7 Weeks & 5 Days: & a little bit of Emoree too.

Four weeks ago today I found out I am pregnant! Time has flown by. Tomorrow is my second ultrasound, and I should be able to see the heartbeat at this point. Very excited! I will update again on Thursday with the ultrasound pic. Today, Emoree wants to show off her Valentine's impromptu photo shoot!!

Yes selective color is tacky, and I normally never do it, but for that photo it works for me. Valentine's Day is tacky anyway, right? Emoree is growing up! We haven't done a staged photo shoot in quite a while, but this was the easiest by far. She is now old enough to follow directions, and want to listen. It helps she also likes to have her picture taken, as long as I show her the pictures right away :o) I may or may not print out the collage picture 4x6 and have her give them to her friends at preschool with a lollipop taped to the back, I haven't decided yet.

Last week I finished my first crochet project for Baby #2! I have soooo many more patterns I want to make too, so I am happy to have this one finished. The blanket measure 34"x35", and the hat is preemie sized at a 11"circ (unstretched), which may be able to fit baby #2 just for the first few weeks. Grandma says it's too girly if I have a boy.... I don't think the blanket is, the hat maybe.

Just for an idea of the crochet projects I have in mind.... I want to make newborn photography props (egg bowl, stork pouch, & swaddle wrap), and various hats including a newborn pumpkin hat and a crochet santa hat. And these are just my gender neutral projects! I'm excited to get girly (or boyish) with my ideas too.. but I can wait!! This is my last pregnancy and I stop myself from saying "I can't wait for.." because I don't want to rush it, it is going way too fast already!!! And after I finish my projects, or probably also in between, I plan to make preemie & newborn hats to donate to the NICU at the hospital I am delivering at. They only take 40-60 minutes each to make. :o)

Next update Thursday!

7 Weeks

I am 7 weeks pregnant today!!! According to my "Pregnancy Week by Week" book, baby is about 1/2" long. According to the ticker I just added to the top of my blog, baby is 5/8" long. Either way, baby is growing!

I have been eating vegetarian for 10 days now, and haven't had any morning sickness! This doesn't necessarily mean I won't eat seafood, because I really want some shrimp or scallops. :o)  Something terrible did happen this week, however. Taco Bell stopped selling Cheesy Bean & Rice Burritos. If you know me, this is a major tragedy. I've tried the 7 layer burrito (also no meat), but it just isn't the same. :(

My 2nd ultrasound with the fertility center is in 6 days; I am looking forward to seeing the heartbeat. At that point, they should "release" me to my OB, and I have my first OB appointment set up for Tuesday, February 7th @ 1:15pm. I will be 8 weeks & 5 days. Very exciting!

Emoree is very excited about becoming a big sister. She was looking at car seats with me online, and now whenever we get in the car she tells me that her "baby sister's" car seat will be right next to hers. Obviously, she wants baby to be a girl :) Yes, I'm already looking at car seats! I like the Safety 1st Comfy Carry, because it fits narrow spaces (good for small cars, I have a Toyota Yaris), and it fits small newborns and preemies well starting at 4lbs. Emoree came home from the hospital at 3lbs 10oz in a Graco SafeSeat, and I didn't know as much about carseats back then, but she did NOT fit in it well at all.



I feel like Emoree has been a little left out of this blog! Afterall, it has her name on it :) Emoree is 4 days short of 3 years & 8 months old. She loves "school", she attends preschool/daycare at Celebree 3 days a week while I work. In September (when I am going to be home with a newborn) Emoree is probably going to start Pre-K in the Balto. Co Public School system, it is 2.5hrs a day for 5 days a week. Emoree loves anything Disney. Mickey Mouse, Princesses, mostly Ariel & Rapunzel. She loves to climb and jump, and sing and dance, so I think I am going to put her in gymnastics or dance class in the fall. She also loves to watch youtube videos of babies playing and kids playing on water slides on her Grandaddy's iPad. She knows how to use the iPad better than I do! Right now she is going through a "monster" phase, this morning she wanted to go downstairs and our cat Tumbleweed was on the steps, Emoree started screaming, "Mommy its a cat monster!" I gave her a flashlight, because her flashlight "scares" the monsters away. She told me she was going to go look under the bed for monsters with her flashlight. :o)

Alright, here is the first belly pic! Not showing yet, this is my pre-existing fat :-) I need a picture to start from, right? I am going to try to do belly pictures every week. After all, this is going to be my last pregnancy and I want to enjoy and remember every bit of it!

