Birth Story for Sophie

I wrote this birth story for Sophie's baby book. It lacks a lot of the numbers and time details, but it's her story and I think it's a beautiful one.

Little Sophie it must have been very nice inside Mommy because you did not want to leave the comfort of my belly. Your due date, March 24, 2010, came and went without any sign of your arrival. A week and a half later you were still hanging out inside Mommy so our doctor set a date for you to finally be induced. Your birthday was going to be April 2, 2010. On April 1, 2010 your Granny and Aunt Lexi arrived from Florida and Mommy was there at the airport to pick them up. Lexi came in first and Granny followed shortly after. While Aunt Lexi and I were waiting for Granny to get in I started to feel some very minor contractions. Since I wasn’t in any pain, we continued on and met Daddy for a sushi dinner once Granny got in. After dinner Mommy dropped Granny and Lexi off at their hotel so that we could all get some rest before the big day. Daddy and I headed home and just as we got into bed for the night I felt my water break. Daddy called the doctor and he wanted us to come in right away. Mommy called to let Granny and Lexi know that the show was starting earlier than expected. We were all excited that you finally wanted to arrive. Daddy and I checked into the Labor and Delivery unit and were taken to a room. Once I got changed and answered a bunch of questions we got started. Our first nurse wasn’t able to get my IV started and Mommy had to be stuck 3 times before the IV was finally placed. My antibiotics were started so that we would both be Group B Strep free when you were born. Usually after your water breaks contractions start on their own. For some reason I decided to not start contracting after my water broke. The doctors and nurses gave me an hour or so before starting the Pitocin to see if I would start, but I never did. The Pitocin was started and the dose was increased every thirty minutes. Neither one of us enjoyed the Pitocin. It made Mommy’s contractions very strong and pretty close together. You didn’t like the Pitocin either. The nurses had to either turn off the Pitocin or turn it down because you couldn’t tolerate it. After tolerating as much as I could on my own, I requested pain medication. The first medication that they gave me, Stadol, helped to ease the pain slightly. I got a second dose of Stadol and was in the process of requesting a third dose when they decided that I should get an epidural. I was still only 1cm dilated and about 75% effaced at that point even though I had been laboring for several hours. I wasn’t scared of getting an epidural like I’ve heard some people are. It took three anesthesiologists and six sticks before they finally got the epidural in place. It was worth every stick in my opinion. The epidural was amazing once it was finally in and working. It was at that point that I was able to relax and sleep and that’s when you started moving down and I started dilating more. Several hours after the epidural was placed we were ready to start pushing. After 20 hours of labor, we worked together for another hour and a half before you were finally laid on my chest and screamed your little heart out. Daddy, Granny, and Lexi were all there in the room with me to witness your first breath of life. Little Sophie, your entrance into this world was not the easiest thing that I’ve ever done, but having you here and being able to kiss your sweet little cheeks makes it all worth while. You are the most precious little girl and your daddy and I are so excited that you are finally here with us. We’re looking forward to watching you grow into the amazing person that you are going to be and helping to guide you through life.

Here are a few pictures of our little doll.

Pregnancy as well as labor and delivery weren't exactly what I thought they were going to be. The good times were finding out that we were pregnant, the ultrasounds and feeling the babys kicks, but there was also a whole lot more pain and discomfort than I expected. The end result made it all worthwhile though. Life with a newborn is crazy, exciting, tiring, and exhilarating. Little Sophie is my first priority right now which is why I'm making this my last Pregosaur post. I will still be reading and cheering on all of you that are still pregnant and/or trying to conceive. This has been an amazing journey and I thank all of you for letting me share my experiences with you.

-Mrs. Luckysaur

Luckysaur- Week 36

I've reached week 36...36weeks and 4 days to be exact and I'm so ready to be done. Only 23 more days (hopefully) till I get to meet my little girl. Week 36 has brought a LOT of pelvic pain. I ache almost all the time. I have problems walking. Especially right after I get up from sitting. My hips also hurt every time I turn over in bed. This part of pregnancy has not been fun.

I've started have a few Braxton-Hicks contractions. It's weird feeling your stomach get that hard. I'm hoping that they are helping get my uterus ready for the big day. I have my next doctor's appointment on Wednesday. I'd kind of like to see if there's anything going on in there (effacement, dilation) even though I know that it doesn't really mean much at this stage.

