and we're off!

Tomorrow we're off on our US/Europe trip. I can't wait! LA first to see Hubby's fam, then Paris for new years eve, Rome, Florence and Venice. It should be great! It will definitely be our last big trip for a while.
Little bump is doing well, and apart from some lower back pain and tiredness I can't really complain.
I hope everyone had a great Christmas and has an even better New Year.
Until I return...

18 weeks

Hi all,
Things have been going really well. We got our FINAL and CONCLUSIVE results on Monday and we got the ALL CLEAR! Yippeee! So, so relieved, and so so happy.
We've finally told almost everyone about the pregnancy- which is so much fun and very exciting! It's Christmas eve today and we're going to stay at my parents for 2 nights. Then we'll come back home for a night and the next morning leave for the US to see Hubby's family. We're also going to Paris and some places in Italy while we're at it. It's kind of our 'last hurrah' trip, as we've both never been to France or Italy and it was one of those things we really wanted to do.
We have our eye on a pram that we really want to get while we're in the US as it's half the price than it is here...

The 'Baby Jogger City Elite'- we love it! My only concern is that it might be slightly too large for malls etc. They do have a smaller one, which is called the 'city mini'. We will have to test them out once we're over there.

Pregnancy Stats:
Weeks Pregnant: 18 weeks
Weight Gain: Ok, the weight gain has been upped since last week.. 1.4kgs (3lbs), but I'm not too worried- I realise that I will have to gain weight at some point!
Current Symptoms: I am now feeling baby moving- sweet little flutters here and there and what feels like very light pokes. I started feeling this on the night of my 17th week exactly! I love it, so exciting. My lower back has also started hurting slightly. I am feeling tired a lot quicker too.
Food Cravings: Definitely chocolate milkshakes or smoothies! I have never felt like milk so much in my life!
Feeling: Happy and content!

17 weeks

I can't believe I am 17 weeks pregnant! I thought it was time to do a quick update and photo post. Well, here is my 17 week bump.

I am kind of wondering when I am going to pop, because this bump just looks like I've had a big lunch or something! Anyway, I still managed to buy myself 2 pairs of maternity jeans today for my upcoming overseas trip. It's HOT here, but it's going to be cold in the US and Europe and my current jeans are just a little too snug and uncomfortable. Anyway, I got 2 pairs of really cute jeans for $78- which for maternity jeans, is a bargain!

Pregnancy Stats:
Weeks Pregnant: 17 weeks
Weight Gain: Strangely enough less than last time, just slightly over 1 pound.
Current Symptoms: Tired- needing little nana naps in the afternoons. Very thirsty for water and of course lots of little trips to the bathroom!
Food Cravings: The same as before- healthy home made chicken burritos, oranges & OJ. Definitely not into sweet things as much as I used to be.
Feeling: Extremely happy and relieved after our first set of results, but still waiting and anticipating the 2nd set of results!

Test Results

Well, I had my amnio yesterday. We had a full scan of our little baby first. Everything looked normal, baby even gave us a thumbs up- very cute! Then it was time for the amnio. It really wasn't bad. There was a little sting when I was getting the anesthetic, then some pressure when the needle went in, but nothing unbearable.  I was told not to expect a call with our first lot of results before Friday afternoon, if not Monday!
Well I got a call at 11.15 this morning, it was my doctor. She told me the results were back early and everything they tested for (trisomy 18, 21, 13 and sex chromosomes) came back NORMAL! YIPPEEE!!!!
We won't get the full results (which test for those things, plus some others) for another 10 days- 2 weeks, but the FISH results are 97-98% accurate, and seeing as our main concern was trisomy 21, we' re feeling ok and very very relieved! After I got off the phone, I had a big cry- just all the stress and waiting and concern over the past 4 weeks and just feeling so relieved and happy.

December

Well, it's finally December. November has gone ridiculously slow for me considering that we've been waiting for our 'testing day'. Thankfully we're almost there (less than a week to go).
Apart from that, December almost means CHRISTMAS! And on the first of December Hubby and I came home from work, played some Christmas carols on my Itunes and got the ol' Majestic Fir out of it's box. Yes, we have a fake Christmas tree- but it's pretty good looking! Especially compared to the 'Christmas Trees' you can buy here in Australia (they're never as good looking and symmetrical as American trees). Anyway, we decorated the tree and even bought a special little ornament that says 'wish' on it, hoping and being positive about everything being ok with our upcoming test.....

