So I am officially in my Second Trimester…Yeah!  And I’m officially without my engagement and wedding rings until after Bean makes the scene…Boo!  If you’re thinking to yourself, “Why is this blogworthy?” then you’ll only need to take a look below to see how I got my rings off of my finger.

 

Not a great picture, I know, but you get the point!  I actually had to go to Reis Nichols on Saturday to have my rings cut off of my finger.  Believe me, this was not an easy decision.  I kept putting the decision off — hopeful that one day maybe the swelling in my fingers would just magically disappear and my rings would just slide right off without pain or hassle (or cutting!).  But, alas, when I looked down last week at work to notice that my ring finger was turning decidedly purple, it was time to take action.  My first stop was google, which came back with recommendations ranging from Windex to curling ribbon.  On Friday, my doctor said to ice it, elevate it, lube it up and then try to twist it off.  And webmd.com suggested wrapping my finger in dental floss and then winding the ring up and over my knuckle.  We tried almost everything — including brute force on Friday evening — only to yield an even more swollen and purple finger and plenty of tears from yours truly.

Finally, while running errands on Saturday morning, I told Marc to just go to Reis Nichols immediately…before I changed my mind.  The sales rep was so polite and sympathetic, and most importantly, she didn’t make me feel like a big goofus for having to cut such beautiful rings from my ultra-puffy finger.  When she said that the only option was to cut them off, Marc joked that she meant my finger — the interminable jokester.  My stomach literally felt sick and I had to fight back tears as the jewelry technician used her little saw tool to remove the rings.  Afterwards, I really did feel better; even though it still stresses me out to think about my wedding ring all marled on the glass casing at the jewelry store…gold dust scattered all about.  But hey…at least I got to keep the finger! 

Today, Marc and I went in for my third appointment with the OB/GYN.  And, as always, it is one of my favorite days!!  It’s like being on a little high for the rest of the day recalling the sound of Bean’s heartbeat coming from the Doppler.  It was just a quickie appointment…step on a scale…pee in a cup…blood pressure…answer a few questions…and the best part, hearing the heartbeat!…then out the door.  At last month’s appointment, I was just on the borderline of being far enough along to be able to hear the heartbeat with the Doppler.  And after a couple of minutes trying, the nurse practitioner finally gave up and shipped me down to the ultrasound technician just to take a look.  Of course, Marc and I were on the verge of having a heart attack while the NP was unsuccessfully trying to find a heartbeat, but we were quickly reassured by the ultrasound tech when Bean popped up onto the screen with a strong 176 beats per minute.

When the doctor gave the Doppler a try today, it only took about two seconds for that sweet ba-boomp, ba-boomp, ba-boomp to come over the device.  I could sit and listen to that sound forever!  For some reason, my initial response was to giggle, but I tried to stifle it in order to avoid moving around too much.  The doctor also said that she could hear Bean moving around a lot while she was checking.  Today, Bean checked in at a cool 150 beats per minute.  When I expressed concern about the heartbeat being down from last time, she explained that the fetal heart rate actually peaks around 12 weeks and then goes back down slightly.  I guess that they want it to always be between 120-160 beats per minute — so Bean’s in perfect range!  Overall…she said everything sounded and felt great!

The only new discussion we had was regarding a trip to the maternal/fetal medicine specialist.  In the back of my mind, I knew that this would probably come up, and I’m glad that it’s coming up as a precaution…not as a reaction to anything that they have observed during my routine appointments.  I guess with the arthritis medicines, they just want to have someone who is trained in cases like mine take a look at the baby via ultrasound with a very cautious eye.  I appreciate my doctor’s proactive approach versus waiting to see if anything pops up in the future.  So it looks like we’ll take a trip to the specialist sometime in the next five or so weeks.

