Feeling great!

Well, it may be in the placebo affect... but I feel better today. I started getting a headache right when I was leaving work, but that's better than at lunchtime. Plus, I didn't have to take a nap right when I got home nor just lounge on the couch. It's raining, well sprinkling, today so I didn't go for a walk or run. But I feel good enough to go for one. In June, there is a 8K run/walk for CHKD (Children's Hospital of the King's Daughters... the hospital I work for). My goal is to stay in good enough shape to run the 8K (just under 5 miles)!!!

Weight update... I have gained exactly 3.6 pounds thus far, according to my scale. I think that's okay. Many women don't gain a pound thus far, so I'm doing well! No complaints from this girl! I have to say this Monday is much better than the last! When I grow out of my fat pants, or at least am having troubles buttoning them, I will take new belly pictures!

14 weeks!

Today I reach the 14 week/2nd trimester mark! I forgot to step on the scale earlier, so I'll have to check the weight gain tomorrow. According to http://parentingweekly.com, I should gain ~5 pounds by week 14. So, I'll have to check tomorrow. I still fit into my "fat pants" jeans and most of my "fat pants" for work. I have a bella band waiting to use in case the buttons won't close or the zipper won't zip. Most the pregnancy websites say you will probably be in maternity clothes soon. Everyone tells me to just bite the bullet and go into them, but I'm still resisting. I'm sure soon I won't be able to resist mainly for comfort!

80 degrees!

Parker leading the way on to the lake on the leash.



What a great Friday! Today was quite a busy day at work but the day went by quickly so that was nice. Good news though! I wasn't tired AND NO headaches for the 1st time this week!

I got off work a little early only to discover Friday traffic at 3pm is still crazy! But I finally got home and since it was a beautiful day, I decided to take Parker for a walk and a swim. He's so funny. Me putting on my running shoes is like a Pavlovian reaction now. I put my running shoes on, he runs to the door and starts whining... like "are we going right now?" But what a wonderful day! We went for a nice leisurely walk and he went for an uneventful swim. To top off a good Friday, we will probably go out to eat, then come home to watch some movies. We sure are getting old when that's a good night!

I welcome Spring to Virginia!

Today is supposed to be a beautiful day, reaching the mid-70s! Not much is going on here is Virginia... actually there's always drama but I'll spare you the details. But today is a day I can actually go outside, forget about the drama and enjoy the day! I get off work early since I start bright and early at 6:30 am on Thursdays! So, I think after my mid-afternoon nap that I will take Parker for a long walk around Mariner's Museum park. I'm sure we will have to stop for Parker to go for a short swim in the lake. Happy Spring to everyone!

Some DRAMA resolved

So, I called Langley airforce back to discuss my issues with a nurse. Although my visit will be ~2 weeks later than I would be if I were with my family med/OB doc, it's still within an acceptable amount of time. I'm still mad I have to take yet another pregnancy test. That's a waste of my time!

Not resolved... the maternity leave/short-term disability issue. Guess we should start saving now! I'm still waiting on the "Statement of Health" paper I am supposed to complete.

Other than that, nothing new to report. I am definitely still in my 1st trimester. I was exhausted after work... came home and took a nap for 1 1/2 hours! Ahhh! Hope I can still get a good night sleep!

DRAMA DRAMA DRAMA

Ever feel like nothing goes your way?? And to top it off it's a Monday?? And on top of it... a progesterone poisoning headache won't go away??? Well, that is me today!

I start with crossing off my "Things to Do" checklist.

1. Call Tricare insurance to settle my OB care. Well, it appears that I have to go to the military base for my care. Fine.
2. Call Langley Airforce base to set up 1st OB appt with them. Well... I call and speak with the front desk receptionist. I tell her my care is being transferred to Langley. She asks me if I've taken a pregnancy test. Um... yes... I've taken 5 (yes FIVE) home pregnancy tests. Plus I've already been seen for my 1st OB appt via my family med/OB doc which I am no longer covered to see. So she tells me I need to take another pregnancy test at Langley (waste of your hard earned tax dollars for me to pee on yet another stick!). Then I ask... well, what about my 1st appt??? So, she sets me up with a NURSE April 25th! April 25th!!! I will be almost 18 weeks pregnant! Doesn't the government/military insurance company care to see me earlier than 18 weeks gestation???!!! And then I ask... well, am I going to see a doctor??? She says, "if you need to see a doctor, you will see a doctor." What the heck does she know??!! She's just a front desk receptionist!
3. Call insurance company regarding short term disability for maternity leave. Oh they kindly tell me they never received my "Statement of Health" and I need to wait until October to reapply!!! What??!! Well, that's not going to work! I need to go on maternity leave in October!! One more stressor! Well, I know I mailed back all documents requested of me but apparently Liberty Mutual has no record of it. On top of it, application period closed February 1st. Of course it did!

