Shower

Well, we have a date for the shower. March 6th. I will be 33 weeks along. I think that will be just perfect timing. My sister is hosting it at her house. I am very grateful. Since it is at her house, she wants to keep the number around 40. Truth is, our list is a wee bit over 50. I'm thinking not everyone will come though. We will see.

I am not inviting anyone from work (since my sister lives over an hour away from where I work) and usually when teachers are pregnant they do something after school, so I wouldn't want my school friends to feel obligated. B is inviting people from her work, but she does not think many will come. People at church keep asking about a shower, but we just don't have the room to accommodate. I don't want people to feel offended, but I also don't want people to think we just want presents. Ya know?

Speaking of presents....we went to one of those big box stores yesterday, in search for a crib tent (to keep the kitties out of her crib for the time being). It is a store that many, many, women register at, but not one we are interested in due to HRC rating scales. However, while we were there, I fell in love with a blanket (not so in love that I wanted to spend $22 on it though!). I could only find a small picture online.

As far as I can tell, they do not carry the brand at either of the other two stores we are registering at, so maybe I will go back and get it in the future...we will see.

We will register next Saturday. I have already created a spreadsheet with 6 columns (need/want, description, price, Store A, Store B, and received?) This way we can keep track of which store we registered for each item and keep a good balance of price items at each store. I used the web, mom message boards, and my own brains to figure out what to put on the list. If you have any must-haves that I may have forgotten, feel free to let me know!

Active

I love how active our little Nuggette is. She dances around like nutso right before bed and early in the morning. She also does her little jig around meal times. It is so utterly awesome.

We set up the crib on Christmas Eve night. It was a wonderful way to spend our anniversary together. The crib is beautiful and we have had it for a few years.

This is what it looks like from the website:

It fits perfectly in the room outside of our bedroom (you have to walk through a sort of sitting room to get to our bedroom...we live in a bungalow house with an addition upstairs). The sitting room/nursery is quite big (bigger than our bedroom) and will have enough room for a dresser, rocker/recliner, crib, book shelves, etc. There are also built-ins. We have a built-in book shelf and a built-in dresser. Once we get a few more things on the walls and the furniture arranged, we will post pictures.

I can't believe in just 4 short months, she will be here. I am in awe.

Picture it...

December 2000. I had just broken up with my girlfriend about a month ago and had been chatting via AIM with a friend of a friend for a few weeks. We decided to meet up at the local lesbian bar on the night of December 23rd.

On my way from campus, I swung by my aunt's house where my older, Mormon, just married to a Catholic, cousin was staying for the holidays. She was going to go with me to the bar.

The beginning of the night is a blur. I do know that a lot of my friends were there, including my ex (Lynne)

Let me pause here to tell you a little bit about Lynne. She was my first official gf and she looked like a 12 year old boy. She was slightly younger than me and had short spiky red hair. She had tattoos and piercings (2 of which I accompanied her to get). She was a super fan of Metallica and wore a chain to connect her wallet to her pocket. As the first girl I ever brought home, my parents were less than thrilled. (Before her
I "dated" the only black guy in my high school and then a convicted criminal for
2.5 years-Dear God please don't let our daughter put us through this!)

Anyway, back to the story. We were having a great time, watching the drag shows and dancing. Through our conversations, B knew two of my favorite songs. Since we were such regulars at the bar, we knew the staff. Without my knowing, B requested the two songs from the DJ and she played them back to back. Curious of the songs? Joe-I Wanna Know (still one of my favs!) and Faith Hill-Breathe (I have an eclectic choice in music). Since both are slow songs, we danced on the dance floor as if no one else was around. It seriously felt like the entire club emptied out. Except, of course, for my ex, staring at us from the side lines. Luckily, in swoops straight Mormon cousin! She slow danced with Lynne and kept her occupied while B and I danced, and eventually kissed.

We made our way back to the other (quieter) side. Since the drag shows had ended, it was pretty deserted. I said to her, "I want you to be my girlfriend." The rest is history. It was after midnight, so technically our anniversary is today, Christmas Eve.

I can't imagine a more perfect woman to spend my life together. Last night, as we laid in bed, her hand on my stomach to feel our daughter kick about, she said to me, "Who would have thought 10 years later we would be here?"

It's truly amazing. I love you B with all of my heart, soul, and left toe. May the next 10 years be even greater!

xoxo

No new fruit!

So disappointed that I don't get a new fruit for another 2 weeks. Bummer. I look forward to those fruits! Still a papaya.

Happy 23 weeks Nuggette!

As B was reading blogs this morning, she said to me "Have you read fruitlooped yet?" "Not yet"
These ladies are doing something great for gift giving during Christmas. Want, Need, Wear, Read, Share. WE LOVE IT. We are going to adopt this for ourselves and Nuggette next year. I had never heard of it before and it sounds awesome. Thanks for sharing girls!

Ornament Pictures!

Finally.

Here are the beautiful ornaments we received last week (They were double sided, so I took two pictures):

And some bonus pictures of the cats. The first one is of Maggie and Joey snuggling together by the tree. The second one is Miss Maggie being cute.

A poke here, a jab there.

I promise to post the pictures of the beautiful ornaments soon! (Man, I feel like such a slacker lately). Good news is, mine went out yesterday, so my recipient should receive the box on Monday.

In Nuggette news, I felt her move from the outside a couple of days ago. I tried to get B to feel it, but of course, she couldn't. Until yesterday! She felt her and it was awesome. I love that she can share more of this pregnancy now. Woot!

I can't believe our little one is receiving gifts already and she's not even born! Aunt Sarah sent another package full of different kinds of pacis, a bib, paci holder, and a thirsties diaper. Last night, I was at a small Christmas gathering with friends. Typically, we only buy for the kids...well apparently my little kiddo counts! I received 2 beautiful and soft blankets from my friends. People's generosity is truly amazing.

Telling my students

Last night I created a word search full of winter/holiday words for my students. If they find all the words, the remaining letters will spell out "Ms. M(last name) is having a baby."

I wonder if any kids will even bother to finish it. If they do, they should be surprised. =)

I am so grateful for Winter Break.

Today will be a crazy day, but totally worth it once 2:30 rolls around.

Fruity

So today is 22weeks, which means I get a new fruit on my ticker at the bottom of this page. At 20 weeks, Nuggette was the size of a cantaloupe. Now, she's the size of a papaya.
I guess I always thought that cantaloupes were larger than papayas. Weird.
We got our ornaments yesterday from the ornament swap. I will post pictures tomorrow, after I remake ours to send out too. (Looking at how beautiful the ones we got really made mine look like crap, so I am redoing them.) =) I will mail them out on Friday.
Tomorrow starts winter break. Amen. Hallelujah.

Doctor

So after getting some high readings today, I decided to call the nurse after lunch. (Reading was 130). She asked me if I could come in today for an appointment. Due to the snow, I had a snow day (and coincidentally, so did B), so we headed over to the doc around 2ish.
She drew some blood to be sent to the lab to see if my meter is working alright (these high numbers coincide with me switching my test strips-even though I tested them with the control solution). She doesn't want to jump to prescribing me more meds until she sees my numbers tomorrow and we compare the lab's number to my meter's number. I like how this doctor works. I am to call tomorrow after my after lunch draw to let her know the numbers. We will take it from there.

