A little kick

Dan is now convinced our son is going to be an NFL kicker.
Until today, he had felt the baby move, but never a full-blown kick. We just hadn't really tried. The little peanut moves ALL THE TIME, but I've never called Dan over to feel. Well...until today.
I had him put his hand on my tummy. He put it way too high to start with, so I moved it lower and we waited. It only took a few seconds and Dan was pulling his hand away and squealing like a little girl. He thought it was the coolest thing. He also commented on how it must hurt (it doesn't really...not yet anyway). Just a few minutes ago, Dan said "It was the weirdest thing. It's like there's an alien in there."
He really hasn't quit talking about it.

25 weeks!

How Far Along? 25 weeks

Symptoms? Have you ever heard of pelvic separation? Look it up. I believe I have some sort of form of it. The good thing is that it's not constant and only really hurts when I walk or stand up. This dang fibroid has also started giving me heartburn.

Weight gain? 10 pounds as of 24 weeks, although I'm probably down a few since getting the stomach flu. My stomach has really popped. I literally look like I could give birth tomorrow.

Sleep? I have a cold right now, so not great; but it could be so much worse.

Best Moment of the Week? Just spending time with family.

Worst Moment of the Week? Two words...stomach flu. My stomach muscles still hurt from the puking.

Food Cravings? Unsweetened iced tea from McDonalds. Nothing else has even sounded good this week.

Gender? BOY!!!

What I miss? Alcohol. I've never been a big drinker, but I've been thinking an awful lot about having a glass of wine.

What I'm looking forward to? Everything to continue to go well.

The icky stomach flu

Later Sunday night, I came down with the stomach flu. At first, I just thought it was something minor. I was dizzy, really tired and my stomach felt funny. But by midnight, I was really sick. I spent the entire night on the couch, running back and forth to the bathroom.
Unfortunately, I didn't improve on Monday. I'd sleep for a few minutes (or just lay on the couch and moan) and then I'd throw up 10 times in a row. Immediately, I'd feel better for about five minutes and then I'd start the whole process over. It really was as miserable as it sounds.
Last night I started to feel a bit better. While I was still sick and had a good fever going, at least I wasn't as weak as I had been and I felt like I was finally getting somewhere. I slept pretty well for about four hours last night and then it was back to the bathroom, where I remained until this morning.
I thought I was going to be able to go into work, but by mid-morning and after a little bit of food, I knew it probably wasn't wise. While I do feel a lot better than yesterday, I'm still not keeping food in. I still have a bit of a fever. And I'm just sluggish in general.
Because I was having a hard time keeping fluids in yesterday, I'm also really dehydrated which is making my stomach cramp up. I'm working on correcting that though.
By tomorrow, I hope to be completely well.

Duke

Something pretty scary happened on Friday. Since we were leaving town, Dan took our two dogs, Jazzy and Duke, out to the kennel they stay at when we're gone. He had just arrived when Duke started having a seizure. Dan hurried and put Jazzy in a kennel and then laid on the floor with Duke, our cocker spaniel. The seizure lasted about 90 seconds. Duke's eyes rolled back, his body was seizing, he was foaming at the mouth and he was peeing everywhere. When he started coming out of it, he growled at Dan. Eventually, Duke started responding to Dan's voice and little by little he got better.
Dan loaded Duke into the car and headed to the vet. And then he called me. He asked me to meet him there. Dan's voice was shaky and he told me that he first thought Duke was dying. As I drove to the vet's office I couldn't help but get teary. We had just lost our other dog, Emma, a few months before, and I still struggle with it. I didn't want there to be anything wrong with Duke, who is just a few years old.
But when I saw Duke, he seemed fine. He recognized me right away, and although he was still really lethargic, he seemed OK. We took him in\to the vet to get examined, and we were told he was probably still coming out of the seizure. They didn't seem too worried about what had happened and said it's actually pretty common. They thought the fact that the seizure was relatively short was a good thing, and all the symptoms Duke had experienced were common with a seizure. They also guessed that it was probably Duke's anxiety about going to the kennel that caused it. So instead of taking him back there, we decided to take him with this weekend. He's been great since then...maybe a little more cuddly than normal, but still good.
The good thing about taking him with this weekend is that we got to see how he reacted to my niece. We're soon going to be bringing a baby home and Duke has never been around kids. It would be nice to know that he is going to be OK with the experience.
We had a bit of a rough start. While he wasn't at all threatening to my niece, Kayla, he still didn't know how to react. At one point, he was up in her face, smelling her and he barked. It scared her and she started crying. I took him downstairs for a while, but later brought him back to see how he'd react. We sat across the room from Kayla and just let him get used to seeing and hearing her. From then on, he was perfect. Most of the time, he'd keep his distance, but he also let him pet her and he licked her hand. It was really a relief.

