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Tuesday, August 30, 2011

11 Weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain: Down 1 pound total (which means I gained a pound back!)
Maternity Clothes: Not yet. Stretch marks: Not yet.
Sleep: Full of weird dreams. But yes, I'm sleeping a lot!
Movement: We saw Lil Buns move on the ultrasound, but of course I don't feel anything yet. I hear that doesn't happen until week 16-20 usually.
Cravings/Aversions: Cravings- grapes, pizza, chinese food.
Aversions-broccoli.
Gender: Don't know yet, too early. I think it's a boy, Corey thinks it's a girl.
Symptoms: I just tend to be really tired all the time. And pretty blunt. I've lost my filter. What I miss: Having energy.
What I look forward to: NT scan on September 7. And reaching the second trimester! Moods: I have been pretty emotional lately but I'm in a great mood today. Let's hope the meeting I'm having at work today doesn't ruin that.
Milestones: Our baby is the size of a lime! So exciting! Also, baby's nail beds are forming and their body is now equaling the size of their head. I'm amazed by how quickly they grow during these weeks.
Medical concerns: None, which is wonderful
Anything else you'd like to share or vent about? We told quite a few of our close friends this weekend at a celebration for Corey's birthday. It feels great to have people know, and I can't wait to have time to talk with them more about it!
Toodles!
Elizabeth

Monday, August 29, 2011

First appointment with Doctor O.



You see that little nugget up there? That's our beautiful healthy baby! Heartbeat of 179 beats per minute. And a total entertainer.
Well, I'm finally getting around to writing about our first appointment with the OB, which was last Wednesday. I love my doctor. She is so caring and nice and exactly the kind of person I need to be around for the next 8 months. She has also been my gynecologist for years, so I feel really comfortable with her and she knows my health history. Before our appointment, Corey and I were constantly writing down questions to ask her. Poor Corey had to deal with me throwing out questions stream of consciousness, but he was very calm about it and just wrote them all down on the notepad app on his iPhone. Anyway, we ended up with what seemed like a ton of questions and I didn't understand how we could get out of the office in less than 4 hours. But it only took about 2 and 1/2 hours-not bad for a first appointment!
When we first got there, we filled out a mountain of paperwork. Well, I filled out a mountain of paperwork while Corey entertained himself with games on his phone. I tend to get really anxious and overwhelmed in these types of situations. But as you will see, I really have no idea while they made me fill any of it out. I could have written that I have a personal history of
Count Choculitis, and nobody would have even noticed.
Also, looking around the waiting room, I had the same thought I always do when I'm in that office--everyone in this place is pregnant! However, for the first time, I could include myself in the group. So exciting!
The first part of the appointment was the part I was most excited and most nervous about-the ultrasound. But it was AMAZING! We had this great ultrasound tech who pointed out what everything was. Highlights--the Ultrasound Tech said that it looked like our baby was praying because s/he was holding her/his hands up to the face. It also looked a little bit like a baby sucking their thumb. So adorable. And, our baby really looks like a little gummi bear. And has a big head. and Corey swears that at one point he could really make out the facial features and it is the cutest baby ever. After I was sure I had seen everything, our baby started DANCING. Okay, maybe s/he just wiggled her/his arms and legs around, but still. It was very exciting. Also, I swear, right after dancing, Baby Granstrand waved at us. So amazing. And we got a DVD of the ultrasound to take home and share with the family. It was so much fun to watch my parents and my sister and brother-in-law see the video!
So after that, we went to the waiting room to wait while the tech wrote up her report to give to Dr. O. Then we would meet with a nurse, then the nurse practitioner, and then Dr. O. While we were waiting in the waiting room again, I had to pee (a common occurrence) so I went to the bathroom. 5 minutes later, they brought me back and asked me to pee again. And I swear, I developed pee anxiety at that point. I tried and I absolutely couldn't pee. So I had to ask for water, which I chugged 2 full glasses of, and by the end of the appointment, I tried to pee again and only managed an embarrassingly small amount. They said it was enough, but I felt like they were going to make me turn in my pregnant lady card. They just encouraged me to come back and pee in a cup next time, as I will have to do it every time we come in. Oh, well. Of course, when I got home, I peed for over a minute.
In between all of my pee drama, we met with the nurse (who I didn't like). Then we met with the Nurse Practitioner (I love her-she has been there forever). They both asked me a ton of questions, all of which I had already answered on the paperwork I filled out. They said they are trying to go paperless. Seriously?
And then we met with Dr. O. She did an exam and a pap test. We asked her every single question we had and some that I came up with on the spot. She said baby looked perfect and she was so encouraging about everything. And she was genuinely excited for us. It was such a great feeling.
So the appointment schedule for the next few months is as follows:
on September 7th, we will go in for another ultrasound called
Nuchal Translucency, or NT scan. At that point I will be 12 weeks, 1 day along.
on September 21, I will go in to see Dr. O again. I guess for quite a while I will be seeing her every 4 weeks, but they change things up once we get into the 3rd trimester.
We won't be able to get our ultrasound for sex determination until 20 weeks, which isn't until November. That seems like a year from now at the moment. I'm trying to talk Corey in to going to one of those 3-D/4-D ultrasound places a little bit earlier to see if they can figure it out. And I'm totally asking the Ultrasound Tech at our NT scan what her best guess is. I really want to know! I want to start decorating! I'm a total planner and this waiting game is interfering with that. I know it's nature, but I'm so anxious to know! And I will be thrilled either way, it's just the not knowing that is making me anxious.
Anyway, the scariest thing I heard--after the 20 week ultrasound, they don't do anymore ultrasounds unless something is wrong. She said they can usually come up with something to code it for with insurance, but I can't imagine going another 20+ weeks (most likely) without seeing the baby. I certainly don't wish for any health problems during pregnancy. And I'm sure it will be different, because I will be able to feel the baby moving around, but it still gives me anxiety. If I could, I would want to see our baby every week. If we won the lotto, I would be crazy like Tom Cruise and get our own ultrasound machine. Because seeing the baby on the ultrasound screen is one of the most precious and beautiful experiences ever.

