17 Weeks

Can you hear that? The wierd stretching sound? Its the sound of my belly, it is growing. Behold:

Me and my regular clothes don't have too much time left, so we're spending some good, snug, quality time together. Thanks to my generous sister A I have a box of maternity clothes to turn to when the time comes, but I'm still holding out.

Other than the disappearing waistline, Dr. R and I have been busy with closing on our new home. If all works out, we'll officially be homeowners on March 7! Just in time, since this mama bird needs to start building a nest.

Here's a weekly survey I stole from sister A's blog:

How far along: 17 weeks

Total weight gain/loss: +9 lbs a week ago...and I'm only getting bigger!

Maternity clothes: Not yet.

Stretch Marks: Checking daily and no.

Sleep: Still glorious with the exception of the nightly trip to the toilet.

Best moment this week: looking in the mirror and thinking, "damn, I really am pregnant!"

Movement: Hard to say if the flutters I sometimes feel at night are the baby or just gas.

Food cravings: Frozen yogurt.

Gender: I've always thought boy, but everyone else is thinking girl.

Labor signs: No!

Belly button in or out: Ever flattening.

What I miss: Wine and salami.

What I am looking forward to: Feeling definite movement.

Weekly wisdom: Bigger is better.

16 Weeks

We had the 16 week check-up bright and early yesterday morning. It wasn't too exciting but Dr. R joined me (Dr R: "they should coffee in these waiting rooms") . There was no ultrasound, but we got to hear Baby A's heartbeat for the first time on the Doppler device and it was holding steady in the 140 beat-per-minute range, exactly where it was at the 12 week ultrasound. Old wives be damned because 140 bpm is right on the border between indicating that I'm carrying a girl or a boy. Not that there is any scientific basis to that tale, but it's still fun.

Speaking of the sex, we've pretty much decided that we aren't going to find out in 4 weeks at the 20 week ultrasound. We've already gotten the token "oh, you're one of those people" responses when we tell others, but we don't mind; its fun to do things different. Plus, I'm going to need that extra excitement in the labor and delivery room.

Everything else looked great at the check-up and I'm tipping the scales at +9 pounds so far in the pregnancy. That should explain why my bump seems to have really popped in the past week or so. I'm still not in maternity clothes, but some of the pants are definitely getting tight. Also, note to self: do not buy a selection of shirts with horizontal stripes just prior to getting pregnant. Sheesh! I might even get brave in the next week or so and post a picture of the bel(ly).

Nesting

I'm taking a break from recapping the past 16 weeks to post a few photos from our major nesting project. We are currently under contract for our first home. Today we had the inspection so I had to the opportunity to snap a few pictures of our (hopefully) new nest. We love the neighborhood and bones of the house, but it will take some work to bring this place into the 21st century. Ideas about how to update and renovate are more than welcome!

The kitchen (the dishwasher is ca. 1976, but still works!):

Living room/Family Room - looking out from the kitchen (bottom) and entryway (top):

The dining room with a view of the entry-way. What an elegant chandelier!:

Hallway to the bedrooms (looking back to the kitchen and living/dining area):

Master bedroom:

Master Bathroom (sweet wallpaper!):

Bedroom 1 and second full bath (again, note the terrific wallpaper):

Bedroom 2:

Bedroom 3 (mirror image of bedroom 2):

And now I think I'll watch an episode of Laverne & Shirley.

The Nub

16 Dec 2010 (8 weeks)

The day of my first OB appointment. I was prepared for all the questions, the urine test, the blood tests, the epic list of stuff you can and can't eat. I anxiously waded through it all, not really thinking anything was real, until the doctor rolled in the ultrasound to check the age of the baby.

In the dark, with 'the wand.'

Dr. G: "There is your baby!

Dr. C: "Oh my gosh, really?"

It was, perhaps the highest high. To see the little kidney shaped nub, its little heart beating away inside of me, was simply the best. The weeks of worry finally melted away and I felt pregnant, I felt like a mom. I can't tell you how many times Dr. R and I looked at this blurry, back and white photo and felt like Christmas came a little early.

It's in my DNA

27 Nov 2010 - 15 Dec 2010 (weeks 5 through 8):


Has time ever moved slower? Perhaps not since Christmas eve, 1988. The days crawled by as I anxiously waiting for my first doctor appointment as well as any sign of pregnancy, other than those two pink lines. On a daily basis I scanned my body for any hint of the textbook pregnancy symptoms. I woke-up hopeful that this would be the day, the day the horrible pregnancy symptoms hit! Did I feel nauseous? Nope, not even if I hung out near the butcher at the grocery store. Have my tastes changed? I'm still craving olives. Am I more tired than normal? Well I gave up caffeine, so yes, but I never had a caffeine-free baseline so that was inconclusive. Am I peeing more frequently? Sensitivity to smells? Feeling dizzy? Food cravings or aversions? No. No. No. No. The internet searches only made it worse.


I (shockingly) worried. Was I really still pregnant?

Baby A: The early days

The beginning: 26 Nov 2010, A studio in Austin, TX, 5 weeks

Dr. R: "I'm really looking forward to making spaghetti and meatballs for dinner tonight."

Dr. C: "Me too. Oh, by the way, I think I might be pregnant."

Dr. R. "Well, I guess you should take a pregnancy test."

A quick trip to the grocery store followed. Did anyone sense our irritation in check-out line as we not-so-patiently waited while the woman in front of us in the checkout line insisted on going back into the store to retrieve a forgotten gallon of milk? Perhaps. Did I feel as embarrassed about buying a home pregnancy test as a pre-teen buying tampons? Absolutely.

We couldn't get out of the store fast enough. Back to the studio, me into the studio bathroom. I knew I had to pee, but why couldn't I at that moment? Finally. And then, the wait. Looking for two pink lines, I only see one. Oh, that's the control (every good experiment has a control). I burst out of the bathroom.

Dr. C: "Well, there is only one line so I guess I'm not pregnant."

Dr. R: "Really, let me see."

Dr. C: taking a second look "Wait, there is a second line."

Dr. R: "Really? Are you sure."

Dr. C: "Take a look."

Dr. R: "Whoa, that looks positive to me. It looks like we're having a baby.

Dr. C: The false positive rate is > 99%.

Hugs and Kisses

Dr. R: "Did you know a home pregnancy test is really just an ELISA test on paper?"