Fourteen Weeks!

We're over 1/3 of the way through this journey to parenthood and can't believe how fast it's going. In some ways, I find myself wishing time would go faster, but in other ways, I just want to savor this experience and don't want it to rush by (not to mention, we need all the time we can get to get our house ready).

The craziest thing that happened so far during Week 14 was taking a tremendous fall while out with the dogs. On Friday, we were standing at the top of the hill across the street in the park when the dogs decided it would be fun to go sprinting down the hill to play with a little girl who wanted to pet them. It's hard to stop two 70+ pound dogs on a good day, but when being pulled down a hill, it's impossible. I hit the deck and was unceremoniously dragged down the hill first on one side, then the other, and finally came to a stop in the park... with muddy scrapes running the entire length of both legs and one shoulder, my wool skirt bunched up under my armpits, and - as I later discovered - grass in my underwear. People in the park were shouting, "Oh noooooooo! Are you okaaaaaaay?" as I jumped up, humiliated and hurting, to fix myself and drag the dogs back home. Before I could get out of there, the little girl who wanted to play with the boys gave them both hugs and pets on the head ("to help them calm down - they like this") and a little boy told me, "My dogs do that too. People think it's because they're mean, but they're just excited." Exactly. *sigh*

Once safely behind closed doors, the waterworks began. Through gulping sobs, I snapped some photos of the carnage, got myself cleaned up, scolded the boys, and put on clean clothes. I called the doctor and left a message with the triage nurses, who called back to say all was likely just fine with the baby and to take Tylenol for the pain. After feeling bad for myself for the better part of Friday, I felt much better upon waking Saturday. My scrapes are all scabbing over and I have only one giant (and gross) bruise, so it could have been worse.

Drama! Sooo, we're back to really intensive training when out with the boys - it's just not safe or acceptable for them to be so wild!

In other news, Ryan had another triathlon this morning. It makes for early mornings and long days, but it's so fun to cheer him on and I'm always SO proud of and impressed by him at the finish. He also feeds me after the races with some of the post-race athlete food he picks up. :) It's so sweet to watch many of the athletes' tiny kids cheering for their moms and dads, giving high-fives, and otherwise being adorable... I just keep thinking about this time next year, when we'll have our own tiny fan tagging along to races!

Last but not least, I've been feeling funny flutters and bumps in my abdomen! One minute I am convinced that I'm feeling the baby move, and the next I'm telling myself it's probably just digestion at work. :) I want to be sure! I want to feel the baby moving around - I'm so excited for that part!

Okay, because the dryer's buzzing and I need to go rescue our laundry, let's get to the tracker:

Week: 14

Weight: -2 (unsure whether this has changed - we're in the process of buying a new scale!)

Baby is the Size of a(n): Lemon!

Symptoms: tired, hungry, dizzy when I get up too quickly, round ligament pain when sneezing/coughing/shifting positions, tailbone pain when sitting for awhile, heavy & crampy feeling in lower abdomen, very vivid dreams, and serious moodiness (Short Fuse City!)

Current Obsession: sweets!, blueberries, cherries, waffles, oatmeal, tomatoes, all the vegetables from our farm share, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch (still)

Current Aversion: beef, eggs, seafood, and anything greasy (this hasn't changed, but it's getting a little less intense)

Thinking About: when I'll really start to show and not just look like I'm getting a little soft around the middle; when I'll for sure feel the baby move, whether we're having a boy or girl; designing a nursery; finishing up our registry; and dreaming up names (we have a strong contender for favorite right now!)

Picture:

Thirteen Weeks!

Ahh! I'm just squeezing this one in under the wire. Tomorrow the calendar flips to 14 weeks, so I'll be posting again this weekend. You can never get too much baby blog action, right?!

The biggest and most important news from week 13: we have the results from our first trimester screen... and they're fantastic! If you recall, odds of DS based on age alone were 1/855... well, once the measurements from the NT scan and the blood test were incorporated, our risk went way down. Here are the official numbers:

• Down Syndrome: 1/4183 (.02%)
• Trisomy 13/18: <1/10000 (.01%)

We were so relieved and thrilled. This means no CVS test or amniocentesis and far less stress for the next several months - all good for Baby!