I think that we have the majority of the things crossed off of our to do list now. All the newborn and 0-3 month clothes are washed, our car seat bases are installed, we have the bouncy seat, swing and stroller put together, we have diapers and wipes set out next to her changing table. Her bookcase and crib have been put together and all our thank you's have been written. The only thing that we have left to do is pack our hospital bag. Almost everything that's going in there is stuff that I will be using prior to going to the hospital so I can't really pack it yet. I think that I'm just going to write out a list and pack it before we go. I'm not really worried about forgetting anything (except for the camera). Mr. Luckysaur will be coming back fairly frequently to let our dogs out while I'm in the hospital. So if something is forgotten, he can get it on one of his trips back.

It's scary and exciting how close we are to being parents. I really hope that I can make it through the next couple of weeks.

Showered with Love

Hello all! I'm back from my shower in Florida with a whole lot more goodies for Sophie than I could have ever imagined. I hauled two stuffed suitcases back...thank goodness for the two free bags deal on Southwest! We also shipped two packed boxes back. It was so great to see everyone and they were all so generous. I had the best time and couldn't have asked for a better shower. My sister and mom are quite the event planners and everything looked and tasted wonderful!

We'll start with the presents. Here they are in all their wrapped glory.


Sophie got a ton of cute little outfits...she's going to be all set until she hits about 3 months old. After that the poor little girl's going to have nothing. Haha. Until then, she going to be one stylin' baby! We also got a lot of diapers, some wipes, a swing, a playmat, a carseat base, and a few gift cards. Mr. Luckysaur and I are planning on hitting up Target and Babies R Us this weekend to finish up getting the rest of the stuff that we need.

The food that my sister and mom fixed for the shower was AMAZING! They need to go into business hosting parties, that's how good they are.


This was the appetizer table. There were two platters of prosciutto wrapped tomatoes and mozzerella and the stacked platters were these yummy shrimp and cream cheese cups.


For lunch we had salad with the tastiest crab cakes ever along with a fruit salad in martini glasses rimmed with pink sugar...too cute.


They also made me a yummy non-alcoholic punch to sip on that was full of fruit.



Not pictured (because I scarfed it down too fast) was the chocolate cream puffs for desert. They were to die for!

Here's a quick picture of all the girls in my family... me, my mom, sister, sister-in-law, and my two absolutely adorable nieces. I'm so happy that they were all able to make it!


Last, but not least were the decorations that my sister worked so hard on. She's so creative with these things. She made the most adorable banner with Sophie's name on it that hung above the present table along with some paper lanterns.


Sophie's name and initials were on the flowers on the table




There was a diaper cake on the coffee table.


They also had these cute popcorn ball favors for all the guests to take home with them.


Just for kicks...here's my week 33 picture. I feel like I've grown a lot in the past couple of weeks. I can't imagine what I'm going to look like when I'm 40 weeks...yikes!!!

Luckysaur- Week 29

Hello all! It's been a few weeks since I've posted anything. Mr. Luckysaur and I were in St. Louis with his family over the holidays and I'm just getting into the groove of being back. I had a week and a half off for Christmas. It was really nice being off, but it's actually nice to get back in the swing of things too. Mr. Luckysaur and I had a few days back here before we had to get back to work which was wonderful. We got a lot of things done in Sophie's room. Her dresser/changing table needed an extra coat of paint, since the previously brown top was still showing through the white paint. Mr. Luckysaur worked on that project while I unearthed the pile of stuff that we've been accumulating for Sophie. I took off tags off of clothes and blankets and put it all away. We also painted a side table in the room bright red, which looks so cute. I guess nesting had started kind of early in the Luckysaur household, but it feels so good to get some of this stuff done.

Sophie, as well as Mr. Luckysaur and I, did well this Christmas. Sophie got quite a few clothes (she's going to be one stylin' little girl), books, and a sippie cup with her name on it. Mr. Luckysaur and I decided to go together and get a new camera for each other for Christmas this year. We got the Canon T1i DSLR camera and a lens so that we can get some good (hopefully!) shots of the little one when she arrives. We've been testing it out on the dogs. I think they're ready for Sophie to arrive just so that they don't have to have any more pictures taken of them. Haha! Mr. Luckysaur and I got money from Granny and Papa (my parents) to go towards an upholstered recliner/glider that we've been eyeing to rock our little girl in. We promtly went out and bought it after opening our card with the money in it. I made Mr. Luckysaur take a picture of me in the chair. Ahhhh...so comfy!



I had my doctor's appointment on Monday, which included the dreaded 1 hour glucose tolerance test. The drink actually wasn't as bad as I thought (and heard) it was going to be. It tasted like flat Sunkist. I usually like Sunkist (not flat) so it really didn't bother me that much. I got a call today with my results...135. Apparently this is the high end of normal, so I get to go back for the 3 hour glucose test as well. I'm hoping that it will come back normal. I'm dreading the thought of a diabetic diet or insulin for the remainder of this pregnancy, but I'm trying to stay positive. I don't go back until the 28th for that, but I'll keep you updated as I know more.

