Paul & Sarah

We have quite a little dancer on our hands. It was flipping and wiggling and kicking and WAVING at us. But it behaved just beautifully for the ultrasound tech – even flipping to the other side to give the tech a better angle for the Nuchal Fold screening.

Paul was just slack-jawed the whole time. I was pointing out what we were seeing on the screen and he was just amazed when he finally started to see the little critter on his own. It was pretty awesome! I was laughing and giggling like a loon every time it waved at us! I couldn’t believe how active the little shrimpy thing is!

There’s new pictures in the gallery, and we’re working on putting up the little movies they gave us. (The tech made us a DVD instead of printing out pictures this morning; how cool is that?) Just click the above picture to get to the gallery (or click the “Gallery” link at the top of the page.)

Nuchal Fold screening went just great. The tech & Dr. Schwartz discussed which picture/measurement to submit for review and the “official” measurement. They decided on the largest measurement she could get, which was 1.21mm. Anything under 3mm is just great, so we were very pleased with these results.

They took a bunch of blood for the 1st trimester screening panel, and gave me supplies to (ick) capture all my urine for 24 hours. So Sunday will be fun. But they gotta check for protein and something else, and this gives them a baseline.

Insulin got bumped up a little more (2 units) and Dr. Schwartz is adding another BP med since I don’t think the Labetelol is really doing anything. But he’s OK with my BP where it is, and is happy to see my blood sugars where they are. Nobody had mentioned my weight to me at any appointments so far, so I asked. Turns out I lost 2lb this time, which seems odd to me, cuz I feel puffier than ever and can’t fit into some of my jeans already.

All in all, great appointment. Paul and I are so stoked!!

Not so much with the choices, and even less so with the able-to-try-on-first. (sigh)

So I’m taking good advantage of a big sale at Avenue this week and buying elastic-waist pants in sizes larger than what I usually wear. I wore a pair in my normal size today and OMG, what a relief. My usual day-to-day jeans were starting to get uncomfortable, and there’s already a couple of pairs I can’t zip up anymore.

I picked up a couple of longer tunic shirts as well, since I figure I can get away with leggings as long as I’ve got a long shirt, right?

Here’s hoping these larger sized pants get me through for a while. Cuz maternity clothes shopping is gonna be a beast. Maybe I can just live in maxi dresses? (Hrm, Paul would love that anyway…)

Round and round. I think my scholarly tendencies to study everything to death are doing me a disservice at this point.

Wednesday’s appointment is supposed to get us some good profile pictures of the critter because they’re going to do the Nuchal Fold screening test. Presumably they’ll also do some bloodwork at the same time that has some chromosomal screening stuff in there too. The bloodwork screening stuff is done during late 1st trimester and early 2nd trimester.

Depending on what these tests say, we’ll be presented with other testing/screening options. First would be CVS (chorionic villus sampling) which is akin to amniocentesis, but is slightly less invasive and can be done sooner than an amnio. CVS & amniocentesis screen for chromosomal abnormalities like Downs Syndrome and other genetic conditions. Amniocentesis can also screen for neural tube defects like spina bifida as well. Both have the bonus of telling the sex of the baby with 100% accuracy.

There’s a decent chance I’ll need an amnio later in the pregnancy anyway, depending on when Dr. Schwartz determines the baby needs to come. Amniocentesis is commonly used late in pregnancy to determine how far along lung development is. (How they tell that from amniotic fluid is beyond me.)

But I just can’t stop thinking about these tests. Do we even want them? What about the slight elevation in risk of miscarriage? What would we do with the results? Does it make me a terrible person to even be wanting this screening done? A lot of women choose not to have these tests done at all because the results wouldn’t matter to them either way. What does that say about me that the results *would* matter? And lastly, what if – God forbid – the results came back in a not-good way? What would having to make that decision to to Paul and I?

Round and round. This is part of the training to become a parent, right?

This year’s Christmas was very family-centric. Gifts were not a priority, and it was kinda nice actually.

But we have received baby things from two good friends, so it’s kinda like the critter already has had a Christmas!

