Yesterday I had my doctor's appointment (like I do every two weeks). This time, Orion got to go with me because I didn't have a babysitter. He was SO good even though it was getting to be close to his nap time. While we were there, the nurse got the doppler thingy out and said we could try to hear the heartbeat, but that it was still early so not to expect anything. After about a minute of trying to find it, she found it!!! It was so strong and fast...it really was great to hear. While we were listening, I said to Orion "Do you hear that? That's the baby!" He looked at me like I was crazy and he was probably thinking "What are you talking about, lady? I'm the baby."
The doctor that I had last time that I really liked apparently transferred to Emanuel, so that blows. I finally had found a doctor I liked and he goes and leaves. *sigh* Just about my luck though. His replacement, Dr. Watson, is really nice as well though. He was great with Orion, and very pleasant...took the time to answer my questions (of which there were a lot because I was asking the same questions I asked last time since it was a new doc). He did suggest doing the first trimester triple screen, and that appointment is set for May 20th. They'll do a blood draw and an ultrasound. I'm a little freaked out about it, but I'm sure it'll be just fine.
The triple screen, for those of you who don't know, is a screening process for genetic abnormalities. They tell you what they think the odds of your baby having Downs Syndrome, Trisomy 13, and Trisomy 18 based on the level of chemicals in your blood and what the ultrasound shows. It's hardly accurate, and even less accurate in diabetics, but if the results come back abnormal, they can do further testing. We didn't have the screening done with Orion because it wouldn't have changed our mind about having him regardless of what the tests said. And, we thought it would just be a lot of extra stress if they did come back abnormal. I don't know though. If there WAS something wrong I'd like to be at least a little bit prepared. It wouldn't change us having the baby, for sure, but we could know what was in store if need be. Plus, I want to see the little one on the ultrasound. I'm torn, but I think we'll do the testing. It'll be fine anyway, right?
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
It's finally a fetus!!
Apparently, today marks the end of the "embryo" stage and now the little 'possum is finally a fetus! It's also reached approximately 1 1/2" long and has gotten rid of its tail. :)
Also today, unfortunately, Orion is being stubborn and refusing to take his nap. I think he's finally getting settled down, so hopefully he'll be out soon. Mommy needs a nap too...I'm exhausted.
Also today, unfortunately, Orion is being stubborn and refusing to take his nap. I think he's finally getting settled down, so hopefully he'll be out soon. Mommy needs a nap too...I'm exhausted.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Where does the time go!?
So, I can't believe it, but on May 14th, my little baby is going to be 2. Yes, TWO!!! Holy cow...where does the time go? It seems like just yesterday we brought him home from the hospital. I remember him being little, but I can't imagine how little. When I see a teeny baby, I think that there is no way Orion was ever that small. *sigh*
He's grown up so much...talking like crazy and even saying some complete sentences (if three words without structure or proper grammar count as a sentence). I think we're going to get him a "big boy" bed...that should be interesting. I may have to take every toy out of his room until he gets used to it so that he doesn't just get up and play the entire night (which he would totally do). We're also going to have to invest in a baby gate for his bedroom I think.
We decided to make his birthday party airplane themed and have it at a park here in Gladstone. He LOVES airplanes and helicopters (you can thank his daddy for that), so it seems to fit perfectly. My mom actually came up with the idea and that's why she's smart. I was thinking "pirates"....lol I'll make and mail his invitations next week and then start getting everything ready for the party. It's gonna be a blast!!
Since I like posting pictures I'm going to post a couple of the little man. The first is his ultrasound picture at about 5 1/2 months...
And this one is when he was three weeks old with Daddy holding him. He was so tiny!!
I miss my little baby...but I love my toddler too.
He's grown up so much...talking like crazy and even saying some complete sentences (if three words without structure or proper grammar count as a sentence). I think we're going to get him a "big boy" bed...that should be interesting. I may have to take every toy out of his room until he gets used to it so that he doesn't just get up and play the entire night (which he would totally do). We're also going to have to invest in a baby gate for his bedroom I think.
We decided to make his birthday party airplane themed and have it at a park here in Gladstone. He LOVES airplanes and helicopters (you can thank his daddy for that), so it seems to fit perfectly. My mom actually came up with the idea and that's why she's smart. I was thinking "pirates"....lol I'll make and mail his invitations next week and then start getting everything ready for the party. It's gonna be a blast!!
