What Not to Expect When You're Expecting

I've realized there are a lot of things no one ever seems to mention about being pregnant, at least not to me. Here's a list of some of the things I've discovered so far.

1. Hair growth on the tummy. I'm not a fan, at all.

2. Round ligament pain. Ouch.

3. A growing bust is not nearly as fun as it sounds.

4. Your first ultrasounds are done vaginally. (But I did get a heads up from the IVF.)

5. A constantly stuffy nose.

In other news, I wish I had taken a before photo facing the camera. I noticed yesterday that my waist has basically disappeared. Today I am on the hunt for comfortable fitting pants. I tried some on at Motherhood Maternity yesterday. It didn't go well. Either the waist was HUGE, or the legs were way too short. I have a feeling my lifelong shopping struggles have just gotten much, much worse. I'll try Hot Mama and GAP maternity today, but I'm not holding my breath.

Blizzard Day 2

This is the same view as of this morning. Holy crap, right?! I am so glad I dumped my Honda Civic this summer and bought a Subaru. It was able to get us out for dinner last night. Brian got a second snow day today. His school is up in the foothills at 8300 ft, and they have had 28 inches! Here down the hill we've had 19. And as I'm typing this, a huge branch that provides a lot of privacy in the summer just broke and fell in our yard. Bummer!!! At least it spared the fence! :(

Mini Blizzard!

Our back patio as of noon.

It's not even November, and today the Denver metro area is having it's first snow day! I am already on fall break, but Brian got the best phone call at 5:15am telling him to stay in bed. Amazingly, they still delivered our baby furniture!

15w0d

Last week I was struggling with a cold. I ended up falling asleep by 7:00pm last Monday, and when I woke up I felt tons better. I did have a nasty bloody nose on Tuesday, but by the end of the day I was fully recovered from all of it. That's the fastest I think I've ever gotten over something!

We've been keeping busy on the baby front. Over the weekend we painted the nursery. It's a bright, light green color called "Spirit Whisper." Where do they come up with these names? That's the least descriptive title I've ever heard. And how do I get that job? What a cake walk. Our crib and dresser are being delivered on Wednesday, supposedly. I'm excited to finally have a place to put the baby clothes we've received as gifts already. It's still crazy to me every time a package shows up in the mail. It's like, wait a minute. Oh my god! This is really happening! The other night I stayed up and watched 9 Months on HBO. It's an old movie starring Hugh Grant and Julianne Moore where they accidentally get pregnant (I'll never understand how people do that...). When it came to the delivery scene, it totally struck me. Holy shit. I am having a baby. Sometimes it feels like we're still in the infertility process. Follicle counts, check. Retrieval and transfer, check. Ultrasounds, check. It's just one long journey of hurry up and wait. Except at the end of this part of the process, we really will have a baby. It's hard to put it into words I guess, so if that makes no sense, I apologize.

This week my school district gets a fall break, which means no work Wednesday-Friday. I'm beyond thrilled! My plan is to finally drag myself to a maternity clothing store. I'm sick of the Be Band because it never stays in place, and I can't deny anymore that my cups runneth over (translation: I need new bras). I loathe shopping in general, and maternity wear sounds especially irritating to shop for. Wish me luck!

15 week update:

Current cravings: Someone mentioned Dairy Queen the other day, and it's been on my mind ever since

Current energy level: I can stay up past 9:00 again!

Current appetite: No problems there

Current mood: Excited for a break!

Current weight: ??

Baby movement: nada

In case I don't post again til next week, Happy Halloween everybody!!

14w0d

I'm starting the 14 week mark with a cold. No fun. I woke up yesterday with a headache and sore throat. One of the lovelier side effects of pregnancy that I've been lucky enough to experience is bloody nose gunk. And yesterday, it was worse than normal. I've been drinking a lot of fluids and resting as much as possible. I promised myself at the beginning of the school year that I would be lenient with myself around sick days. Unfortunately, I'm so dang busy at work that I just can't do it right now. And that is just lame.

Since my head is pounding, I'm keeping it brief.

14 week update:

Current cravings: Nada

Current energy level: Under the weather

Current appetite: Ravenous

Current mood: Unhappy to be sick

13w6d

The bump is definitely growing, mostly to the north it seems.

Hello 2nd Trimester! (13w0d)

I can't even believe it! How did I get here? And how has it gone so fast already? When we were stuck in the midst of infertility, time just crawled. Now it's just flying! I am so, so, so thankful to have made it this far!!!!

