TMI and Duke's Top Ten

Another Christmas come and gone...another year about to draw to a close. Time really does speed up as we get older, doesn't it?! Or is it just that when we're children, time is more of an abstract concept than what it becomes when we're adults? Time is no longer measured by how many more hours of daylight we have to play outside or how many more minutes until mom is going to drag us inside for dinner. Now life's moments are dictated by work and schedules and appointments and meetings...ahhh...I digress. Nevertheless, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday!

Monday brought appointment number two with Dr. Supe.rman, who I've now decided is one of my new BFF's. He was running over an hour late for his appointments because he had to go and deliver a baby. (Who could be mad at him for that?!) We were the very last couple in the clinic, and he joked that dinner would be served with our visit. C. requested some pizza, and Dr. Super.man suggested steaks. Did I mention I really like this guy?

Now I must add this disclaimer before I describe my visit...if anyone is squeamish or easily grossed out, I'd stop reading now. This next paragraph is definitely going to fall under the category of TMI.

So as I mentioned in my last post, I had been experiencing some cramping and also what I'd best describe as "pressure" down below. I've also had a ton of clear discharge, so much that I've had to wear a pad during the day. Of course the clear fluid and the pressure had me thinking CERVIX! So I mentioned the issues to Dr. Super.man and he wanted to take a closer look. So he gloves-up, starts poking and prodding around (YOUCH!) and asks if I'm still on my Crin.one progesterone suppositories, to which I say "No. I haven't used those in over a month." He goes on to explain that there's still a TON of the adhesive delivery gel clumped-up and left in there. More poking, sweeping and prodding and three changes of gloves later, he declares that the left over residue has given me a raging yeast infection! Fantastic! That explains the icky discharge and the uncomfortable pressure. Poor C. had to watch this whole feminine fiasco from about three feet away. I'm assured that if this didn't make him lose all desire to ever touch me again, nothing will! I love you honey! The doc also did a manual exam of my cervix and said everything feels firm and closed. Good news!

In much less graphic news, baby Pat will (hopefully) reveal his/her identity on January 28th at my comprehensive ultrasound. I can hardly wait!

Finally, Duke wanted me to share his top 10 Holiday Highlights:

10. Playing in the 14+ inches of new snow at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Getting lost in a huge snow drift.
9. Cardboard box and wrapping paper that he was allowed to tear into 9 bazillion pieces all over the living room floor.
8. Red Ko.ng Frisbee that he now brings to bed with him almost every night.

7. Giant rope ball he loves to drop on mommy and daddy's toes.
6. Rawhide bone from Nana and Papa that is (seriously) the size of my arm.
5. Running up and down the snow pile in the parking lot by his house.
4. Laying on the couch and eating baked Cheet.os with mommy.

3. Super stinky homemade treats from Auntie and Uncle.
2. Stealing mom's new Bopp.y body pillow after she gets out of bed in the morning.
1. Did we mention his new red frisbee?!

My P-O'ed Uterus

My newest pregnancy symptom...pissed-off uterus. (a.k.a. irritable uterus) The cramping started on Sunday and grows much more noticeable at night. I haven't had any spotting and the pain is mostly dull and achy, so I followed the recommended protocol of laying on my left side, not lifting/moving anything heavy, no exercise, lots of water and keeping my bladder empty. The last two were the most difficult. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE water. It's very rare that you won't see me with a bottle of water, but when I have to keep my bladder as empty as possible AND drink lots of water...that gets tricky! I might as well park my butt on the toilet with a giant jug of water and a straw.

The O.B. nurse asked me to come in to check my electrolyte levels and have a culture for a bladder infection. Electrolytes and hydration status looked great...culture was negative for infection. I'll have to wait until Monday at my 16 week appointment to address my concerns with Dr. Super.man. You'd better believe I'm going to be adamant about them checking my cervix length! Someone is gonna look at my cervix whether they want to or not!

