Sick

I have been sick...going on day 11 now. I feel like I've finally turned a corner, but honestly still feel like crap. I missed all last week at work. Luckily Monday was a holiday (paid), so that saved me from having to use a sick day on that day. But the rest of the week I missed, with the exception of 5 hours on Thursday because I felt like I HAD to make an appearance. I ended up going home early and my boss even said that he thought I needed to go home.

It started the Friday before last (the 18th) and I honestly thought it was just a cold. It even pissed me off when my mom told me I should call my OB right away. I insisted it was just a cold and they can't do anything for a cold anyway. Saturday and Sunday were miserable. And even though my elective u/s was on Sunday, I went anyway despite feeling like crap and hacking up a lung.

Two days later, on Tuesday, I had my 16 week appt...and I was praying he'd be able to DO something about how I was feeling. By that point, I was feeling even worse and I had a feeling it was a sinus infection or the flu. I had even tried to call my OB Monday night, but he wasn't on call so I talked to some other guy. He didn't give me much insight. Just said he thought it was the flu...told me to drink fluids, use a humidifer and take some Benedryl.

My 16 week appt. was at 4pm (last appt of the day) but we didn't end up leaving until 6pm. They were VERY behind, apparently. We spent an hour in the waiting room and another hour just waiting for him to get to our room. At which point I was red in the face from coughing, and miserable as all get out. He said I sounded like shit and I told him that's exactly how I felt. He prescribed z-pak and said it might be flu, but might have also turned into a secondary infection, hence the antibiotics. He had a student/intern with him who nervously measured my belly (uterus is at my belly button already), then tried to find the heartbeat with the doppler with no luck. OB took over and found the heartbeat very quickly. 152 bpm.

We scheduled our 20-week ultrasound (I'll be just past 19 weeks when I go) for Feb 11...and next OB appt on Feb 18. Picked up the z-pak on the way home and took the first two pills when I got home. An hour later, I nearly threw them back up...but figured it was because my stomach was still kind of empty...and vowed to take them with more food the next day.

Wednesday comes and I decide to miss work again. I take my z-pak in the evening with food and milk, and an hour later, like clockwork, the nausea hits. I'm laying in bed closing my eyes praying it will go away if I hold still. Eventually I decide to get up to get more food, thinking that will help. Nope. I only made it to the bathroom, where I threw it all up. I decided to call my OB after this and tell him it's not going to work if I'm puking it up. Luckily he was on call and called me in a different antibiotic (Ceftin).

I'm on day 6 of that now and it's much nicer on my tummy. I did end up going to urgent care Sunday night because I was miserable from coughing. Doc said lungs, ears and throat looked good. Said I just needed to give antibiotics more time, or, if it was a virus/flu, I'd just have to let it run its course. He did give me some phenergan syrup with codeine so I could sleep and Flonase for my nose. Wow...that cough syrup is a life-saver. An hour after taking it, my cough stops completely and it knocks me out for the night.

I went back to work yesterday still feeling somewhat miserable, but slightly better than before. My cough is still super junky and I'm blowing my nose like crazy, but at least I'm getting the stuff out! I honestly can't remember EVER feeling this sick in my entire life! Praying this thing is about over.

One other note, last night while laying in bed, I felt a twinge an inch below and an inch to the right of my belly button. Right after putting lotion on my belly. I looked down and saw the slightest movement. It freaked me out. It happened one more time, then I tried to go tell DH to see if Brady would do it again, but of course he didn't! I can't believe I'm SEEING him move already!

Oh, and my 17 week pic!

It's a...

Well, we went for our first of two appointments on Sunday at Baby Envision to hopefully find out gender early!

I took DH, my mom; DH's mom, dad and grandma! I had started getting sick a couple days beforehand but nothing could've stopped me from going. It was SO cold that morning (in the teens I think) but we all trekked down there (about an hour). The place was so nice and everyone was friendly. We all went into the room...there was a comfy twin bed for me, a chair right next to it for DH...and two comfy couches for the family. There were also two large flat screens on the walls to watch the ultrasound.

