Baby finally kicked Daddy... yay! ;)

I keep trying to get my dear husband (DH) to feel when the baby moves, which is often when we're waking up in the morning. I'll have him put his hand on my tummy, but he's usually so groggy waking up that he falls back asleep and starts snoring away. Either that, or if he's still awake and the baby kicks, I ask him if he felt it and he says, "Huh...what?"
But today... victory! DH had his arm across my tummy this morning and baby nearly kicked it right off of me. I said to him, "There's NO way you didn't just feel that!" He agreed.
Woo hoo!

Follow-up with cardiologist

Saw the cardiologist yesterday afternoon. My blood pressure was a little on the higher-than-normal side, but not overly concerning (130/88). He said that it looks like I am just experiencing side effects of my heart pumping harder to keep up with the extra blood flow, which may be aggravated by my chronic hypertension. So he increased my blood pressure medication dosage again, in the hopes that this will allow my heart to calm down a bit and not work so hard. He said too that the reason I may feel the most pounding and throbbing in my neck at night is because when lying down, my heart is not fighting gravity anymore and so the blood flow is even stronger. He also told me to make sure I drink enough water such that my urine is totally clear (this is hard to do when taking prenatals, though!)

So I'm hoping the meds adjustment will make a difference. I actually did sleep better last night and only felt a little bit of throbbing early in the morning.

Valentine's Day (or, Another Trip to L&D)

First off, the end result is that baby and I are fine. I had an episode of a high blood pressure reading this afternoon, which prompted my OB to send me to the ER and to L&D for monitoring. BP is back within normal range now, but here's what went down:

I had been feeling weird all morning (palpitations that I was feeling in my throat and a little bit fuzzy headedness that didn't go away), which prompted me to go to CVS to test my bp. As I've probably mentioned before, I'm on meds for high blood pressure and test my bp every day, but never thought to bring my cuff with me to work (I will from now on!). At CVS my bp measured 152/101 and then 150/104, so I was a little freaked out. A friend of mine went with me, and as a control she did her bp (she is also pregnant and had just had her bp checked this morning), but hers came out fine, so while I was skeptical of the CVS monitor I still was feeling out of sorts so I called my OB.

OB told me to call my cardiologist, who I already see for the chronic hypertension. Receptionist there gave me an appointment for tomorrow afternoon (Tuesday). Didn't really help address the immediate concerns, so I called my OB office back and they told me to come in to check my bp.

My bp at the OB was 124/86, but since I wasn't feeling any better overall my doc sent me to the hospital. Told me to go first to the ER to get an EKG to check my heart and the palpitations, then to go on to L&D to make sure baby was okay.

Luckily everything checked out fine - EKG, blood count, sugar level, no protein in urine, baby did fine on the monitor (but was squirming around so much the nurse had to reposition the belt several times!) and ultrasound too.

Verdict? Stress? Fatigue? I'm not sure. I still don't feel 100%, but am at least gladly reassured that the baby's not in harm's way. I will go to the cardiologist tomorrow and see what he says about the persistent discomfort from the palpitations and heart pounding; it's keeping me awake at night and it's hard to find a comfortable position while sitting either. Seems silly to have had to go through 7 hours of monitoring and tests, but I'm glad to find out that everything is okay.

Now, I'm just pooped!

Belly (button) dancing

So I was sitting down relaxing in my recliner tonight, after drinking some juice so I could make sure LO (Little Oatmeal) is moving around like s/he should. As I watched (and tried to listen with my prenatal listener -- it's not a doppler, unfortunately), I noticed that my semi-outie belly button was moving in and out and around, and NOT in time to my own breathing!

It was a little freaky, and a lot cool... it's the first outward sign of movement I've seen! 'Course I did see a little jiggle of my belly right after, but when I told DH to come look, all was quiet on the belly front. Ah well.

