30 Easter Basket Stuffers for 2024
1 month ago
Thursday, July 30, 2009
We heard the heartbeat!
We heard our baby's healthy strong heartbeat today which means that risk of miscarriage has dropped dramatically! Also interesting, i have blood type O Negative and Cheyenne has A Positive which means that most likely our baby will have positive blood...this means that i have to get extra shots to keep me safe from my wee parasite. Awesome.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Week 11 Starts
Week 11
Baby:
Your fetus, about the size of a large lime, measures about 1.75 (4.4cm) to 2.4 inches (6cm) from crown to rump and weighs about three-tenths of an ounce (8.5g). About now the rapid "swooshing" noises of the heartbeat can be heard through a Doppler sound-wave stethoscope. Fingernails and external genitalia are showing distinguishing characteristics, and the baby is swallowing and kicking, although you still won't feel it.
Baby:
Your fetus, about the size of a large lime, measures about 1.75 (4.4cm) to 2.4 inches (6cm) from crown to rump and weighs about three-tenths of an ounce (8.5g). About now the rapid "swooshing" noises of the heartbeat can be heard through a Doppler sound-wave stethoscope. Fingernails and external genitalia are showing distinguishing characteristics, and the baby is swallowing and kicking, although you still won't feel it.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Notes for future pregnant women!
Things I have learned from puking:
1. The first vomit of the morning is pure spit (unless you have eaten…if you are lucky enough to not throw up in the morning until after you eat then I hate you). My guess is this is from swallowing your own spit while you sleep. Note to self: keep an eye out for spiders, they say you swallow them in your sleep…eesh.
2. No matter how refreshing a light salad or sushi sound for your upset tummy - do not be fooled! These never ever taste anything less than vile on the way up. Not to mention the fact that they turn a disconcerting shade of black which will then lead to hours of “am I ok, how did I turn lettuce black???”
3. If you are a puker try and do it right after eating. In your new life of vomit you will learn to accept this as “seconds” on your dinner. If you try and put on a strong front you are only doing yourself a disservice. Your baby is much more cunning than you give it credit for and I assure you that you WILL vomit, delaying it only means that you are going to end up with a case of 50% food and 50% stomach acid which will burn like a mother for the rest of the day/night. Don’t be a hero, throw up right away.
4. Don’t guzzle milk to quench that stomach burn, it’s awful on the way up. I have nothing cute or funny to say about this because I'm still pretty bitter about the whole thing.
5. Since you cant have milk I would suggest Tums. They help with the burny burny and have the added bonus of making your vomit a bit frothy, so ya know, it’s festive.
6. It takes 7 good heaves to break capillaries.
Things that smell horrible that you didn’t know about before pregnancy:
1. Heat. That’s right, I have a new super power, and I can smell temperatures. Cold smells delicious and heat is hands down the worst smell on earth. If your husband turns on a griddle to make himself breakfast just go cower in the corner of the bedroom and hide under a blanket.
2. Fast food of any kind. Luckily I can count on one hand the times a year that fast food passes my lips, but if you are unlucky enough to have a McDonalds right across the street from your grocery store God help you.
3. Beer. This once intoxicating elixir will take on a vile stench that can be smelled half a house away. Make your husband hold his thumb he might fuss at first but at the first dry heave he’ll comply.
4. The bread aisle, especially the garlic bread. Have the evil bakers have no heart? Are they trying to upset pregnant women? Are they bitter and jealous because they get up before dawn to bake? I'm not sure, I have my theories though…bastards.
1. The first vomit of the morning is pure spit (unless you have eaten…if you are lucky enough to not throw up in the morning until after you eat then I hate you). My guess is this is from swallowing your own spit while you sleep. Note to self: keep an eye out for spiders, they say you swallow them in your sleep…eesh.
2. No matter how refreshing a light salad or sushi sound for your upset tummy - do not be fooled! These never ever taste anything less than vile on the way up. Not to mention the fact that they turn a disconcerting shade of black which will then lead to hours of “am I ok, how did I turn lettuce black???”
