Week 12

Date/Week: June 30; week 12

Total weight gain/loss: ?

Belly measurement: ?

Milestones: My first non vaginal u/s since 2008!!!

Physical Progress: I am using a hair elastic to button my pants. My lowe abdomen is hard.

Symptoms: Feeling a lot better but my internal furnace has me sweating all the time! Thank God for AC!

How do I feel about my body: Still not crazy about the new boobs. I'm psyched that I don't look pg from behind!

Food cravings/aversions: donuts!!!!!

Sleep: I've been having really vivid dreams. Aidan has been purchasing a lot of real estate over the past week in my dreams...

Energy level: Want a nap at 3pm... 

Exercise: still walking; plan to add some swimming/water aerobics soon.

Baby Movement: not sure...

Thoughts and Feelings? I feel better since the NT scan seemed to go well today.

What I am looking forward to: coming out of the maternity closet

What am I reading / things I’m learning: babycenter.com / lots about NT scans

Week 12

The Circle of Life

It's been one hellish weekend. Instead of a slow relaxing Saturday that we had planned, an early morning call changed my life yet again. My godfather, who is my mom's cousin, had not reported to work. Since he has a heart condition, his co-worker was concerned and called the police to check to see if anything was wrong. My uncle was called since he owns the building and my parents were called since it was my mom's cousin. My mom is in Florida for my niece's dance recital so my dad called me to ask for me and Aidan to go with my uncle. I prayed all the way into the City that all would be well... but it wasn't. It appears my godfather had a heart attack and passed away. Thankfully, I didn't enter the apartment - I only saw his hand, I panicked and ran down the stairs. The police were so very helpful and between them and Aidan, I got through it. The police had to talk to my mom and my godfather's mom (she's in Las Vegas) via my cellphone because I really wasn't very helpful in providing information. When the funeral home came they sent me on a walk. Aidan helped sort everything out and then took me to our favorite restaurant to get me to eat some food.

I've been a zombie for most of the weekend. Both my godfathers are now gone. Both were very involved in my life. Both didn't have children so they treated me like their daughter. I feel so sad to not have either of them here anymore. I told Aidan that if we have a boy, I'd like to include both their first names as middle names in remembrance of two amazing men - he agreed. Now we just have to see if we can do so...

I've titled this post circle of life because in the midst of all of this sadness, we heard sproglet's heartbeat on the doppler for the first time this morning. Up until now, we just used the digital display to find the heartbeat. Hearing it was surreal. I bawled. It's amazing!

June ICLW - Welcome to Bermuda!

Hi Everyone!

I'm late with ICLW this month. We've just come back from a short vacation that was originally supposed to be an IVF consult in Budapest. It was a really quick trip and not as relaxing as a normal vacation. Still, I am so happy that we were able to get away for a little bit.

I've been trying to figure out what to do this month. I've decided to share 6 of my favorite movies. Please excuse the randomness of the eras... that's just me!

Singing in the Rain - This movie is the first one that I would pull out when I was missing home when I was at college. It is my all time favorite musical and my introduction to the wonderful talent, Gene Kelly. I still pull it out often and yes, I pretty much know the entire movie by heart.

Funny Face - It is perhaps my favorite Audrey Hepburn movie and Fred Astaire was a lot of fun in it. The scene with her walking down the stairs in the red dress always makes me smile!

Star Wars Episode IV - Another movie that I know by heart. If it comes on tv, I have to watch it (then I pull out the DVDs for the next two movies). When I hear the 20th Century Fox opening theme I always expect to hear the Star Wars theme follow it.

Dirty Dancing - the summer this movie came out I was on the cusp of becoming a teenager, spending the summer at my grandmother's in Brooklyn, NY. No one would take me to see it. My dad purchased the video tape for me and I watched it the first time with my parents. We all enjoyed it for different reasons. I then became tryly addicted (until my obsession with 'The Phantom of the Opera' began a bit later that year). I knew most of the dance steps and all of the dialogue. When I got to see the stage production in London on Monday evening for my birthday, I was probably too critical of the differences - particularly with the leading man. Still, it's a great story and it was fun to see it on stage!

