Dear total stranger,
Having a friend who's 2nd cousin's daughter had to go through IVF to get pregnant doesn't make you a qualified expert on IVF nor does it give you room to lecture me on how expensive it is and the emotional toll it may or may not take on a relationship. Also, don't try to 'one-up' someone who has gone through what they've gone through just to make your story seem more interesting.
Its fucking rude.
Sincerely, my hormones.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Thursday, July 23, 2015
12 Week bump-date!
Baby Bear is now the size of a plum. His Father is in complete disbelief.
He's weighs in around a half once and is just over 2 inches long. His liver and spleen are now producing blood cells and the pancreas is beginning to release digestive enzymes. The sex of baby is becoming more pronounced and the kidneys are producing urine from the amniotic fluid he's ingesting regularly. His intestines, which have been growing so rapidly that they are protruding into his umbilical cord are now moving back into his stomach.
Fun Facts:
Baby Bear is able to curl his toes, clench the muscles in his face around his eyes and make sucking movements with his mouth. he can also tell when I place my hand over my belly and will even squirm if I gently poke my belly.
Momma Bear:
Feeling better and better every day although I still feel a little ill after the car ride home every day.
I had my first "craving" last night at the grocery store.
Pineapple. Of all things.. It's the one thing that I have to be very careful of how much I eat because it can cause contractions which could obviously lead to a miscarriage. This WOULD be my craving.
I also saw ravioli (in the can, mind you) and grabbed two because they just looked so good and by the time I got home and pulled them out of the grocery bag I had pretty much changed my mind about them.
HAHA!!!
I have to laugh sometimes, or else I'll cry.
My mood seems to be better this week too but probably just because I have tried to mentally block out anything financial.
I'll update later with pictures.
He's weighs in around a half once and is just over 2 inches long. His liver and spleen are now producing blood cells and the pancreas is beginning to release digestive enzymes. The sex of baby is becoming more pronounced and the kidneys are producing urine from the amniotic fluid he's ingesting regularly. His intestines, which have been growing so rapidly that they are protruding into his umbilical cord are now moving back into his stomach.
Fun Facts:
Baby Bear is able to curl his toes, clench the muscles in his face around his eyes and make sucking movements with his mouth. he can also tell when I place my hand over my belly and will even squirm if I gently poke my belly.
Momma Bear:
Feeling better and better every day although I still feel a little ill after the car ride home every day.
I had my first "craving" last night at the grocery store.
Pineapple. Of all things.. It's the one thing that I have to be very careful of how much I eat because it can cause contractions which could obviously lead to a miscarriage. This WOULD be my craving.
I also saw ravioli (in the can, mind you) and grabbed two because they just looked so good and by the time I got home and pulled them out of the grocery bag I had pretty much changed my mind about them.
HAHA!!!
I have to laugh sometimes, or else I'll cry.
My mood seems to be better this week too but probably just because I have tried to mentally block out anything financial.
I'll update later with pictures.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Unwanted Pregnancy Advice.
Bear and I went to an amazing, local antique store last weekend. We probably spent and hour and a half walking around in there and even found a cute hot air balloon to hang in the nursery! It was probably the most justified $50 I've ever spent in my life :)
Upon checking out, the young woman behind the counter began to small talk with us, telling us how we found a really great piece and asked us where we planned on hanging it, to which Barry blurted out, "in the baby's nursery!!"
I have to admit, I was a bit stunned. Not because he answered truthfully, but... Because he answered truthfully to a complete stranger when we haven't even made a Grand Announcement to our friends and family yet. And because I was caught off guard, I went insta-red as soon as she turned to me and exclaimed, "REALLY?! HOW FAR ALONG ARE YOU?!"
To which I quietly replied, "almost 12 weeks," as if I were trying to keep it from the rest of the old, gabby Abbys walking around like zombies.
With that, I saw her face light up even further and here it came, like vomit from her mouth, "Oh I can remember when I...."
(Insert another lady holding big box for said hot air balloon) "I FOUND YOU GUYS A BOX!"