3. If you are a puker try and do it right after eating. In your new life of vomit you will learn to accept this as “seconds” on your dinner. If you try and put on a strong front you are only doing yourself a disservice. Your baby is much more cunning than you give it credit for and I assure you that you WILL vomit, delaying it only means that you are going to end up with a case of 50% food and 50% stomach acid which will burn like a mother for the rest of the day/night. Don’t be a hero, throw up right away.
4. Don’t guzzle milk to quench that stomach burn, it’s awful on the way up. I have nothing cute or funny to say about this because I'm still pretty bitter about the whole thing.
5. Since you cant have milk I would suggest Tums. They help with the burny burny and have the added bonus of making your vomit a bit frothy, so ya know, it’s festive.
6. It takes 7 good heaves to break capillaries.
Things that smell horrible that you didn’t know about before pregnancy:
1. Heat. That’s right, I have a new super power, and I can smell temperatures. Cold smells delicious and heat is hands down the worst smell on earth. If your husband turns on a griddle to make himself breakfast just go cower in the corner of the bedroom and hide under a blanket.
2. Fast food of any kind. Luckily I can count on one hand the times a year that fast food passes my lips, but if you are unlucky enough to have a McDonalds right across the street from your grocery store God help you.
3. Beer. This once intoxicating elixir will take on a vile stench that can be smelled half a house away. Make your husband hold his thumb he might fuss at first but at the first dry heave he’ll comply.
4. The bread aisle, especially the garlic bread. Have the evil bakers have no heart? Are they trying to upset pregnant women? Are they bitter and jealous because they get up before dawn to bake? I'm not sure, I have my theories though…bastards.
Friday, July 24, 2009
New day new attitude
My wonderful HR lady (as previously mentioned, i heart Fran) worked from home while recovering from surgery on my insurance freak out from yesterday. I'm calmer today (the hormones that make me cry like a little girl with a skinned knee have taken a backseat to vomit today). Fran contacted the new insurance provider and got a lot of my questions answered. True to what she said, the coverage is much better which is very good. Also a plus, my primary care doc and my primary gyno are both still covered and are in network (awesome). On the downside i cannot keep using my OB or deliver at the hospital that i had my heart set on but that'll be ok too. My Ob was nice enough to refer me to an in network OB that she likes and trusts and works out of an office on the Good Sam campus (which means all of my doc visits will be there and i really only have to go to St Vincents for the actual labor and delivery). So i head into the weekend with a much calmer mind. Phew!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Noooooooo
So, July is open enrollment at my work for health insurance. As anyone who has had a baby knows, health insurance and $ get dicey when it comes to having a baby. I currently have (and have had for the last 4+ years) health insurance that covers and favors Legacy health systems (for those in the Portland area this means: Good Sam, Emmanuel, Salmon Creek, etc) and ALL of my doctors (not just baby related) are through Legacy (Good Sam specifically). I love these doctors, they are "mine" and they know me and my history and such, when i see any of them (Rat tail, Lydia, & crooked teeth) they know me well enough to ask about my husband (by name) and dog (by breed) and work (gross but still, they KNOW) and i like this, it's the relationship with a doctor that i like to have. Let me also mention here that i REALLY like Good Sam hospital, i know it well, i like the staff and layout and programs, it has a website that i know like the back of my hand and everything that i have had to do or have done there has been easy and if not "pleasant" (it IS a hospital after all) has at least been on the good side of tolerable.
Cut to this month...today specifically. Our HR Rep (who I like so much that I had her come to my wedding) has taken me under her wing and while trying to organize this years benefits plan took my pregnancy into account (how awesome is that?) and tried really hard to go with a plan that had as good of a maternity package as possible (our current provider has rather lacking coverage). That's one of the good things. So, we switched companies, and she assured me that my rates will not only not increase but may go down (always a good thing) and that more will be covered (also important and good) BUT we've switched to Providence (for those in Portland this means St Vincent, Prov Portland, etc) which means that NONE of my Legacy providers are covered affective August 1st.