Thunderball - I love James Bond (Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan, in particular). I could put down 'Live and Let Die' or 'Goldfinger' or 'Moonraker' or 'Die Another Day' as movies I have watched many times but my favorite is 'Thunderball'. I remember watching it on Sunday afternoons, lying on the carpet in my parent's living room. I thought Domino was beautiful and I wanted to one day make love underwater, thanks to this movie... ;)

Some Like It Hot - This movie still cracks me up. Tony Curtis' Cary Grant impersonation is nuts and Jack Lemmon's tango was too silly. This was the first Marilyn Monroe movie I had even seen and I wanted to sing like her for weeks afterwards. I think I purchased this for my birthday two years ago because it is guaranted to make me laugh.

This was tough as there are so many other movies that I love! I may have to do a part two at another time.

Weeks 10 & 11

Date/Week: Week 10

Total weight gain/loss: ?

Belly measurement: ?

Milestones: Going on a quick vacation

Physical Progress: I have a bit of a belly...

Symptoms: nausea off and on; gassy feeling in belly every so often

How do I feel about my body: I feel fat

Food cravings/aversions: I am craving fresh apricots and McDonald's chicken nuggets

Sleep: Naps are pretty good when I have the opportunity to have them

Energy level: Better than last week - I need to be able to walk a lot on vacation

Exercise: walking the dogs

Baby Movement: not yet

Thoughts and Feelings? Not looking forward to going to Boston - hope I won't have to. I just want this pregnancy to be normal!

What I am looking forward to: getting into the second tri

What am I reading / things I’m learning: nothing new this week



Date/Week: June 24; week 11

Total weight gain/loss: ?

Belly measurement: ?

Milestones: Finally own a few maternity bras! Wore my first maternity t-shirt (much more comfortable!)

Physical Progress: At the bra fitting she guessed how far along I was by the size of my belly... cool!

Symptoms: nausea not too bad. Still feeling tired though... and gassy.

How do I feel about my body: Looking forward to 'coming out' because that means that I'm not 'fat' anymore.

Food cravings/aversions: craving fresh apricots and youghurt.

Sleep: I go to bed early but I don't feel rested when I wake up.

Energy level: Much better.

Exercise: still walking; plan to add some swimming/water aerobics soon.

Baby Movement: not yet

Thoughts and Feelings? I know I am going to get stressed out soon since the NT scan is next Wednesday...

What I am looking forward to: seeing sproglet next week

What am I reading / things I’m learning: Stokke product catalog - trying to find a stroller that's good for tall people!

Week 10

Week 11

Last Night in London

Hi There and Happy ICLW!

London has been a whirlwind!!!! Not enough time but we'll be back in September (fingers crossed). I've had a wonderful birthday today and now we're trying to pack. I'm also trying to get Aidan to update our blog with the last hour of internet time that I've purchased...

I'll catch up with everyone soon!

Hello from Budapest!

Hi There!

We've just checked into our hotel. It's been a lot of travelling and I am exhausted. Hoping to relax a little and then we'll go out and explore a bit. We haven't been here since our honeymoon so good memories!

Aidan will be blogging our trip on our family site. I'll write here but probably not in as much detail.

Another Test

This past weekend, in addition to having my cousin stay over and the myriad of shows that Aidan had to perform in, I had to do my 24 hour urine collection. I'm an old pro at this test. I do it every other year for my nephrologist so I knew I'd need more than one collection container and the protocol for collection, etc. What I didn't plan for is the number of times that I now go to the loo.

