Week 27 & 5 Day: Glucose Challenge Screening

Today was my monthly OB appointment and they tested me for a glucose challenge screening.  Seems like my recent OB visits always fall in right after holidays, ugghhh!   

What is Glucose Testing?
This test is performed early in the third trimester (usually 24-28 weeks) to determine how well your body is processing sugars.  If your glucose levels are too high, you may have the potential to develop "Gestational Diabetes". 
Some of the effects of diabetes on the fetus are:  Heart defects and defects of the respiratory system, large sized baby, a baby with low blood sugar level, a baby with possible risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, death, etc. (Death scares me!!!!!)  

 

The one I had today was called "Glucose Challenge Screening".  I drank a sugary liquid (tasted kinda like an orange coolaid) at home an hour before my OB appointment.  I was instructed to drink it within 5-10 minutes. They took 2 b/w samples.  They will call me next day if the result isn't good.  Then, I will need to do a a follow-up test called "Glucose Tolerance Testing". 

 

While waiting in the OB's office, a magazine had an article about this testing and listed "Are you at risk?", so I read it.  Looks like I have some risk factors....

 

You are at higher risk for GD if you:

- Are black, hispanic, Asian, Native American or Pacific Islander

- Are older than 25

- Have a family history of type II diabetes

- Have a personal history of prediabetes or gestational diabetes

- Have had a very large baby or a still birth in a previous pregnancy

- Have a prepregnancy body mass index (BMI) of 30 or highter. 

- Gain excess weight in your first trimester, esp. if you start your pregnancy overweight

- Drink 5 or more sugar-sweetened sodas a week before conceiving

- Have a gum disease

- Are a frequent snorer



Glucose Coolaid



FX for a good result!  My baby's HB was excellent so my next OB appointment is a month away.  I am now in the 3rd trimmester and it makes me so happy that it has been an uneventful pregnancy!  So proud of my baby girl and I hope she keeps growing healthy!!!!   

Week 26 & 3 Days: Almost Christmas

I knew December was going to fly by, but I cannot believe that Christmas is only a week away!

Holiday Traditions:
Since I met my DH, I have been doing more Xmasy stuff.  He LOVEs Christmas and so do I :) 

• Shows - Every year, we go see Xmas play and/or ballet.  We went to see Nutcracker last weekend are going to see Christmas Carol this Friday.  I love love them both!!  One year, I bought tickets for Trans Siberian Orchestra without knowing what they really are.  I thought they played Xmas classical music, so I invited in-laws for this event.  OMG....they were rock band rocking Xmas songs!!!  They were awesome, but I think my in-laws must've had a heart attack!   
• Train display - There are a couple of places in Cincinnati to see some awesome train & Christmas displays.  This year, I bought a groupon deal for a place called Entertrainment Junction in West Chester, so I am excited to check it out.
• Christmas ornament - We buy a new ornament every year to put on our tree.  It typically means something...something which represents special about the year.  Since there were multiple events, I decided to order a personalized ornament from Shutterfly.  It looks like a cube and I could put several pictures, so I put the baby's u/s, house in progress, our vacation place pictures. 
• Xmas card - Shutterfly is my goto website for a photo related items.  Usually, my pets are the model, but I think it will be our new baby next year!  How exciting!!!!
• Gift exchange - We make a big breakfast on the morning of Eve and open our presents!  I cannot wait him to open my presents!!!!  

Onesie Exchange: 
What a great idea and fun thing to do!  jmorta04 from PAIF posted about doing an onesie exchange, so I signed up.  Several girls signed up for this event and Elfster picks your exchange buddy.  We are supposed to mail an onesie with a personal message card, so I sent out mine early this week and looks like my exchange buddy got it today :)

Also, I received mine from Jackiejoey530 last night!!!  It was a package of girly 3 onesies and they are sooo adorable!!!  I will always remember about this special gift when my baby girl wears them.    

This event warmed my heart.  Have a wonderful Christmas everyone!!!! 

Special Onesies from Secret Santa :)

Week 25 & 6 Days: First Experiences!

Today, I am going to write about some of my new experiences this week!

Chiropractic:
Soooo....my butt muscle pain (a.k.a. sciatic nerve pain) isn't going anywhere and I feel like it's getting worse, so I thought about trying to see a chiropractor for the first time in my life.  I had a first assessment appointment this Wednesday and I was very curious what they would do....

I chose this chiropractor because it looks like she works with pregnant women a lot, so I felt good about her.  She was very nice when I met her.  She asked several questions regarding my health and the pain.  Whenever a physician or chiropractor ask "Have you recently had a major surgery?"  I always say "I am not sure if it's considered a "major surgery", but I did have an IVF to conceive this baby.  At this point, I am not sure if there is any difference b/w a natural conception and conception via ART, but I want to let them know my history just in case.       

After the assessment, she asked me to stand in front of a wall and she took pictures via her iPad (High tech!).  She ran the pictures through some assessment software and printed out the result.  Then she asked me to do certain postures/movements to see if anything hurts my buttock.  According to her, my hip isn't aligned.  I could tell from the printout.  It also showed that I am bending a little more forward than the standard.  She said my shoulders are stiff, so she asked what I do for work.  This all make sense to me!  I mostly sit in front of my computer at work and my work desk is too low, so I usually have to bend forward a little.  When I go get a massage, they always tell me that I have a stiff shoulder. 

Then, she said "I am going to adjust your hip".  I had to lay down with my belly down, so I was a bit nervous, but she used a special pillow to cushion my belly.  She pushed down my hip and it didn't hurt!  She also cracked my spine a little and that wasn't bad at all.  I am going back next week for a re-check.

Babysitting:       
As I mentioned earlier in my blog, my BFF has a newborn baby and she is almost 3 months (Time flies)!  She is taking 3 months off, but she & her DH are struggling little bit with communicating each other, so I suggested that 2 of them go on a date and we will watch the baby one night!  My DH and I have never babysat an infant before.  We both have nephews/nieces, but they don't live nearby, so we don't get to babysit them. 

We are babysitting her tonight and we are both so excited for our first opportunity to be with the baby girl.  We hope we can change her diaper, feed and swaddle and play with her.  My BFF tells me how important it is to swaddle her baby to calm her down, so I decided to watch YouTube videos on "How to Swaddle" & "How to Change a Diaper".  Thanks to the recent technology and free education from YouTube!!!  I used a piece of tissue and my medicine bottle to practice swaddle.  I got it and I feel like a super nanny LOL


My first swaddled baby LOL

Xmas Cards:
Yay, they have been ordered via Shutterfly and I am sending out the last batch out today!  I always make our Xmas cards by using Shutterfly and have been using our pets as Xmas models.  Xmas cards are not new to me, but mentioning about our future baby girl is totally a new experience!!!

Cannot wait to meet you, my sweet pea!!

Week 24 & Day 5: Pushing!

I am PUSHING!!!! 
Not that I am pushing the baby out obviously, but I am pushing myself to get a lot of must-to-do items done in December.