24-week appointment

Well, it was definitely a strange doctor's appointment. We saw a doctor we don't normally see (there's four in the practice and they'd like for you to meet all of them before you give birth). And we waited two hours before we were able to see her. To be fair, she was on call and had a delivery that morning. And the nurse did check on us three separate times...the last time saying "this is ridiculous." It wouldn't have been so bad, but the whole wait was over lunch, which for a pregnant woman isn't the best timing. I was hungry going in. I think my stomach growls could have scared small children. At one point, we became so bored that I suggested ripping the paper covering that goes over the exam table in tiny pieces, throwing it like confetti at the doctor when she came and yelling "Surprise...we're still here." But then I figured that might land me in the mental hospital.
But...she finally came in. We figured she would poke my belly a bit and we'd get to hear the heartbeat (it was 142 beats for minute by the way) and we'd be good to go. But when she started feeling around my belly, she kept going back to a spot by my ribs. "The baby's head can't be this high yet, can it?," she said. She felt around some more and then finally pressed the staff assist button on the wall (the button I had been joking around about pushing during our wait, but Dan thought it was for emergencies only). When the nurse came in, the doctor asked for a portable ultrasound. Once it arrived, she got to work.
The good news is that the baby is perfect. He's 1 pound, 14 ounces. His head was measuring at 24 weeks, 1 day. The rest of him 25 weeks, 1 day. He's exactly where he's supposed to be (he's breech but that's not uncommon). The doctor kept saying how adorable he is.
The bad news? I'm falling apart. The thing she thought was the baby's head is a HUGE fibroid, basically a noncancerous tumor. It's outside my uterus and not sharing the placenta with the baby, both really, really good things. But it's gigantic. The doctor kept saying "It's just so interesting" like I was this medical marvel...and not in a good way. She told us not to worry. It's going to have to be watched, but if you look at the bright side of that, it just means we'll get to see our son via ultrasound more times. And because fibroids grow during pregnancy, there is a chance my body could think the fibroid is the baby and then try to expell the baby, leading to preterm delivery. The fibroid is also the likely cause of our infertility in the first place. She said there's a good chance the fibroid has been blocking my left tube. I'm not sure what this means for baby No. 2, but the thought has crossed my mind. Right now, I'm just worried about baby No. 1.

Sometimes you just have to walk away

A conversation between two co-workers at work yesterday had me cringing. They were talking about stillbirths...and not in a private way...very loudly and within ear shot of every single person in the room. I know they didn't stop to think about the fact that a pregnant woman was sitting just steps away and I'm sure they didn't mean anything by the conversation, but it was still pretty disturbing.
They talked about the fact that they felt stillbirths were happening more frequently, especially at the hospital I'll be giving birth at. At one point, I turned to another co-worker (who seemed to be disturbed about the talk as well) and I said "I don't think I need to hear this." I waited for a few more minutes, hoping the conversation would end. When it didn't, I got up and walked away. I didn't come back until they were finished.
At first I was a little annoyed about it, but why? They had every right to have that conversation. Just like I had every right to have a problem with it.

Last night's project

I put together this bouncer last night. It was a gift from my aunt Maureen and I love it. (Side note: Dan and I have some incredibly generous relatives - parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, everyone)
However, I don't know if it's the pregnancy brain or if I just turned stupid over night, because it literally took me almost an hour to assemble. I was trying to put parts on backwards, upside down and in the wrong spot. Eventually, I got things figured out though. I can't wait for the little one to be here so we can use it.

