Graduation Day

I had my 8-week follow-up with the RE on Monday, and everything checked out wonderfully. Kiwi is 2 centimeters now - she has quadrupled in size from 2 weeks ago! And her heartbeat clocked in at 160 bpm. In this ultrasound pic, she is facing down, and that little circle above her body is her yolk sac that should disappear soon. Amazing!

I am to continue on the progesterone suppositories for another week and a half (will be 10 weeks), and the low-dose aspirin until week 12. Sigh...I thought I was done with those dang suppositories. Oh well, not much longer to go!

So I have "graduated" from the RE's office, and they'll be sending my medical records to my ob/gyn tomorrow. It was a strange feeling walking out of that office for the last time. It was a little sad, in a way. On the drive into the office, we drove by a friend who was leaving there. He and his wife have been battling a myriad of IF issues for several years. It has started to take a toll on their relationship even. They want to meet us for dinner, and DH and I have been struggling with the whole do we tell them or not dilemma. So I think I was sad for what they're going through, what we've been through, and what all of you have gone through or are currently facing. IF sucks, period.

Hope you enjoy the pic!

Is it Too Soon?

So something has been bothering me for awhile now, even before I got knocked up. This last DIUI cycle has left me with only 1 more vial of donor sperm. DH and I had discussed switching donors if this last cycle didn't take, because we know someone who had 8 DIUs with no luck, had to switch for the last cycle because there was no more sperm from donor #1, and bam! She got pregnant.

Our situation is a little different because we are pregnant, and also want another child at a future date. So I'm starting to feel a little anxious. Should I purchase more sperm from the sperm bank, or wait? We are still trying to get a handle on our finances and I am STILL waiting on a reimbursement check for the original sperm purchase from my insurance company that I now hate. We also have a separate big expense coming up that will set us back, so I just don't know if the timing is optimal right now.

Ok, I know it's all about timing when it comes to this TTC business! So should I just suck it up, buy the goods, and have them on deck at the RE's office for when we're ready to try again? Or should I hold off?

I haven't broached this topic with DH yet as he is still getting used to this whole pregnancy business. Don't get me wrong - he is thrilled, excited, and all that other good stuff. But he's a total baby rookie, and it was half-amusing and half-apalling the other night when we were talking about how much time I would take off of work when little Kiwi arrives. He had no idea that women took many months off, and that the longer, the better. I delicately explained to him why it was important for mommy to be home with child, about young immune systems versus germ-filled daycare centers, etc. I could tell by the look on his face that it was a lot of information for him to process, so I didn't want to bring up our depleted donor sperm supply.

Maybe I'll check with the sperm bank to ensure this donor is not running low on supply.

I Want to Tell the World

Sorry it's been awhile since my last blog post; life has been happening all around and me, and sometimes I'm smack dab in the middle of it!

While I enjoy being an observer in life (one of my favorite hobbies is people-watching), and especially in my current tired and pregnant state, this has not been my fate as of late. There is a lot of crap going on at work, that - although I really don't care much about it, I can't ignore. So work has been keeping me busy, although it continues to be a challenge balancing enough rest when I need it with a busy work schedule. Can I take the rest of this trimester off as vacation??? That's what I thought.

I've been trying to eat better for little Kiwi, and finally mustered the energy to go to the market for groceries last week. As I was driving the whole mile to the market, I noticed the first pangs of hunger. Crap. I wonder if I can make it through my shopping list and then eat when I get home?? By the time I parked the car, I was shaking with hunger. Double crap! So I detoured to the sandwich shop next to the market and sat there eating a rather tasty italian sub (I guess I'm not supposed to eat deli meats, but one sandwich won't kill me - especially when it's a matter of raging-bitch-at-the-market-me or balanced-head-on-straight-at-the-market-me). I felt crappy the rest of the time that I shopped, but was comforted by all the healthy (and yes I tossed in some treats too) fare I was purchasing. My snacks now consist of yogurt, string cheese, cut carrots and celery, apple sauce, saltines, peanut butter, and pudding! This is a big improvement over what I was snacking on before to quench my hunger.

So the things that plagued me in my previous posts continue to be with me - intermittent nausea (I never know which meal will do it me), tiredness, major boob soreness (I'm almost never NOT wearing my sports bra), and sometimes insatiable and ever-present hunger. I'm probably forgetting some other stuff, but I'm not trying to complain here - just share my experiences. Ooh! One bit of good news is I get to stop the progesterone suppositories next week - yeah! While that hasn't been a super-huge deal, I won't miss 'em, either.

Now it comes to the matter of sharing my pregnancy news. I'm in a bit of a conundrum. Do I wait until the first trimester is done, then broadly communicate to friends, family, and the rest of the world, like work? I've already started to tell a small circle of family and friends, but am dying to share the news with everyone, even complete strangers, hah! What did you do? If not pregnant yet, what do you think you would do? I admit I am a bit gun-shy about telling folks because of the previous miscarriage, although I know that this pregnancy started off on a much more positive light than the one before. I'm currently at 8 weeks, and head into week 9 in just a couple of days - wow! I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

My 6-Week Checkup

I went in for my 6-week checkup today. I was somewhat nervous about it, having read about those infamous cases when a gal tests pregnant but the 6-week ultrasound shows an empty sac. I didn't even voice my fears to anyone for fear they would come true!

Luckily, we did not see an empty sac! We saw the most beautiful blob of a being, and could even see some movement! We heard the heartbeat, which clocked in at a perfect 120 bpm. It was so cool to actually see this little being (Kiwi) and know that it is growing inside my body. Hubby got to accompany me to this appointment, and it was awesome. He actually pushed off business travel so he wouldn't miss it, and I'm so thankful and appreciative that he was there.