Ever want to just scream???!!!

13 weeks!

Today, I hit the 13 week mark... my final week of the 1st trimester. No new belly pictures to post as really, I look the same. I am still at 3 pounds up so far! My pants are starting to get tight. I tried to put on a pair of jeans last night... hah! I had to use the rubber band thing to close the top button but no one ever told me the zipper doesn't like to stay up if the button isn't closed tight! I'm looking to stay in my pants for a few more weeks until I upgrade to maternity pants! Other than that... things are still pretty cool! No complaints on my end of this pregnancy!

Happy Easter

I thought about putting a bunny picture on to symbolize Easter, but I figure this is more the season. Matt & I went to church this morning. We got there 5 minutes early, our usual, only to discover we may possibly have to stand the entire time! I was not happy. Eventually enough seating was available for us to sit in the very back. I guess it is better for these new faces to come to church for the holidays than not at all. And it's not like I am faithfully religious about going every Sunday so who am I to complain.

A very good Easter present for us... Matt purchased our airplane tickets to Europe. We are flying into Switzerland, go to Germany, Netherlands, and one other country. Matt has it planned out. I just want to be able to see some great old places and take some memorable pictures. Unfortunately, we won't be able to make it down to Paris or Spain.... maybe next time! It seems like the more we plan to travel, the more places you want to see. With only a week off, we're going to squeeze quite a bit in a short amount of time!

A beautiful spring day in Virginia

I wish I carried my camera for all of you to see what a beautiful day it was today. Here are some pictures from our running trail and a prior swim at the lake. Parker and I went out for a longer run. I say "longer" because my long runs are not really long anymore. We ran for 4 miles with a swimming stop in the middle. Parker really enjoys swimming at the lake. We were joined by two other dogs which kept us there longer than anticipated. But how could I leave when Parker was having so much fun. Plus, I wasn't really all that pushing to finish our run. But we finished it well. My heart rate was creeping up there today, above the 160s which started to worry me. Some websites say you shouldn't exceed a heart rate of 140s when you are pregnant and exercising... but give me a break! I can go for a fast walk and get my heart pumping at 140. I figured I am in much better shape than the average pregnant woman, so I should allow my heart rate to go higher, but 160s started to worry me. So, I stopped to walk a couple of times to let it drop to the mid 150s but it just popped back up there above 160s. But I did some research that says if you are/were active pre-pregnancy, you should be able to maintain physical activity. You just need to rate your exertion level and should keep it at a 6-8 (on a scale of 1-10). So, I can say for sure, that the max I am working out is an 8. So stop all the worrying. The baby is not being deprived of a lot of oxygen.

EUROPE... Here we come!!!

I didn't know if it would ever come true... but Matt & I have decided to go to Europe before the baby comes! We will be going in May. We have yet to buy our tickets but I am so excited. It's the honeymoon we always wanted!

One of our really good friends, David, lives in Holland right now so we have our own personal guide. Once we finalize plans, we will share. If you have any suggestions of "You have to see this..." or "You have to go here..." please let us know!

Spring!

Today is the first day of Spring! The weather would be nice except it is quite windy today. This is my favorite "Springy" picture I thought everyone might enjoy. As I look around my house, I realize I still haven't gotten around to that required Spring cleaning. The nesting instinct is still not here. The tiredness is still here. Hopefully with a good weekend recovery, I'll be back to normal. Hunger has hit me with a vengeance. I seem to need to eat every 2-3 hours! I better watch out! I'm sure the weight is going to creep onto my waist any moment! And lately, I've been getting some headaches. I wonder if it is from lack of sleep (I get to work at 6:30 am twice a week!) or if it's from the "progesterone poisoning." The book, "Girlfriends Guide to Pregnancy" says progesterone poisoning is the culprit of almost all the bad symptoms including morning sickness which I have been so lucky to avoid! I'm almost out of the 1st trimester... I can't wait for all my energy to come back!