I wish I could get started on nursery....but we are currently living a small apartment and waiting for our new house to be built.  We go over to our new house every weekend to see the progress and are so excited but looks like we won't be able to get into a new house until Feb!!

HOWEVER, there are still tons of important things I can get started on, so I am hoping to get a lot of important things done this months.

• Baby birthing class:  We signed up for 4 classes total:  Lamaze one-day, breast feeding, save a baby & Baby care basics.  We've taken 2 so far, so I feel great!!  I was a bit hesitant if we are taking those classes too early and I might forget, but they gave us a good outline and I jotted down some notes, so I have a cheat sheet!  Plus, I will be surrounded by a nurse, lactation consultant, doctor on my big day, so I feel good about birthing procedures.  Oh, I also pre-registered with my hospital :)  It's recommended to avoid going through paper work when we rush into a hospital on our big day! 

• Day care:  After much consideration, I decided to go back to full time after 6 weeks of my maternity leave.  I was shocked to find out that my company pays $0 during my maternity leave!!  It's relatively a small company and most of employees are men, so what can I do.....  I know how fast 6 weeks go by and my baby will still be small, but this is the decision I made.  Great news is...I successfully negotiated with my boss to let me work from home twice a week, which puts me a need for 3 days day care service.  I am so thankful for this option!  I actually started on a day care investigation since last month.  I already visited 3 facilities and am between 2 places to choose from.  Choosing a day care isn't an easy decision, so I decided to have my DH to visit those 2 places with me next week.  It will probably next May when my little precious starts going to a day care, but picking a place this early isn't early according to my research!  Popular places book up pretty fast and I don't want to be on a waiting list.  I will go into the details once we complete the visit.  

• Pediatrician:  My bump check list reminds me to start interviewing one!  I asked my OB for referral, so I got a list.  I just made an appointment for a meet-the-doctors with one place.  Their website looked nice and read some good reviews from angieslist.com. (Yes, I am a subscriber and have been using this site to find good doctors, realtors, etc)  I need to research what questions are appropriate to ask though.

•  Family car:  My current car isn't a family oriented one....so I am looking into trading-in my car with a mid-sized SUV.  I have to admit that I am a bit biased toward particular makers of a car since I am Japanese.  I cannot help it!!!  We've looked at Toyota, Honda, Mazda, Mini & WV, but number of people including my DH told me at least to take a look at Ford Escape.  I was very skeptical but we went to see it over the thanksgiving weekend and did a test drive.  It took me by a surprise, but I LOVED it.  I will have to test drive some more cars, but so far, I like it very much!  

• Baby registry:  It's work in progress and I am reading reviews of items as I pick, so I don't have much on my registries at BRU & BBB.  When we went to BRU a couple of weeks ago, we quickly got overwhelmed and didn't get much done, so I am asking my bestie for a help!  In fact, we are going to BRU together tomorrow, so I am so excited!!            

Phew....those are my 5 goals to complete during December!!!  Let's push push push.

Week 24 & Day 2: Happy V-Day & First Baby Birthing Class

I am going to shout out...HAPPY V-DAY!!!!  We finally hit this milestone and I cannot be more proud of my little baby girl to reach this milestone.  She is a true tiny rock star who made it here without giving me any complications so far and I cannot stop telling her how proud I am.  We still have many more weeks to go, but thumbs up for the steady progress.

We had our first baby class at Christ Hospital this past Saturday.  The class is called "Lamaze One Day Course".  It usually runs for 6 weeks, but we decided to take an one day course so that we can save some gas money (40 min from our place).  It was nice to see several expectant parents when we entered into the class.  When we introduced ourselves, I noticed that my due date was the latest, so some ladies' bumps were big!  The knowledgeable instructor covered pre & post labor process in the morning ending with 3 birthing videos....that's right...videos right before lunch time!!!  My DH couldn't watch the 2nd one when the actual delivery was happening.  I am glad he didn't because I don't think he could've eaten lunch afterwords! 

We knew some of the stuff already since both of us have been reading books and doing research, but we did learn some new things.  We didn't know....

•  If we knew exactly when a baby was conceived, the due date would be close to 38 weeks.  If we didn't know, they would calculate from the last period date and the due date will be at 40 weeks from there.  I've heard that I would go close to my due date for the first pregnancy, but the instructor said the opposite.  Recently, 2 of my friends went 1-2 weeks early for their first ones.  Hmmmm...I know exactly when my baby was conceived, so I am wondering if I go in earlier.   
• "Does your baby sleep when you sleep and is actively awake and moving while you are awake?"  When she asked this question, me and one other girl was the only ones who raised hands.  Everyone else said, babies kick in the middle of the night and wake them up.  She said, this will most likely be the sleeping pattern after the baby is born.  My baby girl is generally quiet while I am sleeping, so I have never been awaken by her...at least not yet!  It will be awesome if this is true.
• No eating before L&D.  For some reason, I thought I was supposed to eat a lot before L&D to build up my stamina, but she said the opposite.  Less food in the stomach is better because I might vomit food from drugs, so she recommended to have fluid based food such as soup, Popsicle, etc...       

The afternoon session was great.  She went through various Lamaze breathing techniques.  She also taught guys how to give us several massages during contraction.  Everyone had to bring 2 pillows and a blanket, so we were on the floor learning those techniques.  She played relaxing Spa type music in the background and the 20 minutes massage session was incredible!!              

Then she took us on a tour of the L&D facility.  We went inside of the delivery room.  It was actually nicer and less scarier than I thought.  I became little emotional thinking that my baby girl will be delivered in one of these rooms.  The room had a big mirror on the ceiling which is an optional to use.  Personally, I would like to use it to see when my baby comes out.  For some reason, I am not grossed out about it since it's my body and baby, but my DH said "No way".  Yeah, I am afraid that he might pass out, so he had better not look at the mirror when she makes her debut!!  We then looked at a room where we stay for a day or two after the baby is born.  It has a flat screen TV, CD player, chairs and a love seat which becomes a bed, so it looked really nice!  I remembered that my MIL told me that she had to share a room with 4 ladies post delivery when she had her first son.  Crazy thing is....they were all smoking and breast feeding their new born babies!!!  Can you imagine that?  Holy crap, I am glad our baby will be born in a better environment!!!!                       

Week 23 & Day 4: Monthy OB Appointment

Yesterday was our appointment @ OB's office.  For the first time in the past 23 weeks, I didn't have an anxiety attack before an OB appointment.  I slept good the night before (No nightmare!) and felt really good about the baby's health & progress.  This is because I feel her movement now!!  I feel her when I am at work & sitting on the couch at home.  I think she sleeps while I sleep (Such a good girl!).  I usually don't feel her movement (At least at this point) when I am sleeping on my sides.  Before getting out of bed every morning, it's becoming my routine that I change to lay on my back.  Then, I comfirm her movement and this totally makes my day.  I got a little side track here, but everything was good at the appointment.  They weighted me, took my blood pressure and urine sample.  I gained 5 pounds since the last appointment and I've gained the total of 11 pounds so far, so looks like I am doing good with weight management!  Looks like I am having a glucose test at next appointment, so they gave me a bottle of orange liquid.  I asked if it tastes good and the nurse said, "It's supposed to taste close to orange juice"  Well, I will find out in a couple of weeks....

