Pregnancy Update and First Belly Pictures!

Today I am 16 weeks pregnant!  Baby Shack is the size of a large avocado now.  In three weeks we will have our anatomy scan and find out if we are having a boy or girl.  That will be a super fun day!  I am officially a few weeks into my second trimester but my first trimester symptoms have really hung around for a few extra weeks.  I still have days where I get tired and sleepy but I can tell I am finally pulling out of the first trimester fog.  When I was pregnant with Lena I didn't take very many belly pictures.  I didn't even look pregnant until I was in my third trimester.  My belly is finally popping a tiny bit now..barely...  Here are two pictures to compare:

6 weeks - 189 Pounds

16 weeks - 194 pounds

If not to compare my belly size I can at least use them to keep track of my weight.  With my last pregnancy I gained about 50-60 pounds (and I only made it to 36 weeks).  So far I have gained five pounds through the first sixteen weeks.  At my OB appointment a few weeks ago I got the okay to get back to exercise.  Hopefully I can make some wiser choices with my food and exercise this time around so I don't have to work so long and hard to lose my baby weight this time.

Lena: 27 Months Old

Lena announcing that she is going to be a big sister!

Miss Lena is growing up fast!  She is talking up a storm and has moved on to sentences now.  Like all language learners she has her own way of pronouncing certain things:

"peesh" is a sheep
"nook" is milk
"shish" is fish
"not" means no
"Is good?" means she likes what she is eating
"try!" or "some?" means she wants to eat some of what you have

Snuggle time with Daddy; Look at that pose!

Snuggle time with Mommy (and Minnie)

Lately she likes to snuggle into our laps or in bed and then declare herself "cozy".  So much of what she says comes from listening to me all day.  We are on the verge of potty training and she has been successful on the potty before bath time each night.  We are also getting Lena's big girl bedroom ready.  She won't move into it until after Baby Shack arrives in August but I want her to get comfortable being in there without having to actually sleep in there yet.  We have been talking about the baby with Lena and she knows to some degree that there is a baby in my stomach.  We tell the baby "I love you" and we tell it to "grow big".  

First time making cookies..I left her alone for a few minutes and she had some fun the the flour..yikes!

Making..um..rather eating brownies.

Lena is still a very picky eater.  Some days she will inhale her food and others barely touch it.  She still won't do veggies and fruits.  She likes the taste but as soon as any sort of texture gets in her mouth she freaks out and makes a panicked sound while sticking her tongue out.  I just bought a juice extractor so that she can get some nutrition from fruits and veggies without the texture.  We will see how that goes.  She still loves Chick fil a nuggets, mac n cheese, quesadillas, pizza, bread, cheese, and scrambled eggs the best.  

Lena's new fish - she LOVES watching them.

She still LOVES animals and as a fun treat we bought some fish to put in a small tank system a friend gave us.  She stands in front of the tank for at least an hour every day talking to the fish, watching them eat, etc.  We are taking her to the Santa Ana Zoo this week and will be getting a family annual pass so that we can visit the animals all year long.  

Getting ready to watch Frozen at the drive in.  She watched the whole movie!

Enjoying a surprise home visit from Daddy while on duty.

Having fun with her new play dough!

Lena is still a passionate visual artist as well.  Recently we began painting and she enjoys that a ton!  Thank goodness for Crayola Color Wonder!  She is really beginning to sing a ton as well.  She sings will Daddy every night before bed and also knows her Baby Signing Times songs pretty well now.  She seems to have a pretty good ear and can match pitch.  Her favorite songs right now are "If you are happy and you know it", "The Wheels on the Bus", "Twinkle Twinkle" and "Jesus Loves Me".

Dress up fun with cousin Andrew

Fun with the cousins at Knotts

Balloons, ice cream, and a visit with cousins makes for a happy Miss Lena! 

Lena is still very dramatic and very friendly.  She befriends everyone and gets particularly excited when there is a group of kids playing.  She wants to jump right in and play with everyone.  She will say hello and hug just about anyone and she almost never cries when Dan or I have to leave her.  She never did get that separation anxiety that other kids seem to get.  I think it is Lena's special gift that she makes everyone feel included and loved.  

I caught Lena on the nursery cam putting her socks on her hands and talking to them.

Lena still takes one nap per day usually from around 2:00 to 4:00 in the afternoon.  Once in awhile she won't fall asleep so she just lays in her crib singing and talking.  She never ever did cry to sleep (which I am deeply thankful for).  Sometimes it is pretty entertaining to see what she does in that crib when she is trying to pass the time.  Lately she takes her socks off and puts them on her hands and then her hands become various characters that she talks to.  