Weekend Blood Sugar Phenomenon

During the school week, I am very good at sticking to a food schedule (mostly because I am forced to eat when I have my break scheduled). Anyway, during the weekend, not so much. First of all, I can sleep a lot longer than during the school week, getting 8-9 hours of sleep, instead of 5-6. I have noticed that this throws off my blood sugar levels. This morning, my reading was 92. (Remember they want it less than 90 and now I am on gly.buride) I thought for sure it would be in the normal range because when I got up to use the bathroom at 4:30, I went downstairs and took it. Ugh. How frustrating. After being up for a few hours, I ate my breakfast (the same breakfast I eat every morning-eggbeater with cheese on toast and a glass of milk-fully in my meal plan). I went back to sleep and set my alarm for 2 hours later, which is when I have to check my after meal level. It was 122 (They want it less than 120). Double Ugh.
I dont' typically get my snacks in during the weekend, so I just went back to bed, feeling defeated. I woke up 3 hours later and made myself lunch. (A very sensible, on the meal plan, lunch-salad with sunflower seeds and shredded cheese, masala burger on flat bread, cottage cheese, water). Now I have to wait 2 hours before checking again. I like being on track, so this is driving me buggy!

It doesn't help that I was at a banquet on Thursday night and the vegetarian option had zero protein. That threw off my sugar for my after dinner reading and my morning reading. Breakfast was oatmeal, fruit, and a juice bar, so I ate by myself at the restaurant in the hotel. =/ At least I got my protein and limited my carbs.

I can't wait to get back on track. Of course, then holiday break comes around and I have 2 weeks off. Perhaps I will have to set some alarms to eat.

In baby news, during one of my naps this morning, I dreamt that we were having triplets. Everyone kept introducing us and then throwing in, "and they are having triplets!" After we were alone, I questioned B, "I thought there was only one? We only have one name!" LOL

B and I also found out that I am one of 3 pregnant ladies on our block, including our next door neighbor that is due 3 days before me. We all will be delivering at the same hospital. Too funny. We may be neighbors in the birth center as well. =) Next door neighbor is due April 18th and her husband is a tax accountant, so she really wants to go full term or later (at least for his benefit!) My doctor told me to keep in my mind that they may need to deliver earlier than 40 weeks due to the gestational diabetes. We will see. My friend, Karen, from undergrad is due in April too. Lots of Spring babies!

Gifts

Yesterday we received our first gifts for our little one in the mail.

Aunt Sarah (B's best friend who is stationed over in Afghanistan) sent us an adorable pink camo crib hat and this beautiful receiving blanket:

How perfect is that?!

December 9th

Tomorrow is the anniversary of our EDD for Sprout. We've come a long way. Last year was a pretty depressing Christmas season. I had no holiday cheer, we didn't have our baby, and I was not pregnant again. This year is completely different. We still don't have our little Sprout, but I know he is just another angel in heaven watching over his moms and his baby sister. I'm grateful for that.

Today I had my weekly blood sugar check-up. I was down another 2lbs and spilling ketones. I'm guessing I am not getting enough calories. Doc wants me to call the nutritionist tomorrow, so that's what I'll do. She's going to tell me to add more protein and fat...I'm pretty sure of it. So that makes my total weight gain for this pregnancy 4lbs. Tomorrow marks 21 weeks.

I am also having a weird (embarrassing!) side effect of pregnancy as well. For the past few days, I have had a vibrating vagina. I know, right? It's like I'm sitting on a cell phone. Totally weird. There is no rhyme or reason to when it happens. The doctor said it is probably baby related. I consulted Dr. Goo.gle and from what I found, a LOT of women experience this. It doesn't hurt. It's just more annoying than anything.

Tomorrow I work all day and then head to a banquet at night. I'm staying the night at a hotel with a former co-worker and going to a conference all day Friday. I'm looking forward to the sleep. =)

Oh, and I miss B. She is a retail manager, so this time of year she is super busy and works late nights. By the time she gets home, I'm in bed, ready for bed, or asleep. Just a few more weeks of this hellish schedule and she will be back to somewhat normal. I can't wait. =)

More shots

Alright, alright, alright! We heard you loud and clear...more belly shots (plus a bonus shot of Nuggette at the 20w u/s) are posted and can be viewed right over here.

Enjoy! :)

Glyburide

I was supposed to start my medication today. However, I am not going to make it to the pharmacy tonight, so I will just plan on starting tomorrow.
Part of the reason I am dragging my feet is I am not so sure I need the medicine, yet.
My fasting blood sugars are supposed to be less than 90. Most days they are right around 90. A few days, they have been above 90, with one day being 99 and one being 107, but most of the time, if they are over 90, they are 92 or 93.
My nutritionist/dietitian was not concerned about the numbers at all. She said they looked great. One of my doctors (it is a practice of 5) said she was happy with the numbers and it looked like I would be able to stay off medicine.
I meet new doctor yesterday and she immediately jumps to medicine and the possibility of delivering early or via c-section. WHAT?
Baby is measuring perfect right now. I have gained a total of 6 pounds this entire pregnancy and my blood sugar numbers after eating are awesome.
She said, "It's only going to get worse as your pregnancy progresses, so we better start now."
I feel like when it gets "worse" then we do something. In the meantime, we work on getting those fasting numbers down by trying some other things (like eating a snack in the middle of the night).
What are your opinions? I have another appointment on Wednesday of next week, with another new doctor.

It's a GIRL!

I knew it all along. =)
Apparently so did many of you guys. Good job on the poll.

"Nuggette" wasn't very cooperative at first. She is breech and wouldn't show us anything. Then I got up, walked around, and emptied my bladder and she was more compliant.

Doc doesn't like my fasting blood sugars. She is putting me on medicine. I'll start it tomorrow. Boo!

A GIRL!!! We are so very excited.

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is the big day.
Our u/s is scheduled for 4pm and then we have an appointment with the doc after that.
Post should arrive sometimes between 6-7pm EST.
Or, if you are friends with one of us on facebook, I am sure you will see it there. =)
Some of you special people will receive a text from B as soon as we know.

Tomorrow also marks 20 weeks. Half way there.

How many months am I?

I know I am IN my 5th month, but when someone asks how far along I am, do I say 5 months or 4? I'm confuzzled. Most people are content with a week marker (almost 20 weeks), but it seems like older people and guys do not compute.
What do you guys think?
U/s is on Thursday. I'm excited to find out the gender, but I think I am more excited just to see our little Nugget on the screen moving around and getting so big. We haven't seen him/her since 9 weeks!

Movement

I'm feeling the baby move!
It's so cool.
Like a bubble floating around.
Our baby is most active in the morning while I am lying still in bed.
I'm also experiencing some round ligament pain every once in a while (if I get up too fast or sit in a certain position), some stretching, and some sciatica pain.
Other than that and my growing belly, you would not even know I was preggo. =)

Name

We chose our baby's name last night.
We were just sitting and watching TV and boom. There it was.
The name will be the same if it is a boy or if it is a girl.
I checked the SSA website to check on popularity and the first name is right around 300 and the middle name is right around 250, so just popular enough in our book. We want a unique name, but nothing too unique that people do not know how to pronounce or spell it.
We will not be telling anybody the name except B's best friend (Hi Aunt Sarah!) who is stationed over in Afghanistan.
Now we just have to hope and pray that our irl and our bloggy friends don't use the name before we do. =)

Appointment went great yesterday. She was impressed by my numbers. She said I will totally be able to manage my GD with diet. I have gained 8 pounds thus far. My bp was great and they said nothing about ketones this time. The heartbeat was strong (and my favorite part of the visit). We go back in 8 days for another appointment and the u/s. (P.S. That means you only have 8 days left to vote on whether we are having a boy or a girl! ------>)

18w4d

I have my first doctor's appointment for this GD tomorrow. My numbers have been great, except the morning ones (they should be less than 90 and I have only had one day that fit that criteria at 89...but they never go higher than 100).
I'm wondering if she will just tell me to eat a certain snack before bedtime, or something.

My mom is in the hospital. She had to have the plate they put in her foot removed. Hopefully she will be there for a while so my dad can get some respite and my mom can heal.

Tomorrow is a half day of school and then we are on Thanksgiving Break. Boy, am I thankful!

I still don't know what we are doing for Thanksgiving.

