another successful ultrasound...

The ultrasound I had on Friday the 26th was a lot of fun for me. The picture that the doctor ended up printing out really doesn't do my ultrasound justice. At one point the picture was so clear of my little baby with it's arms and feet just moving all over the place. It was amazing! I think both the doctor and I broke out into a simultaneous "Awww" as soon as that shot came into view. It was so sweet. I wish she would have hit "print" right then, but she didn't. Here's the picture that she did print out.

Now, let me explain the picture. Baby Amen is in the middle of that black sack. On the right side is the baby's head, on the left side is the baby's butt, and sticking down in the middle is an arm. The baby is facing away from the screen, so in this view you just see the back of the head, back, and butt. When you look at the progression of ultrasound pictures, it's just a miracle to see how much they grow in such a short time. Also, if you notice in the information box to the left, it says that Baby Amen is measuring 10w 1d (10weeks 1day), but on the day this picture was taken I was 9w 6d. That means Baby Amen is even ahead of schedule in size.

I will be going back in to my specialist on February 14th for a First Trimester Ultra-screen, which will look for certain chromosomal disorders, like Down's Syndrome. I'm supposed to eat something full of sugar, like a king-sized candy bar before I go in, so that way Baby Amen is pretty active for the test. It says the ultrasound can last for approximately 30 minutes while they look for signs of the disorders. 30 minutes is a long time to get to look at my baby!

Also, I'm sure some of you are wondering about my ovary. Well, there's no change. It's still 7cm and hanging on. The doctor says that it should start going down any time now, it's just being stubborn. Oh well, knock on wood, it hasn't really been causing me any trouble, so I won't worry about it too much.

The end of my first trimester is drawing ever so near. I know you can't really tell any change in my belly pics week by week, but I can feel a change going on. I'm noticing that my lower abdomen is getting harder to the touch and I can't wait too long to go to the bathroom otherwise it starts to hurt like crazy. I haven't really noticed the baby "fluttering" yet, but I try to lay really still when I go to bed, and concentrate really hard to see if I feel anything...hasn't worked yet. Every night I ask Josh to keep us both safe and healthy just one more day...and each night I return to tell him thank you and ask him for another. He's such a good Daddy, even from Heaven. So, onward we go...on this journey God has sent us to lead.

morning sickness subsided, but why do i still feel yucky...

Well, I still feel yucky because I have a lovely cold brewing. It started about a week ago with a pretty sore throat. I was worried that it might be strep because I had been exposed to it at school, so I went in to see my doctor. No strep. Then the sore throat went away, but I noticed my ears popping. Next, I noticed my sinuses starting to feel pretty plugged. Well, now I'm to the point of having sinus headaches all day long, along with a cough that just makes my head hurt worse. I'm not taking any meds for it, obviously...so who knows how long it'll take before I get over it. I'm not really complaining about being sick, but it's just another little hurdle for me to jump over during this pregnancy.

I'm looking forward to another exciting ultrasound on January 26th. I wonder what the baby will look like then? I don't know what I'll do once they release me to a regular OB because then I won't get to have an ultrasound every two weeks anymore! Oh well, I guess if they release me that just means things are looking healthy and I'm well on my way to holding a little baby in my arms. I'm still searching for an OB. I haven't decided whether I want to deliver at Methodist or at UNMC. Methodist is the health system that I'm currently in for all of my general medical needs. UNMC is a strong choice because I know a lot of people there and I'm comfortable there since for a long time it was like my 2nd home. I haven't visited either labor and delivery wards yet, but I'd like to do that before I make my decision. Once I decide where I want to deliver, then I can pick an OB within that system. All of the decisions are wearing me out! I'm the most indecisive person I know! I always use one of my favorite quotes to describe my decision making skills...and Josh always agreed with me.

"I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure."

still lookin' good...

I made it in for my ultrasound and bloodwork on Friday, January 12th. Everything looks really good. Well, except for my ovary, which is about 7cm right now. They're going to keep an eye on it for a while to make sure it starts to go down on it's own. Now, on to the fun stuff. I got to see Baby Amen's heartbeat! Better yet, I got to hear it, too! The doctor got the machine to lock onto the pulse, but Baby Amen was moving around so much she kept having to re-adjust the machine to find the heartbeat. Only 8 weeks old and already can't hold still for a picture. :) The ultrasound picture is so cool. Just 2 weeks ago you couldn't see a baby at all. Now, you can see the shape of the body forming.

Let me explain the picture. Inside that long, hot dog shaped sack is the baby. You can see the two little crosses that the doctor put on there to measure the baby's size. The cross on the right end of the baby is on Baby Amen's head. In the middle, pointing downwards is Baby Amen's arm. And the cross on the left end of the baby is on Baby Amen's feet. It's amazing to me that in only 2 weeks all of this has formed and Baby Amen really looks like a tiny, little baby!

I go back in for another ultrasound and more bloodwork on January 26th. I will be a day away from 10 weeks at that time, which is crazy to me to think that I'm getting so close to the end of my 1st trimester. Even with all of the negative side-effects of pregnancy, so far, I love being pregnant. I'm nurturing this little baby inside of me, which can't truly be explained in words. It's awesome.

Today, Mom, Dad, Alek, Ashlyn, and I went "shopping" for baby stuff. We weren't actually buying...just looking. We had just planned on going to one store because it is going out of business, so we thought we might find some good deals. Negative. It was pretty well picked over and even the sale prices weren't that great compared to what I've seen elsewhere. Well, since we had no luck there we decided to go to Babies "R" Us to look around. Now that's a fun store to go to! I have a feeling I'll be going back there for goodies later. I'm excited to pick out furniture and a stroller and a car seat and a swing and a bouncer and...well...just everything. It's so exciting!

we begin a new year...

So here we are...2007. Things look a lot different this year than they have any other year, that's for sure. With Baby Amen on the way and Josh not around, things just seem a little out of place for me. New Year's Eve was pretty tough for me, as well as New Year's Day...well, and every day since, for that matter. Besides the 31st being Josh's birthday, it just felt wrong to be going into a whole new year without Josh there with me. I didn't want to start a whole new year without Josh with me. It sounds silly, but in 2006 I still had Josh and overnight it became 2007 and I won't have Josh at all this year. It's hard to move on and I don't see myself moving on very quickly, if ever at all. I'm not sure if it's hormones or not, but everything seems a little more difficult lately. I cry a lot, which could be the hormones, but I think it has to do with other things, too.

I'm excited about going in for my next ultrasound. It's scheduled for January 12th. I should be able to see the heartbeat for sure...maybe even hear it. Also, I think if everything looks good my RE will release me to a regular OB doctor. I can't believe that I'm almost 2 months along! It seems like just yesterday I was peeing on a stick and praying for that second pink line! Time flies, huh?!?