Kelly & Caroline both had their first babies this October. Kelly (Gnome around these parts) was a co-worker who abandoned me to go back home to her beloved Philly. I tease. I miss her terribly, but am comforted by the fact that she’s eminently happier back in her hometown than she ever was here in Vegas. Caroline is a current co-worker here in LV. Funny how they both got pregnant within two weeks of each other.

So I am very lucky to have two friends who are a WEALTH of recent pregnancy knowledge. I can e-mail them with “OMG, what is happening to me?!?” questions and get immediate reassurance that I’m not about to explode or anything. Kelly has been great about giving details of what it’s really like to live with a kidlet – Paul has been especially glad to read her e-mails about that.

What this also means is that I am the prime recipient of hand-me-downs already! Kelly & Peter sent a care package as soon as I told her the good news (yes, she knew well before the rest of the world – sorry, but not everyone could know at once!) with a couple of books, a DVD on how the heck to care for the critter and the first baby blanket we’ve received. We’re looking forward to digging into the “What the heck you really need for this kid” book. Caroline’s little girl has outgrown her size1 diapers already, so Caroline gifted me last week with a big bag of packages of diapers, some pacifiers, and other random baby stuff that isn’t needed anymore.

It’s really very neat to already have baby stuff. Granted, I have nowhere to *put* any of it yet, but it’s still neat to have. And if it turns out I’m having a girl, I’m already signed up for hand-me-downs aplenty! :)

Thanks, girls. I really appreciate everything.

This week has been a heckuva week. The nausea that I’ve been mostly able to avoid has snuck up on me several times. Including today.

Today I was off work, with only plans of a quick errand or three and making the Gorman Family Christmas Eve Traditional Northern Italian Lasagna. I made the Bolognese sauce on Sunday, so it wouldn’t be all the huge of a production to make the lasagna today. But for some reason, I was pretty nauseous all day. Making the lasagna (looking at and smelling the sauces) was almost more than I could handle. But I got it made and baked off beautifully in the oven.

Paul and I arrived at his parent’s house with piping hot lasagna and ready-to-be-baked garlic bread. Dinner was served within 30 minutes, to everyone’s great delight. By all accounts, this year’s lasagna (which Cassie had really been looking forward to) was a big success. I wouldn’t know. I took a tiny bite and could barely choke it down. I managed to eat my salad and drink my milk, but that was it. I’m pretty disappointed. I really want some of my lasagna – but it ain’t happening tonight.

I was feeling so crappy, we begged off going to midnight mass with the family. So on the way home (after taking Nonny home) we stopped at the store for more milk. If nothing else, I figure I can get some Raisin Bran down. But while wandering the (surprisingly busy at 10pm) store, I come to the realization that a frozen pizza might work.

So here I sit, typing this post 20 minutes later as the oven bakes my cheese pizza. Here’s hoping.

Merry Christmas Eve, folks. Maybe I’ll leave a slice or two for Santa. He’s probably sick of cookies by now.

I’m having fun tweaking our little site here, hoping for an onslaught of friends and family in the next few days. I mailed the Christmas cards on Friday, so hopefully they’ll start arriving across the country on Monday and Tuesday.

We’re really excited about everyone knowing, and being able to talk about it with anyone we want. :)

So if you’re here because you got a Christmas Card from us: WELCOME! We’re so glad you know our happy news!!

Merry Christmas!

The Christmas cards finally went out today. The stupid little Santa hats arrived this afternoon! So the word will be out within a few days. We’re pretty excited for people to know, if for no other reason than it’s getting hard to remember who knows and who doesn’t. :)

I told my work at our office potluck on Wednesday. They were pretty shocked, but everyone seemed genuinely happy.

I ended up taking today off of work. After a rough night of very little sleep, there was just no way I could go to work. I managed to get a bit of stuff done today but not terribly much. There’s so much I wanna do (like decorate the Christmas Tree) but I’m just too dang tired. I’m really hoping that once the 1st trimester is over, I won’t be so freaking exhausted. I don’t mean to complain though – I just do what I can and am doing a pretty good job of not stressing about what doesn’t get done.

So as of today I am the chauffeur of a Fetus. We bid a wistful goodbye to the 4 weeks of being an embryo, and move with great purpose onto being a fetus. Tiny vital organs are in place (and in come cases, WORKING) and will continue to grow – but the kinda scary embryo time is over. The foundations of all everything have been laid. I am more than a bit relieved.

