Pregnancy Journal

Well, Appleseed, you got your first real snowstorm this weekend, although you wouldn't know it because you are snuggled safe and warm in my tummy. Ohio got about 15 inches of snow, which is very unusual for the area. Daddy and I stayed inside and played games, ate good food, and watched college basketball (yes, Mama and Daddy love college basketball, so this is our favorite time of year!) We were happy to get this snow storm, since next month we'll be officially living is Texas, the state in which you will be born. We'll make sure you get to see snow, though, on visits to your grandparents in New York and Maine!

In other news, we booked airfare to fly from San Antonio to New York on June 13th for your baby shower, which will be June 14th. We're really excited about this trip, since we will be so close to your arrival by then! We registered at Babies R Us for some really nice stuff for you, Appleseed, so we will be all set when you make your debut in August.

You will also get to visit Boston next weekend, Appleseed. We will your see Aunt Jen and Uncle Anthony. They are very good friends of our's from college and they are very excited to meet you too!

Daddy continues to talk to you at night, and I hope you can hear him and recognize his voice by now. I think you can, because I feel lots of flutters when Daddy is talking. We are so overjoyed to be expecting you, and cannot wait for that special day when we get to hold you in our arms and look into your eyes. You're a dream come true and we love you VERY much!   ** Kisses and Hugs for now * *  We hope we get to see you at our OB appointment on Tuesday!

Yesterday was James' 27th birthday and we had a really great day! James and I had lunch together, and then last night we met a group of our friends for dinner. We had a good time catching up with everyone. We came home and ate birthday cake before his indoor soccer game. All in all, I think James had a really great birthday!

Something really sweet that James said to me was that this was the last birthday he would have where he didn't get to hug his baby. It got me thinking how true that was...in less than six months our lives will be changed forever, and that is the most exciting thought to me!  We can't wait to see what the future holds for our family!

It’s been way too long since I’ve written here! I’m going to fix that with a shiny new post! Things are going really well here in Townsendland. I’m feeling good these days, despite a few sparse bouts of morning sickness. I had a bad cold last week that went into a sinus infection, but I’m feeling much better now, thanks to ten days of amoxicillin.

We hit the 14 week mark yesterday and I think I’m starting to feel some flutters of movement. I can’t be sure that’s what I’m feeling, but I’m hopeful that the next few weeks will bring more certainty on that front. My abdomen continues to get harder, which makes me think I’ll start “showing” soon. I still look like the same old Lauren, so it will be nice to start to look pregnant! Now that we’re in the second trimester, I’m sure my baby bump is on the horizon…

Last Tuesday, we went to the doctor for our 12 week check-up. This is where they confirmed I’m five days further along than I had calculated. This makes my new due date August 21, 2008. Wow, that’s less than six months from today! Everything looked good to the doctor. I lost six pounds since my previous visit, but we chalked that up to my morning sickness and the bad cold I was fighting. The doctor said as long as the scale starts going the other way, he’ll be happy. I think we’ll be fine in that department, though, because my appetite has come back with a vengeance!

After my appointment with the OB , we went across the hall for our nuchal translucency ultrasound. This is the one that can give early indication of chromosomal disorders or heart defects. The technician told us that we would hear back from them within seven days if there was any sign of a problem, and it’s been 10 days, so we feel confident we’re in the clear. I am going to call the office just to confirm that everything looks alright. The ultrasound was a great experience, as usual. We watched our baby move all around on the monitor, and even got to watch as the baby sucked its thumb!  The technician asked if we’re planning to find out the gender, and we told her yes. The typed the words “It’s a GIRL” on the screen and we were shocked. She showed us exactly what she was looking at, and it looked like a girl to James and I. Of course, we’re cautious about this information because the last doctor told us it looked like a boy. We’ll find out for sure on March 31^st when we have our “Big Ultrasound”, the fetal survey. Truthfully, we’ll be happy no matter the gender, but I will be interested to see if my intuition that we’re having a girl is correct.  Of course, we got some baby pictures from this ultrasound, and I will post them in the photo album soon!