My trip to L&D yesterday

I called my OB's office yesterday morning and spoke with the Doc on call. Told her my symptom, and that I wasn't sure if this was something to be concerned about, and was surprised that she told me to go get checked out, "to be on the safe side." My cramps are definitely a potential symptom of pre-term labor, though they can be attributed to other issues.

So, DH and I made a visit to our hospital's Perinatal Assessment & Treatment (PET) Unit (aka the triage or intake section of the Labor & Delivery/Maternity Ward) yesterday afternoon. They strapped me to a fetal monitor, and another one that detected contractions. Heartbeats and uterus were observed for about an hour, and luckily nothing of concern was found; baby's heart rate was comfortably variable, averaging about 158 bpm, and I wasn't anywhere near contracting. Cervical check showed that my cervix is high and thick and shut up like Fort Knox (or should I say "like a medieval fortress," to go along with the AMA theme, LOL?).

Then what's with all these cramps, you say? Well, the resident said it was most likely round ligament pain, or else it could be my fibroids acting up. I'd rather it be RLP, but I do go for a growth ultrasound tomorrow morning, so that should help determine whether my fibroids are behaving themselves.

The resident discharged me, telling me that pretty much, all looks normal, and I can take Tylenol to relieve the pain, but to come back if the symptoms persist or worsen, or if I don't feel the baby move. I felt the baby move a bit last night, but s/he's been quiet today so I'm trying not to get anxious, as the cramps haven't really let up... and of course I forgot to bring my Tylenol with me to work. :(

Cramps? :(

For a while now, I've felt tightness in my lower abdomen at times, which seemed to correlate with sitting for "too long." The length of time varied, and might have had as much to do with the pants (and underpants) I was wearing as anything else -- if the pants cut into my belly at all, I'm sure that hastened the discomfort. Usually this tightness has gone away after moving around or shifting positions (leaning back, etc.), or both.

Well, last night, the tightness changed a bit. Instead of just tightness, I was really feeling cramps, like when I get my period. Lasted a couple of hours and didn't really let up until after I fell asleep.

I have this sheet given to me by my doctors on signs of preterm labor. One of the symptoms is:

Menstrual-Like Cramping: Cramps low or near your pelvic bone, like before or during your period. Cramping may come and go or be constant.

Ugh. I'm only experiencing this one symptom, so I'm not sure if this is normal or a warning sign. Guess it's time to call the doctor, just to be on the safe side. I have my next growth ultrasound at the perinatologist's on Tuesday, but I don't think I should wait until then. It's all fine and dandy that I've reached the viability stage of my pregnancy (24 weeks), but I do not want my baby born too soon!

By the way, I feel the baby kick and can tell s/he is getting stronger... so it's reassuring to feel those pops and punches while all this stuff is going on.

Thumpdate

So, I saw my cardiologist (Dr. F) on Friday, and he said the likely culprit of my heartbeat variations is just that my heart is working harder to get all the extra blood flowing... on the whole, a fairly normal occurrence during pregnancy. Well that's good! My blood pressure was a bit elevated when the nurse checked it, 140/80, and my readings at home have been in the mid 120s/mid 80s, with occasional 130s, and the rare 140 or 90... so, Dr. F decided to increase my medication dosage. I had been on the lowest dose of methyldopa (Aldomet), 250mg, 3 times a day (at least I think that's the lowest dose). Now I'll take 500 mg twice a day, and 250 mg at night, in the hopes that lowering my BP will help calm the pounding a bit.

Dr. F also hooked me up with a Holter monitor to get a 24-hour reading on my heart beats. I think I gave him some "good" material. I had several "episodes" of thumping irregular beats throughout the afternoon and evening, so hopefully he will be able to see if there's anything else amiss -- which I sincerely hope not! I started the new dosage of medication, but it probably takes a few days to kick in, but I certainly hope that helps!

