Viability and some guilt

First of all: Viability!! Hitting 24 weeks and feeling my son dance around inside me is such an awesome feeling. I love my son and can't wait to meet him. I am glad to know that should something happen and my baby needs to be born now, he has a 50% of survival. As much as I want to meet my baby, however, I do want him to keep cooking. I reassure him that his being in my belly is easy for me and I love feeling him inside me.

I have guilt about my lack of note taking for this pregnancy. I can't even remember really when I felt munchkin's first movements. I haven't been taking belly shots like I always assumed I would. But I am completely savoring this pregnancy. I just feel like living in the now and just enjoy my pregnancy.

Munchkin is doing great! He rolls around and kicks all the time. He does have his quite times and seems to be very predictable. My weight gain is right on track, despite the fact that I look "huge." I had a client go on and on about my weight gain and how huge I am getting and how I am ruining myself and "really should watch my weight" and "control myself." I really wanted to kick him or shove his head up his butt but restrained myself. Even when he said I looked like I "am about to pop," I kept my cool. However, I was mad. I get so tired of people commenting about on huge I look. Um, yeah. Hello, I am six months pregnant and I am healthy. I have always been curvy and had said over and over that I just don't have a waist. I am not going to get taller so the only way for my belly to go is out.

But, all the remarks can make a hormonal gal, already insecure, carrying body image issues freak out. I find myself saying, I don't need a snack, even if my belly is growling. I am limiting my intake and drinking extra water to fill my tummy and then feel bad that Munchkin isn't getting what he needs. I eat carrots and oranges a lot since I figure they are healthy snacks.

My oldest nephew is planning on coming home in time for birth. He is so excited and I feel so blessed that Munchkin will have his older cousins. :)

20 Week Belly Shot from Mexico

Catching up

I don't know why but I have wanted to blog for a while now and have even started a few posts but can't seem to put together a decent post. So, I am doing this in bullets in hopes that I can get everything out.

• *First I will start with the big news! My gender and anatomy ultrasound revealed we are expecting a BOY!! I am so excited. I really felt from day one that I was pregnant with a boy and up until the day before the big ultrasound did not doubt that my little munchkin was going to be a boy. The night before the however, I was filled with self doubt and wondered if I was wrong about munchkins gender, did that mean I was doomed with bad instincts and therefore doomed to be a bad mommy?!


• *Right after the big ultrasound*, we packed our bags and went to see Anthony Bourdain of the travel TV show, "No Reservations." The show is a great show and not one of those shows that show you all the luxury spots to travel and the finest places to eat. He talked a little about his travels and his family. After, he did a Q & A before autographing books for the people who bought VIP tickets. I am so glad I spent the extra money on VIP tickets. Seeing him up close and actually getting to shake his hand made him seem more like a normal guy and not some John Doe from some TV show.


• *Right after seeing Anthony Bourdain**, we unpacked and repacked and off to Mexico we went. We stayed in a beautiful timeshare in Nuevo Vallarta. The view from our room was simply breath-taking. We spent time listening to timeshare sales people, swam a bit, visited a few towns, got massages, saw a show called "Rhythms of the Night" and ate way to much. Then out of the blue, I hit with Montezuma revenge. I missed a day snorkeling but was happy to bounce back quickly. We also did a city tour, visited a tequila plant and shopped some. Whew! I need a vacation just to recover from my vacation.


• *I am still refreshing once a week at school. I am getting set to start my externship with my mid-wife and hope I can get my sticks done next year.


• *I can't believe I am just past the halfway mark in the pregnancy!


• *I feel so blessed to have my three nephews. I know they will be awesome cousins to my little boy and will love him so much.


• *What happened to 2010? I mean, this year seems to be flying by and the holidays are right around the corner.


• *Despite the fact that I halfway through my pregnancy, it seems to be going so slow. I am anxiously awaiting for 24 weeks (and viability) and am seriously going crazy waiting to meet my son.


• *I love to say "my son." I think about him all the time now and already love him so very much.


• *Prenatal yoga has been great for me. I wish that I would have been able to start sooner but I am glad to be taking classes now.


• *Sleeping hurts. I mean, it really hurts. My hips and knees repeatedly ache and stiffen throughout the night and I completely miss sleeping on my back.


• *I am getting tired of people remarking on my belly size. Guess what?! I am attached to it! I see it everyday, multiple times a day. I know just how pregnant I am and more importantly, just how many babies I am having (still just 1). Don't tell me I look like I am going to pop any day now or that my son must be huge (which to me implies fat). Yes, it's true that I have only 10 pounds and I am watching my diet not for weight gain but for my overall health. Yes, I know that I am huge. I am not in denial. I am 5 months pregnant. I don't comment on your fat a$$ or large belly or ugly face so stop with the rude remarks on my "huge" bump.


• *Don't touch my belly. There is one person who can touch my belly without any question and that is my baby daddy. Of course, he can touch me whenever and where ever but he is obviously the exception to the rule. That's why he is my baby daddy.


• *No I am not married, not sure that I will ever be married so stop asking me about matters that are way to personal and frankly none of your business.


