Week 29

Well we had the 3D ultrasound the other night (earlier than I originally scheduled because the technician wasn't going to be able to do it the night I originally planned).  So we went and Baby decided to just squish her face up against the placenta and refused to move enough to get any good pictures!  We just got one kind of decent one but I'm not posting it because we might know what we're looking at, but it's not easy for anyone else to see!  Due to her squished-ness, it looks like she's missing part of her lower face (she's not, I promise)!  It was a little disappointing, but I suppose I knew that would be likely to happen, so I guess she's determined that we won't really get a good look at her until she's born.  It doesn't help that I have an anterior placenta, but that doesn't always interfere with ultrasounds as long as baby moves around so they can get a good view.  I think the 2D ones were actually better than the 3D ones.  Anyway, I wish I had some perfectly adorable pictures to post, but I don't :( 

In other news, just 3 more days of school left until my much-needed Christmas break!  2 days with students and 1 in-service day.  This 3 day week is going to seem like it takes forever... I feel like there's a lot to do over break in addition to the cleaning out of closets that I want to do and decorating the walls in Baby's room.  I need to get report cards and comments done (that takes forever) and go up to school and spend some time organizing stuff for my long-term sub since there won't be a lot of time once January comes before the baby actually arrives and I have to leave work.  Ick!  Neither of these chores sound appealing AT ALL, but they need to get done. 

On Thursday this week I will go back for another appointment.  I can't imagine what they'll need to do other than weigh me, take my blood pressure, and listen to the heartbeat.  I assume it'll be a quick appointment.  Hopefully they don't need to draw anymore blood because last time they had to poke me twice in each arm and STILL couldn't get the blood to come out!  They got just barely enough to check my glucose levels and iron. 

I am watching Deliver Me on Discover Health right now.  I actually really enjoy watching these shows - they don't scare me like they do some people.  I think it's amazing how many of these women have such problems and even deliver quite early and their babies turn out just fine.  Apparently by 29 weeks gestation, the baby has a very high chance of survival with little chance of long-term affects.  That makes me feel good!  Of course I'd much rather her wait in there until March still :)

28 Week Photos

Week 28

I've made it to the 3rd trimester - yay!  Looking back at my earliest posts, remembering how nervous I was about whether this baby would make it what with the super low progesterone levels and all the bleeding, I am so happy to be at this point now!  I had my doctor apt. on Friday last week and luckily, all of my blood work was normal, so no gestational diabetes and NO anemia.  I also made an appointment today for a 3D ultrasound next week :)  We weren't going to pay the extra for it, but Sean has really wanted to try to get one done, so we're going to use a little of our Christmas money for it.  I just hope we can get a clear picture of her face that day so we don't end up paying for nothing!  I've already talked to her about cooperating on that day and to show us her cute little face :) 

I added a bunch more to our Babies R Us registry this weekend, and made some changes as well.  We ordered the vinyl wall clings for her bedroom and I just wasn't digging the lavender colors they had available and I kept thinking about how I wanted  her room to be pink.  So I took the lavender bedding off the registry (even though it was really cute!) and opted for a pink bed skirt, sheets, and a breathable bumper for now.  I figure we wouldn't even use a comforter anyway, so what's the point in ordering a full bed set?  The wall clings should be here sometime over break, so Sean and I can attempt to hang them.  I sure hope they aren't too difficult to put up!  I also hope that the colors we ordered look nice on the walls since it's always hard to tell exactly what colors will turn out looking like when you order on the Internet.

I am soooo looking forward to Christmas break now!  I hope to get the closet in the baby's room more cleaned out and ready to go, the wall clings up, and some other random cleaning done around the house.  I'm also looking forward to the annual cookie baking extravaganza with my sister!  I was telling the baby all about baking cookies and how next year, she will be able to put some frosting on a cookie too!  Hey, she will be 9 months old at that point, so I can give her a little frosting to smear on a cookie so she can participate :) 

Well, I will try to get some updated belly pictures posted this week and then next week, hopefully a good 3D ultrasound picture!  Hope for some good pictures for us!

Week 27

Littlekins has some fun new things!  On Thanksgiving, I ordered some newborn pajamas and pants from Kohl's.com because they were on mega-sale.  Then on cyber Monday, I found the bouncy seat and swing from my registry on sale at WalMart.com for a really good price, so I ordered those and they will be Christmas gifts for me from Sean's parents.  We also got a stroller from Sean's sister that she doesn't need anymore, so some of that big stuff is out of the way.  My due date is exactly 3 months from today! 

This weekend we spent some time with friends that both have babies and they make it seem easy because their babies are both very calm and happy.  It was fun to get to see them and see what types of toys they actually enjoy at the different ages (one is a year and one is about 5 months).  Also this weekend, we put up our Christmas tree and decorated around the house.  We ended up buying a fake tree this year to make it easier on ourselves during the next few Christmases.  It's nice because it came pre-lit, so we didn't have to worry about stringing the lights (my least favorite part).  We did not decorate outside this year because last year with all of the heavy snow, many of our lawn decorations didn't survive the winter.  I figure we can look for some new outdoor decorations at the end of this season when they're on clearance and then have them for next year.

