27 Weeks 3 Days

I know it has been sometime since I have updated the blog. Things have been getting exciting around here. Now that the new year has approached us, Mark and I will be ordering the furniture for the nursery soon. We made an agreement not to make any big purchases until January 1. It made Mark feel more comfortable about the pregnancy and not getting all caught up in the excitement and then something tragic happen. It is not that something tragic cannot happen at this point, just playing it safe. Ian has a better chance of survival at this point if he comes early.




We have rearranged all of the bedroom furniture. My old bedroom furniture joined the old living room furniture (the 70s couches Michelle, Cully, and I had in Savannah) in the in-law suite downstairs. Jaime's bedroom furniture (we are housing it until she returns from Japan) was moved to the middle bedroom so that we could use the back bedroom closer to our bedroom for the nursery. Our main color of choice was a pale yellow. The room was originally painted a dark taupy color. It was quite a drab room. It has now starting taking on a different personality. Any accents will be done in a sage green. I chose the James Giraffe collection (not to be confused with Jeffrey Giraffe, the spokestoy for Toys R' Us).






The most exciting thing to happen occurred today. Our little man has been moving around a lot! It is very exciting, yet very strange and "alien"ish at the same time. Well today, he moved around and kicked hard enough for Mark to feel the movement! It was truly amazing!

For any of you expert mommies out there, check out my registry and let me know if there is something I have left off that will be life saving in the years to come.

Ian's 22 Week Ultrasound

Here is a short 5 minute clip of the ultrasound from 22 weeks. Thanks Alicia and Ron for transfering it for us!

21 weeks 6 days and The Big News

It's a Boy!
I had a 22 week checkup today, and of course it came with another ultrasound. We had the same ultrasound technician as before. She knew how hard it was to see the gender last time we were there. Today, she went right to it. Lo and behold, boy parts! He is measuring about a week ahead of schedule in length of legs and arms and in circumference of his skull and abdomen. He is in the 57th percentile for weight at his fetal age (about 19 ounces). The doctors are pleased with our progress.

Below are the pics we received today. Mark is trying to capture the ultrasound video. We hope to upload it soon.

16 Weeks 6 Days

Wow! That is all I can say! Today we saw the perinatologist (or the one on duty in the office today). First things, first, the ultrasound! Mark and I were able to see so much more of the baby today. Because the baby is about 5 inches long at this point, they are unable to measure the baby from head to rump in one picture. They had to take several pictures of the different body parts to measure growth. We were able to see the baby has two legs and feet and two arms and hands. The spine and heart were amazing to see as well! Mark said the pictures of the spine looked like Giger's alien illustrations.

We are still anxiously awaiting the gender of the baby. The ultrasound tech could not get a good shot. At first she said she thought it was a girl because there were no protruding body parts in the genital region. Then a few minutes later she says, "I think you have a boy, " and points to what she thinks could be little boy parts. In the end she wasn't sure. Regardless of whether it is Brenda 2.0 or Mark 2.0, we now know the baby looks healthy thus far.

For my friends and family worried about the diabetes, the doctor was quite impressed with my glucose control. He said because I have been on top of my diabetes, the chances of having any birth defects or abnormalities were in the range of the normal population, about 3%. The next appointment is November 22, the day before Thanksgiving. This is definitely something to be thankful for.

Below are the coolest pictures we have so far. I absolutely love the profile shot!

14 Weeks 4 Days

We went to see the OB today for our monthly checkup. It was probably the quickest appointment I have ever had. She was in the room maybe 5 minutes. In that 5 minutes she looked over my vitals and said everything looks like it is going very well. She brought with her a dopler. This was exciting because she quickly found the baby's heartbeat! It sounded like a steam locomotive pulling out of a station, except faster. The heartrate was about 140. Normal is said to be between 120 and 160. She asked about my blood sugars, which are great according to my endocrinologist and lab work, and then sent us on our way. The entire ride home Mark and I would catch each other making woosh sounds trying to mimic the heartbeat.

My next appointment is with the perinatologist. We will be about 17 weeks along at that point and hope that we will be able to find out the gender of the baby.

More Pictures!