So in addition to our crib, we ordered our bedding. I know I'm not interested in making everything gender specific, so we went with something that we thought was adorable. I mean really, is an infant even going to remember their nursery? We're the ones who should enjoy it! Once we get the bedding, we'll pick our wall color and finally paint over the hideous purple color that came with the house. I can't wait to start getting it all together!

As for me, my body is changing, all be it slowly. I can tell my belly button is less deep than it used to be, and I've sprouted this lovely patch of dark fuzzy hair all around it. The other day a coworker of mine actually lifted up my shirt to look at me. It was totally unexpected, and seriously unappreciated. No one needs to see my furry belly!!!! How embarrassing! My clothes are starting to feel more clingy, and pants are getting tighter and tighter. I can still button them, but it puts a lot of uncomfortable pressure on my abdomen so I've gotten a lot of use out of the Be Bands already. I complained to the nurse last week that I want to be bigger. She explained how my abs are still fighting a good fight and the baby is still small, yada yada yada. Then she told my husband he should make me put that statement in writing and have me sign and date it. I'm sure I'll eat those words in a few months. (But I do wish I was bigger. Go ahead, call me crazy!)

13 week update:

Current cravings: Everything sounds delicious minus Mexican food.

Current energy level: Slightly less tired

Current appetite: Out of control!!

Current mood: Thrilled!

Current weight: 114 (officially 113.6 at the OB on 10/8)

Nausea?: Nope

12w6d

Dream Count

Last night I dreamt that we had a baby girl. It was the first time I dreamt about an actual baby. Up until now I was only ever pregnant in my dreams. That brings the baby gender dream count to: Boy-2, Girl-2. I'll be thrilled no matter what.

This morning we had a faculty breakfast. I told the teachers at the table where I was sitting, and the next thing I know, one of the teachers yells out, "I have an announcement to make! Lisa is having a baby!" Then everyone started cheering and clapping. I think my face turned cherry red, but it was a great moment. I thank my lucky stars every day!

Ha Ha Ha!

That's me laughing at myself. The nurse told me I can come back anytime between now and my next appointment on Nov. 5 if I need reassurance. I like her, and I love this little baby!!

12w3d

Feeling Paranoid

I hope tomorrow I can look back at this and laugh at myself, but today I feel super paranoid that I've had a missed miscarriage. There's no reason to assume this, though at the same time there are no telltale signs or symptoms when it happens. It just comes as a shock at an appointment. When I woke up this morning I noticed how incredibly flat my tummy looked again. More flat than it's been in a while. By 12 weeks, I thought I would have more to show for it physically (especially since everything I read says underweight women tend to show earlier). Last night I had burning cramps for about one minute, which have not returned. I've felt a lot of little twinges and pains today. It's been a while since I've felt them like this. It all adds up to making me uneasy. Luckily I'll have some answers tomorrow afternoon. If I don't go crazy first...

A Mental Milestone (12w0d)

I've always thought of the 12 week mark as a major milestone. It seems like that's when most women feel comfortable making announcements. I can't believe I'm here! And I did decide to tell my principals today. It was a little less fun than I pictured in my head. No one seemed impressed. I guess most people just think of it as another person getting pregnant. But for me, it's such a miracle. If they only knew...

I'm anxiously waiting for my next OB appointment this Thursday. As far as I know, I'm not getting an ultrasound which bums me out. I would totally pay extra, and if they wanna use the wand I'd put my legs in stirrups in a heartbeat. (Oh how IVF cures modesty.) I am expecting a fetal heart rate check, so I guess that'll have to do. I'm also going to demand a flu shot. Like hell I'm waiting til their flu shot clinic on the 24th. All kinds of nasty stuff is going around all three of my schools. I need something NOW!

The in-laws were in town over the weekend. It was a nice visit, but too short. We did some baby shopping, and they were kind enough to buy us a crib and dresser. We don't have them yet, but you can check the crib out here.

12 week update:

Current cravings: Nothing really

Current energy level: Pretty tired still

Current appetite: HUNGRY!!

Current mood: Happy (for 12 weeks and for the Vikings winning so far :)

Current weight: 114

Nausea?: Nope

Baby bump: Oh, it's there, but no photo this week. 13 weeks will be the 2nd tri, so we'll get one up then. For now, I don't see much of a difference from last week and I blame any increase on some major constipation/bloating. I'm starting to feel chubby. When I'm sitting, my chest presses down and my pants push up, so my tummy is squished up like an accordion. Not enjoying it, but it's a nice constant reminder that something is growing in there!