Cry Baby

I guess this whole pregnancy hormone thing is kicking in. Last night, as Lane and I were putting our groceries away in the kitchen, I bumped my head. Now, it didn't really hurt that much at all, but all of a sudden tears just started streaming down my face. Lane was so sweet, he just gave me a big hug, told me he'd finish and to go sit down. He brought me some water and even a little snack. While I sniffled away, Lane cleaned the kitchen and finished putting away all the groceries. I felt much better later and thanked him for giving me a time out ;)

Week 10

This is a big week for Baby Grover, who is graduating from embryo to fetus status. By the end of the week, Baby Grover will be nearly two inches long. Also starting this week, there will be a 40 to 50 percent increase in my blood volume!! Holy Moly.

Lately I get to wake up every night to go pee. I can't really sleep in on the weekends because I get so starving!! I usually get up, have myself a little mini-breakfast, and then eat Second Breakfast with Lane. Because by that time, I'm hungry all over again. It's hard work growing a baby :)

Cat's out of the Bag!

Lane and I have been bursting at the seams waiting to tell our families, but trying so hard to not say anything until Christmas. All day long we were wondering when our parents would open their presents and when they'd call us.

It was great that so many people could find out at once with the Christmas gift opening. Lane's parents, sister, and both grandmas were on the phone when they called to say that they'd gotten the best Christmas gift ever!!

As soon as we got off the phone with them, we started calling the brothers. Grandma Chaney also warned that she couldn't keep her mouth shut, so we better tell them soon :) It was exciting to hear everyone be so thrilled with our big news.

Meliss literally SCREAMED for like 20 seconds upon hearing the news. Nate told us that our nephew, Chaney was jumping up and down with excitement, and having recently learned the art of sarcasm exclaimed, "Oh that's a bummer!" in jest. Adie & Ian were so sweet to send us an e-card and offer any advice we needed, and Cati let me know that she couldn't wait to start shopping and how well-dressed our baby would be!!

My Dad told us what a good job we had done, and it sounds like my parents might be planning a trip out here soon! My sisters were both practically crying with happiness, which made me get a little teary eyed myself.

I'm feeling much more excited now that everyone knows our big secret. Now I have to figure out when and how to tell people at work.

Here's a cute video for your viewing pleasure: http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1789889456

Week 9

Baby Grover now measures about the size of a quarter from "crown to rump" - that's about an inch long. Here is Baby Grover's photo debut:

One more person in the know.

We knew we were taking a chance in David finding out our big news over the weekend. The instant I walked in the door he started offering me drinks – margarita? Beer? Wine? Gin & Tonic? Uhm, no, no and no.. After that, I surprisingly made it through a dinner with three other people and two bottles of wine without suspicion. It was a little hard though when the waiter brought out a glass of wine on the house for me.

Later that night, we went to one of David’s favorite hangouts where the manager insisted on buying us drinks. David said I needed one, that I hadn’t had anything all night. When I politely declined, he told me how rude it was of me to not accept the offer. I realized that we couldn’t go on much further like this, especially since a sushi dinner, cocktails, and karaoke bar madness were in store later that weekend.

When I explained that I *couldn’t* have a drink, David looked so confused. Suddenly, he gasped, put both hands to his mouth, and wide-eyed asked, “are you pregnant?!?!?!?” He immediately got tears in his eyes, gave me the biggest hug, and told me how long he’d been waiting for this for us, and what an amazing mother I’d be. It was super duper sweet. Later on, David actually threw his arms up in joy, as if having witnessed a soccer goal and yelled, “My sister’s having a baby!!!” Even the next morning, he woke up saying over and over again how happy he was for us.

And for as many times as he expressed his happiness, I reminded him that he needed to keep it a super duper top secret until after Christmas. At first, I was worried that he’d blab to everyone, but he promised not to, and really gets a kick out of being the only one in the family who knows. I gave him full permission to tell his friends and co-workers, in hopes that this would get the telling itch out of his system.

It was really weird hanging out with a bunch of people and not having this big secret. No one looked at me weird when I just had water to drink at the bar, people were giving up their seats for me, and they didn’t think it was strange when I used the restroom over and over and over again. I realized how much I’ve been holding back my own excitement – not really talking about it except to Lane and very few others.

Can’t wait for everyone to finally be “in the know”.

Week 8

Lane swears I'm pushing my tummy out here, but I'm not! (boo for the double chin look I'm sporting in this pic)

Unexpected Doctor Visit

Yesterday morning I ready my weekly pregnancy email from webmd which advised that I might have a little cramping due to stretching ligaments. And, boy, did I feel what they were talking about.

This dull aching lasted all through the day, especially on one side. I started wondering if this was really normal, or not. I went to bed and still, the next morning I felt this continuous aching especially in my left side. So I did what any sane person would do, research on the internet. Researching things on the internet when you think something is wrong is never a good idea, but I did it anyway and read all about ectopic pregnancies and how they are usually noticeable in the 6-8 week range. That’s right where I am. Not good.

