This is bad...

I have only posted twice in all of September, that is pretty pretty bad. Well I guess I have lots to update on. First, I finally heard the heartbeat, finally. I was looking around and couldn't find it and felt this little twitch and went to that spot. At this spot is where I found that little pesky heartbeat, going at 168 beats per minute!

Then I went to my doctor's appointment on Friday and I got to see the bitty baby and the nuchal scan was good. Baby was jumping all over, twisting and kicking and flipping, it was fabulous. I also got my bloodwork and had my general appointment, I go back the 12th of October.

As for school, everything is good. I passed my skills review and my medication test. I also took my nursing test and will find out how I did on Monday. I also start my first clinical on Tuesday. I am in a community setting at a senior center working with Alzheimer patients, I think it will be a great learning experience.

So I am thinking that's the most of what's going down, I am going to try and make a better effort to update, but it gets hard sometimes with work and school, but I will do it! I know I can!

Edited to add: I am going to post new belly pics soon!

Got a new camera!

Well, it really isn't in my budget, but a good investment for when the baby comes! I will have to post some of my experiment pictures later.

As for me, feeling okay. I had to go and see the Gyn Oncologist on Tuesday. He was very nice and took my feelings into consideration while doing the exam and later talking about our plan of action. They did find a spot on my cervix, but luckily the doctor doesn't feel that it is anything that needs to be biopsied right now and I will go back in a few months to get it checked again. It isn't good that there is something there, but it is a positive note that the doctor doesn't feel it needs to be taken care of immediately. Not great, but not terrible either.

We also have a BBQ to go to on Saturday, I think I might make pasta salad! I love cooking for others and it is a good way to show off my cooking chops! Matt's first football game is on Sunday too, so I will bring the camera and get some action shots! Fun! So looks like our weekends are nice and full for the next couple weeks. I like having "something" to do, it's a nice change from the monotony of work and school.

I also have to get a doctors note. I am nervous that my boss will try and pull something and then manipulate me back onto third shift due to lack of people and I am not going to take it. I am going to ask my doctor to write me a note that I should not be working that shift during pregnancy and luckily he is the kind of doctor that would do that. I think I have legitimate reasons: I am high risk, working rotating shifts can affect the body's natural rhythm and in effect the baby's rhythm, working odd shifts can also affect one's immunity and I need to remain healthy for the baby. I think it is a good enough argument, and frankly I wasn't hired for third shift and I shouldn't be pressured to work it due to my boss' inability to properly staff our department. And that's enough about that.

Lastly, I just want to say that I really, really pray that Jenn and her babies are going to be alright and her dumbass doctors will get their shit together and for once listen to the patient and understand her rights. She deserves these babies, all three of them, and deserves them healthy and I pray that they stay okay in time for her real doctor to come and do everything he can in the interest of his patient and not in the interest of preventing a lawsuit.

Well I guess that is all.

Gotta get back in the swing of things!

Seeing as I didn't post for a week I am definitely falling behind in the blogging department.

I had my first week of school, it was definitely a shock to go back, but totally felt good to do something with my days besides sleep and work. I got all my books too! Total = $660. Number of classes = 2. Ouch. I also paid off my credit cards so I am feeling good! I do have to work tomorrow, on my weekend off, but it is over time and I still have off from work and school on Monday so it isn't too bad! Maybe I can get some homework done tomorrow while I am at work.

I also get to go back on September 14th for my next ultrasound and doctor's appointment so send positive vibes that the nuchal scan will be a-okay! Also wanted to mention that my fetal doppler should be here on Tuesday so I will be able to hear the heartbeat anytime I wanted!

I am also excited because I will be seeing some friends shortly! I am going to lunch with a friend Stephanie on Monday and the crazy thing is that I haven't seen her since highschool! It is gonna be great to catch up! Then on the 22nd we are having our East Coast EB get together at the Philly Zoo and then doing dinner. I can't wait to meet the people behind the posts, I need to remember to bring my camera, it will definitely be worth documenting, maybe even make a great scrapbook. Another event is the 29th, the Southern girls are having a Little Rock get together and I really want to go! It would be $82 for the hotel and about $200 for the plane. I would probably have to put it on my credit card and that is really the only factor holding me back, I did just pay them off and don't want to slip back into the habit of using them. Decisions, decisions...

I didn't update here, but wanted to put this in writing. I had an abnormal pap smear and it scared the shit out of me. My results stated that I had rare cells compatible with low-grade squamous intraepithelia lesions. Now medically, it is probably nothing, but here it through hormone colored glass and I flipped. I think I honestly had an anxiety attack. I cried the whole way home from the hospital and called out because I was so emotionally upset. It scares me because it is not just me involved. If it was just me I think I could handle it, but being pregnant it makes me really uneasy. I don't know if I want to risk allowing them to "dig around down there" My cervix holds in the baby and how effective will that be if they chop off pieces of it to test. I just don't think I would let them, I don't know if it is worth it. Hopefully it is nothing, but I am seeing a Gyn Oncologist on Tuesday so lets keep our fingers crossed that it is nothing.

Well on a more positive note, I have my newest belly picture. Ten weeks and 1 day! (Ignore the mess in the background and the cheesy grin, we will eventually clean that room out for baby)

Man, so much to catch up on!

I have been gone for a week on vacation and I guess I have a lot to update on.

