Surprise

Today we told Paul's family about our growing little Jellybean. We had discussed various methods of surprising the family but the idea I had came to me on a spur of the moment and out of the need for a backup plan. My sister in law and brother in law just retunred from their 2 week honeymoon and during the time they were away my sister in law's birthday had also passed. Friday is the family get together day and so I had gifts for her from the wedding and her birthday. The original plan was to have a onesie made that said "I love my Aunt Kim" and give that to her along with all the other gifts so it wouldn't seem weird or out of the blue. Then the inspiration grew as I found an Etsy dealer that made customed onsies so I got one to say "I Love my Aunt Kim and Uncle Ben" I ordered this last week while they were still away and specifcially requested the onesie arrive by friday, extra shipping charges could be charged for htis. I never heard back from the seller so I assumed all was well. As the week ticked by and no package showed up my worry increased. Paul had said if it didnt come we would scrap telling them this week but since my anticipation about sharing this special news has grown exponetially as the weeks roll by I simply couldn't stand to wait much longer. I decided today to come up with a new plan, an even better one. My sister in law loves elephants, those are her giraffes you could say. I bought a stuffed elephant and tied a little card around its neck with this poem I made up
"The wedding day was beautiful
what a special time that was
Hope you're ready for the next step
because
Ready or naught
here it comes
Congratulations you're becoming
an Aunt!"

Of course when I got home the onesie was sitting on the porch.

Needless to say thanks to these happy pictures I think the entire thing went well and we surprised the family good!
Jellybean this is your Uncle Ben...words can't always describe

1st Appointment Notes

Today was Mommy's "first prenatal appointment" even though Mommy has already seen the Dr a million times before for all her scares. Overall it was a great appointment. Mommy has gained 4lbs since September 28th which doesnt seem like a lot but sure feels like a lot to Mommy's tightening clothes. Mommy saw Jellybean again and his little heart thump thump thumping away. This time his heartbeat was estimated to be around 160 BPM, a nice solid heartbeat the Dr said. Mommy got another scan of Jellybean and will scan that too. The difference this time between ultrasounds was that this one was on Mommy's tummy while the others have all been transvaginally. Tummy ultrasounds are not as accurate as transvaginal ones in the 1st and even 2nd trimester simply becuase baby is so small. This ultrasound changed Jellybean's due date to June 12th when originally it was June 10th. It also said that Jellybean was 6w6d plus/minus 7d. Last week at the other ultrasound Jellybean was clocked in at 6w4d so Mommy thinks that there has to be a few numbers off since a week has passed and Jellybean has only grown 2 days? Mommy plans on sticking with her original numbers and dates meaning the start of the 8th week will be Monday. Mommy has another appointment scheduled on Novemebr 20th. Jellybean should be close to 12 weeks at that time.

In other news Mommy is still on the fence about both the flu and H1N1 shots. The Dr recommends both but Mommy is a bit unsure at this time. She has been polling every pregnant woman she meets to see what the general consensus is. Mommy normally never gets any shot during this time and she leans more toward the idea of less vaccinations. With H1N1 Mommy feels that the test is just so new so how can the side affects on growing fetuses really be known? The babies that will be effected by these shots are in utero and maybe won't show any problems for another decade. The media seems to be hying up the fear level as usual and it just seems too early to really know the side affects which is why Mommy is leaning toward not getting the H1N1 shot. As for the flu shot while Mommy usually never gets the shot this year she is considering it as she doesn't want to take a risk with Jellybean. Mommy;'s biggest concern with the flu shot is that many people often get sick right after receiving the shot and Mommy would rather not purposely get sick on purpose if she doesnt have to. She will have to mull this one over for a bit too.

