3-17-11

AND

Hope y'all are having a great day!  I know I am.  Lonnie and I just got home from getting a massage and now we are headed for a nap!  I have had a horrid headache today so I am hoping a nap will help so we can go to the parade tonight.  But we will see....it is my birthday so I can do whatever I want!!!!

Kelly Belly-9 weeks (a day late)

I was 9 weeks pregnant yesterday.  I waited until to today to post because I had my first OB appointment this morning.  It was so fun!

When we first got there we sat with a girl and she explained to us the cost of everything.  She talked all about how much our insurance covered and when and how much we would have to pay.  She gave us a bunch of numbers that went in one ear and out the other because I was still reeling from when she said things like "when you deliver", "after your vaginal delivery", and "when you have the baby".  Errrrrmmmmm......wow!  I had to hold back tears...she probably thought I was an idiot.  

After that she showed us what I will need to do every time I come for a visit.  I don't check in where the non-pregnant people do...I get to go to another little area and check in with her.  Then she will give me a label and a cup and then I pee in that cup.  After that I get to wait in the pregnancy waiting room.  I have been waiting so long to get to go into that waiting room.  Second time in less than 20 minutes I had to seriously hold back tears.  

I think I like the fact that they have separate waiting rooms.  I mean it kept me away from the cute pregnant bellies when I was there just for my yearly appointment (and not happy about it at all).  But I was always so envious of the girls that just breezed in with their smiling faces and big bellies and went through the other door to the pregnant waiting room.  Smug bitches!!!  (I am so just kidding....except maybe on a bad day)  I was worried that would never be me....and here I am....one of those girls!

Anyway, so after waiting for a minute the lab tech came and got me to draw an insane amount of blood.  Seriously, I think I was starting to feel light headed!  I guess I got used to just getting the one tube drawn for an estrogen level.  Then I peed in a cup which should have been so easy because I pee constantly but of course I had performance anxiety or something.  It finally happened and off we went to the exam room.

Now, I love my doctor.  He is just so nice and supportive and just all around awesome.  I swear he was absolutely made to be and OB/GYN.  When we first moved here I saw another doctor in his practice simply because she was female and I didn't know any of them.  Well after seeing how he treated one of my co-workers while she was pregnant, I switched.  He was the kind of doctor I wanted when I was pregnant...I wanted to be treated like that.  I can't believe me or my husband haven't run into him in the past 5 weeks at work to tell him about my pregnancy.  I usually see him all the time.  So, when he came in to see us he was so excited for us.  He knows all of the stuff that we have been through and I feel like he understands and really cares.  I don't feel like just another patient.  

He did an exam and answered our questions.  I really only had one and it was about the chicken pox.  My mom and I can't seem to remember for sure if I had them or not.  I feel like I did but just not 100% sure.  Normally this wouldn't be a big deal but I work in a hospital and am around patients with shingles all the time so we kinda need to know.  They are going to do some extra lab to see if I have the antibodies against it.  He didn't seem too concerned so I am not either.  

Then he said that they could do a quick ultrasound if we wanted.  DUH!!  So we did and holy cow my uterus is just so much bigger.  Of course the baby is too.  The little guy even wiggled for us!  It was just the cutest thing I have ever seen.  This time I could not hold back the tears...they flowed.  I thought hubby might cry too.  We both knew that they can start doing this around 9 weeks but it was just so amazing and shocking to see it happen....IN MY UTERUS!!!!  Here is a picture....measuring 8w6d and I am 9w1d....

(not a good quality picture because I had to take a pic of the pic because our scanner is not hooked up right now!)

He also gave me a new prenatal vitamin that I just remembered I need to go pick up this afternoon.  

I feel really great after this visit.  It feels more real and like it is really going to happen.  I look forward to my next visit which is on April 14th.  

We still haven't told the public yet.  I think another week or two and we will.  I kinda like it being a secret for now though.  I get all teary eyed when we tell someone new.  This hasn't happened much but my husband went to the doctor today also and we told him and asked him if he would be our pediatrician.  I almost cried then.  I don't want to cry every time we tell someone!  I can't tell you how happy I am to have a doctor in this town that can see our whole family.  I know that will come in handy.  