Still Writing

I'm going to do my best to keep writing here during this tough time.
The last week has gone painfully slow. I only have one thing on my mind, and that is getting the test done and finding out the results.
I have been hitting up Dr Google pretty hard and I think this is doing me worse than good as I've read some awful horror stories which leave me depressed and contemplating the worst.
Note to self, no more googling random information about High Risk NT results.

This weekend we have a wedding 'celebration' out in the city. A  decent amount of my friends will be there. I've pretty much been off the radar for the last week,  so some of my friends have been texting to say they 'look forward to having a drink with me' (oh god) and are looking forward to seeing me. I am extremely tempted to just stay home tonight, but instead Hubby and I will just make an appearance and hopefully head off early. I am finding it very hard to muster up the appropriate amount of enthusiasm, especially for someone who just got married!
Well, right now I am 13 weeks and 2 days pregnant (my dates changed slightly at my last scan). I don't think I have too much of a bump to show to be honest (thank god). I weighed myself the other day and it turns out I haven't gained any weight. But to be honest, I haven't exactly had a raging appetite lately.

Have a good weekend, I'm off to finish my report cards. The goal is to stay super busy for the next 2.5 weeks

Bad News

Hi all,
Things haven't been going so smoothly lately. Unfortunately we've come back in the high risk category for chromosomal disorders after having our 12 week scan, so the last 5 days have been extremely teary, stressful and hard- to say the least. We're going to be having further testing to find out if everything is ok. Please cross your fingers and toes for me that things are ok! I probably won't be posting as much until after the test, because I'm really just trying to keep my mind off things.......

Scan Day!

I went to bed on Wednesday night feeling extremely sick, woke up an hour later and spent the next 5 or so hours running to and from the bathroom throwing up. I guess I must of had food poisoning or a stomach bug. I took Thursday off work to recover and just spend the day on the couch trying to drink lots and lots of water. I'm feeling much better today, but I'm also taking today off work, because today is.....
Scan Day!
I'm super excited, but also extremely nervous! My fingers and toes are tightly crossed that everything goes ok with our scan.
Our scan isn't until early this afternoon, so I am going to spend my day getting some much needed marking done (ugh) and maybe working on my school reports. Oh, I wish I had nothing to do and could just spend the day on the couch watching Gossip Girl and Oprah!

11 weeks!

I thought it was about time I updated with some pregnancy stats. I can't believe I am at 11 weeks, actually, yes I can. We still haven't told anyone (apart from Doctors etc) and keeping this secret is so diffcult! Well, I've never actually felt like I was about to let our secret slip, but it's so frustrating when I can't explain why I won't be having a big night out or whatever.
Our 12 week scan is on Friday (I'll be 11.5 weeks). We just called up today to make sure that wouldn't be too early as I really don't want to have to go twice and hence pay twice! Because we're going private we seem to have all these fees that  keep popping up everywhere. Fingers and toes are tightly crossed that everything looks good at this scan.
Ok, here are my pregnancy stats for Week 11!

Pregnancy Stats:
Weeks Pregnant: 11 weeks
Weight Gain: 2.2lbs/1kg (still the same, yeah!)
Current Symptoms: Pants are definitely getting tighter around the waist- have not had to buy any new clothes yet though. Occasionally grumpiness or emotional moments (like when I cried when Hubby dropped a box of my chocolates all over the carpet! lol)
Food Cravings: Healthy home made chicken burritos, oranges & OJ
Feeling: Excited but nervous about Friday. Pretty tired as always.

10 Week Picture!

Well there is my 10 week bump. I am exactly 10 weeks today! This photo was taken in the morning before breakfast while I was getting ready for work (hence the work skirt). Don't worry, I am wearing a loose fitting top in that picture which I just pulled up for the photo. I really don't think anyone at work has any clue!

