The sweetest sound!

I went back to my RE last Friday (5/18) for another ultrasound after my spotting scare.  Needless to say, I was worried sick and didn't sleep well the night before.  My mom took the morning off to go with me since Mr. Bossy Bud can't get a lot of time of from work. 

We arrived 30 minutes late due to being directed off of the interstate because a truck overturned.  Then, it took my RE 15 minutes to come into the room.  It was all worth the wait, though.

Baby Bossy Bud looked great; measuring at 7 weeks 1 day. :)

I think I've listened to this video a dozen times already.  It's music to my ears.






Bossy Bud

7 weeks! :)

I can hardly believe it... I am 7 weeks pregnant (as far as my O date is concerned). I am still in shock :) Baby is about the size of a blueberry now, and growing more and more by the day.

Earlier this week I got a call from my Dr. letting me know that my blood test came back positive, and things looked good, so I am scheduled for my 1st official prenatal visit on Tuesday the 13th. I am looking forward to seeing our little bean and hopefully get a heartbeat too. I'll be 7w5d at that appointment.

As for symptoms, my breasts have still been sore, but bearable. Wearing a sports bra helps. My hair isn't greasy anymore, which is great, but it actually seems a bit dry now, so I have to see about that. I am due for a touch up with my highlights, but I'm waiting until after I talk to my Doc on Tuesday. I've had moments where my tummy has been a bit uneasy, with slight waves of mild nausea, but instead of tossing cookies I've had some morning diarrhea.

I am seriously looking forward toy week off next week... It's Spring Break for our School District, and I couldn't be more thrilled!!!!! Time to catch up on some rest and unpacking more boxes from our move. We only have another 7 months to get our house in order before Baby DBud arrives :)

Will have a better update after my next appointment :) until then!!!




- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

10 Day Count Down

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Only 10 more days remain until I am able to have my 9 week ultrasound. As each day passes I am starting to feel more and more confident that things are going to be okay. I just feel like it will be a huge sigh of relief to have a good 9 week ultrasound and then, as my Dr said, I can start to get excited.

Speaking of countdowns...when I was a kid, each year my mom would buy us a Christmas Countdown Calendar. There would be a door to open for each day of the month of December leading up to Christmas, with a piece of chocolate hiding behind each door. It was so fun to have something to look forward to, to remind us of how quickly the big day would arrive. Last night I started making a pregnancy countdown calendar that counts down 36 weeks of pregnancy(it excludes the first 4 weeks, it was just easier to make it 6 rows by 6 rows.)
I am planning on writing something fun to do for each week behind the door, to celebrate our progress, or a big landmark for the week. I will take a picture when I am all done putting it together. It is just fun to have something to remind me just how fast it really is all going to pass by, and to enjoy it as it comes.

7 Week Update

Well I am 7 weeks along today. It is starting to feel a little more real that I am pregnant, although I still can't believe it. I haven't had many pregnancy symptoms except for nausea, and that comes and goes all day. It is not too bad for now though. I basically feel same as always. I am still pretty anxious especially when I think about the three miscarriages that my sister had last year. I really have no idea what we would do next if anything happens. IVF or using an adopted frozen embryo are our only fertility options, and I just don't think I am up for a third round. My Dr said that I can feel more confident after my 9 week ultrasound, so I am really looking forward to that.

So Sorry for being MIA!!!!

First I would like to say how sorry I am for being so MIA for the last few weeks! Between our Disneyland vacation and moving into our new home I have not had Internet for awhile but good news I am back with tons of great updates!

Where to begin? We decided to break the news to my mother the day before we left on our vacation. Since we were driving to Disneyland (9hour drive) and I was already beginning to run to the bathroom a little more often then I usually do we figured it would make more sense. The night before we left we gave my mom a little present. We told her it was just a thank you for the trip. We found the perfect card for here, it read: Front: It was never a matter of if, it was always a matter of when inside: Congratulations. We then wrote in big capital letters GRANDMA! As she read the card she looked confused as soon as she read the grandma part she looked at me and asked if I was serious. I smiled and nodded and she instantly burst into tears! She was hugging me and Mr. DB before she even opened the present of a onesie with the words grandma loves me on the front. It truly was the perfect moment!
Our Disneyland trip was the perfect celebration for us all. Although it was a little disappointing not being able to go on any of the fun big kid rides. No Space Mountain, No Thunder Mountain, No Matterhorn, No Indiana Jones. But I still had a great time. I couldn't help but rub my belly thinking of what it will be like to bring our little baby Determined Bud back.
Once we returned we had our first appointment with my fertility specialist. I was so excited to see our little one! He/She looked perfect, based on the size they said I was 6w5d that was on 4/4, so I am 7w5d today! Due Date November 23rd, 2011. Words cannot describe how I felt seeing baby DB!
As for my symptoms I am definitely feeling bloated, I get nauseous here and there, I am tired ALL the time, my breast have grown 2 cups sizes and hurt all the time, and of course I feel like I have to use the restroom every few minutes. But so far I am kinda loving it, its truly solidifying that I am growing tiny human inside of me. Which is truly amazing in every way.
Tomorrow is my first prenatal appointment with my OBGYN. So fingers crossed everything is still great! I can't wait to see my little one again!