Also, it’s kicking and wiggling like a little fiend. I can’t feel it yet, but it’s starting to have some motor functions and is just flopping around in there, enjoying the spacious accommodations while there’s still room. (It feels weird to call the little critter “it” but we won’t know for at least a month yet what the sex is. It’s already set as of this week, but the little bits are too small to see on an ultrasound for another 4-6 weeks.)

Today’s doctor appointment was pretty quick, but still satisfying. (That sounds weird, doesn’t it?)

Paul couldn’t come with me, but that was OK – nothing major to discuss today. Next time I’ll want him there if possible. But today was just a check on me and my meds, and a check on the critter. It’s like there’s two exams happening at once. While the tech is doing the internal ultrasound, Dr. Schwartz is quizzing me on my blood sugars and how I’m feeling and whatnot.

I forgot to ask for the heartrate, but I heard it loud and clear when they started the ultrasound. Sounds like a tiny herd of horses in there! The tech was either really gentle, or the critter is getting big enough that they don’t have to go all Cirque Du Soleil to get a good angle anymore. I think it’s more of the latter.

The little critter is now 3.5cm (nearly 1.5″) and has a face! The tech was able to get a couple of profile shots – so finally it looks like there’s a baby in there instead of some weird cyst. :) It’s still pretty alien-looking with the huge forehead and all, but at least there’s identifiable parts! Well, they’re fairly identifiable on the original printout – if you know what you’re looking for.

I’m doing well too. Dr. Schwartz loves my blood sugar webpage, and wants me to add a column for taking my blood pressure too. We talked about my concerns about my sugars still being too high (especially fasting in the mornings) but he kinda got on me to relax about it. He reminded me that the “diabetic rules for eating” don’t exactly apply to pregnant ladies. He’s not nearly as concerned about my ‘high’ sugars as I am, and is more impressed with my attitude and willingness to do whatever he tells me. He said that he spends entire pregnancies trying to get a patient to make slight changes in diet or whatever and that he rarely has ever seen a patient as motivated as me to make necessary changes. So that was nice to hear. I don’t think I’ve ever had a doctor who has validated the fact that I do try to follow the rules and be a good patient. It’s nice to have someone telling me that I’m doing just fine and to relax. :)

My blood pressure is still too high though – it seems that the labetelol that I’ve been on forever isn’t working as well as it used to. (Personally, I don’t think it was really working before.) He upped my dose again and wants to see what effect that has before changing things again. He’s concerned that I’m gonna be passing out whenever I stand up. :)

Also, Dr. Schwartz volunteered to call my pharmacy and straighten them out about my insulin. They gave him the same explanation they tried on me: it’s my insurance that won’t let me have two vials at once. So after he called me and told me that, I called my insurance again. I talked to a wonderful girl who double and triple checked with her supervisors that I CAN indeed have two vials at once and that Walgreen’s Pharmacy is full of crap. She’s having the plan administrator double check why the Walgreen’s system might be kicking it back though. Once they re-confirm everything, someone will call me back and then they’ll call Walgreen’s for me and explain to them how to do their job. (sigh) Having insurance is supposed to make health care easier, isn’t it?

Next appointment is on December 30th at 9:30am. Really hoping Paul can come to that one. They’ll be doing the nuchal fold test then. But in the meantime, things are progressing just as they should. I’m still pretty dang tired, but that’s to be expected right now.

I’m part of a great little private community that we refer to as Fairytales. We all met 11 years or so ago as we were all planning our weddings. We were/are members of an internet discussion board (forum) where we talked about our plans to no end. And here we are 11 years later, with the kid count somewhere above 20. I don’t think any of us thought we’d still be actively talking daily/weekly this far down the line, but I consider these ladies (about half of which I’ve actually met in person) to be some of my closest friends.

It’s been kinda hard over the years to watch them go through multiple pregnancies, but at the same time it’s been a joy to share in their lives and glean the wisdom of 20+ pregnancies. I am the last of the married girls to get pregnant, but all the FT ladies are thrilled for me, and are here now reading this blog.

So this is just a little shout-out to my FT girls. Thanks for waiting for me ladies, and for being so happy for us.