The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly

The Good:
~  I'm pretty sure I am feeling baby movement!  No kicks.  Just flutters and bumps way down low.  I started having these feeling every now and then about a week or so ago.  I ignored it and kept telling myself it was too early.  But the movements have become more frequent and every so slightly stronger.  Squee!
~  We had a Back to School promotion at work.  Two $250 giftcards were the prizes, two winners.  One of those winners is my favorite customer!  He likes for us to call him Grandpa Ted, he likes to visit and talk to all the people in the mall, he is full of amazing stories.  He defected from from East Germany when he was 10, now in his 80's he is a widower, and he has been down on his luck lately.  I am so happy to see someone win the giftcard who actually NEEDS it.
~  The husband is away on a beach trip with the guys.  Which means I get to hog the tv, not watch ESPN, not have to cook, and sleep on that fluffy middle section of the bed.  Ahh, fluffy middle section.
The Bad:
~  I make lists way too often.  Not sure why I love lists so much.
~  The AC, or more accurately the whole car fan system, stopped working today.  Which means no AC, no heat, no defoggers/defrosters, and possibly no engine cooling fan.  Crap.
The Ugly:
~  Last Friday we noticed fire trucks, cop cars, rescue vehicles racing thru the neighborhood and stopping at one of the houses behind us.  We watched from our deck as people were running back and forth and shouting, but could not tell what was going on.  Today I talked to our neighbor to see if she knew what had happened.  A 4 year old drowned in the bathtub.  The kids (4 and 9) were visiting their grandma.  The 9 year old was watching the 4 year old while she took her bath.  Something happened and a 4 year old drowned.  Horrible.

Busy Little Bees

The past 2 weeks have been crazy busy.  But in a good way.  Now things should slow back down and return to normal.  And just in time too!  I leave to go on vacation for a week on this coming Friday.

Why so busy?
1.  I have a new hire I have been training for the past 2 weeks.  She seems like she will be a great employee.  Fast learner and very nice.  Exactly what we needed.

2.  My beloved employee that left us at the end of July, the one I made the checkerboard cake for, has returned to us.  Life working elsewhere didn't work out the way she had planned and we gladly welcomed her back.  Eagerly welcomed her back.  Not sure if she is completely happy about it, but at least we are helping each other out.  It's so good to have her back.

3.  Looks like my MIL will be moving into the retirement village she has been on a waiting list for 3 years to get into!  She has an appointment tomorrow to meet with the property management and tour the unit she will be living in.  Great news is that it's an end unit, all one floor, complete apartment.  Has a full kitchen and everything.  She will have to use the community laundry room, but it is right next to what will be her apartment.  She is naturally nervous about this huge change.  Hopefully her enthusiasm keeps up for a while so the packing and moving process won't overwhelm her.

4.  The hurricane was nothing for us.  We are far enough inland that all we got was some rain.  The freak thunderstorm we had 2 weeks ago was a hundred times worse than Irene.  So there are some benefits to living a bit further away from the coast.  Had I gotten my way and moved to the town I tried to convince Morgan to live in it would have been a completely different story.  That doesn't mean that we didn't spend 3 days at work preparing for the worst possible outcome.  I have never seen the company I work for act in such an organized manner.  It was nice to see, if not a little excessive considering our location.

5.  Crabs.  Oh, crabs.  Ryan had his annual crab feast on Saturday and the heavenly smell of crabs tortured me.  I should not eat crabs.  That whole mercury thing.  But I admit I did pick crabs for Morgan and did claim a few (okay, more than a few) crab claws to help hold back the bitter tears of a crab lover denied.  Seriously, I would take an old bay seasoned blue crab over chocolate ANY DAY.  And I got to play with the two puppies they adopted about a month ago.  So stinkin cute!  I love dogs!

So yeah.  Take that and add in computer issues at work, registers breaking, earthquake (after the fact) training, the odd work hours that come with employee training, my boss being out on vacation this past week, and a preseason football obsessed husband and you can see why I have not written much these past 2 weeks.  Ah, I can't wait for vacation!

Boom Goes the Dynamite

What a day.  What a great, fun, exciting day!  Lets make lists.  Cause I like lists.

1.  NT Ultrasound - Morgan came with me for the 12 week scan where they measure the back of the neck to check for Downs Syndrome and general anatomy.  Uncooperative baby = extra ultrasound time!  We got to watch for about 20 minutes as Mongo squirmed, kicked, and refused to roll over so they could see the back of the neck.  At one point Mongo had his arm bent back behind his head in "relax in your hammock" mode.  It was very exciting.  Mongo looks completely like a little human.  Morgan was so happy that he kept quietly reaching over to give my side little finger pokes during the ultrasound.  Everytime we saw something new an excited finger would jab me.  Oh - and everything looks fine as far as the neck measurement goes, once they finally got it.

2.  We got a call today from the state run retirement village my MIL applied to 3 years ago.  They finally have an opening!  Three years of waiting and they finally have an opening!  This is VERY good news!  She is currently playing phone tag with them, so cross your fingers for us.  This would be a definite step in the right direction for her.