In other fun news…our friends Molly & Corbett helped us score a mother load of awesome baby stuff!  Corbett called Marc on Wednesday night and asked if we wanted to stop by on Thursday evening to pick up some baby gear that they no longer need.  Turned out to be a win-win situation for all parties.  Molly & Corbett are moving and didn’t want to have to pack and lug all of the stuff they aren’t using to their new house — and, obviously, Marc and I could use the goods!  I couldn’t thank them enough when we arrived and found that they were happily handing over everything from a barely used Pack-n-Play to some really cool Leap Frog early development toys.  Again…an extra special thanks to Corbett & Molly who rock for very obvious reasons.

Finally, I’m going to shamelessly steal an idea from another blogger who posts a couple of “Ups & Downs” at the end of each week of her pregnancy.  I hate calling them “downs,” because they really aren’t anything more than minor inconveniences.  And given how excited we are about Bean, it doesn’t even really seem fair to bring them up.  So maybe I’ll just modify and list my “Ups.”  Sound good?  Here goes:

“Ups” for 13 Weeks –

(1)  I’m finally getting my appetite back!
(2)  We got to hear Bean again and had a great appointment!
(3)  My internal heat source (aka Bean) keeps me warm enough at night that Marc can finally enjoy our bed without the addition of a down comforter in the middle of August!

Alright, that’s it for now.  Tomorrow starts the second trimester — where does the time go?

This morning, I was praising the Tummy Tube and the fact that I no longer have to button my pants…in the middle of all of this, a male co-worker walked by.  Nice.  But I couldn’t help it.  This thing is amazing!  I’m sure that somewhere, there’s a woman (or man) sitting in a huge mansion and chuckling about how they whipped together a big elastic band to hold your pants up and sold millions for $25 bucks a pop.  Personally, I think that guy’s a genius.  And I’m seeing infinite possibilities for product diversification.  I mean, why should they leave all of the unbuttoned pants fun to the pregnant women?  Imagine…too much turkey and stuffing at Thanksgiving?  Tummy Tube.  Haven’t quite shed that last bit of winter weight?  Tummy Tube.  Of course, when the Tummy Tube fails me and I end up with my pants around my ankles in front of hundreds of people, I probably won’t be singing it’s praises.  But for now, I’m a big fan.

I’m going to try to do a better job of posting on here.  Maybe I’m just feeling a little bit like a slacker after hopping onto another girl’s blog and noticing that she posted nearly everyday about her pregnancy from the day she found out.  But then I think to myself, “You know what?  I will not feel badly!”  This is my blog, darn it…other blogs be damned.  Okay, that’s a little harsh.  But still. 

I think that it’s been hard to post because some days it still feels so unreal.  I mean, to look at me, one might just think that I had over indulged in a few Krispy Kremes from the office breakroom…not necessarily that I’m almost in my second trimester.  And while the fatigue, insomnia, constipation, queasiness, and incessant urination are enough to continually remind ME that I’m having a baby…I can’t help but realize that to most folks, I look like plain ol’ me.  I’m sure that as I start to show, it will feel more “real” even to me, but for now it still kind of feels like a secret.

And really, there is so much to post about!  Like the fact that we’ve had two awesome doctor appointments.  Or the fact that for some reason, friends, neighbors and family are convinced that I will have a girl, despite the fact that I habitually call Bean a “he.”  Or even carseat and stroller shopping, during which Marc proclaimed that he “ruled” the carseats.  So far, being pregnant has been an amazing experience!  Now I just need to get my tush on here and blog about it.

One of the questions folks have asked most often is whether I’ve had any cravings since becoming pregnant.  And the answer is “kind of.”  The main problem I’ve been having is that nothing sounds good.  So while it’s not really true food aversions, it’s more of an apathy towards food in general.  I know that I have to eat, but when nothing sounds appetizing, it’s no easy task to pick something out.  Which brings us to fried chicken.

For some strange reason, from the very first days of finding out about Bean, I’ve wanted to eat fried chicken.  This coming from a girl who rarely eats fried chicken.  And it really doesn’t matter what variety.  In fact, when I’m feeling kind of icky and nothing sounds appealing, I often turn to chicken nuggets.  So completely strange.  I guess that the old wive’s tale is that craving salty or savory foods suggests that you’re having a boy and sweet cravings means a girl is on the way, but who knows?  Because I’ve also wanted hard-boiled eggs (salty?), raw cauliflower and veggie dip (savory?), chocolate milk (sweet?), and TONS of cereal (sweet?).  Mind you, not at the same time.