Pitter Patter... THUMP

Pitter. Patter. Pitter. Patter. Pitter. Patter... THUMP. Pitter. Patter. Pitter. Patter. Pitter. Patter... THUMP. This is the sound (sort of) that greeted me as I checked my pulse while lying down trying to nap on Monday afternoon. Heart was beating (always a good thing), a little fast (that's all right, I suppose), but then would pause for a beat (uh oh), and then go BOOM with a really strong beat (um, WTF?). Needless to say, I didn't fall asleep that nap time (kind of afraid to, and was a bit uncomfortable anyway).

Called my OB, and talked with Dr. P., who said it sounds like palpitations and that they're not too unusual, but then:

- Oh wait, you've the one with WPW, right?

- Well, yes, I had WPW until I had it "fixed" about a decade ago, and my cardiologist says it no longer shows up in my EKG, but yeah that's me.

- Okay then, why don't you make an appointment with your cardiologist, and he can do an EKG and maybe a Holter monitor to check it all out.

So, on Friday morning I will go see Dr. F. and see what the deal is. Hopefully it's nothing, and was just the result of me starting to freak out about the price of day care in Northern New Jersey.

Oh, about that WPW. It stands for Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome, and means that I was born with an extra conduction pathway for the electrical signal that starts the heartbeat. At times this pathway can get activated (sort of like my heart beat taking a shortcut) and start a rapid heartbeat or tachycardia. I first started having episodes when I was about 6, and they were pretty manageable until I started rowing freshman year in college (so I quit the team, had tests done, was put on medication, and then was able to row all of sophomore year). Medication worked for a while until an episode in grad school (working out at the gym) that sent me to the emergency room with a heartbeat of over 200 bpm. This prompted my doctor's urging that I finally did something surgical to fix the issue. So in 1997 I had a catheter ablation to get rid of the extra pathway. Since then I've been episode-free. I'm not sure if WPW can come back after that, but I certainly hope not, especially not now!

Is it catching? One thing that I will be interested in finding out is if I have passed on this wonderful cardiac quirk to my wee little babe. Though it doesn't look like I acquired the trait through heredity, it does have a genetic component and I could pass it on myself. Since our trisomy results at the NT screen were so good, we opted out of the CVS and amnio, and didn't feel the necessity to go through those tests just to find out whether the WPW gene was present. We can test for it after birth, which I think we will. And while I don't wish WPW on anyone, at least, if my baby has it, it's something Momma has spent her lifetime dealing with, so hopefully it won't freak me out too much to see it happening. LOL, yeah, not. It's one thing to go through something yourself, entirely another to watch someone else suffer (witness my anxiety over DH's hernia surgery Friday -- which went super well, by the way). Guess I should talk to my Momma, and see how she felt!

Snowy Day Update

Morning commute was horrible. Snow coming down fast, spent the whole time driving wondering what the devil I was doing trying to get to work (oh yeah, I work so I can get paid... ok that makes sense). Took twice as long to get there, and just as I'm taking off my coat and turning on my computer I get a text message from a co-worker saying, "We're closing up at noon. If you're not already here, don't bother coming in!" Great timing.

Turns out, this actually resulted in one of my more productive mornings of late. The last couple of weeks I have felt super sluggish and achy, and no amount of sleep seems to alleviate my fatigue. But, since DH will be going in for hernia surgery on Friday (something that needed to be taken care of before the baby gets here, and before I morph into a beached whale), and there is the threat of snow tomorrow as well, I realized I needed to get things in order and grab stuff to take home with me... just in case. Nothing like a hard deadline to get the adrenaline pumping.

So now I am home, feeling like a nap is coming on. Or maybe I'll just hang out on the recliner and watch the snow fall. Sounds about my speed today.