Week 29 has brought on a few new aches and pains as well as my third cold in as many months, but for the most part I'm still chugging along and doing pretty good. Sophie's definately growing and her kicks have gotten more regular and a bit stronger. I had a feeling that she was transverse just by where I was feeling her kicks and jabs. My nurse practioner comfirmed that she is indeed transverse for the time being. She told me that they don't worry about position until week 36 though. She's still got a little while to figure out that she needs to be vertical and not horizontal. For now, I'm going to enjoy the fact that she's not pressing on my bladder or kicking me in the ribs. I'm sure my time will be coming for those things.

Last, but not least...Here's our week 29 picture.

Luckysaur- Week 25

Here we are at week 25...the weeks just keep ticking by. They seem to be going so much faster now. I'm not sure if it's the time of year or the new job. Either way I don't mind. I can't wait to meet our little girl and the faster we get to that point the better as far as I'm concerned. I always thought that I would love being pregnant. As much as I love feeling Sophie kick around in there, I'm ready to be back to my normal self again (with our new little one, of course). Does anyone else feel the same way?


I haven't done one of these questionnaires in a while so I decided to add one back in today.

How far along?- 25 weeks

Total weight gain/loss- A LOT! Seeing the numbers on the scale increase as much as they have has been the worst part of pregnancy for me.

How Big is Baby?- A rutabaga!

Maternity clothes?- Definiately. My belly's getting bigger by the day (along with everything else on me).

Stretch marks?- No new ones yet. I know that it may not help, but I've been slathering my belly with lotion every day when I get out of the shower. I figure it can't hurt.

Sleep- I'm currently a 3 pillow sleeper. I have one for my head, one for my belly, and one for my back. So far this is working out great for me and I'm sleeping very soundly. I'm hoping that this continues for a while longer.

Movement- Oh yeah... Mr. Luckysaur and I could see it from the outside for the first time this past weekend. Sophie was super active right after dinner on Friday night. I was lying down on the couch and every so often she would kick and my belly would move. She's getting stonger!

Food cravings- Nothing in particular. I'm usually hungry for a big lunch, but I don't seem to snack as much during the day as I had been.

Gender- Our little Sophie is a girl. : )

Labor Signs- None so far.

Belly Button in or out?- Still in...yeah!

What I am looking forward to- Everything. Haha. I'm excited about Christmas even though it will be the first one that I'm not spending with my family. We spent Thanksgiving with my family this year, so Christmas we'll be with Mr. Luckysaur's family in St. Louis. I'm also looking forward to my shower which is planned for 01/30. My sister and mom are hosting it for me back in Florida so I'll be heading down there in January (yeah!).


I took a picture last week even though I didn't post it. Here's my week 24 picture.


And here's my week 25 picture.

Luckysaur- Week 23

I'm feeling like I look bigger this week. I think Sophie has been doing some growing in there since I last posted. I've also gotten three comments from patients this week asking me when I was due so other people seem to be noticing it too. Here we are at week 23...


We hit a big milestone this week...Mr. Lucksaur was able to feel Sophie move last night. I've been noticing that her movements have been getting stronger and stronger lately. They started out as little twinges, but now they feel more like thumps from the inside. Now I know why no one can tell you exactly what it feels like when a baby moves around inside. It's very hard to describe the feeling because it's not like anything else that I've ever felt before. I felt Sophie from the outside a few nights ago when she started moving around as I was getting into bed. I was lying on the couch last night after dinner and she started moving around and I was able to feel it again. I pulled Mr. Luckysaur's hand over to where I was feeling it and sure enough she gave us another kick and he was able to feel it too. We were both so excited. Mr. Luckysaur kept rubbing my belly and talking to Sophie, which I think is the most adorable thing ever. He is going to be a great dad. I can't wait to see him interact with her in person.

Time is flying by so quickly. I can't believe Thanksgiving weekend is finally upon us (for those of you in the US). I'm heading back down to Florida with Mr. Luckysaur to celebrate the holiday with my family. I'm looking forward to seeing my family and friends again, but I'm also really looking forward to all the food! I like turkey, but the side dishes (and desserts) are my favorites...mashed potatoes, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole, and pumpkin pie. YUM!

What Thanksgiving dish are you the most excited about?

Luckysaur- Week 21

Hello all! Another week has quickly passed...here we are at week 21. Only 133 days (give or take a few days) left until we get to meet our little girl.



