In two short weeks, Baby A has grown to the size of a lemon.  About three inches in length and weighs one ounce.  The fatigue is starting to subside a little.  I try to make the most of the times that I have energy. 

House preparation projects are going well.  Two of the three closets have been reconfigured, reorganized, and many items made their way to the donation center.  House projects are on hold for a couple of weeks.  Next up on the docket are the nursery which includes that closet and getting granite countertops in the kitchen. 

Last week, I had another ultrasound and genetic testing.  During the ultrasound, Baby A was super active doing flips and moving around.  Heartbeat was around 152 bpm.  Still measuring as a January 2020 baby.  The genetic test I opted for was the non-invasive prenatal testing which tests chromosomes 13, 18, and 21.  The test involves taking a couple of samples of my blood.  The lab is able to separate the baby’s blood and my blood to test and compare them to see what the risk factors are.  The results came back as low risk for anything negative to occur.  With that information, I’m not going to proceed further with additional tests that could be done such as an amniocentesis or a placenta sample. 

Yesterday, to celebrate the 4^th of July and to let my colleagues know my news, I wore this shirt.  It was fun to finally let the cat out of the bag. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday spending time with family and friends!

Hugs, C

I have a little baby lime.  Must have somehow taken after all of the limes I’ve been having in my beverages.  I’m having a fun time coming up with creative drinks to enjoy.  The summer is full of many flavors to appreciate like oranges, mangos, and strawberries.

A lot has happened in the last two weeks…

At my first Dr.’s visit, he referred me to the hospital group’s high risk unit for fetal health.  Partly due to my age.  Mostly due to my previous conization.  A conization was preformed to rid my body of high grade HPV cells that ended up including cancerous cells.  Because of this, I will get another two ultrasounds.  Another part of the first visit is genetic testing to test for chromosomal abnormalities. 

Throughout Father’s Day, I thought a lot the fact that my child is not born with a traditional father.  Then, I got to thinking about all of the wonderful dad’s that surround me.  This kid is going to have so many dad’s to help guide, love, and tell all of the “dad” jokes.  It goes back to my philosophy of, family goes beyond a tree.  I’ve thought of my family tree more of a vine.  Not because I like wine.  Because our lives are so entwined that it takes more than one plant to grow and flourish. 

Each day, I look forward to waking up, seeing what common item Baby A has become, and learning what development is going on.  Each day is a gift and this experience keeps reminding me of that!

Hugs,  C

A lot has happened with Baby Andrews in the last 2 weeks.  Last week the size was compared to a ripe raspberry.  This week’s comparable size is a cherry or a green olive.  Approximately 1 inch.  Baby is growing about a millimeter a day.

I had my first ultrasound at 7 weeks 3 days.  The baby was measuring at 6 weeks 4 days and the heartrate was at 150 beats per minute.  With the size, this would push my due date to January 12.  For those not familiar with ultrasounds, I put the baby in the circle.

As far as how I’ve been feeling…The fatigue has finally set in.  I could fall asleep at any given point.  So far, I haven’t fallen asleep at my desk.  Winning!  I’ve been going to a couple of exercise classes a week. 

June 6 is my first appointment with the doctor. 

Each day is another day closer to the day I’ll get to meet Baby Andrews.  I’m cherishing this journey and each of the milestones in between!

Hugs, C

As of yesterday, I was 7 weeks.  Overall, I’ve been feeling “normal”.  I’ve been a little more tired than normal and nothing really with morning sickness.  I mostly don’t have a taste to eat any food.  Once I start to eat, I enjoy the taste of what I’m eating.  So, I’ve been packing my food with a variety of flavors. I’m also eating every couple of hours whether I want to or not.

I’m super excited to get the first ultrasound this coming Friday.  This will be one of at least two ultrasounds I’ll receive.  This one will be to confirm how far along I am (by the size) and if I’m having multiples (more than one little bean).  While twins don’t run in my family, with being “advanced maternal age”, evidently women tend to drop more than one egg as they get older. 

The not so sexy side of being pregnant that no one talks about, until you’re pregnant, is that the bloating and constipation is a real and very uncomfortable thing!  Basically, the extra progesterone slows down the bowels to get all of the bits of nutrients out of what was eaten.  The extra time in the bowel allows more water to be absorbed into the body.  All of that creates harder stool.  I consulted the handbook the doctor gave me and got that behind me (ha!) for now. 

Napa has always been my snuggly kitty.  Sonoma used to only snuggle when she was super cold in the winter.  She’s super attentive and extra snuggly now. 

It’s important to take in the entire experience and allow people in.  This journey would not be the same without each one of you there along with me!

