The Duchess on the Beach

Matt wants to make sure that Duchess gets equal face time on the blog so I added this adorable picture of her on the beach chasing a ball.

We have decided that the nursery is going to be dog themed so I'm gathering cute pictures of our dogs to frame for the room. Btw, the nursery is going to be painted green (clary sage - the same color as the rest of my house). My feng shui book said that children's rooms in a southern location of the house should be green, pink or purple...and since we don't know if we're having a boy or girl, we decided green. Green with dogs! I can't wait to see how it turns out.

TOLD!

I told my parents!!!! FINALLY!!! It feels so good to have told them. All my worries about them being shocked have dissolved. They were both genuinely happy - I think they were thrilled!!! It's all coming together so nicely.
My parents invited me to lunch and we began talking about the future. It seemed like a very natural way to tell them. I had practiced the awkwardness of saying, "Mom, Dad, now that you're getting used to the idea of being grandparents, Matt and I wanted to double your pleasure..." Fortunately, I didn't actually have to say that. It went something more like this, "Well, since we're talking about the future, I want to share some news, some really happy news. I'm pregnant!" My mom and dad were teary-eyed and so happy. My mom gave me the greatest hug. It took my dad a few minutes to sink in, but it did and he's so happy.

Whew! What a relief! Now the fun can really begin!

would you look at the size of his head!

Here are some pictures of Matt as a toddler. He's a pretty cute little kid, huh? Matt and I are getting more and more excited about our baby! It's becoming more and more real. It's really so awesome! I can't tell you how thrilled I am about our relationship!!! Matt is brilliant (how could you not be with that huge head?!) and surprisingly thoughtful... and downright fun to hang out with. We're all doing very well. I couldn't ask for anything more. Well, a fairy to tell my parents would be great. I've been practicing telling them. I think Sunday will be the big day. Wish us luck!

rock climbing

Matt and I went "rock climbing" at the UH Recreation Center. With chalk, my hands slid right off the wall, but Matt did very well.

Dog Fart

Poor Duchess. She's not feeling well. She puked a couple of times (I'm not sure why) and also farted (audibly!). Poor doggie - she's obviously got an upset stomach. She's so good; she goes outside to barf or at least on the tile or hardwood floor. Penny always seems to go right for the irreplaceable and uncleanable rug.

You may have to turn up the volume. The fart is at the end and just before her head nods slightly.

Telling Kathy

This weekend at breakfast Matt and I told Kathy and Patrick that we were expecting a baby! It was a tearful experience for me! It was the hardest thing to do! Friends have told me that they were pregnant and while I was genuinely happy for them, I was worried too about how the friendship would change or if it would even continue to exist. Kathy and Patrick were surprised but assured us that they would still be our friends. Kathy even volunteered Patrick (who doesn't yet have a lot of experience with kids, especially babies) to babysit. Ha! It just made me laugh knowing that they will continue to be in our lives.

Dr. Papasakelario

I just returned from my new doctor! He was nice, assuring, older and experienced. He seemed to just get it and understand what I was feeling. He's no-nonsense and that fits well with my anxiety; it brings me back to reality. His staff were all very nice and knowledgeable. I didn't have to wait long....and they asked if I was on prenatal vitamins and even gave me a year's prescription for them.

Dr. P's opinion about BV is that doctors blame preterm labor on it, but really, no one knows why some women go into labor too early. He said we all have bacteria and wasn't concerned...so I'm not going to be concerned.

I'm going to ask around to find out the differences between quad testing (genetic testing, just blood work) done at 16 weeks vs. a tri-screen (genetic testing, blood work and specialized ultrasound) done at 12 weeks.

He did an ultrasound (and I'll get another at 20 weeks). First it was from my belly, but nothing could be seen except my very full bladder so then he went inside. There you could see a heartbeat or a tiny flash of light...but nothing else. Honestly, if he didn't point out the flashing light, I couldn't have seen it. None-the-less, it was assuring! He said that I measure 8 weeks, 4 days (vs. 9 weeks, 1 day)...which happens to perfectly correspond with the conception/ovulation date being 5 days later than expected.

I have another appointment with him in a month where he'll listen for the heartbeat (you can hear it after 10 weeks) with a doppler machine.

Here's a question...when and how do we tell our parents?

bacteria

I have bacterial vaginosis...or BV. It's apparently the most common vaginal infection, as if that makes me feel better. It's not sexually transmitted and very curable with medication. I've never had it before but it's caused by an overgrowth of bacteria due to a change in ph level in your body. The implications for pregnancy include in increased percentage of miscarriage (30%) and/or preterm labor. It's supposed to worse earlier in pregnancy than later. I didn't get to talk to my doctor about it (even after requesting). I spoke to the nurse twice who just told me it was safe for the baby and that I shouldn't drink any alcohol (dah!) because drinking would make me really sick....as if I would be drinking anyway since I have a fetus growing in my body!

My doctor referred me to the hospital for an ultrasound for a dating scan. I was excited about this...until the hospital called to tell me that it costs $145. I was really pissed off knowing that my doctor could do the ultrasound in her office for free. Did I mention that I paid $7 in parking for waiting 1.5 hours in the waiting room to see the physician's assistant for 20 minutes (who didn't even ask if I was taking prenatal vitamins)? I canceled the ultrasound appointment and actively found another doctor.

I'm seeing Dr. Papasakelario Monday afternoon. He's got to be better than what I've got now!

Generally, I'm feeling crappy. I'm tired and moody. I felt pregnant before (tenderness, bloated, hungry, sleepy) but now I'm mostly just crabby and have an upset stomach. Yes - this blog is going to talk about real life. I'm going to tell the truth. Life isn't always good.

Happy Fourth!

Penny and I had a great, relaxing vacation at Lake Jacksonville with Dan, Sandy and Carol. We saw fireworks over the water, hung out in the lake and saw Patrick Dempsey twice! I'm not a paparazzi-stalker-type, but we did see him grilling and later, sitting on the deck with friends and family.

I got bit by a duck too! No pictures of that, but it was a very friendly duck, until it wasn't. Dan rescued me from it's repeated bites to my ears and neck! Bad duck! Penny barked furiously. We splashed it was water to deter it...but as you can imagine, it just looked at us when we got it wet.

large uterus?

I went to my first prenatal visit today...and was horribly disappointed. Rest assured, I'm still pregnant. The visit wasn't very thorough. The checked for bacterial diseases, gave me a book and pamphlets to read, took a brief genetic history and checked my uterus, which is apparently "large." I'm still trying to figure out if that is a good things or not. A large butt is bad, large boobs are good, large uterus? What do you think?

I did learn that I can't water ski this weekend at the lake house. I learned that if I miscarry at this point, it'll be between 6-8 weeks but I won't know it until 8-10 weeks...and it would start with spotting, not cramping.

Our due date is February 15, 2009, but as you all know, that's just an estimation.

All my readings say that the embryo's heartbeat can be heard starting at week 6 (I'm 7w, 4d's) but my doctor doesn't listen until week 12...which I think sucks! So, I questioned that and got an ultrasound scheduled for next week to determine the "age" of the embryo. (The doctor says we need some reason for the request.) We'll go and find out more, hopefully.

In the meantime, I'm looking for a new obstetrician. Any ideas? I don't want to deliver at Texas Women's Hospital nor do I want to continue to see my doctor. Did I mention that I waited over an hour before anyone even said "hello." I also had to pay for parking. I like Kelly's doctor (I think). He delivered at St. Joseph's Hospital (closer and no fee for parking).