Monday, June 30, 2008

New Job?

I'm seven and a half weeks pregnant and going for a job interview. I really had stopped looking for a new job because I love where I'm at and for the time being things are going well. This opportunity presented itself though and I just could let it pass me by. I'm struggling with the guilt of possibly taking a new job and not telling them up front that I'm pregnant. For right now I'm just going to concentrate on doing well at the interview. Who knows, it may not even get past the first interview (of course I told myself a few weeks ago that I probably wouldn't get an interview). Wish me luck!

We also leave for our trip to Colorado on Wednesday. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!

Friday, June 27, 2008

Seven Weeks

Yesterday we hit the seven week mark! It was accompanied by almost a whole day of being nauseous. Lovely. The only time I didn't feel sick was working out with Erin. Even then I had moments that I had to pause to make sure I wasn't going to puke on the weight bench! (Ick, I know)

The itching is still there and as strong as ever. I try to put up with it during the day because the antihistamine the doctor gave me makes me so sleepy! It doesn't really help with the itching either so basically I'm itchy and sleepy. I noticed that I do need to take the antihistamines before bed otherwise I can't get to sleep after I go to the bathroom because I keep itching. With the antihistamine I'm too tired to itch!

Oh, yeah that reminds me. This week I've been getting up to go to the bathroom like clockwork (about 2 am)! It's such an adjustment for me because I so rarely ever got up during the night before.

Chocolate covered raisins have become my newest craving. I find it interesting that I've been craving lots of chocolate (milk, cookies, raisins). I'm usually not much of a chocolate eater. I guess everything really does change. Next thing you know I'll like mushrooms and beets. Ha! Even saying that statement made my stomach turn! Thank goodness! LOL!

This weekend is going to be a busy one. DTB and I have to prepare for our trip to Colorado. We have some shopping to do, a house to clean and bags to pack. On Tuesday I go to my original first appointment. It's with the nurse and I've been told it can be pretty uneventful. The "big" appointment will be when we get back from our trip. That's when we'll see the doctor and hear the heartbeat! Fun stuff!

This week the baby will grow a bunch. It will actually double in size. A lot of important development is happening too. The heart is continuing to grow and is separated into two chambers. The brain is also developing at this time. The arms are more then just stubs but there are no fingers yet. The legs are starting to form (no toes). The lungs are starting to take shape along with the intestines, pancreas, eyes and nose. The over all size of the baby from head to rump is about a half inch (or the size of a BB).

Monday, June 23, 2008

Possible cause of itching

The itching was so bad last night that I hardly slept. Even when I did sleep I was scratching in my sleep. So This morning I called my doctor's office to see if there was anything I could do. They told me that I needed to go in and see one of the doctors. Since I already had a dentist appointment I ended up taking a half day off of work to go and get checked out.



The nurse took me back and checked my height, weight and blood pressure. She brought me to a room and asked a few questions. Since I hadn't been given an due date she figured it out on the wheel. I'm due February 13, 2009. Looks like I know what I'm getting for Valentine's Day! LOL! Since I know I ovulated a little earlier then day 14 I'm guessing my due date will be more around the 10th. I wouldn't doubt if neither one of those days is right since this is my first and first babies tend to be late.



Anyway back to my appointment (I actually had a huge post from this point on but stupid blogger ate it! So now you get a shorter version).

The doctor thinks that I have a liver problem. Apparently this is common later in pregnancy and I'm the first person he's seen having this issue so early. From the sounds of it there is too much bile in my blood. I was told that it can cause complications but in all the years he's been in practice he's never had anyone have complications from it. Of course he's never had anyone have it this early either.

So the course of action we're taking is antihistamines. I also went and had some blood taken to confirm that it is a liver problem. If it isn't I'll need to have more tests done to figure out what is going on. Since I didn't see the doctor who I'm working with I'll follow up with her later on. If it is a liver problem and the antihistamine doesn't work there is another medication I can take that will absorb the bile so my body doesn't.

It's not the best news to receive this early. It's also worrisome to me since this is a crucial time during the pregnancy. But since the doctor didn't seem overly concerned I'll try my best not to worry about it. That will be much easier to do if the antihistamine works!

I'm off to pout about my post that was a million times better then this one being eaten alive! It's time to take some meds too!

