7W2D Update

Mungee is developing rapidly this week!

Your baby is now about the size of a blueberry (and about 10,000 times bigger than he was at conception).

Most of that growth is concentrated in the head as new brain cells are generated at the rate of 100 per minute. Your baby's mouth and tongue are forming as arm and leg buds sprout, and those little kidneys are getting ready to do their job.

At the beginning of this week, your baby is approximately 4 to 5 mm and by the end of the week it has more than doubled to 11 to 13 mm! Your baby weights approximately 0.03 ounces.

Your baby's leg and arm buds are longer now and they have divided into segments where the hands and feet will be. The hands and feet also have an area where the fingers and toes will begin to form.

At this point of your pregnancy, the heart is bulging from the body and it has divided into right and left chambers. The brain's hemispheres are continuing to grow and the air passages into the lungs are visible.

Your baby's eyes are beginning to get pigment. The nose is developing and the beginning of the face can be seen.

The baby's abdomen is developing quickly and the appendix and pancreas are already present. Your baby's digestive tract is beginning to form and the hindgut is present. The shape of the tail can still be seen, but it will fade in 3 or 4 weeks.

Telling our families on Christmas Day

We're going to have family over for a casual meal on Christmas Day. I hope I can actually stomach eating, especially since I requested that my mom make stuffed cabbage.

If all goes well, we will make our announcement at 7W2D. I bought a picture frame for DH's dad that says "I Love My Grandpa". I am still on the lookout for a frame for my parents. I will put  Mungee's first picture in the frame and give them to my parents and DH's dad at the same time to open. I hope they don't look at it and say, "What's this?"

I am a little disappointed that all the family won't be present for our announcement. Nanny will still be in rehab for her hip and my bro and his GF will be house-hopping, spending Christmas with her family. DH said there's no way we can get them all together to tell them at once. I hope everyone who does hear our big announcement will be as excited as we are!

Mungee's First Pictures!

The top picture is Mungee. I think s/he is actually a little pea size dot within the "blob". The bottom picture is the yolk sac which contains Mungee.

Morning sickness, constipation and food aversions

I thought I was going to be lucky and avoid morning sickness, but it struck at 6 weeks exactly. I also am pooping less frequently and I don't like a lot of the foods that normally bring me great joy and pleasure. Actually writing about food is making me nauseous so I'm going to stop.

Kind of funny, but tonight we went out to dinner and I got Arroz con Pollo (and didn't eat the pollo). On top of the rice was a bed of peas. Being that this week little Mungee is the size of a sweet pea, I gently picked off every single one of the peas and would not eat them. DH thinks I am crazy, but he thought I was crazy before I was pregnant so not much has changed there :)

What's happening this week? 6W1D

Growing like crazy, baby is starting to sprout eyes, ears, nose, cheeks and chin. Those little hands and feet- still webbed like paddles- might wiggle by week's end, the heart is beating (almost twice as fast as mine!), and blood is starting to circulate.

Your baby's jaw, cheeks, chin, eyes, ears, and nose are beginning to form what will eventually become one adorable face. In addition, her kidneys, liver, and lungs are developing, and her heart is now beating 80 times a minute (and getting faster every day). All this and she's still no bigger than the length of a nail head (about a quarter of an inch) from crown to rump!

6W1D Bloated Belly Shot

Still dogding questions

Saturday night at DH's grandmother's 90th birthday party:
Cousin A: What are you drinking?
Me: Water.
A: Are you pregnant? Are you trying to get pregnant?
Me: Yes.
A: YOU'RE PREGNANT?!?!?
Me: No, no, trying.
A: You can always tell when a woman is drinking water that she's pregnant or trying.

Lunch today with my coworkers:
Me to server: I'll have gingerale please.
Dr. B: Well, I know why old people drink gingerale, but it's not the same reason young people drink it (then she proceeds to look me up and down).
Me: I just feel like drinking gingerale today.

5W1D

It honestly feels like a million years ago that I saw those two beautiful lines show up on the pregnancy test! It still doesn't feel real. My breasts are huge and sore, and I can see bright blue veins. How much I pee really depends on how much water I drink. I'm very gassy and bloated. Sometimes I look at my profile and I think, "Wow, am I showing already?!", but I realize it's probably just bloat. My sense of smell is still very heightened. I really haven't had any morning sickness yet. I don't know what to think about that. I should be happy that I don't have m/s, but at the same time, I think if I did have it, it would make my pregnancy feel more real. About two nights ago, I did start to feel dizzy when I was laying down and then sat up. It passed pretty quickly. Most nights, I've been going to bed a little early, though I stayed up until around 10:30 last night.