I'm pregnant, and I'll admit, have a touch of the crazy person hormones at this point....at the thought of not having MY doctors and MY hospital i ran to the bathroom and sobbed like a haven't sobbed in ages. The deep wracking painful sobs that hurt (think 16 year old girl heartbreak level of tears).
I'm really glad that in the end my coverage will be better which is good financially and good health wise...but i cant help but be devastated by having to switch things up as far as the hospital for the birth and now i also have to find a new OB. I can still use my Legacy doctors but it will now be out of network which is pretty much out of the question for the pregnancy & birth, but i intend to keep my primary care and gyno that i have had for years and just bite the $ bullet the few times a year that i need to go see them.
I've looked at the Providence website, and I'm sure that if it weren't this circumstance and these hormones i would find it to be a more then ok hospital (it truly is) but at the moment i feel like sulking and i refuse to admit that St Vincents is anything but utter crap.
Sigh.
Cut to this month...today specifically. Our HR Rep (who I like so much that I had her come to my wedding) has taken me under her wing and while trying to organize this years benefits plan took my pregnancy into account (how awesome is that?) and tried really hard to go with a plan that had as good of a maternity package as possible (our current provider has rather lacking coverage). That's one of the good things. So, we switched companies, and she assured me that my rates will not only not increase but may go down (always a good thing) and that more will be covered (also important and good) BUT we've switched to Providence (for those in Portland this means St Vincent, Prov Portland, etc) which means that NONE of my Legacy providers are covered affective August 1st.
I'm pregnant, and I'll admit, have a touch of the crazy person hormones at this point....at the thought of not having MY doctors and MY hospital i ran to the bathroom and sobbed like a haven't sobbed in ages. The deep wracking painful sobs that hurt (think 16 year old girl heartbreak level of tears).
I'm really glad that in the end my coverage will be better which is good financially and good health wise...but i cant help but be devastated by having to switch things up as far as the hospital for the birth and now i also have to find a new OB. I can still use my Legacy doctors but it will now be out of network which is pretty much out of the question for the pregnancy & birth, but i intend to keep my primary care and gyno that i have had for years and just bite the $ bullet the few times a year that i need to go see them.
I've looked at the Providence website, and I'm sure that if it weren't this circumstance and these hormones i would find it to be a more then ok hospital (it truly is) but at the moment i feel like sulking and i refuse to admit that St Vincents is anything but utter crap.
Sigh.
Wednesday, July 22, 2009
Moving along for the "better"
My vomit spells are starting to taper off (phew) and have gone from a horrible 7 times a day average (not cool yo) down to 2ish (almost always breakfast and sometimes lunch). I'm pretty sure this is thanks to being later in the 1st trimester (just 2 weeks left) and I couldn't be more pleased to be able to say goodbye to the 1st trimester pretty soon. Things that are still plaguing me: my mouth tastes like loose change or a chain link fence (hey, we all did things in childhood that we aren't proud of and you shouldn't judge), I have to pee ALL of the time (i get up about 3 times a night), and I'm still really sleepy. But whatcha gonna do? Something new: I can now feel my uterus if i press on it...odd. Also, I'm pretty sure that the baby likes it's father more than me...the other day i was teasing Cheyenne (as i do) and got a sharp crampy (not scary just annoying) pain right around my ovary area, when I'm sore and grumpy and Cheyenne talks the pain goes away (not because i love him, which i do, but I'm sure because the spawn adores him already). This of course is not surprising, we've been joking for years that he'll be the "fun" one that the kids favor...but this early? Seriously? Oy!