So, on Sunday I had my 30th Birthday lunch (my birthday is actually tomorrow though) with about 30 friends. Everything went really well and Hubby did an amazing job of organising everything (including an oreo icecream cake- which was amazing!). The bar staff even knew that I was pregnant so they would serve me mocktails and everyone would be none the wiser.
There was just one problem.
One of my friends boyfriends, I think, is obsessed with pregnancy. He made jokes many many months ago about Hubby and I booking our Europe trip because it was our 'last hurrah' before having kids and so on. He even mentioned something about a womans cycles and so on. It got very annoying, fast.

Well, cue my 30th Birthday. The first thing he did was to try and get Hubby to spill our news by saying "Oh, she already told Jamie- his girlfriend- the good news", to which Hubby replies "What are you talking about?". Phew.
Secondly he started saying really loudly "So, are you going to announce the big news now" in front of everyone. Mind you, this guy doesn't even know I'm pregnant and is just being a complete jerk.
I tell him to stop being so stupid. Then it gets worse. He yells out "I bet that's not even alcohol you're drinking" comes over to my mocktail and takes a big sniff. "There's no alcohol in that!" he yells.
Luckily my birthday cake with candles lit on top came over at that point and everyone starting singing and drowned out the rubbish coming from his mouth. Well, I was just furious. And to really make things even worse, because Hubby knows all the bar staff, they inform him that the Jerk was snooping around beforehand, asking the bar staff what I was drinking and what was in my cocktail (well, mocktail)! Luckily they were in on it and listed off all sorts of alcohol. I am so so angry, but can't say anything just yet. I cannot wait to tell Jamie what a moron this guy is. How dare he try and ruin my 30th Birthday!

Anyway, apart from that the day was really fun, definitely a few close calls though!

Birthday Lunch

Well, today is the day of my 30th Birthday lunch. My actual birthday isn't until next week, but I'm having a lunch with a big group of friends today. I am really nervous for some reason! Maybe it's nervousness about politely fending off alcohol without looking suspicious? Um, hello, who doesn't drink at their 30th birthday celebration!!!!! Arghh!!
Lunch is at a restaurant near the city in a private room with a bar etc. It's so nice so I'm really looking forward to it. Hubby and I fully intend on getting there a bit early so I can get myself a very boozy looking mocktail and hopefully everyone will be none the wiser. That's the plan anyway! Fingers crossed that no one buys me any drinks or wants to do shots (oh dear God, this is why I'm having a lunch- not a night out on the town!).
Last night we went to a friends wedding out in the country. It was beautiful and the ceremony was under a big ol' tree in a paddock, so nice! I managed drink non alcoholic beverages completely unnoticed. Hah. I just can't wait until the next 2 weeks are up so we can start telling people.
Alright, I'm off to get ready for my lunch...

Tight, tighter, tightest

Well, as much as I tried to deny it was happening, or fantasise that I would fit into my clothes until the end of the school term (yup, that's 6.5 more weeks)... it's true.. my clothes are getting snug! Arghh! I can hardly fathom buying maternity clothes at this early stage-9 weeks today- and instead I am going to just wear my clothes that are a little bigger (the ones that used to be loose!) and continue to wear loose flowing tops, and nothing too tight. Hubby seems to think I'm going to have a hard time getting away with hiding my mini bump for the next 3 weeks!

On the weekend I'm getting together with 30 of my friends for my 30th birthday! I'm hoping that my flowy dress will look ok and no one will buy me cocktails or notice my lack of drinking. It should be fun.
I've also got a wedding to go to this weekend, which should be nice. I have a really cute dress (again, it's 'flowy') to wear and hopefully everyone will be too busy with themselves to notice my lack of drinking.
My actual birthday isn't until next week, and that night we're going out to dinner with my family. I'm really looking forward to it.

First OB appointment!