I met a new OB and it was a female this time.  My clinic has several OBs, so they try to schedule me to meet different ones each time.  I used to prefer a female GYN, but at this point, I really don't care.  I am just hoping to make sure to meet whoever happens to deliver my baby!!  It was fairly a quick check up.  My OB checked a HB and measured my belly from down to top.  HB sounded very strong, so I was very happy about it.  I did ask her a couple of questions... 

1)  "Can I go to a rock concert??"  My DH and I love concerts and we want to go to one this weekend, but I was concerned with loud music because I know she can hear sounds now.  She said "Yes, the baby can hear, but she is protected by many layers, so loud noise will be muffled."             

2)  "My right butt muscle is sore since I got pregant and doesn't go away."  She said "It's probably a sciatic joint pain.  It's common during pregnancy"  Depends on how I move my leg sometimes, it hurts!  Her advice was to use a tennis ball or some sort and massage the area.  I had my DH do that at night and it felt really good. 

3) I also asked her  for referral to pediatricians and she gave me a list of docs around the area.  She told me that I should interview them and pick the one I like.  It was a good advice because I didn't know that I could interview them!  Also, it's not too early to look into one!!  We need to start this now esp. since I am feeling great with the 2nd trimester energy burst!!!       

Once in a while, I get this imposive cravings....they were pancakes & McDonald milk shakes in the past weeks, but a new one hit me after the OB appoinment...DONUT!!  I had to go find a donut store!!  I yelped and found a bakery near by and I was a happy camper when I fullfilled my craving.  YUMMMMMMM!!!!!     

My recent bump picture!

Our first baby outfit purchase!  Couldn't resist :)

Week 22 & Day 2: Let's Celebrate Every Week!

This is my 22nd week and every week is a celebration!  There are big milestones such as NT scan, A/S, V-day, Glucose test, etc, and we all aim to get to those milestones safely.  However, I've started feeling that every week is a milestone since I learned about what V-day (Viability Day) is.  It happens at 24 weeks when the pregnancy becomes viable.This means that if the baby is born premature at this point, it has higher chances of surviving outside the uterus and the Dr’s will make every effort to save the fetus.

Days have been going by slower for me since I started being aware of the V-day.  Every day and every week add more viability to my baby, so when a new week comes (For me, it comes on every Sunday!), I feel like dancing and celebrating the weekly milestone!!!  My baby girl is a size of Papaya this week, but I think she might double after the big feast from thanksgiving this week....Then, I have an OB check-up following week, so I am dreading to step on a scale, ugh!    

I was browsing another bump board this morning and saw someone posted this link, so I read it.  I wanted to share this link on my blog because this little baby was born at 24th week!!!   
http://community.babycenter.com/post/a37869025/just_had_my_baby_boy_update_picture_included
First of all, I am very happy that he is in the good hands of NICU and hope he keeps growing healthy.  Second of all, he is so tiny, but he looks like a HUMAN, wow!  I guess I didn't know exactly what baby would look like around 6 months.  Although I read bump report every week to learn the progress of a baby, I couldn't visualize what a baby would like.  It's incredible to know that I have a tiny human which is a size of Papaya, in my belly.        

I feel her poking everywhere, so I wonder how big my uterus is now!  So many things about pregnancy amaze me.  My baby doesn't have to breath, but she is getting all the nutrition from me and growing everyday.  She can somehow swim from left to right and up to bottom of my uterus.  My uterus will expand as the baby grows.  My breasts are ready to provide milk for her.  I read that a baby at this stage sleeps 12-14 hours a day.  She can already hear us! 

I am truly thankful for the amazing journey we are experiencing.  Every night, my DH puts his hands on my belly and when we both feel the kick of our daughter, nothing else in the world matters anymore....

Week 21 & Day 2: Shopping Time

It's so sad to say "Bye Bye" to summer, but I cannot help not to get excited about the holiday seasons!  It gets colder and darker as the fall/winter approach, but my heart bounces thinking about Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas!  Target started Christmas commercial before Halloween this year, so I feel like the America is pushing consumers to start shopping early this year.  (Good for the economy!) 

I recently set up baby registry accounts at BRU & Buy Buy Baby.  I was familier with BRU from shopping there for other people's shower, but BBB was new to me.  My first impression was "Buy Buy Baby?  The name is so tacky!!!", but I learned that it's owned by Bed Bath & Beyond and the store is very nice and only 2 minutes from my place, so I decided to register.  So far, I just picked big items such as crib set, Pack-N-Play, stroller, etc.  I picked all neutral color for those items, but I wanna pick girlie color for some small items later.  I am taking my bestie to BRU in December to pick smaller times.  Her baby is already 2 months old and she will be my sidekick on picking good items!!!

I remember before we started TTC, I kind of had resistant to BRU when I went there to get baby shower items because I wasn't in the baby mind set.  I was overwhelmed with variety of baby items and had no idea what some of the stuff on their baby registry.  Then, I got little matured and became more thoughtful on picking items.  In fact, I started making diaper cake for ppl's showers!  It's super easy and people absolutely love it! 


One of diaper cakes I made for my friend

Changing a topic...
Do you think animals can sense pregnancy? 
All my pets have been pretty affectionate, but I started noticing some of them becaming more affectionate ever since I got pregnant!  Reesecup loves to come to my side and snaggle.  When I sit on the couch, she is right next to me petting on my belly and it's so cute!  I feel like she is saying "Hello, little sis!" to the baby girl.  Of course, I had to google this and here is what I found.

"Some pet lovers swear their pets can sense pregnancy. While there's no scientific evidence to back it up, many people say their pets definitely know when they're pregnant – or at least can tell that something's up.  One expectant BabyCenter mom says that whenever she lies down, her cat lies right next to her and puts one paw on her belly. Many suggest that their pets knew they were pregnant before they did." 

That's what my cat is doing, too!!  I wonder if she can hear the HB :)  Here is the picture of her by my bump this past Saturday.  I say my pets are also so exited to meet little princess!!! 

Reesecup by my bump

    
               

Week 20 & 5 Days: "WE" not "I"!!!!

Yaaaaaaayyyyy, I am officially half baked!!!  I cannot believe how fast time is flying by and at the same time, I am finally half way through my pregnancy.  My baby girl is a size of banana and I am so proud of her how well she is doing!

Being half baked is amazing, but there is something else happening with me, too!  I AM FINALLY FEELING HER MOVEMENT!!  It started the day after we found out that she was a girl, so I felt like she was waiting to introduce herself until the official gender reveal.  What does it feel like?  I've heard many girls saying it starts with flutter.  I personally didn't get the fluttering sensation, but it was more like bubbles burst or popcorn popping.  It went from nothing to this feeling, so I did know it was her who was causing it!  I feel it everyday and everywhere, so she is definitely swimming around :)

Feeling her is wonderful.  It's so intimate and private.  My DH felt her movement and his smile was all the way to his ears.  I feel her everyday, so there is a special bond between us and this is something I have never experienced in my life.  I am so in love with her and nothing can intervene this strong connection between me and my little girl.  I am in a completely new mindset and I found myself using "WE" instead "I"!!!!  I am only  doing this to my DH.  When I text, I say "We are doing this and that, we ate this and was good"  Other people might think I am crazy! 