Baby Names continued

While I am sure that Halle Berry and her model boyfriend have created one beautiful baby, you can all rest assure that I will not be naming our child an extremely original Nahla. It will not be
Apple, CoCo, Suri, or Shiloh! We are on the search of a traditional yet modern name.

Exhausted!

Well, I know I'm at the 12 week mark during which the exhaustion and fatigue is supposed to start feeling better... but the last couple of days have been pretty hectic and the exhaustion has kicked in! Yesterday, I worked 12 hours! I teach a cancer survivor group at night called "My Health, My Choice" which is designed for kids 15-23 years old who have survived cancer. The concept is to avoid things that can shorten life span including cigarettes, drugs, obesity as well as educating them on patient advocacy, college opportunities and scholarships available to them as cancer survivors. It's a great program but makes for a long day. To top it off, I got to work at 6:30 AM (yes in the morning!) because I have morning rounds at 7am. Luckily, I get off early! I headed home and hit the couch with Parker and a blanket. Next thing I know Matt is coming home and it's 6 PM!! Oh my! Oh well! Enjoy while I can because I know in just over 6 months, the afternoon naps will soon be extinct! I love naps!

Baby Names!

Well, since we are NOT going to find out the sex of the baby prior to it's birth... I have found that baby names bring on very opinionated statements either for or against the name of the baby. So, to avoid being deterred from the names we have considered, we would like to keep those private to announce along with the sex of the baby. But I will tell you, we are trying to avoid the trendy names. We are looking for a good traditional but modern name. Oh... will the suspense ever end??!!

Mom wants to know...

How did I tell Matt and when??

Well, this is really an easy answer and not really romantic at all. We were planning to go out of town to Smith Mountain Lake. I rented us a lake house to spend a 3-day weekend, MLK weekend in fact, to get away. Google.com told me it was a great place to take pictures. If you don't know... I enjoy taking scenic pictures and with my new camera from Christmas, I was on the look-out for a great scene to photograph. Here are a few pictures to share.

Okay, back to the question... well, there was also supposed to be wine tasting nearby the lake house. Fortunately for me, there were all closed for the winter. So, with the prospect of pregnancy, I took a pregnancy test Saturday morning prior to leaving on our trip. My "monthly visit" was not supposed to come until the following Tuesday. There was the faintest of lines crossing to display a very faint positive. I, of course, am in shock as I can't believe this happened already! So, I walk the test over to Matt and say, "I guess I can't go wine tasting." He does not believe the faintest of positive lines is actually there. Can you say SHOCK??? So, the next day, Sunday morning, I take TWO different tests. And yes, both come back positive although, still only slightly positive. The two tests in the picture are from my anticipated official "visit" date that obviously never came!

12 week belly post

Most people want to know if I am showing yet. Not really. Have I gained weight? Well, I haven't weighed myself this week for obvious reasons (read prior posts), but so far, the count is at 3 pounds. Can you tell I am pregnant yet? But to comfort those of you who are saying "Not fair".... These are my fat pants!

Chincoteague Island

Matt's parents are here in town visiting! It was really nice to visit with them. We've had some great food plus we got to tell them we were having a baby in person! I tried telling them by putting a "Big Brother" t-shirt on Parker, but they didn't quite get it. Oh well! It was a good thought. Besides, some good eating, I was able to share my St. Baldrick's Day experience with them. That was really special. Plus, we went to visit Chincoteague Island. Chincoteague Island is known for the wild ponies that had supposedly swam to the island from a ship that sunk. Apparently, the real story is not so romantic in which farmers brought their ponies to the island to avoid paying the taxes on them. The weather was not the warmest and the shops were not all open, but it was still a good time. I was most disappointed about the Steamers restaurant and homemade ice cream shop not being opened! Ah man!

St. Baldrick's Day

As many of you may know, I participated in St. Baldrick's Day. "St. Baldrick's is the world's largest volunteer-driven fundraising event for childhood cancer research. Thousands of volunteers shave their heads in solidarity of children with cancer, while requesting donations of support from friends and family." So, since I work with kids with cancer, how can I not get involved?! So, here is me before and after! My hair hasn't been this short since I was 5 years old! Plus I raised $1040 just for my hair! Isn't that cool?!

The BIG secret!