7 Weeks: 189.6 (+.8lbs) I gained 1 pound this passed week!





6 Weeks

5 Weeks & 6 Days

There is my little peanut!!!! And I mean, ONE little peanut!!!! Implanted in the right place, the right size, all looks good so far!!! I'm sooo happy :) For those who are ultrasound illiterate, The white "bean" in the middle of the black area is the embryo, and the white area in the top of the black space is the placenta, the black space is the amniotic sac. Yay!!!

Sorry I didn't get to update yesterday, I had my ultrasound and went straight to work, and didn't get home until 10PM, when I went to bed! So today I am 6 weeks pregnant!! Pregnancy symptoms are minimal, I've cut meat out of my diet a few days ago and haven't had a bit of nausea since. I am still getting protein, not to worry, I am drinking protein drinks for breakfast, eating greek yogurt, and beans in tacos and burritos :) I think it's crazy I can eat a Cheesy Bean & Rice Burrito from Taco Bell no problem, but a turkey & cheese sandwich will make me sick... oh well!

I asked my reproductive endocrologist (at the fertility center when I had my ultrasound yesterday) when I should schedule my first OB appointment for. He said that I will see him again in two weeks for another ultrasound (yay!!! Its scheduled for 11:45AM Wednesday Feburary 1st), and I can set up my first OB appointment for the following week. So exciting!!

6 weeks: 188.6lbs (-.2 lbs)





5 Weeks

I officially had my last early morning blood test today at the fertility center!!! My hCG level today is 821, a good healthy number!! Pretty much what I was expecting. My regular nurse called me today with the result, and told me that it isn't necessary to do anymore hCG tests, so now my FIRST ULTRASOUND is scheduled!!! Ahhh soooo excited!!! It is in 6 days, on Wednesday, January 18th at 1:45pm. The doctor wanted it scheduled for Monday, but they were booked until Wednesday. I will be late for work, oh well! This is way more important!

I just looked it up... I had my first ultrasound with Emoree at 6 weeks & 1 day. I think I got to see the heart beating at Emoree's 1st ultrasound, not sure. I may or may not be able to see the heart beat at this u/s, It may be too early at 5 weeks & 6 days. Either way, I will be able to see HOW MANY embryos there are.... definitely hoping for just one healthy, sticky bean since I have a unicornate uterus, and I'm single parent with one child already!

If you know me, you know I have a bargain shopping addiction. Well, I had BabiesRus $5 off reward coupons that were going to expire tomorrow.... so I went and bought bottles :) I bought two 3pks of Playtex Ventaire Wide bottles, in 6oz & 9oz. They were on sale too, so I got one pack for $3.20, and the other for $1.71 with my rewards coupons!! Yay!

Another thing I'm going to start posting is my weight gain/loss so I can track it each week/month w/ pregnancy. I know in the last week I've lost 2-3lbs (way to go increase im metabolism, considering I haven't been sick, just sometimes nauseated). When I was pregnant with Emoree, I lost 11lbs in the first 4-5 months, then gained 15lbs in the last 3-4 months for a grand total of +4lbs at her birth, lol. Considering she was born at 3lbs 15oz..... so anyway:

Week 5: 188.8

4 Weeks & 4 Days

hCG number today is 296!! This is almost exactly what I was expecting 3 days later, my hCG tripled which is normal for a healthy (hopefully) singleton pregnancy!! I thought this was my last hCG blood test, but apparantly sometime in the last 4 years my fertility center changed their protocol and they now do hCG tests every 3 days until it is at least 2000 hCG, so probably another 2-3 blood tests. I don't know now when they do the first ultrasound... I'm still hoping it is at 6-7 weeks.

Pregnancy symptoms have been pretty mild so far... my boobs get really sore when I'm cold, and I've had small bouts of nausea but nothing too bad, I just munch on graham crackers and I'm good :)



I've been hard at work on crocheting this baby blanket!!! I try to do at least 6 rows a night... which usually takes 1.5-2 hours with a 3 year old running around :o)

I go back for hCG test #3 on Thursday morning at 7AM!