I can finally breathe a sigh of relief. My holiday shopping is D-O-N-E! (Doesn't the tree look much better with gifts underneath?) Commence operation wrapping frenzy! I finished off my holiday shopping extravaganza with a trip to a teen-centric accessory store to find something fun for my 8 year-old niece. I found an adorable pair of leg warmers, some funky hair accessories and very girly lip gloss sampler for her. The conversation with the clerk at the checkout was classic. It went something like this:

Teenage Clerk (in a somewhat valley-girl voice): Oh! The leg warmers are 2 pairs for 20 dollars. Did you want to pick-out another pair?

Me (end of the work day, ready to get the heck out of the mall voice): No, thank you. Just the one pair for me tonight.

Clerk: Oh yeah! All cosmetics are buy one get one 50 percent off. Did you want to go ahead and get another cosmetic item?

Me: No thank you. I've got what I need for right now.

Clerk: And ma'am, all of the hair accessories are buy two get one free. Did you want to pay for one more and get one more free?

Me: No thank you.

Clerk: And since you spent over twenty dollars tonight, all gift boxes are fifty percent off. Did you want a few of those?

What Grinchy Mel wanted to say: Look. Just ring up my f'in order. I've got what I need. I don't need more of anything. The lady behind me is shooting lasers through the back of my head in an attempt to speed me through this line. My feet hurt. I'm exhausted and the smell of cherry lip gloss and loud Jonas Brother's music is not helping.

Me (wearing the biggest fake smile I can muster): No gift boxes tonight, thank you.

...And scene.

Nice Christmas spirit on my part, huh?

On that note, I would like to extend my warmest wishes for a very blessed Christmas to each and every one of you! Enjoy time with family, friends, loved ones and pets. Happy Holidays!

Tick-Tock

I finally got the guts to add a ticker to my page. Granted, it's buried towards the bottom (for now) but it's there nonetheless. This feels like a really big step. Belly shots...now those may have to wait a few more weeks.

Anyone else still have Christmas shopping left to do? Please tell me I'm not the only one!

Officially An Old Woman?

Ok. I need help deciding. For the first time EVER in my adult life, I broke down and wore my not-so-sexy winter boots to work and changed into my very practical kitten-heeled shoes once I made it safely inside my office. (I couldn't go cold turkey with heels all-together!) This from the same woman who wore 3 inch heels across an icy, snow-filled parking lot almost every day last winter! I think I can officially classify myself as an old woman. It's all downhill from here, right? What's next?! A little plastic kerchief over my hair to keep it from getting windblown?!

Love You Forever

Has it really been seven months since we said goodbye to you, sweet little one? Instead of lovingly embracing you in our arms today, God is cradling you safely in His. We'll hold you close in our hearts forever, precious baby.

I'll love you forever
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living
My baby you'll be.

An excerpt from:
Love You Forever

Mommy and Daddy love you forever. We can't wait to meet you in heaven.

"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away."

~Revelations 21:4

My Newest Love...Buffet Pants

Last weekend, C. and I finally did some decorating for Christmas. Since we're not hosting family at our home this year (VERY relieved about that!), we only drug out the bear minimum of decoration by my Christmas decor standards. I've decided that I'm going to try to simplify my life as much as possible for the next 6 months. Life is going to be busy enough without having to add all the extra trimmings I normally like to prepare for the holidays. We put up our tree, a few garlands, wreaths, candles in the window...and of course, Duke is sporting his Christmas tree collar! We also made Duke raise his right paw and promise that he wouldn't mark the tree. He half-heartedly agreed and then reluctantly posed for this picture. Notice the lack of presents underneath it?! I have yet to buy a single gift...totally not like me! Napping has taken priority over blogging and shopping and just about anything else in the evenings after work. It's my goal to have all the shopping done by this weekend. (We'll see how that goes!)


I'm celebrating the fact that I'm officially done with the Crin.one (progesterone) suppositories! Yipee! I'm thankful that they served their purpose and I really believe that they've played a role in getting me to where I am in my pregnancy now. I'm hoping that the acne and nausea they bestowed upon me will leave sooner rather than later.

