Happy 13 Weeks Little One!

Hey guys, I'm Pregnant!

Yup! I heard the stork and it flew my way!

I'm 13 weeks today woohoo!

Alright kids, it's story time...

(warning to the Men that might read this... I might get graphic)

- August 19, 2010 -

Just about a week before this date, I was noticing certain "changes"... changes I couldn't explain just yet. So with the "encouragement" of my friend Annette, I decided to take a pregnancy test in the morning before work. Now I've taken these tests before (not telling how long or how many times before) and some of you ladies might know & understand the waiting that you have to put up with for the results... sometimes up to freaking 10 minutes! That morning was different, for sure. I doubt it took even a minute for the results! And when I came back to my bathroom and looked at my "P-stick", sure enough it said "Pregnant".... I got the tests that actually tell me in letters if I'm prego, not a damn plus or minus.  

I didn't "freak out" like most Mothers-to-Be would do (good freak out or bad), I stood there staring at the stick for a good 5 minutes before I started to move towards my cell phone. Once I grabbed the phone, panic hit home. I called Annette and told her, then quickly got off cause I realized my FIRST call should have been to my doctor to make an appointment!

That same day, just a couple hours later, I went into see my General Family Doctor, Dr. Janet. We had a really good "pow-wow" about what comes next, how I felt about this news, if this will effect to my already medical complications, what my plans were as far as "keeping it" or not, etc. etc. Then she sent me on my way to the blood suckers (the medical lab) and they drew blood to "for sure" test.

Then I called my Gyno, Dr. K. I couldn't get until the next week, so I'd have to wait a bit. A couple days later, the blood tests came back and said I was about 5 to 6 weeks pregnant.

- August 26, 2010 -

When I got to my OBGYN appointment, the practitioner Dr. Donna asked me every medical question out there, of course, and then we talked about when my last visit from Aunt Flow was. To be honest, Aunt Flow sometimes didn't visit me and it was quite a long time since she did so Dr. Donna immediately threw me into the ultrasound room for quick look: just to make sure for a heartbeat and to calculate how far along I should be. The outcome: 7 weeks!

Dr. Donna then sent me to the nearest blood sucker group and they took 10 vials, 10 VIALS!!! Damn blood suckers!

My first picture of the little one!

- August 28, 2010 -

Now granted it's a little more than a week since I found out... but I finally got around to telling my Mom and Dad. So far I told the Baby-Daddy Alex, Annette, Ohio Julie, and my really close coworker Maria whom is like another Mom to me. I of course wanted to tell my parents ASAP, but also face-to-face. They were busy that first weekend, and so I had to wait till the next saturday when I could go over to the house and share the news.

Once I told the folks, Dad went to go take a nap (typical Doc move) and my Mom went to Amazon.com and bought up the store (typical Eileen move) for prego dvd, books, and even found little hard candies to help with morning sickness!

Once it set in their brains, the "newly grandparents" became more and more excited by the second! I was stoked I had a support team building, with them at the helm of the baby boat!

When I told Julie about my news, she told me I had a little peanut inside! And the name stuck. I told my parents that little fact and Peanut became the nickname!

- September 3, 2010 -

My first real major scare.

I thought I lost my little Peanut. The last two weeks before this date, I had Laguna Hills band camp that I had to be at, the 1-9 rehearsals I blogged about before. It took a major toll on my body and I started to bleed. Not extremely heavy or dark or anything, but still I was bleeding. I immediately started to panic and began to cry. I called my mother. She told me to lay down, stay calm and she was on her way over. I called the on-call doctor, and she informed me that this might not be a miscarriage and that when the office opened at 9, call the nurses and see if I can squeeze in an appointment. Unfortunately they had no availability, so they sent over an ultrasound request to Hoag Hospital and off my mom and I went. Once there and entered into the system, I was taken down one of the many halls to the ultrasound room.

To my relief, Peanut was still heart-beating away. Now at 8 weeks, Peanut was starting to look like a little baby. A little baby that was still with me.

- September 7, 2010 -

My original "next" appointment with Dr. Donna/Dr. K. They were told about the Hoag trip and I still received another ultrasound. The scare was due to too much activity and clots around the baby, not in the placenta, but around in the uterus. So I was told to limit my standing, and I was only allowed to work because I sit at a desk most the day. Other than that, it was just bed rest and calmness.

Now going on 9 weeks, Peanut looked about the same but everything was still going good! There were even little arm and leg buds growing!

8 Weeks and 5 days 

- September 19, 2010 -

The day I told my grandmother.

That was a night to remember. My dad cooked up a surf and turf dinner for her. Dinner turned into a huge event. But after the laughs and good food, I sat at the table with my mom and gma and broke the news to her. Now I already knew that she wasn't going to take it well, not well at all, but I still had a little hope. I never cried so hard when she left that night. She broke my heart and said she was disappointed in me. At least the dinner was good, maybe not so much the dessert.

- September 22, 2010 -

Yet another check up and ultrasound. Peanut moved when it first started! Poor thing doesn't like all the ultrasounds, it's like an annoying rock concert to the little one. Then I saw Dr. K and she talked about my hormone levels and of course was there to answer any questions I had.

11 Weeks

- October 5, 2010 -

Jump a couple of weeks from then and I had my 5th ultrasound! By now the news getting around the office, and most of my good friends were told, I felt much better come this appointment. This was my screening appointment, so it was a full ultrasound check up and then off to the blood suckers yet again, to test for down syndrome and other things.

The ultrasound was the most exciting yet! Little Peanut was moving about and being uncooperative to the nurse.... stubborn comes from both the father and the mother in Peanut's case. The little one had flipped turning the last 2 weeks, and right then turned it's back toward the camera and did NOT want to be apart of this screening. But after a while, the little one turned to see the profile, where we could see it crossing it's legs, bending and moving it's arms (my guess touching it's face). There were two feet and two little hands, not just buds anymore! There was a clear spine and the left & right brain! It was all very exciting!

 Dark spots is the brain, under that is the eyes, and a little line for the mouth.

13 Week Profile Pic!

Then the nurse switched to the "4D" ultrasound! I saw this done on one of my DVDs and it's pretty amazing! I don't know why it's called 4D, because it's really like 3D images, but you can really see the detail, it's just a better picture of the little one. Granted Peanut looks like a skeleton (pictures below) but Peanut was just chilling there like it was in a hammock, probably waiting for the sound waves to stop.



- October 7, 2010 Today -

I carry around those ultrasound photos everywhere with me. The more I look at them, the more I fall in love with my Peanut. I'll have to say today is

"Happy 13 week Peanut! Mommy loves you!!

.... now hurry up and get out! :) "

This little life inside me has brought a whole new meaning to my own life. I know now that my body will never be mine ever again, but my heart I gave willingly to this little one.

I'll start my second trimester soon and I can only say that even though the morning/all day sickness sucks, the peeing every 10 minutes blows, the fatigue is a pain, my boobs hurting & growing so much is nuts... but it's all worth it. Since the day I found out, I haven't not once regreted the little one. But for laughs: I can only hope though that the next 6 months go by faster than these first 3!

So yeah... fatter belly anyone?