Week 10 Starts
Week 10
Baby:
Congratulations! Your baby is now officially called a "fetus." It looks a little like a medium shrimp, measuring 1.25 (3.2cm) to 1.68 inches (4.3cm) from crown to rump, and weighing a little less than two-tenths of an ounce. You might be reassured to know that most physical malformations, when they occur, have occurred by the end of this week, so the most critical part of your baby's development is safely behind you. But other developmental processes, such as those affecting behavior and intelligence, will continue throughout pregnancy. Eyes are covered by skin that will eventually split to form eyelids.
Baby:
Congratulations! Your baby is now officially called a "fetus." It looks a little like a medium shrimp, measuring 1.25 (3.2cm) to 1.68 inches (4.3cm) from crown to rump, and weighing a little less than two-tenths of an ounce. You might be reassured to know that most physical malformations, when they occur, have occurred by the end of this week, so the most critical part of your baby's development is safely behind you. But other developmental processes, such as those affecting behavior and intelligence, will continue throughout pregnancy. Eyes are covered by skin that will eventually split to form eyelids.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Sunday, July 19, 2009
9 Weeks & 4 Days
I've decided to start keeping a semi-regular record of the next 7 months and beyond at the suggestion of my very good friend Meegan who says "There is no way that you CAN'T keep a record of some sort about what's going on to you!"
Well, crumbling under peer pressure (after-school specials be damned) I've jumped into the "have you read my blog" ship.
How I got here...
Let's start with the fact the according to my doctors I shouldn't be pregnant. Last year on our first night as a married couple (though Cheyenne swears that this convo took place on our honeymoon...he's wrong of course) we decided that we would start trying to conceive on our 1st wedding anniversary, which would give us a year of marriage without the pressures of being a mom and dad.
In September, in a fit of boredom brought on by a lack of wedding to plan I started taking pre-natals and getting a bit lusty eyed at the idea of having a baby. By December i had already created a registry (because yes folks, i am a freak), decided on a hospital, subscribed to Fit Pregnancy Magazine and several pregnancy related websites, and purchased and read the entire What to Expect series. At this time I also started to take my birth control pills as prescribed (as opposed to skipping the sugar pills and thus my period every month as I had done for years on end) in preparation for baby making in the early summer.
The thing is, I should have had that first period on or about December 31st...but it never came. By March I still hadn't had that proverbial visit from Aunt Flo (gross) so I went to see my doctor about the whole thing as all manner of freaking out was going on in my head.
After several tests and exams she came to the conclusion that I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) with a tendency towards metabolic disorder, both of which are a combination of genetics (always my downfall) and poor eating habits (i like good food and i like it in quantities too large for someone who is 5 foot 1 inch tall). I was told that unless Cheyenne's numbers were "outstanding" my ability to conceive naturally were almost nill and that most likely i would need to go on the medication Clomid and go in for artificial insemination (or the turkey baster method as we call it in my home).
I was crushed and quite a bit of crying and self pity followed where my poor husband had to remind me nightly that it didn't mean that we couldn't have children and that it was only the beginning of spring and we weren't supposed to be checking this stuff out and having this kind of stress until at least June 28th. Poor guy.
So a plan was made, I would spend the spring and summer doing what i could to get as healthy as possible (Chey's test came back fine so he was off the hook) and in September we would go see the fertility specialist about the Clomid and IUI. This was a plan that i am constantly reminded we BOTH agreed upon.
However, having been told that I was all but barren i stopped taking my birth control all together (what was the point of adding those hormones to my body and paying that money for nothing) and I did some research. Much of it was depressing and i had started to prepare for the worst and try to come to terms with having a child in a less than traditional sense (this included a brief email sent to a few Chinese adoption agencies). In my research i found several medical articles discussing the use of acupuncture for infertility with good results. I brought it up to my doctor and she whole heartedly pushed me toward it as an option to pursue before going to something stronger (this is why I love living in the West).
So in April I went to my first acupuncture appointment at the Qi Spot with Wade McCullogh not expecting anything really but thinking it was worth a shot. I had 3 sessions with him and got mysterious Chinese herbs (which smelled of beef bouillon) which i was supposed to ingest in tea form twice a day.
