Stuffy and Runny

I hope you all had a great holiday season so far!  Here at the end of week 15 I'm back on the Zofran AGAIN!  Yet another attempt to stop it because I thought the vom days were over, has failed.  I'm having SUCH a hard time sleeping and just getting things done because of the stuffy/runny nose I've been battling recently.  I'm not sure if it's the stuffy head that's causing it, but I get so tired and dizzy after doing little chores or if I've been standing for a period of time.  So, needless to say, I guess I'm not at that energetic feel-good stage of my pregnancy just yet.  The morning sickness has dramatically decreased since the beginning though and at least I'm getting my appetite back.  So, I'm happy about that.  I'm also excitedly waiting my next ultrasound.  We definitely want to know if it's a boy or a girl.  I'm in desperate need of some retail therapy, but I refuse to buy anything baby until we find out the sex.  Hopefully though I'll be able to get out and feel good long enough to buy a nice comfy couple of maternity bras and a snuggly snoogle.  I think a humidifier might help my mucousy self too.  Even though I'd prefer to buy mostly organic cotton items for the baby, I love the stuff from Janie and Jack and right now they're having such a great sale.  Last year around this time I bought 2 sets of layette gift sets from them on clearance and they're so cute.  I got colors that could go either way of course.  I also have a bunch of neutral items from Old Navy and the Gap that I've collected from clearance racks over the past year or so.  So, I have a little stash of the basics. 

I was inspired the other day though by a post I saw on a message board about pillow case dresses for little girls.  A mom posted pics of her little one in dresses she had made for her.  They were SO CUTE and looked really simple to make.  So, I looked through this pile of baby clothes sewing patterns I have and noticed that I have patterns for everything; booties, sleep sacs, diaper covers, blankets, onesies etc.  I think I'm going to buy some material and attempt to make some of the items once we find out the sex.  My mom doesn't sew now, but she made me these gorgeous little dresses when I was a toddler.  We've moved so many times over the past few years that even if we have them still somewhere in her garage I doubt we could find them.  Remembering those little dresses though made me want to give sewing baby clothes a try.  If I do actually make an attempt or two I'll definitely post the pics. 

In the meantime I'll count down the days until the ultrasound, stock up on lotion tissue, and save my Joanne's crafts coupons to buy some cute vintage-ey fabric.

~Jessy

Weeks 13-15

Definitely a belated update, I know.  My 15th week isn't quite over, but I'm just 2 days away.  So, with Christmas around the corner I figured I'd better update you while I can.  My main plague so far during this pregnancy has been morning sickness.  Today was the first day I passed on my Zofran in a long time.  I just want to get off of it already.  My doctor said I could take it as long as I needed too.  I'm just not a medicine person.  Despite the fact that I worked so long in a pharmacy, I'm the kind of person who likes to just wait out sickness.  Pregnancy has been different though.  It's one thing to have indigestion or nausea and vomiting or constipation or dizziness and fatigue alone.  To have it all at the same time, for me at least, has been a good reason to medicate.  But, hopefully, the nausea is gone and I can just try to grin and bear the rest. 

This past week my husband and I made the 8 hour drive up to Idaho to visit his family and finally share our news.  We had planned to tell them much earlier, but his work schedule is so unpredictable it's hard to make plans stick and this was our first opportunity.  We definitely wanted to tell everyone in person though.  I was a little worried about the long road trip and then how I would feel during the whole trip.  It went extremely well though.  My biggest complaint had to be fatigue.  I was just really tired a lot of the time.  Compared to morning sickness though, I can totally deal.  I was a little excited during a family get together Tuesday night when I finally started to get my appetite back.  I even had 2 servings of this cheesy potato stuff my sister-in-law made.  The next day I almost ate all of the burger and fries I'd gotten from this little (best ever!) burger place in my husband's hometown.  Besides all that though I am being careful to keep my meals small and frequent. 

My main physical symptoms right now are nasal congestion and dryness (I've been using nasal saline to help with this), fatigue, trouble sleeping (just general discomfort when trying to sleep on my side) and the burps (I get really burpy during and after meals).  

Emotionally I'm relieved the nausea seems to have passed.  I'm also excited about finding out if it's a boy or a girl on the 15th of January.  My family really wants a girl (it'll be the first grandchild on our side) and we already have 6 nephews on my husband's side (no girls yet) and all his friends have sons.  So, I think it'd be great to find out we're having a little princess.  If not, then our handsome guy will have plenty of buddies and cousins to wrestle around with.  :o) 

I know it's really really early, but I swear I've felt the baby twice.  Once the day after my birthday and once last night. :o))) 

