Please put me out of my misery

All we need is a freeze.  Please God let us have a few days below freezing.  That way the plants would stop pollinating and I would stop suffering.
I've been taking loratidine (claritin) and Singular and even Benadryl and NOTHING is helping.  My allergies are so bad right now, I called my OB yesterday and pleaded for the OK for me to get a steroid shot.

Well, I got the shot yesterday and it's been 24 hours and I've noticed only a minimal improvement.  My symptoms were so bad I had to leave work at noon yesterday.  I've worked at my clinic for 4 years and only missed 2 days of work for sickness- that ought to tell you something. After getting home, I stayed on the couch until I passed out from the Benadryl at 8:00 pm.  I just want to be able to breath out of my nose.  Is that too much to ask for?

I think I need to move.  I hear there's not much pollen/ cedar in Arizona........

13 weeks

By the end of the week Sprout will be the size of a peach!

  I'm nearing then end of the first Trimester and there are definitely days where I have more energy than I have previously.  Sunday I even spent time outside doing yard work!  Chase took me out on a date and I actually stayed up past 9:00.  Watch out!

Here's what Sprout is doing this week:  The head is now about half the size of her crown-to-rump length (that’s one reason why your little peach looks more like an alien from outer space at this point). By the time you give birth, the body will catch up, measuring three-quarters of her total size.  Bones are beginning to form in her arms and legs, the intestines are beginning to move from the umbilical cord to the abdomen, and the vocal cords are well under construction . The baby can move its arms and legs in a jerky fashion,so it may be able to get the thumb into the mouth.


Sprout also got his (her?) first present yesterday!  A co-worker named Misty left me a the present on my desk as a surprise.

I'm sure Sprout will love it!

If only-

I thought I'd share a  patient story today.

A young-ish man (late 30s) came in to the clinic earlier today.  He was complaining of the typical stuff you see this time of year- cough, congestion, sneezing, sore throat, and runny nose.  His symptoms started Saturday. (normal boring patient so far right?-)
Here's the wrench in the gears-  He was getting married in 2.5 hours.  HOURS?  I had to "make him better" by then.

If only I could.  If only I could.

12 weeks

Well it's Wednesday so we get to move ahead another week in the pregnancy.  11 down 29 to go!
Here's what's going on with baby Sprout this week:
The baby continues to grow and develop rapidly in the 12th week of pregnancy. The baby’s brain starts making hormones and the nerve cells of the baby also multiply extremely fast now. The baby will be sucking and swallowing food and the kidneys will be producing urine as well. The baby continues growing in length and size now. Muscles start responding to the brain which is not as mature yet to control things totally. The simultaneous development of the muscles and the brain bring about natural movements in the baby’s body such as bending arms, twisting wrists and elbows and clenching and opening fists. The features of the face can be traced with the pinching of the eyebrows or pursing of the lips. The placenta functions effectively and the umbilical cord begins to help in circulation of blood.


 Baby Sprout is about the size of a large plum now- 

I'm feeling a little more energetic but not quite back to my typical self.  I sleep 10 hours a night (getting up twice to pee) and still wake up wanting more sleep.  Supposedly the 2nd trimester is much better energy wise ( I think I said that before).  My allergies are also KILLING me which can make me tired.  At this point last year I would have gotten a steroid shot to get them under control but unfortunately steroids are a class C in pregnancy (don't do if you can help it) so I'm trying to get by with just an every other day Claritin. Work is busy as it is cold and flu season- so we're seeing a booked schedule right now.  That adds to the fatigue too.  Everything's against me!  I've most certainly got to start my nightly dog walking again.  Maybe that will help.

Because I've been sooooo sleepy- this morning I went to Starbucks to get a decaf Carmel Brulee Latte. Decaf coffee still has about 5mg of caffeine which is more than what I've been getting with my Sprite Zeros.   Well- instead of "grande" like I ordered I got a Venti and it wasn't decaf.  I had about a 1/4 of it then started feeling weird and shaky so I gave the rest away.  It's the first real caffeine I've had in month so even that small amount had me a bit wired.  Of course I panicked and had to google safe amounts of caffeine in pregnancy.  I'll be fine and so will Sprout.  But I think I will continue the decaffeinated lifestyle post-pregnancy as well.

We've done nothing further with the nursery, though I have started looking a cribs. 

Our next doctor's appointment is February 8th. So in the meantime I'll just keep taking vitamins, drinking an unbelievable amount of water, and trying to eat healthy so Sprout can have the best home I can provide!

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for a healthy growing baby, a healthy growing marriage, and a mostly healthy me (let's pretend I didn't eat Whataburger for lunch today)!
I'm also thankful that I got to tell my coworkers and some friends that I'm pregnant.  The secret was killing me!