This Friday, I'm scheduled for my 28 week appt. which includes a blood test to see if I'm anemic (I'm suspecting yes on that one) and also the glucose test (which I'm guessing will be fine).  I'm not looking forward to the weigh-in portion of the visit and the part where the doctor tells me to go easy on desserts during Christmas.  I can go easy on desserts all year until the holidays... then I just can't.  It would be cruel to deny myself cookies!  I'm still not concerned with the weight thing because I don't feel like I look huge or bad... I just don't appreciate when other people make me feel like I shouldn't be eating anything with their comments.  I'm not sure I've EVER been completely happy with the way my body looks, but right now is probably the least I've ever cared because I like my baby belly!  And I know that I can get back into shape once she's born.  The last few times I've tried exercising though, I have had major trouble breathing.  I think the baby is already kind of pressing on my lungs (or diaphragm) which is causing me to be unable to breathe deeply or normally. 
Well, I will post again next weekend after my doctor appointment and hopefully I won't have to be started on iron supplements (ick!)

Week 26 Pics

Week 26

Today starts week 26 and I kinda wish that instead of Thanksgiving break, we were on Christmas break!  I would love a few more days off and more time to do some relaxing shopping on the Internet or bake cookies and watch movies.  I'm also getting more and more eager to see what this little one looks like!  I know the rest of this pregnancy will go by fast, but I'm just excited to see her! 

Mom went out and bought some early gifts from the registry this weekend.  We got a high chair, a cute teddy bear blanket, a diaper caddy, and a baby sling.  Fun!  I love getting baby stuff :)  I can't wait until I have showers!

We had a nice Thanksgiving with Sean's family and my mom.  Lots of good food and my first attempt at bringing an actual dish to a family holiday meal went pretty well.  Well people said they liked it anyway and it was a little over half gone.  It was a cornbread type of dish that someone at school made and sent out the recipe for.  I thought it was quite delicious!  I can't wait for Christmas cookie baking/decorating now.  Tonight we're going to eat dinner with the family that are still in town.  Then I suppose I should come back and do some really exciting laundry and ironing.  Less than one month until Christmas so I may also look online for some gift ideas for myself and family. 

This was taken at 24 weeks... I'll have to post an updated one soon.

Week 25

This weekend we got most of the baby's room done - well, at least furniture-wise!  We finally moved the computer desk down to the basement, moved the crib, dresser, and glider where we want them, and put together the changing table.  We still need to get a 3-shelf bookshelf and then move the old light wood one downstairs, but that's easy.  We also think we will get a little toy box or something low to go under the window that we can put her toys in.  Now I look forward to getting some of the bedding and decorative stuff to add some color to the room.  We don't really want to paint the walls, but we're going to do those peel-off wall decals.  I'm thinking maybe her name above the crib with some kind of circle design will add some color to the crib wall, then above the dresser and changing table, I'm not sure yet...

We also went on Friday night to start our in-store registry at Babies R Us.  So we have a bunch of stuff on there now and I also need to get to Target to add some in-store items still.  The feeding stuff is a little overwhelming!  I mean how many bottles do you need?  And what kind of breast milk storage bags are easiest?  And what do I really need as far as washing/drying accessories for bottles?  Now I need to start asking my friends with babies about this stuff because I really am not sure and it's been a long time since I worked with infants in daycare and had my personal favorite bottles and stuff.  There's so much to think about! 

Today I tried going to a pilates class at a place where I'm taking salsa and tango lessons once a week.  I thought pilates would be good to try while pregnant and it would be a good class except that almost everything is ultimately an abdominal exercise that I cannot do!  I don't think I'll be going back to that one.  I also did a prenatal yoga DVD yesterday from Netflix and it was alright but sometimes yoga is just TOO slow and TOO easy.  It felt good, but I felt like I could do something a little more challenging for now, anyway.

Thanksgiving is in just a few days and I'm so excited for a few days off of work!  Not to mention the delicious food!  It will be so nice to not have a full work week this week :)  Then from after Thanksgiving to Christmas usually flies by, so... Baby will be here before I know it!  I start my 3rd trimester in 2 more weeks and I know that pretty much once February hits, I'll just be thinking that she could come any day!  I still want her to wait until March though :)