Today's appointment with the perinatologist was truly amazing. It was an initial appointment to establish medical history and any family genetic disorders. After giving the nurse a complete medical history on myself and my family and anything Mark knows about his family, we were sent to an ultrasound room. This seems to happen alot when you have a high risk medical condition. The technician found the baby immediately, and Mark and I were able to see him or her flipping and turning all over the place! So much so the hands are blurry in the pictures we received. The facial structure is quite visible. The huge skull almost looks alien-like at this point.

10 Week Update

We had an OB checkup last Thursday (August 31). To our surprise, we had another quick ultrasound. Mark and I once again were able to see the baby and the heartbeat. The nurse practitioner tried to find the heartbeat on the doppler so we could hear it. No such luck. It is a little early to find it with a doppler. In all of my reading, hearing the heartbeat usually occurs around week 12.

As of the appointment I have gained 10 pounds. My OB flipped! She does not want me to gain any weight at all. I am blaming all the weight gain on the massive doses of insulin I began taking between weeks 4 and 6. That is when I gained the 10 pounds. I have found myself consumming more calories the fight the low blood sugars, and when I say low I mean 40s and 30s, dangerously low. So I have taken it upon myself to use the doctor's insulin recommendations as a guideline and not law. I am now going to let my body dictate how much insulin I need.

The OB referred me to a perinatologist. The peri is a specialists that carries OBGYN a little further, especially for high risk pregnancies. We are trying to watch my blood pressure and diabetes carefully. The OB thinks the peri will be able to catch any potential problems long before they become a risk. My first appointment with the peri is next week. I called to inquire how long the appointment will last and the nurse at reception said for first time patients anywhere from 2 to 2 1/2 hours! Look slike I will have a 3 day work week this week! Woohoo!

Now it is really real!

Today was our appointment for the first ultrasound. Being 7 weeks 6 days along, we weren't expecting to see much of anything. It took all of 10 seconds for the technician to find the gestational sac and confirm the due date, March 29. Mark and I even had the delight of seeing the heartbeat fluttering away. It was truly amazing! I have been with my sister and aunt during their ultrasounds, but nothing compared to actually being there and it be you on that table.

My Journey Begins

It all began the morning of my July 19th appointment for my diabetes checkup. I woke up about 5:30 am to check my temperature (as many women trying to conceive do). It was this particular morning that I decided to take a home pregnancy test. It was right at the 10 minute mark that a very faint line appeared in the window. As all home tests say to ignore results after 10 minutes, my husband, Mark, and I were skeptical.

Later that morning, while waiting to see the endocrinologist, I began cramping very badly. I remember telling myself, "That's it for this month." During my appointment the endo asked if I wanted to go ahead and begin insulin since she knew we were trying to start a family. I said, "No, this may take awhile."

After getting home from a great checkup, what I thought was the inevitable as the cramps usually predict, had not occurred. So out of curiosity I took another test, and another test, and another test, and finally a digital test. All four tests were positive! When I say four tests, I mean four different brands of tests. I immediately messaged Mark and emailed my best friend, Michelle, in Connecticut and my best friend, Suzy, here in Atlanta. We decided to wait to tell anyone else until after the first OB appointment. That appointment ended up being much sooner than we thought. She wanted to see us the following Monday.

So here I am, after much coaxing from my husband, finally blogging. His idea was for me to begin a journal about my pregnancy. Today I am 6 weeks 1 day along. We have told our families and a few of our friends. We still have a list of people to tell, but I am hesistant to tell too many people before the first ultrasound.

My first ultrasound will be August 16th. Hopefully that will be the day we will see a heartbeat going strong and confirm my due date, March 29th. Being diabetic, I am under the very watchful eye of my endocrinologist. She has already scheduled me for 4 separate appointments in the next 3 months. Bloodwork is scheduled the week prior to all 4 appointments. Woohoo!

As of today, the only symptoms I have had are sore breasts and menstrual cramps. Yes, cramps. No one ever told me that cramps hung around during the pregnancy! However, the biggest clue that I am pregnant comes from my cat, Willow. Since probably the date of conception she has been quite vocal around the house. She talks to us at all hours of the day and night. I have never heard her meow so much and I have had her since she was just a few weeks old.