First collection (that you discard) was at 4.20am on Sunday. Yes, that's a regular hour that I've been seeing for a few weeks now. I stayed home from church because I thought about how often I go in the morning - and I was right! The afternoon became the tricky bit. My cousin wanted to go to the beach... so I packed the empty container, an ice pack, a cooler bag and we were off. Thanks to the sun, salt and sea she ended up not wanting to stay for long so I was ok for that period and the rest of the afternoon.

We had to take my cousin back to my parent's house that evening since she's flying back to the US today. I didn't take the container because I was on my second by then. Soooo stupid. I wanted to get back home (45 minute drive) but my parents wanted to catch up. Finally, the Tony Awards began, they were distracted and Aidan and I escaped. In any case, collection finished at 4am this morning... I hope the test results are good. I won't know until July 1 (after the NT scan). At least there's a vacation in between.....

Countdown to Vacation.... 4 days to go!

Aidan and I are so looking forward to getting on British Airways on Wednesday evening. We're so ready for a vacation. We've had such a busy week and are having a busier weekend but we know this time next week we'll be relaxing sans dogs, cats, bands, dancers, interns, work or chores. We're ready to live in a hotel for a few days!

Yesterday was crazy for me. I had meant to catch the ferry in to work but I was running late so Aidan drove me in. Thankfully, traffic wasn't too bad thanks to people taking the day off to see the first World Cup games. The interns were having a networking breakfast, followed by their exam and then their second round of presentations for me. Needless to say, we ended up running behind once we got to the presentations so lunch and their final presentation of the day in my office was a little rushed. We then had to go to the hospital for a tour. It was pretty good. Translation: I survived without passing out. Sure, they got to see a severed leg in pathology but I stayed out of the room when they did that. Even though it was a pleasant tour, I was happy to get out of there a little early and back to my office for Aidan to pick me up. We then had a performance that I got to coordinate the dancers for since I was the only one not dancing. It didn't suck as much as I thought it would.

Today, Aidan had to play for the Queen's Birthday Parade. My cousin and I went out for breakfast and then did some shopping while we waited for the parade to start. It was a warm morning so we ensured that we were in the shade. It was quite enjoyable to watch, as usual. Afterwards, we ran errands, got some lunch and then ate it at a nature reserve. Aidan is now off to Government House to play for the Queen's Birthday Cocktail Party while I'm at home watching England vs. USA.

As for vacation prep, I purchased a Rick Steves book on Budapest today. Apparently, the hotel that we're staying at also sent Aidan an email on Friday with information on what will be going on in the city when we're there. Aidan's printed out all of our documentation for hotels, shows, etc and we now need to start packing. Wednesday can't come fast enough...

Week 9

Date/Week: June 9; week 9

Total weight gain/loss: 174.5 (Doctor's Office Scale Baseline)

Belly measurement: n/a

Milestones: Sproglet is now a foetus; NT scan scheduled for June 30; C-Section scheduled for January 12, 2011

Physical Progress: My waist has definitely gotten thicker! I'm rather self conscious in my clothing at the moment

Symptoms: nauseous, nauseous, nauseous... nipples still permanently pointing at people...

How do I feel about my body: I'm sexy one moment and a cow the next... 

Food cravings/aversions: chicken and eggs make me feel queasy; I'm loving cheese on Kashi 7 grain crackers, fresh apricots and popcorn

Sleep: I just want some sleep... please...

Energy level: A bit better but I'm winded walking up stairs or a hill... that really sucks!

Exercise: walk almost daily; officially banned from highland dancing 

Baby Movement: not yet

Thoughts and Feelings? I'm pretty psyched that things are progressing! I still have moments when I freak out - the latest was over education.

What I am looking forward to: getting into the second tri

What am I reading / things I’m learning: 'Pregnancy for Men" - It's a great book written by a guy from the UK / The female reproductive system looks like a a ram eating a carrot.

Week 9

1st Appointment

Today was our first OB appointment. We've seen our OB so many times since March in preparation for the Post-Fibroid Removal check-ups and the IVF consult preparations that it was seemed odd for it to be a first visit. Thankfully, since we had so many tests done for the IVF consult that I had to do half the tests today that were required for intake. That was great because I hate needles!