I am still looking forward to our big u/s on the 2nd. Only 10 days away!

Diabetes in Pregnancy Class

The class went..eh..well?
The nurse running the class was interesting. It could have been called "Diabetes for Dummies" because it was very basic and simple. Perhaps if I hadn't grown up with a diabetic parent, it would have been more informative for me.
I received my very basic meter and supplies, as well as a log and meal plan.
I was led to believe that the meal plan was going to be tailored for each of us. The dietician said she looked at our pre-pregnancy weights and determined our diets. Funny thing...all 7 moms in the room were put on the same 2000 calorie diet. I know for a fact that the tiny woman next to me and the larger woman two seats away were not the same pre-pregnancy weight. The dietician was a bit weird too, and socially awkward. Overall, I was quite glad when it was over.
I was happy when my blood sugar during the class was 90. B and I were starving afterward, so we had a Taco Bell dinner (not so much on the meal plan) and when I tested my sugar just now (2 hours after eating) it was 122. They want it less than 120. Not bad for not on the meal plan. Tomorrow is a new day and my first day following the plan. We will see how my numbers are then.

Cold Sore

Anyone here know what is safe to use on cold sores while pregnant?
I have two tiny ones on my bottom lip that are spreading. Normally I use Abreva, but it says that no testing has been done on pregnant women.
I am going to ask my nurse friends tonight, but I thought I would throw it out here too.

Recent Happenings

• When I called my mom to wish her a happy birthday on Friday, she proceeded to ask me how much weight I have gained so far in this pregnancy. Honestly, I have no idea. Last time I was weighed, it was like 3 pounds. It's been a few weeks, so I'm guessing that number is higher now.
• She then told me to "You need to watch what you eat. I only gained 3 pounds when I was pregnant with you and I only gained 8 pounds when I was pregnant with your sister." Thanks mom. =/

• I'm guessing that pregnancy pantyhose is different than giant plus size pantyhose. Anyone have experience with this? I am wearing a dress to church today and I found a package of size D (up to 240lbs) nylons in my nylon box. They fit perfectly around my belly, but my legs seem a bit baggy.

• Wednesday is my 3 hour "Diabetes in Pregnancy" class. I was not happy about having to take a 1/2 day off of work, but you do what you gotta do. Luckily, B is able to come with me. I will also get an individualized meal plan at that time. The nurse said it is not an issue that I am a vegetarian. Yay!

• Our gender u/s is in 18 days. I'm so excited!

GD

Gestational diabetes.
Really?
Ugh.
I feel like such a failure.
Fasting 89 (They like it less than 95, so I was fine)
1 hour 192 (They like it less than 180..big fat FAIL)
2 hour 178 (They like it less than 155...even bigger fat FAIL)
3 hour 131 (They like it less than 140, so I was fine again)

2/4 = FAIL

I have to attend a "Diabetes in Pregnancy" class, test/log my blood sugars several times a day, see a nutritionist, and then have WEEKLY appointments at my doctor's office.

And just today I thought, wow..."I'm a pretty normal pregnant person."

16w4d

The gender poll over there -----> seems to be evening out. At first we had a majority thinking girl...now it's about a 2:3 ratio. We will find out in 3 weeks. That doesn't seem too far away at all!
I feel like I am shrinking. I am not bloated at all and my baby bump seems smaller. Couple that with actually feeling good, and my mind goes to that dark place.
I have felt little pokes and twinges, which I think may be Nugget, but I have no idea for sure.
The other night, B accidentally kicked me in the stomach. Not hard, not on purpose. Anyway, about 3 seconds afterward, I felt this little punch on the opposite side. I'm pretty sure that was Nugget saying, "What the heck, Mom?" I made sure to inform him/her that it was his/her OTHER mother.
I'm getting very excited for the upcoming u/s. Luckily I have things planned between now and then...including a few game nights, my first ever Red Wings game, and Thanksgiving.
I hope that my 3 hour GTT results come in soon. I am anxiously awaiting those results as well.

Milestone

I hit a sort of milestone today. I had my first person come up to me and ask "Are congratulations in order?" Now, that takes some b4lls. I would never, ever, ask anyone, if they were pregnant. But apparently, our IT guy doesn't really have that filter. I was happy to say, "Yes, they are!"
Today is also the first day of my "at least 150g of carb diet" for my 3 hour test that is on Saturday. I totally had forgotten until I was driving to work. According to babyfit, I am at right around 200 right now, so fine. Babyfit says I should have between 300-350/day, so I figure with dinner in there, I should be ok.
Tomorrow marks 16 weeks. That's 4 months, right? FOUR? As in 6 more left? As in, almost half way through? Wow. I'm like really pregnant. Nice.

Oh, and I added a poll about gender over there ------->

Check

Anybody use Enfagrow Toddler formula? I have a $12 check here I am willing to send.

Conferences and stuff

• The last two nights have been parent teacher conferences. They are completely and utterly draining. Luckily, I am sitting for all of them, but still. I am glad they are over. Today we have our Native American trading day and our potlatch. the kids are very excited. I am so grateful to have found a movie to show during my three ELA classes.
• Tonight we are going to see Jason and deMarco at our church. A ton of our friends are going to be there, so it should be fun times. I just hope I can stay awake!
• The van broke down again. It has been in the shop no less than 8 times in the past month. We haven't had a pay check where we weren't paying for van repairs. It's time to get a new vehicle. We can't afford anything until December, so we just need to make it until then.
• B said the most wonderful thing to me today. She said, "You can sleep in tomorrow, I will take care of the dogs." Oh, thank God!
• Today is 15w1d (Or how we call it +3)
• I'm getting more and more comfortable telling people. My belly can't hide anymore.

One hour test

My one hour glucose test came back elevated. My number was 162 and they want to see under 140. I have to do the three hour now.
eh.

14w5d

Today is a big milestone in this pregnancy. Today is the day we lost Sprout. At 14w5d, our little angel grew wings. Here we are in this pregnancy, with no complications to speak of (Thank GOD!) We have had no spotting, not severe pain, no contractions, nothing. I am so very grateful.
We are telling more and more people now. The baby bump is so very hard to hide. It's there. when I tell people, and they look, they are like, "Oh my!" LOL. Yep. Definitely pregnant.
We told both of our bosses yesterday and told some friends from church this past weekend. Won't be long before there is a facebook post. =)
I've had some insomnia lately. The amount of times I wake up during the night to pee, varies from night to night, but if I wake up between 1:30-2:00, I can't seem to get back to sleep. It was a good thing I was awake this morning and watching my clock, because we lost power a minute before my alarm was to go off. It came back on, but all the clocks were flashing 12:00, so we both would have been late for work. Our weather today includes a high-wind warning. We are expecting 50-60mph winds. Eek.
Tomorrow and Thursday are conferences and then on Friday is our Native American Trading post day and potlatch. It's a busy week!

New pics

Hi friends, B here! I wanted to share with you the updated belly shots for those interested. Just follow the linky link back to see our growing Nugget.

Sorry for making you take the extra step, but rather than make a new post with the belly pics I want to be sensitive to those still on their journey who may find it difficult to participate in this kind of thing.

Happy Friday to all. xoxo

Hello Second Trimester!

So nice to be in the second trimester. Today marks 14 weeks. Our appointment yesterday went well. We got to meet the second doctor in the practice. By the tie this pregnancy is over, we will have met with all 5 women. I love that our clinic is an all women clinic. They are young too, which I appreciate.

As soon as we got there, they gave me my glucose drink. (Fruit punch flavor this time.) It tasted like a melted Popsicle stick and burned my throat as it went down. Then we went back for my appointment. According to their scale, I have gained 1.5 pounds during this pregnancy. Score one for the team! (Please note, I will gain whatever I need to gain for this baby. I'm just enjoying the time now when the gain is minimal, since I know it will come later.)