Week 24

Today I am 24 weeks along.  I went to the doctor this week and everything looks good.  Other than my having low levels of iron and needing to also eat more protein... everything else looked good.  The heart rate was about 153 and she was able to find it right away for once!  I guess the bigger the baby gets, the harder it is for her to hide from the doppler every time.  I get to do the lovely glucose test next time I go in December at 28 weeks, and then, after 28 weeks, I start going to the doctor every 2 weeks!  I think it's crazy how fast it's going. 
I have started registries now at both Target and Babies R Us, but I just started them online.  Target makes it hard, because there are so many things I want that are available online only.  But I know I need to go in the store and find some stuff that's there, because not all people will want to order gifts online.  We chose some bedding finally, too!  I was pretty set on having pink and black in the nursery, but I just didn't find any pink bedding that I really liked.  So instead, I came across some that's lavender and I really like it, so lavender and black it is!  Hopefully I'll like how it looks when we get it too.  It's on the registry at Target, so we'll see when someone wants to get it. 
I'm starting to think about how preparing for maternity leave at work will go... I'm a little nervous about having to write sub plans for several weeks.  In teaching, lessons have to change so much from day to day depending on what the kids are ready for, so trying to plan for several weeks will be hard!  At least we have someone planned for my long-term sub already.  She'll be great, so hopefully the timing of delivery all works out the way I hope.  I guess I'll just plan to be done teaching on March 4th and hope that Baby can wait that extra day!  That's about 14 more weeks of teaching left for the year. 
Little Miss Roly Poly Baby moves so much more now!  At least it gives me a nice little reason to smile in the middle of teaching on a difficult day.  When I'm singing loudly in the car though, she stops moving usually.  So either she's mesmerized by my voice (highly uunlikely) or she's concentrating on covering her ears and thinking about how embarrassing I am already (much more likely)!  Hopefully she can learn to self-soothe so I don't have to try singing to her too much... that may be the least soothing sound ever.  Oh who am I kidding, I'll sing to her anyway :)

23 Weeks Today!

23 weeks

22 Weeks (Halloween!)

Another Baby Dream - and Week 22

I had another quite vivid baby dream last night starring my baby and my friend Laura's baby.  Back when I had the original dream about these two babies early in my pregnancy, it was also extremely vivid.  These were definitely the same 2 babies from the previous dream - super cute and both girls :)  We were all staying in some sort of vacation home in Colorado.  Laura and I at one point wondered where the babies went and someone had put them both in a big bed in the upstair bedroom for a nap.  They were so cute napping together!  The only disturbing part of this dream was that Laura's baby was a normal 6 lb. baby and mine was, like, 25 lbs!!!  She didn't LOOK huge, she just was super heavy to carry!  Now I know that mine will be almost 2 months older, but she better not be any 25 lbs at 2 months old! 

Back in reality, this baby is pretty active right now!  Lots of flipping around and wiggling (mostly at night).  But I love it everytime I can feel her, so I always try to stop and appreciate it when I can.  Although I hope she's not this wiggly when she's born - I want her to snuggle up to me instead of try to get away!  I cannot believe it's 4 months away now and that according to What to Expect... I'm beginning month 6 this weekend.  I've been reading the next chapter each month and it's always interesting to read about what is going on with the baby and myself.  Pretty soon, i'll want to read ahead to the end in case she comes earlier than expected.  Although I'm still telling her not to come any earlier than March 5th.  If I put my mind to it, she'll stay where she is until I'm ready, right?  Well, who knows, but I'll use my mind power to keep her inside until March 5th when I'm done teaching for the year.  (And can I just tell you how lovely it is to think about having only about 16 more weeks of teaching for this year?) 

Week 21

At 21 weeks my tummy already feels like it's huge, so I can't imagine another 10 weeks from now... much less 20 more weeks from now!  I was saying to Sean last night, "About 4 months from now, we'll be saying 'she'll be here any day now'!"  That's so crazy that in about 4 months she will be here! 

This weekend my grandparents and my sister were in town, so I spent some time with them.  My sister and I decorated many cute little onesies because we think that's just so fun to do.  They turned out so cute!  I'll have to post a picture another time because I realized that I didn't take photos with my own camera.  I have a feeling this baby is going to have an overly abundant supply of clothing :)  I have been pretty good myself as far as not buying too much yet.  A few people have bought clothes for the baby, but we have only bought 1 little dress and shoes, and a set of Husker onesies for next football season when we went to Lincoln for a game.  And, of course, the onesies that we decorated this weekend. 

I still need to look at registering and choosing things like bedding.  I feel like I've scoured the internet for crib bedding and just haven't found anything that I love.  I suppose I'll just keep looking until something jump out at me.

In the meantime, she's moving around a lot!  However, I'm not sure what movements are little kicks and what are hiccups.  I keep reading that they hiccup a lot, but what I feel could be that or it could be little kicks.  I'm just not sure.  It also never fails that I can see these little movements but as soon as I call Sean in to look at my tummy (or my family), she stops moving altogether! 

I had the first baby dream since the very beginning of my pregnancy the other night and again, she was supposed to be a newborn, but really looked more like a 5 - 6 month old baby.  She was cute, though!  I wonder all the time what she's going to look like.  Will she look like the dreams I've had, or completely different from that?  Just over 4 months until I can see for myself!  I can't wait to hold her and just look at her :)

Week 20

Here is 20 weeks!  I'm not sure how much longer I'll want to post the "bare belly" photos! 