I guess what I’m waiting for now is to get to a time when at least something — besides KFC — tastes good to me!  Everyone tells me that it will happen soon.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed!

It’s hard to believe that I’m finally able to write this post!  You see, I’ve been walking around with a BIG — okay, actually pretty tiny — secret for quite awhile now.  And I have to admit that it’s bittersweet in it’s own way revealing this secret to you all.  Before today, just Marc, our families, a few close friends, and I had this insider information.  It was like we had taken our own vow of silence.  Sharing this tidbit with the big ol’ Blogosphere doesn’t make it any less special, of course…just different.  But it is definitely with sheer and unbridled excitement that I announce to you all now that Marc and I are HAVING A BABY!

It has been so hard to keep this from everyone, and we’ve found ourselves many times along the way thinking, “You know what?  Let’s just spill it!”  I’m glad we waited, though – glad we took the time to let it be our own little shared experience.  But now, the cat’s out of the bag.

Many of you who are close to us know that getting to this point hasn’t been an easy journey.  Last spring (as in March 2006), we decided to give it a go.  Unfortunately, my rheumatoid arthritis had to throw a wrench in things from the beginning.  The medicine I used to take for my RA is a pregnancy Category X drug, which means that it is strictly forbidden while trying to become pregnant.  So I stopped the medicine, and we waited out the three months for it to completely flush out of my system.  And wishful thinking led me to stop my other arthritis medicines, as well, hoping that perhaps I could rally through without the meds and get pregnant quickly.  I was wrong….with a capital “W.”  After about five weeks off the medicine, I was barely able to function.  My RA had returned with a vengeance, and I felt even worse than before I was diagnosed.  So I grudgingly started steroid therapy and eventually began an anti-TNF injectible arthritis medicine (Enbrel) in the fall that is considered safe for pregnancy.  And we kept trying…and trying…and trying.

And then…FINALLY!  Our good news came — as it so often does — at the point when we had finally reached a crossroad.  Would we begin submitting to more invasive fertility tests?  Were we ready to make the emotional and financial investment in fertility treatments that often hold no guarantees?  Was it time to start considering adoption?  We really weren’t sure what the next step was going to be.  I can honestly say that I was getting to the point of questioning the damage that I knew I was doing to my body by continuing for over fifteen months without really treating my arthritis.  But I wasn’t ready yet to throw in the towel.  And then…there it was.  This amazing gift — this amazing blessing that was obviously meant to remind us that all things happen in His time…not ours.

It was just three weeks after Marc’s graduation and three days after his 30th birthday that we found out.  Just the day before, we had thrown Marc’s birthday/graduation party, and we decided to sleep in that morning.  Marc finally dragged himself out of bed and went to the gym…while I slept.  (I’ve been doing a LOT of that!)  When I woke up, I decided that I was going to go ahead and test.  So I got my strip, did my thing, and started the clock.  As I walked back in to check on it, I just had this feeling and then there it was…my second pink line…after twelve months.  At that point, I think I officially kicked myself for testing while Marc was away; but at least it allowed me to come up with a sweet way to tell him the news.  (*You’ll have to ask him to share the story sometime.*)

So here we are!  As I said before, we’re so happy to be sharing this news with you!  Throughout our baby journey, I’ll be posting on this blog to share all about Bean (as we’ve already so fondly come to know him/her) and the adventures that we’re experiencing.  Be sure to bookmark the page and check back for “Growing Stories from a Growing Belly.”  I’m sure there will be plenty to share between now and February 16th, 2008! 

P.S.  Thank you to everyone for your constant support and prayers!  It has been a continual source of encouragement and has meant so much to Marc and I during the months leading up to now.  We ask for your continued prayers for a safe and healthy nine months and beyond for Marc, Bean, and me.  We’re looking forward to sharing this time with you all.  With love always, Karen

Bean at 6 weeks, 3 days