I had a discovery this morning. It's kind of hard to see in this picture, but above the indentation from my pants and underwear is the beginning of the linea nigra (along with my innie belly button which I hope stays that way). I got out of the shower this morning and looked in the mirror and there it was. I have fairly dark skin, although my belly is pretty pale since it hasn't seen the sun in quite some time, and I've read that the linea nigra is more prominent in darker skinned people. I'll take this over stretch marks any day. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that those stay the heck away from this belly!


I got to hang out with my mom and sister this weekend in Florida. It's so hard living so far away from them, but we're trying to make the most of the situation by getting together as often as possible. I got to meet my new "nephew" while I was there too. This is my sister and her 7 week old baby boy, Barkley. He loves to bite right now which is why we kept sticking the lollipop chew toy in his mouth every few seconds. Haha! I'll get to see them again at Thanksgiving, which is only a few weeks away, but I'm sure Barkley will look much different then than he does now. He's going to be a big boy...look at those paws!


We did some shopping while I was in Florida. Sophie made out BIG time. Her granny is already spoiling her like crazy. She got all kinds of clothes...this kid already has me beat in the clothes department. We also got a few more things for her nursery. I'm excited to start getting it all set up, but since it's still our office right now I need to wait to have DH help me move the office furniture around to make room for the baby stuff. We'll see how fast that happens. I tried to start some of it myself last week and ended up feeling crampy so I stopped. I told DH about it and he's not letting me lift or move anything anymore. I'm not complaining though.

I start my new job on Monday. As much as I enjoy having all this free time, I really like having some structure too. I'm looking forward to getting back into the work groove again. Especially since I'll only be there a week and a half before I get a few days off again!

I hope everyone is having a great week!

Luckysaur- Week 20

We've officially made it to the half way mark! I can't believe how fast it's gone. There are only 20 weeks left until Sophie makes her appearance. I can't get over that! I really hope that time keeps flying by as fast as it has. Here's my week 20 picture. I don't think the picture does my bump justice...it really is there. Haha.


Last Friday was my last day at my job. It was pretty uneventful and I wasn't sad at all. I was actually ready to get out of there. Monday morning I got a call from HR at the second position that I interviewed for and they offered me the position! Not only will I be employed again, but I'll be making more money than I was at my previous job. Yeah! My start date is scheduled for November 16th. The only downside is that I will only have 6 (or 8, if she comes by c-section) weeks with Sophie after she is born before I have to go back to work. That bums me out a little, but it comes with the territory. I knew when this happened that I wouldn't be covered by FMLA anymore. I'm trying to stay positive about this and I'm thinking that I may see if they would be ok with me working part time for a couple of weeks after I return. That may help ease the transition of having to leave my little girl to go back to work.

Since I have two weeks in between jobs, I booked a flight (courtesy of frequent flier miles) to go back to Florida to visit my family. My mom and sister are so excited that I'm coming and are ready to go baby shopping! Whoo-hoo! I've started to get a few things for her room, but I really want their help on figuring it all out. They are great decorators. I wish they didn't live so far away.

Speaking of the decorating the nursery, Mr. Luckysaur and I bought Sophie a dresser off of Craigslist a while back and painted it. That was during my sleepy first trimester and I never got around to blogging about it. It was an awful cream color with brown top that I unfortunately did not capture on film to share with all of you. We turned the monstrosity into a crisp white dresser to match the white crib that my mom is planning on getting us. We're going to put a changing pad on top and use this as her changing table as well.


I really like all the pink stuff out there for girls, but I'm drawn more to bright, primary colors for some reason. Let me tell you, if you are having a girl and you want primary colors, forget about it. Bedding sets don't exist in this color pallet for girls. I fell in love with the colors in this blanket that my sister bought for us back in September. Not only did it have the colors that I wanted, but it was polka dots which I love. The blanket came from Target and they had a sheet that matched it too, well an entire bedding set, but it was definitely for a little boy. We're going to go with the blanket and sheet from Target instead of continuing to search for a bedding set. Yesterday, while strolling through Pottery Barn Kids at the mall I stumbled upon the perfect crib skirt to go with the sheet.



Did you see that sticker? Yep that's right, marked down from $59 to $19.97! Call me frugal if you want, but I love deals like that especially from Pottery Barn.

Have you all heard of Etsy? If not you need to go check it out. It's a site with all kinds of handmade (and vintage) goodies. I love that site and I've bought a ton of stuff off of there especially for my wedding earlier this year. I searched the site for nursery stuff the other day and I found a really cute banner that I thought would be great over the crib. Being the thrifty crafter that I am, I decided to try to make one myself instead of buying it. I'm a little biased, but I think it turned out great.


I WAY over estimated the number of flags that I would need and ended up with over double the amount. If anyone is interested in one of these, let me know.

