Baby's first picture

We went to see Dr. Charnes today and filled out tons of paperwork.  Because I am an old fart, I have to have a lot more testing than say my younger counterpart.

As the camera came in it must have poked the sack cause the first movement was "what the heck was that?" I was initially floored and said "hi honey" with that the baby waved one little arm.  Larry was in the room and we were floored.  I was stunned but did hear a very healthy and fast heartbeat.

The staff at Dr. Charnes' office is wonderful and we felt totally at ease with them.  Due to my surgeries from a few years ago and the nature of them, we have opted for medical reasons to have a "C" section to save from any complications.

I have a lot of appointments and a meeting with a genetic specialist to rule out whatever is necessary.  I have to do a lot of blood work so I better make friends with the vampires now <G>.

Our target due date is November 20, 2011 and we will find out the sex in late June.  Now it is real and I am going to do my darnest to be a good "oven" to "bake" the baby for 9 months.  I have a lot of friends who I adore and are so supportive of me and I can always count on them in Facebookland to make me smile or reassure me "its normal  honey."

I am grateful to God for the gift he has bestowed on me and Larry.

Nerves and learning the art of patience

Tomorrow is the big day, our first OB/Gyn where there is more involved than a pap smear and plumbing check up.  It is the first time where I have to be concious of another being being "cooked" as my girlfriend Lynne said today.

I've been wanting this day to come for so long so I can know for real that I'm pregnant.  I'm a basket of nerves and am hoping that everything is ok.  I read all about what to expect in the book "What to expect when you are expecting" and "pregnancy and over 35."  I shouldn't be this nervous, I'm familiar with the sturrops and cold "salad spoons" as well as an ultrasound.  I know what that is, I certainly had a few of those in my life.  I guess my friend Frank put it in the best way "tomorrow will cement it that you are going to be a mommy and we all will be here for you."

I am glad my in-laws are driving because I wouldn't be any good to the traffic gods.  I just want to know what I am allowed to do and not allowed to do because this house is a dusty disasters, do they make condoms for dust bunnies <G>.

I am eating the best I can, nauseausness is making eating hard.  I crave Apple Juice and Gatorade Fruit Punch.  I am learning to be patient and to let stress go.  I don't want to hurt the baby and if I'm tired, I take a nap.  I am trying to look in the mirror and not see a fat person but a pregnant person.  I lean on my friends as I can always count on them to be there for me.

I would like to feel something, emotionally.  I want to let go and be excited, I wish I had the nerve to let go and be excited.  Maybe tomorrow.  Tomorrow will be here soon enough.

Food Adventures, tempting fate

Well so far my favorite guilty pleasure of Tuna Fish, Starkist kind, was a oh heck no.

I was given the o.k. to drink a little diet coke as long as it is 2 TBS just to get rid of a withdrawl headache.  Happily, the withdrawls are well withdrawing, LOL.

Bagels are just too heavy for my belly now.  So I technically rejected them right now.

Chef Boyardee has always been a favorite probably since childhood.  For whatever reason it smells like dog food.  I can eat it but the intial smell makes my stomach flop.

Everything else seems to be ok.  I tested my all time favorite Gyro and it stayed down.

Homemade trail mix and yogart are my staples right now.  Brazil nuts are my favorite and I never liked them before.

I am just overtired and tired of being now called unemployable.  I would like to be a housewife of the 1950s only because cost of living was more possible on one salary but in 2011 two salaries are desperately needed.

Tomorrow we will test pizza with Sarah, Beth, Suzie and my Aunt.

Waddling, phone calls and clothes shopping

My beloved niece Sarah called today.  She figured out how to dial her mother's android cell phone.  She took it out of her mom's purse and after sounding out a few things, she found my cell phone number and hit dial.  Her mother's ring tone went off and I said hello.  A very chipper "Hi Aunt Kate it's Sarah."  So I responded "Hi Honey, whats up."  So she told me she was worried about me and wanted to make sure I was ok as I always call her to make sure she is ok.  (try not to choak up when responding) I assured her I was ok and that the baby was too.  Sometimes the baby likes to rearrange my innards, which garnard an "oh aunt kate" followed by giggles.  I asked her how was school "fine," what kind of glasses did she get (she's nearsided) "really cool iCarly glasses."  I asked her if she had any other questions and she did so I answered them the best I could.  I heard her mother (my sister) come down the stairs and ask "Sarah who is on the phone?" "Aunt kate" "did she call or did you call her?" (I guess she was nagging her mommy to call me <G>) "I called her."  You could hear a pin drop after her mother heard that one. LOL.  My sister told her "I don't want you using my phone without my permission ok." "yes mommy, I'm sorry, I was worried about Aunt Kate." So she put her mother on who asked who called who and I reiterated that Sarah called me and not to get angry, she was really worried and it is ok.  So Sarah and I started to talk again and I told her we can talk longer on Monday and she was excited about that and said "I will hug you gently Aunt Kate."  That is one way to wake up to have a smile on your heart all day.