I had a business trip this week, so I had to fly.  I don't usually freak out about flying like my DH does because I have flown many times, but not this time.  I was having a huge anxiety before the flight because it's not just me anymore.  I felt so responsible for this tiny life in me and I was in fact scared to fly for the first time in my life.  I prayed for safe flights and I am so relieved I am back home safely now.  Also, I remembered about this couple.  DH works with the husband and the couple has 2 beautiful kids.  His company planned a company meeting trip a couple of years ago and wife was invited, so I went along.  The couple didn't fly on the same airplane.  We thought they were crazy and didn't understand why they did that.  Now, I totally get it.  I understand why they did that.  They did it that way so that if something happens to one of them, other one could look after their kids.  It really hit me that we are becoming a parent soon.         

It's amazing how instinct kicks in without being taught, but I am already preparing to become a mother and DH and I have started to step into a parenthood as our daughter is growing inside of me everyday.                 
Next milestone.....24 weeks V-day!! 

Week 19 & 3 Days: A/S & Baby Gender!

Here come the big day!!  We were both so nervous about this day.  First of all, we were worried how the baby was doing.  Second of all, we were getting nervous about finding the baby gender.  I should've been more exicited about this day instead of being nervous, but I haven't really felt baby's movement and it's been a month since I saw the baby's u/s, so a lot of things were on my mind.  I know it's very stupid, but I was thinking "Well, I did watch a lot of scary movies and went to a haunted house recently. I jumped several times.  Is it good for my baby???  "I also found this awesome chocolate I cannot stop eating every night after dinner.  I know chocolate has caffeine.  Is it impacting the growth of my baby????"  It's crazy, but we did talk about a emergency getaway trip plan in case there was something wrong with the baby.  If there was no live baby, we were going to take off immediately and disappear from everyone and everything for a couple of days.   

I woke up this morning and it was snowing!!!  Snow in Cincinnati before Halloween is so rare and this is due to the hurricane Sandy.  I usually drink a glass of juice while getting ready to go to work.  Then, I eat breakfast once I get into my office.  I have seen bump girls posting about their A/S experience and some of them unfortunately couldn't find out the baby gender @ a/s.  They said that babies were sleeping or didn't want to cooperate, so they had to try to go up and down the stairs to wake them up.  There was a tip about having an glass of OJ before a/s.  That's exactly what I did!   

Anatomy Scan (A/S and a.k.a. Level 2 Ultrasound)
Most anatomy scans are performed in the second trimester of pregnancy between 18 weeks and 22 weeks.
Measurements are taken from this special ultrasound during pregnancy to make sure your baby is growing appropriately (and that his or her gestational age is still on target). A survey of the organs, including the umbilical cord, ensures that they are developing normally (or identifies any potential problems as soon as possible). The sonographer will also be looking at your amniotic fluid levels, the location of the placenta, and the fetal heart rate.

My DH came with me to the a/s.  I was excited because he has never seen u/s which shows baby's movement.  I had such a great NT scan experience, so I was dying to show him what I was talking about.  We saw the baby on the screen and looks like there are tons of movements, so we were so relieved!!!!  The sono tech studied the baby by taking bunch of measurements.  I know some clinics offer 3D u/s in general, but my place is still using 2D.  It was neat to see different areas of the baby like feet, arm, etc.  Then, sono tech asked us "So, what do you think you are having?"  We both said "We think a boy for sure." 

For some reason we've always talked about "this little girl" even long time before trying to have a baby.  When we found out that I was pregnant, we started discussing girl's names first.  I looked into an old wife's tales and did chinese gender chart, but the results were all mix, so I know nothing is for sure.  We did have a preference of having a girl, but it's totally up to God, so we both said "Let's just hope for a healthy baby.  Gender doesn't matter and a boy is a lot of fun, too!"  I felt we are having a girl by looking at my NT scan picture, but DH was very determined that we were having a boy.

Anyway, the sono tech finally said..."hmmmm, baby is moving too much so I cannot check the gender."  I said "Oh no!  I drunk OJ so that the baby would be awake for this."  This was unexpected and she said I shouldn't have....In the end, she told me to go ahead to meet with my Doc and come back.

The Doc said everything looks good, so nothing to be concerned.  The progress of the baby is on track, so my due date is still March 23rd.  I was very happy to hear my LO is doing just fine!  While waiting for the 2nd u/s try, we both looked at each other and talked how we are greatful to know that the baby is doing well.  But, it will be disappointing not to find out the gender....my next appointment will be around Thanksgiving so it seemed really far....

The sono tech called us back in the room.  We hoped the baby's go-go juice wore off little bit and looks like it did!  It was a moment of truth.  We had no idea where exactly she was looking at but the she said "You guys are having a girl."  I instantly started crying.  I cried because I was so happy.  I cried because knowing a gender added so much more identity to our baby and I felt the bond between her and me got so strong.  Things are feeling so real to me now and it's not just that we are having a baby.  We are having a daughter.

I am cooking a nice dinner tonight to celebrate this amazing day.  I am still excited and emotional so it's hard to contain myself.  We bought a big pumpkin and going to curve "It's a girl".  We are taking it to DH's family tomorrow night to reveal the gender.  I think they are going to enjoy a little Halloween surprise :)   

Happy Halloween!  We curved our special pumpkin!!!

Week 18 & 5 Days: Almost A/S & Recent Purchase

A/S is around the corner:
My big A/S day is next Tuesday and my anxiety has been creeping up, gah!  My belly looks more round than a couple of weeks ago (it used to be a bump in the lower belly), so I think there is a progress in terms of my belly size.

I think I am doing really good in terms of having an ultrasound next week, but I know I started feeling a bit more anxious this week because all the dreams I am having in the past couple of days!!  They are all "Being Chased" dreams and I again had one last night.  I was chased by zombies this time.  I ususally don't get caught and to my surprise, I was actually fighting with those zombies!  I don't know where zombies came from but I am thinking it's the Halloween effect!

This is what one of the dream analyzing websites said:  "Chase dreams are one of several common dream themes, stemming from feelings of anxiety in your waking life. Flee and flight is an instinctive response to a physical threat in the environment. In such dreams, the scenario often features you being pursued by an attacker, an animal, a monster or an unknown figure, who wants to hurt or possibly kill you. Consequently, you run, you hide or you try to outwit your pursuer. Your actions in the dream parallel how you would respond to pressure and cope with fears, stress or various situations in your waking life.

To make my annoying being-chased dream go away, I decided to try the fetal doppler again.  I haven't really had a success up to this point.  I did something different this time though.  I used a Vaseline Aloe Moisturizer (smells fantastic) and read a tip from the instruction guide and tried the doppler 30 minutes after my lunch.  It WORKED!  I heard strong beats.  It disappeared so I guess the baby was swiming around!  No problem, I could find the HB again :)

More books to read:    
I made 2 book purchases recently.  I like [Baby Bargains] so far because it's not all about finding bargain items, but also this book talks a lot about safety of the baby items, so it was very educational to me.  It also gave me an idea to take a look at baby items at Pottery Barn Kids Outlet and looks like there is one about one hour from my house!