• *Yes, I still considered myself infertile. Yes, I still worry about this pregnancy. That is what happens when it takes you nearly five (you read that 5) years to conceive.


• *When you ask how I am feeling and I say "ok," please don't ask me to elaborate. I hate explaining that while I love my son and being pregnant with him, sometimes the heartburn and difficultly sleeping means I am usually tired, achy or suffering from heartburn when I answer that question. Don't lecture me on how I "asked for it" or how much worse/harder it will get. Don't tell me to enjoy now because once my son is born, my life will completely change. I get it. I know my life will change but that does not make me want my son any less or love him any less.


• *Please stop shooting looks of pity and sympathy in Scott's direction right in front of my face. I think he gets it too. Besides, we are both adults and knew what could have happened all those years we weren't preventing.


• *Ok sorry but those last like 6 or 7 bullet points were more like rants. I really am trying not to complaining but I think people need to understand that no matter how much I want my son, it is not always puppy dogs and rainbows.

I think I did all my catching up! Whew!

*Not right after but a few days after...

**Ok , again, not right after but a within 24 hours. Can we say whirlwind weekend?!

Coming next?! My latest belly shot!!

2 posts in one day

I decided to post this separately for a reason.

"It was such a surprise pregnancy."
"I just 'fell' pregnant."
"We weren't even trying really..."
"We just stopped trying and then bam!"

I hate these phrases. As an infertile woman, these phrases irritate me to no end, especially when they are coming from a person who has no known fertility issues ("oh, we tried for 9 whole months and I never thought I would end up pregnant!") . These phrases ignite in me with the heat of a thousand suns an anger that I can't deal with on a rational level.

But, these phrases apply to me. What?!?! How can that be? I was told I had less then 1% chance of conceiving in any given month without the help of fertility treatments. I was advised to have my right ovary removed due to its complete inability to produce any eggs. My right fallopian tube is twisted and contorted and has pulled my right ovary so far underneath it that even if it did manage to produce a decent egg it would never make it to the tube. Yet someway, somehow I managed to pop one good egg from my right ovary, it made its way someway, somehow to fertilization and implanted. And now that embie is growing inside me and I am just in awe.

So those hated phrases that apply to me? I hope that if I ever use them, I don't become one of those types to use it. I hope to never offend a fellow IF'er if one of those phrases should ever escape my mouth.

Hello 2nd trimester!

Okay, I am a few days late but so very relieved to say hello to the second trimester. Midwife appointment yesterday was great. Still some confusion on my weight ( 3 scales, 3 different weights) but all in all I think its safe to say that I have gained about 3 lbs. (Of course, I have to remind myself that I had a good 10 lbs to much on me to begin with...) Uterus was measuring a little ahead but nothing to worry about. If the trend continues and baby grows along with the ute then my due date may change but for now, I am not even thinking about that.

Baby's heartrate was 148 BPM. Hearing that heartbeat was so awesome. I really need those little reassurances that munchkin is doing ok in there. After all, I can't just ask munchkin these days if heesh is okay.

The even better news is that I am almost done with school! This is just awesome. I talked to my midwife about the possibility of externing with her so I can at least get my 120 hours of M.A. out of the way. I still can't do my sticks until I get immunized. The head of the program went out of her way to point out how selfish it would be for me to skip my shots and work and expose baby to measles or mumps. (Or even worse, Hep. B!!) I agree but I also want to get my sticks done so I can began searching for a job.

I am in major nesting mode right now. I have made a list of essentials that need to be purchased. The clutter is my house is making me insane and I just want to get things cleared out so I can organizer what needs to be organized and trash what can be trashed. I have a "to-do" list of things I want to see done before the end of the year so that I can focus on my last month of work and getting baby gear set up for the grand arrival. It appears no one seems to get my urgency or understand how frustrating it is to see the same clutter in my house day after day. I want it gone...like last week. I keep saying once I am done with school that I am going to focus on getting my scrap booking stuff, school books and my closet organized. I need this to be done so I can feel a little bit accomplished.

NT Scan and coming out

I had my NT scan and 1st tri blood work last week. Baby was kicking away during the scan and even turned to face the "camera" too. Nuchal fold was measuring at 1.6MM and looked great. We got to the lobes of heesh's brain, a very beautiful heart beat, kicking legs, spine, belly and nasal bone. :) We also got to finally hear baby's heartbeat. Wow! That to me was just amazing. :) :)

I am starting to come out to people. Actually, my belly did not give me much of a choice. Every time I think I did a good job at hiding it, I look down and realize that nope...I really didn't. Ah well, I suppose its time. I am starting to feel better but my joints are killing me. Typing, writing, knee bending are just painful! I know that there is not a lot I can do to avoid the pain so I pretty much put up and shut up.

Only 8 more days of school left!! I am so excited. I miss coming home after work and enjoying dinner. Heck, I miss eating a meal that is not a roach coach meal. I miss actually watching a movie every now and then.

Stay tuned for the next belly shot. Not sure when I will take one. I was going to try to do it every week but that is just too much work.

12 Week Belly shot