Last but not least, I found this picture at TJ Maxx that I thought would be cute by the bookshelf that we're planning on buying. I added the little butterfly to the b although I'm not sure if it's going to stay there or not.


So there you have it...a lot of the little details and none of the stuff that Sophie's actually going to need. Haha. Those will come in time. The decorating is much more fun!

Luckysaur- Week 19

It's been a crazy couple of weeks to say the least. I swear my life has been a roller coaster ride since the beginning of 2008. I'm not the type of person that enjoys that type of lifestyle at all. I much prefer a little consistency in my life and I'm hoping that I find it sometime soon.

The low of the past few weeks was finding out that my position at work has been cut and that I will be out of a job as of Friday. Mr. Luckysaur and I make a decent living, but we can't make it on just one salary for long. Financial instability, health insurance needs, along with just feeling plain rejected, make me very nervous about my current situation, but I truely believe that things happen for a reason. Luckily, I had already started my job search a few weeks before this happened. I'm still waiting to hear back from that position about coming in for a second interview. In the meantime, I found another clinical research position, similar to the one that I previously applied for, and submitted my resume for that one as well. As of this afternoon, I have two days worth of interviews completed for the second and newest research position. I'm now playing the waiting game for a call back on this one as well. I don't want to jinx myself, but I have a really good feeling that the job may be mine.

The highest of highs the past two weeks was definitely having our big ultrasound and finding out that we are having a girl. I can hardly put into words how amazing it was to be able to see all her little body parts and to find out that she is healthy and developing right on schedule. This was our third ultrasound and most likely our last until she arrives unless something unforeseen happens that would warrant another ultrasound. As much as I'd love to see her again, I'm hoping that we don't have anymore ultrasounds. Here are some pictures of our little 8 oz beauty, Sophia Avery...

We were told Sophie is sucking her fingers in this picture...how cute!

Here are the three lines of her girlie parts that prove she is indeed female.

I feel like my belly is growing on a daily basis now. It's definitely getting bigger and harder to the touch. I've also felt what I think to be the beginnings of kicks. I have finally gotten to the point where this pregnancy feels real and it's very exciting.

Here's Sophie's and my week 19 picture...

Baby Luckysaur is a...

Girl! All my motherly intuitions were completely wrong. Haha. The ultrasound was this morning and our little girl was very active. All her measurements are on track with where they're supposed to be and no abnormalities were found (whew!).

I'll post the ultrasound pictures as soon as I can get them scanned, but I wanted to share our good news and to introduce our little Sophia Avery to all of you.

Luckysaur- Week 17

Man time is really flying by now. I'm having a hard time believing that in 3 short weeks I will be half way done with this pregnancy already.

A quick update on the job interview that I had two weeks ago. The position is a clinical research (pharmaceutical clinical trials) coordinator position. The people that I interviewed with and met were extremely friendly and the job sounded like it was exactly what I want to get back into. I had a really good feeling that they liked me and I was a good candidate for the position when I left after the interviews. They contacted me a few days ago and want me to come back and interview with some of the other physicians that I would be working with. It seems to me like it's more of a meet and greet than interviews, but I'm going to go prepared to interview. The saga continues! I'll keep you updated.

At 17 weeks, I feel like a bump is forming. It probably still looks a whole lot like fat to the outside world, but to me it's a bump. With that said, here is the first of my weekly bump pictures. I can't wait to see the changes in my belly as baby Luckysaur grows!


How far along?- 17 weeks

Total weight gain/loss- I'm assuming 12+ pounds. I still haven't gotten on the scale and probably won't until my next doctor's appointment next week. Anyone else have a slight fear of the scale besides me?
How Big is Baby?- A turnip!
Maternity clothes?- Absolutely and I love them (for now at least).
Stretch marks?- No new ones yet.
Sleep- I've had a cold the past couple days so sleep hasn't been great. I've been congested and tossing and turning all night. I don't take medicine often, but I forgot how much better it can make you feel when you are really congested. I know that there are some medications that are considered safe during pregnancy, but I'm choosing to ride this cold out with out taking any of them. For now I've been using Shower Soothers. I don't know if it's the warm shower or the menthol in the Shower Soothers that's helping, but they seem to help out a little bit.
Best moment this week?- Getting a call back to continue the interview process for the new job.
Movement- Not yet, unfortunately. I'm hoping that I start feeling something soon.

Food cravings- Chinese food, in particular General Tso's chicken and lo-mein, which I think I will be having for lunch today. I wish I could understand these cravings!
Gender- 9 more days till we find out…but who’s counting?