All this time, I hadn’t even really considered the possibility of something going wrong. Suddenly, my mind was flooded with all the bad results and reactions and telling people, having to explain our Christmas gifts to our parents, and whatnot. I decided to test the after hours telephone line at my dr’s office and it worked out great. You leave a message, and are supposed to receive a call back within 10 to 20 minutes. I got a call back 4 minutes later. The doctor was very friendly and recommended that I make an appointment to come in today. She said she would advise the staff that we spoke and make sure they’d fit me into today’s schedule. I called right when the office opened, advised them of my conversation and they scheduled me for this afternoon with the doctor I spoke with this morning.

I am still feeling this pain, and having better feelings about everything being okay. I thought it would be better to have them tell me it was nothing, than to assume it wasn’t anything and find myself regretting not contacting them.

...

Well, having just returned from the doctor, I can safely say that everything is a-okay. I had a culture taken, a blood test for Cystic Fibrosis, and a sonogram. It was so weird to see with my very own eyes that there is actually a little rascal growing in there. The heart rate was 144, which the doctors say is normal. I’ll post Baby Grover’s photo debut shortly. According to the "crown to rump" measurements, I'm 9 weeks along, although the doctor said we should stick with the original due date of July 22, 2008. That's right, one day before our wedding anniversary and four days after my birthday.

I went in early because I was worried about the pain, which is normal, they say. Lane was supposed to go with me to the 12/21 appointment, but the doctor said I should just cancel that one and schedule another one for 4 weeks from now. I didn’t have a sonogram last time because I wanted Lane to be there, and now I ended up having one without him there anyway which I was really disappointed about. I needed to get it done to make sure everything was all good, and thank goodness it is. Lane was really sweet. He said it was okay, and that he's just glad his babies are okay. :-)

I’m going in for a Down Syndrome testing sometime in the next couple of weeks. I believe they do sonograms for those as well. Hopefully, Lane can come along for that appointment.

Christmas and other stuff.

Lane and I are so excited for Christmas. Mostly because we have sent gifts to our parents sharing the big news with them. We got them both cutsie baby photo albums engraved with "Baby Grover". It will be a great surprise for them, and mostly everyone will find out at the same time. Yesterday morning, Lane and I were talking about how we thought our families would react.

In other news, Week 8 has begun and Baby Grover is now the size of a grape, while my uterus has grown to the size of a grapefruit.

About six or seven weeks ago I started getting the Economist. I'd avidly read as much as I could before the next week's edition came out. But my, have my reading interests shifted. Now all I read is the Pregnancy Journal, From the Hips, and What to Expect in the First Year. When I went to my first appointment last week, I had already read everything that they told me, and there was almost no new information in the powerpoint presentation. So I decided to concentrate on eating healthy, exercising (haven't made much progress here yet), and referring to my pregnancy books when I have a question. I figured I might as well use this reading time to study up on how to take care of a little baby after it arrives :)

First Doctor Visit

Like I said before, this doctor visit was just for the initial blood work and to answer questions. I met with a very nice doctor who gave me some prenatal vitamins samples and a year's prescription. He took me in his office to show me a really detailed power point presentation with all the do's and don'ts as well as what to expect for the first visit, info about testing, and recommendations. He emailed it to me at home and said I can email him whenever. The office phone is answered 24/7, so he said to call with any question at any time.

Then the doctor said it was a really slow day, and that if I wanted, I could have a sonogram to see the baby and maybe even hear the heartbeat. Lane and I had talked about the appointments and decided that since I was just getting bloodwork and such done, that he'd come for the next appointment. I thought about how cool it would be to have a little picture and that we could somehow incorporate it into a Christmas gift for our parents, but I declined. I wanted Lane to be there. So hopefully, we'll get one done on the 21st.

These days I've been feeling like I have this huge secret. I also feel as if my body is emanating "I'm pregnant, people!" waves and that everyone can just tell. It's probably all in my head, but it's kind of weird.

Yesterday my boss was talking about how stressed out she is with everything at work and how she keeps getting more things thrown at her. It made me feel really uncomfortable thinking about how to tell her (probably sometime in the next month or so) about our pregnancy. I'm already not sure about wearing quite a few items of clothing - i can make my way into them, but then it seems even more apparent that I'm either "chunking out" or that there's a little baby growing inside of me.

Week 7

According to my Pregnancy Journal, Baby Grover is growing at a phenomenal rate. If our baby grew as fast right after birth as it is growing right now, it would measure 15 feet tall by the time it was one month old! Holy Moly!

The Pregnancy Journal is super cool. Each day has info about a new development in the baby's growth, what the mother should expect (sheesh, I'm going to be a mom!!), and tips for healthy eating. Each evening before we go to sleep, Lane and I read what happened that day.

It seems weird that I have this little bump so early. I tried reading online to find out when you start "showing". Basically it's different for everyone. But I did read that if you're really thin, it's much more apparent earlier. My mom has always told me that she got big right away with each pregnancy, so quickly that the doctors always thought she was carrying twins.