Since I like posting pictures I'm going to post a couple of the little man. The first is his ultrasound picture at about 5 1/2 months...
And this one is when he was three weeks old with Daddy holding him. He was so tiny!!
I miss my little baby...but I love my toddler too.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Into Month Three!!
Today marks the 9-week mark...yay!! Not much is different than it was last week with us on this end. Orion seems to have developed allergies (the poor guy). I figured I would give it a few days to see if it were just a cold or something, but I'm pretty sure it's not. He's got a stuffy/runny nose, watery eyes, and is coughing all the time (from the snot draining down his throat...ew). He doesn't have a fever though, which is what leads me to believe it's allergies. Well, that and the fact that the children's Claritin seems to be helping immensely.
Even though I'm not really starting to show yet, my clothes are getting tighter in the waist area already. It's really bugging me and now that we have some warm weather, I figure I'm going to have to go buy some new shorts soon. I've only gained about three pounds, so it's not because I'm just getting fatter, thank goodness...hehehe
Here's our picture for the week. It looks a little less like a fish/alien/weird thingy now...OK, well, it still looks like an alien, but a less ugly alien.
Even though I'm not really starting to show yet, my clothes are getting tighter in the waist area already. It's really bugging me and now that we have some warm weather, I figure I'm going to have to go buy some new shorts soon. I've only gained about three pounds, so it's not because I'm just getting fatter, thank goodness...hehehe
Here's our picture for the week. It looks a little less like a fish/alien/weird thingy now...OK, well, it still looks like an alien, but a less ugly alien.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Pregnancy Brain Strikes In Full Force
So, I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. Around 2:30 I leave the house, get all the way out to Beaverton, and they don't have me on the schedule. I look in my trusty day planner (which I would go nuts without) and realize that my appointment was at 11:00 in the morning...not at 3:20 in the afternoon like I thought. My appointment the week BEFORE was at 3:20. *sigh* Luckily, they were still able to squeeze me in. I had a different doctor than the ones I had seen before, and I'm pretty sure this is the doctor I'll stick with. He rocks. And he knows my old doctor, so that's awesome. Everything seems to be going well, though my blood sugars are a little wacky. They did some adjustments and everything should run smoothly from here for at least a little while I think.
I mentioned to the nurse that I felt like I was going crazy. She had me elaborate and then had me feel out this little questionnaire thingy. The doctor has decided to place me on anti-depressants, and thinks they'll help with a plethora of things. Lately I just haven't had any energy to do anything, worry about the stupidest things constantly, and am just plain irrational a lot of the time. Tom's also mentioned I've been more on edge lately and all I really want to do is sit on the couch and eat crap. SO...hopefully this will even everything out. I'm definitely OK with it if it makes me feel more normal and there is really no risk to the baby, so that's good. I'm feeling very positive about my doctor/nurse team now, which makes me feel a lot better as well.
We've managed to make it to 8 weeks (and some change). Apparently the little 'possum is about 1/2 inch long. It's got four distinct heart chambers, is developing little webbed fingers and toes, and is even forming eyelids, ears, and it's little nose.
I mentioned to the nurse that I felt like I was going crazy. She had me elaborate and then had me feel out this little questionnaire thingy. The doctor has decided to place me on anti-depressants, and thinks they'll help with a plethora of things. Lately I just haven't had any energy to do anything, worry about the stupidest things constantly, and am just plain irrational a lot of the time. Tom's also mentioned I've been more on edge lately and all I really want to do is sit on the couch and eat crap. SO...hopefully this will even everything out. I'm definitely OK with it if it makes me feel more normal and there is really no risk to the baby, so that's good. I'm feeling very positive about my doctor/nurse team now, which makes me feel a lot better as well.
