6 more weeks

Yep, that's right. 6 more weeks...until I no longer have to come into the office to work. I will have the ability to work exclusively from home after April 10th. Let me tell you, I am ECSTATIC! No more alarms going off at 4:30 in the morning...no more leaving the house at 5:45...no more 2 hour commute into the city. Until August. I'm so happy.

My RLP (Round Ligament Pain) has all but went away. But I'm having a hard time breathing today. Baby Girl must have shifted again and she's pushing my diaphragm up into my lungs...making it hard to get a deep breath when I'm sitting down. I have a desk job, so standing all day isn't an option...plus, I think I'd get tired of standing pretty quickly as my back tends to hurt when I've been standing for long periods. Go figure. I also can't get comfortable on the couch at night to sit with DH and watch some TV. The only way I'm comfy is to lay on my right side in my bed and snuggle with a pillow. Poor DH...I've been going to bed by 9pm each night...which means we spend an hour together since he doesn't get home until almost 8.

But it's all worth it...

OB update

Just got back from my OB appointment:

Heartrate: 158
B/P: 108/70
Weight: gained 4 lbs to bring me to a total of 1lb gained since August

Everything is looking good. Dr did confirm that the "evil crotch pain" I'm having is RLP. He said it will probably get worse...I don't know how much worse it could be.

30 weeks

I feel like a broken record...because as each week passes, I feel more and more grateful to be in the position I am. It still amazes me that I've reached this point, and I'm still anxious about the possibility it could all be taken away in an instant. I know that may seem silly...I mean if Baby Girl were born today, she'd have to spend a little time in the NICU, but her chances of survival are good. I guess I'm just waiting for the "other shoe" to drop.

I've been thinking about the next 10 weeks and about what I'd say to Baby Girl on the day she's born. DH and I have discussed who we want in the birthing suite with us...and we've decided that we want it to just be us, and the medical staff of course. However, we think we may ask my sister to be there as well. I want someone to be there to "document" things...take video and those first precious pictures when Lexi is laid on my chest. It's important to me to have those pictures. To be able to look at them, look at DH and my faces, and remember exactly what it felt like to see her for the very first time. I get all choked up and teary just thinking about that moment. But it's just that, a moment. And if no one else is there, that moment would never be captured for us to look at later. To show Lexi later. I know my sister would stay in the background through the labor and wouldn't offer up any commentary. She'd blend in with the medical staff...this I know. We don't want the whole family there, because it is going to be a very emotional day for us. And I can't ask my mom, without having DH's mom feel slighted. So because DH has no siblings, it makes sense to ask my sister, Lexi's godmother.

So anyway, I'm on my way in about 15 minutes to my 30 week appointment. We've decided to donate Lexi's cord blood, so I'm taking all the paperwork for my OB to sign off on...hopefully, he can sign it there and I won't have to wait for them to mail it back. I'll try to post again when I get back.

Wow...just...wow

So I was "playing" around and googling some different terms related to pregnancy, just to see what came up (yes, I know...and yes, I'm bored). One of the terms I googled was "Maternity Leave". What do I find but this site. Holy moly! I live in the wrong country! According to the site, the US is only 1 of 5 countries that doesn't provide any maternity leave to their female citizens. Whatever leave we are granted is done so at the discretion of our employers. Which is why there is such a disparity amongst us US bloggers as to how much time we are taking off after baby is born. On the other end of the spectrum...Bulgaria provides 45 days 100% paid sick leave BEFORE the baby is born, 2 YEARS PAID leave after the baby is born, and 1 additional year of unpaid time off. Hello! 3 years off? AND the "employer is obligated to restore the mother to the same position upon return to work. In addition, pregnant women and single mothers can not be fired."! Um, yea...my 12 weeks is sure looking measly right now.

Just thought I'd share!

Here are some additional sites I found interesting:

http://berkeley.edu/news/media/releases/2009/01/05_maternity.shtml
http://www.momsrising.org/maternity

Odd question

OK...so I have an odd, possibly TMI question. Over the last few days, I've noticed a pain, um...down there. It comes after I've been sitting for awhile and I stand up. It feels like someone is stabbing me in the vajayjay, or really in the pelvic bone. It goes away after a minute or so, but it's still startling...not to mention painful. I do go to the OB tomorrow, and will mention it to him...but was just wondering if anyone had any insight on what this could be?