The only thing new in the symptom department is that I have been pretty sick this week.  My nausea seems to have gotten worse and I have thrown up a few times.  I had a really bad day Friday and Saturday but I have felt better yesterday and today.  Still really tired but have trouble sleeping at night.  This is just because I have to get up to pee so much and then it is hard for me to fall back asleep.  I will gladly take all these symptoms to see that beautiful baby wiggle inside of me......priceless!

I'm not going to post a "belly" picture this week because I still look the same as last week!  I'll post some in next weeks Kelly Belly update.  

Oh and I hope everyone has a happy St. Patrick's Day tomorrow...I know I will because it's my birthday!!!!  HOLLA!!!!!!

20 followers!

I'm so excited to have reached 20 followers!  

I just wanted to say thanks to each and every one of you who read my blog.  It really means the world to me to know that there are people in the blog world that care enough to read my ramblings.  Who knew?

I know some of my posts must be hard to read for some of you girls out there still trying to conceive.  I have been there so I know you just have to skip some of them.  I totally understand this.  I want to say a special thank you to y'all...I really appreciate you sticking around!  And know that I am following your journey and hope for BFP stories very soon!

I am also happy to have some followers who are pregnant and about as far along as me.  No one in my real life is pregnant so I am thankful to have you girls.  I look forward to sharing this journey with y'all!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

 

Kelly Belly-8 weeks

I think I am going to call these weekly updates on my pregnancy "Kelly Belly" updates.  Cute, right?  Even though there is no belly yet and won't be for a while, it gives me a way to document, in one post, what is going on pregnancy-wise each week.  Later on I may start doing those weekly pregnancy surveys that everyone has...we'll see.  


Today I am 8 weeks pregnant!!!

It still feels pretty crazy to say that although it is sinking in more and more each day.

Hubby scanned me on Sunday and everything was looking great.  I was 7w5d and baby was measuring 7w4d...so right on track.  The heartbeat was 158 beats/minute.  

I wanted to look on Sunday because it had been over a week and I just needed a little reassurance.  We were driving home from the Little Rock Marathon so we just stopped by the hospital on the way home.

So at 8 weeks these are my symptoms

1. I am still super tired all the time.  I get a little bit of energy at about 10:00 and I run my errands and then on the way home I feel like I have been drugged and need to lay down ASAP!  After I watch Days of our Lives eat I go to the bed and take a nap...which can last up to 2 hours.  I was not a nap person before I was pregnant but now I can't get enough.  If it is a work day, I nap when I get home at 3:30 or 4:00.  Also, it is very hard to wake up from these naps.  I don't wake up all refreshed with loads of energy...it literally takes me 30 minutes to drag my butt out of bed.
2. I have a few bouts of nausea each day.  Some days are worse than others.  I am nauseated when I wake up in the morning, especially if it is early, but after I eat a little something I feel better.  I also get pretty sick each night.  I have only thrown up at night twice but I have been close many times.  
3. I have started getting headaches this past week.  I've been waking up with a headache but it usually gets better throughout the day.  If I go too long without eating then it starts coming back strong.  I have been trying to eat more often to prevent this.  
4. I am still peeing all the time.  I get up about 3 times each night to pee.  
5. Still have sore boobs...and I have one blue vein on my left boob :)
6. It is really hard to find something to eat.  Nothing ever sounds all that great.  
7. I know that I am emotional....I hate to admit this because it means my husband is right but I act pretty insane sometimes!  I can be happy one minute and then completely irritated the next.  I have figured out that if I get hungry then I get mean....so trying to not let that happen :) 

Things I am loving right now

1. Grapefruit
2. Oranges
3. Granny Smith apples
4. Grapes....do you see a pattern?
5. Still loving Orange Juice and Apple Juice
6. Rice Krispy treats...someone mentioned them on Facebook the other day and I like had to have them right then!  This was my first "official" pregnancy craving.  Oh and my husband did go to the store, get the stuff, and come home to make them.  I was NOT having the pre-made kind.  I love him....even when he says "you're just emotional and hormonal" 