Busy weekend

This weekend I was back home in Clark for some family get-togethers. I saw a lot of people I haven't seen in a while, including relatives and friends I haven't seen since we announced the pregnancy.
There were a lot of questions. How are you feeling? Is he kicking a lot? And so on and so on.
There was also a lot of belly touching, which I really don't mind (my brother was really surprised at how hard it was).
But what I was uncomfortable with was all the attention. I just didn't know how to handle it. Before, I could just blend into the background. Now, there's no way to miss me. I kind of stand out (belly and all).

The name game

Although we already have a name chosen for the baby, that hasn't kept our co-workers and friends from picking some of their own.
Some of the favorites: Rufus, Brutus and Rocky. All I can say? Ummm...no. :)

Edit: Over the weekend, my brothers also added Bert and Denard. My brother Jacob has even started telling people that we're naming our child Bert.

Best purchase ever

Tonight I used my doppler for the first time since I had the freakout last week. It literally took me less than a minute to find little peanut's heartbeat. I knew exactly where to look and I could hear it clear as can be.
It's amazing to me that such a cheap product could give me such peace of mind. I wasn't too worried this time around, but since I hadn't been feeling the little one move as much the last few days, I decided to check.

And the dreams return

It's been awhile since I had a strange dream, but last night's was a good one. I won the state cross country title and the 2-mile run at the state track meet — in the same day.
Yep, that's right...you're reading the thoughts of a champion.

The beginnings of the nursery

We spent a big chunk of the weekend working on the nursery. We're not done and things need a bit of organization, but we're getting there.
It took Dan and I about an hour and a half (Dan doing the work and me reading the directions) to put together the crib and changing table on Friday night. Yesterday, we hung some things on the wall and washed a few loads of baby clothes. Jazzy and Duke loved helping (or getting in the way...depends on how you look at it).
Here's a quick look:

22 down, 18 to go

How Far Along? 22 weeks

Symptoms? Not much. Some lower belly pain when I stand up, the constant need to pee and just plain tiredness. Nothing I can't handle though.


Weight gain? At 16 weeks, I had gained one pound. At 20 weeks and 6 days, I was up 6. On Monday, I had lost it all. I'm too scared to step on the scale now.

Sleep? Restless, but could be worse.

Best Moment of the Week? Feeling him kick...ALL THE TIME. He's usually busiest in the morning and the evening. Getting carpet put in the nursery.

Worst Moment of the Week? Realizing I had lost all the weight I've gained and freaking out about there being something wrong.

Food Cravings? Strawberry laffy taffy, unsweetened iced tea from McDonalds.

Gender? BOY!!! And I'm so excited.

What I miss? Alcohol. I've never been a big drinker, but I've been thinking an awful lot about having a glass of wine.

What I'm looking forward to? A planned shopping trip next Friday with the hubby and my mom. Getting the crib and changing table put together and working on the nursery.

Yes, I'm a paranoid weirdo

I've avoided writing this blog, because well, it's going to paint me as a crazy person. But...I told myself when I started this that I was going to share the good and the bad.
Monday morning I woke up, stepped on the scale and noticed I had lost all the weight I've gained this pregnancy (all six pounds). I immediately got scared. I had been told long ago that weight loss was a sign of miscarriage (although at this point, it would be considered a still birth). I convinced myself there was something wrong with the baby. As I got ready for work, I noticed the maternity shirt I put on was bigger than normal. And I couldn't feel him move. I told Dan about my concerns, but instead of being supportive, he told me to knock it off and stop worrying.
As I sat at work, I started worrying more. At that point, I thought I had felt the baby move, but because I had already convinced myself something was wrong, I wouldn't believe it. I knew I was being silly, but I couldn't help but worry.
By lunch, I had ordered a cheap $25 fetal doppler online and had it overnighted. At lunch, I was in tears. By that night, I was better. Still worrying, but I had calmed down a lot.
The next day, I impatiently waited for the doppler to arrive. When I came home after work, I found it sitting by the front door. I immediately took it upstairs, laid on the bed, slathered some gross oil on my tummy and tried to find the heartbeat. Ten minutes later, I still hadn't found it. So I went downstairs and waited until Dan got home. And then I tried again. Another 10 minutes, and just as I was ready to give up, there it was. The sound was faint, but it was there. And it was beautiful.
I may be a crazy person, but I have a living, breathing child inside of me. I knew it in my heart. Just not in my head.