Showing or maybe just bloated

So about two weeks or so ago we thought I was starting to show. We were convinced of it, so we took pictures of my belly and everything. We were so excited thinking 'wow this is really cool' and 'I can't believe that I'm showing already'. Well it turns out that the next morning I was not 'showing' nearly as much as I had been. In actuality all that random food I had been eating had just made me bloated for the previous few days. So in fact we have pictures of me one night when I was really bloated. I will spare you all the pics.

We have now noticed that I am actually starting to show a bit now, which is really exciting. Andy really gets excited about it too, which I love. It's another tangible sign that we have a baby growing in there and we can feel more connected with him/her. For the most part my pants are doing a good job hiding it. I'm just barley starting to show; but the doctor said that I would probably start to show early. I still haven't put any of that weight on I'm supposed to gain, eventhough I'm sure working on it. I'm sure that will be here before I know it. I am starting to get some energy back again which is really nice! I felt like I was a walking zombie for the last month; I was just in a haze I was so tired all the time. I'm actually feeling with it again!

lil' prune's heartbeat

I'm towards the end of 10 weeks now and lil baby Pultorak is the size of a prune. Most all of his/her vital organs are in place and this week his muscle tissue is forming, his arms and legs can even bend now. We were talking the other day about how crazy it is all that has already formed in our lil one; they just need time to grow bigger and stronger.

I had to go to the doctor for a random extra appointment on Thursday, I didn't think that they were going to do much more than some lab work so Andy didn't come. Once I got all checked in the nurse said that she was going to try to find the babies heart beat using a doppler ultrasound. She warned me that it was really early to hear the heart beat seeing as they don't usually try to fdind it with the doppler until 12 weeks. I was really excited to get to hear the heart beat, and also sad Andy wasn't there to get to hear it too. If we would have known they were going to do that Andy would have come. She wasn't able to find it but said it didn't mean there was anything wrong, 'it's like finding a needle in a haystack'. I was alright with it because she had said it was almost too early to find it and I wanted Andy to get to be there the first time we hear it. So the nurse left and I waited for the doctor for around 45 min or so; if I would've known I would be in there waiting so long I would have brought snacks and something to read with me. Eventually the doctor came in and said that she was going to find the heartbeat. She was pretty determined. So she looked around with the doppler, and actually found it! It was incredible; I got to hear our little babies heart actually beating! It was so amazing. I wasn't sure I would know what I was supposed to be listening for but the second she found the heartbeat I felt this overwhelming joy come over me. I started crying a bit I was so excited. I no longer cared how long I had to wait, I would have waited there all night to get to hear that. It was so incredible to get to hear our little ones heart beating! I actually know where the baby is now too by where she found the heartbeat. I was so exctied to get home and tell Andy all about it and show him where our baby is etc. I can't wiat untill we go for our next regular appointment and Andy gets to hear the heart, and we'll get another ultrasound!

His/her heart rate is at 168 right now which they said was good for how early it is and that it would start to slow down in the weeks and months to come. It should be around 120 by delivery. On to week 11 tomorrow.

Ultrasound!

So little Pultorak is about the size of a medium olive right now, which means these are terribly out of date, but here they are:

Drop Box

New Bathroom for a New Baby

So when we started trying for a baby we assumed we'd have months and months like everyone else we know. Simultaneously we decided that our existing bathroom with no fan, a non-functional window, cracked tiles everywhere and a dirty tub was not adequate to keep a child clean. So we began to tear things apart. Then we found out about the littlest Pultorak! Well things got ugly pretty quick but we've made an impressive comeback now. We've got new electrical, a new built-in fan, paperless drywall and a brand-new window. We've also found an awesome handydude to help with the detail stuff for cheap. This week we're putting in sparkling new subway tile and really cool travertine floors.

We went to Home Depot over the weekend and spent a couple hours and used an entire isle to select the travertine floor pieces we liked the best. The checkout was staffed by a particularly incompetent woman, who, realizing that the pieces we selected did not have SKU numbers, and not caring enough to look them up, rang us up a total of $13.30. That's for 18 pieces of 18"x18" imported travertine tile with tax. Alas, I could not bring myself to just swipe my card and leave, instead I forced her (against her will, no less), to call the tile guy and get the correct amount. There's $80 I will never have again :(

There is something in there

It was so great to go for our first doctors’ appointment last Monday. It was so good to hear the doctor say that our baby is healthy and growing just like he/she should be at this point, it was really comforting! We have a long way to go still but so far so good. The baby at this point is about 1/3” or about the size of a lima bean; on the ultrasound it looked like a pulsating grain of rice. He/she’s mostly all heart at this point. It was amazing to get to see the first glimpse of our little baby and to see the heart beating! It was definitely a special moment for us. It was incredible to get to see our little baby that we’ll get to meet in 7 months! It brought a new level of reality and excitement to us. It was almost the same feeling as when we first found out we’re expecting.

It was also good to meet some of the other doctors at the office that we’ll see when we go in for appointments etc. They were all so nice and comforting I feel really fortunate we found a good doctor. That bag of stuff they gave us had a lot of good information in it along with all the advertisements. They gave us so much information while we were there it was good to have some of it to read over once we got home.

Mountain Biking

We visited the OBGYN for our first appointment (8 weeks). Our due date has been set at February 16, 2010 & the size measurements from the ultrasound pegged us at a little more than 7 weeks along. The doctor's visit lasted a truly grueling 2 1/4 hours but we got a lot of really helpful information, plus a bag full of advertisements to take home. Our new demographic (young couple w/ a child) looks to be bloodthirsty marketing territory. A couple of surprises from the visit to the doctor:

• No deli meats or cheeses - they potentially contain dangerous parasites. Jess really resisted this one - I think because we just bought a pound of delicious ham which I will now be forced to consume on my own.
• No mountain biking. I asked several times and the doctor just laughed. She didn't think I was serious.
• The baby's heart is beating at an amazingly fast 136 beats/min (correct me if I've got that wrong darling). The heart is under the control of the spinal tubes right now & will slow down when the baby's brain starts to take over.
• The doctor wants Jess to gain about 20-30% of her current body weight by the end of the pregnancy. That seems impossible right now!

The best part was seeing the baby. It was special for both of us but I think even more amazing for me because Jess still looks the same as always on the outside. More to come later...

Naps are my new best friend…

The tiredness has definitely set in. I’ve been so tired lately that I’ve been taking quick naps when I go home for lunch and whenever else I can fit one in. We read in my book the other morning that I burn more energy laying on the couch than Andy would by going to the gym and lifting weights. How crazy is that! When I think about all that is going on with the growth of our baby it makes sense, but it's still pretty amazing. It also explains my new found love for naps.

We had a great 4th of July weekend, just nice and relaxing with lot of naps on my part and a ton of drywall hanging on Andy’s. He’s becoming the drywall King! Almost all of the drywall is up in the bathroom and ready for tape and texture. He’s been working so hard to get it done for us. Other than that we enjoyed hanging out with the families and a nice bike ride to Confluence Park and a picnic!

We’ve been anxious for our first doctor apt which is finally here! We can’t wait to go talk to the doctor this afternoon, get some more info and get our first ultrasound!