So, we finally had our very first OB appointment yesterday! I took the day off work (it was only a pupil free day), and Hubby was owed a day off, so we took the bus into the city and went in at about 9am. Because we're going to a private hospital we go to a separate OB office. Beautiful office, friendly staff (not that there aren't friendly staff at a public hospital), just a general good vibe. I was nervous and couldn't concentrate on my magazine while we were waiting, so I just sat there attempting to be patient.
My doctor called us in, so we went and sat down in her office. Female doctor, youngish, very friendly, seems like she knows her stuff. Where we're going is a group practice, which means there are 4 doctors who rotate shifts- so when you deliver you could get any of them(unless it's a scheduled delivery).
I'm going to stick with my current doctor for now, but later on in the pregnancy when there's more frequent appointments, I'll meet the other doctors too.
Anyway, she started by asking me a whole heap of questions. She doesn't like the medication I'm on for my Crohn's Disease (I knew this would happen!). My gastroenterologist has recommended I stay on it and tells me it's safe during pregnancy. She tells me there is another safer medication option, which I am totally happy to go with. She is going to call my gastroenterologist and discuss it with her. So we shall see.
I got weighed, she checked my blood pressure etc. She also discovered I have a pregnancy related heart murmur (who knew!).
Next was the fun part! We went into another room where the ultrasound machine was. I lay down, got that gooey stuff squirted on my belly and she found our little sesame seed with a nice strong heart beat. I was so relieved. I had visions of her looking inside and saying "ummm, I'm sorry, you're not pregnant." (lol).
Also, there was only 1 baby- which I had been pretty sure of. I think Hubby was a little disappointed though. heh!
 Our little sesame seed was measuring 1 week earlier than I had initially been told. This didn't worry or surprise me, as my cycles had been about 34 days (not 28, as my GP had calculated on), so our little blob is approximately 8 weeks today. That means my due date is the 31st of May!
Our next appointment is the 12 week scan. We have decided not to tell anyone about the pregnancy until we get the all clear from the 12 week scan (fingers crossed!). Only 3 and a half weeks until the scan. The countdown begins!

Baby Showering....

My sister in law is also expecting. She's due at the beginning of next year. Myself, with one of her very close friends are planning her baby shower. I have decided to make little baby shaped cookies, and put them into favour bags for her guests. That's if they turn out ok. Luckily the shower isn't until December, so I have plenty of time to practise! Here are the cookie cutters I bought:

I also bought a little foot shaped cookie cutter which is really cute.
I have no idea what to actually get her as a gift, something my brother and her will actually use and will come in handy. Probably not baby clothing as a lot of people may already get them that!
I am actually pretty nervous about our OB appointment on Monday.  I am hoping we get some sort of scan or I'm going to be pretty disappointed! I just want to get the all clear from the doctor.
We're going out tonight to a Southern style restaurant. Hubby is going to love it. There really aren't many restaurants around here that do American food, so it should be quite fun!

Baby Belly or Jelly Belly?

Hi all,
I have been a bit quiet on the blog front as there hasn't been too much baby related stuff going on!
I did notice something a little odd the other night.... a teeny tiny baby bump! How could I tell it was a baby bump and not just a food baby or a layer of fat? Well, it just felt a little bit hard, and no matter how hard I sucked it in, this little ol' bump was still there. I even got Hubby to have a feel... "What is it? fat? Or a bump?". lol. It's kind of funny, because I still don't fully believe there's a little itty bitty baby in there.
Depressingly enough, I weighed myself this morning, hoping that there would still be no weight gain. Alas, no... I have now gained 1 kilo (2.2lbs), and with that I bring you my....
Pregnancy Stats:
Weeks Pregnant: 8 weeks, 1 day
Weight Gain: 2.2lbs/1kg
Current Symptoms: Nausea, sore boobs, occasional strange feelings in lower abdomen, pants getting tighter! Noooo!
Food Cravings: mexican food (or maybe I just really like mexican food?)
Feeling: Tired!!!!

We have our first appointment on Monday with our Obstetrician, I can't wait!

First Purchases



7 weeks and  4 days today. It's still early days. I have my first OB appointment in just over a week. I can't wait. I am really looking forward to finding out about our little sesame (current nickname) and fingers and toes are crossed tightly that we get a thumbs up!
Even though it's such early days, Hubby and I did a little bit of shopping and managed to buy our first baby items! Just 2 little pieces of 000 clothing that are absolutely gorgeous. They are an Australian brand- Bonds, which makes great little cotton comfy pieces for all ages.
I found some pictures on the net so I could show you....

Mary Jane Socks! Aren't they cute! No, we obviously don't know the sex yet... but I couldn't help myself.

Little baby leggings. They're actually slightly different to this- they're grey striped and a bit more stretchy.