We left for Lake George on Friday night and got there at 7 am on Saturday. It was cool all week and we only had one really good day on Tuesday. We got to do lots of stuff throughout the week, we hiked to Wing Pond, took the boat out, let Riley swim for the first time, and played mini-golf a lot. All in all it was a really good time. I was glad to let Riley spend the whole week romping and playing in the woods and just being a real puppy!

I wish it would have lasted longer though, but on a less positive note, his grandparents did not know we were pregnant and it wasn't much fun "pretending" for the whole time.

Then of course I come home and their is all this stuff happening at EB and I am really upset. We boast that we are nothing like BS and that we are such a wonderful community with wonderful friendships and now it is all falling apart over something I have no idea about. I just hope things work ou because I can not imagine our little community with some of the girls gone. I guess that is just life...

As for the preggo-ness, I have my nuchal scan and appointment on September 14th, and I have to go in Tuesday, the 28th, to do another urine sample to rule out a UTI.

Oh, forgot to mention that school starts tomorrow...I have to get my books, but I think I will be in for a hectic next couple of months with school, work, and growing a human being.

Edited to add: I had to put in my weekly belly pictures!

Here is a shot at 8 weeks 6 days while at the mini-golf course!

Here is my belly at nine weeks in front of the beautiful Lake George!

Lastly, a picture of my "future" belly with the gap belly pillow!

There IS a baby!

I had my first appointment today. Of course I got no sleep last night. I finally fell asleep at around 2 am, up at 4 am to use the bathroom, back asleep at 5:30 and up at 7:30. Not much sleep at all. Then I get up to take a shower, I don't want coochie stank and hairy legs on my first appointment!

So of course Matt was difficult to get out of bed, but at 8:05 (twenty minutes after we planned to leave) he finally got up and brushed his teeth and we left at 8:15. About half way there I started having my hunger nausea and made Matt go through McDonald's drivethrough. I got me a tasty hashbrown and a bacon, egg, and cheese on a bisquit, top it off with some OJ and I am good to go!

Of course, we are really running late now and I call the office to let them know we were stuck in traffic. So after stressing and stressing we finally get within five minutes and to our surprise, we get pulled over! Damn expired inspection! Luckily the cop was nice and let us off with a warning, either he felt bad or saw me bawling in the passenger seat. I couldn't stop crying, I was nervous they were going to make me reschedule or find another doctor or something bad.

We finally get to the appointment and I give my history to the doc. Talk about my betas, my due date (which is March 25), and my birth options. Tentatively, we are going to go with a VBAC. They can't give me anything to make labor progress (significantly increases risk of uterine rupture) so if I don't go into labor naturally or progress on my own I would still have to have a c-section. If we just go with the planned section than he said we would deliver on March 18 (maybe we can go a day sooner and have a St. Patty's Day baby!) I am still trying to decide if I will go with the section or vaginal delivery, the issue with the vaginal though is that there is a 1% risk of rupture so I have not fully decided.

Then we went in for the ultrasound. It was awesome! We could see a little kidney bean shaped white blur with a little black circle in the middle and this beautiful, wonderful, fantastic black circle was a perfectly pumping heart! The heartrate was 167 beats per minute, a normal rate for the baby's gestational age. He even printed us some pictures! That is what I really like about Dr. Carlson, he always gives plenty of pictures and is so very nice and considerate.

Next I had my pelvic and he checked my breasts for lumps. I won't go into much detail, but to say that Matt got a few funny looks from me during this period : )

Afterwards I gave my urine sample and got my blood drawn for the normal pregnancy blood tests as well as the HIV and the cystic fibrosis screen. (I know I don't have HIV, but it is always good to be 100%)

Lastly I went to an occupational health center to do my drug screen for nursing school and to school to drop off my paperwork. And with the mention of school I have to say that I cannot believe that I will be starting clinicals in a week and half! Crazy, but exciting at the same time. I can't wait to graduate and actually do something with my life than work the same boring job day in and day out.

Now, I am extremely tired and working on 4 hours, but I had to update because I really want this pregnancy on record and want to have something the baby can read when he/she is all grown up.

Tomorrow!

I have my first appointment!! The nurse on the phone said I will get the ultrasound the same day because of my early pelvic pain so she better not change her mind! I can't wait to see that little baby, I am getting so excited thinking about it! Only 20 hours until my appointment! Woohoo!

Okay, now that I have that out of my system, I need to get it down. I threw up last night. At 1 AM I tossed my cookies, multiple times. It was horrible, but I totally felt better afterwards. Though it sucks, at least it gives me comfort that my hormones are still up and pumping. I can't wait until the second trimester, the honeymoon phase!

New Belly Pics!

So I have come today to update with new belly pics. I look more like a pork roll than a pregnant girl, but I gotta work with what I got.

7 Weeks and 4 days. ( I think you can tell I just ate :)

7 Weeks and 5 days. First thing in the morning!

Overall, I am feeling good. Still haven't got full-fledged morning sickness, so I will count that as a blessing! Most of the extreme fatigue has subsided as well. I know some people get a little nervous when symptoms diminish, but I feel cool and confident. The only annoying side effects that I have of pregnancy are the food aversions and cravings and frequent urination. Well I guess thats about it, I am off to get a little something to eat.

I also wanted to add that we went mini-golfing last night and it was fun. Then topped it off with some Rita's Water Ice and it was a perfect day!