The tech got right to it and instantly went to find out the sex. She said she knew right away what it was and as soon as I looked at the screen, I could tell. But I looked at her anyway for confirmation and she said...

"It's a boy!"

I was already sort of teary-eyed as soon as baby showed up on screen, but once I knew it was a boy, the tears started to flow. I could see DH's mom from where I was at and she had the biggest smile on her face and was wiping her eyes. This really got me and tears streamed down my face even more. I reached over for DH's and we grabbed hands. I can't ever remember feeling such an overwhelming feeling of joy and happiness. I never knew I could love something so much.

The tech continued showing us everything. When she had first started, he had one hand by his eye and the other in his mouth sucking his thumb. But once she continued the ultrasound, he started moving around a lot. His little legs were kicking and his hands were all over the place. We saw all 10 fingers and all 10 toes. A beautiful spine. He even appeared to be smiling at us at one point, then waved.

When she showed us a frontal view of his face, DH said he looked like Achmed...and his dad instantly said "Douglas!" and laughed. I couldn't helped but laugh too because he kind of did!

The tech kept flipping back and forth between 2d and 3d, which was amazing. I could've stared at the screen all day long. The whole ultrasound lasted about 15-20 minutes and we left with a couple black and white 3d pics. We go back in 2 weeks for a longer session with 3d and 4d, more pics, a CD with the images from the first and second visit, and a DVD!



Yesterday DH asked me what is that little bump above his eye in the photo. I said, can't you see it...that's his hand reaching up to his eye :)

We've already chosen a name...Brady Scott! I can't believe how much I love this little person already!

Almost 16 Weeks!

How Far Along: 15w5d

Size of baby: Baby is the size of a avocado this week (at 16 weeks)!

Total Weight Gain: I was at 6 lbs. around 12 weeks. I think I'm getting close to 10 lbs. gained (will find out for sure next week).

Sleep: Sometimes good, other times bad. I get SO congested at night and wake up with a pounding headache. I am taking Benedryl most nights which helps me sleep for a few hours.

Symptoms: Increase in hunger. Nausea if I don't eat soon enough. Itchy belly. Super stuffy nose/sometimes runny/sneezing. Some round ligament pains. Tailbone hurts.

Cravings: Burger King (Whopper Jr's). Spaghetti-O's.

Gender: Thinking boy. Ultrasound in 2 days...hopefully baby cooperates. Any guesses?

Movement: YES! Twinges/flutters about 2-3" below belly button.

Maternity Clothes: Yes, completely.

Milestones: Almost 16 weeks! Feeling movement. Starting to show!

What I'm looking forward to: Ultrasound with possible gender reveal in 2 days!

The belly: Definitely showing. Very round. Hard. Top of uterus at belly button already (that's what happens when you're super short).

Registry Thoughts

This may be a bit too early, but I've begun to start researching things we will want to put on our registry. We won't do the registry until later (24 weeks?), but I wanted to plan ahead of time what to put on it so I don't spend  hours at the store guessing what I'm going to want. So, with that...some thoughts, questions and opinions needed!

Nursery Furniture/Bedding
I feel fortunate that my step-mom took dibs on buying the crib...and my dad offered to buy the matching dresser. I'd like the matching nightstand, but for $299, do we really need it? My thought is we need a place to put a lamp because baby's room doesn't have an overhead light (dumb, I know)...but maybe it's cheaper to put in an overhead light?! :) My mom has offered to buy the mattress and the crib bedding (and matching paraphernalia...valances, sheets, mobile, lamp). My step-mom is also giving me the rocking chair that was my grandfather's while he was in an Alzheimer's home. So we're pretty much set on furniture and bedding except the nightstand...

Carseat/Stroller
I've decided on the Graco Snugride 35 Infant Car Seat in Rittenhouse for a boy or Sable for a girl.

And the Graco Urban Lite Stroller (which will function with or without the Snugride car seat).