To back up a bit: I had my 22-week OB appointment yesterday; all is well. I asked about the possibility that I might be able to have a med-free birth experience, and whether it would make sense to take Bradley method childbirth classes (something I've been looking into, and which would start in a couple of weeks). Dr. K. said she thought the classes would be beneficial to take, though she couldn't guarantee that I could deliver med- or intervention-free. And for the first time, this pregnancy, I heard the phrase "higher risk" applied to my situation. Was wondering when that would happen. Given my age, and my high blood pressure, the fibroids, and the fact that I am being seen by high risk doctors in addition to my regular OB, I'd thought I'd have a scarlet letter H sewn in to all my maternity clothes long ago. I have to admit though, it's kind of nice that the doctors aren't making assumptions, and at least humoring me that, provided my blood pressure and the fibroids stay under control, I might be able to delivery without intervention.

That said, I'm not 100% convinced that I want to deliver med-free... I just don't really like the mechanics of getting an epidural, even though I hear they can make delivery a dream. All the same, I like having options, and I'll do what is necessary to get this baby safely from my womb to the world.

***

Ever had to wear braces? Or a retainer? Remember what it felt like maybe a day or two after getting them tightened... that dull ache that just doesn't go away (or disappears until it's time to put your teeth to some responsible use)? Well, it occurred to me that I'm sort of having a flashback to that sensation, only this time it's my pelvis that is being forcibly corrected. I am really achy "down there" sometimes, and it feels as if my pubic bone is being stretched apart. Fun stuff, let me tell ya. Doc says it's completely normal though, just another way my body is getting ready for Operation Get Baby Out. Well, no horseback or bicycle riding for me any time soon (snow and desire notwithstanding). I'm hobbled enough as it is.

OMG... half-way already?!?

Happy New Year! I know I've neglected my poor blog for the last couple of weeks, but hopefully today's post will make up for it. :)

I can't believe I'm at 20 weeks already. While it hasn't exactly flown by, it's still unreal to me that there's only 20 weeks left to go. I am starting to feel very unprepared!

The holidays were fun, but not so relaxing. I spent much of the week between Christmas and New Year's traveling to visit friends and family, including spending 8 hours driving through the blizzard in Pennsylvania and New Jersey (I didn't say all of the travel was smart). Oh, and DH and I went emergency car shopping and bought a new family vehicle. Yeah, DH's car broke down and we found out the engine is shot. So now Operation Gratitude has converted our old car into some care packages for our troops, and we, in turn, have found ourselves a new set of wheels. Probably better that this happened now, rather than, oh, say 5 months from now, but it certainly threw a curveball into our vacation plans.

On to some baby news...

DH and I went for my Level II ultrasound on Tuesday. The baby was squirming all around, but the tech was able to (eventually) get all the measurements she needed (hardest of all was the right hand, which the baby seemed to want to hide from us. Personally I was most fascinated to see the heart. The tech got a really good shot of it beating, and I could clearly see all four chambers working away. We didn't find out the sex, and apparently the tech didn't even check (I imagine she saw anyway, she did measure both thigh bones after all, but was really good at keeping quiet about it). So we remain solidly Team Green!

At one point the tech asked me how my due date had been calculated, and I told her it was based off of my first ultrasound. Then she asked DH and me how big we were at birth. Why? Because our baby is measuring a week ahead of schedule, at a whopping 14 1/2 ounces (this ultrasound was done at 19w3d)! I wasn't a big baby -- only 6lbs, 9 oz -- but DH was a little over 8 lbs -- still not huge. I guess it's not surprising that our baby is measuring big -- DH and I are both 6'0" tall, after all. Oh boy... or girl!

Our doctor came in and said that everything looked great. He asked us if we intended to do an amnio, and we told him that we only wanted to do one if the ultrasound showed anything of concern. The doctor said, then no, I don't see any reason you need one. Woot!

The only downside to the visit is that the tech found that I have two more fibroids, making a total now of four. Doc said that they likely won't present any problem, but they want to watch on in particular, which is lower down on my uterus, and could possibly grow to block the birth canal (mandating a Caesarian). Not the end of the world, and I'll do what I need to get my baby out safely, but I'm hoping it won't come to that.

Next up: OB appointment on Monday, and then I'll see the perinatologist again in 4 weeks.

