1st belly pic

Well, here's the 1st belly picture for this pregnancy! It was taken Monday night (hence why I'm in my jammies, lol) when I was 10 weeks 2 days.

That little pouch has been there since I had Zachary, but it's definitely popped a little bit in the last week. I thought I'd gained another pound (for a total gain of 2, so far), but I'm still fluctuating day to day, so I've only gained 1lb. so far. I've been wearing maternity jeans vs. my regular jeans b/c they are SO much more comfy. I have a couple pair that have just the skinny elastic band around the waist and a longer shirt covers it. Still feeling about the same, but now the nausea is really only hitting around dinner time. The past couple of nights I haven't been able to finish my dinner.

I've decided we definitely need to know if this baby is a girl or boy, if for no other reason than to know if we NEED to pick a girl's name. If we don't, then I'm not struggling through it for nothing. LOL. Doug hasn't liked ANY name I've thrown out there so far, except Megan, which we had picked when I was pregnant with Zachary, and I'm not crazy about it anymore. Here are the names he's nixed (first 4 are my absolute favorites and some of them *I don't even particularly like, I just threw them in there, lol):

Olivia
Lauren
Audrey
Lily
Briana
Josselyn
Avery
Addison
Marissa
Alyssa
Natalie
Julie
Ella
Alexandra
Ava
Joella
Rachael
Miranda
Kara
Nicole
Erica
Madelyn

I'm wondering if part of the "problem" is he's really hoping for another boy and is in denial that it *could be a girl, lol. So we will definitely be finding out by u/s what the sex of the baby is, for our sanity! I think I'll stop discussing names until then. I think we've pretty much narrowed a boy down to Ethan or Connor, though. Doug is afraid naming him Ethan would confuse Ryan b/c he rides the van and goes to school with a little boy named Ethan, but I think Ryan will "get it". I also really like the name Mason, but Doug doesn't like that one.

My next appointment is 2 weeks from today! I'll be getting the Ultra-Screen (1st trimester Down Syndrome screening). I can't wait for another u/s : ). But that also means my cerclage is only a little over 2 weeks away. EEEEK! And then the 17p injections a few weeks after that.

1st ultrasound!

I had my first u/s and doctor appointment yesterday! All looked well on the u/s, thank God :*). My mom went with me. We got to see the baby wiggling around and kicking its legs. The heart rate was 171bpm....pretty high! Maybe it's a girl....I'll be in shock if it is! LOL. S/he was measuring right on target, actually 2 days ahead of what I was figuring (and I knew that was a possibility), at 9 weeks 3 days. My due date is June 21st. Here are a couple pics : ).

S/he was laying kind of upside down. The head is towards the lower left. You can see the arms and legs.

After my u/s I saw the doctor. I had to get a pap smear and breast exam (fun stuff when your boobs hurt just when you walk, lol). Then he talked to me about the pregnancy. I go back in 3 weeks for the 1st trimester screening (I have to call today and see if my insurance will cover it)....that's on December 12th. And then he said I'll probably get my cerclage a couple days after that! I am SO nervous about that. I'll have to get a spinal for it, but it's an outpatient procedure. My 17p (progesterone) shots start at 16 weeks and I'll get them until 36 weeks if I make it that far. (I'm SO nervous about those, too!) He did say I will most likely deliver prematurely and I have a 1 in 3 chance of it, but his goal is to get me to at *least 30-34 weeks. I just wish I knew how it was going to go!

Ryan loved seeing pictures of the baby, even though I'm not sure he quite gets it yet, lol. But we'll keep explaining it to him and talking to him about it and hopefully it will prepare him. I need to get some good books to read to him about becoming a big brother : ). He says "baby" all the time and points to my belly : ). And then he says, "Bigger, bigger, bigger!" b/c I told him that's what the baby (and my belly) is going to do. LOL.

I'll start posting belly pics soon!

carrying on a tradition

Not long after we found out Zachary was on the way, we were at Walmart and decided to pick a boy outfit and girl outfit from the clearance rack. Zachary never got to wear the boy outfit, but Ryan did when he was a baby : ). (We ended up giving the girly one away.)