So how is the baby developing this week:

Your baby now resembles a teeny tadpole (about the size of an orange seed) as his heart starts to form; you may even be able to see it beating on an early ultrasound. The circulatory system is the first to be operational and the neural tube, which will eventually become your baby's brain and spinal cord, is under construction as well.

The little "appleseed"

Avoidance

At DH's company holiday party:
At the bar - Me: "Can I have a water please?"
Bartender: "They are right behind you."
DH's friend J: "Going for the water right off the bat?"
Me: "Gotta stay hydrated."

At my parent's boat parade party:
Mom: "Look what I got just for you!" (Takes me to the cooler, opens it, and it's full of beer and mojitos)
Me: "Oh, I can't drink, I'm driving tonight."
Mom, later in the evening: "I can't believe you won't even taste a mojito."
Me: "Well, you really can't bottle a mojito."

Met with the doctor

Friday, I met with Dr. L at S, R, & B, M.D., P.A. She seems very nice. I think I will stay with this office for the time being, I don't feel the need to go "doctor hopping" at this point. I peed in a cup to confirm the pregnancy, and I guess it came up positive because no one came out and said "You're crazy, you're not pregnant". According to the doctor's calculations, I am due 8/11/09.

I basically chatted with the doctor and asked her a few questions, like "Is it okay to have coffee?" (yes, but limit yourself to one cup a day) and "I read that if you have had cats for a long time, you could be immune to toxoplasmosis?" (It's better that you err on the safe side and don't touch the litter box at all - I'm not going to argue with that!) "When is morning sickness going to start?" (contrary to popular belief, not all women experience morning sickness - SCORE!)

We discussed the fact that DH and I are both Ashkenazi Jewish and Dr. L. ordered the Tay-Sachs test. If I am positive, then DH will have to be tested and if he is also positive, there is a 25% chance our baby could have the disease. If I test negative, apparently there is virtually no chance the baby will have it. I had to have blood drawn at a Quest Diagnostics Center. Luckily there was a center right next door to the doctor's office and I got there with about 10 minutes to spare before they closed. They took two tubes of blood and said it would be about 2-3 days before the results were sent to the doctor's office.

My next appointment, called a "New OB Visit" is scheduled for December 18 with the midwife, E.W., CNM. I tried to schedule the appointment for Dec 19 so I wouldn't have to leave work early, but there were only male doctors working on the 19th. Neither of the female doctors was available on the 18th, so that's why I was scheduled with the midwife. At this appointment, I will have an internal exam and Dr. L. said we may not be able to see the baby, but we should be able to see the yolk sac. I hope everything goes well between now and then and we see our little creation on the 18th!

So what's happening in there?

The fertilized egg has made its seven- to ten-day trip to the uterus, where it implants cozily into the endometrial surface. It is now called a blastocyst and it has divided into two parts. While you are reading this, the first part is forming the placenta and the second part will become the embryo. The two layers that make up the amniotic bag of waters are newly formed, and the very beginning of the connecting stalk -- which will become the umbilical cord -- has appeared. Until your placenta is fully functioning, the yolk sac, now present, will feed your baby. Basically, the "home" for your little one is under rapid construction!

By the end of your fourth week your baby is an embryo. This group of embryonic cells is growing at a very rapid pace, each cell dividing daily. By the fourth week of pregnancy your developing baby is about 1mm in length and looks like a tiny tadpole, safely attached to your uterine wall and sending hormones to you body. The placenta is beginning to form and many wonderful and exciting changes are about to take place.

Despite its extremely tiny size — no longer than one millimeter and no bigger than a poppy seed — your little embryo is busy setting up house. The amniotic sac that boards your baby (also called the bag of waters) is forming, as is the yolk sac, which will later be incorporated into your baby's developing digestive tract.

The little "poppyseed"

4W1D Belly Pic

Trying again at the Dollar Tree

I made it to the bank with 5 minutes to spare to deposit a check and get some cash back so I could go to the Dollar Tree and buy more pregnancy tests. As I was paying, the clerk asked me if I had come in last week and with shifty side eyes, I said "Um, no that was not me". But then I immediately admitted it was me. I must have made an impression last time I was there.