So now for the fun part... pics!

It's still hard to believe this little person is squirming around inside of me. I've felt a few "pops" and bubbles, especially the afternoon following the ultrasound, but it's still so surreal.

It was difficult for the tech to get a good shot, but the doc managed to catch this one... not too shabby! I feel like I need to eat more though, put some more meat on her/his bones... but apparently baby will "flesh out" over time.

Pretty cool stuff!

And of course, Gertrude the Bump wanted some air-time too... so here she is at 20 weeks, looking like I swallowed a soccer ball...

Ugh... balance issues!

Last night I tripped on my way up the stairs to our apartment. I didn't fall, but I doubled over front-wise pretty hard before catching myself. My belly hurt at impact, felt weird to compress it so much, but afterward seemed okay. Gertrude definitely didn't like being squished!

Even so, I am the paranoid type, so I called my OB's office to try to talk to the doctor on call. Turns out my own doctor (Dr. K.; I rotate through the three in the practice - Dr. K. is my primary OB, but it was Dr. P. who scolded me about the fast food last week) was the one on call, which was nice. She said not to worry, only to contact her again if I started cramping and/or bleeding. I haven't experienced either so it probably really is fine.

I felt silly calling, but it's so hard, since I can't feel the baby yet, to know everything's really okay... and my next appointment isn't until after New Year's... come on baby, just kick me already!

Oh yeah, and I'm already clutzy by nature (DH jokes about my "balance issues" all the time), so today I went online and bought a pairs of flat-heeled boots, because the ones I tripped in have heels. They're only 1 3/4" but that's high for me; at 6'0" tall I normally wear flats but they were the only boots I could find last winter in 13N -- oh how I dread my feet getting any bigger than they already are, it's hard enough to find shoes that fit as it is! And while I had no trouble getting used to the heels last year, this time around it's a whole new ball game. If I'm already unsteady on my feet at 17 weeks... ugh, I just don't want to trip or fall again!

Busted!

All went well at my doctor's appointments yesterday... except for one thing. I got busted by my OB for eating too much "fast food." This is ironic, since in my pre-pregnancy days, I was known, especially at work, for my uber-nutritious lunches. Well, with the advent of my all-day morning sickness (not so much nausea as overall malaise, headaches and indigestion), much of my interest in healthy food disappeared. This interest in yogurt, tomatoes, baby carrots, apples and salads was replaced by cravings for pizza, EggMcMuffins and Whoppers w/cheese. Mind you, I don't eat these "horrible" things at every meal, but a quick check at my debit card statements show that I've been averaging trips to Burger King or McDonald's twice a week. Before getting pregnant, it was more like twice a month, if that.

But to be perfectly honest, it's worse than that. DH and I often eat pizza for dinner. I've been so tired when I get home from work, and usually ravenous, such that I haven't had patience for cooking, so popping a frozen pizza in the oven, or picking up something on the way home was the easiest (read: lazy) thing to do. And, to top it all off, it's the fatty, salty, greasy things that seem to please my pregnant digestive system the most.

The rub is that my bad eating habits were revealed when I asked the doctor why I might be getting headaches and feeling ill shortly after eating. My OB asked if I ate any fast food, so I confessed. I tried to tell her that the food giving me headaches isn't the EggMcMuffin or the Whopper. I can't really put my finger on which foods are the worst, but lately even eating plain oatmeal with a sprinkling of Craisins makes me feel a little headachy and ill later. Or apples. Or sweet things. It just seems like nothing sits right. Ugh.

Anyway, the doc is right. I shouldn't be eating that stuff, and, so far, I've quit cold turkey (LOL, it's only been one day; ask me again in a week). Maybe the effect of all the bad stuff is making everything difficult on my digestive system... who knows?

But otherwise, I got to hear the baby's heartbeat again (fleetingly though, as Dr. P started asking me questions while I was trying to listen), and everything seems okay. Had blood drawn to test my AFP levels (to detect neural tube defects), and saw my cardiologist later in the afternoon. All is well (won't get the test results back for a couple of weeks though).