This weekend was busy. DH's grandmother passed away last Thursday morning, and he had family come in from PA and NY. Her funeral was yesterday. So we've spent the last few days with his family, who we don't get to see very often. I'm happy though that his aunt who lives in PA will be coming back for out shower in March. I wasn't expecting her to, but it would be awesome to have her there.

No new news other than that. 30 week appointment is tomorrow...

29 weeks (a day late)

Holy crappola! It's been 29 weeks! Where has the time gone? In 11 weeks or less, baby girl will join our little family. I'm so excited to meet her...to hold her...to kiss her...to smell her baby scent. It seems like I've wanted this forever, and it's finally within my reach. She'll be here in less than 11 weeks. I remember when I hit 11 week milestone...I was so happy to be making it out of the 1st trimester, and here I am in the 3rd. I never thought in a million years this dream would become a reality.

Baby girl's room is pretty much finished for now. I can't really do much else until after our shower. All the clothes I've bought her are off their hangars, tags cut off and are sorted by laundry loads on the floor, waiting for after the shower so I can wash everything all at once. Our shower is scheduled for March 22nd. I took the day after off so I can wash and organize. March is a busy month for us...we have child birth classes starting and continuing each Friday in March, our Baptism class is the 26th, the shower, and my cousin is having her 2 kids' birthday party either the 28th or 29th. Plus we have "last hurrah" dinners in with friends in there as well.

I am looking forward to this weekend...the resale shop by my house is having a "Grab Bag" sale. They give you a bag, and you stuff it with whatever you want, and pay only $10. This store is 5000 square feet, and most of it is packed with gently used clothes. I fully intend to stuff my bag to the brim. My best friend agreed to go with me...little does she know I will be expecting her to stuff a bag as well (I'll pay for it obviously). But if I can get alot of stuff for only $20? Why not? Since the economy tanked, I've become a coupon clipping bargain shopper.

Pics and Stuff

I have updated the link on the sidebar for "Baby Pics" to include 3 from our ultrasound session on Sunday. I still haven't figured out the shutter.fly thing and quite honestly, my brain doesn't want to think too much lately, so I gave up.



I was off work yesterday...and ended up going to BRU. Can I just say that I LOVE LOVE LOVE clearance sales? BRU had 50% off their "winter" items, which had already been reduced. So it was 50% off the reduced price. And I wouldn't really call these items "winter". I ended up buying some outfits. Pants and top sets. Now the tops were long sleeve, but the material was thin cotton. Not any heavy fleece or anything...I would say Baby Girl could wear these easily in the late summer, early fall. Or even to anyone's house where the AC is cranked up. The BEST part is that each outfit only cost $3.45! I hate to say it, but Baby Girl only has 4 outfits that were purchased at "regular" price...everything else is off a clearance rack. 2 of those outfits are pink and white Chicago White S0x outfits ...one is a little Elm0 outfit...and one is her "take home outfit". I've been buying all sizes so I have some outfits that are 12 months...but for $3 each? Can't pass it up! I'm all about a bargain.

3D / 4D Ultrasound

Yesterday we went for our 4D ultrasound...it was....interesting. Baby girl, unfortunately, did not want her pictures to be taken and was spine up the whole time. We did manage to see her if I layed on my side and the u/s tech scanned me on the side. Luckily, the manager is understanding of these types of things, so we get to go back again another day...April 5th...to have the whole thing redone...at no charge. I do have a CD of about 70 pictures...they are all in .bmp format, so shutter.fly won't let me do a mass upload. I still have to figure out how I'm going to post them.

I'm off work today, so going to go run errands!