We were at Walmart last night and decided to do it again : ). We let Ryan pick between 2 different onesies in each gender. Here's what he picked:

Also, when we find out the sex of the baby, we'll probably use the gender appropriate onesie to announce it to our family and friends : ). It really just hit me last night that this baby COULD actually be a GIRL, lol. I think I will be shocked just for the simple fact that I've never heard, "It's a girl!". LOL. I am so freaking excited to find out what this belly bean is! We could potentially know in like 8 weeks! Wow!

1st appointment

Nothing exciting to report! This appointment was just with the nurse, going over my history and her telling me about what testing was available and all that happy stuff. She was super nice and when she was asking me things about Zachary she said she was so sorry she had to ask me all of that and said she felt bad. I told her it was okay, though. She couldn't believe all that I've (we've) been through. She told me she hopes things go well this time. After we were done with the paperwork she went to ask the doctor if he wanted an u/s done at my appointment next Monday. He did, to check my cervix (and the baby, too, I hope!). The only u/s appointment they had available for Monday was at 7am and my appointment wasn't until 10:30. They said they'd talk to the u/s techs and see if they could squeeze me in around my appointment. They called me this afternoon and said they switched my appointment to Tuesday instead. My u/s is at 2:30 and then my appointment. I can't wait! Hopefully all is well. At that appointment we'll discuss my cerclage and probably schedule it. If I get it my 14th week, that's the week of Christmas! One good thing is Doug is off work that whole week, so he'll already be home : ). The holidays go by so fast, that will be here in no time!

After my appointment, I went down for my bloodwork and urinalysis. Hopefully I didn't mess the urine sample up b/c there was a very detailed sheet on exactly how to go about doing it, lol. Then when she did my bloodwork my left arm wasn't cooperating. She was able to get a few vials out, but then had to switch to my right arm, which was gushing. Now both my arms are sore : P. The things we go through for our kids...hehe. J/K...b/w is nothing ; ).

They have a new Down Syndrome test out now that you can get done in your first trimester. One part is bloodwork and the other is an u/s. The bloodwork can be done between 9 weeks and 13 weeks 6 days and the u/s is done between 11 weeks 1 day and 13 weeks 6 days. I'll probably get it done just to get the u/s ; ). I'll be getting a lot of u/s's anyway to check my cervix, but this will probably be the first detailed u/s. I just love u/s's. I'm undecided on the quad screen at this time (which is done in the 2nd trimester). I have to talk to Doug more about it. With the high false negative rate, I'm not sure it's worth it. And I really don't think I would terminate if anything was wrong. I guess I can't say for sure because I've never been there done that, but I don't think I could go through with it.

Okay, that's all I'm going to type for now! I'll post after my appointment next week, possibly before ; ). Thanks for reading!

one more week

A week from today is my nurse appointment! Then the following Monday is my 1st appointment with the doctor (and I'm hoping an u/s). So far it's gone pretty fast since I found out I was pregnant and I'm happy about that. I hate to wish the time away, but I do want it to go fast (and smooth)! I'm guessing I'm 7 weeks today. Not as tired as I was, but still more tired than usual. And holy moly are my boobs SORE! LOL. It seems especially first thing in the morning. I can't remember when they stopped hurting for me before, but I hope it's soon. I'm feeling hungry and sick at the same time a lot lately, lol. This baby seems to have a sweet tooth : /. I am not one to normally want to eat sweet things, but I'm really hungry for them lately! I'm trying to curb those cravings, lol. So far I've gained about a pound. Not bad, I guess. My regular jeans are already getting tight from the bloating, though. I guess I'll try to start posting some belly pics soon. There's not much to see yet!

Trick or treat night was a bust. We hit about 8 houses and then Ryan got very uncooperative. Doug ended up carrying him back home and then I took him to my mom and dad's for awhile so they could see him in his costume. My sister and her boyfriend and friends decorated the house all up and Ryan LOVED it. We've yet to find a Halloween decoration/costume he's afraid of yet! Here's a couple pics of him in his costume, both taken over at Doug's mom and dad's before T or T.