I originally thought I wanted a convertible car seat since it would last longer, but I've most of them are pretty heavy and a lot larger...and I know we'd probably be carrying the carseat and in and out a lot. So, I decided on the Snugride...unless someone knows of a smaller, lighter-weight convertible that would work.

I'm also still sort of debating the need for a stroller that works without the carseat...do I need it or will a stroller frame work?


Portable Crib/Pack 'N' Play
I thought about the Graco Travel Lite Crib for when baby is first born...and I'd prefer to have him/her sleep in the bedroom with me. But it's almost $100. And for something that won't last long.



So then I thought about the Fisher-Price Rock & Play Sleeper for half the price. Would it be able to function as a portable crib and perhaps last a bit longer? Also, it looks easier to move around. Thoughts?

I *think* I've decided against a Pack 'N' Play. It's expensive and takes up a lot of room. And I'm not sure how much use we'll get out of it...in addition to say a rock & play sleeper or bouncer or swing. 

Swing/Bouncer
I originally wanted both, but they really serve the same sort of purpose, right? Do babies  have preference as to one or another? Really sort of lost on this one.

Baby Carrier
Do I need one? How useful is it? Also, I hate the way the Moby Wrap looks.

Bathtub
We bought one super cheap at a yard sale a couple summers ago and have kept it. But it's large and likely too large for a newborn. I'm thinking of getting the Puj Tub...which can store flat, but is flexible to put into the sink. Seems a bit expensive at $45, but thinking it might save my back from bending over and be worth it. Thoughts?

http://pujbaby.com/products-page/bath/puj-tub/

Changing Pad
Definitely getting one. No changing table, just using the top of the dresser.


Clothes
Don't plan on registering for any. May pick up a couple small things once we find out if it's a boy or girl...but mostly will wait and see what others buy first. I've read not much newborn or 0-3 months as they will outgrow it fast. Any certain pieces that are absolutely must-haves?

Safety

Such as gates and outlet covers. Should I register for this stuff or get it later?

Baby monitor? Do I need one? Our house is one story and only 1200sq. ft. with all the bedrooms close together. Necessary?

Feeding

I'm going to try BFing at first but will see how it goes. I suspect I'm going to go all bottle-fed once I got back to work. I'm also not buying a pump right away...I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars if I'm not going to BF for that long...but who knows...maybe I will change my mind. Will likely need bottles and formula on hand just in case. But what about stuff like bottle warmers? Anyone use those? Useless?

Diapers & Wipes

Pretty sure we'll get lots of those at the shower, right?

Diaper Bag

Thinking of a Vera Bradley one :)

Obviously there are lots of other smaller things I'm not mentioning, but these are the big ones on my list that I need opinions or thoughts on. Anything else I'm forgotten that is totally necessary?

Lost Ring

Ugh, I feel awful. DH bought me a gorgeous LeVian last October. A garnet and diamond ring that picked out myself and drooled over for a couple months before he finally surprised me and bought it! It was the week after my first (failed) Femara cycle and I was in a bad mood. I had really thought the first cycle would work and when it didn't, I was devastated. But when he took me into the jewelry store to look at the ring...and ended up buying it...I couldn't remember being that happy in the last year. I couldn't stop smiling. A couple weeks later, we had to send it in for sizing and I didn't want to see it go. Once we got it back, I was so happy. But only a week later, I realized a diamond was missing, so we had to send it back to be replaced. I got it back on December 21st and was glad to have it back by Christmas.

After that, I don't recall what days I wore it and what days I didn't. I just knew that I always took it off to sleep, shower, and sometimes when typing because it would spin on my finger a tiny bit. Just yesterday, I had this awful realization that I had no idea where my ring was. So at 9pm last night, I started frantically searching the house. I started with the nightstand, where I was sure it would be...but it wasn't. Then the nightstand drawer...the bathroom counter...the kitchen counter. Then I started crying! And not just a couple tears. Literally sobbing! Racing around the house looking anywhere and everywhere. I finally woke up DH and he freaked out at first, thinking something was wrong with the baby. I told him I couldn't find my ring and he looked annoyed at first since he had been sleeping. Finally when he realized I was still frantically searching and bawling my eyes out, he started to look with me. We even searched the sheets...under the bed. What felt like everywhere but where the ring was.