Also this week, we shared the news with people at work. I made delicious vanilla cupcakes with pink and blue frosting for Ryan to take in to the office (a big hit!). I was too tired to make more cupcakes, so I sent the following email to my team:

Team, 

Three things: 

1. The [company] rumor mill is notoriously fast and efficient.
2. I think big news is more exciting when heard firsthand rather than through the grapevine.
3. We don’t have any team meetings on the calendar this week. 

Which brings me to my fourth point and the ultimate reason for this mass email: 

4. My husband and I are expecting a baby in late December! 

It is incredibly exciting news that I’ve been keeping a lid on for three months now, so thanks for letting me share with all of you (albeit in a slightly unconventional way)! 

C

So much fun to be out in the open and to have people celebrating with us!

Also, check out the very exciting item I received in the mail today:

This is my fancy new maternity pillow, designed to make it comfortable to sleep on my side for the remainder of the pregnancy (important, because the increasing weight of the baby will put pressure on the inferior vena cava and can cause dangerous drops in blood pressure). I can't help but roll onto my back during the night, so this pillow is great for "propping" me on my side - smart! It's so comfy - can't wait to go to sleep tonight!

Okay, because I need to go get dinner going, let's get to the tracker...

Week: 13

Weight: -2 (according to the doctor's scale I lost two pounds during the first trimester)

Baby is the Size of a(n): Peach!

Symptoms: tired, (really) hungry, mild nausea, very vivid dreams (including one from which I woke up sobbing), and serious moodiness (true story: I've been CRABBY)

Current Obsession: ice cream (this week I'm making two more: blueberry and peach), blueberries, cherries, waffles, oatmeal, tomatoes, all the vegetables from our farm share, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch (still)

Current Aversion: beef, eggs, seafood, and anything greasy (this hasn't changed, but it's getting a little less intense)

Thinking About: when I'll really start to show and not just look a little thick in the waist; whether we're having a boy or girl; designing a nursery; building out our registry; and dreaming up names

Pictures:

Twelve Weeks!

So, as you already know, it was a big week for us! We had our NT scan and it was spectacular. We also spilled the beans to our family and friends this week, now that we know all is well. Here's the fancy video we shot this afternoon to announce the news (idea came from another couple who also announced a December baby, and the song was our wedding song... seemed appropriate here as well!):

We also started our "official" series of weekly bump shots (we've been practicing for a few weeks now). Here are the two favorites from today:

And finally, the tracker:

Week: 12

Weight: +4 (total)

Baby is the Size of a(n): Plum!

Symptoms: swollen & sore breasts, tired (and still fitful sleep), hungry, mild nausea, very vivid dreams (in one dream this week, my Mom and Mother-in-Law wore Phantom of the Opera masks and danced a hip hop routine to Irene Cara's 'Fame' on a high school football field... huh?!) and moodiness (this was less intense this week)

Current Obsession: mac & cheese, hot dogs, ice cream (I made two varieties this week: roasted banana, and toasted almond with cherry!), blueberries, cherries, waffles, grape tomatoes, sour candy, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch :)

Current Aversion: beef, eggs, seafood, and anything greasy (this hasn't changed)

Thinking About: our adorable, squirmy, plum-sized baby; whether we're having a boy or girl; picking nursery furniture; starting a registry; and dreaming up names

Nuchal Translucency Scan: *WHEW*

All signs point to a healthy baby so far! Today we met with a genetic counselor and had a nuchal translucency ultrasound. I won't speak for R, but I was super nervous. The genetic counselor relayed our odds of having a baby with Down Syndrome based on my age alone: 1/855 (0.1%). Based on a pretty comprehensive history she took down, our risk wasn't elevated - good start!

We then went in for our scan. I laid on a fancy version of a dentist chair (without arms). The sonographer came in and tucked some towels into my waistband and shirt, exposing my lower abdomen. She squirted (warm!) gel goo on my belly and we were off! She had a giant screen on the machine that she looked at, but R and I were both able to watch on a monitor on the wall - it was really cool.

She immediately spotted the baby ("the bean" or "the peanut," as she kept calling it) and it was wiggling around! It was so awesome to see it squirming and waving its arms around. She did all kinds of measurements and scanned around to see different parts of my anatomy as well as the baby's. She was a fantastic sonographer, as she talked to us the whole time and told us what she was seeing. She spotted the two most important things, the things we were holding our breath for: nasal bone (check!) and the nuchal translucency measurement (1.7mm and 1.4mm, R thinks he spotted - check!). The sonographer said the numbers and everything else look fantastic - all normal! We were so relieved that the rest of the scan was just SO much fun.

