great weekend and our doppler came in the mail so we've been listening to the baby's heart every night ♥ ♥ ♥

Today we had our OB appointment and it had to be the fastest appointment I've been through to this point.  The Dr. asked if we had any questions, pushed around on my belly and listened to the baby's heartbeat- which she estimated to be around 145.  Then she talked a little about non-stress tests that they would be doing every two weeks starting in the 3rd trimester.  She said they like to keep a close eye on the baby in the 3rd trimester since some IVF babies are high risk later in pregnancy.  The test involves attaching one belt to the mother’s abdomen to measure fetal heart rate and another belt to measure contractions. Movement, heart rate and reactivity of heart rate to movement is measured for 20-30 minutes. 

According to the Dr's scale I'm only up 1 lb since last month- so why does it feel like I've gained 20?  Those two pairs of pants I could wear last week did not fit today when I tried them on. 

Tonight Steve and I are going shopping with our contractor to pick out a tub- yay!!

What I'm looking forward to

Thank you for all of your kind comments yesterday, they made me feel better!  I went home for lunch yesterday and waiting in the mail box was a really sweet card from Steve's parents and some maternity pants I had ordered- it's funny how small things like that can make you smile when you're having a bad day.  And to cheer myself up further I've decided to make a list of all the things I am looking forward to in the next couple of months.

~ Our next OB appointment on Monday (I can't wait to hear that little heartbeat). And all things baby related- I wish it didn't take so long to feel him/her move!

~ Easter weekend! Steve's parents are coming into town from PA. We haven't seen them since Christmas so we are excited for their visit.  I heard about a place in town that does ultrasounds for families.  There are a bunch of different packages to choose from- you can do 3D, 4D, or regular and your family gets to see the baby on a TV screen in a viewing room (and it's way less expensive than the u/s we get at the Dr).  I really liked the idea so we invited our families to come with us the Saturday before Easter to see the baby.

~ Getting a tub installed in our bathroom (and a couple of other small projects around the house).  Right now we only have a shower and I can't wait to be able to soak in a bath if I feel like it!

~  Memorial Day weekend.  Steve and I have decided to take a weekend trip to Chicago!  We are going to see the Cubs and Pirates play (Since Steve is from PA he is a big Pirates fan).  We are also going to do some sightseeing (Navy Pier, the zoo, etc. etc.)  And what I'm super excited about is trying some restaurants with chefs that have been on Top Chef (one of our favorite shows).  I was looking them up last night and I can't wait to try their food!

~ And last but not least I'm looking forward to warmer weather- this rainy, dreary stuff has got to go!

Of course there are a lot more things further down the road that I'm looking forward to but I'll save those for another day.

Happy Friday!

12 weeks & missing my mom

This post is going to be a little disjointed ...sorry in advance!

We are 12 weeks today and I am so thankful, happy, amazed...the list could go on and on. 

I woke up to an email from babycenter.com that said:
The most dramatic development this week: Reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over two inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. Is this amazing or what? Some days I can't even believe we made it to this point.

I had a down day yesterday that is continuing into today.  I cried most of the night (the ugly, sobbing, snot everywhere, swollen eyes kind of crying).  There are a few reasons for this, but only one that I want to talk about on this blog.  I miss the support of my mom.  I think about her everyday and I wish she was here for this huge milestone in my life.  The support of a mother is like nothing else in this world- my mom always knew what to say to make me feel better and I feel like I need that now.  I'm sure her pep talk would start with a soothing hug and she would say something like..."Bridgey, you can't let all of this bother you".

I just want to say a huge thank you to Steve and my sister Niki for being there for me last night and today- you guys are the best.

Ok, before I make myself cry again, please tell me one of you watched Pregnant in Heels on Tuesday. I didn't know what to expect but it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be.  Sure, Rosie Pope's clients are beyond helpless (and there were definitely times I was screaming at the TV) but I was shocked when a follistim pen flashed on the TV and learned that Rosie is struggling with infertility.  I was of course sucked in and won over after that- how could I not be?  This poor lady is dealing with some of the worst pregnant women in the U.S. and she's infertile.

Q&A

How far along: 11 weeks 5 days

Total weight gain/loss: Ugh since the start of IVF I've gained 8lbs

Maternity clothes: I can still wear two pairs of normal dress pants and one pair of normal jeans. If I'm feeling especially bloated I'll wear my maternity jeans.  I am still wearing normal shirts. What I need more than anything is a bigger bra.

Sleep: I haven't been getting very restful sleep unless I take a nap which only happens on the weekends.  Otherwise I'm tossing and turning, having weird dreams and getting up to pee.

Best moment of the week: Hitting 12 weeks on Thursday

Food cravings/aversions: I have been craving pie a lot lately (berry or apple).  And I want tuna sandwiches all the time.  Food I don't want- meat mostly but it's getting better.
 
Belly button in or out: In. But speaking of my belly, I have noticed all these tiny purple veins in random spots on my stomach- weird.


Stretch marks: nothing new, same ones I've had forever

What I miss: I'm not going to lie- I miss beer but I'll gladly give it up!!

What I am looking forward to: Our next OB appointment on Monday and getting our doppler in the mail so we can try to hear the heartbeat!

Weekly wisdom: From Amanda's blog Our Fertility Journey, "Whether this is a healthy pregnancy or not has already been decided, so you might as well just let go, and enjoy every second of being pregnant instead of wasting this time being worried." I'm repeating this to myself daily.

oh how I love weekends...

Who doesn't right?

This weekend was perfect in my eyes.  We got to see great friends and my family was all together in the same spot (which doesn't happen a lot) it was so good to see everyone.

Saturday we had our friends M&B over for dinner and they brought their new baby girl with....she is so sweet! Our animals were very curious and a little scared but by the end of the night they were getting used to having a baby in the house.

Today we went to brunch to celebrate my dad's 62nd birthday.  The whole family was there and we had a great time (and really great food)! This is my amazing family...happy birthday Dad!

the birthday boy is on the far right in the blue shirt

Thank you for the suggestions on dopplers, we are looking into them and I'm pretty sure we will be getting one.

I hope you all had a great weekend too!

Doppler??

To get one or not to get one.... how many of you have one and do you love it?

What are some good brands and where can I get one?

Since I'm no longer a pampered RE patient getting ultrasounds every 2 weeks I'm thinking I want a doppler so I can hear my little one's heartbeat anytime I want.  I've read that a couple of you have them so I need some input!

Thanks girls and happy Friday!