28 weeks

• I'm so sleepy. I was unable to sleep well last night, having woke up at 1:30 to pee, then couldn't get back to sleep until after 3am.
• I feel restless...which is why I couldn't sleep. I just couldn't lie still. Instead of RLS, I had Restless Whole Body Syndrome
• I'm working from home again today. Because of aforementioned lack of sleep.
• Baby girl slept well last night as she's active this morning.
• We go in for our 4D ultrasound on Sunday...so excited to see her again, this time for an extended period!
• Bending over is beginning to be difficult. The yard has melted so the dogs have muddy paws when they come in. Bending down to clean them was next to impossible. I had to sit on the floor with them.
• My balance is also being effected. I tend to feel "lopsided" most times, and have lost my footing on more than one occasion.
• My mind is also not "here" anymore. I can't remember things, have to write everything down and just can't concentrate or focus on one task for any period of time (with the exception of my cross stitch blankie for Baby Girl). This makes working very hard as my sales people rely on me to be the rememberer, the one who knows all the gritty details.

3rd trimester

Holy cow...today marks the last day of my second trimester (well, depending on which website you look at). I can hardly believe that we've made it this far.


DH and I went out on Saturday night to an Italian restaurant in a nearby town. We were seated in the back room, at a corner table. The restaurant had a band playing, but not a loud crazy band...this group played alot of Willie, Johnny and Jimmy (Nelson, Cash and Buffet). We were able to enjoy their music and still hold a conversation. We talked about baby girl and how surreal this all still seems to us. Him especially. DH hasn't had the opportunity to feel her move very much. She tends to stop when he puts his hand on my belly. While we were eating, there were all these young girls there in dresses with their dads...turns out they had just come from a grade school Daddy Daughter Dance. DH's eyes welled up when he realized HE is going to have a daughter. And HE WILL get to experience Daddy Daughter Dances. Of course, that made ME well up too. So it was a good thing we were seated in a corner table...we were both blubbering messes!


But seriously, I could not be more grateful. Not one day goes by that I don't thank the powers that be for this experience. I sit in Baby Girl's room and think that in less than 12 weeks, I'll be sitting there holding her, and I'm just in awe of it all. I'm an emotional mess. I can't put it into words. I'm not emotional about parenting...it's more being emotional that I'm actually going to have a real live baby in 12 weeks. That we're actually here.


Moving from "infertile" to "parenting after infertility". It's an overwhelming and guilt ridden thought...why did my cycle work when so many other's cycles didn't. It's funny (well not funny) to think...when we were cycling, I used to think, Why Me? Why am I going through this hell? Why are everyone else's cycles giving them BFP's when mine aren't. Now, I think..."Why am I so lucky?" I think Jacki's post said it best. No matter what stage of the race you're at...all your infertile sisters who have crossed the finish line, are still there, cheering you on and waiting for your turn to cross, to celebrate, to congratulate.

201 posts!

Two posts in one day! My last post was post number 200! WOW!

So anyway, in regards to the pack n play fiasco. DH and I had picked out a pnp from BRU...it was made by Summer In.fant and was part of the Hug Me collection. Well, we found out that this pnp was being discontinued awhile back, so Wednesday while we were in BRU we saw that there was only 1 left. Well, since DH had his heart set on having the pnp that matched the bedding we want, we bought it and brought it home. Now, the box was pretty beat up and taped up...so we opted to try to put it together right away to make sure all the pieces were there. Well, let me tell you...it took us over 20 minutes to figure this thing out...and one side wouldn't lock in. No matter what we tried, it wouldn't lock. So we decided we'd take it back. I want something that is EASY PEAZY folks...nothing complicated. Well, it took us almost another 30 minutes to try to break it down. The squeeze triggers wouldn't squeeze! We were SO frustrated. When we finally broke it all down and got it back in the box, we went straight back to the store to return it.

DH then picked out another pnp he liked...well guess what? This Grac0 model is ALSO being discontinued! What are the chances? Needless to say, we bought the Grac0 and brought it home. We were able to get it together (minus the changer) in less than 10 minutes. Though I have to say, the directions they provide are HORRIBLE! 3 languages on 1 page! It's SO confusing. But anyway, that is the pnp you see in the nursery pics. We just have to break it down and move it into our room...since Grac0 wasn't smart enough to make these things a size that can fit through a standard doorway!