Hugs, C

Yesterday, I had my first appointment with the OB coordinator.  As luck would have it, I used to work with her husband at Huntington.  Anyway, we talked through medical history and some of the big milestones with a pregnancy.  I have my 8 week ultrasound and 10 week meeting with my doctor.  My estimated due date is January 6 or 7.  Of course, I was right in between dates.  😉 

I haven’t had many typical pregnancy symptoms yet.  Knock on all of the wood you can find!  I’ve been getting more tired at the end of the work day and don’t last long into the evening.  By the time I get to dinner, I don’t have any strong opinions of food…I know…SHOCKER! 

Through one of the apps I was following, I decided to join one of the facebook groups.  I think we’re going to keep it to a small group of ladies that are all due about the same time.  The group is quite diverse in number of children, ages, locations in the world, and backgrounds. 

As in life, I think it’s great to cheer each other on and be there for each other when we’re struggling.  I hope all of my interactions with these ladies is a positive one in their day.

I hope my little orange or apple seed likes it’s home so far! 

Hugs, C

P.S. As an interesting note, when I was waiting to see if this round took, I found out about another cool way to become a parent.  There’s a newer item called embryo adoption.  Basically, I would have given birth to my adopted child.  The embryos are from someone else’s IVF and they chose to donate rather than destroy.  It’s a fraction of the cost of traditional adoption.  I wanted to share this tidbit as another option for those interested. r

Meow!  That’s kitty speak for Hello!  We’re Napa and Sonoma. 

We’d like to announce that we are going to be big sisters!  We’re told that it’s still super early and that the baby is about the size of a poppy seed. 

We have promised to share our toys and the boxes we hide / sleep in.

Kitty Purrs, N & S

P.S. We bought mom pink and blue poppies to plant in the garden.  We’re hopeful it will attract more birds for us to watch.  ^..^   ^..^

Tomorrow will mark one week since the second round of IUI.  I’ve been keeping myself busy.  I was able to cheer on the Columbus Blue Jackets in game 4, made 5 different types of cookies for Easter dinner, roasted a couple of batches of veggies for the salad (also for Easter), trimmed & sewed a duvet, and made 2 pillowcases from the extra fabric.  I’ve also had time to research how to make a wine cork wreath and candles.  Needless to say, keeping busy is helping keep my eye off the clock. 

Here’s the science part…

Everything is microscopic and nothing can be felt yet. 

I’m so happy I’m filling all of the waiting into additional fun memories! 

Hugs, C

When I did the first round in March, I was nervous and anxious.  I didn’t know what to do; I didn’t know what to expect.  While I wanted to the first round to work, I think I needed it not to work so I’d know how bad I want to be a mother.  The doctor was quite quippy this morning.  He mentioned that he gave “the guys” a pep talk and told them their directions.  I inquired if they will follow directions and not get lost.  The reply was priceless…Well, they are Y chromosomes, so likely not. 

I am blessed to be able to work virtual office.  So, I laid in my family room with my legs up and worked.  For those of you that know me, know I enjoy the show Friends.  I was channeling my inner Phoebe from season 4.  “Are you in there little fetus?  In nine months will you come greet us?  I will buy you some Adidas.” 

I’ll have more stories and life moments to share over the next 14 days.  For now, I’m going to enjoy the moment.

Always take time to be in the moment!

Hugs, C

Woo hoo!  This morning, I received a positive test with the ovulation kit.  That means that first thing tomorrow morning, I go to the doctor’s office to sign out my online purchase.  The lab will thaw out and test the goods to make sure everything is in good working order.  Once the procedure is done, I’ll need to rest for a couple of minutes, then I’m on my way.  At least for tomorrow, I’ve studied as much as I can. 

I need to trust the process and know that things will happen as they are supposed to.

Hugs, C

P. S. Positive vibes, happy thoughts, and prayers welcome!

I was expecting to have the second round of IUI today or tomorrow.  As it turns out the only inconsistent part about a woman’s cycle is when she ovulates.  It usually does happen within a certain timeframe of the cycle.  It is rare that it occurs on the same day or two from month to month.  So, I’m still waiting to hit the “surge”.  Once the “surge” happens, I’ll have the procedure the following day.

As I’m waiting to get called to the stage, I remembered being in tap, jazz, and gymnastics at Dance Expressions.  I was always the tall skinny kid.  I did not have a lot of coordination and I was not flexible.  I did have a mom and dad that supported my dream to be a dancer!  Each year, we would end the dance season with a recital.  When I say recital, it was an all-day event.  We knew about when we’d preform.  Then, we would add a couple of hours because it never ran on time.  It was so much fun to go out on that stage.  We’d get to show off our skills that we learned.  Usually this meant that I didn’t fall on my face.  After we preformed, we would go back to waiting until the finale…many many hours later. 

We wait a lot during life.  During this time of waiting, I chose to fill the time with some spring cleaning and cookie baking (that also requires waiting for the dough to come to temperature). 

Fill the waiting period with things you love to do!

Hugs, C

P.S. I know you’re probably thinking…she did dance recitals?  Where’s the proof?  Keep scrolling for a couple of glamor shots!