We've managed to make it to 8 weeks (and some change). Apparently the little 'possum is about 1/2 inch long. It's got four distinct heart chambers, is developing little webbed fingers and toes, and is even forming eyelids, ears, and it's little nose.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
7 Weeks Today
Well, today marks the 7 week mark. Yay! Only 5 more weeks and I'll officially be out of the first trimester. I've been having a hard time with the hormonal roller coaster that is my life...and I've been having an even harder time with the fact that Tom doesn't seem to be helping out at all. Granted, he does things when I ask him from time to time, but he's very much interested in playing outside with his airplanes...or in the garage with his airplanes...or on the computer with his airplanes. He was kind of like this when we were pregnant with Orion as well, but it was easier to handle then because I wasn't chasing a toddler around the house constantly trying to keep him out of trouble. It's almost like he wants to have fun before the baby comes because he's afraid he won't be able to do anything anymore, which is, of course, not the case. *sigh* I'm sure everything will work itself out (it always does), but in the meantime I'm about ready to go crazy. I think I really just need some adult time and a break...some time to do something fun for myself.
My friend Phil in California, who raises German Shepherds, has a 2 year old male available that's already trained that needs to be rescued. It's not his dog, but someone else's...I don't know the exact details yet as I'm waiting for him to call me back but since he works nights in law enforcement, I realize he's probably sleeping right about now. We need to put a fence up at our place before we get a dog (that's one of the pre-requisites) and now that I'm not working, he wouldn't be home alone very often either, which is nice. We still need to talk to Tom's parents about it before we make any decisions, of course, since it's their house, but I think Tom was going to go pick up the fencing that they had this week so that we can get that up regardless of getting a dog or not. Then at least Orion would have some fenced in area to play in as well...especially since the weather has been so gorgeous the last few days.
I have a doctor's appointment today (joy) and then another one next Thursday. This weekend is also Easter, so I'm trying to come up with fun things to do with Orion. We were thinking about taking him to the egg hunt at the zoo again, but we'll see. It's usually quite crowded and I don't know what the weather will be like this weekend yet (I really should go check that). If nothing else, we're going to church Sunday morning and then probably heading down to my Aunt Melinda's for the family Easter time. They always have an egg hunt for the kids there as well, so he'll have fun with that, I'm sure.
So, here's this week's baby picture. It really doesn't look that different to me, but hey, it's supposedly bigger now...lol
My friend Phil in California, who raises German Shepherds, has a 2 year old male available that's already trained that needs to be rescued. It's not his dog, but someone else's...I don't know the exact details yet as I'm waiting for him to call me back but since he works nights in law enforcement, I realize he's probably sleeping right about now. We need to put a fence up at our place before we get a dog (that's one of the pre-requisites) and now that I'm not working, he wouldn't be home alone very often either, which is nice. We still need to talk to Tom's parents about it before we make any decisions, of course, since it's their house, but I think Tom was going to go pick up the fencing that they had this week so that we can get that up regardless of getting a dog or not. Then at least Orion would have some fenced in area to play in as well...especially since the weather has been so gorgeous the last few days.
I have a doctor's appointment today (joy) and then another one next Thursday. This weekend is also Easter, so I'm trying to come up with fun things to do with Orion. We were thinking about taking him to the egg hunt at the zoo again, but we'll see. It's usually quite crowded and I don't know what the weather will be like this weekend yet (I really should go check that). If nothing else, we're going to church Sunday morning and then probably heading down to my Aunt Melinda's for the family Easter time. They always have an egg hunt for the kids there as well, so he'll have fun with that, I'm sure.
So, here's this week's baby picture. It really doesn't look that different to me, but hey, it's supposedly bigger now...lol
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Autumn's Rules
Rule #1. Do not wear "sherpa" boots that are all furry and have tassles if they look ridiculous on you (and let me assure you, they probably do). They're called sherpa boots for a reason. They're for sherpas; not for walking around your nice cozy city.
Rule #2. If your hairdo can be found on an animal in nature (say a rooster or lion) it probably doesn't look good on your head.
Rule #3. While we're talking about hair, the shaggy "Beatles" cut only worked because it was the 60's and they were THE BEATLES. You are not a Beatle, and this is the year 2009. You look like an 80's Farrah Fawcet.
Rule #4. Do NOT bitch about smoky bars/pool halls if you are going to frequent such establishments. First, it's a BAR. Second, there are plenty of places that you can visit that don't allow smoking (including entire pool halls) if you feel so inclined. But seriously, your bitchiness would be like if I went to The Outback and got pissed because they served beef.