There are probably lots of folks that would remind me that people went for thousands of years without ultrasounds and had babies that were perfectly healthy. The people that tell you this are also the ones that point out that their mom smoked and drank the whole time they were pregnant, and they turned out alright, didn't they? They also tend to bring up Mad Men as an example. I'm sorry, but Sally Draper is not a good example of a well-adjusted child. And if you are trying to boss a pregnant woman around, you probably aren't the best example of a normal well-adjusted adult. And have you seen the infant and maternal mortality rates in the olden days before ultrasounds? Horrifying.
Just because people used to wash their clothes by hand before they had washing machines doesn't mean any of us want to go down in the stream and beat our clothes against a rock. Modern technology is a fabulous thing, and in terms of health technology it has a lot to do with our increasing lifespan. I will now come down off of my soapbox.


That's it for now! I'm totally in love with our little gummi bear!

Elizabeth

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Baby has good genes

Today is Corey's 32nd Birthday. I have known him since he was 24, and I swear he gets better looking with each passing year. But as you can see, as we stroll down memory lane, Corey has always been adorable.

Look at those red overalls! And the bowl cut! I love a bowl cut. I know nowadays baby boys often have mohawks and rarely have bowl cuts, but if we have a boy I think we might buck the trend and go with a bowl cut. I might have to invest in a perfect bowl for cutting hair! Anyway, Corey was pretty much the cutest baby ever. Until Lil Bun. And I know Corey is kind of hoping for a boy, if only for the awesome toys. See below:
Corey loved GI Joes. Have you ever seen a cuter toddler with a gun? He looks REAL serious guys.
And apparently, too cool for school. I'm a huge fan of finger guns. Pretty much my favorite hand gesture (I' mean, really, think of the other options) And in the 80's, dressed like a mini Alex P. Keaton? Yes, please.
This is me and Corey during last Thanksgiving's break in Washington visiting his family. He is so adorable! I want to squeeze his face!
I feel so lucky to get to spend the rest of my life with Corey, and to be celebrating another year of his awesomeness. He is the funniest, kindest, most hard-working guy I know and the best person in the world to talk to.
I love you Corey! Happy Birthday!

