Baby Belly vs Baby Bump

So we all have heard or seen those cute celebrity "baby bumps." Well I don't have one of those. Instead I am going straight to a BABY BELLY. It appeared sometime within this last week. It was just apparent one day that I was getting round and thick and could no longer suck it in. The last two days I have really been noticing it and so has Clay at night. Tonight I can really tell. You won't get new pictures until next week (16 weeks) but I think that it is official to say the Baby Belly is here at 15 weeks. It isn't super round or obvious to a stranger on the street but to me it is there for sure. Stay tuned for pics next week to see the difference.

Does PCOS go away?

Today I got an email with a question Clay and I have thought about a few times but we aren't quite sure of the answer. The question was "Since you and Clay got preg 'on your own', does that mean the PCOS is all cleared up or is that something you will always have?"

This is how I answered:
"PCOS is an endocrine disorder… meaning it’s a hormone imbalance that results in the under-development of follicles… I didn’t have the right “mix” of hormones to promote proper and full mature growth of a follicle (egg) to get to ovulation. (therefore no ovulation and no period and no chance for baby)It is hard to say what my body will do after baby Brockman arrives. It will all depend on the function of my ovaries and other organs that produce the hormones to the “normal” mix… if they have it all figured out then I could be “normal” and ovulate on a regular cycle (thus essentially being fixed) or I could still need medical assistance (medication) to help regulate my hormones correctly and promote ovulation. Only time will tell after delivery and b-feeding ;o)"

In short it's one of those only time will tell questions. I hope that my body will have it all figured out.

Our blank slate

Two weekends ago, I got busy around the house. We had finally decided which room we were going to use for the nursery. Then it was time to empty it and empty it we did. I cleaned out the closet and sold the big items we had in the room that we didn't want to keep. We sold the weights and rack, the weight bench, the desk, the dresser, and technically I sold the DVD player back to Liz. Then we gave away the TV and tossed the VCR. The treadmill we kept and it got moved to the office in place of the futon which was also sold. We made a few dollars and cleared out the space. Now the room is empty and ready to be filled with all things baby. We borrowed the bassinet from Liz and we have a few baby things in the closet. Now I just have to decide what bedding I want and what colors I am going to do. Then its moving on to decorating. Let the fun begin!

Mail time!!

I am blessed. I am blessed with many wonderfully nice people to call friends and family. Over the past few weeks as we have been sharing our news with everyone, our mailbox has been getting more than bills. It is such a great feeling. We have gotten several nice cards saying "congrats" or "sharing joyous wishes." So I just wanted to take a quick minute to say THANK YOU for all the nice cards and warm wishes. I am blessed to have all of you in my life!!!

Updates

Yesterday I had a post swimming around in my head about not really "feeling" pregnant. I don't really "look" pregnant (or at least I don't think I do) and there are days I don't "feel" pregnant either. Yesterday was one of those days. I will try to explain, but it may make no sense. While I am glad the nausea is gone for the most part (I say for the most part because everytime I say this, it seems to come back that day with a vengeance...so we will see how I feel this afternoon) and I am glad that the girls are a bit less tender (although they still have their moments too), it seems those were positive reinforcements to remind me that I am indeed pregnant. If they are gone, while I still remember I am pregnant it just lives on that back burner in the "fuzzy" thoughts. I know that doesn't make much sense probably..... well anyways...just a thought.



Other updates:

1. I made my first purchase from the Motherhood Maternity store at the mall last Friday afternoon. I was a bit nervous given I am still early in my pregnancy and I have heard horror stories about how pushy and invasive the salespeople can be. It wasn't too bad of an experience. I went in to see if I could find a cotton sleeping bra of sorts. I was tired of sleeping in my constrictive underwired bras that I wear every waking hour and wanted something different for a peaceful sleep. I had tried to go a few nights without wearing a bra to bed and although I survived the girls weren't too pleased at times. (Side note: I thought I had big and heavy boobs before I was pregnant well I was WRONG!! and I dread to see what happens as this pregnancy progresses and I move into breastfeeding...Yowsers!) Anyway... the woman was on the phone when I entered and I pretended to browse a moment before she finally got off. I wanted to be properly measured for a good fitting bra and for that I needed her help. We exchanged some like banter and then I told her what I wanted. Then she asked, "When did you have the baby?"..... EXCUSE ME? Did I just hear you correctly...you think it looks like I just had the baby? (This coming from a woman at least 2x my size) I answered that I hadn't and that I wasn't due until Jan but I had come in search of a bedtime bra. She then explained that most of her bras in the store were nursing bras so she just assumed I had been there for one of them. She did have one style of sleeping bras and let me tell you they are H-O-T HOT HOT HOT!!! They totally scream "Do me!" and "I'm so sexy" but I tried it on to see if it would be functional. It seemed okay so I was suckered into buying 2 (one black and one nude.... a girl always has to be fashion conscious). My total was $28 even and I left with my bag in tow. I must confess I do wear them every night and indeed they are comfortable and supportive but not restrictive like wearing a regular bra to bed. I got the Large in hopes that they will grow with me during the next months. There are more interesting stories about the lady at the store but I'll spare you the extra details.