Rule #5. Just because you live in a priviledged country does not mean you're *entitled* to anything. Work for shit like the rest of us.
Rule #6. It is NOT your parents fault (99.9% of the time) that you're a shithead. You made that decision all on your own, and if you don't like it, change it. But just because you got spanked as a child does not make it OK for you to steal/murder/rape/be a shitty person/etc.
Rule #7. Do not dress your 10-15 year old like a hooker. There's a reason that America has no innocence anymore, and it's probably because your 10 year old has already given head and says "tits" on a regular basis.
Rule #8. Speaking of parenting, if you're going to actually have children, be a parent. If you in fact cannot take responsibility for the life you've just brought into the world, give the child to someone who can and will. Screwing up yet another generation of our youth shouldn't be an option.
Rule #2. If your hairdo can be found on an animal in nature (say a rooster or lion) it probably doesn't look good on your head.
Rule #3. While we're talking about hair, the shaggy "Beatles" cut only worked because it was the 60's and they were THE BEATLES. You are not a Beatle, and this is the year 2009. You look like an 80's Farrah Fawcet.
Rule #4. Do NOT bitch about smoky bars/pool halls if you are going to frequent such establishments. First, it's a BAR. Second, there are plenty of places that you can visit that don't allow smoking (including entire pool halls) if you feel so inclined. But seriously, your bitchiness would be like if I went to The Outback and got pissed because they served beef.
Rule #5. Just because you live in a priviledged country does not mean you're *entitled* to anything. Work for shit like the rest of us.
Rule #6. It is NOT your parents fault (99.9% of the time) that you're a shithead. You made that decision all on your own, and if you don't like it, change it. But just because you got spanked as a child does not make it OK for you to steal/murder/rape/be a shitty person/etc.
Rule #7. Do not dress your 10-15 year old like a hooker. There's a reason that America has no innocence anymore, and it's probably because your 10 year old has already given head and says "tits" on a regular basis.
Rule #8. Speaking of parenting, if you're going to actually have children, be a parent. If you in fact cannot take responsibility for the life you've just brought into the world, give the child to someone who can and will. Screwing up yet another generation of our youth shouldn't be an option.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
There Shall Be Only One
Well, we had our ultrasound today!! The appointment was supposed to be at 12:40, but we sat in the waiting room until about 1:30. I was getting super irritated and had to pee!! They tried doing an external ultrasound first. It's never a good thing when your ultrasound technician says "Shit, I can't see the baby...are you sure on your dates?" Since that didn't work, they had to do an internal ultrasound. Turns out our little 'possum is happy and healthy...just not as old as we thought. Today, we're only 6 weeks, 1 day, which puts the due date out to November 25th. The day after that is Thanksgiving. So, that should be fun. Oh, and regardless of all of the curses and hopes, there is only ONE little 'possum in there!!
The doctor was very positive about having a VBAC (that's a "normal" birth after having a c-section), and said as long as everything is fine they would let me go to a week past my due date (at most) in hopes that everything would happen naturally and the way it is supposed to. I'm really excited. We got to see its little heart beat (118 beats/minute) and everything seemed to look as OK as it can look at this point. I have another appointment with my regular doctor next week, and then an appointment with another perinatologist the week after. *sigh* "High risk pregnancies" suck butt. They want to see me twice a month...yay for me. Granted, this DOES mean I'll get to see more of the little guy (or girl), but dang...that's a lot of gas and co-pays!!
You've all seen this one before (it's in my first post), but apparently it still applies... ;)
The doctor was very positive about having a VBAC (that's a "normal" birth after having a c-section), and said as long as everything is fine they would let me go to a week past my due date (at most) in hopes that everything would happen naturally and the way it is supposed to. I'm really excited. We got to see its little heart beat (118 beats/minute) and everything seemed to look as OK as it can look at this point. I have another appointment with my regular doctor next week, and then an appointment with another perinatologist the week after. *sigh* "High risk pregnancies" suck butt. They want to see me twice a month...yay for me. Granted, this DOES mean I'll get to see more of the little guy (or girl), but dang...that's a lot of gas and co-pays!!
You've all seen this one before (it's in my first post), but apparently it still applies... ;)
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