I got to spend a fun couple of days in NY last week! Mom’s birthday is Valentine’s Day, so I decided to book a trip to visit my family for that long weekend. James was super busy tying up his thesis, so I went alone. James wished he could come, but things were just too hectic for him. I think it probably did him good to have me out of the way while he finished his project! He’ll get to come with me next time. I had a great time with my family, shopping and relaxing and catching up. Of course, there was lots of laughter in there, too, which is always a part of our get-togethers! I can’t wait to introduce our baby to our families. It will be so fun to see as the baby grows what attributes they’ve gotten from different family members. 

That’s about it for now. James is defending his thesis today, so after today, he will have a huge weight off of his shoulders. I’m very proud of all he has accomplished and I know that he will continue to be successful in all of his endeavors, especially fatherhood! His graduation is not until March 28^th, so he will have a few weeks to relax and get ready for the move. The movers are coming on April 1^st to get all of our things, so we anticipate hitting the road for Texas on April 2^nd or 3^rd. Should be a very interesting trip, with our two kittens in tow! I’m really excited about the move and the possibilities that await us in Texas . It’s always fun to get settled in a new place and experience different ways of life. Also, this move makes me feel that much closer to meeting our precious baby, since they will be born a native Texan!

  I hope you’re all happy and healthy and know that we send our love to all the different corners of the country in which you live! Take care of yourselves and each other!  

Well, I’m feeling pretty lucky right now because we’ve gotten to see our baby two days in a row! Yesterday we went in for my “get to know you” appointment with the high risk doctor, who happened to be great, and while we were talking, I mentioned the discrepancy in my due date. The doctor had told me that due to my thyroid disease and hypertension, I will most likely be induced for delivery at 39 weeks. I would be fine with this, as long as they had an exact fetal age for our baby. So, in came the ultrasound machine! We watched in awe as our baby swam around, kicked its feet, did flips, crossed its arms and arched its back. Such a big difference from four weeks ago! Dr. Watson told us that if she were to make a prediction, she would say this baby was a BOY!!! We were shocked to hear this for a few reasons. First, I didn’t think you could tell anything at this stage, and second, we were not planning to find out the gender before birth, so this news caught us off guard. Of course, she told us that it’s still too early to say with any certainty, and not to be surprised if the baby turned out to be a girl. James and I were instantly curious about the gender after that, and now we’re not sure if we’ll be able to wait until the delivery after all! We’ll keep you posted! We got a new picture of the Appleseed, which we’ll add to the photo album.

The doctor dated the pregnancy at 11 weeks, 1 day, which was a full week further along than I believed I was. She felt that we should go ahead and have the nuchal screening earlier than the two weeks away it was scheduled for. So we went and made an appointment for the next day, which was today. We went in at 1:00 today and I was pleasantly surprised that this ultrasound would be an external. (Yay, it’s the little things that thrill me!) Laura, the sonographer, measured the baby at 10 weeks, 5 days, but this estimate is plus or minus 6 days. She determined that the baby was still too small to do the screening, and asked us to come back in 2 weeks. Sheesh, I could have told them that!  We got to watch the baby again anyway, and this time, heard the heartbeat!  We couldn’t believe how strong it was, and it was the best feeling in the world to hear the loud thumping of our baby’s heart. I cried, of course. The heart was beating at 171 bpm, which is in the normal range for this gestational age. That was truly the highlight of this pregnancy for me so far! I can’t wait to hear it again! We got two more pictures of the baby, and scheduled the “real” nuchal ultrasound for February 12^th at 7:45. This will actually take place immediately before my next appointment, which will be at 9:00 that morning.

We’re so excited about how this pregnancy is progressing! Time seems to be flying and standing still at the same time, which is something I find so strange. All I can think about is how badly I want this baby in our arms to love it and cherish it. But at the same time, I’m so excited about all the milestones we’ll hit in this pregnancy before the baby is born. I can’t wait to feel the baby move for the first time, or to feel it grow big and strong inside me. This is the most exciting time of our lives and we’re so glad we have you all to share it with!