Week 6: Sweet Pea

I know that some people find the weekly updates long, and not so interesting.  But I want to make sure I document as much as I can for my own sake.  So feel free to just skip these posts if they bore you :)

How far along: 6 weeks.  Obviously, she's growing like crazy!  She's also circulating blood with her increasingly more sophisticated circulatory sytem.  She's about to get cuter too, since she's starting to sprout a nose, eyes, ears, chin and cheeks.  And she might even be wiggling her (paddle-like) hands and feet.

How big is baby: The size of a sweet pea.  Baby measured 8.9 mm today to be exact :)

Weight gain/loss:  Not sure.  I should probably weigh myself sometime soon.

Stretch marks: No.

Sleep:  Super tired!  I go to bed at about 9 every night now (yes, even the weekends).  Getting up for work at 6am has been rough.  I've definitely been hitting the snooze.  It was heavenly being at home this weekend and being able to sleep until 9 or 10 with no interuptions.

Diet/Cravings/Aversions:  Not feeling sick really at all (yet?).  I do get hungry quite often so I have to remember to bring snacks for work. 

Exercise:  Not really :(  With the cramping and bleading, I've been trying to take it easy.  I've taken Wally for a few 30 minute walks.  I'm going to reevaluate after out ultrasound next week.  I'd like to still do the eliptical and walk on the treadmill.

Gender: Obviously, it's way to early to tell.  And I'm leaning towards being suprised in October.

Movement: No.

The belly:  Nothing noticeable.  If anything, I feel like it's smaller since I'm so hungry all the time. 

What I'm spazzing about:  The cramping and bleading are the big ones.  Seeing the sac today made me feel a million times better.  But now I'm worried about getting to that next step next week of hearing the heartbeat.  I have a feeling this is going to be a SLOW week.

What I'm loving:  Seeing the little baby on the screen in the right place this time!  I can't tell you how much of a relief that was.

Symptoms:  Tired.  Minimal cramping and spotting now.  But it was definitely much worst a few weeks ago and last week. 

What I'm looking forward to:  Next weeks ultra sound where we should hear the heartbeat.  Baby steps right?

Best moment of the week:  Seeing the baby :)

Our little miracle

That's right!  I'm pregnant with Baby #2 :)  Here are the details....

After the specialist gave us the go ahead, we decided to try on our own.  We both figured nothing would happen.  We had tried 8 months on our own and the only time things actually worked, I was taking clomid.  My last cycle started January 18.  I used my OPKs and finally got a positive well after the "normal" day 14.  Shortly after that, I started spotting which is my typical cycle.  So I waited, and waited, and waited for my period to start.  Nothing.  Just spotting...yes, heavy at times, but definitely not what I typically expect.  I counted the days and realized that I was past the 28 day mark.  Finally, I decided to take a test on Sunday, February 19.  And this is what I saw....

Was I excited?  Yes!  Was a I scared?  YES!  The spotting was exactly how things with Baby #1 started.  And obviously, that didn't go well.  I called my RE's after office number and spoke with the nurse.  She told me to come in for blood work the next day and we'd go from there.  She kept reassuring me that 40% of women spot and have healthy pregnancies.  So Monday morning I went in for my blood work.  Beta was 80+ and progesterone was at 42!  That is awesome for me.  I have a history of very low progesterone.  Wednesday came and the second round of betas were at 180+ and progesterone still holding strong at 28.  I was then scheduled for my first ultrasound the following week (today). 

Well, the weekend didn't go so well.  I started cramping really badly.  Friday I had quite a bit of blood (at least it was a lot to me).  I called the RE and they said there wasn't much they could do but I could go in for blood work Sunday to ease my mind.  My betas were at 1400+ and progesterone at 30+.  So everything looked great.  The nurses response, some women just bleed.  It's just another way those babies like to make us nervous.

Today was the first ultra sound and we saw that little pea :)  Everything measured great.  We now go back next Wednesday to hear the heartbeat. 

This is real...our baby is in the right spot this time and growing.  There is still so much uncertainty and I know we aren't out of the woods just yet.  But I'm still grinning from ear to ear :)  And Aaron said he can finally sleep.

Waldo's World (and weekend update)

Thankfully, Wally has been rather tame lately :)  No new crazy stories to report.  He was lucky this weekend and had an extra long weekend because Aaron took a sick day on Friday.  Based on this picture, he was loving life :)  This is his favorite pose...he's not shameful at all.

