125 Beats Per Minute

What a fabulous heartbeat, PRAISE GOD! I could see it just flickering so fast right away. I could hear the swish, swish, swish of MY BABY. My baby, inside me. It took everything in me not to break down and cry right there on the sonogram table.

With the brown spotting I'm still at a 20% chance for miscarriage and have a refill script for progesterone. The level was good (33).

Something did show up out of level on my thyroid screening, so they took another vial of blood for a full range.

As far as my doctor is concerned the symptoms I have (sore breasts, fatigue, nausea) are good. I of course was concerned they come and go and he said that can happen.

Today was kind of a bad day for nausea and fatigue. I worked through it and as always was happy to have it since it's a sign things are going well.

Yay Another Sonogram Tomorrow!

I'm so excited that I may be able to really see the heart beat tomorrow. I pray everything is the right size and in the right place.

As far as symptoms go they seem to come and go in waves. Nausea, heartburn, constipation, heavy/tight/full feeling breasts, skin break out....The thing about symptoms is I'm glad to have them. They tell me everything is okay and progressing. It's those tricky times where I feel good that I start doubting.

Morning Sickness is a Misnomer

It should be called All Damn Day Sickness.

It's a great sign that things are right were they need to be and I'm trilled to have it.

That's all. Carry on.

Houston, We Have a Heart Beat

Okay, so here it is...the sonogram. Dr. Pinell says he saw a flicker of a heart beat and if he had to guess he would say about 100 for the heart rate (very normal). He said we are not out of the woods yet and the miscarriage rate is still 20-25% at this point.

Jamie was very excited he only saw one gestational sac, but Dr. Pinell made sure to tell him there could be a second hiding out. haha

The next step will be another sonogram next week and review the SEVEN vials of blood work they drained from me. Vampires.

I'm really excited to have this photo and have some proof there is blood flowing between me and my baby, I'm a life source right now for this .23cm miracle that God has blessed us with.

Good Gravy

I'm tired.

That's all. Carry on.

Mild Cramping

I've had mild cramping since the week of the positive home pregnancy test. Everyone in my fertility support group said it was normal and they had it too, but I still worried. The funny thing is now that I'm not experiencing the aches and cramping I feel like something might be wrong. I need to just stop worrying and enjoy this pregnancy. I just know I will feel so much better when we see the heart beat on Tuesday.

Oh, and Jamie and I talked it over and we think a Mother's Day Brunch (right at 12 weeks) will be the perfect way to announce to our parents together about the new grandbaby.

Oblivious or Good Manners?

Either my friends and family are oblivious, or they have exceptionally good manners. I was so concerned that people would notice I wasn't drinking wine and only one person said anything. Actually, that one person thought I'd been tipping the bottle because I was being my normal goofy self. As an added bonus I got to look like Super Friend when I sent two ladies home with 1/2 full bottles of the stuff they loved from the night. Nobody even noticed that I didn't eat soft cheeses! yay! It went well.

Oh My Aching Boobies

Ouch! Swollen, tender. I have to wear a sports bra 24-7. They feel bigger and that's a scary thought given the size I am naturally.

I've been having a bit of insomnia and have to get up to tinkle at least twice a night. Highly unusual for me.

I am so excited about next Tuesday's ultrasound. I just CAN NOT wait!!!

Well, tonight I see my mom and it's going to be at a mixer with wine around. I just hope she doesn't notice I'm not drinking. Hopefully, it will be so fun/busy she won't even think twice about it. It's hard to see the people you love and not tell them, but I know why we do it. After you see the heartbeat the chance of miscarriage reduces to 7%. Plus, I'm probably going to see Jamie's mom Sunday. The last time I saw her she showed me a framed photo of her bosses children and I told her I could give her a photo of my empty uterus if she was so inclined. lol Obviously wine was responsible for that statement.