Things I am hating right now

1. Steak!  The other night hubby made us steak and my mom came over for dinner.  It was super yummy!  I was so tired after that I decided to just wait and do the dishes the next morning.  BAD IDEA!!!!  When I got up the next morning I had to leave the house because the kitchen smelled like steak!  Then when I felt fetter I came back home.  I had to clean the broiler pan (because the stupid thing doesn't fit in the dishwasher) and I gagged the entire time.  It was so disgusting.....I am literally gagging just typing this.  I made a rule that if he makes steak ever again that he has to clean the broiler pan THAT NIGHT or it has to be on a Monday night because the lady that cleans our house come on Tuesday morning.  BLECH....
2. I am hating Darwin (my dog) at this very moment.  It has been raining for the past few days so he just smells like wet dog and it is frickin' nasty.  I can't get away from it....
3. Pickles.  I was loving them but I threw them up the other night and that is that.
4. Endometrin.  I am so happy I only have a week left.  I mean I would do them for the entire pregnancy if it meant bringing home a healthy baby in October but there is no getting around the fact that they are gross.  After stims, retrieval, and transfer Hubs and I were finally getting back on track in the bedroom but nothing will throw that off better than lovely Endometrin.  I think I would rather be shooting myself in the ass with the PIO... 

I have been trying to walk quite a bit.  I am averaging 1.5 to 2 miles every other day.  Although Sunday when we went to the LR marathon I walked 5 miles.  We were there to cheer on a friend who was running the half and we decided to just jump in with the crowd and walk a bit.  It was fun to walk somewhere other than my neighborhood but it was sooooo cold!!!  


I also bought a Pilates in Pregnancy DVD and a Pregnancy Yoga DVD.  I'm thinking of trying those out tonight.  I hope I like them....they had good reviews....I'll let y'all know.


So here is a picture of me at 8 weeks.  This was the day of the steak so I look a little pale.  Although if I don't get some sun soon I'm pretty sure I will just disappear from view!

I have my first OB appointment next Wednesday and I can't wait!  I absolutely love my doctor and he is going to be so excited for us.  I can't believe I haven't run into him at work to tell him. I work the next two days so  maybe I will then.  


My pregnancy is still the big secret around here.  Only a few friends know.  I am getting worried that my dad will find out before I tell him.  I don't know how this would happen...I guess I just have to worry about something!  My birthday is next week and we will probably go to dinner with him and I am thinking about telling him then.  We haven't fully decided on that yet. I just know that when we tell him we need to be prepared for the whole world to know...not sure I'm ready for that yet....so we will see...


Hope everyone is having a great week!

Not a Croc

So I wanted to share with y'all my most recent purchase.  I bought a Croc, which is a fancy hair straightener and I CANNOT even begin to tell you how much I love it.  It has seriously changed my life!  Little backstory on my hair....

I have super thick coarse hair.  It is naturally very curly....except the very top layer is straight.  Weird...I know.  I really do like my hair and I get compliments on it a lot because it is so thick.  But, it is very hard to manage.  I  mean it was taking me forever to wash, dry, straighten, and style my hair.  If it was a work day then you can just forget it. 

I often wear it curly which is quick and easy.  I usually wear it like this to work because it takes no time at all.  The problem with this is if I wear it curly multiple days in a row then it gets VERY tangled and I am almost unable to brush it without: a) my arm falling off  b) tears  c) making an appointment to chop it all off only to change my mind at said appointment and just get a "trim".  So....I can't wear it curly everyday.  

I used to have a Chi but it passed away (sad day) about 8-9 months ago.  Since that was an emergency I just ran to Walmart and got a cheapie straightener.  I have been using that one ever since.  I kept forgetting to buy a good one!  

