Telling the family

Today we told our immediate families. We hadn't planned on telling them so soon. We had thought we would wait until Easter, another month away. But we're both so excited that we wanted to tell someone. So we called the parents and the siblings.

Everyone seemed excited- perhaps my family a little more so. But it was a weekend of good news for us Breechers. Andrew and Gentry got engaged yesterday and today they learned that I'm pregnant. Celebrations abound!

Five weeks

Your baby has grown to the size of a sesame seed, looking more like a tiny tadpole than a human.

Week 5

Your Baby This Coming Week
Your baby is now about the size of an apple seed. That's about 0.08 to 0.16 inches (2 to 4mm) from crown to rump. It has formed a distinct head with the first stages of eyes and ears. The spinal column and cord are formed. Buds that will grow limbs have also formed. The heart is starting to beat and at this stage its beating may even be detected by sensitive ultrasound equipment, though, it's still very early. The kidneys, liver and nerve cells have also begun to develop. Ten dental buds are growing in the jaws. Blood circulation has begun and primitive red blood cells circulate. The neural tube has closed over along your baby's spine. The optic vesicles, which resemble tiny discs of pigment set in cups along the sides of your baby's head will develop into your baby's eyes. A distinct tail is still present. The body is shaped like the letter "C".

Your Body This Coming Week
By now your pregnancy should have been confirmed. You may be experiencing morning sickness (not necessarily only in the morning). You will have begun to notice changes in your body: you may have gained a few pounds, or you may have even lost weight if you've been suffering from morning sickness. Your uterus is growing, although it is still smaller than a tennis ball and you do not "show". Your metabolism has likely increased to deal with the changes taking place in your body. Some women begin to suffer from heartburn and constipation. You may also be feeling tired and irritable sometimes due to the increase in levels of the hormone progesterone. (This is the same hormone that can make you feel irritable before you get your period).

Four Weeks

Your baby -- now officially an embryo -- is about the size of a poppy seed.

Awwwww....

So after I got off the phone with the doctor's office I texted Chris.

Me: It's official
Him: I can't do cartwheels, or I would.
Me: Jeff (his boss) might look at you funny.
Him: Maybe. But it would be worth it.

Not sure why, but this makes me really happy. It's nice to see that he's this excited.

Week 4

So when a friend of mine was pregnant she kept a weekly journal on her blog with these stats. Thought I would give it a whirl.

How far along? 4 weeks, 5 days. Although I think this may change once I go and visit the doctor/nurse.
Total weight gain/loss: Hmmm.... it's been a while since I've been on a scale. I should probably do that tonight to get a "base line". Unfortunately there really isn't a convenient place in the new house to keep the scale. Or there is, but it's out of the way so to use it I need to pull it out from under some storage drawers, move the bathmat, and try to find the level spot of the floor.
TP test: I haven't done this one yet, but it's how many squares of toilet paper does it take to go around your belly. Often done as a guessing game at showers.
Maternity Clothes: Nope. Not yet.
"Morning" Sickness: Weird feeling in my stomach that started almost as soon as I took the first pregnancy test. At first I thought it was nerves/ butterflies, but it's now been there for 3 days. Not sure if it's psychosomatic or something else.
Signs of Pregnancy: Positive pregnancy tests!
Stretch Marks: Nope.
Sleep: Ok except for Monday night when I was so wound up from having just found out I was pregnant.
Best moment this week: There are a few...
Telling Chris. "Are you kidding me?!"
Seeing the positive line appear on the pregnancy test.
Calling my doctor to verify results of the blood test and being told that I was, in fact, pregnant.
Worst moment this week: Stomach pains.
Gender prediction: WAY too early to tell.
Movement: Nothing yet.
Labor Pains: Nothing yet.
Belly Button in or out? Definitely in.
Wedding rings on or off? On. And a little loose.
What I'm going to miss/What I can't wait for: Can't wait to start the doctor appointments. Makes it a bit more real. Also looking forward to shopping for the bambino.
I'm going to miss ice skating, but I think I can still do that for a couple more months. We'll see.
Weekly Wisdom: Enjoy it.
Milestones/Fun Moments: Telling Chris
What we need to do: Everything! But at the same time, we don't need to be doing too much at this point.

