Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Birthday, Baby Clothes and Bleeding. Oh my!

Wow! Just when I say I am going to make an effort to be a better blogger, I disappear for almost 2 weeks. Sorry!

We had a wonderful time in Buffalo visiting with family & friends. In fact, Sean & my parents threw me a surprise party for my 30th birthday. I was truly surprised and had a great time catching up and celebrating with everyone. The party was in my parent's yard - we had tons of yummy picnic food, cake, desserts, games and fun. I told them it is a good thing I am pregnant and totally distracted or I would have totally been on to them! I thought my in-laws were coming over for dinner and spent the first few minutes that guests arrived being very confused and thinking people were being rude for showing up unannounced! HA! They decided against the traditional "surprise" where we walk in and everyone is already there because they didn't think they could pull it off and did not want to give me a heart attack. Instead, they had people all arrive at a certain time - I was certainly surprised! It was wonderful!


I received some really thoughtful gifts including lots of gift cards for a maternity clothes, barnes and noble gift cards, a beautiful sterling silver bracelet engraved with the word "Believe", tickets to the symphony and a gorgeous Blue Topaz pendant - the baby's birthstone - which totally takes my breath away every time I see it.


I never thought 30 would feel so good. It was the best birthday in many, many years. I feel like all of our dreams are coming true...

While we were home, my sister-in-law had me go through all of her maternity clothes. She has had 3 pregnancies & had a ton of clothes in every size and every season. She is a tiny person, so there wasn't a ton that was going to fit, but I took all her XLs and have a decent amount of stuff to go through & try on. She is done having children and had 6 bins of baby clothes set aside for me!!! She has 3 girls and the clothes are amazing! All Gymboree and she has the entire line for each collection - hats, shoes, tights, hair bows etc.... There are HUNDREDS of outfits from 0-18mo. If "Ralphie" is a girl, she is going to be set with clothes for a very long time! There is a decent number of gender neutral sleepers and a few outfits that could work either way. Even if Ralphie is a boy, I am keeping the bins in storage in case girls are in our future because the stuff is just too cute and in too good of shape to get rid of. It is crazy to have bins of baby clothes in my own house in my baby's nursery! She also gave me a few toys and a pack & play to keep at my mom's house. We made out like bandits and are so thankful to Alison for all the goodies!


I was lucky enough to feel fantastic during our entire trip home - Ralphie was really cooperating for me! It was the best I had felt in a few weeks, in fact I thought maybe the ICK and m/s was behind me, I was wrong, but it was nice to feel good for 4 days.


This past week has not been as smooth. I started having some spotting on Friday morning and it lasted on & off all weekend. It seemed to come on first thing in the morning either right after vomiting or right after putting in my suppository. I would get right on the couch, drink my water and it would subside. I was not too concerned because it wasn't heavy and there was no cramping, but it was a little unsettling. My mom made me promise that if I had any more spotting that I would call the OB right away. Monday morning there was another episode so I called and they wanted to see me right away.


The OB did an internal and there was no sign of active bleeding and there was no blood in my urine. My cervix was closed and looked "great." She told me right off that bat that she was sending me to have a u/s "just in case" and that she was going to try to find the hb with the doppler. She warned me that with my retroverted uterus and being a little fluffy in the middle that she may not be able to find it. She told me not to freak out, but that was easier said than done. After an agonizing few minutes, we all breathed a sigh of relief as she located the baby's heartbeat at a strong 161bpm. She said that was a great sign, but that she still wanted to me to go for the u/s. Her two theories are that the supps are irritating my cervix and/or I am rupturing blood vessels when I vomit. JOY!

I was not able to get in for a u/s until yesterday, but it was AMAZING! By far, the coolest one yet. Ralphie was super active and moving around and swimming like a fishy. I could not believe how much the baby was moving! I heard the h/b which is always music to my ears. I could not believe how much Ralphie has grown in just a little more than 2 weeks. Our u/s tech was so thorough and my u/s was so long. I could have stared at that screen all day long! She printed out 5 super cute pics for me to show off to family. The bleeding was scary, but it was almost worth it to get another peek at the baby. Next up, my NT scan in just about a week!
Here are some pics: the first one is a front view of the face. Honestly, it is a little alien like and maybe even a little creepy, but a face mother could love :) I do love the way he seems to be waving or saluting us. The second one is the side profile and just cute as can be! It says "BOY" to me all the way for some reason.



I missed my 9 week summary & since I am 10w6d today, I will do a combined summary.


How am I feeling: It really depends on the day. I am still getting m/s first thing in the am and feeling pretty tired. The nighttime waking to go pee is super annoying!


Milestones: Seeing the baby move like crazy! Oh & turning 30!


What is Ralphie up to? He or she is the size of a small plum this week and measured over 4cm on u/s. Bones are hardening, nails & hair are growing. He or she will respond to poking and prodding.


What am I craving? Oranges, cucumbers, chocolate milk.


Aversions: Nothing recently


What do I miss: Still missing my sex drive. Last seen sometime in early April. Hoping to have sex sometime in the next few weeks...


Quotes of the week: 1. said at my party by a family friend, "I think now that you have gotten pregnant, you aren't going to need IVF anymore. It happens all the time, you know. When the baby comes you won't have time to focus on getting pregnant and it will just happen. You never know!" I tried to explain that me being pregnant has no impact on Sean's sperm count, but about half way through I just decided to save my breath... #2 said by none other than MY HUSBAND! "I think you are talking yourself into throwing up, it's mind over matter!" Seriously??? Because I enjoy gagging and dry heaving and throwing up bile for 5 minutes straight! He is in the dog house!