4 Weeks & 2 Days

Sorry I didn't get a chance to update yesterday!!! Very busy busy. I had my "official" blood test yesterday, and I am "officially" pregnant!! My hCG number was 97.2!!! That is a very good healthy number. That was a nice birthday present for Grandma! At this point when I was pregnant with Emoree, I think my hCG number was only 30-40 so I had waited a few days to "announce" my pregnancy last time to make sure the number doubled in 2-3 days with the 2nd blood test. All is going well!!!!!

I go back Monday (at 4 Weeks & 4 Days) for my second blood test to make sure the hCG number doubles. My concern is if it more than doubles.... :o) But I'm not going to think about that.



I'm already getting started clearing the space that will eventually become the nursery. It still needs a LOT of work!! Right now I am just working on clearing my junk out. I've already got Emoree's toys out and into her new playroom, which is mostly complete. Over the next few months this room will get the stationary tub taken out (need to call a plumber to cap off the water lines in the wall), patch the wall behind the sink, new carpet, paint, and then to make it start looking like a nursery! I can't wait until I can pull the crib out of the attic and the rocking chair from Emoree's room :)

And of course, Emoree's new playroom. It only took me two days to set up. Moving the futon sofa created a lot more space (I forsee spending a lot of time laying on that futon during bedrest while Emoree plays!) and all I had to do was ditch one dresser and the TV I never use, and Emoree has a larger playroom!

Hopefully next update will be Monday after my second blood test :)

3 Weeks & 5 Days

I took two HPTs today... and well, a digital test says it best:

YAY!!!!!!!! So excited!!!! For all good measure, here is the 1st test I took this morning (the Clearblue Digital was second):



There is a faint line there! This is what sparked the need to take the digital test today :) This is an Equate brand test. I think I got my first BFP (positive HPT) at 12 DPO when I was pregnant with Emoree too!

Since Ovulation day was December 22, 2011, this makes me 3 weeks & 5 days pregnant today. Baby #2 is due September 13, 2012!!!! This means I will most likely have an August baby :o) Ahhh so overwhelmingly excited!

I decided to let Emoree tell Grandma that she is going to be a big sister today. We went to AC Moore's and I bought stuff and made her a t-shirt:

Emoree is excited too! She has been talking for awhile about wanting a sister (she doesn't realize she could end up with a brother, lol). I already bought yarn today (a pretty unisex peach color I have been looking at for months) to crochet a baby blanket. Now to pick a pattern I like!

I go Friday for the blood test to get my hCG number, and then I most likely go back 2-3 days later for another blood test hCG count. From what I remember last time, first ultrasound (performed by the fertility center) will be in about 3 weeks to see how many embryos... hahaha. This also means I continue on the Prometrium suppositories for the next month or so... fun!

I will update again with my hCG count on Friday!!!! Stay tuned over the next several months.... for my journey through a high-risk pregnancy and birth!

11 DPO: Two Week Wait Torture

Today I feel like I am losing hope. Pregnancy "symptoms" I had last week are long gone, and I figure they were just from the hcg shot. Now I feel nothing. I don't know what to think. Here is what it comes down to. Everything that says "Don't test too early, you will only stress yourself out," it is totally true. I am torturing myself with negative HPTs. If they weren't expensive (although, these are the dollar store ones but I bought the last two) I would test more than once a day and emotionally torture myself more.

These are from yesterday and today, respectively. I am making myself crazy... again... I am zooming in on the pictures, increasing the saturation levels, brightness, anything to see if there could be a remote faint line there. Alas, nothing. I KNOW, I KNOW. It is too early, right? I keep trying to tell myself that. It usually doesn't work. I've looked up every statistic I can online on what precentage of women get early positives on what days of ovulation.... I know I need to stop but easier said then done!

Today I asked myself what am I going to do if I am not pregnant? The answer: I got online and applied for FAFSA to go back to school. I looked up what classes I need to take (only two or three!) before I can apply for the Respiratory Therapy program. I might take Emoree to Disney World in the spring or for her birthday. This helps a little. At least, it is a distraction of something else to look forward to.

There is still a chance I could be pregnant. That is why, first thing when I get up tomorrow morning I am going to do another HPT, which is what I will do everyday this week until my blood test on Friday.