Preggers in Miami

Baby Grover is barely seven weeks old and has already traveled to the Dominican Republic and most recently, Miami. All I have to say is goodbye window seats and hello aisle seats. I've always loved sitting by the window and getting a little preview of my destination before even landing. Another benefit has been not being bothered when other people have to get in and out of their seats throughout the entire flight. Well, that is who I have become. It took one flight of being seated next to two tall men, who were fully engaged in their reading and video watching, behind an entire row of people with reclined seats to learn that it just wasn't meant for me anymore. As soon as I got to the airport for the return flight, I promptly switched to an aisle seat.

It's hard to eat properly when you're limited to Cuban restaurant food. It's quite delicious, but full of tons of meat, various fried foods, plantains, plantains, and more plantains, buttery and unhealthy pastries, and very few vegetables, salads, or calcium. After I got home, we spent Sunday at the grocery store stocking up on lots of fresh fruits and veggies and healthy snacks to eat throughout the day. I've been feeling a lot hungrier lately, but also get full much faster.

Over lunch one day with Miami chapter volunteer, she learned that I had been married for seven years, and when I responded to a question of hers saying I didn't have any kids yet, she immediately asked if I had considered adoption. I was kind of taken by surprise by that response. I guess some people don't just spend time enjoying each other's company after getting married or there's automatically something wrong with you if you don't have kids. And there she was thinking how sad it was to be me, unable to get pregnant, when in fact I was exactly that. I told her we planned on having some kids of our own, and yes, we'd actually talked about adopting also, but that's not in our immediate future. I guess I should start getting used to personal/intruding questions and how to graciously respond.

My first doctor appointment is tomorrow.

Do I really look *that* different?

Today I was talking to my office mother, Habiba. Habiba is a wonderful Somali woman. She is so in tune with people and all the touchy feely intuition girl stuff, which is why I guess I shouldn't have been so shocked when out of nowhere she said, "so tell me, Elena. Are you pregnant now?" I wasn't going to lie, she is my office mother after all.

She said that I looked different - more "glowing" and that my face was rounder. So the body changes have begun, apparently.

I never would have thought that someone would be able to tell so soon.

Doctor, Doctor

I spent half the day at work trying to find a doctor to go to. My first appointment is scheduled for December 5th. At this appointment, the pregnancy will be confirmed, they'll do routine blood tests, and have lots of time for questions and answers.

My first exam will be on December 21st. I can't believe this is all happening!

The Baby Blog

So I thought it would be a cool idea to start a baby blog so I could document everything that is happening and be able to share it all later, whenever we decide it's okay to tell people. Can you imagine how disappointed I was to see that the blog name babygrover.blogspot.com already existed!?!? It's kind of strange because this girl is due at the very end of this year. The strange part is, their family's last name isn't even Grover, it's KELLBACH!!! I guess her maiden name is Groves. Oh, and another weird thing is that her wedding anniversary is the same day as ours. And you're probably wondering how I know all this. The answer is that I'm nosy. That's all there is to it. I read the whole blog, looked at her baby registry and flickr account and now I know. This is why I am good at tracing and finding people.


You're probably not reading this to learn the details of some random lady's life, so I will end this post with my first belly picture. Here we are at end of week 5 (I think):

For real?!?

Early November I started feeling a little funny in the boob department and also feeling a little yucky after eating dinner. I wasn't sure what to think. I kind of thought I was possibly pregnant, but hadn't missed my period yet and didn't want to get worked up about it either way. Although, I'm not going to lie, I bought a package of cute green and yellow onesies.

However, the night before we went on vacation I thought the responsible thing to do was take a test to make sure. After all, we were going to have 24 hr access to all the alcohol we wanted. So I came home and waited for Lane so we could do the test.

I have serious issues peeing on sticks and into cups, by the way. I just can't do it. Anyway, I immediately left the bathroom after taking the test and Lane and I both went to check the results exactly two minutes later. Here's what we found:


We were so excited and Lane told me what a good job I had done, as if this were a one person accomplishment ;) He also said he already knew I was pregnant! So I immediately pulled my What to Expect When You're Expecting book and started studying.

A friend of ours asked if we were going to bring home a Baby Grover from our vacation, I laughed and said I didn't think so. I had no idea we'd be taking a Baby Grover with us to the Dominican Republic!

It was really good timing. We were able to read all about being pregnant, talk about it tons and just soak it all in. For ages I've daydreamed about us having babies. It's so surreal to think there's actually a little rascal growing like crazy inside of me.

At dinner one night Lane told me how happy he was that we were starting our family. I think we both got a little teary-eyed.

June and October

In June, while Lane and I were in Indiana one night, Lane looked at me and said we should decide when we want to have kids, and it should be soon. I was so surprised and excited to hear this come from him. So I cried.

Later on, we talked about how we wanted me to stay home, and what we'd need to do to make that happen. We decided we'd have to sell our house in CA. This is quite possibly one of the most overwhelming things to figure out, let alone trying to do so from 3,000 miles away. So we procrastinated and did nothing.

In October, we had this moment where we both just realized that if we got pregnant we'd be happy and totally ready to take on the new challenge, adventure, and stage of our lives that a baby would bring. And, that maybe actually having a 9 month deadline would get us into shape to do the things we've been dragging our feet on.