Today I am 9 weeks pregnant! And we're still so excited! 31 more weeks to go! I am feeling a little better than I was feeling, and haven't gotten sick in over three days! This is definitely progress in the right direction.

I went and got a hair cut today. Just a trim to clean up the layers. I tried a new girl at J.C. Penney and I think she did a good job. Too bad I'll have to find all new people when we move in April. That is such a difficult task... After I got my hair cut, I poked around in the maternity department. I'm not ready for maternity clothes yet, but I wanted to see what my "options" will be. As luck would have it, I found a really cute shirt that was on sale, and I liked it too much to pass it up, so I bought it. It's hanging in the closet now, waiting to be grown into. Truth be told, I'm really excited to start "showing". Right now, my clothes still fit fine and some of them are a little loose since I've lost about ten pounds since I've been pregnant, mostly due to lack of appetite and throwing up. I just really look forward to having a baby bump to touch and look at!   Once there's something to see, I'll be sure to post a photo in the album.

I've been thinking a lot lately about how lucky James and I are to have so many special people in our lives. It seems someone is always calling or checking in on how I'm feeling, how school is going for James, and just life in general. It means the world to us that we have such great family and friends, and we want our Appleseed to know that it's loved and thought of by lots of people already. I know a lot of you are reading this journal and we want you to know how much we love you and appreciate having you in our lives.  Bye for now!

There are some pretty big changes coming up for our Appleseed this week. I get weekly updates in my email, and I was stricken by this particular update because it made me realize that our baby is starting to "look" more like a baby!

Here's what is happening in the coming week:

Our baby measures about 0.9 to 1.2 inches (2.2 to 3cm) from crown to rump.

Our baby's arms and legs are longer and their hands are flexed at the wrist. The head is growing more erect and the neck is more developed. On an ultrasound, you may see our baby moving, though I still can not feel this.

The organs are forming. Ears are developed and the eyelids have begun to cover up our baby's eyes. Hands and feet appear as well as small buds which will become fingers and toes. The paddles of our baby's hands have clearly defined finger ridges now, with the tissue between them (which previously made them look webbed) reducing to leave separate fingers.

Our baby's back has started to straighten slightly and the tail is now shrinking. The head still seems large and is curved forwards on the chest. Our baby is starting to look like a tiny person!  

Well, I’m 0 for 3 as far as not throwing up! I was up at 6:00 this morning, with more nausea than I’ve ever had. My biggest worry about getting sick like this is that I think I’m throwing up my morning medications! I take them at 5:30, so I doubt they’ve absorbed by the time I’m getting sick. I plan to call the doctor about that this morning.  Otherwise, I’m drinking warm ginger ale and eating crackers. Eating really does seem to help, if only I had an appetite! They say this should go away in the second trimester, so only four more weeks to go…can I handle it?? Of course I can! (insert positive self-talk here).

Yesterday was a fun day. I went to visit my first graders that I student taught with this past fall.  I had so much fun with them! I surprised them with my visit, so they stormed me at the door when they saw me. I got a hug from everyone, even the one’s I thought would be too shy. Next I sat them all on the carpet and we “caught up”. I asked them what they’ve been learning since I left, and they were so eager to share. I can’t believe how much they’ve learned. My little sweethearts are already counting money and telling time on the “old-fashioned” clock, as one boy called it. Next I read to them from the chapter book they’ve been reading, and helped Mrs. Neal with her math lesson. It was so great to see the kids and catch up with Lois. I really love these kids! I think they will always have a very special place in my heart as the first class I ever taught on my own. Then again, every child I’ve worked with has touched my heart, so I think I have a lot of heartstrings walking around Dayton ! Teaching is truly a passion for me and I’m so happy I made the decision to go back to school. Even though it is on hold for a little while with our Appleseed coming, I know I’ll be able to jump back in with both feet once we decide it’s time for me to start working again. In the meantime, I’ll keep adding to my cache of teaching supplies and teach our babies!

Well, I think I may try to go back to sleep for a little while. It’s only 6:30 in the morning! Let see if I’ve staved the nausea off enough to lie back down… Wish me luck!

Today was my very first “real” OB appointment! It was also my first really bad morning with morning sickness… Ugh!    I’m much better now, though, so I’m hopeful that tomorrow morning will bring a settled stomach. I have some cramping now, but I think that is probably the result of the exam I had today. 

The appointment went great! I got there at 8:00 and the nurse brought me back right away. She got my weight, which was down three pounds from Wednesday’s appointment, and then brought me into the exam room. She took my blood pressure, which was high, of course, since I have “white coat syndrome”, along with chronic hypertension.   We agreed to take it again after my exam and consultation.