My weight and bloodpressure were ok. Aidan calculated my weight for me since at home I weigh myself after going to the bathroom and before breakfast while naked. When he added in clothing, food & drink and the weight discrepancy since the scale wasn't balanced at zero, I was ok with the weight gain. We've decided to use the office scale going forward to track my weight gain though since it is such a difference. My bloodpressure was borderline this morning but still ok. Once we did the physical, we scheduled the NT Scan for June 30th and the next appointment for July 1st. We also scheduled the c-section date for January 12th but the doctor doubts that we'll make it to that date.

Before leaving the doctor told me to sign up for a prenatal class and gave me some advice for our trip next week (wear flight socks, get a seat on the aisle in order to get up easily, get up and walk every hour, drink lots of water). Unfortunately, he has also requested that I stop highland dancing... oh well, I knew that was coming!

It was then over to the hospital for the blood tests and my second urine test of the morning (I can pee on cue at the moment!). It wasn't as bad as in the past. The needle was still a pain but the blood flowed quite well. I also need to do a 24 hour urine test this weekend since they need a baseline to monitor me against.

All in all, I feel so organized at the moment. Sure, I still need to get a high risk OB referral from Brigham and Women's approved by my insurance but that shouldn't be a problem at all. Signing up for the prenatal class should be pretty easy too. I then also need to register for prenatal yoga when it starts again in September but I have a lot of time to do that!

Playing Tourist...

I often take for granted my beautiful country because I am usually wrapped up in my never ending to-do list. Sometimes though, I get to experience it through other's eyes and it make me appreciate it so much more. Yesterday, my cousin who is visiting from GA, spent the afternoon with me and Aidan and we 'played tourist with her'. She did most of the touristy stuff with her mother last week but they hadn't made it up to our end of the Island before her mom flew back to the US on Friday.

Aidan picked her up from my parent's house after the Queen's Birthday Parade rehearsal and I had the house in pretty good shape - I had done 3 loads of laundry and even used the special cleaner on the stainless steel appliances. We first took the dogs for a quick walk up to the Heydon Chapel. The dogs loved her and spent most of the time walking with her (we were old news...). We then headed to Dockyard for lunch and a little exploring. We ate at Freeport Garden and it was a nice relaxed atmosphere and a change of pace from the pub. We then headed to the Clocktower Mall. I purchased a few summer dresses from the Turkish shop and we competed with the cruise ship visitors to see what was in the various shops. We then headed to the Maritime Museum.

First stop was the dolphins. There have been 2 or 3 babies born since last summer (I believe) so we watched them swim about with their mothers and saw some of the other dolphins practicing various tricks. They're so curious. There were a number of visitors getting ready to get into the water to 'interact' with them and the dolphins kept coming out to the water to see what was going on with the people on the dock! we then went up to Commissioner's House and the Hall of History. Commissioner's House is still my favorite place in Dockyard and it is even more fascinating due to the 400 years of history mural. I see something new every time I visit. The colours are so rich!

Once we finished visiting the museum, we walked through the Crafts Market and then went to get some ice cream from the Hagen Daas shop. Then it was off to get ready to go kayaking. We cleaned off the kayak- it had been in storage since last August and the 3 of us went on the 2 man kayak. It wasn't too bad. Aidan was a little cramped at first but we stopped a few times to make it more comfortable for him. I paddled 1/2 of the way - good arm workout - and switched places with him to let him paddle back while my cousin sat up front. Aidan saw a sea turtle but we were so busy paddling that we didn't get to see it. It was so good to be on the water - I love it and always feel that I should be out on it more when I go boating. Sadly, we had to head in after 90 minutes since we had to go to dinner at Aidan's parent's house.