Dr. F was able to find the heartbeat right away (in the 150 range and totally perfect). She did tell me that my urine had ketones. Ugh. She said you look like you are dehydrated. Let me tell you, I drank enough water yesterday to float away. I am not dehydrated. So then it made me think it could be related to my blood sugar. I really, really don't want to be gestationally diabetic. No thank you. After B came home and did some google searching, she said it could be a number of reasons: dehydration, gestational diabetes, insulin resistance due to hormones (hello! I have PCOS), not enough calories (this is B's guess since she thinks I do not eat enough), or not enough carbs. I am hoping the bloodwork will be able to tell us something a little more.

Our next appointment is combined with our gender u/s. It is SIX WEEKS away! I won't see a doctor for another month and a half. By then I will be 20 weeks. I am sure everything will be fine. I am looking forward to begin to feel the baby soon.

Oh, and I told the other two teachers on my team this week. They were superdy-duperdy excited. I still have to tell our para-pro and then the principal. I'm not a fan of telling the principal. Although, I'm sure I could be 9 months pregnant, as big as a house, and he would probably still not have a clue. He's rarely around this year, since he is now the principal of two buildings, so catching him will be hard. We will see, I guess.

Thrift Store Shopping

So I scored some great steals at our local thrift shop this weekend. Why spend $19.99 at the maternity store, or even one of the big box stores, when I can get a pair of pants for less than $5. Woot! Today they are going in the laundry so I have more clothes to wear. I have a few pair of pants that I can wear with the bella band, but some are just too tight to even try. I am very grateful for more options!
My next appointment is on Wednesday. I am very excited to hear the heartbeat again. I will also have to do my one-hour glucose test. They didn't tell me to fast or anything...do they make pregnant women fast? Dr. Google says no. What has been your experience?

13 weeks

I looked back at my entry for 13 weeks for Sprout's pregnancy and it was funny how I mentioned that I get up to pee at 12:15 and then am fine until the alarm goes off at 4:15. My body just switched to that cycle about 1 week ago. Amazing. By this point, last time, I had already been spotting a bit. Thank God for no spotting this time! I am glad I have an appointment next week (so close to that dangerous mark last time).
I'm definitely bigger this time around. I keep wondering if people are secretly thinking "Is she, or isn't she?" It's probably just me being paranoid though.

Research Appointment

Yesterday was my final appointment for the research study. This appointment had been rescheduled a few times. When I get there, the nurse told me that the doctor was in the OR, so it will be a quick appointment. Basically it was paperwork, bloodwork, weight, and blood pressure. According to their scale, I have gained 6 pounds. I can't wait to see what my ob/gyn's scale has to say next week. I will be sure not to wear 2 shirts and a sweater to that appointment! The nurse didn't seem concerned at all about the weight gain.
So needless to say, I did not get to hear Nugget's heartbeat, nor did I get a bonus u/s. Oh well. My next appointment (1 hour glucose test too) is on October 20th. One week from today. Tomorrow marks 13 weeks. We are still being very cautious about who we are telling. Only one person at each of our jobs know, a handful of friends, and my immediate family. A few more weeks and we can be a little more public with it.

Greetings from In Utero

Hi friends. My name is Nugget. This was taken a couple of weeks ago, but my moms forgot to post it. I'm pretty cute, eh? If you look closely you can even see me give a little wave. Moms will have a new picture of me to post soon, so check back to see how I've been growing. Toodles!

Bloat be gone

I am far less bloated than I was the past few weeks. This is wonderful. However, that means I am looking less pregnant. Coupled with the "feeling better since I'm entering the 2nd trimester" I am getting a wee bit paranoid. B has done a great job of keeping me calm and reminding me that I have nothing to worry about. Everything is normal.
My appointment for next Thursday was moved (yet again), but this time to Tuesday. In less than a week I will have medical confirmation that everything is going just fine.
Tomorrow marks 12 weeks.

199 beers on the wall

199 beers. You take one down and pass it around, 198 beers on the wall.
Or approximate days left in this pregnancy.
We are in the 100's now and there's no turning back for us!
My symptoms are almost all gone, except the peeing. I wake up to pee at least once a night, but usually twice or sometimes three times.
Last night I woke up twice, but slept horribly. I couldn't fall asleep or stay asleep. That was frustrating. I don't feel exhausted this morning, but it may hit later this afternoon.
My class this year is exhausting. Actually all 3 of the 5th grade classes are exhausting and hard to deal with. One of my teammates taught them when they were in kindergarten and she said this was the year she would go out drinking after school and the year she started researching other careers, besides teaching. Luckily, this is the year I get to take a couple months off. I just need to make it to April. April sounds much more doable than June. AND, I don't have to go to 5th grade camp with this group. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeee! What a blessing this pregnancy is, in so many ways! LOL

Bump the bump

I really don't have anything to say, but I wanted those pictures bumped. I don't see a baby bump in the pictures, I just see fat. LOL.
Now when I feel bloated, the top part of my stomach gets hard and then I feel REAL pregnant. However, you can feel where the baby pouch is below my belly button, but not see it.
I'm sure it will show up to others soonish.
11w2d today!

Belly Shots!

Here are the belly shots so far. Hopefully J doesn't mind that I am posting these without her permission! You can't tell much by looking, but you can definitely feel the difference between 8w and 11w by touching the bellay pouch. I lurve it.

8 weeks:

9 weeks:

10 weeks:

11 weeks:

12 weeks:

13 weeks:

14 weeks:

15 weeks:

16 weeks:

17 weeks:

19 weeks:

20 weeks:

And a bonus Nuggette shot at the 20w u/s:

I love her little mouth!! =D

24 weeks: (sorry, things were a little busy around here!)


25 weeks:


26 weeks:


27 weeks:


28 weeks:


And just for fun, how about a little side-by-side comparison of 8w and 28w?

Dehydrated

Apparently I am dehydrated. The nurse called yesterday with my urinalysis results and although there is no infection (yay!), there is evidence that I am not getting enough water (boo!).
I drink 50oz during the day at school and then whatever else I drink at home. I am peeing constantly and wake up twice during the night to pee. I can't imagine drinking much more, but alas, I will.
I think this will just mean more trips to the bathroom at school. I still haven't told any of my teammates, except my best friend (who incidentally found out the same day we did that we were pregnant.) I'm waiting for the perfect opportunity to tell both of them at once, but best friend wants to be there to hear their reactions. So, I have to wait until we are all together, but no extra staff members. So far, I have had one opportunity (yesterday), but it just didn't feel right. I know the perfect opportunity is out there. I'll just wait. I'm not a fan of the telling part.

Luckily there is nothing exciting in this post.

I find this part of pregnancy rather boring. By now (10w5d-but measuring even further ahead) I am starting to feel better. I have less bouts of nausea, less extreme fatigue, and I am sliding into a routine at work. The bloating even has seemed to pause itself. It's still there, just not getting worse.
I am completely grateful for all of this.
My research doc appointment, which was scheduled for Thursday has been rescheduled until October 14th. I now have to wait until October 14th for any confirmation that this pregnancy is still going along as planned. I know in my heart it is, but I do like that confirmation. By then I will be 13 weeks along. Woot.
This time, last time, spotting began. I have been kind of following along my blog from Sprout during this pregnancy, but I am going to stop now. I'll go back and reread a little later, just not right now.

