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Archive for March, 2008

status update : week 13

Friday, March 7th, 2008

I’m currently enjoying a weekend at the beach with my girlfriends for Girls Weekend 2008 and having a blast. Honestly, a status update is probably the farthest thing from my mind, but here’s what’s been happening.

As I’ve mentioned before I’ve started taking allergy medication to calm my sneezing fits. It’s unknown if things will get better, but I’m optimistic that I will see an improvement. I am giving it two weeks, then will reassess my situation. Clothes are continuing to get more and more uncomfortably tight. I have only gained about 2-3 lbs. so far, which is encouraging, especially when considering the foods I’ve been eating. I’m having some minor incontinence is sues when I have a hard sneeze, so I’ve been diligently practicing my kegel exercises to prevent leakage. My boobs have continued to explode…’nuf said. Sleeping (one of my most favorite activities) has become more restless and at times uncomfortable. I’m waking up more often than I would like, especially now that I can no longer sleep on my stomach. I’m gracious for the warmer weather, as I have been freezing throughout the majority of the winter. My moodiness has increased significantly, and I’ve not yet kicked the pregnancy exhaustion, but I am hoping that as I enter the second trimester I gain more energy and momentum.

Reflecting back on the first trimester, I have to say that I am grateful that my head wasn’t permanently praying to the porcelain god. Food aversions, nasal drainage and fatigue sucked, but I can’t imagine having puked my way throughout these first three months. It is also nice that the pregnancy is beginning to be more “real” and we keep reaching crucial periods. I’ve also begun to think about when to make our news fully public. At this point in time our close friends and family are aware of my pregnancy, but we haven’t made an announcement. We are wondering when (and how) would be suitable and also representative to our style.

allergy relief

Thursday, March 6th, 2008

Throughout the pregnancy, I have been reluctant to use any medications. Other than the prenatal vitamins (which don’t really count), the occasional Tums (which are fine for pregnant ladies) and one Tylenol (again, safe in small doses) I have been drug free. Now that I am close to entering my second trimester, and of course consulted my doctor (as well as several other resources), I am now on drugs. Last night I broke medication sobriety and had my first dose of Zyrtec in an attempt to reduce the flow of mucus in my nasal passages as well as eliminate my sneezing fits that could quite possibly put me in the Guinness Book of World Records. I think if you have routinely been going through a whole box of tissues in two days with this pregnancy-induced mucus overload, you’d think about some safe decongestants as well. Plus, if you know me, and what I consider “normal” allergies, this has become insane. I plan on giving the medicine a few weeks to kick in and if I don’t notice a difference I might cut myself off. However, I am hopeful that I am able to curb the amount of snot and sneezing going on, especially when I’m eight months pregnant with a pea-sized bladder.

12 Weeks, 6 Days

pregnancy predictions

Wednesday, March 5th, 2008

Just for the record, my friend Kristine, who must be a witch, or have been a witch in her previous life, knew I was pregnant. How? I don’t know, other than the fact when she came over for dinner last month she noticed I wasn’t having a glass of wine (oh, do I miss gorgeous red wines!), but was instead drinking 100% pure juice. Anyway, she somehow also knew how far along I was and has now predicted that I will have a boy. She’s got a fifty percent chance, but in order for me to grant her the official title of Witchy Woman, she’s got to be 100% correct in her prediction. So, for the record Kristine predicts a boy. If she manages to predict the due date correctly, I am going to play Ouija board with her and buy Powerball lottery tickets.

12 Weeks, 5 Days

take a guess tuesday : week twenty-five

Tuesday, March 4th, 2008

Our neighborhood is pretty easy going, but like all neighborhoods we have characters.  On a Saturday morning several weeks ago, there was a confrontation at our local coffee shop.  Nothing serious, nobody was swinging punches, just an exchange of words between two men who apparently had crossed paths before.  While I was inside getting our drinks, Matt was hanging outside watching the whole thing transpire.  As I walked out of the shop, I caught the tail end…which was pretty funny…especially if you weren’t watching the episode outside.  The older man asked the younger man if he was a Republican or a Democrat.  The younger man replied with, “A Democrat.  What the fuck does it matter?”  To that, the older man responded with, “Thanks for living in our neighborhood.”  So, what was causing all the commotion?

a.  Fighting over a parking space.
b.  Feeding a dog some treats.
c.  Cigar smoking at the tables outside of the coffee shop.
d.  A spilled latte.

nuchal translucency test

Monday, March 3rd, 2008

Many of our pregnancy fears went away this morning. As I told some family members, we are still scared, but no longer scared shitless.

The nuchal translucency exam showed us:
- The baby does not have excess fluid at the back of the neck, which is a good sign that the baby doesn’t have Down’s Syndrome. The technician checked to see if there was a nasal bone, which there was, another good sign that there aren’t chromosomal defects.
- Heartbeat was around 158 beats per minute and a closer look showed the heart valves pumping away and looking great.
- Amniotic fluid looks good.
- Cervix is closed and looks good.
- Placenta looks good.
- My right ovary is in good shape.
- The baby is growing on target and is a good size.

This is a closeup of the head, with the nose at the top pointing up. Head is facing left.

Another picture of the head with the nose to the left of the screen.
Full shot of baby. Feet on the left, head on the right. I believe that is the umbilical cord you see over the baby’s head.
I want to say this is a view of the top of the baby’s head.
Another head shot.
A squished version of the baby. Feet on the left, head on the right.
Closer body shot. Feet on left, head on right.
Super closeup shot of baby’s head. I would think the two parallel rows of white are pearly whites?
This last picture shows the baby’s head and the hand above the head waving, the thumb closest to the head.

 

12 Weeks, 3 Days

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