Well walking is starting to be an issue.  I can do it but my lower back starts to ache.  I just have to remember to keep me hydrated.  I walk slower than usual but I can keep up as long as I can sit for a minute or two.  I have to remember that I just got over pneumonia so the wind still gets knocked out of me quickly.

So we went to Kmart, Babys R Us, Conway, and BJs.  Kmart scored us a one shouldered dress for a $1.99 on clearance.  Granted it is a 3x but at the moment I'm a 2x up from an XL.  Just wandered around Babys R Us looking at the baby stuff.  Conway scored us a 2x shirt, very pretty and light weight.  BJs just got us garbage bags and body wash for Larry.

One day at a time.  Found sleeping in a sports bra under my pjs is helpful to keeping the breast pain at bay.  Larry is hovering which I am getting used to.  As he said this morning, the 27th can't come fast enough. LOL.

Ok you're pregnant, now what?

Being pregnant puts a whole new spin on walking in a fog.  Happily I had already contacted an OB/Gyn to do the whole yearly plumbing check up so that is on April 27th for 11:45 a.m.  Dr. Charnes was recommended by a girlfriend so here's to hoping otherwise a monthly trek to Woodbury, NY is not something I'm willing to do at $3.89 a gallon. <G>

No more diet coke, seriously this is hard I'm a 2 liter a week kinda girl but I did it.  Eating healthy, already been in motion.  Learning to not like food that I once adored, like I have a choice--eat it or throw it up.  Ok when did Chef Boyardee suddenly smell like dog food?

My dear, beloved, departed Grandmother Higby's side of the family put Anna Nicole Smith to shame. Prior to being pregnant I was a healthy 42DD, yeah like that is going to last.  "Wait until you can't see your feet," seriously I'm having issues now.  The "girls" hurt like crazy now.  Reflux from heck and you can't take your pepcid, thank god Tums/Rolaids are calcium rich I'm eating them like candy at night.  Waist line was getting smaller thanks to a diet but oh well.  My favorite legging don't exactly fit through the waist any more.

I bought for the kindle "What to expect when expecting" and "What to expect when expecting what to eat"  the latter I actually bought at Barnes and Noble just to flip through easier.  They are definately the "dr. spock" books for this generation.

No, Seriously? You got to be kidding. Oh God.

I never do things simply.  I had pneumonia and was in the hospital being treated for it.  I was also two months late with my cycle.  The doctor in the E.R. insisted on a pregnancy test but after 11 years of disappointment, I instictively thought "nah I'm not pregnant."  I hope to god I didn't do anything wrong by taking some of the meds she prescribed.

Well the following week I felt weird, well maybe not weird but different.  So I dug out a pregnancy test, bought gods-know-when from family dollar and peed on it.  I looked at it and there was a faint crosshatch line making a cross and a strong other line in the other window and because it was so faint, I figured the age of the test gave me a false-positive.

I called my sister who said I should buy a digital pregnancy test, would have been nice to know it was so expensive but CVS had it on sale. I bought it and a few other things and the pharmacist that I adore said "good luck, your skin looks great who needs skin cream anymore."   I blushed and paid for my things.

Next morning, I peed on the stick.  It flashed a clock and I brushed my teeth and washed my face and looked down.  "Pregnant +" showed in the window. I sat down hard on the closed toilet bowl and burst into tears.  I had a follow up Doctor's appointment with Dr. Sferraza to check on the pneumonia progress and all I could think of is all those x-rays, the medicine that I stopped cold turkey and my addiction to diet coke.

I arrived at Dr. Sferraza's with my sister and spoke to Cathy (the RN) and told her my suspicion and she said well here and handed me an EPT Digital test and that is what I already took, I told her. She then screamed with delight cause it is the only test the office uses other than a blood test.  I told her I wanted a blood test and she smiled and said ok.

Dr. Sferraza called me in, said "hello Kate's bodyguard" to my sister and reviewed everything.  Beat the pneumonia (check), pregnant one vial of blood please (sorry sis about your hand).  Call back on Monday about noon to find out.

Longest fricken weekend of my life. Just for good measure I peed on the second EPT test and yup "pregnant +" so we are pretty much knocked up. LOL.  Next is the family, my mother said "OMG" for about 20 minutes.  My in-laws thought we wanted to tell them about the pneumonia and that we needed to move back in--fake out.  My sister is like, I'm going to be an Aunt,OMFG.  Sunday we tell the balance of the family who of course erupts in excitement.

Monday finally shows up and I call and ask to talk to Dr. Sferraza, Margie (office manager) said give her a minute and Dr. Sferraza comes on the line and says "hi Kiddo, or should I say Hi Mom."  I burst into tears and called my husband at work.  He of course screams "I'm going to be a father!!!!" and I heard someone say "congratulations, Larry sit down."

In order I notified the following people:

My folks
My sister
My cousin Suzie (she's 95)
My friend Frank
My friend Tom
and I texted my friend Ken
(then I followed up with an eMail to my Aunt)

Facebook has everyone else and then it went viral.

Not quite sure who Larry contacted but I know we worked down his HUGE Italian family tree.  So after years of trying, we're pregnant.  Welcome to the ride.