Lots of News

• U/s and new clinic was wonderful-the u/s tech was great and funny and very welcoming. She gave us two pictures of our little Nugget and let us hear the heartbeat. A beautiful 175 beats per minute! I love that they have a screen mounted on the ceiling so I don't have to twist or turn to see what she is looking at.
• Doctor is awesome. She seems so much more proactive than my last ob.
• Nugget is a big baby. Yesterday (based on ovulation) should have been 9w4d. Based on LMP it would have been 9w6d. However, Nugget was measuring 10w5d. The u/s tech measured it 3 times, just to be sure.
• Our due date was changed to April 21st. This puts us at 10 weeks today (instead of Saturday)
• I have no gained a single pound this pregnancy. This may be my favorite fact from yesterday's visit. My pants don't fit and to myself I look very pregnant, however, I think I actually lost a half a pound or something since the last time I was weighed. (Now each doctor's scale could be different, so I will find out for sure when I see the research doc next week.)
• We told my mom last night. She was very excited. We told her she cannot tell anyone until Halloween and she is on strict orders not to mention anything on facebook. Let's hope she obliges.
• Next appointment is October 20th (and I get to do the 1 hour glucose for that one...yippee! /sarcasm)

Fetus Club!

Our baby is now in the fetus club. Woot!
Today marks 9 weeks.
I'm a fan of 9 weeks.
Very few of my pants are buttoning now. Yesterday's jeans had a good 3 inch gap between the button and the button hole. eek. Time for some new (or new to me) clothes.
My mom keeps asking me to come over and clean her house. She and my dad try to do the surface cleaning as best as they can (both being disabled), but the deep cleaning doesn't get done unless it's by my sister and me. I haven't told my parents yet, so she has no idea of why the thought of going over there has no appeal. I'm so tired and MY house needs cleaning. I told her that next weekend I may come over on Sunday to help with some cleaning. I'm also hoping to possibly bring over an u/s picture to let her know. The problem with telling my mom is she is a big blabber mouth, and now she is on facebook, so I'm a little worried.
Betsy and I have been wondering about twins the last few days. We are still not convinced there are not two in there. Even though I have already had one u/s, we won't be convinced until the second u/s next week. 4 more days!

Plowing Along

Second week of school (first full week with kids), and I'm a bit exhausted. I am usually pretty great, right through lunch, but when my afternoon classes start, I find myself sitting on my stool instead of standing and walking around during my lessons. I am very grateful to only have two preps, so my schedule is pretty easy.
My pants, however, not having such a great time. We pulled out the maternity box this weekend and I put a pair of jeans on for a birthday party we attended. So. much. more. comfortable. We only found one bella band, so I am going to rock that baby this week and hopefully hit up a thrift store for some other choices. My maternity clothes from Sprout (some of which still have tags on) are spring-ish. Capris and short sleeve shirts. Now the short sleeve shirts I will be able to use, but not the capris-at least not right now. Perhaps in the Spring. I'm looking forward to clothes that fit. With the bloating and the grapefruit sized uterus, I look pregnant to me. I'm pretty sure I just look fat to everyone else.
This week is a hectic week for B at her store. She has a world famous author coming in for a visit on Thursday and all of her time is set aside to prepare. She will be relieved when Friday rolls around.
Next week I have my first official ob appointment and u/s. Do you guys think it will be a pants on u/s or a pants off u/s?

Emotional

To say I have been emotional this past week would be an understatement. Let's take yesterday for example.

• My first tearing up happened on the way to school when I started to think of my high school friend that lost her twins last week at 22 weeks. They were born with heartbeats, but not breathing and died right after birth. Their memorial service is tomorrow. I am so sad for her and her family. These miracle boys were conceived via IVF. She's one of us, y'all. She had something called cervical funnelling which caused her to be put on bed rest, and then she she got an infection. Not good. She lives "up-north" but they drove her via ambulance to the hospital down the street from my house (where I will deliver). I never saw her when she was in town (and haven't seen her since HS), but I feel so connected to her. I have been emailing her and I sent a package earlier this week. When we lost Sprout, the ladies from Two Hot Mamas sent us a beautiful care package that included a small Willow Tree angel. It was such an amazing and thoughtful gesture. I wanted to find the same angel they sent us, but had no luck. Instead, I found two little ones called "Two Together" and thought it was perfect. I also got her an Angel of Remembrance.
• My second tearing-up, which became more of a cry, was when I posted a video on Fb. It was a video of a Father and Groom surprising the Bride with a version of L'Chaim. It was sweet and funny, but here I was, sitting at the computer, crying.
• Then, I was watching TV with B and an Oprah commercial came on. For those of you that do not watch TV or perhaps live under a rock, this is Oprah's last season. I love Oprah. We were able to go see a taping of her show 5 years ago. My dream has always been to be a guest on Oprah. Now I know my time is up and I won't get to. The commercials make me sad to see her go.
• I really wanted to watch the Stand Up To Cancer telethon that was on last night. Within the first minute, I was balling like a baby. They had all of the celebrities there who have survived cancer, and they had on these survivor shirts. Once I composed myself, they brought on the 46 moms. All of their children have cancer, so they all shaved their own heads. It was an amazing scene. Cue the water works. And then B was saying things just to make me cry because she thought I looked funny. Then I was crying and laughing at the same time, but in a weird way. I was a disaster.

So that was just one day. It's been a crazy emotional week here. Luckily, my "Pregnancy Week 8" newsletter said it's completely normal and may even begin to subside this week. Thank God.

Bloated

I haven't gained any weight, but man, oh man, by the end of the day, my pants are TIGHT.
When I unbutton/unzip them, it's almost like no turning back. They fit fine in the morning, but by the afternoon, super bloat. I'm looking down right now and there is a good 3 inches between the button and the button hole!
I need to break out the elastic pants! LOL. I do have 3 pair of gauchos that are elastic/pull-on (no closures/zippers). I may have to wear those for the rest of the week. Eeek.

A little ticked off right now

I just waited 2 hours in an urgent care clinic, for what I thought would be a pretty easy visit. I have what appears to be an eye infection. I am not sure if it is bacterial or viral, but it is crusty and yucky.
Anyway, I finally get called back into a room and after the MA takes my vitals, the doc comes in and says, "Are you pregnant?" "Yes." "I can't see you. We do not see pregnant people at this clinic. Call your ob."
SERIOUSLY?
I just filled out a bunch of paperwork and even answered that I was pregnant on the form I filled out TWO HOURS AGO. The doctor told me the receptionist doesn't read those forms. Well, I think she does, since she took all of my information off of it, typed it up, and called me up to the counter to verify.
I was so angry. Wait, I'm still angry.
And school starts tomorrow. So I will go, in my glasses and crusty eye, with the potential of infecting others, because I CANNOT miss the first day of school. Hopefully, I can get in somewhere tomorrow afternoon. Ugh.
How frustrating!

Less than 3 weeks away

I scheduled my first official ob appointment as a pregnant person today. The appointment is scheduled for Sept. 22nd. I have to take a half day off of work, but that is ok. I am excited that B will get to go with me! (Remember we had to fib during the research study and say that NKD was my partner.) Anyway, I know with school starting next week, the days are going to fly by.
In the meantime, I will enjoy my tiredness, hungriness, and night time queasiness. We will be 9w4d at our next appointment (and we get another u/s).

First Ultrasound

I arrived at the office early and was taken back soon after I got there. The nurse called me back(gave me a hug!), took my weight and then headed into the room. The doctor came in before I even got undressed and asked if it would be alright if his partner in practice was there for the u/s. Sure.
Then he asked if the research assistant could be in there.
Sure.
Then he asked if he could have the special u/s tech do the u/s (normally he was the one to do all of my other ones).
Sure.
Now, this is no fancy u/s room. Think small exam room. 5 adults and me on the table.
Apparently they get real excited over OB u/s as opposed to the regular pre-conception ones. The tech was teaching him how to get the measurements and such. They turned the screen toward me and showed me our little Nugget (Thanks for the name, Runyon!). The heartbeat was 134 or 124 bpm (I can't remember!).
The Dr. said everything looked great, and was measuring at 6w2d. (Which is just one day behind my calculation based on ovulation, so great!) He showed me the yolk sac and explained how it is so small now because the baby is getting ready to get all of it's nutrients from me. Our little Nugget is 5mm big right now.
He told me he is passing the torch to my ob, but in the meantime, if I should need any care or have any questions, to give him a call. He said the whole office is invested emotionally in my pregnancy. It was so cute.
The nurse gave me another hug as I left and she said, "You knew it all along." I said, "I sure did."
We did get one picture. I am hoping to take a picture of it and post it sometime this week. Today is the first day back at school, so it may have to wait until tomorrow.
Thank you for all of your support!
I have a real, live baby in there. wweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Quick update

A quick update since I'm at work and this is a totally illegal use of company equipment...