Lizzie

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

My Endless Love: the Snoogle!

I mentioned the Snoogle in my last post, so I thought I would devote an entire blog to this lovely product with the ridiculous name. A snoogle is a pregnancy body pillow. It is really easy to stretch around you and reposition. You can wrap it around your back or around your stomach, it can even be helpful for positioning the baby once you are breastfeeding. I have to admit, I felt a little bit stupid buying one this early in pregnancy. But, I've heard several ladies rave about how comforting they are and I became interested. I usually sleep with a pillow in between my knees at night anyway, so I thought this might work better. Plus, Corey was going out of town and I wasn't feeling well, so I decided to go ahead and purchase one. Of course it didn't arrive until the day Corey got back. But I still feel like it was worth every penny. Even though it is only getting down to about 80 degrees outside at night, the Snoogle stay cool throughout the night, which is one of the things I was worried about.
I've been sleeping like a baby. Strut is a fan as well.

If you are pregnant and unsure whether you should invest in this, I say go for it!

The one downside--it can be kind of unweildy. In the already clumsy state of pregnancy, having a giant pillow around while half asleep is bound to end up with at least one accident. I knocked over an open water bottle with it. Then I took everything off of my nightstand to dry it off and I decided that I didn't want all that crap on my nightstand anyway, so I ended up putting it on the chair in our bedroom and I'm planning to redistribute the junk to other locations once I get more energy. All's well that ends well, right?

So I think we should end this blog with a throw back - a video of Lionel Richie and Diana Ross belting out Endless Love. As cheesy as this song is, I totally love it. And today, I dedicate it to my Snoogle.

Have a great day!

Elizabeth

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

10 Weeks

When is your due date? March 20th, 2012
How far along are you? 10 weeks
How much weight have you gained? I've lost 2 pounds

Do you know the gender of your baby? If so, what? Not yet. I think it's a boy, Corey thinks it's a girl.
Do you have a name picked out? What? Yes, we have names picked out for a girl and a boy. I'm wondering if we might change on anything once we find out the sex. That is when I feel like it will really become real. We won't be sharing the first names for awhile. Is the child being named after someone? If we have a boy, the middle name will be David, which is my Dad's middle name (and what most people call him). Our girl's name is the name of my favorite album of all time, but it has several very beautiful meanings.
Who is going to be with you during delivery? Corey. It's not a party. I would be happy to have other people there before and after, but I don't want anyone else to have to be around me in that state unless they are paid to be there.
Natural or medicated childbirth? It still seems so far off. I'm not opposed to an epidural, but at this point I'm just planning to roll with the punches and see what I feel like in the moment. I'm not ruling anything out.
How are you feeling right about now? Good, really excited, always a little bit worried something is wrong when I feel this good. We have an appointment tomorrow (Wednesday) with my OBGyn and we get to have another ultrasound! I can't wait to see Lil Buns again!
What was the first thing you bought for baby? Corey and I bought one outfit for a boy and one outfit for a girl from Ralph Lauren the day we confirmed with our doctor that I was pregnant. It was a pact we had made a long time ago. I was so excited I told the cashier.
Do you feel you are ready to have a baby?
In some ways yes, in other ways no. I'm sure I will feel more ready towards the end. Anytime I don't feel ready I think about people on I Didn't Know I Was Pregnant or 16 & Pregnant and I feel reassured that I'm much more prepared than most.
Are you excited or scared about delivery?
Excited about seeing the baby and making sure s/he is okay; scared about the whole labor part.
Any food cravings? Bread. Oranges. Cheetos. Gum Balls
Anything you loved before that you absolutely cannot eat anymore? Bacon is on my do not eat list for the time being.
Anything else you'd like to share or vent about? I'm feeling less tired than last week which I'm really happy about. I actually made it through the day without taking a two hour nap! I'm hoping this trend will continue.
Elizabeth

To sleep, perchance to dream.