At about this same time Cheyenne & I had finally gotten fed up with our apartment in NW Portland and decided to try and move in August if we found the right place. Well, of course i have no patience and a complete inability to wait for anything and started looking up houses for rent on Craigslist immediately. I found a few that seemed promising and was able to talk Cheyenne into going for a look by saying that it was the only smart thing to do ("we need to see what's out there and what our $ gets us in different neighborhoods and which neighborhood we really like" etc etc) The first was a total dud, the second I liked but Chey hated, and after a bit of frustration (me at not being able to move into the perfect place this second and Chey at being taken to look at houses MONTHS before we had decided to move) after promising that this 3rd one would be our last until later in the summer we decided to go have a look at what appeared to be a charming Cape Code house in St Johns.
We arrived at our destination a bit early so we decided to walk around the neighborhood a bit to get an idea of what it would be like. First thing i noticed? The house was directly across the street from an elementary school...the exact one that I went to from 1st-3rd grade when we first moved to Portland from St Joe! I hadn't been to the area in 19 years and let me tell you, it had totally changed. What was once "sketchy" to say the least had now been replaced with quiet streets and quaint houses occupied by people about our age and the same places in their lives. There was Pier Park just 1 block from our house (no longer the terrifying forest of my youth but now a cleared out and beautiful old growth forest park well maintained and with added features). We finally made it to the house itself and fell in love at first site. An adorably charming 1925 coco brown Cape Code with white trim, large windows, 2 beautiful fir trees in the front ("cant you just picture them at Christmas?"). Inside we were met with all of the things on our "must have list": hardwood floors, wood burning fireplace, built-in bookshelves, kitchen with windows and good storage, gas stove/oven, full basement with new washer and dryer, 2 bedrooms of good size, and a huge backyard (with 2 lilacs - 1 deep purple & 1 white - 2 azaleas, roses, and a new tree - we think dogwood) with a cobblestone patio and a huge garden shed. The house also had a fully finished attic ("wouldn't this be perfect for a media room where we could have the big couch, TV, sound system, and office. The we could have the living room downstairs the TV-free reading room I've always wanted"). Needless to say, we had fallen in love. We were smitten and spent the entire ride home crunching numbers and figuring out if it was possible. The thing was, we had a 2+ week vacation planned in May which was going to take up money and time that would be crucial for such a move, with a little sweet talk and cajoling I was able to convince the owners of "our" house to hold on to it for us until we got back from our road trip in May. On this trip the acupuncture and Chinese herbs seemed to have helped since i was able to have my first period in ages. This gave me some hope and caused me to let go of some of the anxiety that had been following me.
To say that we rushed into a couple of highly important decisions is putting it lightly (getting on birth control, moving) and we definitely felt the crunch and stress.
In May we went on our trip (a drive from Portland to Reno to visit family and then Reno to Denver to visit more family and back to Portland) only to have to start our move the day after getting back into town!
We had been moved in for about 2 weeks (still not unpacked) when we went to our friends David & Abigail's new house (they moved into the same area at the same time!) so a small get together that included that old Chole favorite the Grey Hound...in a nutshell things happened, these things may or may not have included hanky and/or panky.
With our first anniversary on the horizon I was suffering from what seemed like either prolonged PMS ("must be that acupuncture" which i was still going to bi-weekly) or the flu ("seriously, am i car sick for the first time ever?"). I was going to make an appointment to see my doctor about my PMSy-flu-like symptoms and had the thought "I just know that they are going to ask me if I'm pregnant. Then I'm going to have to go into the whole PCOS story and admit that it's not in the cards for me etc. I know, I'll just take an at home test so that i can show the doctor that i am in fact just sick and need some meds". I was so confident that i was right that i went ahead and took my test at work in the ladies room. 3 minutes later i looked down and was shocked! "PREGNANT"?!?! How?! I mean i know "how" but ya know...how? I was shaking and in shock, I ran upstairs and pulled my boss aside "Louise, you know how i have really bad vision, well can you check something for me? I don't think I'm reading it right". She takes a look at it and says "How can you not be reading it right? It says PREGNANT it's not a fuzzy line or something, it's digital...you're pregnant."