We have one happy, healthy nugget.

Finally.

30901
Awesome.

No news

I just talked to the research assistant. No results yet.
I sure hope we get them today.

2nd Beta Day

I had my second beta drawn at 7:45 this morning.
I wonder how long it will take for them to get the results.
Do you think they will send it off somewhere to be read?
Do you think I will get my results today?
How exactly is the test done?
Please let it be a nice strong number.

6 weeks

Today marks 6 weeks. About once a week, since finding out I was pregnant (so about 3 times now), I wake up feeling NOT pregnant. My bbs aren't sore, I'm not tired, no hunger, etc. Today was one of those days until I fell back asleep and woke up again.
I am very happy to have the beta on Monday (which the results will help me to freak out less about the u/s on Tuesday). If the results are high, then I will be less worried about the u/s and more excited. If the numbers are low, I will no not to get my hopes high and will prepare myself for the worst before going in there.
Monday I will be 6w2d and for the u/s I will be 6w3d.

Todd Parr

Any of my students and most of my friends could tell you that my favorite author is Todd Parr. I love his simple illustrations and the message of his books. He has been one of my faves for years. 2 years ago, I had the opportunity to meet him when he came to B's book store for an event. It was totally surreal and awesome. B even got to go out to lunch and dinner with him. We talked and he hugged me when it was time for me to leave. (Of course it was just me and the staff left at that point).

Anyway, he is one of my friends on fb, and I got a message from him a week or so ago. "Hey, can you send me your address, I want to send you something." Uh...sure!

In the mail today, I received a hand addressed large package from Todd Parr. Inside, there was a book (special edition for Stouffer's Let's Fix Dinner)-personalized and signed, a story time CD, and a set of his new Feelings Flashcards (these will be perfect for my Sunday School preschoolers!)

You have no idea how excited I was to receive this package!

Todd was also at Blogher, so if you attended, you may have had a chance to meet him too!

First u/s

My first ob u/s is scheduled for Tuesday, Aug. 31st at 11am. The day before, on Monday, I go for my second beta.
Good thing this weekend is jam-packed. I will have to stay busy to avoid thinking too much about next week!

Grateful

I am so grateful for this pregnancy.
I am grateful for having to get up in the middle of the night to pee.
I am grateful for a bathroom upstairs (we didn't have this in our old house!)
I am grateful for bbs so sore I could not sleep on my stomach last night.
I am grateful for restless nights where I saw 1, 3:00, 3:30, 4:30...
I am grateful for a great online community of friends who are so supportive.
I am grateful for my irl friends that have to work very hard to keep this all a secret and yet still stay excited for me.
I am grateful I am not back to work full time so I have the luxury of taking a nap when I need it.
I am grateful for a wonderful partner that takes care of me like no other and understands when I just need to nap. (She has taken up so much of my slack in the past couple of weeks-oh, and our lawn looks amazing, thanks to her!)
I am grateful for our dog, Gracie, who doesn't seem to want to leave my side. When I'm laying on the futon, she's with me. When I come in the office, she lays on the floor. She's my protector dog. (Jake, on the other hand, is still as annoying as h-e-double-hockey sticks)
I am grateful for a strong beta which will result in a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby.
I am so grateful for this pregnancy.

Beta Results

Drumroll please....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Beta at 23DPO = 8342

Elana is the lucky winner with her guess of 7000!

I go back in one week for another beta. (I read that once it's over 6000 it doesn't double in 24-48 hours, so it makes sense that I don't go back until next week.) I also emailed the nurse to see when I can come in for my u/s, since the doc wants to see me when the beta was around 2000-4000.

Any Guesses?

Today is my first beta, so I am wondering if you'd like to make a little game of it.
The person who comes closest to the actual beta number will win a little gifty from me.
Here are some facts you need to know:

• Today is 23DPO/5w2d
• My first positive hpt was on 9dpo with an internet cheapie. It was very, very, faint.
• My guess is between 700-1700

As long as you comment before I get my results, you are in! I am not sure if the nurse will call me today with the number or if I will have to wait until tomorrow to get it. Weeeeeeeeeeee!

5 weeks

Can you believe that there is a little heart beating in there already. It is only 4-6mm long and it has a heart. Wow.
Ladies, I have gone the past 2 days without testing. I know, right? I can't believe it either. Monday is just 2 more wake-ups away.
I hoping for a very strong number. No ambiguous-ness.

I thought I could do it...

you know, go a day without testing. I couldn't. I tested right before bed last night. Line came up clear as day, very quickly.
Heartburn has been gone for a few days. All of my symptoms are gone, really. I have somewhat tender bbs, but other than that, nada.
I know symptoms come and go, so I am not too worried. I am getting very excited about my beta on Monday. The nurse told me that they space their betas a week apart! So I go Monday for beta #1 and have to wait a WHOLE WEEK for beta #2. Then, another week for beta #3. I told her that most doctors ask you to go within 3 days, but she kind of ignored that comment. I think she is just following the protocol for the research study. She did say that when the beta is between 2000-4000 she will bring me in for an ob ultrasound. Technically, my beta could be in the range when I go on Monday (23DPO), but most likely she will wait for the second beta to make sure it's rising.
Oh, and I still don't have an ob. Since we moved, I have wanted to get one, but then I was waiting to see if we were pregnant or not. I guess I should call once I get my beta numbers. I know they usually won't see me until 8ish weeks anyway, but I should still try to get "on the books" if they are booking ahead.
Today is 19DPO or 4w5d. Time seems to be standing still. Monday will be here before I know it, right?

Calmness

I'm not quite sure why I have been so calm this time. I am not worrying and stressing out over every thing. I have totally given it up to God. I know I am going to deliver a healthy baby. I just don't know when. I am so blessed each day I wake up pregnant.
Today is the first day I did not test. There is really no reason to. I am not going to obsess about the darkness of lines. I will wait for the beta on Monday.
Pregnant until proven otherwise.

Results are in...

I'm pregnant.

The office does not do the betas until 1 week after the positive qualitative test, so now I have to wait until next Monday to get my first beta. That will put me at 23DPO. I know I could call my high-risk doctor or my old pcp's office and get one before then, but I really don't have a problem waiting. I know I'm pregnant. Obsessing over numbers won't help any situation. Now, I may change my mind mid-week..lol.

The nurse told me on the phone to not get too excited yet, until we see the numbers rising. I felt like say, "I know lady, I've been around the TTC block a few times." She's really nice and means well though. She just doesn't deal with informed people too often, I guess.

The only symptoms I have had is heartburn...oh the heartburn. Every day. Almost all day. Not so much fun. I may have a few hours of relief during the day, but not much. I haven't tried Tums or anything yet, I have just been watching what I have been eating to see if that made a difference. Also, tender bbs, and some tiredness. Other than that, all is well. The line on the hpt was almost as dark as the control line today. I am glad they are getting darker still. I am not sure when I will stop testing.