Ultrasound Photos

11 Week Ultrasound

20 Week Ultrasound

Baby GIRL Miglini!

We got to have our 20 week ultrasound yesterday and got the exciting news that IT'S A GIRL!!!  I am so excited to finally know and to be able to plan for our new daughter.  The ultrasound was pretty good... it took the tech awhile to find the sex because of course she was all squished up against the side of my uterus with her legs together, but she looked at the baby several times until she moved enough to see and said it was a girl.  I even had her check again later on to make sure "it still looked like a girl".  She also did measurements of everything (literally), cheked the heartrate (144) and she and the doctor both said that everything looked good, so that was definitely a relief.  We got several pictures printed and a DVD.  However, she was so squirmy that we really didn't get too many good photos where we can see much.  I'll try to post a good one pretty soon, but I need to go to my mom's house to use her scanner for that. 

We had our parents over last night to make our announcement and I had baked 2 cakes earlier in the week (one pink, one blue).  Before everyone came over, I frosted thepink one in white icing with green borders and topped it with a small rubber ducky and pacifier.  Sean's dad got to cut into the cake and tell everyone whether he saw pink or blue!  We were so excited to share the news and everyone is looking forward to shopping for baby girl clothes now.  I bought one little dress and pair of silver sparkly shoes yesterday so that I could take a photo and text it to my sister to announce the news to her.  I just couldn't bear to say plain old "It's a girl" to anyone... I had to make a small production out of it, of course!  Today, Sean and I went with our friends Laura and Casey to Lincoln to see the not-so-hot Husker game against Texas.  Before the game we went to the bookstore and bought little girly onesies for next football season when our little one will be 6 - 9 months old. 

Speaking of my friend Laura, back in one of my earliest posts, I mentioned a dream that I had about my best friend and I having babies that were both girls and mine looked about 8 months old and hers looked about 6 months old... well I must be a little psychic because she is also pregnant and due at the end of April which means our babies WILL be about 2 months apart and so far we know mine is a girl... the dream is actually happening!  Crazy!  I have a pretty good feeling she'll have a girl too, which will complete my dream :) 

And one more exciting thing is that I'm pretty sure I can feel her move now!  Last night when I got in bed, I could feel some little popping sensations when I was lying on my left side and had my hand on my lower right side.  I had Sean come put his hand there and he could feel it too!  I felt it a few more times today as well, so I'm pretty sure that's what it is.  How exciting to finally be able to really feel something in there!  It's quite amazing, I must say...

Week 18

Baby has a crib all ready to go!  We really didn't intend to have the crib ready so early, we expected it to take several weeks to even come into the store where we ordered it because that's what the sales lady told us when we originally picked it out.  However, when we went to buy it, they said they already had one in stock (along with the dresser) and we could take it home that day!  Instead, we had the store hold it for us for a few weeks while we cleaned out the bedroom.  The queen size bed that was in this room before was not able to fit downstairs because our staircase was designed too ridiculously stupid to fit any furniture down there!  So we had St. Vincent's come pick it up along with some of Sean's super old bedroom furniture for their second-hand shop.  Sean and his dad went and picked up the crib and dresser this past weekend and the dresser was already put together (looks great!) and we started to put the crib together Monday night (because I'm impatient when it comes to getting new things - I want them put together immediately!) but instead of a left and right side of the crib, our box included two left sides... so we had to go back tot he store to trade for the correct piece.  We finally got the crib all put together on Tuesday night and it looks so pretty!  We still can't really put the furniture where it will go permanently since for now, this is also our computer room.  We need to move the computer and desk out before we can move the baby furniture around where we want it.  Oh!  And I also got a glider rocker last week and put it together all by myself!  So we pretty much have the main furniture.  I still want a small changing table and a bookshelf for the room, but those can wait awhile.

Here is my latest photo which was taken when we went to Nebraska City last weekend to visit the Arbor Day Farm.

Week 17

Me at 17 weeks

Bigger belly now, huh?  I must have grown quite a bit in the last week because I'm starting to have issues sleeping at night.  I'll wake up with these lovely pains in the sides of my belly and have to switch positions several times during the night.  I've gone on long walks the past 3 nights though, so at least I'm doing something active.  It's nice to be able to walk outside while it's still nice out.  I just hope I can sleep better tonight because this is ridiculous!

Week 16

I had my 16 week appointment today and it went well.  Baby's heartrate is in the upper 140s to 150s and sounds strong.  The doctor said that Baby is also moving around quite a bit (away from her doppler every time she tried to hear the heart)!  We are scheduled for our 20 week ultrasound in about 4 more weeks so we should hopefully be able to find out whether Baby Miglini will be a little boy or girl at that time :) 

Also, I finally got the green light to exercise again so I came home and did P90X yoga (just part of it because there's no way I'd last 90 min. after 3 months of no exercise).  We did about 45 min. though.  There are some yoga poses I can't do comfortably anymore, so I had to modify quite a bit.  I want to get a couple of good prenatal workout videos that aren't too pricey...