I need to start thinking how we can raise a bilingual child.  I really want my kids to be able to understand and speak Japanese.  It's a big benefit for them in the future and I want my kids to speak with my family in Japanese.  Phew, having a baby isn't just about breatfeeding and changing diapers.  There are a lot of things to think about!!!     

Week 18 & 2 Days: First Prenatal Massage & First Kick (Maybe?)

I had an absolutely fantastic weekend.  We had a belated anniversary getaway and it was a surprise trip, so I had no idea where my DH was taking me to!  The destination was in western Kentucky called Barkley Lake.  The fall weather down there was mild (60-65F!) and the resort is surrounded by miles of trails.  Leaves were so colorful and we hiked hours everyday.

It was 5 hours+ away from our home, so we had plenty time to talk about our coming up future.  It was a really nice trip because we did talk a lot about us.  The theme of the 5 years wedding anniversary is "Wood", so he got me wooded themed gifts:  Bonsai, pine nut candle & wooden jewelry box :) Then.....he told me that he booked us massages!!

Prenatal Massage
Since towns nearby are relatively small, he couldn't book a couple massage, so we had to get a massage one by one.  Mine was a prenatal one and I was soooo excited about it!!!  The masseuse asked me if I was comfortable to have belly down and I said no, so I laid on the side.  She gave me a soft pillow between my legs for a comfort.  I have been sleeping on my sides with my snoogle for a while.  According to my OB, I should try sleeping on my sides after 20 weeks and avoid sleeping on my back for more than 8 hours.  I am getting used to it, but my shoulders were little stiff from sleeping on my sides, so when masseuse gave me shoulder massage, it was like a heaven!!  I usually like a massage with stronger pressure such as deep tissue massage, but moderate pressure for a prenatal massage was just perfect.  I can so get used to this!      

Google says...
Sleeping on your side is best while you're pregnant. In particular, sleeping on your left side may benefit your baby by improving blood flow – and therefore nutrients – to the placenta. It also helps your kidneys efficiently eliminate waste products and fluids from your body, which in turn reduces swelling in your ankles, feet, and hands.  When you're sleeping on your back, the weight of your uterus lies on the spine, back muscles, intestines, and major blood vessels.
     
First Kick/Tap????     
I know some girls already started feeling a baby movement as early as 16 weeks.  I have been paying attention lately and sometimes put my hands on my belly to see if I feel anything, but unfortunately, I haven't had this "flutter" everyone is taking about.  On this trip, my DH took me to a laser show at Planetarium.  The theme was Pink Floyd, "The Wall".  I have never seen a planetarium laser show so I was so excited!!!  During the show, I had both of my hands on my belly and I felt this "tap".  It was so subtle but I again felt the tap.  I am not sure if this was just my belly making some noise or what, but it put a huge smile on me.  Feeling a baby movement is such an exciting experience and it gives me a peace of mind that my LO is growing everyday :)    

Week 17 & 1 Day: Modern Family vs. Traditional Family

Although I haven't told my employer about my pregnancy yet, I have been thinking a lot about how to balance my work & family when the baby arrives.  I think traditionally, many women stayed home to raise kids.  Then, they go back to work when kids are at certain ages.  I know this is still the case for some family nowadays, but it seems like more women are returning to work right after a short maternity leave.

My mom strongly suggests that I should become a stay home mom.  Her opinion is based on her experience.  She had a demanding nursing job when she was pregnant with my brother.  She said she almost had a miscarriage from overworking.  Since my parents were still young and didn't have a lot of money, she had to go back to work right away after my brother was born, so he was put in a day care from a really early stage.  My brother turned out a big big troublemaker and my mom blames her that it was because she didn't spend enough time with him when he was little.  After long 6 years later, she finally got pregnant again (She had a severe endo)  and I was born.  She quite her job and spent as much as time possible to raise me.  According to her, I turned out ok (really, mom?  I think u don't know me well!), so she thinks that I should follow her advice.  I totally understand her thoughts, but I cannot see myself becoming a stay home mom.
I am conflicted with her suggestion because of the following reasons.....

• My job is more flexible.  I can work from home if I want to as long as I have an Internet.  Family is more priority than work in the States, so it's easier to leave early if a baby gets sick.  Maybe, I will try to negotiate with my company if I can work from home twice per week.    
• I think it's easier for some people with certain type of jobs (nurse, teacher,etc) to be able to go back to work after years of a maternity leave.  For me, I work in a high tech field and things change so fast, so I am not too confident to be able to to go back to the same position years later.  Also, I invested time & money in my school, so it's difficult to give up my career.    
• Having 2 incomes make a big difference.  If we work hard now, we can afford to go on a big family trip and maybe retire early!
• What if....I hate to think about it, but what if something happens to my DH?  I feel I need to be independent for unforeseen future events.         
• There is a day care near my office!  I can literally walk there!!!  I had a facility tour 2 weeks ago and the place was decent.  I can visit my baby anytime I want and I can go there to nurse the baby at lunch time. 

This is the beauty of the 2nd Trimester.  I feel great, so I have time to think about a lot of things to prepare ourselves for the new life.  As soon as we find out the baby gender, we will get started on nursery items and registering some birth classes :)      

Week 16 & 2 Days: Facebook Announcement

There is not turning back....  We are out to the public about our pregnancy and I feel so naked!!!

I was surprised by how nervous I was about posting this news on my FB.  My hands were somewhat shaking and I checked my post over and over before I finally clicked [Post].  People sometimes get into troubles because of FB.  I know some people get fired from work because of what they posted on FB.  People know about you instantly as soon as they read your posts.  FB can be convenient, cool, fun, yet deadly depends on how you use it.  I saw a documentary about FB that one girl made an announcement about her pregnancy.  Then, she had a still birth very late in her pregnancy.  She decided to post the news on her FB.  She was very upset how very few people commented on her post.  Because of the experience, she was so afraid to post her second pregnancy news on the FB.  I felt really bad for her, but I don't blame her friends.  I wouldn't be able to reply to a FB post like that.  It's already really difficult to say anything positive or supporting when a tragedy happens to people, and FB reply is so public and  impersonal, so it's not appropriate sometimes.

My DH texted me that he got tons of texts from his friends.  DH has a FB page, but he rarely checks it, so it made me smile to hear his friends are trying to reach him out with more personal approach.  Some of our friends in distance already have kids and we are asked "Are you guys trying?  Do you guys want kids?" whenever we see them, so I am so happy to let them know "YES, it's finally happening!"                   

I took a quick look at Week 16 pregnancy news and learned that the baby can pick up my voice!!!  I am so thrilled about it and started talking to my belly right away :)

I ordered this T-shirt for Candy and used it for the FB announcement!

            

Week 15 & 3 Days: 2nd OB Visit -> CHECK!