Highlights:

• The baby kept leaping around, to which the tech would say, "ZOOM!" I laughed a few times and she had to remind me to hold still. It was REALLY hard not to laugh. I declared that I seem to be pregnant with a jumping bean, which caused the sonographer to laugh a lot. That made me feel better.
• We loved seeing the flickering little heart just pounding away - so miraculous. The heartbeat was 167 bpm - perfect!
• According to LMP dating, I should be 12w1d and baby is measuring 12w4d. Already advanced!
• When checking out the baby's legs, the sonographer pointed out that its ankles were crossed - we could see one little foot poking toward us! 
• We have one adorable picture of the tiny foot with tiny toes. I have fallen completely head-over-heels in love with those little toes.
• We saw the baby's face and here's the truth: it looks like an alien. Seriously. We've decided to name it Skeletor. And I love my little Skeletor. 
• In one picture, it's looking right at us and waving - if you can get past the alien thing, it's truly an amazing image.
• The sonographer switched to 3D mode and we have one perfect picture of our little 3D baby - it is AMAZING!
• The sainted sonographer even gave us a guess at the gender... but we're not telling yet. :)

And now, for the pictures!

Profile shot!

Arms and tiny hands!

Both legs - in #2 you can see the crossed ankles!

A foot, complete with tiny toes!

Skeletor!

Baby Skeletor waving hello! 

3D baby - rubbing its eye and lounging with its hand behind its head!

After all was done, a doctor reviewed the results and came in to tell us it looks like we have a really cute and really healthy baby. We could not be more excited or relieved. The full results - including results from my blood work - will be back sometime next week. Next week is also when we'll unveil our announcement surprise. :) More to come!

Eleven Weeks!

It was a relatively easy week, all told. It was probably the most tired I've felt so far, but I otherwise felt pretty good. I hear that I should be in the home stretch now in terms of the unpleasant symptoms, so I'm hopeful that brighter days are right ahead

The highlight of the week was doing some shopping for new clothes, including - best of all - new bras! I feel like a new person because my clothes fit me and maybe I don't look like such a stuffed sausage. :) I certainly feel better!

Also in the appearance front, I chopped some bangs into my hair on Friday. Holy cow, it was a big change for me, and as those long locks dropped into my lap, I had a moment of regret and panic. Once it was all done though, I really liked it! The act was somewhat impulsive and impetuous, which pretty much fits my mood these days. My hair is growing ridiculously fast now that I'm pregnant, so I reasoned that if I didn't like it, I'd only have to wait a few weeks for it to be a different length & style altogether. :)

The final crazy bit of news is that I found out today that I'm being promoted! The big life changes just keep coming. The new gig is effective July 1 and will likely involve more extensive travel (to the west coast, at that), but it also means I'lll have a direct report and will get the chance to work with and learn from another team. On the whole, I'm pretty darn excited about the change. I did tell my director that I'm expecting, just because it felt like it would be awkward to take this job and then tell her early next week. Better to be upfront and honest now, just so no one feels tricked later on. She was thrilled for me and promised "mum's the word" until I'm ready to share more. It feels good to be "out" to a boss at work and I can't wait until next week when I can tell everyone!

Okay, as it's taken me two days to even write this much, I think it's time for the tracker:

Week: 11

Weight: +4 (total)

Baby is the Size of a(n): Lime! (Holy cow!)

Symptoms: swollen & sore breasts, tired (but fitful sleep), hungry, mild nausea, very vivid dreams and moodiness (short fuse)

Current Obsession: mac & cheese, hot dogs, ice cream (I was begging Mr. B for a Blizzard and we finally went to DQ this weekend!), blueberries, cherries, pancakes, grape tomatoes, and sour candy (I found Lemon Heads!!!)

Current Aversion: beef, eggs, seafood, and anything greasy (this hasn't changed)

Thinking About: our next ultrasound (in just 4 days!), whether we're having a boy or girl, our big reveal surprise, picking nursery furniture, starting a registry and dreaming up names