7 Weeks!

Yay, we have made it to 7 weeks! I am super excited to be getting closer to the second trimester.

I am still pretty nauseous all the time. I eat what I can when it sounds good. I have tried to stay healthy but at this point I am eating what I can keep down. My boobs are still sore too and I feel like they keep growing, it is insane. I am also still really tired all the time. I can sleep through the night, wake up for 3-4 hours, nap for 2-3 hours and then go to bed in 5 hours. I am not sure if I have gained any weight, we don't have a scale at our house. I should find out next week when I have my first appointment with the midwife.

I feel like my lower abdomen/pelvis area has expanded somewhat, it feels hard. Mr. Buttercup Bud has noticed it as well. I have been wearing the BellaBand since last week and I still love it. I imagine my love for that thing will grow as my belly grows.

At 7 weeks baby's hands and feet start forming from the buds that they were. Baby Buttercup Bud has doubled in size this week and is now about the size of a Blueberry, exciting! Here is a picture of what baby looks like now:





More updates after our midwife appointment next week!

-Buttercup Bud

Job Interview!

Photo credit goes to http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/.

Hilarious stuff.

This is pretty much me this afternoon. I got a call asking if I could come in for a job interview on Monday!

The Background: In August I left my job in Virginia so that I could actually live with my husband again. We'd lived apart for 8+ months courtesy of the Navy. Part of that time Mr CB was underway and the rest we were living bi-coastally.

I've only had one interview, and that was by phone as I was on the East Coast still. It wasn't a good fit.

Needless to say being sent rejection letters from every place under the sun is pretty depressing. Especially when it continues for months.

The Scoop: The job is a PT gig at a local department store. Something I'm totally confident I can handle as I've done most of what was on the job description back in my high school and college days. Yeah, I'm over qualified. I have a BA degree and 10 years experience in my field. But you know what? My field isn't hiring right now. Even if it was, I work with hazardous waste and I literally can't go on those job sites if I'm pregnant.

This PT job is actually a potential really good fit for once the baby arrives as it would allow me to be home with the baby while my husband is at work and work a few evening/weekend shifts each week.

Financially, we can get by on my husbands income. It will be tight, but doable. My having an income will allow a little breathing room. It also will help occupy my days and help me feel a little more like I'm part of the world. This gap in my employment is my first time since I was about 16 years old that I've not had an income of some sort coming in. Its been an adjustment.


The Question: When would you tell them about the pregnancy?

I know they legally can't ask during the interview. If the subject comes up, I'll politely deflect. That said, when should I let them know? When an offer is on the table? Once we're out of 1st Tri? Once I'm showing?

I'm really uncomfortable telling people in real life about the pregnancy this early. My own mother doesn't even know yet and we're pretty close. I'm having a hard time with the thought of bringing it up to a complete stranger before I've even seen a heartbeat...but I don't know what the right thing is to do.

I'd love to hear what you would do in this situation, assuming they offer the job that is (please, please, please).

7 Weeks

I want to extend a warm welcome to our two new buds: Cupcake Bud and Teacher Bud. I'm looking forward to following your journeys.

I also want to apologize in advance if this post is a little disjointed as I've had a helluva sinus headache today. This pretty much sums up how I've felt all day

(Photo credit: http://tinyurl.com/484vr9h )

One of the joys of 1st Tri is that if a medicine might actually work to relieve something that is bothering you, you probably can't take it. I'm not complaining in the least, I'd take this headache any day over another miscarriage, but it has made today a challenging one. This will pass though, I'm just repeating that to myself.