I wore a pair of my maternity jeans for the first time today. We had a holiday potluck at work, and I wanted to be able to indulge and enjoy to the fullest! C. called them my "buffet pants." I think he's just jealous of the stretchy elastic waist.

I had my first official fall as a pregnant woman. I have to preface my story by saying that I am one of THE MOST accident-prone women on the face of the planet. I have a titanium plate and six screws in my ankle to attest to my clumsiness. My mom has threatened to cut the heels off of all my boots and shoes countless times. (I *heart* heels!) That being said, I put on a pair of completely impractical boots on Wednesday morning and ended-up sliding down 4-5 of our stairs. I hit my hip, my head and totally bruised my pride. I freaked-out and immediately grabbed the doppler to check on baby Pat (C.'s new name for the roomie.) HB was a healthy 160 bpm. I took half the day off and put my feet up...worried that I'd done permanent damage to Pat. Never mind that I'm majorly prone to bruising because of the Hep.arin. Ugh. The boots have been placed in the goodwill give-away pile, and from now on, I'll be sporting Sket.chers and flats exclusively! Lesson learned.

A Perfect Fit

I have to pinch myself when I realized that we’ve arrived safely at 12 weeks and 4 days…just a few short days away from jumping headlong into trimester number two! There’s been a vast array of emotions running through my mind the past few weeks. I’ve distanced myself a bit from the blogosphere because of all the memories the pages hold. We’re rapidly approaching the unfulfilled due date of our little one. December 15th. It’s very difficult to deal with both absolute joy and utter devastation all at the same time. How do you mourn what could have been, but not lose sight of what is yet to be? It’s a balancing act I’ve yet to master.

And who said the magic week for nausea to go away is 12?! They lied! I’m still getting once-a-week B6 shots, but at my appointment on Tuesday, new (fabulous) Dr. OB said that it’s best to gradually decrease the frequency of shots because women often get “rebound” nausea if they go cold turkey with the injections. Super duper! I’m really looking forward to a reprieve from the sensation of having a never-ending hangover!

Tuesday of this week was our first meeting with new Dr. OB. (From here on out we'll call him Dr. Super.man). The clinic where he practices is much smaller than where I was initially seen, but the people there are wonderful. My appointment was at the very end of the day when tempers and patience can be in short supply, but I didn’t find any of that to be true at this office. After a short wait in the exam room…completely clothed this time…jovial Dr. Super.man entered the room, apologized for our wait (wow!) and started ticking through his protocol for treatment during pregnancy. Once he had finished, he looked at me and said, “So does this sound like we’re on the same page?” After I picked my jaw off the ground, I think I nodded yes. He’s on-board with taking the precautions that I’d like to take but at the same time he doesn’t want me to get stuck with my “labels” as the Factor V pregnant lady, or the freak with the uterine anomaly. I feel like I’m in very competent hands. We chatted more about my unanswered questions, got a quick look at the jumping bean and his/her beautiful heartbeat and left the office about an hour later flooded with a complete sense of relief. My mom, my faithful prayer warrior, cried when I told her how the appointment had gone. Totally a God thing.

After our doctor visit and some research of my own, I also decided to cancel my appointment for the nuchal translucency screening. The more research that I did, the more apprehensive I became. There appears to be lots of opportunity for false positives on this screen and that would necessitate additional diagnostic testing like an amniocentesis. Because of my blood clotting disorder, there’s even more risk of miscarriage associated with any invasive test…especially ones that involve the chance of unknowingly hitting a tiny capillary with a needle (amnio). And ultimately, we wouldn't ever terminate a pregnancy even if a Down's test was positive. I thought giving up this control would freak me out, but strangely, I’m at peace with the decision.

I’ll end my rambling here, but before I sign-off, I have to give shout-outs (and huge hugs!) to my fellow MA’ers (Mullerian Anomaly) Sara and Meredith on the birth of there precious little ones. Hearing their happy endings gives me so much hope!