Edit to add: I just did some searching online about this. Apparently this condition happens earlier in pregnancies that are MULTIPLES!! I'm so kicking DTB's ass if that's the case! He keeps saying we're having twins. He keeps trying to assure me this is a good thing since I'll only have to be pregnant once. I really need to stop looking stuff up online.

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Six Weeks!

Thursday marked the six week mark in our pregnancy. We're halfway through the first trimester and that much closer to sharing the news with everyone. The book I've been reading says from now till the end of the first trimester is the most crucial time. This is the time when most miscarriages happen. The reason for this is because now is the time for major developments. The heart, nervous system and so much more is starting to grow. There was is illustration of what the baby looks like......I think I'm having a tadpole! LOL! There is a definite head and a heart chamber but no legs. Just a tail.

This week the morning sickness came on a little strong. It was accompanied by dizziness and an uncontrollable itch! I think I'm going to scratch myself raw it's so bad! Every square inch in my body is itchy. I think DTB is probably getting sick of scratching my back but it drives me nuts!!

On Saturday I went for a massage. It was nice but not as nice as I would like. Now that I'm pregnant I can't get a deep tissue massage. After working with Erin and kickboxing class I really could have used a deep tissue massage. It's better then nothing though. I'm sure the farther along I get the better that light massage would feel. I'm trying to figure out how wrong it would be for me to tell everyone to get me gift cards to the spa so I can get massages all the time! Hehehehe!

Saturday was also the first challenge of being with friends and drinking. DTB and I had a plan for me to carry around the same drink all night and he would drink it here and there for me or I could dump it out. I didn't have to do that though. I drank water all night and no one even noticed. I was asked point blank when we planned on having kids. My answer was a sheepish "eventually". It was hard to say that since this friend is leaving very soon. I know she would be so happy to hear our news but I just couldn't share with her and not everyone else. She will still be happy and I'll point her to this blog so she can keep up with us. I'm just hoping her prediction doesn't come true.....she said I would have twins!! That would be nice on the pregnancy front because it would be one and done but I don't know about raising twins. That would be be more work then I really want. LOL!

Today I went shopping for some shorts for our vacation. I've been loosing weight and I'm in between sizes. I ended up going to a total of five store to get what I needed. I again found myself wanting to cry but I managed to keep it in. I am pretty pissy though. LOL. The friend I went shopping with suggested that I park in the expectant mother spot. She said "hopefully it will curse you and not me". Oh if you only knew! LOL!

Well it's past my bedtime and time for my nightly scratch.

Thursday, June 19, 2008

You have GOT to be kidding me!

UGH! I hate it when you have a name picked out for your baby and then something comes along and RUINS it! GRRRR!!! I never thought I would be so emotional and irrational about a name but here I am being all of those things. Pregnancy really screws with your sensibilities!

Counter

I've added a visitor counter to the page. I thought it would be nice to track how many people are sharing our trip.

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

Getting fit, needing sleep!

This week the tiredness has really hit me. I can't seem to get through the day without desperately wanting a nap. Most days when I get home I take a nap, workout a little, eat and head back to bed. I have managed to fit a little reading in too. I'm not sure how I'm doing it but I am.

I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to the weekend. I can sleep in and take naps whenever the urge strikes me! It will be glorious and I plan to enjoy every minute of it! LOL!

Today I started a kickboxing class. When I signed up I didn't know I was pregnant. DTB and I talked it over and decided as long as I stay in the moderate zone I'll be fine.

It was an interesting class. In addition to the kickboxing moves the instructor mixes in yoga and Thai Chi. I was hanging in there today until we spent several minutes with our heads down. That made me want to puke! So I stood up and hopped back in once I was feeling better. I think next week I'll talk to the instructor on moves I can do that won't make me want to puke.

Speaking of puking, I feel a little more nauseous everyday. On the advice of my friend Dawn, I bought some lemon drops to suck on. That seems to help a lot! The only problem is the sugar. I'm insulin resistant so I'm going to have to find a sugar free alternative. For now the lemon drops will do though.

Well it's late for this girl. I'm surprise I've been able to make it through this post! Oh! I do want to mention that we're heading out on vacation in 2 weeks! I'm so looking forward to it. Let's hope I have the energy to do all that I want!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

Mmmm.....Cookies!

I had a nice, relaxing weekend. DTB was out of town and I did a bunch of nothing. Well I did make cookies but that's about it.