Labor Signs- None, whew!
Belly Button in or out?- In, thank goodness.
What I am looking forward to- My mom's coming up to visit tomorrow for the weekend and my 33rd birthday is next Tuesday.
Milestones- The count down to the BIG ultrasound so that we can finally find out if it's a boy or a girl. Then the hard part begins, choosing the name.

Luckysaur- Week 16

It's amazing how much better I feel on almost a daily basis. I have to say that I agree with how the 2nd trimester is the "golden trimester". My energy is coming back little by little. Prior to getting pregnant, I would work out after work about four days a week as well as on the weekends. Once the fatigue hit, I was lucky if I got to the gym a total of once on the weekend. It wasn't good! I'm sure my lack of exercising (and of course my increased eating) was related to my big 1st trimester weight gain. I went to the gym and did my beloved spin class on Monday after working. I can't tell you how good that made me feel. It's so nice to feel a little more like myself again.

I've been putting off taking belly pictures because there really isn't much there to take a picture of yet. I've decided to bite the bullet and start with week 17. Stay tuned for that!

How far along?- 16 weeks

Total weight gain/loss- Still at 12 pounds to my knowledge. I haven’t gotten on the scale since my last doctor’s appointment, but I’ve been exercising more since then so I’m hopeful that my weight gain is slowing down.

How Big is Baby?- An avocado!

Maternity clothes?- Yep. I’m already wanting a few new outfits…I like variety which isn’t good when you’re trying to save money.

Stretch marks?- No new ones yet. Keeping my fingers crossed that they don’t appear.

Sleep- I started sleeping with an extra pillow this week to keep me propped up a little more. I usually sleep on my stomach, but sleeping that way makes me feel like I need to pee more often. I think my uterus pushes on my bladder more that way. I may breakdown and buy a body pillow soon.

Best moment this week?- I had a really good job interview last Thursday. I’m still waiting on a response from them. Even if I don’t get it, I feel like I did a really good job and I’m proud of myself for trying to make my work situation better.

Movement- Not yet. I’m looking forward to being able to start feeling something.

Food cravings- Food and lots of it! Actually I’m finding that I need a larger lunch and a smaller dinner, which is opposite of how I used to eat.

Gender- 16 more days till we find out…but who’s counting?

Labor Signs- These can stay away for about 24 more weeks!

Belly Button in or out?- In, thank goodness.

What I am looking forward to- My mom comes to visit next Thursday. This will be the first time that she’s been up here since DH and I moved last year. I’m so excited to see her and show her around. I’m hoping for beautiful weather and brightly colored leaves!

Milestones- Having the energy to exercise in the evenings after work again. It feels great and I it’s so good for baby and me.

Long time no post!

Hello all! Sorry that I haven’t posted anything in a really long time. I’m finally coming out of the 1st trimester hibernation period (aka fatigue) that hit me really hard. It feels wonderful to have energy again…even if my energy level's still not what it was pre-pregnancy.

We got to see the baby twice in the first trimester...what wonderful experiences those were! Our last scan was the NT scan and baby was moving around like crazy. I got the results back from the blood work that went along with the scan today and we went from a 1/320 chance of having an abnormality to a 1/2200 chance. We were very happy that our chances of a healthy baby are really good, not that we would have done anything otherwise. It's just reassuring.

My newest news is that I’m interviewing for a new job this week. I’m excited and nervous about it at the same time. I moved to NY a year ago and had a hard time finding a job. I was probably lucky to find any job with the way things have been lately, but the job is not in the area that I wanted to be in. I found a posting about 2 months ago for a job that I really wanted and applied for it. Last week I got a call to come in for an interview. I’ve been debating on whether I should tell them that I’m pregnant or not. I’ve finally come to the decision that I’m going to tell them. I know that I’m not required to, but I need to know that they are going to be ok with it ahead of time. My thought is, if they don’t hire me because I’m pregnant it’s probably not a place that I’m going to want to work anyway. I’ll keep you all updated on what happens at the interview.

I like these little quizzes that I’ve seen other people do. I figured I’d start doing them as well.

How far along?- 14 weeks, 5days…I still can’t believe that I’m this far along already.

Total weight gain/loss- 12 pounds. Yikes! I’m hoping to start exercising more this week to keep this number from going up as fast as it has been.

How Big is Baby?- An apple

Maternity clothes?- I’m in maternity pants (have been since about week 9 due to bloat). I bought a few maternity shirts and sweaters, but they are still huge on me.

Stretch marks?- I have some old ones and I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I don’t get any new ones.

Sleep- I sleep like a rock. I have had a few nightmares since being pregnant (being in a river and going over a waterfall, having cancer and having to choose between keeping the baby and getting chemo). Luckily I haven’t had any in a few weeks. I’m hoping those were 1st Trimester related.