3.  That earthquake thing.  Yeah, it was a big one.  I was in the middle of the mall when a loud booming noise started echoing through the entire building, followed shortly by some pretty vigorous shaking.  At first I thought our maintenance department was doing something with heavy machinery.  Didn't take long to figure out it was something else as the 2nd level bridges inside the mall were shaking and people were running towards the exits.  Plants swaying.  Things falling off shelves.  My employee was so startled that she grabbed me and held on tight till the shaking stopped.  Word spread pretty fast that it was an earthquake.  Phones didn't work, not even cell phones, but the internet still worked!  For this area a 5.8 is a huge quake.

In Which I Feel Really Dumb

Prenatal Yoga is supposed to be an activity that is both beneficial and enjoyable during pregnancy.  It improves your flexibility while keeping up your stamina and strength you will need during labor.  And it does all of this in a non-aerobic and calming form of exercise that is pretty much across the board considered safe.

Now add me to the mix.  Awkward, oafish me.  Back in my early 20's yoga was something I did up to 4 times a week in the privacy of my apartment or with a friend at our gym.  I loved it.  And I mean that.  I always felt soooo good after a session.  But that was a long time and quite a few pounds ago.

Yesterday I popped in the Prenatal Yoga DVD I had picked up and gave it a try.  I pulled a muscle in my pelvic region.  Do you have any idea how much that hurts?  To have strong cramps and muscle aches IN your baby area while pregnant?  And how much panic that causes in the foolish mom-to-be?  The only reason I didn't make Morgan take me to the hospital after hours of pain and cramping was because I was not bleeding.  Luckily the cramps and majority of the pain stopped in the middle of the night.  With the exception of muscle tenderness I am fine now.

But I feel really dumb.

Mission Accomplished

I wore my "Current Status:  Mommy To Be" t-shirt to my brother's party yesterday.  I walked around waiting for someone to actually read my shirt so they could be the one to let the family know what was up.  About an hour into the party my cousin Tory made a loud "Gdoh!" noise and pointed at my shirt.  News traveled fast at that point and the deed is done.  Everyone is really excited for us.  If only they knew what we went thru to get to this point.  I didn't feel like ruining everyones assumption that I just chose to wait till my 30's to get knocked up.

But for whatever reason, since that party last night I have felt absolutely rotten.  I don't know if I ate something that was bad, if someone at the party had a fast acting bug, or whatever.  But damn!  I can't do much of anything.  I just feel rotten.  I can't even think of any other way to describe it.  I can't even drink my water.  I'm hoping I wake up tomorrow perfectly fine so I don't have to take a day off work.

In the meantime I have spent most of the day in bed today, the Morgan has spent most of the day playing video games (he is happy), and the carrots in our garden get to live in the ground for yet another week.  I'm going to go attempt to simmer down some tomatoes now.  Wish me luck!

Happy It's the Weekend!

Why?  Other than the obvious that it's the freakin weekend?  I have family in town from Illinois and I get to see them on Saturday.  Plus, since it's a special occasion that they are here, we are going to go ahead and tell my entire family that I am in a delicate condition.  I'm nervous and excited.

Plus - I have a ton of stuff to do!  I need to get over this fatigue and get on the ball.  Task #1, the 5 million tomatoes we have harvested that need to be simmered down and frozen for winter use.  Seriously.  This photo, taken all of 10 minutes ago, is just from TODAY.  I have 3 big bags of yellow pear tomatoes and 2 of Romas.  I need to get them put up before they go bad.

Oh I hear you.  "Come on, Christa!  How bad could the fatigue possibly be?  It's not like you're the only person in the world who has ever gotten knocked up.  How tired could you REALLY be?"

That's how tired.  The husband took this picture a few days ago.  But pretty much this is me on the couch after work every night.  As soon as the sun starts to set it's like someone is piling bricks on top of me.  I must fight back!  I must!  No more Slug Oaf!

Happy Friday, everyone!

Sleep, Glorious Sleep

Oh, how I miss sleep.  Sleep used to be one of my most favorite things.  Snuggles, blankets, cats at your feet, dreams of sexy plumbers, etc.  Oh, how I miss sleep.

10 & 1/2 weeks over here.  Still very early on.  I really didn't expect the discomfort to start this early.  I mean that.  I am shocked.  I can no longer sleep on my back.  I am almost to the point where I can't sleep on my tummy anymore.  So I toss from side to side all night long and stare with bad intentions at my sleeping husband.  (The other night I punched him in the shoulder and then pretended I was asleep.)

So, preggo and previously preggo ladies out there, do you have any suggestions?  I am about to break out the pregnancy body pillow and see if that helps.  But do you have other tips?  Like don't eat past ___ time. Drink ____ to help you sleep better.  Make your husband sleep elsewhere so you can spread out and claim more than 1/3 of the bed.

Suggestions would be appreciated.  Or will this early stage of sleeplessness pass?  I think that would just be wishful thinking.