My anxiety was building up as the OB visit date came close.  My belly bump & boobs didn't look as big before, so that didn't help. 

To get to the point, my baby is doing well!!  The appointment was fast and simple.  They took my urine sample first and met my OB (A new one.  They have several here, so they want me to meet each of them).  My OB asked me how I am feeling.  I told her that I am nervous that I don't have a HB.  She said "I am sure you are fine, but let's first check a HB then".  She found it immediately!  I felt a relieve of waves when I heard healthy & fast HB.  The baby is fine!!  He/she is snuggling and swimming around in my belly :)  It's kinda strange and amazing to think that the tiny baby (The size of Navel Orange!) is moving around in my belly.     

While I was waiting for my appointment, I browsed magazines to read.  One magazine caught my eyes because it feature about infertility.  Instead reading fun pregnancy sections, I started reading the infertility sections.  I cannot help it.....I was touched by infertility, so I think and want to know more about it.  I know why some of my friends/family wonder why I am constantly worried, but here it is.  The magazine stated exactly what I am.   

"Women who become pregnant after infertility treatments face more complex challenges than those with a natural pregnancy.  They cannot relax; there is incredible fear and anxiety over miscarriage or birth defects.  They've usually spent years in infertility treatment, and are used to things not working out"
     
HOWEVER, I am not worried, scared or anxious 24/7!  My mood goes through a cycle.  It seems it gets worse as I get closer to an OB appointment.  I am definitely feeling more pregnant day by day.  In fact, I LOVE telling people that I am pregnant.  The word "I am pregnant" is a magic word because it makes me smile as well as everyone around me.  We went to a baby store last weekend just to browse around.  When we saw the parking sign for "Expectant Mother", we looked at each other and said "We are allowed to park here, aren't we?"  We did and felt like a million bucks!

Next big milestone is........Gender reveal in 19th week!  We are sticking to a normal ultrasound opportunity to find the baby gender.  I cannot wait!!!!

Week 14 & 4 Days: My Ducky Is a Size of a Lemon!

14 weeks so I am officially in the second trimester!  We have been calling our baby "Ducky" because the 8 weeks u/s picture showed a mean looking duck, sorry!  I have been a bit obsessed with looking at my belly bump if it's still a "bloat" or "real bump".  Everytime I see a lemon in a supermaket, I think of my little precious :) 

Our announcement to friends and family was a success!  They are all so happy and I feel like a weight lifted off of our shoulder.  We are not coming out to FB yet.  I first thought I might wait till the week 20 after we find out the gender, but I am not sure if I am that patient, so I might come out either after my OB appointment next week or week 16. 

Speaking of FB....I was MAAAAD yesterday!!!!  One of my DH's colleague posted a FB message on my page and said "I meant to tell you guys congratulations on your wonderful news....your baby is going to be so cute, blah, blah, blah".  I didn't notice until 30 minutes after she posted this on my FB and I deleted the post right away, but I am sure a lot of people saw it.  I didn't have a good day at work yesterday, so I was extra mad when this happened.  My thought was "YOU CAN FREAKING CONGRATULATE MY HUSBAND BY GOING INTO HIS OFFICE IN PERSON.  DO YOU SEE ME MAKING AN OFFICIAL ANNOUNCEMENT ON FB????  THERE IS A REASON WHY WE ARE NOT GOING TO PUBLIC YET!!!!"  After I deleted the post, I sent her a private message saying that "Sorry, I had to delete your post because we are not completely at a safe zone yet".  She sincerly apologized and I am over it, but it did ruin my coming up announcement a little bit.  I have a cute plan how I am going to make a FB announcement!  My DH thinks it's so cheesy and he doesn't like it, but hey, I am going to be a little bit more creative on this!  

I cannot wait for my next OB appointment.  I don't think they will do u/s, but I need HB assurance that Ducky is growing healthy.  I still cannot detect HB by using the doppler I bought a while back :( 

A couple of things I have tried lately and do NOT like:
- Almond Milk:  I eat cereal with fruits every morning and I was using Organic milk, but I heard Almond Milk is good, so I bought it......I hate the taste!!!!!  I will go back to my Organic milk.

- Coconut Water:  Whole Foods sells different Coconut water brands.  I heard it's a really healthy drink, so I tried it for the first time.  It was an acquired taste.  I tried 3 different brands and I didn't like 2 of them.  The one was not too bad.  It's got a lot of good ingredients such as potassium.    

- Organic French Toast:  We went to an artsy town called "Yellow Spring" last weekend.  They had a well known organic restaurant, so we went there to have a brunch.  I had a big craving for a french toast, so I ordered one...it tasted healthy, but it wasn't tasty...I have been buying more organic products ever than before, but I am going for a regular IHOP french toast next time!!

Week 12 & 6 Days: NT Scan Result & Life and Death

NT Scan Result

I received a call this morning from the nurse and the result is negative!
She said my risk ratio is 1/5100 and the cutoff point they use is 1/239.  I hope the baby keeps growing healthy until we see him/her in March!

Life & Death  

2 events happened today.  Life & Death.  I have so much in my mind and I need to get it out.

My bestie, Monica was due next Friday.  I got an text from her late last night as I was going to bed and she said her water broke so she is at hospital.  I knew she was on 39th week, so it was not a surprise, but I got so excited and couldn't really fall asleep.  I have been to fair amount of baby showers, but it was my first time to have a really close friend go into a labor.  I kept waking up and checking my phone to see if her DH sent me updates.  He finally sent one in the morning and said "Maria was born 7:25 this morning and both of the mother and baby are doing well."  I wish I could take off work and drive to the hospital to see them, but we are going to visit them tomorrow afternoon.  I AM EXTREMELY ANXIOUS TO MEET THE BABY!  She has been a true amazing friend since I met her.  She supported me so much during my IVF process and any other tough time and she is a one in a million friend.         

My mood got shut down when I received an email from my DH after I came into work.  One of his colleagues committed a suicide last night.  My heart stopped when I read it.  He has a wife and is a father of 2 boys.  We have not hang out with them too often, but we always talk at their company functions.  I am completely shocked.  I traced back my memory about him and my impression was always "He is such a nice guy".  He was funny and was just very nice person.  I did sense a marital problem though.  The wife is very attractive and sort of flirt.  I won't go into details, but I threw a shot glass at her (Technically, at the guy she was hanging out with) at their company trip.  Yeah, I admit everyone including me was drinking/dancing/having good time, but it was very inappropriate because she and another guy who works at the firm and has wife & kids were about to make out.   What are they thinking?! 

I am not sure what was his reason for terminating his life so early and leaving the family behind, but I am just so sad.  What was bothering and was so hard for him that he had to choose this path?  Did he have no choice but this to escape from whatever he was suffering from?  I am deeply sorry for his sorrow.  I cannot imagine what his family is going through now and I don't know if I can find any words to comfort the family when we go to his funeral.                     

I experienced 2 opposite events today.  Life and Death.  I had to let my feelings out so thank you for listening.   

Week 12 & 4 Days: NT Scan

What is NT Scan?