Dr. Jones came in and introduced himself. He is so nice! I instantly felt comfortable with him and that eased a lot of my anxiety right away. He started off by going over the timeline for my visits, and then began talking about the course of action if my blood pressure continues to be high. He didn’t make me feel bad about my blood pressure, which is not something I’m not used to! He told me that it is nothing I’ve caused and that we will do everything necessary to control it during my pregnancy so it does not become an issue for me or the baby. It felt good to have a doctor be patient and understanding about something I’ve been ashamed of for most of my life. Dr. Jones said that since I have the history of high blood pressure and I am hypothyroid, I will most likely be classified “high risk”, which really just means I will have closer monitoring throughout this pregnancy. They will perform ultrasounds every four weeks after the 20^th week to make sure the baby is growing on track, since children of hypothyroid women tend to be small. They will also give me biweekly Non-Stress Tests after the 34^th week, to monitor the baby closely for distress. He said this will entail sitting in a big comfy Lay-Z-Boy with a juice box, so I think I’m ok with it. I’m fine with the “high risk” classification since it will get me and the baby better care. Plus, I may be able to get referred off the Air Force base for delivery, which can be a plus.

Next Dr. Jones discussed genetic counseling with me. I really wished James was there at this point, since so much information was being thrown at me, but I had told him he didn’t have to go since I really just expected an exam at this appointment. I think I did a good job of relaying the information to him, though, and he said he will be sure to attend all the other appointments. I think he felt a little left out, so I feel bad. Anyway, back to the genetic counseling. We talked about the different screens they will perform to look for trisomy disorders, nuchal irregularities and neural tube defects. At first I told Dr. Jones that these tests were not something we were interested in because we were committed to this pregnancy regardless of the possibility of defects, but he pointed out some advantages to knowing ahead of time. Really, I hadn’t thought of the things he pointed out. He told me that some defects can be operated on in utero, which could improve the child’s condition once they are born. He also pointed out that it would be best to line up necessary medical services before birth so there isn’t a delay once the baby is born, and lastly he asked me to consider how I would best take the news that there is a problem: would I rather be “surprised” at the delivery, or would I rather have the chance to mentally prepare for the possibility of a problem? Of course James and I decided it would be best to mentally prepare in advance of the delivery, so we will most likely perform the tests. As Dr. Jones pointed out, this planning is hopefully for naught since there is most likely nothing wrong with our baby. The tests will occur around the 13 week mark, so we still have some time to prepare.

Next I was given a PAP smear and a gonorrhea and chlamydia test. These are standard practice at the beginning of prenatal care. When the doctor felt my uterus he commented that I felt “fuller” than the 8 weeks along I had told him I was. So to my surprise, he decided to do an ultrasound! He prefaced the scan by telling me he rarely performs them since the office has a sonographer on staff who performs all the ultrasounds. She happened to be out today, though! He tried to scan externally and couldn’t see the baby, so we had to do the transvaginal scan. He saw the baby right away, but I unfortunately could not make out what he was looking at! The quality of the picture was very poor and grainy, but he said he was able to see enough. We saw the heart beating strong again, which of course felt great! Since the doctor is not well-versed in performing ultrasounds, he didn’t measure the baby, but said he is inclined to say I am more like 10 weeks along. I guess I’ll have to wait for my next ultrasound for an answer, because I still really think I’m 8 weeks. The nurse made me laugh when she said, “They should give women a “due month” not a “due date”!” And I think I have to agree. This baby will come when it’s good and ready! 

So that was basically it for the appointment. I was impressed that Dr. Jones spent about 1.5 hours with me when I was only slated for 30 minutes. I think it proves he cares about my concerns and is willing to give his patients the best care he can. I made a mental note to take the earliest appointment available in the future since I’m thinking he must run behind a lot… I made my next appointment for February 12 at 9:00.

I headed home and the phone was ringing when I walked in the door. It was Dr. Jones! He said he forgot to retake my blood pressure and would really like to see if my numbers went down. He asked would I mind coming back into the office. I obliged, since I know this is very important and I really didn’t have much going on anyway. I went back in and they let me sit for a while, and then they took it. It was considerably lower, but he wanted me to rest a little more and he’d take it again. He left me alone and I closed my eyes and ended up dowsing off! He came back and took my blood pressure again and it was at a great level. To be safe, he wants to see me again in the clinic in two weeks to check the blood pressure again and introduce me to the high risk OB , Dr. Paonessa. I’ll go back January 29 at 9:00. At that point, we may have to alter my medications if necessary. He also ordered some blood work for my thyroid levels and a 24-hour urine catch to get a baseline for my kidney function.

I went grocery shopping afterwards, and came home and made coleslaw, which I’ve been craving. YUM! I talked with Mom, Dad, Jenny and Lindsey to update then on the appointment, and James and I had a relaxing evening. We’re really excited about how this pregnancy is progressing and feel good about the information I received at my appointment today.

 Appleseed, I love you very much and I promise to do everything I can to make sure we stay healthy while you continue to grow inside me! Don’t worry about a thing…you just stay safe and focus on growing big and strong! Love you!