Panic. Good panic but panic nonetheless.
What does any woman do when in a state of shock, disbelief, and panic? Does she call her husband? No. She calls her best friend...and this is just what I did. I called Amanda at work and explained everything, and with that calm voice of hers that I will never posses she said "Hun, I think you're pregnant." And that's just what it took to make it sink in, it took Amanda telling me what a test already had confirmed.
I made an appointment for a blood test the next day to confirm what was surely already true.
Now, I have to tell Cheyenne. 2 weeks before our first wedding anniversary (where we were supposed to start actually trying to conceive) I am already pregnant.
Like the dork that I am I had had a plan for telling him already laid out (it was one of my prep things back in December). I called Meegan and asked her to stop by the mall (gross, and I still owe her for this) and pick up a Cinnabon. Then I called Cheyenne and said that I still wasn't feeling well (remember he thinks that I have the flu) and would he please pick me up from work early?
I hid the Cinnabon in my bag and when we got to the house told Cheyenne that I was going to change and to go ahead on upstairs and i would meet him there.
In the meantime, i got out a plate for the Cinnabon and attached a little note that said "Ours will be here this February" (I had figured out a rough date from google) then put my bun in our oven. I called Cheyenne downstairs saying that there was something "scary" in the oven that i needed him to take care of. He opened it and pulled out the bun, looked at it in confusion and says "What is this? Who put a bun in our oven?" and it's so funny to me that i just look at him waiting for him to listen to what he's saying "Honey, what's going on? Why is there a bun in our oven? Is it a message from the landlords?" uh, wow. I chalk this up to sometimes never ever expecting what's right in front of you. So I tell him to look at the note. "What's this m...wait...oh my god...is this US?!" at which point i nodded and started to cry like a silly girl. It's very cute in a sappy and funny way.
After the blood test confirmed everything was on the up and up we called everyone and told them (my dad cried more than both of our mothers put together and it will always be one of the best moments of my life).
In the time between then and now i have thrown up my own weight in vomit, have peed more times then I ever thought possible, and have been physically miserable, but, this will pass and a new and better trimester is on the horizon and with each day all of the changes that have happened in the last 6 months seem more and more real and less like a bizarre dream that I'll wake from at any moment. If you stay tuned you can follow along with me as weird things happen to my body and amazing things happen to my life....welcome to my blog
Well, crumbling under peer pressure (after-school specials be damned) I've jumped into the "have you read my blog" ship.
How I got here...
Let's start with the fact the according to my doctors I shouldn't be pregnant. Last year on our first night as a married couple (though Cheyenne swears that this convo took place on our honeymoon...he's wrong of course) we decided that we would start trying to conceive on our 1st wedding anniversary, which would give us a year of marriage without the pressures of being a mom and dad.
In September, in a fit of boredom brought on by a lack of wedding to plan I started taking pre-natals and getting a bit lusty eyed at the idea of having a baby. By December i had already created a registry (because yes folks, i am a freak), decided on a hospital, subscribed to Fit Pregnancy Magazine and several pregnancy related websites, and purchased and read the entire What to Expect series. At this time I also started to take my birth control pills as prescribed (as opposed to skipping the sugar pills and thus my period every month as I had done for years on end) in preparation for baby making in the early summer.
The thing is, I should have had that first period on or about December 31st...but it never came. By March I still hadn't had that proverbial visit from Aunt Flo (gross) so I went to see my doctor about the whole thing as all manner of freaking out was going on in my head.
After several tests and exams she came to the conclusion that I have Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) with a tendency towards metabolic disorder, both of which are a combination of genetics (always my downfall) and poor eating habits (i like good food and i like it in quantities too large for someone who is 5 foot 1 inch tall). I was told that unless Cheyenne's numbers were "outstanding" my ability to conceive naturally were almost nill and that most likely i would need to go on the medication Clomid and go in for artificial insemination (or the turkey baster method as we call it in my home).