Nevermind that it was night time and 55 degrees outside; this California girl insisted on wearing her new shades!

Lena is one special girl.  It is incredible just how alike and at the same time how different she is to Dan and I.  I am thankful for each and every day that I get to spend with this energetic, compassionate, friendly, dramatic, and fun little girl.  Here are few more Lena moments I just couldn't leave out...

Fun on her weekly Daddy date to Chuck E Cheese

Bath time is always a favorite.

Coloring with Daddy on our Valentine's date at Papachinos

Lena making her "cheeeeeese" face

A fun beach day at Crystal Cove.  Lena loves the beach a ton!  Lucky for her we live near the beach.

Shopping at Costco

Maui 2014

Watching the sunset on our balcony.

We recently returned from a relaxing vacation in Maui - our last big vacation as a family of three before Baby Shack arrives in August.  This time my Mom came with us which just made the trip extra special and fun!

Mom watching the big surf on the north shore.

Our first stop on the island of Maui was in the south shore of Wailea at the Wailea Marriott Resort and Spa.  We spend five days enjoying the beautiful rocks shores and tropical landscape of this part of the island.  Dan and I went kayaking one day and were able to get really close to some humpback whales.  We also to a little road trip to the north shore and took a little hike to some waterfalls.  Our room looked out over the Marriott luau so we got a free show on three of our nights there.

Lena did great on the airplane!

My Mom and I enjoyed a relaxing walk along the coast in Wailea.

Pool time with Dad!

Having fun with rocks after our hike to the waterfall.

A view of one of the waterfalls we saw.

Daddy and Lena enjoying the beautiful gardens and koi ponds in Wailea.

Before our morning kayak adventure.

 After our stay in Wailea we drove up the coast to Lahaina and Kaanapali where we stayed at the Marriott Maui Ocean Club for nine nights.  We had an ocean front villa that gave us a great view of the volcano and a full ocean view with a nice look at Lanai across the way.  We were able to do a lot of whale watching from our balcony which was really fun!  The surf was very high the whole time we were in Maui so we sadly were not able to snorkel at all this trip which means we will just have to go back in the summer sometime!  We did spend lots of time at the beach and pools, took a nice drive up the coast to see the Nahale Blowhole, took a fun whale watching boat ride, and went to the Old Lahaina Luau which was spectacular!  On our last day in Maui we were able to celebrate Dan's Seahawks as they took down Denver in the superbowl!  Lena was a great cheerleader.

The view from our balcony at he Maui Ocean Club.

Surf fishing with Daddy

Dan caught some beautiful fish!  We released them back into the ocean.

Watching the whales from our boat.

Sand castle time!

Breakfast in Lahaina at the Pioneer Inn: Check out those mac pancakes!

Enjoying the Old Lahaina Luau!

Go Seahawks!!!

Lunch Date at Leoda's Kitchen and Pie Shop

A beautiful view at the Nahale Blowhole

Relaxing with a bowl of mac n cheese on the balcony

RE Office Behavior Expectations...and Reality

"To ensure the safety of your child and optimize your visit, please refrain from bringing children to your appointment, if possible." Thank You

This is the sign that hangs right next to the reception desk in Dr. K's office.  During my last several visits there have been families with children in the waiting room: once a woman with an infant and toddler, a different time a couple with a toddler and a baby, another time an Italian/English speaking family with two boys in the 3-4 years old range, and today a couple with a young toddler (maybe 18 months old).   Most of the time these families have not only brought children into a place that should be child free but they turn the waiting room into their own personal romper room: they are loud, overly permissive with their children letting them climb all over everything and once even play a game of tag around the office, and seem to be oblivious to the fact that the majority of men and women who are sitting in the waiting room are there because they are going through a very intense, emotional, and perhaps painful experience in trying to have a child.

Many times it would have been MUCH easier for me to bring Lena with me to my appointments.  I usually have to drive an extra 90 minutes to take her to stay with family while I am at my appointment.  But I want to respect the fact that when someone is waiting anxiously to find out if they will finally be a mom or if their hopes will be crushed they don't want to be bombarded with images of what they cannot yet have.  The RE office should be a safe zone - and as stress free as possible.  I totally get that some people might not have the luxury of having family near by to watch older siblings while they attend appointments.  Even the sign in the RE office acknowledges this when they use the words "if possible".  But these families are intrusive and insensitive with their behavior.  Dad and the kids could wait in the large hall outside until the family is called back for their appointment.  Parents could have quieter activities or snacks prepared to keep their kids more subdued in the waiting room.  It is just hard for me to excuse the selfish behavior of these families.
Maybe I am over reacting.  I don't think so.  Infertility is a difficult and emotionally trying experience.  Anyone who adds to the emotional burden of an infertile person is a sadist or incredibly self-focused.