11 weeks.

So I had my second doctor's appointment today. It was not super fun or exciting til the end.
           Initially, a nurse took a PMH (past medical history) from both my husband and I. Then the doctor took "cultures" aka a cervical swab for gonorrhea and chlamydia.  Not fun.  The OB did make me chuckle when she said "this is nothing against you guys, I have to do this on everyone".   Then  I got the results of my routine blood tests I took a few weeks ago- all was normal no anemia, HIV, or syphilis.  I'm immune to rubella ( I already knew that) and I got my blood type (which I already knew).
        Then at the very end we got to hear Sprout's heartbeat- yay!  The OB found it for a quick second a few times but it went away.  She kept at it and finally found the right spot.  The heart rate was between 160-170 For some reason that makes my sister think we're having a boy.  Whatever.
        I also have to decide if I  want to have screening blood tests for genetic disorders- I'm leaning towards no because I don't think it would make a difference to me at this point in the pregnancy.  I wouldn't end it regardless of the results.

Right now apparently the baby is the size of a lime.   The baby is likely just under 1 ½ inches long by now and may weigh as much as .3 ounces. The skin is still transparent. The iris will begin to develop this week and finger nails appear.
    That's all for now
-J

More nursery stuff

I was busy over the weekend.  I think I look a little crazy that I'm already decorating a nursey for a 10 week old fetus but, I don't care.

I said previously that I'd my husband and I decided on a "woodsy" theme with owls.
Well here's a glimpse into the transformation!

I got the decal from a seller off Etsy.  Once we figured out how to get the first tree on, the rest went up pretty fast.  And by pretty fast I mean it took an entire day!

Owl-y nursey

So even before I became pregnant I was searching for ideas to decorate the nursery.  I love to decorate and this just gave me a good excuse to change out a room.

         My husband has a thing for owls- we had one on our roof and he actually took the time to google owl "hoots" so he could identify what kind of owl we had.  He also took tons of pictures of the thing and was super sad when it flew away and stayed away.  I like owls- they're smart right?  And I think they're beautiful.
 But, if you google the "meaning" of owls you can definately find a negative view but there are good things too, knowledge- the "wise" owl- for one and I'm ok with that.  I finally decided on a little bit of a woodsy theme with owls.  We're not finding out the sex of "sprout" until delivery so I've got to keep the room gender neutral.
        I've google imaged the heck out of nurseries with owls, woods, birds, etc.  I've also visited Etsy to see what the creative people over there may do that I could some what replicate. 
        This weekend was my first project.  My "pillow owls".  I bought felt at Hobby Lobby and with some help from my sister made a pattern and got to sewing.  The face is all hand sewn.  The body is machine stitched then stuffed and closed with a railroad stitch so you can't see the seam.

I may include some step-by-steps but here are just a few pictures of what I made.  I think they turned out well!

9 1/2 weeks

Well- I'm pregnant! After 7 months of "trying"  (not sure why it's called trying) we got a + pregnancy test around Thanksgiving.  Due date is August 1st.  yippee!

And right now I am about  9.5 weeks. 

Sexy movie- not so sexy me.  ( I first saw the movie in high school- I asked my boyfriend at the time to pick up "9 months"- he got "9 1/2 weeks".  Veeeeery different movies!)

I'm lucky in the sense that I am having no problems with morning sickness, none at all.  However, I must say I am gassier than a frat boy chugging Natural Light and eating bean burritos.  I can now burp louder than my husband and I pass gas more times a day than I ever imagined I could.  With all this gassiness comes bloating too.  I am having to use a hair tie around my pants buttons to give me that one extra inch because my pants won't close.  Lovely.  I'm looking forward to being able to blame the tight pants on the actual baby bump and not just bloating. 

And I am tired.  I mean I am extremely fatigued.  Apparently creating an organ (the placenta) really takes it out of you.  This really adds to my sexiness because I'm cranky and I'd rather take a nap on the couch than move/talk/ or even eat.  I read that the second trimester you get some of your energy back.  I'm counting down the days.

Last but not least- I'm breaking out worse than a greasy teenager.  Real sexy.  Just the other I was staring at my lovely complexion in the mirror and hypothetically asked my husband "What is this!!?" (referring to my numerous zits on my chin) He answers "An archipelago?"  Nice.  Thanks.

Yes- I am complaining today but that's probably because I'm back at work and bitchy tired.  I'm overall thrilled to be knocked up and I'm more than excited to meet our little sprout!  (although we couldn't have picked a hotter time of year in Texas for a due date!)