I got home and took a test and :::crossing fingers::: I'm still pregnant! Woohoo!

POAS - Take Two!

Yesterday I decided that if my temperature went up this morning, I would take the one other HPT that was lurking in the bathroom. Well, I had a huge temperature jump! I got up and peed in a cup, then dipped the internet cheapie stick in the pee. The light in the bathroom was dim, so I couldn't tell if anything showed up at first, then I thought I saw the faintest hint of a line! I moved the test into better lighting and sure enough, there were TWO LINES!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I started shaking, I just could not believe it. 

DH was still asleep. I got the digital camera and took way too many pictures of my pee-stick. Then I went back to the bedroom and got in bed. I couldn't stay in bed, so I got up again and took more pee-stick pictures. Then I went back in the bedroom and DH eventually got up. I got back in bed with him and was very happy and he said, "What are you so happy about?" And I said "Nothing ... I don't know ..." Then he asked if I fed the cats and cleaned the litter. I said "I fed the cats, but I won't be able to clean the litter." DH said "Why not?" I said "I don't know ..." and he said "Are you pregnant?" And I said "I don't know ..." (singsong voice)

Next I asked DH to get up and come into the office where I had the HPT sitting on his desk. I asked him to close his eyes and then I showed it to him and he said "What's that?", "What's that mean?" And I said, "There's two lines there - You did it!"

I am going to go to the Dollar Tree again tonight (with cash that I need to scrounge up, because we don't have any in the house) and buy more tests. I'll need to call the doctor to schedule an appointment to confirm.

I just cannot believe this is happening. It is so surreal.

I am 4 weeks according to my LMP, but technically 2 weeks according to my ovulation date. My due date based on LMP is 8/12/09, but based on ovulation, it's 8/11/09.

Cycle #2 Chart

The Telltale Headache

Since 9DPO it has felt like AF was going to show up any moment. I fully expected her due to the temp drops. However, the next day I got a huge temp increase. Talk about things that mess with my head. I'm now at 11 DPO with another slight temp drop this morning, but not at all near the coverline on my Fertility Friend chart. Over the last three days it has felt like AF was just around the corner. Since she hasn't shown yet, my hopes were going back up, however I have just developed the "telltale headache", the one I get right before AF is due. I know it's not caffeine withdrawal since I had my full mug of coffee this morning. It's a good thing I bought pantyliners yesterday.

On a positive note, if I don't get a BFP this cycle, but I do in Cycle 3, my due date would be around the 4th anniversary of our first date, which is exciting and gives me hope.

I gave in ...

I tested this morning. I have no idea why. My temperature went down again. I feel the telltale signs that my period is on the way. I'm only 9 DPO, which means if I do get my period in the next day, my LP will only be 10 days - that's short and possibly cause for concern. Despite all this, I tested and got the "negative" result that I expected.

I have one more test - I think I may ask DH to hide it for me.

I got my dreams shattered at the $ Tree

I was excited to discover we have several $ Trees in town, including one that's on my way home from work. I decided to stop before going to the grocery store and wandered around until I finally asked where the pee sticks were. They keep them at the front counter.

Still all is well ... until I go to pay and the clerk tells me they only accept Mastercard DEBIT,Visa or Amex. I have a Mastercard CREDIT card ... several actually. I have one Visa checkcard for which I have no idea of the pin number and about 40 cents change if that.

I left empty handed.

This, coupled with the auction for pee sticks on eBay that I did not win, seems like a sign that I should not test this cycle.

If it Happens, it Happens

DH and I met and had our first date in September of 2005. We knew it was something special very early on. We discussed marriage soon after we started dating and officially got engaged in December of 2006. Our wedding was in March of 2008.

Initially during the first couple years of our relationship, we both said we didn't want children. However, with friends of ours having children, especially my best friend having her first child, whom I adore, our feelings began to change. I also turned 30 this year, and it seems like the maternal clock just kicked in and started ticking all at once! I have not been on birth control for a couple years and I have been tracking my periods. My cycle is pretty regular at around 27-28 days.

We began our TTC journey in October of 2008.