Best moment this week?- Getting to hear the heart beat for the first time and spending time with my old work friend in NYC.

Movement- Nope…hopefully in the next few weeks.

Food cravings- Nothing consistent, but I do crave McDonald’s McFlurries and donuts from Dunkin Donuts. That may be related to my 12 pound weight gain. Oops!

Gender- We find out on 10/23!

Labor Signs- None yet, thank goodness.

Belly Button in or out?- In and I'm not looking forward to it popping out.

What I am looking forward to- Feeling the baby move and finding out the sex. Unfortunely we still have a several week for both of these things.

Milestones- Not feeling as tired as I was in 1st Trimester!

Zzzzzzzzzz....

Sorry about the lack of posting lately. I've been more sleepy than normal and it seems like it takes much more energy to everything than it did pre-pregnancy.


Mr. Luckysaur and I broke the news to our parents last week. We went to the beach with Mr. Luckysaur's parents so we told them in person. They were so excited and hugged us. His mom and dad have already offered to baby sit for us even though they live about 1000 miles away. We may have to take them up on that later on!

My mom was the first one that we told on my side of the family. It was her 60th birthday on Sunday so we sent her a gift. We framed and wrapped this and sent it to her. (FYI- my brothers daughters call her Granny.)


Yep...that's us. It's not the best picture. We were in a hurry that night to get the picture taken and the bubbles on there so that we could get it in the frame and sent out the next day.

My mom called and kept saying "tell me it's true, tell me it's true." Yes Mom it's true! My sister was there with my mom when she opened her present so she found out the same time my mom did. After I got off the phone with my mom, I called my dad to let him know that he was going to be a grandpa again. He told me that our news was the best thing that he's heard in a really long time. How sweet! I then called my brother and sister-in-law to let them know. My sister-in-law told my nieces (2 and 4 years old) that they were going to have a cousin. In the background I could hear them running around singing "I'm going to have a cousin." Of course I don't think they have any idea what a cousin is, but it was so cute. Needless to say everyone was beyond thrilled for us. It's so wonderful to have them as excited about the baby as we are. I can't even begin to describe the feeling.

Scary Day

My normal morning routine has changed since I’ve been pregnant. I used to be able to sleep all night without having to get up to go to the bathroom. Not anymore. I’m getting up at least once, usually twice, to go to the bathroom. Usually by 4:30 am I’ll roll over and stumble out of bed and into the bathroom, go pee and stumble back into bed. I’ve gotten pretty good at doing this in the dark. Yesterday morning, on my third trip to the bathroom, I decided to turn on the lights. Much to my horror, I saw that I was spotting. It wasn’t a lot and it was brown, old blood, but it was enough to scare me wide-awake. My Mayo Clinic book said that it was fairly normal to spot during the first trimester and that I should call my doctor if it lasts longer than a day. I still got on the computer and researched everything that I could about spotting. Of course that scared me even more. I decided to give the computer a break and try to stay positive. I kept checking through out the day and I had very minimal spotting and none so far today. My first appointment with my doctor is tomorrow afternoon. As long as it doesn’t start up again, I’ll let her know about it then. Hopefully I’ll get some reassurance that Baby Luckysaur is ok while I’m there. I know that mother's have an instinct to protect their children from harm. Until yesterday, I didn't know that it started this early in pregnancy. I'm ready to do whatever is necessary to make sure that our little lentil bean comes into this world healthy and happy.

Have any of you ever experienced spotting during your pregnancy?

Positively Positive

There's no doubt in my mind anymore...





Mr. Luckysaur went out of town after our little experiment the other day. I was hoping to be able to surprise him with our positive result when he came back. Apparently he has been just as excited and anxious to find out if we are having a baby because he checked out my FF chart last night (I knew that I should have waited to enter the positive result!). Poof...there goes my little plan of giving him the happy news when he got home. I still have this waiting for him (on his computer, because I know he will see it there)...

In case your interested these are the symptoms that I've had up to this point:

• Fatigue- mostly in the evening
• Gas- not unusual for me
• Bloating- could be beacause of the gas or the fact that I haven't made it to the gym as often because of the fatigue
• Cramping- AF-like cramping that I've had on and off (mostly on) since ovulation

Baby Luckysaur's estimated due date- March 24, 2010!