A week from today is my last day of tutoring for the school year. It is a busy time - exams start tomorrow! Next Thursday, Sean & I leave for Dewey Beach for 5 days and when we come back I start my summer tutoring. I am excited for the beach and looking forward to some r&r, sunshine and shopping!


I cannot believe the school year is over and June is here. Time is flying! C'mon 2nd tri!

23 comments:

Nerwal said...

I hope you have a wonderful, worry-free rest of your pregnancy!

Fmo said...

Happy Birthday and glad to hear things are going well.

Michelle said...

Glad to hear you had a great vacation and even more glad to hear that you're doing okay and so is "Ralphie"! :) Happy (Belated?) Birthday!!!
~Michelle

ashley said...

I'm glad you had such a wonderful surprise party. You got some really thoughtful gifts. Your baby looks beautiful! You're almost past the first trimester, hang in there, the sickness will get better!

Bella said...

Happy belated birthday! Glad you had such a good one. My 30th is in Dec. and I so hope I can enjoy mine the way you did yours. The baby is so perfect!!! So happy for you!!

M. said...

I'm glad you had a good trip back to B-Lo! I try not to get too nervous when you don't blog, although a few weeks is too long not to hear about Ralphie! Glad everything's ok :)

As for the m/s, have you tried preggie pops? I'm sure other people have suggested them already, but just wanted to throw it out there that they really worked for me!

Ashley said...

Happy late Birthday!!! Ralphie's new pics are ADORABLE!! Glad all is well;)

MissMVK said...

Happy Birthday! Go Ralphie!

I remember doing the very same after getting pregnant - going through all my sister's bins and bins of girls' clothes and some of her boy's bins too though he didn't have nearly as many clothes as the girls. It's so fun and I'm so happy you got to have that experience.

It is so nice to hear from you. I check in all the time hoping for an update and today I got it! Be well, friend!

Barefoot said...

Congrats on your great ultrasound! The bleeding can be soooo scary, but it's totally worth it when you get to see the babe. I think I have the same alien picture on my fridge. I love it too. :)

stillhopeful said...

Hi Emily - I just stumbled across your blog today... you are exactly 6 days ahead of me!! My due date is Dec 30 (altho I was first told Jan 1, so we'll see!).

I've been through 3 IUI's, 2 IVF's, and then miraculously got pregnant naturally right before starting the 3rd IVF. So I understand the anxiety and all the worry that goes along with being pregnant after infertilty. It does take something away from us for sure!

Well, I'll be following along with you and wishing for all the best as we go through this amazing journey together!

Meant to be a mom said...

I'm so glad you had such a wonderful birthday. Happy belated b-day to you.
Sorry to hear that your spotting. I did spot because of the progesterone suppositories too though and everything turned out fine so hopefully thats all it really is.

Also I love the quote you family member made. We can all hope and pray that we are that lucky girl that just suddenly gets pg again after the ivf baby. :)

Maria (MKC101103) said...

Ah, vomiting bile...that brings back memories. YUCK!

Anonymous said...

Glad to hear Ralphie is doing well - I hope that you sail through the 2nd and 3rd tri.

Lisa said...

Ooh, I am so envious of those pics!!! I don't get anything even close to that clear, even with great machines. I'm praying we get better pics this week!

But, I'm so sorry about the bleeding. Glad to know that everything is OK, but, I hate that you had to experience that fear....

Lisa said...

Just wanted to say CONGRATS on your pregnancy!!!! I'm so happy for you!!

Paula Keller said...

Glad to hear everything is ok!

Maria (MKC101103) said...

This is where I got the onsie...

http://clothing.cafepress.com/item/snow-baby-infant-bodysuit/272774625

Alyssa Mommy said...

wow! Seeing your ultrasounds and hearing your symtoms reminds me of where I was last year! Such an exciting time!

Valerie said...

Hi there!

Glad to hear everything is going well...all things considered! Hang in there, that 1st trimester is almost over (although I puked until 20 weeks and a dose of Zofran).

BTW...I'm that LUCKY girl that did conceive naturally after having an IVF baby. 2 Miscarriages, 2 ectopics followed by a successful IVF, followed by a surprise "bonus baby". And, yes we have male factor infertility and did IVF/ICSI.

It can and does happen, but I honestly wasn't assuming or even hoping it would. Just living and loving on our 18-month old daughter when my husband pointed out that I hadn't had a period in a while...SEE, I wasn't even keeping track!

Blessings to you,
Valerie

Hope in Virginia said...

So happy that you are well on your way to getting your little bundle of joy! We're right down the road from you in Northern Virginia.

Like you, I am 30 years old (well almost, next month) and never thought I'd been in need of fertility treatments. Alas, we begin our first IVF cycle this month. I just started my own blog - http://hopeinvirginia.blogspot.com/ - hope you'll check it out. I am really in need of support and encouragement through this exciting, nerve-wracking process. I'll keep checking back with you for updates! And Happy Birthday!

Bree said...

Hi,
I wondered over to your blog from Tubeless in Seattle. I just had to tell you that I love the name of your blog. I'm still laughing.
Congrats on your pregnancy. It is so exciting to be expecting your first little one.
Bree

Anonymous said...

Hey E - just checking in.

Jill said...

I promise things get better (m/s, sex drive, etc) in the 2nd trimester. As far as those quotes, yes Sean deserves to be in the dog house for his (tell him not to feel bad, Steve is in there all the time). And the other quote unfortunately goes with IF territory. I still hear it. And the quotes just get worse from here. Fertiles-argh.