Hump Day

Things that happened today, in no particular order.

1.  I had a sales meeting with an HR rep for one of the retirement villages I have been stalking.  My Crazy Ass Boss decided to come with me.  I wish she had not.  She told the HR rep features, offers, and testimonials that are wrong.  I shouldn't have to correct my boss in front of a potential client.  It's just wrong.  But in the end I think we left with a new business relationship.  So yay!

2.  The husband told me that he will get me an ipad if I gestate him a son.  I laughed and asked what I get if we are having a girl.  Nothing.  Only boy child comes with rewards.  Some day I will relay this story to our daughter.

3.  We have a problem at work, a problem from our home office.  Without going into too much detail, a key audit point is in dispute.  90% of our company is doing said audit point incorrectly.  We had a conference call (with the entire freakin company) today to discuss this problem.  Their solution?  Ummmmm.. . . .they don't have one?  Really?  They promised to think about it and maybe get us an answer by January.  Oh, but we need to be aware that auditors will be visiting properties for the next 2 months.  So many of us might fail.  Yay!

4.  It's getting hard to write this.  The husband is jealous of all the typie type and keeps reaching over to  hit random keys.  The delete button is my friend.  He wants you to know I am an oaf.

Are You Serious?

Have you seen this commercial yet?  Today is the first time I have ever seen it.  I sat there with my mouth hanging open in disbelief.  The husband was doubled over laughing and pointing at the tv, then to my crotch.  WTH?  This takes things too far.

First Kotex comes out with a line of "pretty" feminine products, cause you know I care what those things look like.  And now this.  No.  No thank you.

Week 10

Today marks the first day of my 10th week of pregnancy.  I am 1/4 of the way finished gestation.  I just finished taking my morning course of medication.  A morning routine I have had for 8 weeks, and a routine that will be ending after tomorrow.

See, as part of being an infertility momma, there are certain medications that I am still on.  The Estradiol and Prometrium I will be stopping Tuesday is very important.  It provides me with hormones that my body doesn't produce enough of.  These hormones prevent me from rejecting the baby and having a miscarriage.  But at some point in the 9th week the placenta is supposed to take over that role and begin pumping out these needed hormones.  Which is why I am due to take my last pills now.

This is not an easy thing to go thru.  I am kinda attached to the idea that I will really be a mom this time around.  I am terrified that something will go wrong.  Yes, the placenta is supposed to be doing it's job. . .but what if it's not?  My nurse from SGF has assured me that everything will be fine and that they stop everyone at this point.  But only time will tell.  I am nervous as hell.

Holy Tomatoes!

We harvested.  We harvested a lot.  One pepper was picked even though it had not changed color yet since we needed it for dinner.  The rest is all tomatoes of one variety or the other, mostly romas.  Looks like I will be making some spaghetti sauce soon!

Mongo Is a Swimmer

We had another Dr appointment yesterday.  It was with the OB office I had the horrible 1st experience with.  I only kept the appointment because the office I plan to transfer to could not get me in fast enough.  But things went great.  Like, amazingly great.  The practice manager came in and discussed what had happened with me and apologized.  The Dr I saw is the only female Dr in the practice and she was wonderful.  The lab tech who took care of my blood draws was equally great and fun to talk to.  I wish this had been my first appointment.  I wish this had been my first impression of their office.  But too late, I am transferring to avoid having to see the dick Dr again.

They did break out that ancient ultrasound machine again.  Mongo was swimming around when they first showed him on the screen!  It was adorable.  You know, if a little oblong blob can be adorable.  Then he settled down and we did see the heartbeat and all is well.  Morgan was thrilled since this is only the 2nd ultrasound he has seen in person.

That said - lets make a comparison.

The above is the best the OB office could do with their outdated ultrasound equipment.  (Note the old GE logo in the lower right hand corner.  THAT is how old this thing is.)  Now, when Mongo was moving a little you could tell what was his head and what was his body.  In still form you can just see a blob in a bubble.  Although I think I do spy two little feet at the left side of the blob! This is at 9 weeks 1 day.

This is the ultrasound from the specialist office done 2 weeks ago.  Let me say that again.  2 weeks ago.  And look how much more definition there is to the body of the baby.  You can make out the head, what I think is the placenta, body, limb buds.  They are a little sketchy, but they are there and you can see them.  It's amazing the difference newer equipment can make.

Which leads me to another reason why I am transferring offices.  The specialist was explaining to me how using these outdated ultrasound machines can actually be dangerous because things can be missed.  She didn't go into much detail because she didn't want to scare me.  But things can be missed.  Comparing these ultrasounds really made me understand what was meant by that.

Even though the next time I see that specialist it will be for the ultrasound that measures the neck to see if the baby has Down's Syndrome, I am looking forward to it.  I look forward to having a detailed ultrasound picture of the little one when he is at a stage where he looks really human.

I swear, this is going to be the most frequently photographed kid ever at birth.  Getting this many ultrasounds is not the usual.  In that respect I guess infertility moms are a little lucky.