So, dinner tonight: homemade chicken Caesar salad (with organic Caesar dressing). Maybe not the best choice, but an improvement, I hope!

Gertrude the Bump: Part II

So here's Gertrude at 16 weeks, as compared to 13 weeks. Not super different size-wise, but I'd say the bump is more well-defined now. No more bloat, it's all baby now (well and my stomach and other miscellaneous schmushed-up organs).

Birth plan conundrum

Tomorrow I go back to my OB for my 16-week appointment. Since it's almost time for me to register for birthing classes, one of the things I want to talk about with my doctor is birthing options. Seems so early to be thinking of these things, as I'm still getting used to the idea of being pregnant. But, I saw on the web yesterday that some classes may start up as soon as just after New Year's, so I shouldn't miss this chance to talk.

I think my big question for the doctor tomorrow is: does my having chronic hypertension preclude me from going through a vaginal (and possibly un-medicated) birth? I know there are risks of pre-eclampsia (and I have fibroids so there's also the risk of pre-term birth), but if these complications don't arise, is there any reason I can't try for a vaginal non-medicated birth?

Now, I'm not 100% saying I want a non-medicated birth, but for some reason the thought of having an epidural scares me more than the pain of childbirth (similarly, I was also more spooked by the idea of needing a cervical CVS than by either an abdominal CVS or amnio, so I am super glad I didn't have to go there). I don't have a fear of needles, per se, but something about having one stuck in my spine kind of freaks me out, despite the relief it is supposed to bring.

I have no idea how much pain tolerance I have. So on some level I feel challenged to see if I can take it, and due to my competitive nature, I can totally see myself psyching myself up to get through it as a personal rite of passage. Reminds me of the days when I was on the rowing team back in college. Some practices were brutal, when we pushed ourselves to our physical limits to see how fast and how hard we could pull on an oar. I'm sure it was nothing like the experience of childbirth, but it's my one marker for my own ability to willingly endure pain. And yes, I often referred to myself as a masochist during that time.

But, then, I'm not 19 anymore. Wow, it was THAT long ago... sheesh! I'm in nowhere near the shape I was back then. What am I thinking??

Anyway, I've been curious about the Bradley method, seems like an approach to a med-free childbirth that doesn't just teach you how to breath, but how to get your whole body (and partner) ready for the process of delivering a baby. I kind of wonder if going through Bradley training, which runs for 12 weeks, would help me get in better mental and physical shape such that my body would be better able to withstand the stress and maybe mitigate the need for intervention. Maybe the Bradley method itself isn't the answer, but now I'm a bit more motivated to see what I can do to prepare. Can prepping for childbirth be likened to training for a race, or endurance test? I'd like to get ready for it, if I can.

If there are any mothers out there reading this, I hope I don't sound hopelessly naive! Just trying to wrap my head around the unfathomable. It's kind of overwhelming, trying to sort out all the options and figuring out what will be right for me. And I know birth plans are just that, plans, and ones that may need to be revised (or scrapped outright) in the moment. At the same time, I'd feel better having one, so if options are available, I'll know what I want.

Sorry to be MIA

I suppose there's something to be said that "no news is good news." I've not posted because I haven't really had any updates, and have been tired enough that I couldn't think of anything witty to post.

On Monday I go for my 16-week OB appointment, so I'm looking forward to that... especially to have a chance to hear baby's heartbeat again, and know everything's still okay. I have no reason to think otherwise (symptoms continue, somewhat muted, but not completely abated --- come on, when's this Second Trimester Honeymoon gonna start?! --- and my belly, while not getting all that much bigger, is definitely changing shape and firming up), but well, I've got the kind of personality that looks for things to worry about. I cannot wait for the baby to start making his/her presence known in a palpable way... I don't need a Gostkowski (or Vinatieri) field goal attempt, but a punt or two every now and then from my future Patriots kicker would be reassuring.