I have been having some crazy dreams lately. I have always gone thru phases where my dreams are more memorable than others, but the last few weeks have been crazy. My dream last night takes the cake. It incorporates many things I noticed and/or talked about in the last few days. In my dream, I was hanging out with Harry Potter and the rest of the good guys. Minus Ron Weasley. Which is really disappointing, because don't we all love Ron Weasley?
We were fighting Death Eaters, everything was really dark and scary. I was also there to help (SPOILER ALERT...but really, the book has been out for many years and the movie was out last year) bury Dobby. I remember crying a lot and everyone acted like I was a big old weirdo. I then explained to Hermione that I'm pregnant and I have a hard time controlling my emotions.
In my dream, (SPOILER ALERT...but come on, didn't you see it coming?) there was no grand defeat of Voldermort.

Instead, he lived, and we all had to split apart and go to different universities and pretend to be regular muggles so the Deatheaters and He Who Must Not Be Named couldn't track us down and kill us. I went to Western Washington University
(mentioned in passing by hubby yesterday) with Hermione and Lee Jordan (the Weasley twins' best friend. Still no Weasleys appearing in my dream). We took on disguises and wore elaborately hipster clothing to blend in with the college folks. There was a baby that started out as the baby of Lupin and Tonks (sob) but ended up being my baby. No recollection of giving birth or anything. Just turned into my baby during the course of the dream. And Hermione and I had to hide the baby in our Freshman dorm room, which looked exactly like the dorm room I had freshman year. We definitely hid him in the drawer when we had to go to class. The baby was real cute and he wore very cute hats and overalls.
His hair changed color a lot, but no sign of any werewolf tendencies in the dream.
Anyway, one day, Hermione and I were hanging out with a bunch of very hip college students and eating lunch under a tree in an area that looked suspiciously like the South Mall at UT and what do you know, Ron Livingston walks by. Now, if you know me, you know that my husband looks quite a bit like Ron Livingston.
Ron Livingston
Corey
I rest my case.
So I think this may have just been my brains way of incorporating Corey into my dream without it really being Corey. In my dream, he was totally like his character from Sex and the City, Berger (an episode of which I watched yesterday. Not an episode with Berger in it, though). And apparently we had a romantic relationship and I was upset with him and we were no longer together. I don't remember any post-it notes making an appearance in my dream, though.
But we had an awkward conversation, and after he left, Hermione offered me sympathy and gave me some of her cheetos (something I've been craving a lot lately). I tend to try and make some sense of my dreams after I have them. I honestly have no idea what any of this means. Other than the fact that I really like Hermione and I want to be friends with her in real life.
Bizarre Dreams -yet another weird thing they never tell you about pregnancy. Add this to the following list of things that I have learned in the last 8 weeks:
1) increased ear wax production. I have found little to no information about what causes this. But I can account for the fact that I have to clean out my ears twice as often, otherwise I can't hear people. On second thought, maybe I should just leave them clogged.
2) just because you are hungry for something doesn't mean you will feel like eating it once it is in front of you. I really love the idea of an assortment of foods right now, but I have had a few occasions lately where something is placed in front of me and I can't eat it. It looks really yummy, but I just can't. Maybe this is my bodies way of preventing morning sickness.
3) everything smells. I am a bloodhound. I wish I was exaggerating. I can smell someone sitting across from me in a meeting. I can smell the gum someone is chewing. And I most certainly can smell food and get grossed out by it.
4) You can look bigger and still weigh less. My body is rearranging itself in preperation I guess. Certain things are getting bigger and nothing is getting smaller. But I still weigh two pounds less than I did before this whole crazy journey started. Not that I couldn't stand to lose a little bit, but I'm confused by this as I've been eating a lot and I really don't care to lose weight now that I'm pregnant. While I often feel nauseated, I do not throw up frequently enough for it to have an effect on my weight. I have no idea how this works.
5) Now lets add to the growing list, bizarre pregnancy dreams. According to a recent study featured in
Sleep magazine, increased emotional influence, sleep deprivation and altered hormone levels all contribute to the crazy ass dreams women have during pregnancy.
All in all, I can't decide if I am looking forward to falling to sleep tonight (Pros- girl talk w/ Hermione! Cheetos! Cute babies in hats!) or if I'm dreading it (Cons- Voldermort is scary; my snoogle could turn into Nagini, Voldemort's snake;
more Ron Weasley, less Ron Livingston, please). But God knows, there is absolutely no chance that I would have a similar dream again tonight.
My predictions: I probably will dream about the
Kardashians (read and watched way too much about them in the last three days)
and/or throwing an incredibly ugly shoe at a beautiful chandelier in front of everyone I know
I guess I will just have to wait and see. Ay, there's the rub.