We gave up around 10:30pm. I literally layed in my bed, held my teddy bear and cried myself to sleep.

I know it seems silly. It's just a ring. A thing. Something that can "technically" be replaced. But it has such meaning to me. I feel like it symbolized letting go of the past and looking towards the future. We ended up conceiving the very next weekend, which was very fitting...and I felt like the ring helped me move on :) It makes me so sad to think that it's gone...and guilty for losing something so important (and expensive...we are still paying for it).

We are going to keep looking...and find out if our home-owners insurance covers loss, which I doubt it does. If it's gone, it's gone. But we most likely won't be able to buy another one. It just cost too much to pay for it again :(

Lots of Updates

I have been so bad about updating my blog. I think about things I want to post about but then I am too tired/sick/lazy that I just never get around too it. So, for now, this post will serve as an update over the past few weeks.

December 21st was my last day at work for the year and didn't have to go back until January 2nd. It was such a nice break...especially since it's paid...and it never feels long enough!

My dad and step-mom (well, technically his long time girlfriend of over 10 years, but she's like a mom to me) came up in the evening on the 21st. We went out to eat that night...then my brother and his fiance came up the next morning.

There's a long story about how his fiance pretty much hates DH & I even though we did nothing wrong. I will try and summarize. Fiance, who I will call C, was friends with us on Facebook. She was always posting dramatic things but they were very vague. People would ask what was going on but she wouldn't answer. So my mom found out from my brother that she had a cyst under her arm that grew from the size of a pea to a golfball in a week and the doctor thought it might be MRSA but needed to do further testing. My brother didn't go to the follow-up appt. so we have no way of really knowing what the doctor diagnosed. She told him that it wasn't MRSA, just a cyst. However, with me being newly pregnant, even the mention of MRSA made us nervous and we didn't want to be around her just in case. In the meantime, she posts this nasty post on Facebook about how people should ask her questions directly about things...which we tried to do and she wouldn't answer...so went to my brother. At this time, DH and my brother texted back and forth a bit and DH told him his honest opinion about things...nice, but firm. She somehow read these and got pissed. She removed us as friends from her Facebook, but kept my mom as her friend. Shortly after she removed us, she posted something on facebook basically slamming us and it was pretty obvious she had talked shit about us to her parents as they were commenting as well. A few days later, she calls my DH. We're thinking she's going to apologize, but no...she calls to tell DH her stance on things; and then also admits that when she found out I was pregnant that she was upset because it meant I wasn't going to be able to be in the wedding. Even though I told her back in August, when she asked me to be a bridesmaid that we weren't going to stop trying and there was a good chance that by starting fertility meds that I might be pregnant around that time.

Anyway, that wasn't much of a summary. Sorry. But I feel that she is all wrong on all of this and it makes me upset. The worst part is that she actually said "my health is my business" but yet she posts it all over Facebook. And if she did/does have MRSA, it should be OK for us to know. I've known two people, one young and one much older, both that have had it and it nearly killed both of them. So...moving on.

Christmas on Saturday, Dec. 22nd with Dad, step-mom, bro and C went as well as can be expected. We went out shopping for a bit...played some cards...had a homemade dinner (ham, cheesy potatoes, green bean casserole and rolls). And opened presents. I got some awesome stuff...blu-ray player, universal remote (Logitech Harmony 300...my favorite and my second one!), Vera Bradley bag and keychain, Otterbox case for my iphone, a couple other things I can't recall right now and some cash! Everyone left fairly early Sunday morning. Sunday afternoon we met up with DH's dad and went to visit his uncle at his house for a while. He recently had surgery and is doing well...but is going to have to have another couple surgeries over the next couple months.