A nuchal translucency (NT) scan is a screening test which assesses whether your baby is likely to have Down's syndrome. A screening test can only estimate the risk of your baby having Down's, whereas a diagnostic test, such as CVS or amniocentesis will give you a definite diagnosis. 

An NT measurement of up to 2mm is normal at about 11 weeks, and up to about 2.8mm by 13 weeks and six days.

This is an optional test, but I wanted to do it so I scheduled it.  The test consits of u/s and bloodwork.  I felt good hearing baby's HB last week but I was very very anxious to actually SEE how he/she is looking and doing!

OMG!!!!  It was beyond my expectation. The 15 minutes u/s was amazing, amazing and AMAZING!!!  The baby was jumping up/down, moving hands, kicking legs, etc.  I had two u/s so far @ week 5 & 8 at my RE office, but here was no movement except I saw the heat flickering.  I was completely mesmerized by this active baby and couldn't believe that this tiny baby is working really hard to grow bigger in my belly.  I saw the baby sucking his/her thumb and was so cute!!!!  The Sono tech captured a perfect u/s pic, so I need to post it here.  I completely forgot the real purpose for this test because of the u/s, but bloodwork put me back to the reality.  They only took 1 b/w sample and they will call me either this Friday or next Monday.  I am hoping to hear from them on Friday!

Can you see the baby sucking his/her thumb?

I was telling all the exciting u/s experience to my DH at dinner.  He is quite nervous about the test & result.  I am actually surprised because I am usually the chicken and concerned one.  For some reason, I am not worried or scared about the test result as much as he does.  I am not sure this is because of my motherly instinct or the fact we just attended a down syndrom's buddy walk past Sunday.  Our 2 neighbors have kids with downs, so we got invited to join their walk team.  The walk was full of positive energy and supports from family and friends!  We also volunteer at special olympics so we interact with kids with downs often.  They are so sweet and love to hug you!  It can be very hard for a family to deal with, but there is no way I could terminate the baby if I was diagnosed with one.  (It was shocking to hear from the neighbor that how so many people decide to pursue an abortion when they find out)  

Me Lately?             

Eating often is still the same.  I feel like the baby has a nasusea button and he presses it when he gets hungry!  I haven't felt really hungry for a while and I am scared to let myself be hungry.  I always carry small snack/cheese, etc in my purse just in case.  I used to love steak.  We just went to a very nice restaurant and I order fillet.  It came with a baked potato & MacNCheese.  Guess what, which one I couldn't stop eating???  Potato!!  I usually don't like potato, but it tasted like heaven.  Oh, bread is my savior.  This baby indeed loves carbs :P 

Belly hairs....gross!  It's so "sexy" but I am afraid to shave as they might come back thick!!

Sleeping....yes yes.  I am taking naps sometimes on the weekend.  During the weekdays, I am falling asleep on the couch around 10:30.

Dizziness:  I read about this sympson and I am getting more dizziness lately.     

This is an exicting week because we are telling DH family and close friends about our pregnancy news!  We are having a dinner @ Italian restaurant with the family on Friday.  I bought cards which I am going to give in-law and sister-in-law at dinner.  I am going to order a glass of wine to just pretend and before I take a sip, I am going to give this cards to them.  I am thinking to write something like "Congratulations. You are going to be a grandpa & grandma!  Please spoil your future grand kid :)".

Our friends might already know since they have seen me not drinking lately, but I am curious how they will react.  I am so ready for the weekend to come!!!       

Week 11 & 3 Days: First OB Visit

This day is finally here.  No more RE visits.  I have a normal OB who can check and tell me all about pregnancy.  We just moved to a new city and this OB was referred by my RE, so it was a whole new experience today.

We were so busy packing / moving past few weeks, so I wasn't thinking too much about this.  As we settled in the new place last weekend, my anxiety came back......IS MY BABY STILL ALIVE AND  HAVING A HEART BEAT!???!??  I bought a fetal doppler a couple of weeks ago to give me some peace of mind, but I have not been able to hear a HB :(  In hindisight, the sound I thought I heard was definitely mine because it was less than 100.  I know it might be still early to hear a HB, but I was quite dissapointed.  I never had a dream about a baby, but I had 2 baby dreams this week.  One dream was wild!  I was still in the first trimester.  In order to check whether or not if the baby is fine, someone cut my belly open and took the tiny baby out.  I am looking at the LO and thinking "Phew, she/he is healthy and alive".  It's kinda gross!!  Since I went through an infertility, I learned that my fear / anxiety show up in some way or crazy way in my dream.  I told my DH that I am nervous about today.  He said "Me too".

The clinic was very nice and clean.  I filled out several basic new patient forms and met a nurse.  She was very down to earth and asked several questions about my history.  When I told her about IVF, she said she had to go through medicated cycles for her 2 girls.  I felt good knowing that she understands IF.  After she completed her paper, she gave me a bag of stuff including info about optional testings such as NT scan.  I signed up this test for next week.  Then, a lab technitian took 3 bloodwork.  Finally, I met my OB.  He is very chatty and funny!  I immediately felt comfortable with him although he had to conduct a PAP on me today :P  He also did monitor baby's HB.  He found it!!!  I don't know the rate, but it was beating fast!!  I felt so relieved and he told me that after ultrasound confirms your baby’s heartbeat at eight weeks, the risk of miscarriage is only about 3%.  I just looked up about a risk of miscarriage and here it is:   The risk falls even lower (1%) after a normal ultrasound at 16 weeks. I know that the safe zone is after 4 months in Japan as compared to 3 months in the States.

I saw a FB post today from my DH's friend.  The excited couple posted a U/S picture of their 2nd expected baby and her due date is 3/17 (Mine is 3/23, so we are so close!).  I will NOT make a FB announcement until at least 4 months or when we find out about a gender.  Whenever people announce their pregnancies on the FB in the early stage of their pregnancy, I always think they are either brave, they have never encountered a fertility issue, or they might not know the risk of miscaridge in the early stage.  I know 2 girls who did the same thing and ended up losing a baby....

How am I doing lately?
I think my m/s is better.  My boobs are not as sore as before.  My bloat is the same as before.  Appetite for food.....GAH!  This is the hard one.  I am eating something often, but food doesn't make me happy anymore.  I haven't cooked proper meals for weeks.  I cannot seem to make myself buy meat and cook.  My go-to-cookings are:  Tomate sauce pasta & Veg Lo Mein.  Poor husband.....It's not like the smell makes me throw up or anything like that, but I just lost my passion to cook.  My lunch routine (I have been slacking lately) is to go to a gym, walk on a treadmill, and watch Paula Deen & Barefoot Contessa, but even that doesn't make me happy :(

I started feeling better about my pregnancy, so I did some shopping!  I bought 3 books:  Belly Laugh & the Conflict & Dude, you are gonna be dad for hubby.  I also gave in to get a Snoogle!  It just came, so I gotta try the big ass pillow tonight. 