Oh thank God.
I was saved from my very first "advice story" from a stranger.
Go figure,.. the very first stranger we tell, and that's the first reaction. How typical.
This is going to be a long 6 months.
I fear the day an [old] lady hits me up in the grocery store while I'm standing in the check out line and wants to rub my belly and tell me horror stories of all the children she birthed.
I will seriously pretend to be deaf.
Or blind.
Or a mute.
Possibly all three of the above if that's what it takes.
I will only leave the house with Barry so that he can intercept such train wrecks.
He'll need a little teaching, of course.
Lord, don't leave my side now, when I really need you!!!
OH. I forgot the best part.
While trying to get us to come to some little event their hosting on some day, of some month, she was like, "there will be wine and beer as well, which you (points to Barry) can enjoy the beer, and you, (points to me) can enjoy a couple glasses of wine! Because you're totally allowed to every now and then!!"
Wow... Thanks for the advice..
And thanks for proving my point.
Upon checking out, the young woman behind the counter began to small talk with us, telling us how we found a really great piece and asked us where we planned on hanging it, to which Barry blurted out, "in the baby's nursery!!"
I have to admit, I was a bit stunned. Not because he answered truthfully, but... Because he answered truthfully to a complete stranger when we haven't even made a Grand Announcement to our friends and family yet. And because I was caught off guard, I went insta-red as soon as she turned to me and exclaimed, "REALLY?! HOW FAR ALONG ARE YOU?!"
To which I quietly replied, "almost 12 weeks," as if I were trying to keep it from the rest of the old, gabby Abbys walking around like zombies.
With that, I saw her face light up even further and here it came, like vomit from her mouth, "Oh I can remember when I...."
(Insert another lady holding big box for said hot air balloon) "I FOUND YOU GUYS A BOX!"
Oh thank God.
I was saved from my very first "advice story" from a stranger.
Go figure,.. the very first stranger we tell, and that's the first reaction. How typical.
This is going to be a long 6 months.
I fear the day an [old] lady hits me up in the grocery store while I'm standing in the check out line and wants to rub my belly and tell me horror stories of all the children she birthed.
I will seriously pretend to be deaf.
Or blind.
Or a mute.
Possibly all three of the above if that's what it takes.
I will only leave the house with Barry so that he can intercept such train wrecks.
He'll need a little teaching, of course.
Lord, don't leave my side now, when I really need you!!!
OH. I forgot the best part.
While trying to get us to come to some little event their hosting on some day, of some month, she was like, "there will be wine and beer as well, which you (points to Barry) can enjoy the beer, and you, (points to me) can enjoy a couple glasses of wine! Because you're totally allowed to every now and then!!"
Wow... Thanks for the advice..
And thanks for proving my point.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
11 Weeks. Baby blues already? (edited to add belly pic)
Baby Bear:
Baby is now the size of a lime and almost fully formed. This weeks he is sporting finger nails which will begin growing soon and he's practicing opening and closing his hands. He's still a little while off from having actual hair but his hair follicles are beginning to develop. At some point in the next couple of days, blood will begin circulating between the uterus and baby and the placenta will start functioning. Baby bear looks more human now than ever with a visible neck, straighter back, and thicker skin. This is the beginning of a three week growth spurt where he will more than double in length.
Fun Fact: He is fully capable and will from time to time get a case of the hiccups now that his diaphragm is forming. AND, this week he'll begin somersaults and forward rolls.
How's Mamma?
Blue.
So far even through sickness, I've just been so beside-myself-happy about everything. And now, for seemingly no reason at all, I'm feeling down. I know finances probably have a lot to do with it and hormones do as well, but I feel like this came out of no where and it's lasted for about a week now. I'm sure its only temporary so I won't bore you with a whole blog post about it.
Other than that, I don't know. Everything is okay I guess. My appetite is returning although the heat and certain smells still flip my stomach. According to my co-worker who I told that to yesterday, now is when I'll start packing on the pounds.