My cousing is going to stay with us fromThursday - Sunday and then she'll fly back to GA on the Monday. I'm looking forward to playing tourist again. We're going to take the bikes out next weekend and perhaps even walk on the South Shore from Warwick Long Bay to Horseshoe Bay - that should be fun if it isn't too hot...

Performance Anxiety

Today was our second ultrasound. Between last night and this afternoon I worked myself into such a frenzy. I couldn't sleep last night... I was having crazy dreams... I've just been a mess!

Well, sproglet was fine - actually better than fine and measuring at 8w 4d. Aidan said that it was like looking at a little finger puppet on the u/s screen. I was so relieved to see such a strong heartbeat. Both of us visibly relaxed when we saw that. The rest of the visit was smooth sailing once our anxiety was relieved (mine in particular).

So all is well and my first 'real' OB visit will take place on Wednesday, June 9. Due to my high blood pressure and the meds they have me on, I have to have more frequent ultrasounds going forward because they have to keep an eye on the fluid around the baby. Other than that, on Wednesday we'll be discussing options related to my high risk status and having to possibly go overseas. We'll also get the forms for all of the blood tests and we'll discuss other tests that they recommend since I am 35+.
 
It's all pretty straightforward and I've already started reading up on some of the things the OB mentioned. I actually left the office with a clear head for the first time today!

Interns, interns everywhere!

I am involved in coordinating an internship programme in IT for college students. It is a part of my job that I truly enjoy and I look forward to it. It is great seeing students grow and evelop over the summer and then to see them graduate and enter the workforce with a greater understanding of what they will be doing compared to their peers.

This year's interns started on Thursday and have thus far had quite a bit of soft skills training (customer service, networking, presentation skills). Yesterday, they had to start working on project plans for the team projects that they have to complete and on Monday they start with their respective employers for the summer. We pull them out of their employer's offices for a week each month for IT training and they also have to participate in 2 networking events each month.

As fun as this is, they're driving me nuts! I didn't realise how much I adore silence until I had to facilitate the 'project planning' yesterday and today. The questions, oh the questions... and most of them are silly questions!!! Yesterday I thought it was just me but when I swapped with the other coordinator at lunch time yesterday, she called me last night to say that they were driving her nuts too! I had to lay down the law this morning - they had to calm down and be more professional in their interactions. It helped a bit but a few of them are still over the top. Yeah, I was happy to hand them over this afternoon as well.... I get them back next Friday for presentations and their first exam - I hope they'll be much calmer by then!

Week 8

Date/Week: June 2; week 8


Total weight gain/loss: 166.2 (0)

Belly measurement: n/a

Milestones: can sometimes find a heartbeat for a few seconds on the doppler (just wanted to try it out) but won't use it until the 2nd tri; next u/s on June 4

Physical Progress: clothing is a bit tighter around my waist; now sleeping in my sports bras....

Symptoms: nauseous but the preggie drops are helping. I am also loving Twinings lemon & ginger tea. Constipation is a PITA (literally) - now eating a high fibre cereal for breakfast and more fruit during the day to help...

How do I feel about my body: some days I feel like a bloated cow and others I feel feminine (I mostly feel like a bloated cow)

Food cravings/aversions: egg foo young, cheese & crackers, watermelon

Sleep: Exhausted during the day. Napping after work and going to bed at 9 - 9.30pm. Waking up at 2/3am for about 30 minutes but then can sleep until about 6am.

Energy level: I don't really have any... I feel so lazy. Aidan has to drag me out to walk in the morning!

Exercise: walk almost daily; highland dancing 1x this week; highland dancing performance (warm-up & 1 dance)

Baby Movement: not yet

Thoughts and Feelings? I have my paranoid moments but I am a bit better than I was last week (I say that now... we'll see what I say after Friday).

What I am looking forward to: seeing what the sproglet looks like at the next u/s

What am I reading / things I’m learning: 'What to Expect When You're Expecting' / For Aidan (concerning the bbs): Look, appreciate but don't touch

Week 8