Today, after our day of errands and IKEA, I went upstairs to take a nap. We have a door at the bottom of the stairs to keep the dogs out of our living space upstairs. Our kitties enjoy it upstairs because it is the only carpeted place in the house. As I was dozing, our cat, Joey jumped on my back (I was laying on my stomach). He started kneading my back (which is not unusual). He was trying to make a comfy spot to lay down, or so I suspected. He jumped down and I started to smell something bad. Poop. I turn over and he had POOPED ON THE DUVET COVER. Now our cats don't have accidents. They are very well behaved and neat. BUT HE POOPED ON ME. This wasn't just a little turd or two. It was like a big pile of dog poop on the blanket. He was locked upstairs and couldn't get to his litter box downstairs, so HE JUST POOPED ON ME. WHAT? Needless to say I was awake then. Luckily, it was fairly easy to clean-up. But still, MY CAT POOPED ON ME.

Later, when I was back downstairs, I was going to eat my leftovers from our lunch out today, and as I was walking into the den, I dropped my entire lunch on the floor. Nothing was salvageable. I was so upset!

So first, the cat poops on me, then I loose my lunch.

I guess I will never forget B's 30th birthday.

Happy 30th

to the mother of my children.
to the love of my life.
to my other half.
to my Bunert.

I wish you the best year of your life.

xoxo

Darker Still

The line was darker today. I am still have some off and on brown spotting. I'm happy it's brown.
Tomorrow is the day I get the qualitative test done. I am hoping that when they get the positive from that blood, they can just run the quantitative and I don't have to go in on Tuesday for my first beta. We will see though. I have to go to a lab associated with the hospital/university of the research grant. Luckily, one of the labs is located just a few miles away from IKEA. Tomorrow we will get the bloodwork done and head over to our favorite Swedish Superstore.
Tomorrow is also B's (30th) birthday.

Per N's request...

Here is a picture of yesterday's test (13DPO) on the right and today's test (14DPO) on the left. I think you can clearly see the difference in darkness.

Thanks for keeping me in check

I spotted pink a few times yesterday and then it switched to light brown. Then it was barely there (only crazy TTCers would even notice). I wore a pad to bed. Nothing when I woke up. After I went to the bathroom, I noticed the barely-there-tinted-brown stuff, but I still took a test. The line is WAY darker than yesterday. I'm feeling better.
I also took my temp this morning, something I haven't done since 4DPO. 99.0. HOT.
So today I am officially 4 weeks pregnant. And boy does if feel like I've been pregnant(and worried) for much longer than 5 days.

The dreaded.

Spotting.
I just had some..and now if feels like my period is coming.
How can it be the end if its just the beginning?

Wondering...

So it's been over a year since I was pregnant with Sprout, and although I remember it, I was in a different place then. I remember being worried and a bit obsessive, but the excitement was there too.
Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled beyond belief that I am pregnant. I even said the other day to B, "I'm not worried about losing this baby."
However, when I woke up this morning and my bbs were less tender than yesterday, my mind went there. You know that horribly dark place.
I'm hoping to stay occupied this weekend and not think too much about symptoms or lack-there-of. I have had some pretty awful heartburn the past 4 days. That's a pregnancy symptom isn't it?

Lines

The lines are getting darker, y'all.
I think I'm starting to believe it.
I have decided to go get the qualitative test done on Monday (B's birthday!)

So we B went out and bought a digital...

There is no denying it..right? And I wasn't seeing things with those second lines...right?
From the top down. 10DPO, 11DPO, 12DPO (digital), 12DPO

Now I just have to get confirmation from the doctor. Because I am part of a research grant, they won't pay for the betas until the qualitative is positive. So when do you think the qualitative will be positive? Should I go tomorrow (and probably not get results until Monday), go on Saturday (and probably not get results until Monday) or go on Monday (and probably get the results on Tuesday). I'm leaning toward Monday, just so there is less wait time, and more of a chance for the test to be positive. On Monday I will be 16DPO.

Confession

I've had 3 days worth of positive HPTs. (including two at the doctor's office)
However, when they drew blood yesterday (10DPO), my qualitative pregancy test came back negative.
So...I'm not pregnant?
I just took another test when I got home and the second line came up clear as day.
I'm confused.

*edited at 3:15 to add*
This is what the nurse just emailed me after I asked her why I would have two separate answers:

I asked Dr. C and he indicated that if your urine is concentrated or if you
take a pregnancy test in the mornings, it will give a false reading. He said it
usually is not positive until you have two bright lines.

This was my response to the nurse:

I am very happy to be reacting to the medicine. However, I find it very odd that I would get so many false positives, both at your office and my home (at different points of the day and different levels of concentration of urine). What is the labs cut-off for the qualitative HCG? I know that labs vary and some are low (like 5 and others are as high as 50). Also, I have seen many pregnancy tests (both positive and negative) and dealt with many doctors . Although I respect Dr. C, I do disagree with his opinion that it is not positive until you have two bright lines. A line is a line is a line on a pregnancy test (unless of course it is an evap line....but I know all about those as well).I'm hoping I can prove him wrong, but I guess only time will tell. It's still so early in my cycle, I am willing to believe I could be pregnant.

A bulleted post

I will update soon-ish, but for now, bullets

• Betsy is finally home safe (but her replacement flight home had to make an emergency landing in Pittsburgh because it hit a flock of birds). This put her home even later than expected.
• Summer school ends tomorrow. We will have a big family picnic with pizza. As much as I enjoyed summer school this year, I am glad it will be over shortly
• This weekend we are supposed to go away for a mini-vacation/birthday trip for B. Now I am not sure if it is happening or not.
• Tomorrow is our Tastefully Simple party. This will also be the first time many people will see our new house.
• Next week is Child/Teen week at church, in which I am partaking. It is a week-long training that will go toward my Certified Spiritual Educator certificate.
• Today is 11DPO. I went to the research doctor yesterday for my CD28 check-up. He said my lining looked great (12) and it looks like I ovulated from my left side.

Delayed

B's initial flight was delayed, which meant she would miss her connecting flight. She exchanged her ticket for a direct flight tomorrow morning. She is flying out of Harrisburg, PA to Detroit. She will arrive home around 11:30am...approximately 12 hours later than her initial arrival time. Luckily, her friends that she was staying with were planning on driving to PA in the morning. Now they just have to leave a wee bit earlier to get B to the airport on time.
I'm just happy she is staying with friends tonight, instead of stuck at Dulles airport.

Too soon

I know it's too soon for any kind of symptoms to be pregnancy related, but just yesterday I experienced:
~ extreme fatigue-the kind where you needtosleeprightnow!
~ extra hunger
~ tender bbs-parts of which felt like they were on fire
I woke up without the tender bbs, so I'm thinking it was just a fluke.
I enjoy the fact that my DPO coincides with the date. Today is August 6th, so I am 6DPO. Very easy to remember.
B also comes home today! At midnight-ish. I will take a nap so I can be awake to drive to the airport!

Something I just figured out by looking at my past cycles with NKD. We have only had 6 perfectly timed cycles (including this one). 2 of them ended up in positive pregnancy tests. One was a chemical pregnancy and one was our Sprout. 3 ended with BFN. Odds are pretty good. Since "the score" is 3 negative to 2 positive, I think it's about time to even it up!

5DPO

Well Lookey Here...

We have crosshairs! (And solid ones at that!)
It looks like we had some perfectly timed insems (minus the first one that was a little premature). I am feeling very good about this cycle. Bring on the BFP!
Today B leaves for VA for a few days to visit her BFF before she deploys to Afghanistan. Please pray for safe travels for B and a safe tour of duty for Sarah. She is one of the sweetest and most gentle people I know and to think of her in a war zone is heart-wrenching. I am so glad B will be able to spend some time with her before she leaves.
B returns very late on Friday night, so I hope her being gone keeps me distracted from this TWW. I think I am going to stop temping after tomorrow. We will see if I can hold out.

