It's Bloody Friday!

If you’re like me, you hate getting blood drawn. I know very few people that “like it”, although my brother likes to watch as it comes out of his arm (I just gagged) and thinks it is cool. I just can’t! When I was young I had a lot of mean nurses that caused a lot of pain and bruising, so I would always inadvertently cry when I knew I had to get blood taken. Up until a few years ago, I would still get very upset. I’m better about it now – well, less teary anyway.

Today I went bright and early to get a blood test for spina bifida and down syndrome. On my way there, I hang my arm down and start pumping my fist to get prepared. I should also mention that I have incredibly small veins, and between both arms, I have one vein that kind of works some of the time. I always point out the vein that “works”, and it’s the one they always use. I had a different woman today and she was very nice. But, she was on the opposite side of me so I had to put my arm in front of me (instead of off to the side) so she could draw my blood. Well…all went fine until my vein decided to stop working half way through. The blood just stopped coming out. She got about a half a tube and told me she hoped that was enough. All I could think of was, how much blood do they really need?? Don’t they just swipe a drop on a slide and look at it? Anyways, that’s my bloody Friday story and I just hope I don’t have to go back for awhile.

Baby bump photo to follow tomorrow, for my 16 week update. :)

xoxo

Ultrasound Appointment

My level 2 ultrasound is scheduled for October 14th! I'm so excited that we finally have a date and I'm hoping the babe cooperates so we can find out the sex. The appointment is early. We have to be there at 9 am (for genetic counseling, which sounds nice and terrifying) and the ultrasound itself is at 9:45. I'm told they basically scare the bejesus out of you with all the things that could show up before doing the actual ultrasound. I've been of the mindset lately that basically "everything will be fine." I'm not stressing or freaking out about anything. I don't really read alot about what is going on with my body, if something weird happens (like my bleeding gums!) I'll look it up to make sure it's nothing serious (it's totally normal), but that's about as far as I go.

Work has been rough lately, I've been working late alot and can't seem to get out of my own way. I also tend to just eat candy all day, snacking here and there. I didn't leave the office for lunch today, just ate soup at my desk and kept right on going. I left the office around 6 and I normally work til 4:30. Tomorrow I have to head to Milford, MA for a class, so I have to get up at the crack of dawn. Thankfully a co-worker is going to the same class and we're going to drive together, so the hour trip won't be too bad. I can't even remember what the class is about, but I'm sure it will be nice and boring. :)

This Saturday I have a manicure, pedicure, facial scheduled and I am BEYOND excited to just relax and be pampered. Nick's mom bought me a gift certificate for my birthday (or Christmas?) and I'm finally getting around to using it, so it's always free!

Hope everyone is doing well.

xoxo

Lazy Sunday

Lazy weekend overall is more like it! First order of business:

Which website is the best and why?

Kodak Photo Gallery v. Snapfish v. Shutterfly

I have used Kodak for as long as I can remember but ran into some customer service issues with them lately, so I'm looking to make a switch. My main problem is I have thousands of photos on there, so I will have to move them to whichever website I end up going to. I don't order photos often, so price isn't a huge issue, it's more of a fast upload, easy to maneuver thing. Please send me an email if you're too lazy to post on my blog site(you know who you are;) cdrista215@gmail.com. I know at least a few of you love photos as much as I do so I could really use the input.

I took Friday off because work has been rough lately. I had a nice day of going to the gym, lounging, and some shopping. Friday night we headed up to Nashua for our friend Paula's 30th birthday at the Country Tavern in Nashua. Nick had an issue with the bartender trying to charge him double - he claimed Nick had 9 beers in about two hours, which me being completely sober, I know did not happen. He also claimed Nick ordered 4 soda waters...when I know for a fact I only had two or I would have been peeing even more than normal. Needless to say, we won't be back there any time soon! After that we headed to our friend Jon & Caroline's and Ralph & Danielle came over. We weren't there for long, considering my bed time tends to be around 8:30 now and it was a little past 11 when we left.

Yesterday I didn't feel well, so I basically got up to use the bathroom or eat, and just laid down all day. My lower back has been bothering me a bit but nothing I can't handle - more annoying then anything else.

Today is another great relaxing day. I'm trying to savor these as much as possible because this time next year, my life will be very different. I went grocery shopping in the AM...this is a pretty rough task because when I get about half done I start to feel nauseous. It's also frustrating because I have no interest in food..I ended up spending $40 and basically came home with canned tomatoes, a lemon, my favorite kind of potato chips, cheese, lettuce, and a few other random items.

There really haven't been many new developments with the pregnancy. I'm anxious to find out the sex (still waiting for the ultrasound date!!) and anxious to feel the first movement. I still don't look much different. I did color my hair very dark on Thursday. My skin has been terrible for quite some time, so I'm going to chalk that up to hormones. Otherwise...I'm pretty boring overall ;)

xoxo

I think it's funny...

...the reaction that some people have when I tell them that I'm pregnant.

I'm not talking about close family and friends, because they know me pretty well. I'm not the type of person that oohs and ahhs and is all cutesy. I'm just not. I'm blunt, straightforward, and you basically always know where you stand with me. If I have a problem with you, you will know it. I haven't always said the nicest things to people, but I always try to speak the truth. With that being said - I actually am a really nice person (I feel the need to point that out after what I just wrote!) but don't ever expect me to act a certain way just because you think I should.

For example- today a co-worker asked me if I was pregnant because "I hadn't told her yet". Well...it's not as if I sat down every single person to announce what was going on with me. I told my boss, my team, HR, benefits, and of course people that I am close with. Other than that, I just kind of let news spread (because it always does). After I confirmed to my co-worker that I was pregnant ( I said yes with a smile) she asked..."well are you excited about it? you don't seem excited about it." Umm...did she expect me to jump up and down and giggle...is that what people do? I told her that yes, I was excited. And that was that.