Sunday night Aaron had a soccer game and Wally loves to play soccer.  Aaron has since regretted showing him how because he now always steels the ball.  I think it's super cute.  Aaron is more worried about him putting a hole in the ball :)

The rest of the weekend was so much fun!  I surprised my mom on Thursday.  She was COMPLETELY surprised.  Friday we went to lunch with my BFF's mom and grocery shopping.  Friday night was the first lenton dinner at the church I grew up at.  Saturday, my mom and I got mani's before I headed back to Detroit.  It was nice to be home without Wally to worry about.  I love him tons, but sometimes it's nice to just relax and spend time with my parents.  It's crazy to think I probably won't see them again until Easter.  That seems so far away!

Weekend Recap

Finally, a weekend in Detroit again!  Friday, I spent a few hours after work cleaning.  I hadn't done it for two weeks so the house was in desperate need.  Then we went to dinner with friends at a new restaurant in Ferndale.  It had an EXTENSIVE beer list.  The food was decent.  The wait took FOREVER though.  I think we'll wait to go back once the hype dies down a little.


Saturday, I ran a bunch of errands and bought all of the food for my mom's surprise.  That night, Michele, Amy, and I had a girls' night out.  We went to Emagine theater in Royal Oak for dinner and a movie.  Dinner was running a little late, but don't worry, you can bring food AND drinks into the theater!  What a great concept.  So all three of us ate our salads while watching The Vow.  Such a great movie :)  And to top off the night, I came home and watched Friends with Benefits.  Two girly movies in one night.  I don't usually get such a luxury :)


Today (as mentioned) was full of cooking.  Now, I'm trying to relax a little before getting things around for work tomorrow.  Why do the weekends always go by way too fast?

The menu at the restaurant lit up once
you opened the cover.  How cool!

Susie Homemaker

A day full of cooking.  That was my Sunday.  My mom is having surgery this week (nothing major-thankfully).  She sent an e-mail to all of us kids letting us know the date, reminding us to send flowers, and making sure we were coming home.  She meant the e-mail as a joke (maybe partially serious?? :) ).  But it got me thinking.  My mom ALWAYS takes care of us when we are sick.  She held back our hair and rubbed our backs countless nights when we had the flu.  She always made us chicken noodle soup or buttered toast.  She made me milkshakes when I had my wisdom teeth out and saved Christmas dinner for me until I could actually eat it.  But who takes care of my mom when she's sick?


So I had a great idea.  I have plenty of vacation, so I'll take Friday off, head home Thursday night and surprise my mom.  What's better than flowers?  Home cooked meals that you just have to heat up and your oldest daughter on your doorstep in for the weekend!  So I spent my day making several things for my parents to enjoy this week...lasagna, chicken noodle soup, chicken pot pie, and banana bread.


I've been dying all week to tell my parents, but I know seeing my mom's surprise will make it well worth it :)  Now if Thursday would just hurry up and get here!

Our kitchen was a mess but I know it will be well worth it!!

Sometimes...

Sometimes, I let this infertility roller coaster get the best of me.  A lot of days, I'm ok even great.  Especially now that we have a plan in place and have an amazing team of doctors and nurses.  But some days, I just don't want to deal with it anymore.  I don't want to have to watch the calendar, take too many pills per day, remember to call the nurse when my cycle starts, make doctors appointments for monitoring multiple times during the month.  But I know it will all be worth it in the end. 

Yesterday was a VERY long day at work and I was mad that I had to work so late on Valentine's Day.  Our takeout was cold by the time I finally got home.  And I had to remind Aaron to make his doctor's appointment again (to be fair, he's been super busy at work, and it's not really an appointment he can schedule around other people).  So I snapped at him and ruined the whole hour and half I was home on Valentine's Day before I went to bed.

Today, I have a new outlook.  I get to leave work at a normal time.  And a run at the gym is definitely in order.  Today will be better.



From imgfave.com



The Loss of Music Icon

Saturday, it was announced that Whitney Houston had passed away.  The next day I immediately went on to iTunes and purchased her greatest hits CD.  Seriously, every single song (well the older ones at least), hold some type of memory from my childhood/teen years.  I listened to The Body Guard Soundtrack on my walkman (on tape) every single day while waiting for the bus.  I know she's had some problems in recent years...but you can't deny that she was an amazing artist.  My BFF and I cranked her music and danced our hearts out to many of her hits.