Perfect

Yesterday, B and I drove about 30 miles north to hit up a new-to-us vegetarian/vegan/organic/etc restaurant. (I, of course, had a coupon-I use restaurant.com when it is 80% off.) Well the food was Ah-mazing. It wasn't crowded at all (we went at lunch time) and the atmosphere was lovely.
As we were waiting for our lunch, I was looking at the artwork displayed around the room from a local gallery. I fell in love with a painting. Like seriously "IneedthatRIGHTnow" fall in love. I went over to see who the artist was and made a mental note of the gallery. I told B we HAD to go to the gallery, because I needed that painting/print. I said, the only thing that would make it better was if there were two women in the picture, instead of just one.
After lunch, we walked around downtown and found the gallery. Shortly thereafter, we saw the painting on the wall, but it was small, and framed in a way that I didn't like. So we searched through the small bin of prints. Sure enough, it was there. But wait, good folks, there was another one, with two women! It was perfect. We even bought two mini-prints to frame next to our big one. Ladies and gents, we have our nursery art.
The artist is local, from Traverse City. We lovelovelove her work. The title of the big piece we got is "Sisters." (It's at the bottom of this page on the left)
Oh, and I had a positive OPK yesterday, spent the night out with fabulous friends, went dancing, had a friend meet us up at the club to tell us he got engaged that night, and then came home and crashed. I'm up early this morning to go meet up with NKD to do one last insem. (I got my PEAK reading this morning!)
Everything is just perfect!

Gaining Confidence

After yesterday's sticks. GAME ON. I still don't have a positive OPK and I am on day 7 of HIGH on the CBEFM, but I just know O is right around the corner. In fact, I even asked NKD if he would do one more insem tomorrow morning.
I also am trying to win a basket of vegan cookies from The Twinners Reviews and Giveaways. If you are interested in a basket of vegan cookies, or other give-aways, please click on over.
*Edited to add* OPK was positive today! Woot!

Confidence is slipping

This morning, my CBEFM stick did not look the way I wanted it to. I expected the second line to be darker and it wasn't. It seemed like the estrogen line was even darker than before (this is the one that should be getting lighter). The monitor still gave me a HIGH reading, but I was a bit discouraged. Then, when I did my opk this afternoon, it was lighter than yesterday. Now yesterday was pretty dark, but I would expect today's opk to be positive. hmm.
I am thinking it could be 2 things:
1. My body is playing tricks and is still wonky, even though I am on the drugs.
2. I surged yesterday, but didn't catch it on the opk.
I guess we will know if my temp shifts tomorrow morning or if the monitor switched to PEAK. NKD goes out of town on Saturday for a week.

2 down, 1 to go

It's CD13 and as of today, we have two inseminations done for this cycle, and one more scheduled for Thursday afternoon. I'm feeling very good about the timing. Also, many signs of luck popped up for me today. We went to Panera for dinner. Our pager number was 33 (my favorite number). Then we went to Rite Aid to pick up some OPKs (using my 2nd $25 gift card from playing the transfer prescription game) and my receipt said I need 33 more points until my next reward. Then, we stopped at Hallmark to kill some time before NKD was ready and they had the most perfect lined journal with inspirational quotes on the bottom of the pages and our little Sprout bird on the cover. I also picked up a package of three positivity bracelets...all at half off. It was a great trip.
In non-ttc news, we went to a Partylite regional hall show yesterday that was Halloween themed. We love Halloween and decorating for Fall, so when given the chance to check out new product, we do. Let me tell you, I felt like I was in an episode of the office. All of these middle-age women SOEXCITEDABOUTCANDLESANDNEWSCENTSANDHALLOWEENANDOHMYGOD! B and I kept looking at ourselves in disbelief. They were so happy and excited, we couldn't help but be happy and excited for them too. One woman had been with the company for 20+ years and they surprised her with her family and gifts and hugs. She was crying, the presenter was crying, and I'm sure there were people in the audience crying too. All of the regional leaders were in costume, as well as some consultants, and many of them took their costume very seriously. Not in the Halloween kind of way, but in the, "how can I relate this to Partylite" way. There were calendars and chefs, and people dressed as dollar bills. I'm pretty sure there was a pimp at the table behind us. I can't describe the experience nearly as well as B, but I had to write it down somewhere for posterity. Needless to say, we left early with our free bag of tea-lights.

New Template

So, our "Cutest Blog on the Block" template was removed from photobucket so I had to pick a new design. If you are reading this in a reader, please click over and let me know what you think. I love the little chick. It looks a lot like our matching Sprout tattoos.
Anyway, today is CD10 and my first HIGH on the monitor. I am looking forward to ovulating at a normal time this cycle due to the mystery meds. We are hoping to do an insem tomorrow and another on Tuesday, unless the OPK is positive today, tomorrow, or Monday, because then we will do one on Monday instead of Tuesday.
I'm feeling very good about this cycle.

CD4

Day 2 of the meds. They have to conceal the normal shape of the pill since this is a double blind research study, so the actual medicine is put in a rather large capsule. Luckily, I learned how to swallow pills in the past year or so, so I am all set. I'm a regular pill-swallower pro. I never thought I would be, seeing how I had to CHEW my kl.ono.pin as a kid. Anyone who has ever taken klono.pin knows that it is a tiny, tiny pill. I'm proud of myself for being able to swallow my giant pre-natal and this new capsule!
Tomorrow starts summer school. It's just 4 hours a day, 4 days a week. Not too shabby. This is my first year as "co-director," but I think the title is just an added bonus. I'm still doing everything I usually do (with a few extra jobs thrown in there). My least favorite is contacting parents. Why can't all parents just have email?
My mind is getting in a good place for this cycle. I'm happy about that. B is reading a Wayne Dyer book (he's from around here and has ties to our church). Anyway, she said to me that guilt and worry are useless. We feel guilt based on events of the past (which we cannot change). We feel worry about events in the future (which we have no control over). So stick to the present. I'm really trying.

On the road to baby!

I started yesterday, which means my CD2 u/s is a go for today!
I will get my meds today as well and begin them when they tell me to. I will either be on clom.id or fem.ara (neither I, or the doctor will know which one).
Today I have some horrible cramps, but they are reminding me about the joys of being a woman and the wonderful opportunities we have to bring children into the world.

Ask and ye shall receive...

Temp dropped this morning...97.8.
CD1 is right around the corner now...hopefully today!
I also received this in my email this morning (part of a daily meditation I get emailed to me):

"The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven't yet come to the end of themselves. We're still trying to give orders, and interfering with God's work within us."~Aiden Wilson Tozer

PS. The temp shift pushed my O date back to CD18...oh FF, you are so silly!

Change

FF changed my O date to CD27...which means no chance of pregnancy this cycle (I was already on the prov.era at that point and no where near sperm). It also puts me at 11DPO. I stopped the prov.era on July 8th, and thought I would be bleeding by now. Ugh.
Can't catch a break here. The medicated/monitored cycle is next, so that will work. Right?
I keep thinking that I'm not getting pregnant because my mind is not right. I don't get excited when people tell me about an impending baby (except tbean, of course!). I usually get quite bitter. Do I need to get over this before God will allow me to have a real live living baby? I know that God is not a puppet-master deciding who gets what, but it just feels like that sometime.
I think I must be pms-ing or something. My mood has not been good the past few days.

98.9

I was freezing through-out the night (no reason really, it was still warm) and woke up covered in sweat. My temp was 98.9. Uh..that's HOT. My bbs have been terribly sore for about 5 days, but every hpt is negative. I'm thinking it's just the pro.vera causing these symptoms. I've also been extra hungry.

I took the pro.vera for 10 days and the nurse said I should start bleeding anywhere up to 10 days afterwards. It's been 5 days since my last pill.


FF finally agreed on 3 of it's methods that I am 18DPO. The only method that doesn't agree is fertility monitor, which things I am 19DPO. I'm still not convinced any of them are right. I am including my chart for your viewing pleasure. My VIP membership expired 3 days ago, and I haven't renewed, in hopes of not having to.