I was crushed and quite a bit of crying and self pity followed where my poor husband had to remind me nightly that it didn't mean that we couldn't have children and that it was only the beginning of spring and we weren't supposed to be checking this stuff out and having this kind of stress until at least June 28th. Poor guy.
So a plan was made, I would spend the spring and summer doing what i could to get as healthy as possible (Chey's test came back fine so he was off the hook) and in September we would go see the fertility specialist about the Clomid and IUI. This was a plan that i am constantly reminded we BOTH agreed upon.
However, having been told that I was all but barren i stopped taking my birth control all together (what was the point of adding those hormones to my body and paying that money for nothing) and I did some research. Much of it was depressing and i had started to prepare for the worst and try to come to terms with having a child in a less than traditional sense (this included a brief email sent to a few Chinese adoption agencies). In my research i found several medical articles discussing the use of acupuncture for infertility with good results. I brought it up to my doctor and she whole heartedly pushed me toward it as an option to pursue before going to something stronger (this is why I love living in the West).
So in April I went to my first acupuncture appointment at the Qi Spot with Wade McCullogh not expecting anything really but thinking it was worth a shot. I had 3 sessions with him and got mysterious Chinese herbs (which smelled of beef bouillon) which i was supposed to ingest in tea form twice a day.
At about this same time Cheyenne & I had finally gotten fed up with our apartment in NW Portland and decided to try and move in August if we found the right place. Well, of course i have no patience and a complete inability to wait for anything and started looking up houses for rent on Craigslist immediately. I found a few that seemed promising and was able to talk Cheyenne into going for a look by saying that it was the only smart thing to do ("we need to see what's out there and what our $ gets us in different neighborhoods and which neighborhood we really like" etc etc) The first was a total dud, the second I liked but Chey hated, and after a bit of frustration (me at not being able to move into the perfect place this second and Chey at being taken to look at houses MONTHS before we had decided to move) after promising that this 3rd one would be our last until later in the summer we decided to go have a look at what appeared to be a charming Cape Code house in St Johns.
We arrived at our destination a bit early so we decided to walk around the neighborhood a bit to get an idea of what it would be like. First thing i noticed? The house was directly across the street from an elementary school...the exact one that I went to from 1st-3rd grade when we first moved to Portland from St Joe! I hadn't been to the area in 19 years and let me tell you, it had totally changed. What was once "sketchy" to say the least had now been replaced with quiet streets and quaint houses occupied by people about our age and the same places in their lives. There was Pier Park just 1 block from our house (no longer the terrifying forest of my youth but now a cleared out and beautiful old growth forest park well maintained and with added features). We finally made it to the house itself and fell in love at first site. An adorably charming 1925 coco brown Cape Code with white trim, large windows, 2 beautiful fir trees in the front ("cant you just picture them at Christmas?"). Inside we were met with all of the things on our "must have list": hardwood floors, wood burning fireplace, built-in bookshelves, kitchen with windows and good storage, gas stove/oven, full basement with new washer and dryer, 2 bedrooms of good size, and a huge backyard (with 2 lilacs - 1 deep purple & 1 white - 2 azaleas, roses, and a new tree - we think dogwood) with a cobblestone patio and a huge garden shed. The house also had a fully finished attic ("wouldn't this be perfect for a media room where we could have the big couch, TV, sound system, and office. The we could have the living room downstairs the TV-free reading room I've always wanted"). Needless to say, we had fallen in love. We were smitten and spent the entire ride home crunching numbers and figuring out if it was possible. The thing was, we had a 2+ week vacation planned in May which was going to take up money and time that would be crucial for such a move, with a little sweet talk and cajoling I was able to convince the owners of "our" house to hold on to it for us until we got back from our road trip in May. On this trip the acupuncture and Chinese herbs seemed to have helped since i was able to have my first period in ages. This gave me some hope and caused me to let go of some of the anxiety that had been following me.