Another fun thing is that we got the crib and dresser ordered last weekend.  We decided to go with a black modern looking set and if it's a boy we will probably do blue and black with green accents and if it's a girl, pink and black with some accent color.  It should be cute! 

Week 15

Here is my latest belly photo.  It's hard to tell how much it grows in 2 weeks until I look at the pictures!  I definitely have to wear mostly maternity pants now although I was crafty and resewed the buttons over slightly on some of my jeans so I can still wear them for a bit longer.

I had the BEST time shopping yesterday though for maternity clothes!  I decided to try out the Bigwheels 2 Butterflies maternity store down in Papillion (used clothes) and I figured I'd just be browsing what they have and leaving empty-handed, but I was impressed with the quality and style of the clothes they put out.  And the prices were amazing!  So I ended up buying several shirts, a pair of jeans, 2 pairs of work pants, and a cute black dress in case I ever need to dress up!  I got it all for $52.  They had some nice brand name clothing too.  I will definitely be going back there to look some more as I need more long-sleeved stuff.

As far as the pregnancy, I haven't felt any movement yet and all the websites say that should happen anytime in the next few weeks.  Instead, I've been feeling the ligament pain of my belly stretching.  Also some upper rib pain at times that REALLY bothers me!  I have read what feels like a million books and websites and they all say this is normal, so I guess I'll take their word for it.  I am scheduled for my 16 week appt. on Wednesday and then I will schedule in my 20 week ultrasound.  I am looking forward to this appt. for a little more time with the doctor to ask questions about this upcoming ultrasound and what all they look at/for during it.  I hope to hear the heartbeat again (always reassuring) and I don't know what else I'll be doing except weighing (NOT looking forward to that!)  But at least I feel like I look pregnant now and not fat.  I don't think I'll get too hung up on the weight gain thing knowing that I'll need to work on losing it no matter what after the baby arrives.  I plan on just enjoying being pregnant and not worrying too much about staying "on track" with my weight.  It's not like I was large to begin with.  I do hope for a green light on exercising and everything now though!  I guess I'll know in 5 more days what the doctors think :)

Sharing the News with my Students...

I decided kind of spur of the moment this afternoon to tell my class about my baby-on-the-way.  At the very end of the day after we were all packed up I always have the kids sitting on the carpet to listen to our read-aloud book (Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing is the current book) so today after finishing a chapter, I told them I'd stop there for today because I had a question for them.  I asked them, "What are some names you guys like for boys OR girls?"  After several suggestions, I said, "Why do you think I'm asking that?"  And a few of them guessed because I'm having a baby.  I told them they were right, that I'm having a baby in March!  They (especially the girls) were all excited and asked lots of questions like when did I find out?  Is it a boy or girl?  What names do I like?  Then the bell rang and we left.  Somehow in the 5 min. it took to get out of the building, the entire 5th grade (my kids from last year) had also heard the news and were quite excited as well.  It was fun to get that over with, now I don't have to try and  find clothes in my closet that "hide" it more than others.  Now I just get to wait for the parents to start asking about my maternity leave (how long, who will sub, etc...)  I did have one of my favorite boys from last year come up to me and ask if I was still gonna teach next year.  I told him yes and he said, "Oh good 'cause I want my sister to have you next year!"  How cute :) 

Week 14

I feel like I have a huge tummy now, but of course I find myself thinking sometimes, "Is it growing the way it's supposed to?  Do I look like other 14 weeks pregnant women?"  This is bad news because I am already worrying about the dumbest things!  I just read through another pregnancy book that a friend let me borrow and enjoyed it because it is written not from a doctor's point of view, but a regular girl and it goes through several different scenarios that she and her friends have experienced through their pregnancies. 
I am still not sure when to announce this to my class and parents at school.  Parents would be able to tell by now when I wear certain outfits, but the kids are more oblivious for now.  However, we have curriculum night in about 2 weeks and I feel like I should tell them by then or the parents will just be eyeing me strangely wondering, "Is she just getting fatter, or is she pregnant?"  Ah, who knows.  I guess I'll just tell them out of the blue one of these days.
I also have my next appt. in 2 weeks and I'm not sure what all we'll do, but then I can schedule my 20 week ultrasound and I definitely look forward to that one!  However, to go along with my worrying, it seems like a lot of people first hear about potential problems during their 20 week ultrasound, so I guess I'm eager to see it, but I also want the relief of hearing that everything looks healthy and good (and that the stupid hemorrhage is gone).  And of course I can't wait to find out the sex!  Right now I still think boy mainly because I enjoy looking at/shopping for the girl stuff much more, so I probably won't get to buy any of it!
I've had the worst cold and or allergies for the past couple of weeks and don't wanna take much medication.  I did break down and have 1 Benadryl a couple of nights ago after searching the "safe lists" online.  It didn't help much, so I didn't take any more.  Hopefully I'm over the worst of it for now and will start feeling and looking normal again.  I look like I should be in a hospital bed due to my paleness and dark circles under my eyes when I have a cold...  Anyway, I'll post again next week at some point!