Lastly Mommy is unsure whether Jellybean is the cuase but this year Mommy's allergies are going crazy. Yesterday was the worst day she ever had in a while. Mommy normally, before Jellybean, always combated allergies with Nasonex a nasla spray. Nasonex is categorized for pregnant woman as Category C meaning not enough research is done on the product to know if it has any lasting affects on babies when mom's take it. Mommy's Dr has siad that Nasonex is safe to take though. Mommy tried to use Claritian, which is Category B meaning no affects on fetuses has been shown, but it simply was not cutting it. Mommy suffered through the day and asked Daddy to go to the pharmacy to buy a saline nasal spray (just salt water) for her which of course Daddy did not buy rather buying other medicated ones. After more then twelve hours of suffering Mommy gave in though and used a quick spray of Nasonex. In the end though it helped clear things up Mommy is feeling terrible today. Her throat hurts and she has a post nasal drip in the back of her throat as well as a cough and stuffy head and stuffy nose. Mommy worries that waiting to take the proper medicine sooner caused her to become this way today. Mommy called her allergist and is awaiting his call back to see his thoughts on Nasonex and whether he can recommend something just as affective with less concerns. While Mommy is still worried a little about her decision to use Nasonex in the end (though today's good ultrasound helped releive that a little) she feels that maybe a Mommy that isnt suffering so much might in the end be better for baby. Either way Mommy needs some relief from this horrible allergy season.

Belly Notes

I am offically 7 weeks today! I can't believe I made it this far. During my last pregnancy that ended in miscarriage I never made it past 5 weeks so this is a big milestone for me. This morning I have to say though is not one of my best. While I think pregnancy itself is a beautiful, wonderous, time it isn't always pretty from day to day. I have been feeling queasy and naeusosus for much of the morning and it only stopped after some wonderfuuly greasy but delcious McDonalds breakfast. To top that off I am very bloated with gas as usual and I do think that in a few weeks fitting into my jeans might become an issue. I plan on going to Target sometime this week and looking for some workout pants that have some stretch to them. Still all of these feelings, however unpleasant at times, give me reassurance that something is still working away inside me. Since I am not pregnant enough to feel the baby or far along enough for a home fetal doppler to pick up heartbeats these unpleasant body feelings are the only thing I have to rely on when wondering if Jellybean is still with me. I compare it to a factory. Real factories omit harmful pollutants and waste which can be seen and smelled and in many ways this is the case with my Jellybean factory. All of these "pollutants" show me that the factory is still ticking away inside. In other news I have stopped bleeding all together. Since Friday night after my ultrasound there has been no more red blood. I still spot here and there but even that has seemed to die down a lot. Most of the time now when I wipe after going to the bathroom there is nothing. While one would think this would be reassuring news for some reason my convulated brain is somehow worried that the lack of blood signifies something to worry about. Luckily the rest of the pollutants seem to be going at their normal pace leaving me a little reassurance. I am seeing the Dr at the end of this week so I will tell her about the bleeding stopping and see what she says.

A side note Mommy thought was funny too was that many people say pregnancy is an emotional time and often many pregnant woman are reduced to tears at mere sight of a cute animal. Mommy on the other hand seems to be taking emotions to a different level. While she can definitely see a change in her mood in certain situations its not tears that usually come out rather then screams! Instead of being overall sad and emotional Mommy seems to be at the other extreme where every little thing can maker her angry and pissed off. Daddy is not loving this part of pregnancy for sure!

Lastly this weekend Jellybean attended his second wedding, Dave & Jamie's. Sadly Mommy and Daddy forgot to take a picture before going (running late) and after coming home (tired) so we have no photo with Gus this time. Despite the weather though it was a lovely wedding and Mommy and Daddy's first champagne brunch wedding. Mommy enjoyed the waffles and strawberry offerings and did not partake in the champagne aspect of the party but good food and conversation was had. Congrats to Dave and Jamie again and have a great time in Aruba!