2. My week of pregnancy changes every Wednesday officially or unofficially... I don't know which. So today I am 13 weeks pregnant. It seems like forever since I have seen the doctor when really it's only been 2 weeks and a day. WEIRD! Guess it's just because I was used to having at least 2 appts a month when I was seeing Dr J. I don't go back to the doctor until August 7th (16w2d) which also seems really far away. Tonight Clay and I will read the next section of the baby book (Your Pregnancy Week by Week that my SIL sent...thanks VAL!) so we can learn about the changes that will happen in me and the baby over this next week. I think it's interesting to know how small he/she is. For example, at 13 weeks the baby is almost 3 inches long which is about the size of a medium shrimp, but he/she only weighs about an ounce. That's pretty little and light. (or is it lite?) I am also entering my 2nd trimester which is supposed to be the most pleasant but also when I change the most. I am looking forward to it.

I could swear I had more to update but my mind just went blank so I'll wrap this up.

Today's secret

Today I am secretly wearing my first pair of maternity pants to work. The other day I went through my entire closet and tried on EVERY single pair of pants that I owned and have been given. I was tired of always picking a pair of pants to wear to work in the morning and then as I put them on finding out that I couldn't get them buttoned or if I could it was DEFINITELY not comfortable.

So after my pantfest, I found I have 5 pairs of normal pants that fit. 1 pair each of gray, black, brown, khaki (which I wore yesterday and snagged), and pinstripe creme (which I have no shirts to wear with these.) Then I found 1 pair of maternity pants that fit too. They look like normal pants in the front and just have the stretchy stuff in the back. They are khaki too. So today I decided I wanted to wear them.

It's just my little secret.

Belly Baseline- Week 12

So I decided to take our first "Belly" pictures today for week 12. Consider this a "Belly Baseline." I will try to take them every 4 weeks or so when we go to the Dr for updates. Right now there isn't really a "baby bump." It's more of my normal stomach but just a bit more round and bloated. I think most 1st time pregnant women start to show at least a little baby bump around 4 or 5 months so my next pictures will be at 4 months (16 weeks.) I may or may not continue to share the bare belly ones. It just depends on how scary they get or if they make any site visitors queasy. So with no further explanation.....(Oh and please excuse my wet hair. It was before work and my photographer was headed out before I was ready.)

Nervous

As of tomorrow I will be 12 weeks pregnant and officially out of my first trimester. Tomorrow is also the day that I stop taking Metformin. I have been taking Metformin since September. I credit the Metformin to restoring my cycle and thus making it possible for me to be pregnant. So, why am I nervous? I don't want anything bad to happen when I stop taking the Metformin. I think it has been the factor in helping regulate my hormones. I hope the placenta is ready, in place, and kicking out the hormones. It will be nice not to have to take meds everyday at 815 am and 830pm. My cell phone alarm will be silenced. I know nothing bad will happen, but it still makes me nervous because it's something different.

Our first visit with Dr. Dutta

Tuesday was our first visit in town with my regular doctor. It was nice not to have the drive back and forth to Urbana. We met with the doctor first and took care of the annual "peek and poke" visit and some other things. Then we got down to business and had our sono. We did an external "jelly belly" sono for the first time. I am surprised since my bladder was empty given I had to give my urine to them in a cup before the appointment. However it worked and it still astonishes me how cool it is. I don't think I could ever get sick of it. I could stare for hours. I have this little person inside me. The baby was a little less cooperative this time. She said she thought "he" was sleeping (Side note: I don't like to say "it" so we just say "he" even though we don't know what it is and will not be finding out the sex until the day "he" is born.) The doctor wasn't able to get her measurements given he was curled up, upside down, bent in half. The only good picture she was able get was the one above. It's not the best but I tried to label it. You can see the head and the arm bent with the hand by the face. That's exactly how I sleep too!! We got to hear the heartbeat again which was lower than in the past and somewhere in the 160s. After talking to the doctor we did some medical history stuff with the nurse and then we were sent on our way. We don't go back until 16 weeks (5 weeks away) so it will feel like a long time without seeing a doctor. I hope the time goes quickly and although not normal, I hope she does another sono at 16 weeks to get her measurements since she couldn't last time. If not, it will be week 20 before I get to see the sweet baby again.