~Jessy

Prenatal Visit 2

Today was my second prenatal visit.  This was the easiest OB/GYN visit for me ever!  I got to the office and signed in and they let me back to do my urine sample.  Then, I waited in the waiting room for a few minutes.  Once I was called in I was weighed (no weight gain yet).  Then the nurse took me to a room and took my blood pressure (normal).  Next, she very briefly let me hear the babies heartbeat (156 bpm = normal).  She asked me about any symptoms or concerns I was having and said the doctor would be in in a minute.  I was thinking "no stripping down? no stirrups? yay!"  Then my Dr. came in and briefly went over my bloodwork results and asked if I had any questions.  I told him I was a little worried because I was having issues trying to eat meat and vegetables.  He said not to worry about that at this point.  Over the next few weeks the nausea should go away (I know this isn't the case for everyone) and I should start feeling a lot better.  He said as I start feeling better I can slowly start trying to eat healthier then, but that eating the healthiest doesn't have to be my main concern at the moment.  He said that some people just crave or can only get down comfort foods during their first trimester and that that's ok.  :o)  So, I'm actually doing better than I thought.  He also let me know that the initial results from my nuchal scan show no increased risks for the baby.  Another yay!  He told me to go ahead and schedule my next ultrasound for 6 weeks out before I leave.  And that was it!  I scheduled the ultrasound and left the office.  So nice.  I hope everyone's second visit is this nice.

~Jessy

Weeks 11 & 12 I see the light!

My belly is already pooching out!  At first I was like: "Great, my weigh-in during my second prenatal appointment is going to be like 10 lbs heavier!", but I haven't gained any weight since my first prenatal appointment.  Surprisingly.  I think the morning sickness took it's toll and my chest and belly growth made up for the weight I lost. 

Week 11

Not pretty.  The nausea let up quite a bit.  So, I stopped taking Zofran about 3 days before Thanksgiving.  I was sick first thing Thanksgiving morning, but I decided to just tough it out and head over to my folks house.  I brought a pillow and blanky to chill on their couch with everyone one else while the parents got things ready.  I felt a little useless because I usually help my mom with everything and bring homemade rolls, mashed potatoes, and my granny's sweet potato casserole.  This time I just brought veggies for a salad I knew I wouldn't be able to eat and chopped them up on site.  Lame.  The turkey smell I usually cherish was almost overwhelming this time.  I made it through the day though and ate a small plate of food and piece of pie.  Definately a dwarfed version of my usual Thanksgiving indulgence, but yummy still.  Plus, best of all, I was out of the house and surrounded by people who I love.  So, it was nice.  Unfortunately, about 12 hours later, I woke up before the sun with an unpleasantly familiar feeling.  I was SO SICK the day after Thanksgiving.  So, needless to say, I am back on the Zofran.  I re-established my position on the living room couch for a few days afterwards and just took things easy on myself and my stomach for the rest of the week. 

Week 12

This week has been the best one so far!  I'm probably jinxing myself.  I've started to be able to get a wider variety of healthy foods down.  I can do some fruit (bananas, oranges, berries and anything in a smoothie).  I've added raisin bran and Yo-Plus yogurt (has fiber in it) to my diet to help with constipation.  Not a majorly terrible problem for me so far, but it's there.  I can also eat nuts now.  I like these salt and pepper pistachios I get from my grocery store.  I just wish the $4 box was a little bigger.  Another new addition is V8 Peach Mango juice that has a serving of fruits & vegetables in each glass.  It's pretty yummy. 

Besides being able to eat more and better, the constant nausea I usually experience is pretty much gone.  Now, if I do get sick, its more of a sudden wave that hits me.  A little scary in a way.  At least, before, I always felt sick and expected to be sick.  Now, I'm totally fine all day and all of a sudden I'm running to the bathroom.  But don't get me wrong, I'm totally grateful for the change.  It's a step in the right direction.  I can actually get more done around the house. 

I had my 12 week ultrasound with nuchal scan yesterday and my second prenatal appointment today.  Both really good visits.  They'll be described seperately from this though.

Overall, I'm feeling much better and therefore more excited about my pregnancy.  The ultrasound and prenatal visit helped to let me know I'm doing everything fine and that the baby is doing great.  I think during pregnancy and parenthood that's something you really cherish; having someone who's opinion matters to you telling you that you are doing a great job.  So, yesterday when the ultrasound tech kept saying "perfect" and "just what we like to see" and today when my OB said "everything looks wonderful, keep up the good work," I was so relieved. 

~Jessy

Ultrasound-12 Weeks

Here are the 12 week ultrasound pics!!!  Yay!  I actually logged onto YouTube and watched other people's 12 week the night before my appointment. 

Here are my 2 favorite YouTube 12 week Ultrasound videos: (Both seem to be posted by dads which is way cute I think.)

Video 1

Video 2

 And here is our little one:

Hi Mommy and Daddy! - Profile 1

Profile 2

 My Feet! - Butt view with little legs and feet floating around.

My Hands! - Profile view with hand near face and top view with both arms out and hands together.

Profile 3

Profile 4

That's it for now. 

~Jessy

Ultrasound - 8 Weeks

Here is a scan of my 8 week ultrasound:

Click Here!

I should have photoshopped it with a little arrow to make things easier, but if you look on the upper right hand side and see the "2DG" and then look directly left of it you can see a little dark sac amidst the white mass there.  Inside the little sac along the upper right is our little one.  The baby is aligned horizontally and if you really look you can make out the head, body and little leggies from right to left. :o)

~Jessy