So, the first question I get asked, "When did you know you were pregnant?" The answer is January 19th. We were going out of town to Smith Mountain Lake which was supposed to have a few wineries around. Everyone knows that Matt & I enjoy our wine, so if I was "knocked up" I didn't want to give the baby fetal alcohol syndrome so early! So I took the test, even before missing my "monthly visit" and it displayed a very faint line. On Saturday, I took another test... again, another faint line but a little darker. Then on Tuesday (the official date of the "visit"), I took 2 different brand names test... and yes... definitely a positive as you can see. So that was way back in January!

Then the second is... "How can you keep this secret for so long??" Well, I have a couple of friends who have had miscarriages and the likelihood of miscarriage is actually pretty high! Especially when you find out so early! So to spare me the sympathy of everyone, I had to wait until our first ultrasound to prove to myself I really was impregnated! Then, I had to wait for my parents to find out via US mail! So, that took another couple of days before I could share with the world.

Then, the next questions is... "Were you trying?" Well, we went off birth control in November to allow my hormones to regulate. You hear lots of stories of it taking a long time to adjust... your visit isn't regular... blah blah blah. Well, right off the bat, I was 30 days exactly in November and December. My plan was to not get "knocked up" until February or March to be off for the holidays right? Well, I started looking up the ovulation calendars in January and decided to give it go in January not thinking it would actually happen! You go so long with preventing pregnancy, that you can't imagine it would happen the 1st time you try!! Well, we are fortunate in that we are both fertility healthy (not sure if that is the correct terminology).

So there it is! All the questions to answer in a nutshell!

Day off

I have the day off today so I am enjoying fine tuning this little blog before releasing it to my friends and family. I worked the last 11 days in a row because it was my turn at the weekend on-call schedule.

Matt's parents are in town visiting us. We have quite a weekend planned! I am so excited! Today, we are going to visit Matt at work and maybe go see Williamsburg/York Town. Tomorrow, I chop off my hair! https://www.stbaldricks.org/participants/shavee_info.html?ParticipantKey=2008-23691 While most people will be shaving their hair, I am not that brave and will only be cutting off my hair. This will be the first time I will have short hair since I was 5 years old!! Hopefully, I look cute! The only pregnancy book I have read, "The girlfriend's guide to pregnancy" warns pregnant women from cutting off their hair. Oh well... it's for charity. Then I go to a real salon for a real haircut after the big chop. Then, we're off to Chincoteague Island. Matt & I went to visit last year and I am so excited to experience the restaurant, The Steamers and the local ice cream shop!!! My mouth is watering now! I'll let you know how that goes. I may exceed my desirable weight gain of the first trimester!

Official Due Date!

Well, my official due date based on size guestimations of another ultrasound today is... September 29th. I am predicting October 1st personally. And I am holding my legs shut until that very day! And before you think I am crazy for wanting to go beyond my due date, there is a reason! The reason being if I deliver on my due date, add on 12 weeks of maternity leave, this puts me back at work the week of Christmas! Yes... Christmas! My whole plan was to get "knocked up" so I could be out for the holidays and here I am... potentially having to come back the week of Christmas! Goes to show you how much planning you can actually do when it comes to babies!

So, my 11-week ultrasound showed a baby with a head, stomach, legs, arms, and a heart! Good to know! And a strong heart rate of 170. Not sure if that is supposed to predict boy or girl but I personally do not care if we get a boy or a girl, just a happy, healthy baby. Now, when it comes to #2, you can bet I'll be hoping for a particular sex!

I'm pregnant!

Well, yes it is only 6 months since our wedding, but I am pregnant! I've heard it all from... "it's so early!" to "you should enjoy being newlyweds." Well, the truth is that Matt and I have known each other since we were 15 (Matt) and 16 (me) years old! If we don't know each other yet... or if we have not enjoyed each other's company yet... how long does that take??? Yes, we took the 4 year college break, but it's been over 5 years since we got back together the SECOND time around! I can't even begin to tell you what we have experienced together in 5 years! Short version - 2 years of long distance relationship, an internship, law school, grad school, a pediatric fellowship, and a cross country move! Plus, I am almost 30!! My eggs are getting old right?

So the purpose of this blog is to keep my family and friends updated on this new journey we are about to embark upon. My growing belly, yes I have great trepidation about that! The growing "alien" inside of me (yes, it looks like an alien). The parasite that will suck the life and energy out of me (yes, it is a parasite!). But in the end, we will experience one of life's greatest experiences and everything will be worth it in the end.

Don't worry! I will document every moment for everyone to share with us!