Monday (Christmas Eve), we really didn't do a lot that I can recall. Sciatica started Sunday evening and continued into Monday, so I spent much of the day in bed. The evening was spent in bed with DH and the dogs watching Mickey's Christmas Carol, The Grinch, and A Christmas Story.

Christmas morning, I woke up with DH surprising me with one last small gift. A July birthstone bead for my Chamilia bracelet since Barnacle is due in July :)

http://www.chamilia.com/Wheel-July-Birthstone-Swarovski-p1140273.html

DH's dad arrived a couple hours later and we began opening presents. Sam (our blond cocker spaniel) began opening HIS presents before we did. He somehow knew which ones were his and he didn't want to wait (the disadvantage to teaching him the "rip and tear" method on Christmas morning). We had to go to the garage to give my FIL his present (a charcoal/gas grill combo) and while we were out there, Sam was in the living room opening his presents!! Smart dog! :) I got a lot of awesome gifts...remote start for my car (yay!), new bedding set, Fiestaware utensils, a couple movies (Titanic, Jack Frost), Mickey Mouse salt and pepper shaker, and chip/dip bowl, and a couple other things I can't recall. Yep...we are spoiled! FIL also said next year we'd get mostly baby stuff :)

Later in the afternoon, we stopped by DH's mom's house to get gifts and eat (well, I ate). I got a Nikon Coolpix digital camera and DH got a Kindle Fire HD. I ate a couple platefuls, then we went back to FIL's for dinner. And yes, I ate again. Yum!

12-week appointment was Dec. 26th at 10am. DH went with me. As soon as I went back, the nurse asked me to pee in a cup. I went into the bathroom, sat down, peed, and realized when I only had a couple drops left that I forgot to pee in a cup. Oops! I was so embarrassed, but she said it happens a lot so I felt better. OB came in and went right to the doppler. He found the baby for a couple seconds but then lost it, so he said "I know there's a baby alive in there, I heard it." A couple seconds later, he found it again. Loud and clear and 161 bpm! What a beautiful sound. He measured my belly and said to make my next appt. for 4 wks. later. I asked about getting an u/s because last time he said I could get one, but the tech was in that day and the room was full :( He promised next time!

That evening, DH and I had to go to the funeral showing. But it started snowing very heavily that afternoon, so by the time we left at 6:40pm, the roads were fully covered...even the interstates. It took us an hour to go what would normally take us 20-25 minutes. We started on the interstate, but I made DH exit when trucks were flying by us (we were going 25-30 and they were going 55+). Still took forever, but we made it. Very sad as the death was somewhat unexpected (FIL's cousin).

Thursday, I spent the day at home, napping, while DH went to work. Friday, DH went to work again, so mom and I went out maternity clothes shopping and I got some things from Motherhood Maternity (jeans and sweaters). Saturday-Tuesday was pretty uneventful. Most of it was spent hanging out at home and getting in afternoon naps. My sciatica came back Sat and Sun...to the point where it was difficult to walk :( New Year's was uneventful and we were both asleep well before midnight.

One other thing...I found a place that does elective gender ultrasounds. I talked DH into letting me do it.

It's at a place called Baby Envision and we got the 2 visit Early Gender:
http://www.babyenvision.com/Packages.html

15 weeks to 20 weeks  

FIRST VISIT:  As Early as 15 Weeks

7-10 minutes of 2D 

"Gender Sneak Peek" 

Confirmation of Gender given at 2nd Visit

Heartbeat on Request

SECOND VISIT: 16-20 Weeks

 " GENDER 4D" Package

15-20 minutes of 2D w/ 3D 4D intro

1  - 4x6 Color Print

6 - Black & White Prints

 CD w/ 10+ images  

DVD of Recorded Session for $10  

Gender Confirmation

My first appointment I will be 16 weeks on January 20th. Second one I'm hoping to do about 3 weeks later. They also have room in the ultrasound room for up to 10 people...so my mom, FIL and MIL will all be going! :) It was $139 including both visits and the photos.

With that, I'll leave you with my latest photo: