I got a bigger bump for Christmas

24 weeks and counting...I feel like I am getting bigger by the day!

Happy Holidays to All!!



Photo shoot time

While my mom and sister were visiting over Thanksgiving I arranged an ultrasound at XDI Ultrasound, xdiultrasound.com, they are AMAZING there!  It was such a special experience...although Tim and I had been through more ultrasounds than regular at this point in the pregnancy bcs. of my appendicitis, I wanted the grandmas and aunts to have a chance to be involved in a fun way.  Tim, myself, his mom and sister and my mom and sister went to XDI where they all had the opportunity to see what was growing inside my belly.  XDI records a DVD of the guests reactions to everything they are watching on the screen and sent us home with the DVD and many images captured of our little girl...they even did a gender re-confirmation while we were there, 2/2 ITS A GIRL!!

Profile shot

 Strong heartbeat

IT'S A GIRL...she was spread eagle for us ;)

Being a little camera shy

Being cute, showing her face...can't wait to see how she develops!!!!

Halfway there!

Technically today I am 22 weeks, where is the time going??  I am back up and running and I feel like the time is just going to fly by and baby girl will be here before I know it.  Good thing I have already started buying her shoes, haha!  She already has some cute ruffle butt outfits thanks to grandma Schuster, some adorable onsies and newborn handme downs along with the most darling bathing suit EVER from her boyfriend Easton (and momma Amber), cousin Logan was kind enough to send some of his clothes that his Aunt Lynn (ME) had bought for him when he was just a wee little one...this girl already has her wardrobe started and I wouldn't have it any other way! :)

Pic of me at 20 weeks with the fam when they were visiting for Thanksgiving ( I personally think it looks like I have a 3rd boob :O)

And at 21.5 weeks

 My belly feels like it is so much bigger in person than it really is and I realize I do still have a long way to go :O YIKES! At least I look pregnant and not just like I eat Thanksgiving dinner everyday :)

and the winner is...

A GIRL!!!

At first I didn't want to find out, then maybe have a gender reveal shower, then I decided Tim and I would find out together as our Christmas present to each other, and THEN my 19 week gender ultrasound was the Friday before Thanksgiving which threw all those others ideas out the window. Tim being the smart guy he is made some valid points including that my mom and sister were going to be visiting for Thanksgiving and we were going to start the registry while they were here, both families would all be together for Thanksgiving and when again would that happen??, and I think secretly he was anxious to know even though he kept telling me "we'll do whatever you want" ;). Of course taking all his points into consideration I decided ok well find out but NOT until Thanksgiving.

How we told family...

I had saved the original ring setting that Tim had proposed to me with, we had moved the center stone over to my ring I have now. I said to myself one day when I have a child I'd like to put the birthstone of the month of birth in that setting. Well-April birthstone is a diamond (fortunately and unfortunately, haha) to avoid the ring looking like another engagement ring that I would be wearing on my right hand I asked Tim if they had pink or blue diamonds, he said yes and our idea was born. He said "why don't we give the sealed envelope with the sex of the baby to the jewelry store and have them put the right color stone in it, we will open the box to find out the sex?", aww perfect I loved the idea, except now the hunt for the right stone in the right price was significantly decreased because we were now going to find out the sex in 5 days instead of the intended Christmas date. We right away drove the envelope down to the jewelry store and said "put ANY stone in the right color in we need it by Wednesday". Without flinching they took care of it, thank you Kurt and Coin Mart Jewelry (Tims' family jewelry store).

Thanksgiving we woke up and decided to open up the ring between the two of us...SOOOOOOO nerve wracking and exciting, I hadn't felt that way since the night we got engaged!!! So many things racing through my head and were we really ready for this? What if he really wanted the other sex? Am I going to be a good parent? There was something about finding out the sex that was all of a sudden going to make it that much more real. They had wrapped it up in a box then into a ring box, we both unwrapped the paper together then as he started to open the ring box I saw a glimmer of PINK and I gasped, he opened the rest of the way and it was confirmed I saw pink. I think we will be seeing lots of pink in the future ;)

We didn't tell my family right away we told everybody together at dinner. At Tims, his mom has a tradition that everybody go around the table and say what they are thankful for, it was the perfect time for the announcement. Tim and I went last and Tim ended his words of thanks by saying "we are thankful for our baby on the way and we can't wait to meet HER"!!!!! It was perfect, I loved that everybody was there together to hear, it was so fun to see the reactions to what they just heard, what a special memory that I am very thankful for :)

The Birthday Suprise(s)

So moving backwards a bit, before that nasty hospital adventure, we revealed to San Diego friends that I was pregnant by having them over for my birthday celebration/to watch the Chargers game.  I wore the tshirt that said "Future Charger" on the belly (see previous blog) and people picked up on it fairly quickly, some walked right by and I had to point it out to them.  Since I thought it would be fun to play a game and tell everybody the date and how I was feeling all togetherer and not the same story 20 times over, as people arrived I handed them little cards to have them fill out their best guess of our EDD (estimated due date).  For the most part everybody was within a few weeks and two people were within a day, so that called for a tie-breaker :)  CONGRATS to Ben who won a Chargers blanket as his prize (although he is a die hard Steelers fan so that might end up as a Christmas white elephant gift, haha) and Mike who was runner up!

It was lots of fun FINALLY sharing the news with everybody and getting LOTS of advice!

So that was the first surprise of the day, next surprise was on me!  Tim handed me a gift and it was the case to the Lion King (I did actually ask for the movie for my birthday) and inside the case was the CD manual for a new Jeep Cherokee that was waiting outside for me!!!  It felt like I was in the middle of a Christmas commercial, there was even balloons on it but they blew off right before I got outside .  So we are all set with our "family mobile" - YAY!!! Here is a pic of the purty new car...

Back in action!

Phew...I am thankful to have my health back and able to enjoy this pregnancy journey once again!  As most of you know after a week of pain I was diagnosed with appendicitis and admitted the the hospital on October 20th where I stayed for 8 LONG days as they brought down the inflammation of my appendix.  Since it did not rupture and was only VERY inflamed they decided to treat it by bringing down the inflammation and go in and remove it following delivery to avoid complications during pregnancy.  My last MRI showed significant reduction in the size of the appendix inflammation and doc says that there is such a small percent of chance that it will inflame again before I give birth and I am confident in what he says, so I will follow doctors orders.

I will spare all the gruesome details of the most expensive impromptu stay-cation I have ever had ;) But I will say it was not fun and I certainly hope giving birth is easier than that (a girl can dream right??).  Blood draws every day, different meds until they find the right cocombination, close to non-existent sleep on an uncomfortable bed, hospital food, MRI's, nurses every 4 hours taking BP and temp., IV meds for two weeks at home following my departure from the hospital, feeling like I lost 3 weeks of my life, and everything else I am trying to forget about = NOT FUN! Thankfully they did take the baby's heartbeat everyday to make sure everything was normal and not causing any stress on the baby, those were the best parts of the day.

What I do want to say is a HUGE thank you to all my friends and family who came to visit, sent flowers, sent their love, thoughts, and prayers my way...you all helped get me on the road to recovery and get me through all those long and painful days.  And to my amazing Tim who was there everyday and juggled work, meetings, events, taking care of our little Zara to make sure that I was taken care of and held my hand through it all without skipping a beat - THANK YOU ALL, I love you!!!

Now onto the fun baby updates!!! :)

MIA

Sorry I haven't posted anything recently, as most of you know I've been in a bit of pain. After a week of right side ab pain I was admitted to the hospital Thursday for appendicitis. Always been very healthy and I guess I didn't "knock on wood enough" when I said that.

Baby's heartbeat is monitored daily and is strong and consistent. I'm hooked up to IV meds to hopefully bring the inflammation around appendix down before they decide next plan of attack.

Will be back soon for more fun uplifting posts, I promise!! XO

BPM

To Tim this means how fast a songs beats are :)  BUT it has another meaning too...On 9/30/11 we went for the Nucheal Translucency screening to determine the risks of Downs Syndrome.  They compare the measurements of the baby with my blood results and plug it into some geometry formula to come up with my risk.  I have a 1 in 2,000 chance, which according to the doctor compares to a teenager so we are in good shape!    Baby's heart was beating at 150 bpm, which is right on target!  The baby jumped a few times and rolled over twice, so crazy that so much is developed and measuring at only 2.5 inches so far (the length of my thumb)!

We got to take some of the pictures home, this is the baby's 2nd photo shoot already ;) According to the first picture baby may be getting moms long legs haha;

The Reveal

My birthday falls a few day after I start my 2nd tri-mester, so it seemed like the perfect timing to combine my birthday celebration with the "I'm pregnant" reveal. I'm shocked I was able to hold it in thus far and am anxiously awaiting telling our friends!!!

I sent my friends back east a card noting this on the inside;

That should lead them to this blog and get all the surprising news :) For our local friends that are able to stop by on Sunday for my "birthday get together"/ Sunday Funday to watch the Charger game, I purchased this shirt to wear;

EXCEPT this shirt was SUPPOSED to read the same thing as the "coordinating" onesie that comes with it ...Future Chargers FAN!  Idiots!  They didn't send it wrong just ONCE this is the 2nd one I received.  So the online picture shows exactly the same logo as the onesie and the description of what your ordering matches the picture, so what is the problem??  Both times the maternity t-shirt only says Future Charger (AS IF WE KNOW IF WE ARE HAVING A BOY OR A GIRL YET AND IF HE/SHE WILL EVEN WANT TO PLAY FOOTBALL?! Girls don't even play football so that doesn't make any sense!) Of course I receive it two days later than I was supposed to (it was supposed to go 3 day UPS and obviously was sent ground) and at the last possible hour and the correct one cannot be sent overnight since they are on the east coast and get here on time for this weekend!  WAAAAAAHHHHHH!  They got MORE than an earful from me and after hearing all we can do is refund you about 7-10 times and they are sorry and me telling them how ridiculous and careless their company and employees are, the conversation ended with some not so nice words on my part and CLICK! Don't mess with a pregnant lady from NY (via San Diego)- GEESH!

As if it wasn't already going to be a kind of inconspicuous reveal, it will probably make even less sense now!!We'll see how many people even notice what it says :) I can't wait until Sunday!!!!

Bump?

Not so much yet...just a little bloated belly and you can disregard the back fat :(

10 weeks along, I plan to take progress pics every 5 weeks. BTW..I just finally inserted this picture and am now 28 weeks along, and I thought I had a fat stomach then!?!?

The Nose Knows

If there is one pregnancy symptom I have had above all it is my sense of smell!!  I have come across very few things in the last three months that make me go, "oh that smells nice"...Even if it smells nice about 10 minutes later I will think it's gross and I can't get the smell out of my nose :(  GROSS!! 

Very few foods seem appetizing to me due to this "symptom".  I thankfully have not had the oh so dreaded "morning" sickness (fingers crossed I am in the clear) - I only had one morning of visiting the porcelain god, again - GROSS, but if that's all I get, I'll take it!!!  I am so thankful as I know so many friends that spend their first trimester in the bathroom! :(  I have had alot of watery mouth feeling but once I eat I feel much better. 

So what am I eating?? BLAND BLAND AND MORE BLAND....toast, sandwiches, pasta, bagels, bagels, oh and more bagels with peanut butter, butter or cream cheese, in fact had a melt down at the grocery store with Tim the other day because he asked me if all I was going to eat for the next few months was bagels - through my tears I rationalized that if that is what tastes good to me then I should be able to eat it!! I have always been known to like my carbs but we (I) have been going through a lot over here.  On a good note, I haven't gained more than a pound so far!

Anything Asian or with spice I have not even wanted to go near, the sound of it has made my stomach turn.  Today was the first day I was able to go for Thai food with Tim and I had lettuce wraps (probably the blandest thing on the menu :)).

The other symptom that has literally put me down during the first tri-mester is fatigue.  I have never been one to take naps and for a few weeks I couldn't make it past 3:00 PM without needing a break, Zara LOVED these afternoon naps with me.  I also used to be the one to stay up until 11 or 12 watching my "crap" (as Tim calls them) reality TV recorded shows and I'm lucky to see 10 PM on the clock nowadays!

As I come to the end of my 12th week, I am starting to feel all symptoms ease up and I am looking forward to heading into the 2nd tri-mester!

Holy Package!

No, we haven't found out the sex yet!  I am referring to the amazing care package my sister sent me after telling her I was pregnant!!

So much fun stuff, a maternity tank and dress (unfortunately it's only a matter of time before I fit into them!), What to Expect When you Are Expecting book (a staple in a prego woman's library), Fit Pregnancy mag, stretch mark lotion (again just a matter of time :(), Aveeno body wash and loofah (smells amazing I've been using it everyday), and an eye mask and earplugs so I get my rest.

SO SWEET and thoughtful, thank you so much Auntie June (you can decide what you want to be called for now, it's that :))  I love it all, you truly spoiled me I am lucky to have you as a sister, THANK YOU!!!

xoxo

Officially official!

My last annual exam with my gyno was in mid-July and she advised me that when I did become pregnant they did not handle OB.  Bummer bcs. I really like her and have been going to her for about 5 years now, but she gave me a card of a woman's practice that they recommend. 

So we know how the story goes and I got a positive HPT (home pregnancy test) a few weeks later http://babyaltbaum.blogspot.com/2011/09/how-and-when-i-found-out.html and it was time to see a doctor and make it official!!! I first made an appointment with the woman's group that my doctor had recommended me to.  I had to wait for my new insurance to become effective on September 1st, so I had to wait about 3 weeks (it felt like FOREVER).  I made an appointment for September 9th but found out that they don't do an ultrasound at your first appointment.  What??  I thought beside the HPT that is the first thing they do at a pre-natal appointment to make sure there really is someone alive and well in there?!

Maybe I am naive but I also REALLY wanted that reassurance of the little picture!! Also, by this time I had planned that I wanted to tell my family who do not live locally, by sending them the little picture of the TINY baby in belly.  Lastly, what woman who finds out she is pregnant doesn't want to look at that little picture everyday after getting it and seeing the little life that is growing inside of her?!

I decided to call another recommended doctor who was a solo practice (and does an ultrasound at the first appointment!!!)  and schedule an appointment with her as well to at least do a little research to be able to compare the two, this appointment was for September 7th.  So both appointments in the same week and then we would choose from there who to continue seeing throughout the pregnancy - very exciting!!!

As soon as we got to the appointment I filled out paperwork (so fun!), got weighed and measured (apparently I lost .5 inch in height since my annual a month and a half ago, interesting??), sat with the doctor and went over some questions before going into the exam room.  She was very nice, gentle, and calm about everything and it was FINALLY time to look at the little sweet pea on the screen....SAY CHEESE little one;

The top one shows the 8 week old bambino and the little yolk sac (which is the thing that looks like a halo/empty circle).  The head is at the bottom of the picture and the feet are up by the yolk sac.  The bottom picture shows a big blob in the center of the little body and that was showing it's heartbeat, where it's heart is.  AWWWWWW!!!!!  Trust me it took a little time to get these images and I was immediately crying so my stomach was bouncing up and down.  It was for sure a surreal moment, I'm so glad Tim was there with me!

I left the office smiling that it was officially official, I had a little one growing inside of me!!  Our neighbor is a lactation nurse at the hospital where the Woman's Group delivers and is about 2.5 miles from our house, so after our appointment on the 7th and before our appointment on the 9th, we knocked on her door to pick her brain.  She has been at the hospital for 17 years, loves it there and coincidentally recommended a doctor that practices within the Woman's Group that I would be visiting the next day.  All good information and we were on our way.

On Friday, the meeting at the Woman's Group was thankfully not as long, I had been sent the paperwork and filled it out ahead of time and I wasn't getting an ultrasound. As small world would have it the nurse practitioner that I was seeing that day is one of Tim's past clients, which he didn't realize until we got to the office and her name was on the board.  Random for sure and a little weird...but she was very sweet and it was almost a little more comforting to have a small connection there.  We didn't have as many questions since we had asked almost all of them at the other appointment.  Our questions were more based on the specific hospital and how the group works versus solo practitioner.  She felt around on my belly and said everything felt in place and asked how my symptoms were, and we were pretty much on our way!

Now it was time to make a decision of who to work with for the next 8 months and which hospital I'd rather deliver at!  The Woman's Group and Sharp Mary Birch - A top rated Woman's Hospital in California, and both the office and the hospital are so close to our house I could walk there when I go into labor,  BUT I might not be guaranteed a private recovery room? OR The solo practitioner and Sharp Grossmont - Where our sister in law Mary delivered Ella at and it was a very nice hospital, I would have my own labor, delivery and recovery room BUT the hospital, all pre-natal appointments would all be about 15-20 minutes away, and did I like the doctor enough?  Although Tim was born at Scripps La Jolla and I have heard nothing but good things about the hospital, Tim and I ruled it out as an option because we had great options at our back door.

Decisions...Decisions!!

Dreaming

So I had my first "baby dream" last night.  I don't remember exactly how it started what I do remember is looking at a sheet of paper that the doctor was filling out and it said FEMALE (so I guess in my dream I had a girl) and time of birth said 3:27 PM (that was the time on Tim and my wedding invitation).  Tim was sitting in the room with me and I didn't know that I had a girl until I looked at the form so I realized (in my dream) that I had a c-section and didn't get to meet her right away.  I in fact never even saw the baby in my dream at all.  The form also stated ~8 months and I said I thought I was only 4 months along and they said I was further along and that my doctors must have misread all my tests leading up.  ummmmm ok!?

So, from the office/room, I was brought to a recovery room which looked more like a triage from a war movie and there were about 50 cot beds and all women who had just delivered in there with their spouses, visitors, and babies.  I remember asking why I was in there if I had a c-section, shouldn't I be in a private room?? From there it went to a scene where I met Tim in a hallway who was sulking because we were supposed to go away and now he had to cancel it and he would loose out on the miles he used to book it. WHAT!??!  haha!! And that's the last I remember of the dream.

If anybody that interprets dreams wants to give that one a shot, I'd be amused at the results! :)

Little Miss Forgetful

According to my family and Tim my memory has always been amazing!  I heard many friends talk of this "pregnancy brain" but obviously I never truly understood it.  Well boy do I NOW!  There have been so many little things here or there in the past few weeks;

1. I left to drop clothes off at the dry cleaners but I forgot them at home
2. I RSVP'd yes for a baby shower even though I had an event going to contract for that same day, once I realized I immediately had to change my response, SORRY LAUREN!!! xo
3. Took Zara to swim at the beach and forgot to bring a towel for her, she stood dripping wet in the trunk the whole way home :(
4. So many other funny things, but my favorite has to be my "missing iPad story";

Tim had left for an event and I was going to hard boil some eggs and I had this new egg timer app on my iPad that I thought was cute and wanted to try out.  So I put the iPad next to the stove and opened up the app.  I went to the other room or picked up my phone I got distracted somehow and totally forgot I was even going to make the eggs.  My brain now transferred to wanting to look for something totally unrelated online and I could not find my iPad anywhere...Where in the world could it have gone?  Maybe Tim needed it for his event and didn't tell me he took it?  I called him immediately and asked "did you take my iPad?" he calmly said no and minor panic set in, where did I leave it?? Crap!!! 

About 10 seconds later I saw it sitting over by my cookbook stand - OH RIGHT!!!  I was about to make eggs!!! LOL, whoops!

Old Venice

Not as in Venice, Italy, we only got to Florence and Tuscany and that was back in May ;). When wracking my brain about how to tell him I was pregnant, I looked on websites and read some articles and with the cute, creative ways I found, I decided to combine a few ideas and make it my own. One of our major exciting life changing events was when Tim surprised me with a marriage proposal at one of my favorite restaurants in San Diego, Old Venice (www.oldvenicerestaurant.com, super yummy and charming Italian Restaurant in Pt. Loma).


We were engaged on April 11th (a day after my 1/2 birthday, and the excuse he gave everybody of why we were all getting together), such an amazing night and I will never forget it!

Since the baby is due right around mid-April and I love that restaurant I decided I would take him to lunch there to "surprise" him this time. He was a little suspicious as to why I was taking him to lunch mid-week but we haven't eaten there in a while AND he though my friend had come the week prior in NY so he wasn't suspicious at all. We sat down and ordered, then I said "do you want to know why I brought you here?", and I gave him a card and a little box which read;

When he opened this box this was inside;

He immediately had a look of confusion then excitement and we hugged and kissed and his first words were "no, what? really? But you lied to me?" and I explained the story as explained in my previous post :) We enjoyed our lunch and discussed when we would tell family and friends, what the next step was, what I can and can't eat now, and just relished in this new exciting chapter we were about to start.


We took this pic to always remember our special lunch! XO

How and when I found out...

So, we had been trying for a few months and I was starting to wonder more and more if it was going to happen, I do realize some couples try MUCH longer, I think I was just getting impatient :) I had my annual exam mid July and discussed with my doctor that we were trying and she said it's going to take 6 months to a year you have nothing to worry about this stage in the game.  I went on my way feeling good and everything was going to happen naturally...little did i know how soon after my appointment it would!

I had planned a trip East to visit family and friends for the first week of August, I was very excited to have some girl time and east coast sunshine!! My dear friend/Aunt Flow (however you refer to it) was also "due" during this time. I landed in NY went to the bathroom before heading out to greet my mom who was picking me up and like clockwork sure enough signs that my friend had arrived were there, BOOOOO....bummer, but I knew I had to keep my chin up, I had a lot of fun things in store for the days ahead.


I texted Tim and expressed that my friend had arrived and I was sad, a few words of encouragement from him and it helped put me in a better place. The first three days of my trip were spent with my childhood girlfriends who all have at least one child. It was so nice having them to chat with and bounce stories off of in regards to their experiences (PS - thank you girls, your conversation and advice were invaluable! XO).

So I went as far as to visit the local CVS in my hometown and stock up on the goods for the week. The next 3 days I was spending down at the Jersey Shore with my mom, sister, and aunt. I was so excited to just relax and spend time with them, it's been a long time since just the four of us got together.  We went swiming the ocean, took walks on the beach, watched sunsets from the balcony while eating cheese and crackers with our Skinnygirl cocktails, it was truly a summer vacation!

So by now it's about 3.5 days after I landed in NY and that friend that I thought had arrived wasn't really in full force (for lack of a better term), I started to wonder and get curious as each day passed and it was less than more I thought "am I actually getting a missed period??".  At night I would research on my phone and I now think what I had was implantation bleeding. I really just thought I was just having a strange month even though I am always very regular, so I went about my trip eating and drinking as I normally would.


I didn't want to say much or get too overexcited, Tim hadn't travelled with me so I didn't want to find out when I wasn't with him if I was in fact pregnant and how could I tell my family before him?? (I love you all very much I just felt it wouldn't be right :)). I just had a day and a half left before I returned to San Diego, I knew I had a test at home for when the time came so I decided to just wait!


I got in SUPER late on a Sunday night (thanks crazy weather over Atlanta), and while Tim was still sleeping early Monday morning I went and took one of the tests, after maybe a minute...PREGNANT read in the window (I didn't mess with the ones that have plus or minus, or one line or two lines, I wanted full on words in my face proof)


OMG!! Now what to do??? I couldn't just run into the bedroom and shove the stick in Tim's face when he was half awake (although I thought about it!) I decided to stay calm and collective and spend the day thinking about an exciting way to tell him.

I'm pregnant!!!

As my first trimester comes to an end, I realize there is three months of exciting news to share with friends and family and I should get a start on it! So the basic "details"...


I am due in mid-late April, April 14thish.
 We are not 100% sure if we are going to find out the sex yet...I always said I didn't want to find out BUT that was also before finding my calling in life as a planner and I am already starting to think of paint colors, bedding options, and decorating, SO MANY OPTIONS!!  So likely we will find out before arrival, regardless, we are excited and would be happy with a boy or a girl!


To my friends that have been asking for weeks if I was pregnant, I found out on 8/10 but Tim and I agreed to wait until the end of my first trimester to tell friends...so I didn't lie I just didn't tell the whole truth. Family only found out 3 weeks ahead of you, don't be mad!! :)


We are so excited to share this journey with you all!