Weekend Update

We went to celebrate my birthday in Rockford with my parents and Aaron's parents this weekend.  I was so excited to go home and feel good and be able to eat anything without feeling sick.  And my two families did not disappoint :)

Friday I left work early for the sole reason that I just wanted to be home with my parents.  Little did I know, that the weather was going to decide to dump 5 inches of snow along our drive.  Thankfully, we left early...it took us over 4.5 hours to get there.  My mom had burritos ready and waiting for us when we walked in the door.  Then we had ice cream cake for desert.  We finished up our night with a few rounds of Skip-bo (or dumb-bo as my dad refers to it...he hates the game :) ).

Saturday my mom and I got up and walked Wally in the freezing cold...she kept warm by wearing the most non-matching articles of clothing she could find :)  At least she was warm though.  Then we got ready and headed to the mall to shop for my b-day present from my parents.  Of course, the day was all about my mom and not me :)  Just kidding!  My mom and I have this outstanding joke that every time we shop for me, she's always the one that finds everything and I walk away empty handed.  My parents ended up getting me an Amazon gift card so I can buy books for my kindle.  At night, we went to church and then to a great Chinese dinner.

Sunday, Aaron and I went to his parent's for brunch with his parents and my brother and sister-in-law.  It was great to see everyone I was so grateful for the delicious breakfast and fun presents!

Then it was sadly time to head back to Detroit.  I love living here and love all the friends we've made, but I definitely wish we were closer to family.  My parents currently think we aren't coming home until Easter.  But, my mom is having minor surgery at the end of this month, so I'm going to go home and surprise her and stay for a few days.  I plan to do some cooking this weekend that I can freeze and take to them for meals.  I'm going to call my dad the day before to give him as little time as possible to spill the beans to my mom.  Fingers crossed the surprise works!! :)

Our Consultation

First, iIf anyone ever reading this is in need of a fertility specialist in the Detroit area, I highly highly recommend RMA of Michigan.  Now, about our appointment...

Dr. Wolf came highly recommended to us by a friend.  We met with her first.  We talked about what happened at the end of last year.  We talked about my chances for a recurring ectopic.  We talked about what could have caused it, etc.  She had a couple of concerns. 

• In 2007, I had a D&C due to irregular bleeding.  In that report, there was something found that could mean that I have an infection in my uterus.  Nothing life threatening for me, but it could make my uterus "hostile" for an embryo to implant causing our pregnancy to go back up my tube to find a "safer" place.  I should have been given antibiotics and wasn't.  Obviously, I was upset when I heard this. 
• She's also concerned that I could have some type of blockage in my right tube.  She did say that a lot of women ovulate more out of their right tube (very interesting) but there is medicine to help the left tube along if the right one is no longer viable.

She was so helpful and so nice.  We talked about our next steps.  She's a no nonsense kind of doctor and gets that we've already had a shitty road and we don't want to mess around anymore.  I really appreciate that.

I have to take those antibiotics for 30 days.  During that time we can try on our own.  They won't hurt a pregnancy if we conceive on our own.  Also, I'll have an HSG run this month as well to check for blockages.  As long as everything goes well, we'll then move on to 100 mg of clomid in March. 

Dr. Wolf also did a brief exam just checking my heart and lungs.  When she finished up, she looked directly in my eyes, grabbed my hand, and asked me how I was really doing, asking if my stomach was healing ok, etc.  That was the first time other than the ER and OR staff that a doctor really seemed to care.  I know my OB/GYN has a rushed personality, I've figured that out over the years.  But it was nice to see that she really cared.  I have a lovey-dovey, I need attention type personality and it was nice to feel that from Dr. Wolf.

We then met with our nurse, Chris.  Each patient is assigned a nurse who seems them through all of their treatments.  She'll be the one calling with test results, getting me ready for my next treatment, etc.  How great to have someone so familiar with your case at all times?  She was also incredibly knowledgeable, nice, caring, and funny.  I can tell we'll really like her.  She went a little more in depth on everything.  She mentioned that with the clomid, we'll also receive a trigger shot which helps to release the egg.  We won't jump into IUI just yet.  Fingers crossed that we this all works.  Chris also kept stressing that they are open 365 days a year which is awesome.  Like she said, your cycles don't care what day of the year/week it is, so we want to make sure we give everyone the best chance of success.

Lastly, we met with the financial person who deals with the benefits.  She gave us a cost breakdown of everything before insurance.  Everything was right in line with what I thought it would cost so we are on track there (I'm a numbers person).

I left feeling 100% better.  The only two things hanging over my head now are these antibiotics and then the HSG test and results. 

Maybe we'll get lucky and be able to do this on our own this month...although I'm not counting on it, it still would be a very nice surprise.

We're finally moving forward and it feels great!