To say that we rushed into a couple of highly important decisions is putting it lightly (getting on birth control, moving) and we definitely felt the crunch and stress.
In May we went on our trip (a drive from Portland to Reno to visit family and then Reno to Denver to visit more family and back to Portland) only to have to start our move the day after getting back into town!
We had been moved in for about 2 weeks (still not unpacked) when we went to our friends David & Abigail's new house (they moved into the same area at the same time!) so a small get together that included that old Chole favorite the Grey Hound...in a nutshell things happened, these things may or may not have included hanky and/or panky.
With our first anniversary on the horizon I was suffering from what seemed like either prolonged PMS ("must be that acupuncture" which i was still going to bi-weekly) or the flu ("seriously, am i car sick for the first time ever?"). I was going to make an appointment to see my doctor about my PMSy-flu-like symptoms and had the thought "I just know that they are going to ask me if I'm pregnant. Then I'm going to have to go into the whole PCOS story and admit that it's not in the cards for me etc. I know, I'll just take an at home test so that i can show the doctor that i am in fact just sick and need some meds". I was so confident that i was right that i went ahead and took my test at work in the ladies room. 3 minutes later i looked down and was shocked! "PREGNANT"?!?! How?! I mean i know "how" but ya know...how? I was shaking and in shock, I ran upstairs and pulled my boss aside "Louise, you know how i have really bad vision, well can you check something for me? I don't think I'm reading it right". She takes a look at it and says "How can you not be reading it right? It says PREGNANT it's not a fuzzy line or something, it's digital...you're pregnant."
Panic. Good panic but panic nonetheless.
What does any woman do when in a state of shock, disbelief, and panic? Does she call her husband? No. She calls her best friend...and this is just what I did. I called Amanda at work and explained everything, and with that calm voice of hers that I will never posses she said "Hun, I think you're pregnant." And that's just what it took to make it sink in, it took Amanda telling me what a test already had confirmed.
I made an appointment for a blood test the next day to confirm what was surely already true.
Now, I have to tell Cheyenne. 2 weeks before our first wedding anniversary (where we were supposed to start actually trying to conceive) I am already pregnant.
Like the dork that I am I had had a plan for telling him already laid out (it was one of my prep things back in December). I called Meegan and asked her to stop by the mall (gross, and I still owe her for this) and pick up a Cinnabon. Then I called Cheyenne and said that I still wasn't feeling well (remember he thinks that I have the flu) and would he please pick me up from work early?
I hid the Cinnabon in my bag and when we got to the house told Cheyenne that I was going to change and to go ahead on upstairs and i would meet him there.
In the meantime, i got out a plate for the Cinnabon and attached a little note that said "Ours will be here this February" (I had figured out a rough date from google) then put my bun in our oven. I called Cheyenne downstairs saying that there was something "scary" in the oven that i needed him to take care of. He opened it and pulled out the bun, looked at it in confusion and says "What is this? Who put a bun in our oven?" and it's so funny to me that i just look at him waiting for him to listen to what he's saying "Honey, what's going on? Why is there a bun in our oven? Is it a message from the landlords?" uh, wow. I chalk this up to sometimes never ever expecting what's right in front of you. So I tell him to look at the note. "What's this m...wait...oh my god...is this US?!" at which point i nodded and started to cry like a silly girl. It's very cute in a sappy and funny way.
After the blood test confirmed everything was on the up and up we called everyone and told them (my dad cried more than both of our mothers put together and it will always be one of the best moments of my life).
In the time between then and now i have thrown up my own weight in vomit, have peed more times then I ever thought possible, and have been physically miserable, but, this will pass and a new and better trimester is on the horizon and with each day all of the changes that have happened in the last 6 months seem more and more real and less like a bizarre dream that I'll wake from at any moment. If you stay tuned you can follow along with me as weird things happen to my body and amazing things happen to my life....welcome to my blog
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