We got a few photos from the ultrasound, and some info on "do's" and "don'ts" of pregnancy. The one surprising "don't" was not to swim in salt water? Hmm...wasn't planning a tropical vacation this year anyhow. We've had plenty of those.

I've had a grocery list made up for two days now that I just have not had the energy to go to the market for. Hubby has been working day and night, so he hasn't been an option either. I WILL get some healthy food in this house soon, for Kiwi's sake! RE also gave me the thumbs up for eating shellfish and peanuts. He had never heard of that theory, and echoed all your advice in terms of eating foods in moderation. I was a happy camper to hear the news, as my parents had just bought and cooked some dungeness crabs, and I've been looking forward to enjoying that. And I really wasn't thrilled at the prospect of eliminating peanuts from my diet since they're such a handy protein.

Well that's about all to update you on for now. In the meantime, I am enjoying this little milestone that was today's appointment, and smiling often :)

It's Been a Tough Week Back at Work

First of all, thanks so much to all of you for your supportive and always fantastic advice. What a cool way to be able to bounce stuff off each other, eh? :)

As the title of this post states, it has been a tough week back in the office. Firstly, I took 2+ weeks off for the holidays, and it's always tough to get out of the typical vacation-going-to-sleep-late-and-waking-up-late mode to an earlier schedule. Also, work isn't particularly scintillating for me right now, either. I can't complain too much though - it pays the bills, and all in all, I have pretty cool coworkers and stuff like that. But nothing is going on right now that I'm very passionate about.

This has also been a tough week because I miss my hubby. We went from spending gads of quality time together and really bonding again to barely seeing each other. He's on this awful project at work that has amazingly piss-poor planning (if any), horrible leadership, and a do-what-it-takes-even-if-you-work-all-night attitude. Hmm, sorry about all the super-hyphenated phrasing tonight. It must be working for me.

And on top of all that, I'm still adjusting to my newly pregnant body and the fun that it brings. I was in a conference room with two other people yesterday, in the middle of a 1-hour presentation, when BAM! I started to feel really faint and was actually scared that I might pass out. You know when you get light-headed and start to get that out-of-body feeling, like you're starting to float? That was me. Once we hit the end of the speech (I endured this for about 10 minutes), I suggested a break, upon which I quickly shoveled down the rest of my lunch.

What's been surprising to me lately his how suddenly and severely hunger and/or faint spells will come. One minute I'm fine; the next minute I'm not. So the lesson here is I'm going to eat smaller meals/snacks more frequently to try to avoid these situations as much as possible.

The queasiness continues as well, and I was half-amused and half-petrified today when I was at a restaurant with co-workers for lunch today, and thought I might puke all over the table. On the one hand, it would've been quite funny and even memorable; on the other hand, it would've been quite apalling and embarrassing. I guess you can take your pick.

It's a good thing I called the RE's office today and discovered that my 6-week follow-up is not on Sunday as they originally told me, but is in fact scheduled for Monday. Sigh. The only reason I'm not too upset about this is because I caught the mistake in time, and the nurse who left the voicemail with the good news did leave a truly heartfelt message. So I'll let 'em slide on this one.

In other news - I'm supposed to go to Germany for work next month, and am trying to work with my husband's schedule to see if he can come out and meet me when I'm done with my 3-day meeting for some fun/vacation. We aren't exactly rolling in the dough after our holiday spending, but decided it would be a great opportunity that may not come around for a long time, especially with the bun in the oven. So I'm looking forward to that possibility! We may also go to Switzerland and Paris; we'll see.

TGIF! Almost.

Honey, Can You Get me a Bag?

Three main things have been at the forefront of my pregnancy experience thus far:

1) I'm tired a lot. I've been averaging one nap per day, and it makes me wonder how I'm going to swing that pattern when I go back to work tomorrow. I also get tired quickly, which is nice because I have a reason to baby myself and rest, but can be frustrating when I look around at all the things I want to get done around the house. I did manage to put away all the Christmas decorations today before I went down for a nap, so that's a good thing...

2) My boobs have been killing me. They feel very full and are sooooo tender, to the point where I haven't been sleeping well. Every time I'd turn onto my side, the sheer weight of my arm and/or comforter would wake me with a jolt of pain. I try to explain this phenomenon to DH, but he just kinda looks at me with an uncomprehending yet empathetic stare. My sister had a GREAT suggestion, and I purchased a sports bra on Saturday and have been wearing it (day and night) ever since. So the boob situation is stable for now.

3) Getting a lot of "morning sickness". Most of the time, I do not wake up feeling queasy. It occurs intermittently, and sometimes while I'm a passenger in the car. I often get it after a meal, but it usually passes fairly quickly. I've had a couple times when I was real close to vomiting, including tonight. DH and I were watching a fabulous documentary on migrating birds (it was much more exciting than it probably sounds), and after a bowl of ice cream, I thought for sure I was going to puke. After squirming in discomfort for 10-15 minutes, I asked hubby to go get me a bag. His eyes got big, and he popped up off that sofa so quick, it made me smile...I nibbled on some ginger candy that I bought a few days ago, which finally settled my stomach. So no up-chucking yet!

I go in for my 6-week checkup on Sunday!

Question - I'm hearing conflicting advice on this, and wanted to see if anyone else has some thoughts to add. My SIL said that if you or dad have allergies, that you should avoid eating peanuts and shellfish during pregnancy, because your baby will be more likely to be allergic to these foods. But I remember reading an article once that you should eat peanuts (I guess shellfish is out anyway due to high mercury content) to build the immunity for your baby, and that it would decrease the chances of baby having a peanut allergy. Any thoughts? I'm going to go check with Dr. Google now...