In the last few days I've had some cravings. First one came on Friday. I wanted a warm chocolate cookie so bad! I ended up not having one but I thought about them until Saturday night.....when I made cookies! LOL! I did notice that the cookies have to be warm or they don't hit the spot. Hopefully this will pass other wise I'll be doing a ton of baking!

On Saturday morning I woke up and had the overwhelming urge to drink chocolate milk. That's an odd craving since I do not like milk. I guess my body is telling me to get used to drinking milk. LOL! I headed out to the store for some groceries and I picked up some chocolate milk. I could have drank the whole carton in one sitting. I'm pacing myself though!

I'm feeling a little better about the whole "being a mom" thing. I have my good days and bad days. I suppose I should enjoy the good ones.

This weekend I decided that we may use cloth diapers when the baby comes. I only overwhelmed myself by doing research online. HOLY COW! Cloth diapers have changed a TON over the years. There are so many choices in style and materials. I think I'm going to start off checking out diaper services. I also have to keep in mind that not all daycare centers take cloth diapers. Who would've thought all of this would be so hard. No wonder pregnancy lasts so long...it takes that long to figure out what the heck kind of diapers to use! HA!

Friday, June 13, 2008

Pregnancy Brain?

The last few days I've noticed I'm not as "sharp" as usual. Is it possible that "baby brain" has set in already? Does that make this "pregnancy brain"? Let me tell you this: IT SUCKS!

Seriously! I'm not one to be absent minded but I have been. I'm only about 5.5 weeks pregnant. How can this crap be happening already? Maybe it's not a true case of pregnancy brain. Maybe I'm just so preoccupied with all the things that I worry about (I'm a HUGE worrier. Not about health, just about being ready) that I'm becoming absent minded.

Tonight DTB and I went out to dinner. I paid with my debit card. We left the restaurant and headed off to Target to pick up a few items. When we went to check out I look in my purse for my card and IT'S NOT THERE! I was so pissed!! This is a MAJOR problem. Thank goodness we weren't far from the restaurant. I was able to head back and get the card. It made me so upset. I'm always so good about making sure I have my card back.

I almost cried. It's very hard to deal with not being yourself whether it's baby related or not. The thing that freaks me out the most is that there are SO many other changes on the way. It's exciting and freaky as hell all at one.

I'm pretty much scared most of the time. I'm a perfectionist. Perfectionist don't make good moms. I'm so afraid I'm NOT going to be a good mom. It's a vicious cycle. I just need to get over myself and learn to be flexible. It's going to be tons of work. Thank goodness I don't have to do this all alone.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Exercise does a baby good!

I'll be the first to admit it! I am in no shape to have a baby! I'm overweight and out of shape (well round is a shape lol!). I was actually working on correcting those problems then poof! We're pregnant (yeah, it's still "we're")!

When I called to make my first doctor's appointments I specifically told them that I was on a weight loss plan and I was working out. I wanted to make sure that it was o.k. to keep up what I was doing. They are completely fine with me loosing weight and working out. The only restriction is I need to get plenty of dairy and I can only workout at a moderate level. No more high intensity sweat sessions.

So tonight I worked out with my trainer and friend Erin. I started going to her right around the time I got pregnant. Boy that girl kicks your butt!! Seriously! The first time I worked out with her I felt wonderful but oh so sore! The next week was when I found out I was pregnant so we've taken the intensity level down a bit...or maybe I'm just getting used to it. Either way I get an excellent workout with Erin!

After my workout I felt fabulous as usual and Erin asked if I have noticed a difference since I started with her. I have noticed that my clothes fit a little looser but that's about it. I know other people have noticed a difference since just this morning my mom commented on it and Erin commented on it. YAY!! I'm on my way to being a fit pregnant lady!

I've really noticed that I don't feel sick when I workout and for a while afterward. So that leads me to believe the baby likes it! Hopefully he/she will be nice and svelte just like his/her daddy! My goal out of all of this is to not only have a healthy baby but to come out of pregnancy a healthy mom too! I hear it can be done so that's what I'm doing! Wish me luck!

Monday, June 9, 2008

Holy cow!! I fell asleep!

I think this pregnancy thing is catching up to me!

