General Thoughts

I kind of feel like it hasn't really hit me yet.

I guess I was expecting a certain level of anxiousness, a quickening of the heart when I think about being a dad, a parent. I have definitely felt the excitement and joy, especially when we heard The little dude's™ heartbeat the other day. Still, I have been unusually calm, even for me, when thinking about being a parent.

Maybe I really am ready. Maybe the dogs really are the training wheels we always joked they were. Maybe the fear just hasn't had the chance to seep up through the layer of happiness that has coated me like a sweet glaze.

Ready or not, this is happening and I couldn't be happier.

HEARTBEAT!!

Wow!!

Doug and I had an appointment with our NP this morning and it was the most incredible thing--we heard the baby's heartbeat! Our NP seemed to find it pretty easily--one moment it was quiet and then in the next moment, the room was filled with the sounds of a very distinctive and STRONG heartbeat! I began to cry and looked over at Doug--there were tears in his eyes, too! What a feeling! It is a fast little beat--fetal heart rates are much faster than adult heart rates--Doug does a fantastic impression of it (ask him to do it for you!). Lots of parents rent dopplers to listen and record their babies' heartbeats...while we don't plan to rent one, how cool would it be to record it the heartbeat? It is a possibility (Doug wondered this in the office)--and if you are interested in hearing what a fetal heartbeat sounds like, go to:

http://www.sweetbeats.net/fetal-doppler-babys-heartbeat.php

The eight week one sounds a lot like what we heard this morning!

I came into the appointment not expecting much; many of the ladies in my "Expecting Club" on iVillage couldn't hear the heartbeat until week 13 or so. Also, the receptionist this morning said that we were scheduled to talk about finances today, whereas at our last appointment, our NP said we would listen for the heartbeat! I was pissed and told Doug that I would not hesitate to get angry with the financial person (as if she was at fault) because, dammit, I wanted to hear the heartbeat! Almost all of the ladies who post in my expecting club have either had an ultrasound or doppler by now, so, now it was our turn!

Needless to say, it turned out better than I could have even imagined. I am--we are--really pregnant! There is a little person in there! Unbelievable! I think it is finally beginning to hit me--wow--we are going to be parents in nearly six months. CRAZY.

Now I have to run to take some Tums...heartburn is setting in after my second breakfast.

Love to all!

The first post!

Well, here I am...we are (myself and the bun, that is!)!

Tomorrow I will be 11 weeks along in this pregnancy. We are scheduled for a doppler or sonogram tomorrow...I am not sure which, if they aren't the same thing. :) I have yet to have an ultrasound but am scheduled for one I think in August or thereabouts.

It's been a wacky ride so far...and I honestly feel like I have been pregnant for so long, already! I found out just after I hit the four week mark--super early. Doug actually thought pregnancy before I did...even though I was feeling awful (extreme exhaustion and nausea), for some reason, pregnancy didn't really enter my mind! But, the two lines popped up on the home pregnancy test, strangely on the same day that my Grandfather passed away, April 9. Since then, I have been consistently ill and tired, crabby and emotional. I have occasional giggle fits (most recently during the movie "Dodgeball--" you have to agree that the scene in which the team gets pelted with wrenches is pretty damned hilarious) and my nose is so sensitive--the dogs (who smell like normal dogs) really reek lately. And I can't really watch the food network anymore...especially shows that have live seafood or big hunks of raw meat--nasty. In fact, up until a couple of days ago, I honestly nearly yakked just from thinking about meat (or coffee, for that matter...a supreme tragedy since I love even the most watery decaf). So, we think the kid might be vegetarian and prefers tea...I can handle tea no problem. Great, he (oops...I keep calling the baby "him..." although I have no idea if it is a girl or boy, "him" pops out more readily than "her") is already picky...I suppose...just like his Daddy. :)

I am still feeling somewhat ill and tired, although I do remain hopeful that the sicky-part of pregnancy will go away soon. My own mother, along with a variety of other moms tell me that it will...well...it better! Although now that I am out of school, the sickness aspect is less stressful, if I don't sleep well or perhaps sleep all day, my school work doesn't suffer. Perhaps the dirty dishes in the sink or the dog fur accumulating on the tile floor doesn't receive attention but at least I am not graded on those things (unless Doug is keeping score and because I am pregnant, he knows better than to harp on those sorts of things--not to say he really did harp before the pregnancy).

I look forward to sharing all the fun we have along this terrifying but exciting journey with all of you! We'll include belly pics and ultrasound pics as soon as the belly looks pregnant (not quite there yet) and we get into the ultrasound. FUN!