Friday, July 27, 2007

We're alright

I have been pleasantly surprised at every doctor visit. Every time I hear, "You're fine, the baby is fine, everything looks really good" I am amazed. Wha? I think this might be common among people who have miscarried previously. A friend of mine told me once that she didn't feel like things would be OK until she hit 38 weeks (two weeks before your due date).

I saw the doctor today, and Brian came, too. Yes! Brian Bernardo! I know! I didn't believe it until he showed up (later than we had agreed and almost making me late), but there he was, with Jacelyn in tow. We got to hear Bun's heartbeat. My doctor listened to it for a minute and told Jacelyn, "That's a pretty fast heartbeat, this could be a little boy!", to which Jacelyn promptly responded, "You don't know yet". I, completely aghast, said "Jacelyn!" and my doctor said, "Well, she's right, I don't". After I sent Brian and Jacelyn out of the room he proclaimed Jacelyn to be cute yet precocious.

So that's it. Everything is going fine. Woo-hoo!

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Hey, man, you told her to

Brian arrived in town last night. Jacelyn and I were sitting on the sofa waiting for him to arrive. He sat down and she was showing him the booty she received from the girl scouts for her cookie sales. Among said booty was a fold up brush-mirror combination thingy. She said she was going to brush his hair and promptly climbed up on the back of the sofa and sat behind his head.

After a few moments Brian looked up and noted out loud: "You have a big booger in your nose, you need to blow it". Jacelyn immediately did what she was told and exhaled strongly through her nose, causing two streams of snot to rocket out of her nostrils and rain down upon Brian's head. I did what any mature mother would do: I laughed, very very hard. Like, stomach clutching hard, like almost peeing on myself hard. Jacelyn sat on the sofa, grinning, two shiny rivulets of snot shimmering on her upper lip. Brian was sitting on the sofa with his hands held up in such a way that you could tell he wanted to touch his snot-encrusted head, but then he didn't dare. I was still laughing.

Eventually, after ordering Jacelyn to go wipe her face, he laughed, too. Even after we laid down for the night I still found myself chuckling. "You wouldn't be laughing if your head was all snotty" Brian remarked. Wouldn't I? I was still caught up in the legalities of it all: "You told her to blow her nose, so she blew her nose". There was no mention of tissue. Common sense would dictate using a tissue, but hey. She's five, and snot is funny when you're five. Heck, I'm almost thirty, and I was terribly amused. See, I would have specified the need for tissue. Maybe I'm just around her more and know her a little better, but a tissue would have been the first thing I said: "Jacelyn, go get a tissue and blow your nose". I know my child, and she needs direction. She does not work well unsupervised. She needs specifics, otherwise you never know what might happen. Hey, wait a minute, I could be talking about myself. Hmmm.

Hey, what if people talked about their babies the way recording artists talked about their albums? I want a t-shirt that says, "Yo, my baby drops 1/26/08". That would be AWESOME.

That's all for now, and was probably more than enough. Later!

Saturday, July 14, 2007

They know

I told my family here in town. The reactions:

Dad: "That's real good, that's real good. Isn't it?"
Aunt Rachel: "Good, that's good. Your baby stuff is in my storage unit."
Grandma Morton: "I'm glad I found out from you and not from someone else. Or before you came over here big as a barrel".

Ah, family.

As you can see......

I'm pregnant! It was a surprise (I am always surprised, it seems), but nothing I can't live with.

We found out when I was about four weeks along. I tried to call my former OB's office to ask some questions and get some information, understandably being a little gunshy since the miscarraige a few years ago, and they were very rude and not helpful in the least. Thus wounded, I went to my family doctor and asked him for a referral to an OB. I am THRILLED with my new OB. He is wonderful. On my first visit we actually sat at his desk, in his office, and talked for a good fifteen minutes, before we even got down to the exam. I was atonished.

I have seen baby twice via ultrasound (the transvaginal variety, oh joy). The first time I was only five weeks, so there wasn't much to see. The second time I was just shy of 11 weeks, and you could see the fluttery heartbeat, which was amazing. Then I got to hear the heartbeat, which was also amazing and tear inducing. A very lazy child, though. The first time I saw Jacelyn on ultrasound I was nine weeks pregnant and she was doing acrobatics, so that was what I had to go on. Not this child. This child was lazing around, moving only an occassional shoulder or kicking a leg. It seemed more like we were disturbing it than anything else.

Brian is trying his best (he says) to get home. I have already told him that I will not bring this baby home to his mother's house, nor will I be trying to move and unpack in the midst of my third trimester, so his window is narrowing. We shall see. If he can't get home soon I think we're going to have to find a place anyway and he'll just have to deal with it.

Like I said before, I'm surprised, but happy. What else could I be? I'm 12 weeks today, so I'm "safe" or at least safer. I'm a nervous wreck, that's for sure. But I'm getting by. Anyway, now you know. And I haven't told my dad or family yet, so if you are family or you know my family, don't say anything until I can.

We have told Jacelyn (in the last couple of days). She is thrilled and says that she is pretty certain it's a girl, but, it could be a boy, maybe a little bit, but it's probably a girl. Just between you, me, and the internet, I'm having pretty strong girl feelings myself.

That's about it. The general overall ickiness of the first trimester is starting to subside, slowly, but starting to go. Whew. I'm still tired, but I think that's just how things are going to be. Peeing a lot, hungry every couple of hours. I can't fit into half my clothes - you really do show sooner with your second, that is totally true. I'm not wearing maternity yet, though. Ok, around the house as pajamas, I am, but not out - I refuse to right now. And my bra size? Holy bazongas, Batman, the girls are enormous. ENORMOUS. My hips and thighs have expanded somewhat, which is frustrating, but I have to remind myself that 1. it's for a good cause, 2. it's mostly fluid, not fat, and 3. I lost it once, I can lose it again. My weight gain is fine, so that's going well. Right in line with where its' supposed to be. All my bloodwork came back fine. Everything is going just fine, suspiciously fine, which of course makes me think that doomsday is right around the corner. I'm such an optimist.

I'll keep everyone updated. Later!