Looking back this was a bad idea for me.  I would have to straighten the same chunk of hair at least three times to get it straight....and it still wasn't all that straight.  I am certain that is not good for hair!  Recently, I started noticing that my hair had an awesome burned smell.  Great!  Then I also noticed all these little broken hairs!  Time for a new straightener!!!

So I did some research and found this great website that will tell you what kind of straightener you need for the type of hair you have.  How cool is that??  You can check it out here

After much consideration and comparing I decided on the Croc.

And life has been different since the day it arrived in the mail!

You can adjust the temperature up to 450 degrees depending on your needs.  This is perfect for me because the super curly part of my hair I can use the high heat and the straight parts I can use a lower setting.  

I also only have to go over each chunk of hair ONCE and it is totally straight!  My Chi didn't even do this!

Since this is so fantastic I thought I would share with you some before and after pics!!!

This is just after I dried my hair.....huge I know....

This is the underneath of my hair after drying....obviously a totally nasty frizzball :)

This is after using the Croc...which took about 20 minutes...AMAZING

Please ignore the no makeup and wrinkled white T-shirt!

This is under the one straight layer of hair....can you believe that?  In just 20 minutes!

I actually wear my hair straight now since it doesn't take me 2 hours.  Anyhoo, just thought I would share my great find with you girlies!  Hope everyone had a great Monday!


Disclaimer:  I was not compensated in any way to blog about this product.  I purchased it and liked it so much that I wanted to share my opinions on my blog.  Thanks!

MARCH!

I am so frickin' happy that it is March!

There are many reasons but I'd say that the number one reason is that it means spring is coming!  The grass is thinking about turning green and the daffodils are blooming.  My Bradford Pear trees in my yard also have little buds on them.  The lake is starting to come back up.  (I live on a lake and every winter for 3 months they take it down either 3, 5, or 9 feet.  They do this so repairs can be made to the dam and so you can have work done on your dock or your seawall, if needed).  


So, since the lake is about to be up that means it is time to get the boat out of storage!  Hells yeah!   We love taking boat rides in the evening as the sun is going down.  Hubs actually proposed to me on the boat at sunset....he's so sweet!   I seriously heart spring.....I start to get really depressed in January when it is so gloomy.  But once March rolls around I begin to feel MUCH better....I swear it gives me a renewed zest for life....does that sound weird?


March means that it will be warm enough to start eating dinner on the deck.  We do this a lot during the spring.  It is just so peaceful to be outside.  No TV...no distractions....just us....


March is also awesome because my birthday is in March!  I love my birthday....always have.  I think it is because we have always made a big deal out of birthdays in my family.  It is on March 17 which is St. Patrick's Day.  It has always been a fun birthday...something always going on.  Oh, and people never forget it!  There is a parade downtown every year on my birthday and it is way fun....super cheesy...but so fun!  Here I am in my parade get-up the past two years.  

My "crown" says Irish Princess (and yes...I am actually Irish!)  But it would be better if it said Southern Irish Princess ;)

I will be pregnant on my birthday this year which just makes all that I said above even better...can't lie about that.  I have hoped to be pregnant on my birthday for the past few years and now it is happening.  I will be 29 and I am just so so so thankful to be where I am right this very minute.  There were plenty of times that I was scared that this might not happen for us.  There are plenty of times even now that I am scared it will all be taken away suddenly.  You would think I would want take a little peek at the baby when I'm at work but I am scared to death to look now!  Scared of bad news....scared of it all crashing down on me.  I don't go back to work until next Wednesday so I don't have to think about it.  I am just going to enjoy the fact that it is March and evil winter is on its way out!


I am 7 weeks today.  Sweet!  My symptoms are pretty much the same as they were in this post.  I have had some nausea the past few nights though...right about this time actually.  I thought I was going to get sick last night but it passed.  Hopefully I will get to miss out on the terrible nausea and vomiting....a girl can hope can't she??


Happy March everyone!  I hope that it is a great month for all of us!!!

Graduated!

My appointment today went really well.  