It's amazing what you learn when you actively begin the TTC journey. I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I thought anytime you had sex, aside from during your period, it could result in pregnancy. Through a pregnancy discussion board, I learned of the website Fertility Friend, and quickly signed up for an account, which included a 20-lesson course called Charting Your Way to Conception. I was surprised to find out how little I really knew about my body and the reproductive process. I had no idea that when the sperm and egg meet, if fertilization occurs, it's still another 7-10 days before the fertilized egg burrows into the uterine lining. I had no idea that some lubricants (including ones that we use) were unfriendly to sperm. I am so glad to have found this information.

I bought prenatal vitamins from Native Sun and a Basal Body Thermometer at Wal-Mart. I stopped drinking beer. I'm still having my morning cup of coffee.

The first cycle was good practice, but I did a terrible job with temping. I was trying to temp at 7 a.m., but I couldn't stay asleep until then - the cats would wake me up, anticipation would wake me up, the overwhelming urge to pee would wake me up, etc. I decided to move my temping time to 6 a.m. Even though my temps were off, I think FF got my O day right since there was a clear thermal shift. According to what I have read, you have the highest chance of conception in the five days leading up to, and the day of O. We had sex on days O-4, O-3, and O-1. We didn't have sex the day of O or the day after (though what I've read says you don't have much of a chance the day after O).

During the first cycle I had many phantom baby symptoms. These are things you notice that you think could mean that you are pregnant - in other words, things that REALLY mess with yor head. For example, I had some nausea, which could have been from the PNVs, but of course, I thought it was b/c I was pregnant. Some days my chest seemed enlarged, some days it was really sore. Of course, all these things could mean I was pregnant, and they could just as easily mean I was not. I decided I was not going to POAS this cycle and wait until AF was late, if in fact this happened. I had some spotting on CD25 and got my period a few days earlier than expected on CD26.

We are now on Cycle #2 and I am 8 DPO. According to my Fertility Friend chart, I ovulated on CD13 during Cycle 1. Perhaps that's true, perhaps not. Since my temping was inconsistent, there's no way to know for sure. But since I O'd on CD13 during the first cycle, I was sure I would O on the same day in Cycle 2. During Cycle 2, I had a pretty bad cold from CD7-CD14. I have a feeling that's why my temperatures were all out of whack. Since I thought I would O during this time, DH and I still had sex, we just didn't kiss in order for me not to pass my cold along to him. (Not kissing seems to have worked because I don't think DH ever caught my cold!) We had a lot of sex on CD9-CD15. I think our timing was good. Fertility Friend thinks I O'd on CD16, though I had a lot of cramping on CD15, so I think that may have been the actual O day. We had sex on my FF confirmed O day, though we didn't "cross the finish line" so to speak. We also had sex on days O-1, O-3, O-4 and O-5. During sex this month we used Pre-seed,which is said to be a "sperm-friendly" lubricant.

During this cycle, I had a temp dip at 4DPO, which is a little early for an "implantation dip" since implantation usually occurs between 7-10 DPO. From days 4-7 DPO, I had a nice temperature rise, however, I was disappointed this morning to see my temperature drop. I've read that one temperature in the grand scheme of things doesn't mean that much, you have to look at the overall picture, but I was anticipating another temperature rise.

I feel like I have been a little more relaxed this cycle, but the idea of getting pregnant honestly consumes my thoughts day and night. Things have been slow at work and I spend a major part of the day reading and participating in discussions on the Getting Pregnant board of The Bump. I haven't been secretive and have talked about TTC with our friends and I feel like I could jinx myself every time I open my mouth or reply to a post on the discussion boards. I know a few girls who have had a hard time getting pregnant and I have nagging feelings that it will happen to me too for some reason or another. Everyone says it can takes a normal healthy couple up to a year to get pregnant. Will that be us? Will it take longer?

On the Bump GP board, girls post their BFNs and BFPs as soon as they test and I wonder if that's too soon to tell "internet strangers". I see girls who post BFPs and then a few days later say they miscarried and it breaks my heart. If we get a BFP, I don't think I will post it right away, but at the same time, I don't think it would be right to come back weeks later and say, "Guess what, I got a BFP, 10 weeks ago, just didn't want to tell anyone yet".

Last cycle my LP was 12 days (on a 26 day cycle). If my LP is 12 days this cycle, I expect my period on CD28, which is 4 days from now. I am resisting POAS until at least 10 DPO. I'm keeping all my crossables crossed that AF doesn't show!