Updates from Us

We're back! We have had a roller coaster few weeks but so far everything seems to be alright. Mommy has been spotting blood on and off since September 28th. At first the blood was mostly brown/pink which is not a cause for alarm as it means the blood is old and not fresh blood. Still any blood is always a concern and since Mommy's loss of peanut she rushed to the Dr's to get things checked out. Multiple blood work was done and at 16 DPO (days past ovulation) HGH (human growth hormones) were at 274. The Dr had Mommy come back 2 days later for more blood work to see if the HGH levels were doubling as they should. At 18 DPO the levels were at 474 which the Dr said was good since it was close to doubling. Still it got Mommy worried so she went back again at 24 DPO and got more blood work done. HGH levels came back at 3913 and Mommy breathed a sigh of relief. Then a few days later when Mommy went to the bathroom a small clot fell out. This sent Mommy running back tot he Dr's for an early ultrasound and it was confirmed that there was a gestational sac and yolk inside. Jellybean was 5 weeks 4 days at the time so too small to hear a heartbeat so an ultrasound was planned for the following week. Whew. A few days later mommy started to see red when she wiped sometimes and red is certainly soemthing to worry about as it indicates fresh blood. Mommy went to the Dr and was checked out and looked fine and the Dr said to wait till Friday for the ultrasound to hear the heartbeat. Throughout that week Mommy saw red from time to time and was alarmed and worried. Many times she wondered if there was indeed a Jellybean still inside with the amount of red she saw. On Friday October 16th, 2009 Mommy and Daddy went in for their ultrasound. As soon as the screen flashed up they saw a tiny little dot inside the gestaional sac. Jellybean measured 6 weeks 4 days, exactly on track, and had a heartbeat of 129 BPM. Mommy and daddy were so releived and so thrilled to see their little Jellybean. It was a very scary few weeks waiting to confirm with the heartbeat but it was all worth it in the end to hear that lovely little beating sound. Though Mommy is still seeing red from time to time she was told that the area around Jellybean is not the cause of the bleeding so all should be well. Mommy returns to the Dr next week for another checkup. Hopefully everything is chugging along nicely and we will be out of the first trimester soon.

And now onto the pictures!

On the left is Jellybean at 5 weeks 4 days. You can just see the sac and inside is a tiny tiny dot which is the yolk. The middle picture is exactly one week later. Jellybean is that longish pole toward the left next to the circle which is the yolk sac. The last picture is a 3D image of them. The yolk sac, which is Jellybean's food source until Mommy's placenta develops, is the round circle and the tadpole like shape next to it is Jellybean. I know the pictures are hard to see since they are scans but its amazing how much has changed in just one short week.


In spite of all the worry Mommy has been under Jellybean managed to go to two events these past few weeks. The first was the wedding of Daddy's sister (Jellybean's aunt) Since the family does not know about Jellybean yet Gus couldn't come along for the entire even so Mommy and Daddy took this picture at home before leaving. Mommy, Daddy, and Jellybean were all in the wedding party.

The day after the wedding Jellybean and Gus were off to root for Daddy's favorite team, The New York Rangers. They watched the Rangers shut out the the Toronto Maple Leafs in a 3-0 victory.

Lastly some belly shots

Here Jellybean is 4 weeks

Here he is at 5 weeks 2 days

And lastly at 6 weeks 5 days

Giants Stadium

Where were Jellybean and Gus this Friday? At the Meadowlands (Giants Stadium) for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's last five concerts before the Meadowlands is torn down. Mommy bought the tickets back in March for Daddy since he has some ridiculous obsession with this man. In the end after some finagling Mommy managed to move their pit seats to regular seats. After seeing the pit that night Mommy thinks it was the best idea for her and Jellybean. Standing for a 3 hour concert plus the outside wait and being pushed around but all those people probably wouldn't have been the best. Still Daddy enjoyed the concert and the seats were much better then the last time Mommy and Daddy saw him at Shea Stadium. It did rain a little in the end which wasn't as terrible as it sounds but still not fun.

Cameras technically aren't allowed in the Meadowlands so Mommy decided it wasn't worth trying to sneak one in for an act she didn't care too much about so we snapped these two with Mommy's cell phone while tailgating before the show started.
Gus tailgating

Last Day in Cape May

The last day in Cape May was rainy so we just spent some time walking around and taking pictures of the place we stayed and some spots downtown. I wish the weather was nicer so we could have taken a horse and buggy ride around town but there is always next time I guess.

And had to add this little gem I saw in the window in homage of my other love in life, Cavaliers

Where are Gus and jellybean off to next???

Cape May Lighthouse and Beach

After the alpaca farm it was off to the Cape May Lighthouse.

Inside the light house
Gus has no fear of heights!


On the way up



At the top



View from the top
Dont let go!
The beach was soooo windy so our one shot together
Walking away with Gus

Gus admires the lighthouse


Last day in Cape May next