19 Weeks

Every morning I wake up, say a little prayer, put my hand on my belly, and remember that my dreams are coming true. The bump is definitely growing; there is no denying that our quest for Wisebaby is more than halfway done.

Ok, so gestationally speaking, at 19 weeks 1 day, I am a few days shy of halfway, but our journey has been too long to count in weeks, so I feel more than half through.

Everyone keeps asking if I feel ok; the sonographer asked if we were always so calm. The truth is that even though we're 19 weeks into our pregnancy, everyday feels like a very special miracle, and all of the little annoying things about pregnancy don't even register when I'm watching my belly grow because of a little baby boy--that's right, it's a boy! I am too awestruck to be weepy or antsy. Just like on the day that Wisehubby proposed to me, I am mostly at a loss for the right words to describe the peace and happiness that God has brought into our lives as we begin to transition our lives into their next incredible stage.

Speaking of the sonogram, we had our anatomy scan and everything about our little boy seems completely perfect. On our 19 week mark, he measured a little ahead of schedule, 19 weeks 4 days, weighing in at 11 ounces. His head is on my left side, and he is lying on his back. There are four chambers in his heart, he's got a brain growing strong, his kidneys are there, the stomach is clear, and his cord blood is flowing properly. He's got two arms and legs, ten fingers and ten toes. He used his little hand to wave at us and then he stuck out his tongue. We could even see his little face. We're completely in love with this little guy, and all we've see of him have been a few grainy pictures and a glamour shot of him way back when he was growing in the petri dish.

Now that I've written this post, maybe I'll not have to touch my belly tomorrow morning to check to see if this all is real or not. I doubt it though; it is nice to have a reminder that your dreams are coming true.

Post-script: We're also 189 shots in! Sweet Wisebaby is worth every prick.

Thirteen Weeks and Trucking

I keep hearing a few things from mommy friends of mine over and over again, so I'll address them topically.

(1) There is nothing like hearing the heartbeat for the first time. We got to hear Ace for the first time today! They didn't play audio of the heartbeat at seven weeks, so though we got to see the heart beating a mile a minute, there was something new to do today at the OB's. That was a good thing; Wisehubby is not very happy that we're no longer on the punctual schedule of the Fertility Clinic. I'm pretty sure he would have yelled had he not had the promise of hearing Ace's beating heart.

I'll be honest, I had a niggling fear that my belly was growing, but Ace's heart had quite beating. Luckily, that was put to rest promptly by the nurse finding Ace's heart beat loud, clear, and strong quickly and efficiently. Her little heart was beating 148, which is fantastic. I will say that we were much more emotional and happy when we got to see her little heart beating at 7 weeks, but I think that is an unusual experience that can be chalked up to being infertility survivors.

(2) Remember: You're not eating for two! I'll be honest that this admonishment seems a little insulting to my ability to comprehend fetal growth. I'll also be honest and say that this perceived insult may be heightened by my more intense emotional response thanks to sweet Ace and her accompanying hormones.

To that end, I am happy to report that I was 165 going into the IVF cycle in September, and from my experience, I tend to gain about 5 pounds of fertility weight during a cycle. The hormones and physical fatigue take a major toll on your body. So, I was not surprised when I weighed in at 170 at seven weeks. Today, I weighed in at 171 at thirteen weeks. So, depending on whether you're counting my IVF weight gain as a part of my first trimester weight gain or not, I either have gained 1-6 points. From what I've read, you're supposed to gain 1-5 pounds. All things considered, I'm feeling pretty smug about my ability to eat appropriately for my baby and avoid binging for fun on fatty and sugary foods.

(3) Try wearing a rubber band to make your pants fit. I'm sorry, but I teach fourteen year old horn dogs all day, so I don't feel walking around with my pants unzipped is a viable option. I have switched to wearing only pants with elastic waist bands. It means that I've only got two pairs of pants right now that are appropriate for work and the current weather, but I'm hoping my order of maternity leggings comes in soon so that I can wear some of my dresses. Unfortunately, most of my tights and leggings are no longer comfortable either. My uterus is huge and has popped out into a cute little bump, which makes me happy, but my pants no good.