Ultrasound Appointment

Well, my first ultrasound appointment got moved up to next Tuesday at 10:15am. Hcg was at 9598!! Based on last week's number and the rule that hcg doubles every 48 hours I'm over almost 3k! whooo hooo There has been a lot of "twin talk" from my fertility support group. Funny stuff. Most of the ladies that had blood work done at 5 weeks had numbers closer to 3k or 4k.

I'm hoping to see the heart beat, but understand that 6weeks is early for an ultrasound and I'm not going to be disappointed if it's not yet visible. I'm excited that Jamie is going to the appointment...this should be a lot more fun than the last couple of times he's watched me get an ultrasound.

Allergies

Most of my allergies cleared up after I had sinus surgery a few years ago. Because Jamie still suffers from allergies too we are careful to vacuum and change the sheets way more often than normal people do. That's also one of the reasons we didn't get another kitty after Keoni passed. As much as he and I both LOVE cats they just make us miserable....And I mean LOVE. I've never met a man that loves cats more than Jamie. It's one of the things I love about him.

Before I even knew I was pregnant I was sneezing daily and feeling some post nasal drip. Now that I know I'm pregnant I'm waking up with itchy, stuffy nose. Apparently, hormones can cause this. I think I'm going to try the good old faithful Neil Med Sinus Rinse before I do anything else. S0 far, they are not bad enough that I want to start taking Benadryl.

Hormones are GREAT!

Normally, when Jamie goes out of town I'm so anxious and I can hardly sleep. When I do sleep with him gone it's usually restless and I wake up several times a night.

Well, Jamie's gone. I'm actually pretty impressed with him. He's running a relay race from Gonzales to San Jacinto.

The funny thing is I slept like a rock last night. I could hardly stay awake long enough for him to call me to let me know he arrived safely in Gonzales! lol and I was still dead asleep when he called me this morning to let me know the race was starting.

I just realized that my brain will never be the same.

I was disappointed, but optimistic about the hcg being "only" 602. I was thinking it didn't double, because in the back of my mind I was hoping for 400 because it was 200 on Monday, but somewhere in the twisted weave of my hormone crazed brain I doubled the number I was hoping for. Does that even make sense? Anyways, the number tripled and I'm glad I don't have to do math at work. :)

603

That's an excellent number for hcg to be at for 4 weeks! It didn't double, but I'm at the level that a person should be at for 5 weeks gestation. whoooo hooo!!!!

I've had some back ache concentrated on the left side and some bloated/pinching feelings on the left side.

Sadly, I just cannot help myself. I keep checking for spotting every time I wipe, but I know that's just the devil telling me lies and I need to just be happy I'm here and enjoy this pregnancy.

The first ultrasound appointment is March 30th at 1pm and I'm super excited to see and hear the heart beat.

oh, and we stumbled upon a nick name. lol Klondike. What would you do ooo oo for a Klondike bar? We're dorks. We know this and embrace our dork-hood.

Good News

HCG is 208
Progesterone is 47.5

Both are good, but the real insight will happen with tomorrow's blood work. Praying for HCG in 400s and steady progesterone.

I had a tiny bit of brown spotting this morning, so I'm taking it easy.

Love, love, love the new Doctor's office. His assistant, Tisha, is a GOD send. When I started crying about the spotting and wanting to get in sooner she was so calm, and it calmed me. When she shared about how she's still not a mom after five losses and she *really* understood how I felt. I am totally bringing her chocolate to my first appointment. ha ha.

Well, I'm just going to try to relax and if I'm not at work I'm going to chill out on the sofa.

Cautiously Optimistic

I don't know how or by what miracle of God it happened, but PRAISE GOD I'm pregnant again. I was actually on a mental break from "trying" and we only had sex once. Go figure.

I had my bloodwork yesterday and I'm waiting to hear back about my hcg and progesterone levels. I started my progesterone supplement last night as a precaution.

I just pray this is it. I am just READY. Nov 10th due date.