And before you get all Nancy Drew and go "Team Blue!" on me... NO, I have NOT A CLUE whether the avocado-sized possibly future athlete I'm carrying is a girl-type baby or a boy-type baby... they'll be drafting women to the NFL by 2032, won't they? Yeah, I'm not holding my breath either.

While I have no strong wish for my child to be a professional athlete (unless that's what the babe wants), it is pretty neat to think about what this child will end up deciding to be when she/he grows up. It's easy to forget sometimes, when you're focused on the here and now and soon-to-be, that this is a whole new life waiting to happen. Cool!

Yikes! I think I'll go back to worrying about whether there's a heartbeat now.

"Brown Saturday"

Can I coin this term? I didn't dare venture out on Black Friday, as I have little patience (and nowhere near the energy right now) for traffic, crowds or long lines. Instead, I decided to try my luck this morning and get in some birthday and Secret Santa shopping (DH and two of his sisters have birthdays coming up soon). I was amazed at a) how reasonable the traffic and crowds were, and b) how quickly I was overwhelmed by fatigue. I only went to two stores, but found myself resting in my parked car between stops. [Okay, I admit that's partially because it gave me an excuse to listen to more of my latest book on CD, Dan Brown's Angels and Demons. I'm about two-thirds of the way through and the action's getting pretty intense right now --- and I haven't seen the movie, so please don't spoil it for me!] I guess I'm still recuperating from Thanksgiving day, but it's probably also due to the fact that I was banned from exercise for a few weeks by my OB due to spotting (which has fully subsided now).

Anyhoo... one of the stores I stopped in was Babies 'R Us. The last time I was there (when I was about 9 weeks along), my visit was cut short and panicked as I discovered I was spotting heavily when I went to use the restroom. This time all was well (except for the fact that only the kiddie stall had any toilet paper -- I alerted Customer Service), and I spent as much time as energy allowed browsing through... well, everything. It was my first time in there shopping as an expectant mom (ooh!) and whoa was it overwhelming... but in a good way.

Two thoughts occurred to me after my reconnaissance visit:

1) Searching for a stroller already feels like buying a new car. We will seriously need to test drive and find one that will be comfortable for my and DH's 6' tall frames (and a car seat that will fit in the back seat of my Matrix; I worry this will be a problem since the front seats are set all the way back to accommodate our long legs).

2) This child will probably have his or her own real furniture (with a capital F) before DH and I will (we do have a new bed and a new china cabinet/buffet -- wedding gifts -- but otherwise all of our furniture is still the hodge-podge of hand-me-downs and random dorm room-esque acquisitions). However, there's one caveat: I've suggested we get a real couch since my futon-couch is not really cutting it now that my pregnant butt is spending much time convalescing on it in the evenings, usually watching old NCIS episodes.

Thanksgiving success

Yesterday DH and I went to his father's for dinner. For me, it was no ordinary Thanksgiving, as DH's dad had invited my parents too... all four of them. The only other time my mother, father, stepmother and stepfather had ever successfully spent an extended time all together was at our wedding seven months ago, and while I'd been delighted then beyond belief, I never imagined there would be a repeat performance.

In all, we had a table set for 14: me and DH, DH's dad and stepmother, my mom and stepfather, my father and stepmother, DH's paternal grandparents, my two sisters, DH's sister, and DH's stepsister. Lost yet?

We ate lots, watched football (yay Pats!) and got along great. I'm so proud of my parents; they're finally all growed up!

And I have to say, there's something to be said for being pregnant when you're family is together and everyone's psyched about it. While I felt like one of the hosts, and wanted to make sure that my side of the family was comfortable and settled in well after they arrived, very soon it seemed that everyone was making sure I was comfortable. I didn't have to take a "No, thank you" helping if I didn't want one, and no one was offended if I didn't finish everything on my plate (or if later I wanted seconds, or thirds). I could sit on the couch, put my feet up, and people brought me pillows. Everyone kept asking if I was feeling okay. Yes, I'll admit, I basked in the attention. Looks like my Pregnancy Rewards card is starting to pay dividends.