Tonight when I got home from work I sat on the couch to watch the news for a couple of minutes. Well I woke up an hour and a half or so later all covered up on the couch. I fell asleep!! Just like that! No warning, no nothing! The best part about this story is apparently I got up at some point, grabbed a blanket and went back to napping. I don't even remember doing that! LOL! My friend Amy called the sudden falling asleep "pregnancy hormone induced narcolepsy". LOL! I think that's the best pregnancy term EVER!

The last few days I've had some major cramps! I keep worrying that I'm losing the baby but the cramps aren't horrible. After asking some pregnant friends on a local baby board and doing some research on my own, I figured out that the cramps are completely normal. My body is making room for the baby by expanding my uterus (sorry boys! Probably TMI). I better get used to the cramps, they'll be happening a lot for a while!

I've been staying on the eating every 2 and half hour or so schedule. That seems to help keep the tummy from getting upset.

Saturday, June 7, 2008

Work to be done!

Now that we have an addition to the family on the way, we need to get things ready! Our "spare" bedroom has been a mess for months! We couldn't even allow a friend to sleep in there much less a baby!

So today I spent a few hours throwing junk out, organizing and general cleaning. It took me a few hours but I got most of it done. Dad-to-be (DTB) and I talked about what changes we want to make to the room. We have our work cut out for us!! We're thinking of ripping out all the walls, putting rewiring the room and putting in all new lighting. Good thing we did a lot of work on the rest of the house already. We'll be able to do most of the work ourselves!

Since I was working on the room I started to think about how we will want to decorate the nursery. I started looking at cribs and other furniture. I think we narrowed down what we want and it's SOOOO affordable! We're not going to rush things though.....we need to get through the first trimester first!

I'm feeling good and still in a little bit of shock. It's all sinking in though and I'm starting to get excited!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Gotta get a doctor, read books & prepare!

Since deciding to start trying to get pregnant I have envisioned myself working closely with my doctor. She works in a Family Practice and does everything!

This morning I cheerfully called up the doctor's office to give them the good news! There was a hitch though.....my doctor no longer deliveries! Crap! They offered for me to do my prenatal with her then switch over to an OB at 36 weeks or I could just go to an OB. Decisions, decisions!

After talking it over with Dad-To-Be we decided it would be best to see the same doctor throughout the pregnancy. Off I went to the local baby board that I joined last night (yep, I couldn't wait!). From there I received some excellent recommendations. After doing a little research online I settled on a doctor. She has excellent ratings all across the board. My comfort level was elevated even more when I called the office and a REAL PERSON answered the phone! Holy cow! I didn't know doctor's office actually answered the phone! LOL!

To my surprise I found out that how far along you are is not determined by your ovulation date but by the date of your last period. I'm SOOOOO clueless! So with that in mind I'm actually 4 weeks along, not 2 like I had thought. Bonus for the people in our lives that have to wait! You'll find out 2 weeks sooner then I thought!

My first appointment will be July 1. That's just an appointment to get everything in order. On July 14 we'll be seeing the doctor and going over whatever it is we go over. Doesn't matter what it is. Even paperwork is exciting at this point!

Since I figured out I'm truly clueless about being pregnant I decided to head to the bookstore. I've always been a good student so reading is the best way to go....right? I picked up "Your Pregnancy Week By Week". I figured I can read along as we go through the pregnancy. Dad-To-Be got the "Dad-To-Be" version of the book I got. Apparently it doesn't go week by week but it does give good information. He has another book to read as well to help him prepare.

I thought I should put a little blurb in here about how I'm feeling. I'm hanging in there. Still in shock. I do feel a little sick but that's been happening since Monday (the day before we tested). I'm not sure if it's nerves or just a little morning sickness. Either way I can keep it under control by eating every couple of hours.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

OMG! We're Pregnant!

I can hardly believe it! Tonight we took a pregnancy test and it came up POSITIVE! (O.k. I'm them one who had to pee on the stick but this is a joint venture.....right? LOL! At least for now it is). It's such a shocker even though we have been trying. I don't think anything can really prepare you for such a HUGE change in your life. Part of me wants to jump around and dance while another part of me is just sitting there....in disbelief! We actually did it! Our third try and we're pregnant! How in the hell am I going to keep my mouth shut about this? LOL!

The best way to get through the first trimester without blabbing to too many people is this blog. Look for updates All. The. Time!