So that's what we got. I'll have to stash them upstairs in the wardrobe as it's still a big ol' secret!

We also went to Ikea today... oh wow, a rainy Saturday at Ikea.
Probably not the brightest idea.
It. Was. Packed.
We had a look at some nursery furniture (more to come on that later) but managed to walk out of there with only a foot stool and some Diam candy (omg, Swedish chocolate=heaven), which was no mean feat.
Tonight we're off to the movies as it's all rainy and the absolute perfect movie weather. Ahh.
I hope you're all having an equally relaxing weekend!

Sleep, interrupted....

Yawn, yawn, yawn!!!!!
Let's face it, I'm a 9 hours of sleep a night gal (don't laugh), always have been! I'll take 8 hours if I must and on weekends I've been known to sleep for 10.
Well, I have not been sleeping well lately. Getting up to pee in the middle of the night, tossing and turning, occasionally feeling naseous in the wee hours of the morn. Not my idea of a good time. I'm pretty sure this interrupted sleep I've been getting is just my bodies way of getting me used to waking up multiple times a night and not getting used to my pampered princess 9 hours of slumber!

I tells ya, the gym is also not a priority now that I'm back at work and feeling tired every day. It is honestly the last thing I feel like doing. I came home from work today, did a pile of marking (oh, the joys of teaching!) and now I'm just having a little 'me' time on the net. Do I feel like getting changed into my gym clothes, driving to the gym and running on the treadmill.. or even heading outside for a little jog?
Um, can we say NO WAY! I know I'm going to have to continue with my exercise as I don't want to gain too much weight (12k-15kg is the goal) with this pregnancy, because I've heard how hard it is to get back into shape. Oh well, I'll just continue to eating mostly healthy food and getting a bit of a workout in a couple of times a week.
If anyone has any tips, please feel free to share!

Blood Test Results and Baby Sales!

I got my blood test results back on Monday, I was actually quite nervous when Hubby and I were sitting there with the doctor looking them over. It turns out everything is normal- yay! My iron is on the low side, which doesn't surprise me as I'm so tired all the time. I'm taking a pre-natal vitamin every day, so hopefully this will help. I bought the "Swisse Pregnancy Ultivite" which is so far, so good! I had a look at a few brands and I didn't like that some of them were capsules (ugh), or have a strange taste and make me gag. The worst is when they expect you to take a couple of them a day. This one is tasteless and you only have to take one a day.

Hubby and I went out to Trivia last night with some friends. It was at this cool little bar near the city. It was a great night. I sipped my OJ (hoping that no one would question it- perhaps it would look like Vodka and OJ?), then I had a couple of waters as I was so thirsty. One of my friends noticed and asked if I was driving. "Uh, sure, yeah." lol. Only 6 more weeks of making excuses. I can't wait to tell everyone, but we really want to wait until after our 12 week scan checks out.

Target is having a Baby Sale that starts today, oh so tempted to have a look! We'll probably go and check it out to get an idea of prices, but I don't think we'll be buying anything... it just seems so early to be buying anything! Although my brother and his fiance are due in February, so perhaps we'll find something for them!

Hubby and I finished booking all of our accommodation for our end of year Europe trip. We're going to France and Italy. I can't wait. It really is going to be a 'last hurrah' kind of trip before baby!

Oh and lastly, something I'm going to start...
Pregnancy Stats:
Weeks Pregnant: 6 weeks, 1 day
Weight Gain: 0lbs/0kgs (Thankfully!)
Current Symptoms: Nausea, sore boobs, strange tugging type feelings in lower stomach
Food Cravings: None at the moment
Feeling: Excited, amazed (every morning I wake up and remember I am pregnant and I am still kind of surprised. lol), a little nervous- just hoping everything will go smoothly seeing as it's such early days!

Relaxing and Shopping

I have 2 weeks off work at the moment. Ahhh, it has been SO nice. I have been spending way too much time googling baby stuff though! lol. Well, I definitely wont be able to do it at work when I go back in a week (Can't trust work computers! You just know big brother is watching!) so I'm getting my fill now.

I got my hospital pack in the mail today with all sorts of information. We have to book in for antenatal classes soon as they're apparently really popular. All these bits of paper I keep getting have been going into a folder upstairs titled 'math' (It's an old work folder! That will throw anyone snooping around off the scent! lol!). I still can't believe it's all happening to be honest.

