You've gotta see the baby!

He's breathtaking! (one of my favorite Seinfeld episodes ever!) And totally waving at you, can you see it??

Anyway, it's not a boy or a girl yet, so don't get all excited! The ultrasound tech explained that there is a genital tuber (awesome), that will either get bigger or smaller in a few weeks, depending on the sex. Hee hee. So it's both.

But everything looks good with the baby! Who is the size of a peach this week, by the way. Because I AM THIRTEEN WEEKS PREGNANT. Holy crap. This scan was done to measure the NT fold for potential cardiac defects, including Down's, but things appear to be within the normal range! (Knock on wood)

It was truly amazing, though, especially remembering the last time we saw the baby - a cashew at 7 weeks! Which really looked like a blob with a little bright spot (the heart). This looked like a baby! Well, it kinda looked like Alien. Something about the jaw, I think. But way more human in just 5 weeks. Can you imagine if we all grew and changed that much, that quickly?! It blows my mind.

So despite being late to the appointment thanks to people who don't know how to drive and I'm sure having a blood pressure much higher than normal, the baby was sleeping when we got in! The tech was funny, poking me and shaking me to get it to move certain ways. But it was sweet to see it all curled up. Literally the "fetal position," which I guess makes sense. :)

Rob's face when we were watching the screen was so sweet I couldn't help but tear up. The whole experience is just so unbelievable. I can't believe there's really a baby in there.

Happy Birthday to Meeeee!

I am writing now as a woman in her 30's. No more straight-up 30 for me. THIRTY ONE. I would totally be dead if I were a dog. (This dog looks just like my beagle Layla, by the way!) My birthday was actually Saturday the 16th but I've been in a deep depression.

Ha, ha - that's not true! It's not really a big deal. It was a super wonderful birthday and I am so appreciative of my family and friends making it so special. But as an aside, and I hope this doesn't make me sound like an alcoholic, but jeez it's weird not to drink on my birthday!

I'm going to write about it briefly because I want to remember it! And also because I owe you a big post since I had my NT Scan yesterday, but I need to scan the pictures so I am holding off. Teaser! I need a scanner at home. I hate having to remember to scan ultrasound pictures before anyone comes into the office in the morning.

I woke up not-too-late on Saturday, after Rob got up to feed the dogs at 7, and took them for a nice walk in the park. When I got home, Rob got up to give me my presents! A really sweet teddy bear (the baby's first!) and a beautiful necklace. It's a heart with little diamonds and in the middle is a mother and baby. Awwww! So sweet. I teared up. It's absolutely beautiful and Rob is the best.

After that, we went apple picking! It was such a gorgeous fall day! I'm so happy we enjoyed it that way. We went with Rob's brother Ian, his girlfriend Brittany, and one of the autistic kids from their school. It was great fun! I learned lots about apples from Ian, who apparently went to "apple college" while working at a cider mill. Ha.

We went to one of our favorite restaurants, a little Mexican place, for dinner with my parents, sister, and sister's boyfriend. Great times! And everyone went in on a sweet flatscreen for Rob and me. I am very lucky and spoiled. :)

Then we went bowling with friends! I thought it would be a good way to do something where people could drink but I didn't feel like a tool for not! It was great and some of my favorite people. :) I love that one of my friends kept buying me Shirley Temples.

All in all, a great day. Also, I had broken down and gotten some maternity pants earlier in the week - I totally popped! I'm 12 weeks and I really look pregnant. Crazy!

I'm happy, lucky, and loved. And thrilled to be adding a baby to this life, family, and group of fabulous people!

Oops!

Ha, I really stink at updating. :) There really hasn't been much going on, though! Here is a random picture of one of my dogs in a laundry basket to apologize.

I had my first obstetrical appointment last week! I was so excited and was really hoping for some kind of proof I was still pregnant...an ultrasound, hearing the hearbeat, something! But nope. I was so disappointed after the appointment. When I was telling my mom about it, I kind of realized what the issue was. For most other pregnant woman, and for the nurses/midwives/doctors that see them, it's really no big deal. I would venture that most women don't spend the time thinking about what could go wrong that those of us with infertility do. I feel like I'm constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop. What can I say, I'm a delicate flower! ;) It makes me realize how deep infertility reaches. And how differently you're treated at a fertility clinic than at an OB office!

I had my first gestational diabetes test, since I'm at a high risk due to my pal PCOS (and the extra pounds, of course). I didn't get the results, so I am hoping things are so far, so good in that way. I still feel like my blood sugar gets low if I don't eat often enough. And the office should be calling me this week in order to schedule my NT bloodwork and ultrasound. Probably sometime next week. I am so excited to see the baby again! It's the size of a lime this week, by the way. I'm 11 weeks and 2 days pregnant today. :)

So this week I am feeling a little different, though! I feel like the fog of exhaustion has lifted! I'm still not quite normal but I'm getting there! My nausea, which was already minor, has continued to decrease. I do know how lucky I've been in that area! And also, I think I can feel my uterus. Which is super weird. :) It's really hard and feels like a little muscle knot just above my pubic bone. I can see it below my normal gut. Hee hee. And Rob felt it, too!

He is so cute, by the way. I love how excited he gets when we talk about the baby, or I tell him a new feeling I have, or read the week's entry in "What to Expect." :)

Anyway, I swear I'll try to post more often. Scout's honor. Also, I'll be officially "In my Thirties" in a few days...my 31st birthday is this weekend. Eek.