Here's another image of my nonexistent bump
Baby is now the size of a lime and almost fully formed. This weeks he is sporting finger nails which will begin growing soon and he's practicing opening and closing his hands. He's still a little while off from having actual hair but his hair follicles are beginning to develop. At some point in the next couple of days, blood will begin circulating between the uterus and baby and the placenta will start functioning. Baby bear looks more human now than ever with a visible neck, straighter back, and thicker skin. This is the beginning of a three week growth spurt where he will more than double in length.
Fun Fact: He is fully capable and will from time to time get a case of the hiccups now that his diaphragm is forming. AND, this week he'll begin somersaults and forward rolls.
How's Mamma?
Blue.
So far even through sickness, I've just been so beside-myself-happy about everything. And now, for seemingly no reason at all, I'm feeling down. I know finances probably have a lot to do with it and hormones do as well, but I feel like this came out of no where and it's lasted for about a week now. I'm sure its only temporary so I won't bore you with a whole blog post about it.
Other than that, I don't know. Everything is okay I guess. My appetite is returning although the heat and certain smells still flip my stomach. According to my co-worker who I told that to yesterday, now is when I'll start packing on the pounds.
Here's another image of my nonexistent bump
Friday, July 10, 2015
10 WEEKS = 1/4 of the way through pregnancy already!
I know at some point these words will loose their meaning to some, but I still can hardly believe I'm pregnant, much less 10 weeks already!
I got to see little baby bear yesterday! He was waving to us and kicking his little legs too!!!!
He's measuring exactly 10 weeks (2.94 centimeters) and is the size of a dried date! (excuse my stolen Internet photo. Date photos are hard to find and I didn't want to buy any actual dates from the store.)
We also got to hear his little heartbeat yesterday for the first time; 183 beats per minute! The nurse said he looked great and all of his specs were perfect!
Update on him:
He is now equipped with all of this internal organs and his heart is almost fully developed!. His toes and fingers are no longer webbed and his eyes are moving from the sides of this head, to the front where they will soon be permanently located. His ears are also taking their final shape. This week he'll begin sampling tiny amounts of amniotic fluid which tastes like whatever I eat. By the time he is 13-15 weeks, his taste buds will have fully formed and he will begin taking in much larger amounts. During the third trimester, he'll be swallowing up to a liter of amniotic fluid a day!
How's Mamma?
This weeks "morning sickness" is mostly only occuring during hours surround lunch. Also, before or even after dinner, I've gotten queasy too. As long as I eat breakfast before I'm hungry, I can usually fend off being sick in the AM but now the PM sickness is taking effect. Hopefully in a couple of weeks, this will all be a thing of the past.
Also, Milk of Magnesia and prune juice are my new besties. :)
OH and another thing to add to the list of "Things they don't tell you about being pregnant:" You can't lick the spoon and bowl when you finish making a batch of brownies.
DAMN IT!! It felt unholy to just wash all of it down the drain :(
BUT, the brownies turned out excellent, so whatevs!
I got to see little baby bear yesterday! He was waving to us and kicking his little legs too!!!!
He's measuring exactly 10 weeks (2.94 centimeters) and is the size of a dried date! (excuse my stolen Internet photo. Date photos are hard to find and I didn't want to buy any actual dates from the store.)
Update on him:
He is now equipped with all of this internal organs and his heart is almost fully developed!. His toes and fingers are no longer webbed and his eyes are moving from the sides of this head, to the front where they will soon be permanently located. His ears are also taking their final shape. This week he'll begin sampling tiny amounts of amniotic fluid which tastes like whatever I eat. By the time he is 13-15 weeks, his taste buds will have fully formed and he will begin taking in much larger amounts. During the third trimester, he'll be swallowing up to a liter of amniotic fluid a day!
How's Mamma?
This weeks "morning sickness" is mostly only occuring during hours surround lunch. Also, before or even after dinner, I've gotten queasy too. As long as I eat breakfast before I'm hungry, I can usually fend off being sick in the AM but now the PM sickness is taking effect. Hopefully in a couple of weeks, this will all be a thing of the past.