Although getting there was a totally different story!  My mom texted me at 6 am to tell me she saw on the news that the interstate was shut down.  Apparently a semi wrecked and spilled loads of gasoline everywhere and they were trying to clean it up.  So I had to get up and get ready earlier than I normally would and figure out a way around the interstate, which I did.  It didn't take that much longer than my normal route, it was just a curvy 2 lane road.  Can you imagine the stress this would have caused if it had been an egg retrieval day???  Anyhoo...

My appointment was at 9:30 and I didn't get my ultrasound until about 11:20.  We (my mother-in-law was with me) waited in the waiting room for about 20 minutes and then the rest of the time was spent in the ultrasound room....in other words I waited with no pants on.  Really cool....actually not cool at all but sticky....you girls know what I mean....booty sticking to the super thin paper on the table....I hate that!

I always know that I am going to have to wait when I go there.  There have been very few times that I was in and out on time.  I never complain to them about it....ever.  I know they are doing their best and going as fast as they can.  I always come prepared to wait.  I was there for 4 hours one day.  I can't say I was happy about that....but I sure didn't let them know...

Do you girls ever have a super long wait?

I was hoping that it would be Dr. B that would be scanning me.  He is not actually my doctor but I have seen him more than anyone.  This IVF I saw him at every appointment and none of the other doctors.  He did my retrieval and transfer as well.  

Well it wasn't.....it was Dr. M, who I like but have only seen twice in two years.  

He came in and quickly asked how I was feeling.  I immediately told him that I "cheated" and me and my husband already looked and it was one baby and he/she had a heartbeat.  Then I realized that sounded kinda crazy so I reminded him that I do ultrasound.  He laughed. He scanned for a minute and said there is a heartbeat.  Then he showed it to us and took a few pictures. 

He told me that they would draw a progesterone today and if it looked good then I could stop the PIO injections.  He could tell by the look on my face that I was a little worried about that.  I'm just scared to stop them too soon.  He told me all the statistics and studies....blah blah blah.  I trust them completely (I mean look what they have done for me) but I am just a worrier.....Since I already have a bunch of Endometrin he said I could take those for 3 more weeks if it made me more comfortable.  It does...of course...although ask me later how much I hate them...

He printed me out some stuff to take to my OB doctor and told me to make an appointment and I was released into his care!!!  That is pretty crazy!  I mean I get to go to a real OB and not just for a damn pap smear?!@#!??  This girl is excited!

When he was done I went out into the hall to wait for the girl to draw my blood.  I saw Dr. B coming down the hall and I swear I wanted to kiss him on the mouth!!!  He hugged me and asked me if I "cheated" and looked before today and said that he knew I would.  He was so happy for me and then hugged me again and told me to let them know in the fall about the baby.  I was trying so hard not to just burst into tears.  It is just amazing what they do for people and I am so so so thankful!

Here is a picture of the baby that is growing inside of me!  Measuring 6w3d with a due date of 10-18

   

I called my OB doctor the instant I got home.  It was pretty weird making that appointment.  I have been waiting to make that call for almost 3 years.  I was tearing up before they even answered.  

Nurse:  How can I help you?

Me: I need to make an appointment with Dr. C

Nurse:  Ok, for your yearly exam?

Me:  NOOOOO!!  I'M PREGNANT!!! (yes...I did scream...didn't mean to...it just came out...)

Anyway, finding a day was a scheduling nightmare.  It is easy for me but my husband...ehhh not so much.  So after a ton of maneuvering.....we will be going on March 16.  I will be 9 weeks.  

This is the day before my birthday.  Pretty ironic....Two years ago on my birthday was our first appointment with Dr. C because we hadn't gotten pregnant.  What a difference.... 

A girl I work with, the one who went through IVF 5 years ago and now has twins, bought me a pregnancy journal.  What a sweetheart!  

(image courtesy of Google Images)

I really like this one A LOT.  It has a ton of space and places for pictures.  It also has stickers and frames you can put around each picture if you like.  It even has some scrapbook paper in the back that you can use if you want to make the picture pages scrapbook-like.  This thing is so me!  

So I am going to head into my living room and spend my entire Friday night getting started on it.  I am old and I love it :)