I'm pretty much in shock to have made it to 7 weeks, especially after the spotting I had last week. Thankfully the spotting from last Monday has stayed away save for a few tinges of pink the last few days. I know that is par for the course after a trans vaginal ultrasound though, so that little bit of spotting I didn't worry about. Symptoms have been picking up a little this week. I'm still lucking out in the morning sickness department. No tossing my cookies yet, just mild nausea. Its been a little more regular this past week though, which is a good thing. Since my ER visit I've been feeling more growing pains down there. (Are those round ligament pains? Do they have a name?) Just mild cramping in the ute area, nothing major. I used to mostly get it in the middle of the night, but the last few days its started going on in the day too. The girls have gotten more tender the last couple days too, and I swear my left nip is changing a little. Why just the left is beyond me, but whatever. I haven't really had much issue with fatigue lately. Naps are always welcome, but its not that overwhelming MUST SLEEP NOW feeling. I've noticed my hair is oilier than usual too. Just an observation.

I finally ironed out my insurance situation. The bad news is that I'm out of luck in terms of going to my civilian doctor. The good news is that I have the ball rolling to get things going with the military doctors. I'm bummed I'm having to adjust to another new hospital and system as I've just gotten used to my civilian doctor (we moved here this past fall). Some other disappointing news with that is that the first appointment they can get me in for isn't until March 10th, and that's just a meet & greet to go over paperwork and history. I'll be about 9 weeks at that point. They won't even schedule my first "official" ultrasound until that appointment is done. So, the soonest I'll possibly get to see the heartbeat is 10 weeks, nearly a month after this past bleeding scare. That's best case scenario, it could easily be more like 12 weeks.

I'd really like have the appointment sooner than later both to see the heartbeat (something I've never seen before) and because I'm itching to tell my mother about the pregnancy. I just can't bring myself to do so before I see proof of a heartbeat (the miscarriage broke her heart). Its really hard not blurting it out to her when we talk on the phone and she asks how I'm doing. We're planning on telling all of our immediate family at the end of 1st Tri, so hopefully we'll have had that ultrasound by then.

I guess that's about it. I'm thankful each and every night to have made it through another day still pregnant.

Best of luck to those testing in the coming days!

7 week ultrasound

We had our 7 week ultrasound at the RE today. Everything looked great!

The baby measured at 11.1, which is equal to 7w2d. So, this week we are a day ahead instead of a day behind.

The heartbeat was a nice and strong 165bpm.

I was also able to reduce my PIO to half of the previous doseage, so after I get today's b/w results I am hoping that I can go off of it completely.

Sleeping through the night

I am, that is! This week, especially the last half of the week, my sleep has gotten good enough that I'm becoming functional again. Until Wednesday, I had been having the worst nights--in bed by 9, up by 1:30 to pee, trouble falling asleep for 30-60 minutes, back awake by 4 to pee again, and then restless until my alarm went off at 6:30. It was really starting to take a toll on my work and how much I saw Mr. Magnolia Bud. For two nights in a row, I've been sleeping almost through the night--going to bed about 9:30, waking up at 5:30 to pee, and sleeping from then until 7. I feel like a whole new person!

Otherwise, the bloat is getting worse (as it should be), the nausea comes and goes (gone more than it's here, thankfully), and my boobs hurt worse than ever. But they've also grown...from a pre-pregnancy A to at least a B. It's awesome!

I need to end this here and go help Mr. MB with yardwork now. We're putting stone borders around our garden and front yard tree today, and the stone was just delivered. I'm thankful he's doing the heavy lifting. I apparently get to do all the associated errands ("Honey, we need a shovel." "Honey, we need a wheelbarrow." etc., etc.)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Interesting first appointment

I had my first appointment on Monday. Because it was just for lab work, I had Mr. Daisy Bud stay home with Little Daisy Bud. The appointment started out well with me turning in all my medical history paperwork. We talked about the H1N1 shot and decided I should get it.
Then came the blood work. I am very squeamish and tend not to do well with having my blood taken. I also have fairly small veins and quite often the lab techs have difficulties finding them. So the lab tech tries my left arm first. She gets nothing. (We think I was dehydrated.) At this point, I get dizzy and nauseous and make friends with the trashcan. The lab tech decides that it make work better if I lie down and drink some juice before she tries again. I start to feel better, so she tries again. She gets a tiny amount before it stops. Not wanting to poke me again, she decides to look at my file to see who was able to successfully take my blood the last time was in. Lab Tech #2 then tries the first arm again with little luck. She then decides to use my hand instead. I had never had blood taken there before. It was painful!
My next appointment is December 30th. We should hopefully get to hear the heartbeat then. I can't wait!

Thanking God for Many Blessings

Image Source

I have to thank God for our many blessings. Even though I am still bleeding, I somehow KNOW that our little one is still in there. My blessings this week include:

• no m/s YET! woohoo!
• extra hour of sleep Sunday, yesssss!
• FINALLY got an offer on the house, PLEASE LET IT GO THROUGH!
• $3.99 Chicken Dinner w/ a Drink deal is still at Sonic, yummy!
• 2 weeks from our 4th wedding anniversary, 10th anniversary overall, Love you Mr. BrainyBud!