My friend and I went  shopping today. I bought a couple of cute tops, making sure that they were a size bigger than my normal size. They still fit me now, but are just nice and roomy.

I love this top- perfect for going out!

This one will probably be for work or maybe just casual weekends with jeans

Oops, I have to run, Hubby just got home!

First Appointment and 30th Birthday

 I had my first doctors appointment yesterday. My doctor congratulated us, gave us an informative pregnancy spiel, gave us a referral to a OB and sent me off for a battery of blood tests (wont get those results until next Monday).
Because I've got this whole prior medical issue (and private health insurance that goes largely unused!), we've decided to go private. We're booking into the Mater Mothers, and apparently it books out quite fast as do the OB's across the road from the Mater. So we've had to make all these appointments today, although it just feels so early and I really hope everything goes well!
My doctor also gave me a due date- May 24th (me? a due date? what for? I swear it's all still sinking in!), which puts me at 5 weeks tomorrow. Such early days! The next 7 weeks are really going to drag.

Oh and annoyingly I have friends who keep asking me 'what are you going to do for your 30th birthday?'- probably because it's in a mere 6 weeks! Arghh! Wow, a raging party/dinner/night on the town sounds like such a barrel of fun when I can't drink and have to fend off 'why aren't you drinking at your 30th' questions! So, hubby is now planning to take me away for a night on the weekend after my birthday (My 30th is on a Wednesday! What a crap day for a birthday!), and maybe I'll do a picnic in the park or a brunch or something chilled out like that with my friends the weekend after. Any suggestions??

Big News!

To be honest with you, I had been feeling a bit strange over the past 2 weeks. Kind of queasy, a little dizzy and just a general odd feeling. I brushed it off thinking I was obviously overthinking this whole baby thing, and also I had a student who'd just come back from having swine flu- perhaps I was coming down with something?
So, Friday morning rolled around. We had a wedding that day, so I needed to do a pregnancy test so I would know if I could drink or not. I woke up busting to pee, so decided to get the test over and done with. I put the pregnancy test aside, immediately seeing that single 'control' line come up, thinking "Well, at least I'll be able to have a few drinks tonight!".
I glanced again at the stick, and hello.... there was a second line. Not as strong as the control line, but pretty damn strong.
Oh. my.god. I'm. pregnant!
Hubby was downstairs, he sauntered up the stairs (taking what seemed like an eternity), walked into the bathroom where I immediately showed him the test. We hugged and kissed and were generally excited.
'Well, there goes my drinking at the wedding', I thought. Luckily one of my other friends wasn't a big drinker at the wedding, so I didn't look completely obvious. Plus the waiter had filled my glass with wine, so I had it sitting there all night while I drank many an orange juice!
The wedding was beautiful by the way. We stayed at a really nice resort down the coast, which was super relaxing. Today Hubby and I had breakfast at the hotel with friends and then picked up a few groceries and things (including another pregnancy test, just to 'check', even though I fully understand that 'false positives' are few and far between. That second line came up even darker today by the way!).
We have a doctors appointment for Sunday seeing as we both have the day off.
Wow, there is so much to do and plan. My fingers and toes are very tightly crossed that everything goes well. We won't be telling anyone about our good news until 12 weeks, so my lips are sealed until then!
To be honest, I can't believe I fell pregnant on our first cycle of trying, I feel really lucky that it's happened so fast!
Ok, time to get some food and chill out with hubby. You can bet there will be many more baby updates to come!

Going with the Flow?

Well, as much as I said Hubby and I were just planning on 'going with the flow' and 'seeing what happens' now that we've thrown away the birth control, I must admit this is mighty hard to do! I am such a planner so it's really hard for me to not think about it!  I must admit though, Hubby is so excited about the prospect and so am I. This is something I wont be mentioning to anyone, as we don't need any added pressure or speculation. I suppose all we can do it just cross our fingers and see what happens!

It's time!

So, Hubby and I pretty much decided that it would be time to throw away the contraception at the end of August. Well, it's the end of August.... oh my.... I don't know what to think about all this, excited, but very nervous! And that's all I'll say about that for now.....