Comfy Snoogle

                  

Week 10 & 3 Days: Prenatal Yoga & Fetal Doppler

Prenatal Yoga
I started going to a prenatal yoga class.  I used to take a hot yoga class in this studio and I loved it but I stopped going after I started my IVF cycle b/c I heard that extream heat is not a good thing.  I ABSOLUTELY love this prenatal class.  The class consists of 10+ pregnant ladies and before the class starts, each of us talks about the week we are in, discomfort, books we are reading, etc.  There are 2 girls who are having twins and I cannot help but to wonder if they suffered IF and had an IF treatment.  I am the newbie and youngest (in terms of the pregnancy length).  It's such a neat feeling to be surrounded by this many pregnant women and share the moment of tranquility.  The instructor Cathy is amazing and the atomospher of the class is so Zen peaceful and relaxing.      

Fetal Doppler

I went back and forth about purchasing a fetal doppler, but I decided to go ahead and order, so it arrived today.  I know some girls listen to their baby's HB for a peace of mind.  I wasn't sure if it would freak me out a little, but my purchase decision came down to this.  DH's friends are coming in town for the labor day weekend this weekend.  We don't get to see them much because they either moved to a different city or have 2+ kids and their lives are so busy.  They are having a grill out and we are planning on going.  DH said "I want to announce our pregnancy news to them."  I was like "But, I will not be in the safe zone by this Sunday..."  I told him that I will think about it.  I know I am almost there, but I am so scared of the thought that I will find out that the baby's HB stopped after we tell our friends.  I personally wanted to wait until I go into NT scan between 11 - 13 weeks and get a confirmation of the healthy baby.

DH is so excited and cannot wait to let his friends know and I totally understand, so I thought "Maybe I can purchase a fetal doppler to hear the baby's HB."  The manual came with it said it is suitable to use after the 12th week of pregnancy.  However, I have seen girls being able to detect HB earlier than that.  I gave it a shot and tried.  It came with a jel so I put decent amount on my tummy and tried to detect a HB.  Hmmmmm...it's not as easy as I thought!  I even watched YouTube video, but how do you know where the fetus is located at???!!  After trying for a couple of minutes, I thought I heard some beating sound, but I am not sure if this is it.  I guess I have to practice more at home to get a hang of it :P

Oh, one more thing! I had nosebleed twice last weekend.  It freaked me out because I never never get it.  Of course I googled bunch and learned that it's a common pregnancy symptom.  I told DH about it and he said "Yeah, I heard that women have a period from their nose when they get pregnant."  I don't know if he was serious or joking, but it cracked me up!  

Week 9 & 7 Days: Happy 5th Anniversary & Time for A New Project

Anniversay
Happy 5th anniversary!!!  Today is a such beautiful day with the blue sky and the sun is shinning.  I cannot believe it's been already 5 years since we said "YES" to our forever life together.  Since we are middle of packing to move next week, we decided to stay in town and just go to our favorite restaurant "Local 127" tonight.  We take turns to plan our anniversary weekend.  It's his turn this year and he is planning on a secret trip somewhere in the beginning of October.  I am so excited!  I am especially excited because I will be in a safe zone by the time October comes and we can talk so much about our future with our baby.   

I am still so much in love with him.  Everytime we face difficulties in our lives, our relationship gets tigher.  We of course disagree certain things, but we can discuss pretty much anything and come to a conclusion together.  We respect, trust and love each others, which are key to a successful marriage, I believe. 

New Project
We met in 2005 and got married in 2007.  I am not too crafty person, but I like to take pictures and keep movie/concert tickets, so I decided to do a scrap booking project.  This has been going on since 2005, so the book is pretty thick!  It's so hard to remember what we do every year, so this is a great way to remember our time in the past.  I update once every year and this is my wedding anniversary gift to him every year.  It's a lot of fun and I love that how it tells special stories of us.   

Last anniversary, I thought to myselft that, there might not be one for next year as we were ready to start trying.  I was thinking I will come up with a new project for our addition if it happens.     


Our Memory Scrap Book

I DID come up with an awesome new project!  Instead of a scrap booking, I decided to have a "Dear Baby Pregnancy Memory Book".  I printed out pregnacy's weekly notes (the size of the baby, baby status of the week & pregnacy symptoms).  Also, I added a section called "From Your Mommy & Daddy" to the page.  Basically, both of us read the weekly pregnancy note once a week at dinner and write a little message to our future baby.  If I get a u/s pic, I will stick in there.  I am also thinking, I will add my bump pictures once it started showing :)      

Every day, every week of the pregnancy is so precious, so I want to remember our feelings.  I would like to eventually give this book to our son/daugher when he/she grows up.  I want him/her to know that we loved him/her so much even before he/she is born.   

Dear Baby Pregnancy Memory Book



Week 9 & 2 Days: Hello There, Morning Sickness!

I read somewhere 75% of pregnant women experience morning sickness.  The rest of them don't feel anything much and breeze through their pregnancy process.  I know a girl who didn't know that she was pregnant until 5 months until when she felt a movement in her belly.  I didn't really have a symptom of m/s, so I thought I won't have any.....WRONG!! 

It kicked in when I hit 8 weeks.  The name "Morning Sickness" is so deceiving because it comes and goes throughout the day.  Mine is not as bad as some other people, but it's new to me so I need to get used to this!  Here are a couple of strange phenomenons I started experiencing

• I lost appetite for food and I don't know what I want to eat.  My favorite food such as Pasta, Asian food, Fillet, Cookies & Cream ice cream, etc are not too appetiting to me anymore.  
• I am not hungry, but if I don't put something in my stomach, nausia starts.  I keep eating so often and it's actually tiring.
• I became picky about certain food.  I cannot absolutely eat certain food I used to eat: Strawberry, Cookies & Cream ice cream, yogurt, corn, etc   

Last week was tough because I wasn't prepared for m/s and didn't know what works and what doesn't.  I got some ideas from girls from the PAIF, so here are my food stock for the week!



My survival food for the week 9

My DH planned a surprise dinner date on Saturday night.  He remembered that I had a big craving for a greasy hamburger sometimes on week 7, so he planned a theme date night called "Old America"  He took me to a Red Robins for burgers and we went to play a putt-putt!  It was so much fun and I had my first hole-in-one!  The place gave nme an ice cream sandwitch because I got a hole-in-one, so I ate it on the way home.  Unfortunately.......my baby didn't like it.  It made me almost vomit when I got home.  Yikes...I guess I have to get an approval from him/her on food.  My comment to him/her was..."Hey, little guy/girl, you are in charge of me now, so you decide whatever you want, I will eat / not eat!!!!"        


Other physical changes

I think my cramp is gone, but my belly is bloated.  I know I am not considered showing yet, so this is just a bloat, but I know there is a tiny little but beautiful life in me :)  Oh, I learned that it's no longer a embryo.  It's a fetus from the week 9, so it is (I hate to call it a "it"!) a size of an olive and she/he is becoming more like a baby. 

I stopped Crinone progestrone gel so my infection (Yes, Crinone gave me a something similar to yeast infection!) is gone, too!      

Sleeping posture is a big challenge.  I heard that sideway is the best, but I tend to move while sleeping, so I have an extra pillow between my lesg to keep myself positioned right.

Belly Bloat