Happy Sleeping!

Elizabeth

Monday, August 22, 2011

We're having a baby!

I've been pinching myself for weeks. Ever since I was a little girl playing with my baby dolls, all that ever really mattered to me was falling in love, getting married, and having babies.
The falling in love part seemed to take forever, in the way that things do when you are a teenager. When I was in high school I constantly whined about not being able to find a suitable boy (which might have been the reason no suitable boys were interested). I felt like everyone else had perfect relationships and I was going to be an old cat lady. In reality, I was very lucky in that I met my Prince Charming very early in life. I was 19, and he was 24.

All of a sudden, just like that, the clouds parted and there was my husband. I knew within a week of meeting Corey, my husband of 4 years, that he was the one. I know that sounds corny, but it's true. I think he is adorable and funny and kind, but most importantly I love to talk to him. We have the best conversations. The first night we met we stayed up talking until 4:30 in the morning. Then he was supposed to get on a plane and go back to his home state of Washington, but on his way to the airport, he decided to stay. It was all very romantic and dramatic.
Three and a half years later, we got married on a rainy Memorial Day weekend. We planned our wedding for 18 months. I do not understand how people plan weddings with less time than that, but then, I was getting my bachelor's degree and working the majority of the time. But seriously, people got engaged, married and divorced in the time-span of us planning our wedding. Granted, they were mostly celebrities, but still. Our wedding was to be a beautiful outdoor affair. We had been concerned about rain, but I thought, what are the chances we would pick a rainy day? We live in an area where if doesn't rain a lot. Well, it rained all summer the year we got married. On the morning of the wedding, once I committed to having the ceremony outside, there was a torrential downpour. I couldn't believe it.
Then suddenly, the rain stopped, the clouds parted and it was gorgeous outside for the rest of the wedding. I loved our wedding. I don't have one bad memory associated with it. It was a perfect day.
Over the next four years we bought a home we love, we went through job changes, we adopted cats. We really wanted to have a baby. Sometimes, it seemed like everyone around us was having babies and we were the only ones who weren't. Then finally, the clouds parted, and we found out we had a little bambino on the way. I still cannot believe it. I took 7 pregnancy tests, because I couldn't believe it was positive!
We feel so incredibly blessed and we cannot wait to be parents. Tomorrow, I will be 10 weeks along. 1/4 of the way through this journey.
This blog is to document and celebrate all that is grand about life for our growing Granstrand clan.
Thank you for reading!
Elizabeth Granstrand
Wife to Corey, Pet Mama to Strut and Ally, and Mama to Lil Buns!