It's official

I left work early yesterday so I was able to go get my blood drawn for the official test. I probably could have called the doctor earlier this morning to get the results but I waited until the afternoon.

So I just got off the phone. It's official. I'm pregnant. (Wow it feels weird to say that. I think it's going to be even weirder to say it out loud.) I have my first two appointments set up. The first is in about a week and a half with the nurse. The woman I spoke with referred to is as a "teaching" appointment. Then my first appointment with the doctor won't be until April, when I'm in about my 10th week. I asked when the first ultrasound is, and it's in about weeks 18-20. I wish we were going to have that before we start telling people, but I guess I'm ok with waiting. I just looked at the calendar and realized that the US (ultrasound) appointment should be right around the time that Chris' parents are visiting.

Starting the official process

I called my doctor's office today. I know it's silly, but I was kind of nervous making that call. First step is to get a blood test for the official confirmation. So I'll get to the lab either after work today or first thing tomorrow morning. Then by Friday I can call my doctor's office to get the official results.

Telling Chris

Chris and I carpool to work. I picked him up yesterday and gets in the car. He sees the Barnes & Noble bag sitting on the passenger seat.

Him: Did you buy something for me? (Said in a kidding fashion.)
Me: Yup.
Him: Really? What did you buy me? (Opens bag and takes out book.) Um, why did you get this? (His thoughts go from 'she knows she can't get this until she's pregnant' to realizing what me purchasing this book actually means.)
I take out my camera and show him the picture of the pregnancy test.
Him: Are you kidding me?
Me: And I've known since 10:30 last night.
Him: Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? (Said while laughing and smiling.)

And then he read through the book of baby names all the way home, laughing at the ridiculous ones, looking at the list of trends, etc.

Yeah, he's pretty excited.

Guess that new haircolor worked?

So I spent some time this evening reading the message boards of my TTC website. People were commenting that when they have tests in the house, they have to test. I was doing ok, but then I went upstairs to get ready for bed and figured, what the heck. I'll pee on a stick.

The "negative" line showed up quickly, and then the control line. And then I saw the "positive" line start to show up. It was faint. Was I imagining things? But it got stronger. Still not the same intensity as the other line, but they say that a faint positive is still a positive!

It was all I could do not to run downstairs and show the test to Chris. Instead I hid all evidence of it so that I can surprise him later. But now I'm to the point of excitement that I can't fall asleep. I lay in bed for over an hour. My stomach is all butterflies. So I figured I would get up and come downstairs for a little bit.

I came down, and actually pulled the test out from its hiding spot in my craft room. I had to be sure that I wasn't imagining things. Nope. I'm not imagining things. :)

And according to the online calculator, my due date is November 3rd.

Sorry for the super grainy picture. This is what happens when I take a picture in really low light with no flash.

Month Nine

We're in the ninth month of trying. And once again we're at the waiting and wondering stage. Today is day 31 of my cycle. My average is now 32 days, and according to the computer I'm not supposed to test until day 34. We'll see if I can wait another 3 days. I picked up some tests yesterday and I was pretty sure that I was going to test this morning, but I ended up waiting. I guess after nine months I now have a little willpower? Not sure what that's about.

New tests make a world of difference!

So for the past few months I've been sticking to one brand of ovulation prediction kits. And I've been not so thrilled with the results. You have to compare the intensity of two lines, and I've found it very difficult to say for certain if it's a positive test or not. Well this month I'm trying a new brand. Wow! Night and day. I got a circle yesterday saying not ovulating, and a smiley face today, which means I am. Fingers crossed for good luck this month.

Baby Making Hair

I went to get my hair cut and colored on Saturday. Since I was going to be there for a while, I brought some knitting with me. My hairdresser asked me what I was making, so I showed her. It's a cute baby outfit so I explained that it wasn't for me, but for a friend. Then she asked something about us and babies and I said that we were working on it. So then she replied that she was going to give me "baby making hair". Right, as if the hair is what the problem was. :)