Positive...I think

In my previous post I told you how I bought some pregnancy tests from Amazon. I used them to test at day 10 and 11 and wasn't getting the results that I wanted (yes, I know that was really early). I did a little reserach and found that First Response was shown to pick up the lowest amount of HCG. I ran out and bought a box of 2. I used the first test with my FMU on DPO 12. I dipped it and waited. There was something faint that showed up, but DH and I weren't certain that it wasn't an evaporation line. I used the second test the next morning. Again, the same faint line. Yesterday I ran out and picked up another box of First Response tests, a box of 3 this time. I tested again this morning (14 DPO) with my FMU and got the same faint line. Still unconvinced that the faint lines we were seeing were positives and not evaporation lines, DH and I did an experiment of our own (a la Bibliosaur). DH peed on one of the 2 remaining tests so that we could see if he got the "evaporation line" too. Guess what? No evaporation line, absolutely nothing, nada. I think that means they're positive. I still have one more test to use. If I can hold out I may wait a couple days to use it and see if I can get a darker line. What do you all think?

Waiting and waiting and waiting and waiting...

Why does it feel like someone did this to my clock? What is it about the 2WW that makes time go by so sloooooowly? I also seem to feel everything little thing that’s going on in my body like I've never felt it before. Now I wonder if my body is trying to tell me something every time I feel any sort of twinge, cramp, or gas pain…and they’ve been happening a lot. It’s driving me batty! Ugh…the agony of having to wait. I’ve decided that I’m going to become a billionaire. Yep, that’s right. I’m going to figure out and patent a way to get an accurate pregnancy test result on ovulation day. No more of this waiting around stuff. I’m going to get right to work on that…haha. Do you all have a hard time focusing on other things during the 2WW? What do/did you do to keep yourselves busy during the 2WW?

I’ve read the stats on the accuracy (or lack of) regarding testing early, but I’m considering POAS sometime in the next few days (I’m 8DPO). How long do/did you wait to test? For those of you that are pregnant, what DPO did you finally get your BFP?

Be Prepared…That’s My Motto

I’ve always been the girl that’s prepared and well organized. It’s just one of my crazy quirks. I love lists and making sure that I have everything that I could possibly need for whatever it is that I’m doing. TTC has definitely not been an exception to this personality trait of mine. After Mr. Luckysaur and I decided that this would be the month that we would start TTC, I took it upon myself to gather and make appointments for all the things that I thought were necessary for the process.

Here’s what made the list:

Pre-conception OB-GYN appointment- Mr. Luckysaur and I went to this appointment together a few months ago. We needed some questions answered and wanted to get the information first hand rather than off of the internet. Some of the questions we wrote down and took with us to ask were:
When should I stop BCP- As soon as we were ready to start trying for a baby. You don't need to wash out of BCP's.
When should I start taking prenatal vitamins- As soon as I stop taking BCP's
What are the risks of having a baby after 35 (I'm only 32 right now, but we were thinking ahead.)- Risks for birth defects and infertility increases after age 35

Stop BCP- I stopped taking my BCP's on June 14th after I finished my last pack.

Buy Short Term Disability Insurance- This was offered through my work and since it was open enrollment time we went ahead and signed up for a policy through UNUM. I'm hoping to be able to take several months off of work for maternity leave when we have a baby. This will help supplement some of the pay that I will miss out on during that time.

Start taking prenatal vitamins- I chose Rainbow Light Prenatal One because I read that they were easy on the stomach. So far I haven't had any problems with these other than occasionally having a hard time swallowing them. They're HUGE!



Read (and re-read) What to Expect Before Your Expecting and Mayo Clinic Guide to Healthy Pregnancy- Let me just state for the record that I love the library. I picked up both of these books and have several more pregnancy books on reserve for me.



Buy Pre-seed lubricant- I read that regular lubricant is harmful to sperm. When I looked around, Pre-seed seemed to be highly recommend as a sperm-friendly replacement to regular lube. It's not quite as thick as the regular stuff, but it works well. Time will tell if it actually works in helping with TTC.



Buy Pregnancy test strips- I found these pregnancy tests pretty cheap on Amazon. I know it was a bit premature to buy pregnancy tests, but I was already on there buying the Pre-seed so I figured I'd get these at the same time (and get free shipping!).



Buy OPK's- I got these at Dollar Tree. Ok...I bought 10 of them, but can you blame me? They were only $1 each! I've read that people haven't had the greatest luck with reading the cheaper OPK's, but I didn't have a problem. I got a VERY dark test line 2 times.



Start charting- I started charting my temperature on Fertility Friend on day 7 of my cycle. It's been kind of interesting charting every day. I actually look forward to entering in my data and seeing if my chart is following some sort of pattern. So far it's been doing what it's supposed to be doing.



Thermometer- It’s one that I already had, so I’m not positive that it’s a BBT thermometer, but it seems to be working just fine so far.



What did you do to get ready TTC?