And so many others that I cannot count. Until next time...

Faith, Love and Baby Flutters,

Mrs. BrainyBud

Self-preservation or stupidity, probably both

First off, I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while . . . a long while. I'm just in a really weird place right now and I don't know if it's pregnancy hormones or just this constant dreary weather that has me down. I am almost 8 weeks pregnant and up until the last week I was high as a kite, over the moon excited. Now that I'm approaching our first doctor's appointment I'm terrified, to be honest. On Monday of this week I had a little bit of red blood on the toilet paper when I wiped. It never happened again and I haven't had any cramping so I just check it off as a fluke. Also up until this week I would talk to Baby Hopefulbud every night before we went to sleep and every morning before we got out of bed. I would thank both God and Baby HB for another day together. This week, I haven't felt as connected. I feel great, very little nausea, incredibly sore boobs, but nothing too unbearable. I have no reason to believe that something is wrong with our baby, which leads me to believe that it's just self-preservation. I'm usually such an optimistic person, but when something is really really important and personal I often think the worst and then am thrilled when something good happens. I think that is what I'm doing in preparing for our doctor's appointment on Monday. Unconsciously I'm thinking "if I just distance myself from the baby a little, then it won't hurt so bad if something isn't right." That is terrible thinking, I hate that I feel that way. I hate it that I pray "God if something isn't right with this baby, take him or her now before I get too attached." What kind of a mother prays this? I am totally ready to be a mother, or I guess as ready as any individual can be, and I want to be ecstatic to be pregnant. I just didn't expect the fears that came along with being pregnant. No one really tells you that before you are pregnant. My sister and all my friends seemed to have such smooth pregnancies. They made it look easy. I'm sure they were wrestling with these same fears inside, I just didn't know it.

On Monday at our appointment we will discuss family history, what I can and can't do the next 32 weeks, get blood work done and hopefully see the heartbeat. I pray that we get to see Baby HB's heartbeat. I think that will do wonders for my fears.

Currently Baby HB is the size of a blueberry. Baby's brain -- both hemispheres! -- is growing fast, generating about 100 new cells every minute. Arms and legs are emerging as joints start to form, and a permanent set of kidneys (baby's third!) is now in place.

Please Baby HB have a strong heartbeat so that we can see it on Monday if we get an u/s. This will make mommy and daddy so happy. We love you so much already!

We have a bump!!

It really is true you "pop" sooner with baby #2! I feel like there is actually a bump now & not just fat! Here is a pic from week 6 and a pic take today.

Ahhhh Family.....

Yesterday my aunt and uncle hosted a small cookout for part of the family, basically my mom and I and my grandparents along with my aunt, uncle and their 2 sons. Well my grandmother has Alzheimer's disease and of course you never know on any given visit what she'll remember and what she won't.



Yesterday had been one week since most of the family found out that we are expecting and I was surprised that grandma remembered except for the comments were priceless. 1st thing she said to me when I walked into my aunt and uncles was "boy you are putting on weight"hmmm not really but thanks.

A little while later she asked me if I was pregnant again, ummm no grandma I am still pregnant with my 1st.



Now sometimes with grandma you have to wonder if she knows who she is really talking to but she called me by name so I guess she thinks I am fat and pregnant with my 2nd or 3rd and not my 1st.



Gotta love family.....

Just feeling Blah

So we are creeping up on week 7 of this pregnancy and I just can't shake the tiredness and the queasiness. If I could take a nap whenever I wanted to I would so be there.

So far other than being tired I have felt pretty good. I had to go back to the OB's office this week to have my TB test read and it was negative (yippee!!). Although the trip to the OB's office at that time of day was very interesting, just the difference of the people that are there in the afternoon compared to early in the morning when I usually go.

I am "out" to most of the family because if I hadn't started making the phone calls Monday after my 1st appointment my mother would have exploded. I am a little bit nervous about that but I am dealing and if something does go wrong we do have a nice big support group so I feel a bit better there.

I guess things with me are just status quo for now. :)

7 weeks

Just a quick post to say today is the official 7 week mark. I am so happy the little Expat Bud is sticking like he/she should be :-)

Morning sickness is getting the best of me though... I am posting from work right now and then heading home to rest and hopefully feel better as I haven't kept anything down today.

I apologize for the rather lame and boring post but I just don't have the energy to be cool and exciting like the other buds! I do have some fun stuff to share, and hopefully I'll be up to posting it soon.