That my friends, is the pack n play fiasco.

Nursery in Progress - Pics

As promised here are some nursery pics. We're still working on it, so please don't mind all the "stuff" everywhere.

This is as you first walk into the nursery. The white ledge on the wall above the crib will hold letters spelling out "ALEXIS" in white. We don't have the crib mattress or bedding yet...

This is a picture of the changing table. Those flowers are actually lights picked up at I.kea.

This photo is standing in front of the crib looking at an angle. Her armoire. I will store all her sheets and extra bedding in this. The door is her walk in closet.

This picture was taken standing in front of the changing table. We put together her pack n play to make sure we could (that's another post), but that will get moved to our bedroom. There is a dresser straight on and the recliner we purchased for feedings. We paid just as much for this recliner as gliders were going for at BRU.

This photo was taken standing in front of the closet.

So that's it for now...we still have work to do cleaning up and such...

Thank you

Thank you to all who commented in support of my last post. When I initially read the comment, I was fuming angry, and had a more strongly worded post ready to go. But I chose to post what I did, so as not to come off as TOO angry! I know it's part of having a blog, people aren't always going to like what I say, and that is fine. I don't expect people to agree with me 100% of the time...just 99% LOL. Anyway, I didn't take it personally, though it did hurt at first.

On a lighter note, I passed my 2nd 1 hour glucose test! YaHoo! Results came back at 123. Normal for my office is between 60 and 180. So I don't have to retake the 3 hour! I'm SO happy about this. I was not looking forward to spending another 3 hours sitting at the OB's office. I also had a full blood workup done last week when I was there...everything within normal ranges. Very happy to hear.

We're working on Baby girl's room today. Well, DH is...I'm "helping" in between working from home. We haven't put the crib together yet, but all the furniture is in place and it's "sorta" clean. I'll take pictures later and post them...I know you all have been patiently waiting.

So on Baby Girl's name. I had been debating on whether to post it. We've had a name for quite a while. Even before we were pregnant, we had a girl's name picked out. Our family knows what it is...so do our friends. I guess it can't hurt anything to tell you internets (I love this term...stole it from Jen). Baby girl will be Alexis Marie. Alexis is a name both DH and I love, and Marie is my maternal grandmother's name. My gramma was my best friend in the world, when she died in 2003, it broke my heart. I still get sad when I think that Alexis will never get to meet her. She was one loving woman. Love you gram!

To the Anonymous Commenter...

"I have to say that it sounds like hormones talking. If you've tried that long to get pregnant, I would think you would be happy to get those comments, especially the ones noticing how good you look. Granted, you may want to discuss other things besides this pregnancy, if you think about it - this may be the only one you ever get. I'd enjoy it all you can." - Anonymous

I have to say that I took this a little negative. You do not walk in my shoes...you have never walked in my shoes. Do not for one minute tell me how I should feel about the comments being made to me. Yes, I've wanted to be pregnant for a very long time. But I've never said, I want people to be fake and ask me how I'm doing when they couldn't care less about the answer. I never said I wanted people to stare at my belly and touch my belly without invitation. I never said I wanted people to point out the fact that I'm showing. I know all these things come with being pregnant...but it doesn't mean that I welcome it, or that it doesn't get tiring. I know all too well that this could be the only pregnancy I ever experience. As an infertile couple, we think about this EVERY SINGLE DAY. I don't need an anonymous commenter to remind me of that. This is MY blog, and if I choose to rant about comments I've gotten, I will do so. And since I'm turning off anonymous commenting, I will do so without fear of someone ridiculing me for it.

Tired...

This post is going to sound whiny...you are forewarned.

I'm SO tired of people making comments about "how good" I look and "oh you're showing!". No shit sherlock...I'm 26weeks pregnant, I think I'm going to show. At first all the comments didn't bother me, they were flattering even. Now, it seems that this pregnancy is the only thing that people want to talk to me about...HELLO, I HAVE OTHER INTERESTS AS WELL! I understand that I'm the only pregnant person in my office at the moment, but that doesn't give people the right to give me cheezy smiles and looks every time they see me! UUGGGHH!