14 weeks!

14 weeks and ready for the first Husker game of the season!

Week 13

Here I am finally ending the first trimester... I am so glad to be through the most nerve-racking part (hopefully) and into a bit of a "safer zone".  Sean and I went this past weekend to pick out a crib and we found one rather quickly that we really like and will probably go with.  It's black and somewhat modern looking (for a crib).  I cannot wait until we can find out if it's a boy or a girl though, because then I can start hunting for fun stuff for the room like bedding and decor!  It might be hard to find cute boy bedding to go with a black crib because a lot of what's out there is blue and brown.  There is some cute pink and black stuff for girls though.  I wish that I knew now!  I really don't have any strong feelings either way about the sex.  I wonder if I will in the coming weeks...?
In the meantime, school will certainly keep me busy until the baby comes!  It's already September and although each day seems to go slowly, the first 3 weeks of school have gone fast.  I'm still hoping the kids will settle into more of a routine by the time I have to leave them with a long-term sub.  Right now it's hard to imagine writing and explaining everything I do during a day to a sub!  At least when it's just for one day that I'll be gone, I can come up with easy activities to have a sub do.  But when it'll be several WEEKS, they will really have to stick to curriculum and give assessments, go on field trips, etc.  I pray that I can work right up until I have this baby though so that I have less time to worry about other people watching him or her when I have to return at the very end of the year.  I'm guessing that I will have to return for at least the last week of school (which wouldn't be so bad) but if I have to stop working earlier, then it'll be the last few weeks of school which tend to be the toughest.  Yikes!  So just pray for me that the baby does not decide to come early so I can have as much time home with him or her as possible! 

Last Appt. for the first trimester!

Just finished up with my last doctor appointment for the first trimester.  I think most pregnant women only have 1 or 2 (the first being just a blood test to verify pregnancy) but I have now been 8 times!  We just listened to the heartbeat again this time and it still sounds good :)  I technically have 1 more week before my first trimester ends, but I'm so happy that we're kind of "exiting the woods" now.  I am continuing to bleed and I'm wondering if this is just going to be something that happens through my whole pregnancy.  I've noticed that it's kinda like a period where I'll bleed for several days then not for a couple to a few weeks, then it starts again. 
I do wish i could work out because I am constantly hungry and eating and now I've gained almost 7 pounds since before I was pregnant.  Most of that was just in the last 2-3 weeks, too.  My tummy is definitely getting more obvious (at least to me) and I won't be able to hide it much longer from kids and parents at school.  I have a couple pairs of maternity pants that are really loose but I wore some this week to work with a belly band.  Today I wore one last pair of regular work capris that buttoned (not very comfortably, but at least they buttoned!) and yesterday I bought a few clearance shirts at Target.  They aren't maternity shirts, but long and looser fitting shirts that are cute for work.  They should be good on me until it gets too cold out and then I'll need to buy some long-sleeved maternity shirts. 
I have been obsessed about pizza lately... just thinking about it constantly... and it's not something Sean and I eat very often (unless you count those 200 calorie microwave ones which are good, but not quite the same as REAL pizza) so I am so excited for tonight.  We're going to Sean's parents' house and they're ordering Valentino's pizza :)  Delicious!  It's my favorite type of pizza!  I think a huge part of the sudden increase in weight is that I'm back in school and when I'm stressed out, I definitely tend to eat more and more bad foods.  I should really find some healthier options that I enjoy and I will, but it's hard to find something that is healthy, yummy, AND easy to make quickly for work.  That said, I'm going to go enjoy my pizza for tonight and look for healthier options tomorrow!

Belly Photos!

6 Weeks

9 weeks

11 weeks

13 weeks

Week 11

I started school yesterday with a half-day and unfortunately it was the worst first day I've ever experienced! Part of it was due to the fact that I was freaked out because I woke up that morning bleeding heavily (after 2 1/2 weeks of no bleeding at all!) So I was more focused on that than trying to get my class to behave (which they did not!) So I called the doctor after work and told the nurse everything and she talked to one of the doctors I've seen who ordered me to come in for an emergency ultrasound this afternoon. Luckily school went much better today and then at the ultrasound, I was able to see Baby moving around quite a bit and the heart rate was 170. He/She is measuring 11 weeks 6 days and is around 5 cm long (I think that's what she said) :) When I met with my doctor after the ultrasound, she confirmed that everything looked really good and that there is still some hemmorhage left in there meaning I will still continue to bleed. When I asked if she had an estimate for how long that will last, she told me that there is no way to know, but that some women bleed for the rest of the pregnancy and others stop somewhere between 12-14 weeks. Let's just hope I'm in that 12 - 14 weeks category because this is crappy! It was SO GOOD to see the baby moving and actually looking in the shape of a baby now :) I felt a million times better leaving the office today. I am dying to know if this is a boy or a girl... no one has said they really have a feeling either way yet, and I go back and forth depending on the day as to what I think it is. Well I will have about 9 weeks before they can look for that on an ultrasound! I have another appt. next week just to check the heartrate again and then I'll probably go monthly. I appreciate everyone who was praying for me yesterday!