I think part of me acting the way I have been is that I just don't feel pregnant yet. I am thrilled that everything is going so well (no morning sickness, no tiredness, no real weight gain), but it is just so WEIRD. My mom made me feel better when she said she didn't feel pregnant until she was 5 or 6 months along. It sounds silly but when I heard the heartbeat yesterday I actually thought "Ok, good, there's still a baby in there!" Obviously this is all new to me, and I'm sure once I get a bit bigger and feel the baby move, then I will actually feel pregnant.

xoxo

Ultrasound Update...

Well, I won't be having the Ultrasound on October 17th that we were so excited about. I forgot to ask the nurse today about a special test I might need. I called to find out if I needed the test (a level 2 ultrasound) and explained my situation, and was told that yes, I did. I'm waiting to hear from the doctor now as to when my Ultrasound will be scheduled. Here's my story:

My mom had a baby that died 23 days after she was born from a congenital heart defect what we believe was transposition of the great vessels. Basically, her arteries and her veins were crossed and the only way she was getting oxygen was because she had a tiny hole in her heart. I would have had an older sister, named Rain Flower (yay for the 70's!) but she was taken from my parents much too soon. I was also born with a functional heart murmur but grew out of it by the time I was about 16. I was very lucky, I never had any issues and never needed to be medicated.

But, because of this, I will have a level 2 ultrasound just to make sure things are a-ok. I'm not overly worried, just a little anxious now and I look forward to getting the test over with.

Updates to follow as soon as I find out more!

xoxo

14 Weeks

I had my 14 week appointment today and based on the ultrasound from last time, I am due on 3/17/12. Nothing overly exciting happened in the visit, but here are the highlights:

I gained 1.8 pounds. I don’t feel much different, but I do feel good so I’m going with that. Nick let the nurse know it was all the pizza I've been eating (thanks honey).

We heard the heartbeat. I was kind of surprised at this one. I thought it would just sound different. Louder maybe? Deeper? It was pretty quiet, but the nurse said very strong. Nick of course asked (again) if it was a boy or a girl. After the visit he was trying to mimic it, and it sounded like a musical, so I told him he needed to work on that.

I was disappointed as I was supposed to see a doctor I saw years ago when I first moved here (and I loved her), but she called in sick today and I saw the NP instead. The NP is ok, but doesn’t have much of a personality.

It was no problem for me to get approval for pre-natal yoga, which I’m really looking forward to. That will start up in the beginning of October.

I have to go for blood work on September 30th to test for Spina Bifida and Down Syndrome.

The exciting news is that my next appointment is on October 17th, and if the baby cooperates, I will then find out if we’re having a boy or a girl! I looked up the doctor that I will be seeing and he looks like a co-worker of mine. That should be interesting!

Friday Night my sissy boo (yes that's what I call her) Alexis came over and we vegged out and watched movies. She brought over Italian cookies and pizza and I told her I will expect that every time she visits. I was kidding (half-kidding ;).

On Saturday we got to see our Nashua friends for Eva Boutwell's first birthday. Her parents are Eric (who went to HS with Nick) and Danielle. I adore Danielle - since moving to MA she is honestly one of my favorite people that I've met - so sweet, easy to talk to (we could blab for hours) and just a really good person - Eric is the same way. And Eva is just beautiful! Alot of our Nashua friends have babies so it was a bit overwhelming seeing them all, realizing next year that will be me. I don't think anyone is ever really prepared for it, which makes it a (tiny) less scary, but still alot to handle. I know I will have alot of help because so many people that are close to us have gone through it, so I'm counting on having good friends (and family) to reach out to.

Hope everyone is doing well!

xoxo

Chatting with Grandma

I called my 84 year old Grandma today to say hello - my Mom's mom is the only grandparent I have ever really known. My Dad's mom died when I was 15 and she lived in Pennsylvania so I did not know her well. My Dad's dad died in 1980 or 1981 and I don't know anything about my Mom's Dad...he basically disappeared I believe when my mom was little. He did have a pretty cool name though: Ingolf Johannessen. Norwegian in case you're wondering!

I haven't seen my Grandma in almost two years and I feel terrible about it. She lives in Staten Island and we can just never seem to get there. Right before her 80th birthday she had a (thankfully) minor stroke but fully recovered. She is still on her game though - when we went to her 80th birthday party Nick said "Hi Grandma, do you know who I am?" And she said "who are you???" Then said yes, of course I know who you are Nick. Another time she was telling me how her and her husband Mike had met some famous actors back in the 70's, and she was so mad at herself because she couldn't remember their names. She said "I'm only 83, I don't forget anything!" Gotta love it.

Today she told me a funny story from when I was a kid, that I have no recollection of. All I can say is I hope my kid is like me or my brother Erik, and not like my brother Dylan (sorry Dyl ;)

On Halloween she was staying at our house and for some reason only Dylan went out trick or treating. He came back with a pillowcase full of candy - my Grandma loves candy (her nickname was Tootsie years ago) and asked if she could have a piece, and he told her no way. My Grandma loves candy and was pretty upset at this. So apparently I went to the neighbor's house, without a costume, and said "trick or treat" and explained the situation. I came back with candy and handed it to my Grandma - she told me I made her so happy! Later that night Dylan had gone to bed and Erik came home - my Grandma told Erik the story and he said "I'll get you some candy" - and went and stole a bunch of Dylan's candy and we all shared it. I have to guess that I was around 6 or so if my brother Erik was still living with us. I thought this story was hilarious - and good to know that I was (sometimes) a decent kid.

Now I want some candy.

xoxo