Good Bye For Now Dr. K! - Ultrasound #3: Released!

Early this week I was surprised to see that I passed some old blood and clots.  It was a little unnerving at first but when I called Dr. K's office to speak with the nurse she confirmed that it was nothing to be concerned about unless the blood was fresh and I had cramping.  I've miscarried before and know how it feels and so I was not overly concerned especially when I kept getting the baby's heartbeat on the doppler all week.  It was still great to see at our ultrasound today that Baby Shack is doing great!  It seems to me that the old blood might have been from a second baby that implanted and then miscarried early which is why my BETA numbers were perhaps so crazy.

Today I am 10 weeks and 5 days pregnant and he/she is measuring at 42.2mm with a heartbeat of 162 bpm and is coming in at 11 weeks and 3 days - just a bit ahead of schedule.  Baby Shack was dancing in the womb today.  Dr. K said that our baby has great rhythm.  The last RE visit is always bittersweet to me.  Dr. K and his staff are second to none and as much as I think I will like my new OB/GYN Dr. K is the best.  I won't miss however driving all the way to his office for my appointments!

I am excited that Baby Shack is doing so great considering our roller coaster of a ride we've been on at the beginning of this FET cycle.  Being released to the OB/GYN is a huge milestone and is making this pregnancy feel much more real.  I am excited to see Baby Shack again on Feb 4th at our first OB ultrasound!

The Doppler

During our pregnancy with Lena we purchased a pocket fetal doppler so we could hear the baby's heartbeat at home when we wanted.  Dopplers can usually pick up the heartbeat starting around 10 weeks so yesterday we gave it a try and in about 4 minutes we found our little one's heartbeat!  It was so very exciting to hear that sweet "whish,whish,whish" sound.  Our doppler was the best $45 investment we've made in awhile!  I remember being surprised that when I had my first OB visits that all my doctor would do is:
1) weigh me and take my blood pressure
2) ask my due date (which I thought they were supposed to tell me)
3) ask me if I had any questions
4) find the baby's heartbeat using a fetal doppler
5) feel my belly to check for size

After having ultrasounds every visit with the RE the visits to the OB seemed pretty pointless especially when we had our own doppler at home to hear the heartbeat.  I remember my old OB called me "spoiled" since I was an RE patient.  What a dodo!  I can't wait to see what my visits with Dr. C will be like.  She already is giving me an ultrasound at my first appointment (without me asking) which is way more than my old OB did.

NO MORE SHOTS!!!

Tomorrow I will be 10 weeks pregnant (1/4 the way through my pregnancy!) and this pregnancy is finally starting to sink in.  It always feels more real and normal once I start going to the OB/GYN.  Yesterday at 9 weeks and 5 days was my very last day of daily injections.  YEA!!!!  I've been on daily injections since the beginning of November so my backside is incredibly bruised, swollen, full of knots, and the skin is patchy red.  Not a pretty sight so it is good that nobody has to see my backside except Dan!  In six days I have my last appointment and ultrasound with Dr. K (happy/sad) and then my first OB appointment and ultrasound is on February 4th.  I have decided to switch OB doctors in my practice to a female doctor, the doctor whom I liked the best during my four days of labor when I had Lena and also the doctor who performed my c-section.  I am so excited to have Dr. C as my new OB for the following reasons:
1.  She is a woman and it has been a LONG time since I've had female medical professional.
2.  She has experienced infant loss and will be understanding of any fear I might have about losing my pregnancy.
3.  She has personally had a successful vaginal birth after having a c-section and will be able to advise me on this matter first hand.
4. She is athletic and will be able to give me great advice about staying in shape while pregnant.
5.  I really like the way she handled my preclampsia compared to the other doctors I saw in the hospital.
6.  She is personable and doesn't make me feel dumb or over-reactive when I ask questions or have concerns.
7.  I have hopes that she will listen to my concerns when they may arise unlike my last OB who blew off my concerns when my body felt "off", refused to let me reduce my work schedule, and missed my preclampsia which was caught by another doctor I saw when he was on vacation.

Baby Shack is continuing to wear me out and this week I feel like he/she has been growing quite a bit.  I have been hungry more frequently, my belly is feeling bigger, and my body is exhausted.  I am so thankful that for the most part I don't have any nausea. I hear morning sickness is a beast and I am glad to escape it!  I am really looking forward to seeing Baby Shack's heartbeat and wiggly body on the ultrasound again on Friday.  I brought out my fetal doppler in the meantime and will try to get the baby's heartbeat on it this week.