Week 10

Week 10 has definitely been the most exciting so far! No bleeding now for about 2 weeks and Sean and I both got to hear the little heartbeat for the first time yesterday! It was 180bpm and sounded good. I have the last appt. for the first trimester in 2 more weeks and then into the second trimester which is supposed to be the best.
We also had the fun of telling our families last night! I printed up a little invitation for our parents that says Celebrate!!! What: The Birth of Baby Miglini When: Sometime Around March 5, 2011 Where: Methodist Women's Hospital. So we had them open those and they were all thrilled. It was fun to see the reactions. When I came home I called my sister and my best friend to tell them and of course they were excited as well. Today I told my co-workers on our first day back at school and a few said they kind of suspected it, so maybe that means I look bigger than I thought! I had so much fun telling everyone though after keeping it secret for so long. It is nice to not have to hide it any more. Now if I can just figure out what I'm going to wear to work during this in-between stage... Can't wear my work pants, but still too small for maternity clothes. I have the belly bands, but with work pants you can totally tell that they're unbuttoned under there and it just doesn't look right! I don't know, but I'll have to figure something out this weekend, because Monday is our first day where we have to dress up. Then on Tuesday the kids have their first day and the craziness begins :)

9 Week Update

Well I'm on day 4 with no bleeding, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it remains that way and that the hemmorhage is already gone. I just wish they'd do another ultrasound to tell me once and for all if it's gone! We have 1 week until the next appointment at which we hope to hear the heartbeat. I can't wait!
However, there is one thing that also happens in 1 week that I'm NOT looking forward to and that is starting back to school :( I just feel very unmotivated to start back after such an emotional rollercoaster of a summer. I feel like I've been worried most of my summer about this baby and whether he/she would make it. I do feel better about things since my last appointment though. I feel like since I can see my belly growing a little that it's a good sign. I do think that after hearing the heartbeat again I will be much more at ease - especially since the end of this month will be the end of the first trimester. We plan to tell the families in about a week and a half and I'm about ready to burst from keeping it a secret! I also feel terrible for seeming "lazy" lately when it comes to helping our parents move things or helping my co-workers at school... for example, when I was up at school today, the secretary told me that a box of our copies had arrived from the print shop and I should take them up to the room. So I proceeded to push the box a little to see how heavy it was and it would've been a struggle to lift even without being pregnant! Not wanting to risk hurting anything (and after the particularly stern warning from the doctor last time about not lifting heavy things) I left the box where it was. Later on, the secretary (who's smaller than me) came up with the heavy box in her arms to drop off in my room! So I feel bad that people don't know WHY I can't do these things right now. I'm not sure yet when I will tell my co-workers, probably right after we tell our families, but I don't want my students and parents to know right away, so I'll have to make that clear to the staff. I think I'll wait until after Labor Day to tell them, then they can't try and pull kids out of my class just 'cause I'll have to go on maternity leave during the year. I know some parents get mad about that!
Anyway, this has been a long, rambling post, but I've had a lot of rambling thoughts lately that I wanted to get out, so I can share them with future readers. I'll probably wait until after my appointment next week to post again since I'll be busy at school getting things ready for the next several days. Until then... I'll keep praying for littlekins to grow bigger and stronger every day!

9 Weeks

Here I am at 9 weeks! Some days my belly looks like this, other days it's flatter. It depends on what and how much I eat that day I guess!

8 Week Appointment

Yesterday was my first "real" appointment for this pregnancy. Of course I've already been in there 5 times for "problem" appointments! The midwife that I usually see was delivering a baby, so I met with one of the other midwives on the team. I guess the three midwives pretty much work together and as you go to your appointments throughout the pregnancy, you rotate among seeing all 3 of them. That way, when delivery day comes, you already know all 3 of them and they know you, so it's not devastating if your own midwife isn't available. Now I've met with all three of them and they are all incredibly nice and helpful and can put my mind at ease.
Yesterday's appointment was A LOT of basic pregnancy info. and many questions from me. Since I'm still bleeding, she told me to remain on pelvic rest until I haven't bled for 10 days. She also said I should not excercise until I haven't bled for about a week and that I should not do any heavy lifting at all (um, I'm glad I already rearranged my classroom!) She said that unless I have bleeding much more severe than what I've been having (which I already consider severe!), or unless I start cramping, we probably won't do another ultrasound until about 20 weeks. I'm scheduled for another appointment in 2 weeks at which she will try to hear the heartbeat using the doppler. After that, I will have another appointment 2 weeks later (at 12 weeks) and from there she thought I'd hopefully be able to get on a monthly appointment cycle. She also told me that just so I'm aware, my pelvic floor (or something like that) goes straight across (flat) rather than kind of an inverted V shape and that sometimes that can interfere with a normal delivery if the baby is on the bigger side. Sometimes though, everything kind of turns out normal by the time delivery comes, but if not, I'd probably have to have a C-section. I really hope that's not the case, because I don't really want a C-section!
Well, I did feel much better after leaving that appointment yesterday. I hope that we can hear the heartbeat nice and strong at our next appointment and then we will be able to finally tell everyone!