I had been wary of how the day would go; it would be a really long day (3 hour drive each way) and I didn't know which foods my tummy would tolerate and which it wouldn't. So it was great, and very helpful, to be reminded to pace myself and rest, especially, since I was so excited to see everyone, I felt at times I wanted to be in several places or conversations at once.

Overall, I did pretty well yesterday. I think my first trimester "sickness" symptoms are starting to wear off. I had to eat something substantial every couple of hours (had oatmeal in the morning when we got up, then a BK Croissan'wich while on the way there, then hors d'oeuvres, dinner, dessert, a turkey-and-cranberry sauce-on-toast sandwich just before we left, and a granola bar on the way home). I was glad to have managed to slip two "pigs in blankets" past my pregnancy radar before remembering they were mini hot dogs and therefore contraband -- oops, but yumma! I started to feel tired and a little headachy on the way home, but I was amazed to not feel too ill even though it was way past my bedtime. A Thanksgiving well played!

The best thing of all was getting to spend the holiday with my family (all parts of it, old and new, and all at once -- well, almost; DH's mom was with his other sisters several states away), and to have something wonderful to be thankful for and celebrate with them. It was a truly joyful day, and I am beyond grateful for it.

30-day blog challenge

So, I thought I'd try joining the 30-day blog challenge I came across when surfing other mommy-to-be and mommy blogs the other day. This particular challenge doesn't require a blog post every day, but we should strive for at least five days a week. I thought it might be a nice way to step up my game a bit and post about more than just my latest pregnancy update -- you know, maybe include a little about my thoughts about finally becoming a mother, or reflections on my TTC journey, or more notes about random silly stuff I find in life, or on the internet.

And so, it begins.

My bump has a name

Yes, that's right. My sister texted me a few weeks ago and asked if I had a bump yet, but she typed "yet" as "yetttt" (in Textese) and it got auto-corrected on her iPhone as Gertrude (???), so the text read "Do you have a bump Gertrude"... so from then on that's what we started to call it.

So, now it is my pleasure to introduce to you Gertrude the Bump, making her internet debut at 13 weeks!

PS. I can pretty much hide my bump under baggy sweaters, and can still button my coat, so it will be a while before I can really use it as a Pregnancy Rewards card.

Hopefully when I finally have a bump...

...I won't get Sir'ed as much any more - Gah!

Okay, so I'm tall. Six feet, to be exact. And cashiers are notorious for saying "Can I help you?" or "Will there be anything else?" before making eye contact. So I occasionally find myself the victim of a sales clerk's faulty assumption that anything that casts a large shadow over them must be male. "Can I help you, Sir?" usually gets no reaction from me (or a reaction where it's probably a good thing they didn't see it), so they are forced to actually look up and realize their folly.

Last night, though, I was at Chipotle (my BFF of fast-food restaurants these days: high carb content + stomach-friendly legumes and veggies = happy pregnant camper) and got Sir'ed by this girl. But when she looked up at me, she didn't seem to get that she'd made a mistake. I certainly gave her a quizzical look, kind of expecting some sort of reaction, but maybe she either didn't catch her mistake or figured it was best to move on and fuhgedaboudit. Of course then two thoughts ran through my head:

1) Do I look overly androgynous today? At which point I made sure to put my "man-purse" flagrantly on the counter as I rifled to find my wallet... and as I think about it now, that could have backfired (I have had to come to terms that the reason I'm finding more and more stilettos in my size online is more due to drag queens than evolutionary genetics)...

And,

2) Oooh, maybe once I get a real bump this won't happen to me any more (or at least for a few months of my life I can feel unambiguously female)!

But then again, maybe they'll think it's just a beer gut.