Also, Milk of Magnesia and prune juice are my new besties. :)
OH and another thing to add to the list of "Things they don't tell you about being pregnant:" You can't lick the spoon and bowl when you finish making a batch of brownies.
DAMN IT!! It felt unholy to just wash all of it down the drain :(
BUT, the brownies turned out excellent, so whatevs!
Monday, July 6, 2015
9w4d [late] update
Happy 9 weeks my not so little 5ab who is the size of a kumquat!
We have officially graduated from embryo to fetus as his embryonic tail has finally vanished! His eyes are fully formed now although his lids are fused shut and will remain so until about 27 weeks. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most the critical job of producing hormones. Now that his basic physiology is in place, he's poised for rapid weight gain.
Fun facts- by week 9, thumb sucking begins! He's also able to swallow amniotic fluid, grasp and object, move his head forward and back, open and close his mouth, move his tongue, sigh, and stretch!!
How's Mamma?
Well, other than being glued to the toilet Thursday night from about 1am - 2am and having a headache most of the day Friday, this weekend was really great! Besides a few "food aversion moments" I didn't really have much queasiness. However, now that it's Monday and I have work to do, I feel terrible. Like, so sick I just want to cry about it! I forced down my cheerios for breakfast and it's looking like I'll have to "force" down my soup for lunch too but maybe after that I'll feel better... Aside from this "morning" sickness, I'm extra crampy today which I think may have something to do with the ole pipes being backed up still which I'm hoping the prunes I pick up later form the store will fix.
Here's my stomach.
Is that a bump, you ask?
Nope... Not yet. I believe that's just the ice cream I've been wallowing in every night after dinner. And probably a fart or two.
We have officially graduated from embryo to fetus as his embryonic tail has finally vanished! His eyes are fully formed now although his lids are fused shut and will remain so until about 27 weeks. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most the critical job of producing hormones. Now that his basic physiology is in place, he's poised for rapid weight gain.
Fun facts- by week 9, thumb sucking begins! He's also able to swallow amniotic fluid, grasp and object, move his head forward and back, open and close his mouth, move his tongue, sigh, and stretch!!
How's Mamma?
Well, other than being glued to the toilet Thursday night from about 1am - 2am and having a headache most of the day Friday, this weekend was really great! Besides a few "food aversion moments" I didn't really have much queasiness. However, now that it's Monday and I have work to do, I feel terrible. Like, so sick I just want to cry about it! I forced down my cheerios for breakfast and it's looking like I'll have to "force" down my soup for lunch too but maybe after that I'll feel better... Aside from this "morning" sickness, I'm extra crampy today which I think may have something to do with the ole pipes being backed up still which I'm hoping the prunes I pick up later form the store will fix.
Here's my stomach.
Is that a bump, you ask?
Nope... Not yet. I believe that's just the ice cream I've been wallowing in every night after dinner. And probably a fart or two.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Things they don't tell you about being pregnant..
In the few weeks I've been knocked up, I've compiled a short list of the not-so-elegant side to pregnancy:
- One word: constipation. No need to further elaborate.
- Morning sickness comes and goes on a daily and weekly basis. One minute you think to yourself, "Yes! I'm finally out of the woods!" and then, BLAM!!! It strikes again.
- Morning sickness is not just confined to the early morning hours. In fact, mine usually last until 1 or 2 o'clock. And on the rare occasion-after dinner as well.
- Water can and will give you heartburn.
- Your favorite foods pre-pregnancy will NOT be your favorite foods during pregnancy. At least not while your battling "morning" sickness. The blandest foods available will become your new best friends.
- Your boobs will morph into those of a Victoria's Secret model- HUGE. Unfortunately however, they will be too sore too even look at, much less touch. And if that wasn't lovely enough, your painful yet itchy nipples feel like they'll break off and fall down the drain when they water hits them in the shower.
- Your skin will become extremely sensitive. I'm not talking about zits, which I'm sure is just waiting around the corner for me. I'm talking razor sensitivity. Be prepared for razor burn/bumps even with a brand new blade.
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