Week 7

This week has been relatively uneventful... well, except for the panicky call to the doctor's office a few days ago after leaking some other fluid (sorry, not to gross you out) that wasn't blood this time. She said it should be fine because it wasn't a constant leak, just once. And it hasn't happened again, so I'm pleased to report that! I've felt a little more queasy this week, but it's only if my stomach is empty and once I eat something, I feel better.
Tonight I went to meet with some friends from work and we talked a lot about pregnancies and maternity leave and stuff, but I still had to keep my mouth shut! It's very hard not to just tell everyone, but I still want to wait at least a little longer and make sure everything is still going smoothly.
Sometimes I just look at the ultrasound picture that I've now stood up next to a little frame on my bookshelf and I'm amazed that this is really happening! It's funny because sometimes my husband comes in here and says hi to the picture, too :) I can't wait until I can tell that it looks like an actual baby in the ultrasound!

A Baby Journal

I decided to not only blog about this pregnancy, but also to start keeping a baby journal. The journal will be letters more directed to the baby and the blog is more sharing how the actual pregnancy is going. I wrote my first letter in the journal yesterday. I still can't believe there's really a baby inside!
Right now the only main thing I've been feeling is a weird pinching sensation in my left side, but it's not a severe pain, just weird and annoying. Other than that, I've felt fine for the most part! I'm not experiencing any morning sickness, so that's good. I suppose I have been more light-headed than normal when I first stand up, but I've always had issues with that, so it doesn't seem very strange to me.
I had my 2nd dream last night about this baby (in both dreams, it has been a girl, but I still assume this one is a boy). It was funny though, in the dream, my best friend had a baby girl at the same time as me and we took them on a road trip as soon as we left the hospital. Her baby looked about 6 months old and mine looked about 8 months old. They could talk and everything, and they informed us that they were already best friends, too! Haha! The last dream I had, the baby actually looked like a newborn and she was cute and all snuggled up with me. I have a feeling that dreams are not a strong indicator of the sex of the baby, though!

Ultrasound!

OK I know I said that I wasn't even scheduled for an appointment for 2 more weeks, but I was having some bleeding again yesterday and had an appointment for an ultrasound this morning. I figured from reading on the internet that since I was just in the middle of my 5th week, they probably couldn't see much on the ultrasound yet, so I didn't have my husband come with me. They needed to find out why I keep bleeding and I was nervous to find out myself.
As soon as she started the ultrasound (a transvaginal one since it's so early), she pointed out the yolk sac and the baby right away and after seeing a little flutter, she said the heartbeat is 114bpm! She said that anything over 100 is good. Yay! She did say that she could see a hemmorhage in there that is about as big as her pinky finger. It's technically a subchorionic hematoma which is a gathering of blood between the membranes of the placenta and the uterus. Apparently during egg implantation, the egg slightly separates or tears from the uterus causing a bleed. She said I will probably continue to bleed some more until it bleeds out or my body absorbs it. She said to take it easy, but that it usually turns out just fine.
I was also told that I'm measuring 6 weeks 5 days, so about a week ahead of what I thought. So my estimated due date right now is March 5th. She printed a picture and said I probably wouldn't have another ultrasound until 20 weeks. Man that's a long time!
I also went down and talked to the doctor (not my doctor, but one that was in) and she confirmed everything the ultrasound tech said and I also got my bloodwork out of the way that she said I would've had to do at my appt. in 2 weeks. Now I won't have to, so that's good. I can't believe littlekins has a heartbeat already! How crazy is that?

Week 6

Welcome to our baby blog! I wanted to start writing now even though we haven't yet told anyone about our little one due in March. I actually found out during week 3 that I was pregnant after seeing a very faint line on a pregnancy test. However, I was having some problems with bleeding, so I went to the doctor the next day (a Friday) and it was confirmed that I was, indeed pregnant. Unfortunately my hormone levels were extremely low (looking back I guess they would be low in week 3) but I went back in on Monday and it showed that my Hcg levels had risen quite a bit, but my progesterone was still extremely low. So I started on progesterone supplements right away to help keep the pregnancy. I have been extremely nervous about this after knowing that such low levels often end in miscarriage. However, I went back to do more blood tests (OK, I practically begged) a little over a week after starting the supplements and my progesterone was up in the 20s which the nurse told me is a great sign! So now we're excited and looking forward to my next (and first REAL appointment) which will be during week 8. We hope to see a heartbeat on the ultrasound! I can't help but still feel nervous because it is still early and everything, but I'm also thrilled to think about how in just 8 months, we will have a little baby here with us!