Today alone, I've had 6 people tell me either how good I look for being xweeks pregnant, that I'm showing, or call me "momma". I'm so sick of it! And people wonder why I choose to work from home most days now! It's to get away from all the freaks here!

OK rant over...

26 weeks - 1 day late

Yesterday we had our 26 week appointment. I had another 1hr glucose test (please pray I pass...) and an ultrasound. Last time, we weren't able to see all 4 chambers of the heart, this time it was in full view. Tech also confirmed that baby is indeed a girl (thank goodness, b/c we bought all kinds of stuff). Baby weighs approx 1lb 15oz and is measuring at 25w5d. Heartbeat was at 158bpm. My blood pressure did go up a little...to 118/66 and I gained 6 lbs! Though I'm still down 3 lbs from my starting weight. OB was a little concerned about my rapid pulse, and sent me for an EKG. Will get the results from that soon, but the tech that did it said everything looked normal to her. So that's good.



Other than that, we took our car in yesterday because of some issues...thank goodness we are still under warranty as the work that needs to be done would have totaled over $2k in parts alone. Gotta get the vehicle baby ready! I have a loaner in the mean time...a F0rd Taur.us. Not a bad car, but I miss my SUV.



I've updated the Baby Pics link on the sidebar to include the u/s pics from yesterday...they aren't the clearest, but it's the best I can do!

100 days to go

I was looking at my little ticker on the sidebar, and realized that I have 100 days to go...tomorrow I will be in the double digits! Holy Cow! The last 180 days have flew by! Baby girl will be here before I know it.

DH and I went to the BRU store to register this weekend. These little babies require so much gear! I swear my registry must be 12 pages long. My shower date it set...March 22nd. This is all happening so quickly. Am I ready to be a mom? Will I be a good mom? These 2 questions have been floating in my head lately. DH and I spent SO much time working on getting pregnant, the thought that baby girl will be here soon really is scary...and exciting!

25 weeks

Today marks the 25th week of this pregnancy. Here's what's been going on:

• Weight gain is still minimal if any. According to my scale at home, I've gained 0.2 lbs since my last OB appointment.


• I'm sore. I'm feeling the RLP now. When I stand, my uterus feels so heavy...almost like it's going to fall out of me! I find myself walking around with my hands under my belly just to get some support (and my belly isn't even a quarter as large as what Denise was carrying around, girl, I don't know how you did it!)


• My back also hurts. My sciatica on my right side is acting up.
• My nose hurts. I've had a "mucous" issue the last few months...something my OB said is normal. So I'm constantly blowing my nose...that combined with the dry air at home and work, have cut up the inside of my nose. I actually have scabs! (I know TMI, sorry!)
• Baby girl moves mostly at night when I'm getting ready for bed. I love lying down in bed and feeling her moving around.

Other than that, not much else has been going on. DH is still working on the nursery...pics will be forthcoming.

Controversial...

I know this subject is controversial...but I wanted to get opinions. My cousin's 2 month old daughter just received her 2 month shots on Saturday. On Sunday, the baby had a seizure. She now has to undergo an EEG to measure her brain activity to see if the seizure caused any damage. When my cousin went online to do some research, she found that a side effect to one of the shots was seizures. This was not disclosed to her when she brought her daughter in for the vaccinations.

My question to all of you is...what is your take on childhood vaccinations? Are you vaccinating? Why or why not?

The pediatrician that we've "chosen" (we actually haven't chosen yet, but are meeting with this dr next week) has a policy on the importance of immunizing children. They firmly believe in the CDC's vaccination schedules. I'm not so sure and neither is DH. Our viewpoint is that we would vaccinate our daughter, but only with what he and I have had as children. These "new" vaccines scare me a little too much. I mean, the one vaccine has only been licensed since 2000...all of us born before 2000 turned out ok.

I'm not looking for anyone to preach to me about vaccines...I just want to know your reasons for vaccinating or not.

Snowy photos

Here are pics taken today. The brightly shining sun makes you think it's nice out...till you walk outside and your nostrils immediately freeze!

Our front walk...shows how much snow we have!