First off, it's been 18 months since we last posted anything in our blog. I'm going to try to be better about updating, targeting once a week so we can share news about...
Our expanding family :)
That's right, I'm expecting a baby on May 14th, 2012. That happens to be a very special day for many reasons, including being right around Mother's Day and being Michael and Beth's 1st Anniversary!
We have been very blessed that the process was fairly easy for us. All I can say is I'm glad we were so "safe" for so many years!! Otherwise, the grandparents could have been young grandparents!!
We found out the good news the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. It was such a special moment, made more special by having Patrick, Whitney and Lillian Hosty arrive a few hours later to spend the weekend with us. Boy did we look at Lillian in a different light than before!! We had a great weekend at the State Fair and out on Lake Minnetonka with the Dworkins. The most challenging part was working to look like I was enjoying beer at the Fair and wine on the boat :)
Shortly after the Hostys left, I came down with a nasty cold, just like my mom did. The only difference is that I knew what was happening, so I filled up on Sudafed and Tylenol instead of Hot Toddies! That head cold lasted me the better part of 3 weeks, which was terrible. Adam was a good sport, though, trying to take care of me while being a full-time student for the first time in 8 years!
My first appointment with Dr Block was on 9/12, the day before my birthday, where the pregnancy was confirmed. I didn't have many symptoms at that time, other than the cold, so things were pretty easy going. Of course, I had a list of 20+ questions to ask Dr. Block, and she patiently answered all of them (no, I cannot continue to eat my red meat practically mooing it is so rare...not even medium :(
About a week later the symptoms started to hit. Morning/all-day sickness (helped by Ginger Ale and ginger candies), headaches (helped by water and the occasional Tylenol), and insomnia (finally helped with getting a Snoogle...don't know what it is, just look it up. Not much room is left in bed for Adam & Lola once I'm nested up in that thing!).
My 2nd appointment was on 10/17, where we were able to hear the heartbeat. The nurse, Lonna, warned us that at 10w2d and with the way my uterus is sitting, we probably wouldn't hear it. She put the Dopplar on my belly and we suddently heard a low, steady heartbeat (mine), followed shortly by a much faster heartbeat (the baby's). It was a steady 174, just where it should be at this point! I was so thankful that Adam was there...he had 2 finals the next day, but he worked around study time just to be there with me in case we could hear the heartbeat.
My 3rd appointment is next week on 10/27, where we'll try to get an ultrasound for the Neuchal Fold test...essentially it's a non-invasive genetic test to look for abnormalities. Nothing for us to worry about, but something I've elected to do. We're hopeful we can get a good veiw of the baby so we can tell Uncles John & Paul at their birthday celebration in East Hampton next weekend! We'll also tell Adam and Allison.
So far, we've tried to keep it as much of a secret as possible. Other than telling various doctors and my pilates peeps (I've been in many weekend-long training sessions the past 6 weeks and have not been feeling well, plus there are certain positions you should avoid during pregnancy).
We did tell the parents and got the following responses:
Linda - "THERE"S A BABY IN YOUR BELLY" followed by lifting my shirt and kissing my belly. Her name is going to be "Lulu"
Tom - very warm and happy followed by "My Name is Grandad. I had a Grandad and I want to be Grandad."
Gina - combination laugh/cry. We told her on her late mother, Ruth's, birthday, so it was a special day all around. Her name is going to be "Gigi"
Rob - silence, followed by "Wow." The phone proceeded to break up a few times, forcing some follow-up calls to get the full good news across! TBD on his name :)
Wow, that was a long update. More to come once we have a healthy report from the NF test next week.
