Catching my breath!

This week has been a whirlwind.  I finally got to see my regular doctor on Monday, had the blood test, and Tuesday was given the confirmation that I am indeed 5 weeks along.  My estimated due date is Feb 21, 2012.  I always said I didn't want to be carrying around an extra 30 lbs of baby during the middle of summer when it's hot as hell, so I guess our timing was excellent in that regard!

Next thing was to find an OB/GYN, which was a daunting task at first.  My doctor had given me a short list of suggested OBs nearby, and decided to start off by checking reviews online.  Let me tell you that it was a daunting process.  One of the docs had great reviews on Yelp, but it seemed like every reviewer had a C-Section.  Now, I'm not adverse to the concept of a C-Section, but I certainly do not want that to be pushed upon me by an OB with an agenda.  Then there were a slew of OBs with reviews that fell into the "loved them they were amazing!" or "they have the worst bedside manner and wish I'd had a different doctor".  Just not encouraging.  Even worse were the occasional "he nearly killed me" reviews, which just makes any expectant mother want to run screaming I would imagine.

Having exhausted all the possibilities for an OB at the hospital nearest me, I decided to branch out to the nearest hospital with a good maternity ward in the other direction from home, which also happens to be the hospital where my husband was delivered.  Like magic my dream OB jumped off the computer screen.  This guy has 5 stars across the board from every website providing reviews.  He also has multiple awards from the Patient's Choice web site - which logs ratings and awards by patients.  Even better, he's in network for my insurance, and accepting patients to boot.  My first appointment with him is on July 8th.  So, I have to spend the next 2 weeks being patient, but it'll be worth it to have my first ultra-sound and get to see the little seed that's growing in there.

Finally, there was the task of telling immediate family.  Husband's family have been gently "encouraging" us for a while now, ever since his younger sister had her first (and is now expecting again).  The phone calls came back-to-back:
- My preggo sister-in-law sounding practically more excited about my pregnancy than her own; offering me books, clothing, and overall support for the fact we're simultaneously carrying cousins.
- My father-in-law and step-mother-in-law sounding giddy and ready for a celebratory drink.  I told them to enjoy a drink for me seeing as it's not like I can partake for a long while.
- My mother-in-law concerned about my symptoms (which incidentally are pretty minimal) and providing the advice as a mother of three can.  We discussed the doctor I've chosen, the hospital I'm considering, and generally what to expect.
- The grandparents, who are just thrilled to be in anticipation of their third great-grandchild.  It is indeed a wonderful thing to be able to celebrate.

The task of telling my family seemed strangely more daunting.  My younger brother was speechless for a moment, then really excited, and has been texting me [terrible] name suggestions ever since.  He may not admit it, but I can tell he's thrilled to be an uncle for the first time.  As for my parents, it took me a while to get hold of them given that they live in England and there's the time-zone issue.  I started to get nervous and psych myself out - it's like I was a teenager again and preparing to give an explanation for why I showed up on the front doorstep drunk.  The more I thought about it, the worse it got, and then the guilt kicked in because they would be the last to know.  So, when my mom finally picked up the phone and I delivered the news, I can't really explain the overwhelming sense of relief that overcame me as I heard the words "that's good news!" come out of her mouth.  I think in some way my parents knew it may be coming.  As my dad pointed out, I've been "broody" for a while.  We're not sure how they're going to make it out for the birth considering there's the whole international travel aspect, but it's already at the forefront of my mother's mind. 

It wasn't brief, but that's what's happening.  I'm happy to say that all is right in my world.

I peed on a stick

As of two days ago, it appeared that my period was late and my basal body temperature was still high.  I told my husband that I'd be picking up some home pregnancy tests on the way home.  The logic being that either I'm pregnant or the mere act of buying them would remind my period that it's supposed to be here.  

Yesterday morning, I woke up, peed on a stick (ok, well technically peed in a cup and then deposited said pee on a stick), and set off the timer on my phone.  About a minute later, a faint line showed up next to the control line.  I double checked the box, double checked the line, held it up to the light thinking maybe my eyes were messing with me, then went to wake the husband for a second opinion.  His first response was "but it's hardly there" and then padded back off to bed.  So, I peed again, grabbed a second test...SAME THING!  This time, after shoving the proof in his face, husband smiled, then mumbled something about having super sperm.  I went off to work quietly contemplating the fact that I am apparently preggo.  

It does explain why I've been kind of tired, very gassy, and was feeling like my usual swim workout was tougher than usual.  I had also had a dream last week that I was pregnant, and chalked that up to pregnancy being part of my subconscious desire.  Even now as I'm typing this, I'm prematurely awake as a result of a wave of nausea that hit me obnoxiously early this morning.  It's like this tiny little seed that's inside my body is trying to find a way to say hi.      

Of course, it still hasn't quite sunk in (and probably still won't for a few days).  Husband insisted that I make an appointment with my doctor immediately - in part because I'm convinced he needs to hear it from the doctor himself - so I have my first pre-natal visit on Monday.  It was so cute talking to the girls at the doctor's office when making my appointment, because they were so cautious to make sure this was wanted before offering friendly congratulations.  Yup, officially that's freakin' weird but so damn exciting!  

Somebody's watching me....

Several weeks ago, I randomly received a copy of "American Baby" magazine in the mail.  I'd only just gone off the pill, so I found the timing to be pretty coincidental (and of course pretty cool because, hey, free magazine).  A couple of days later, the Gerber coupons arrived.  I couldn't quite tell if husband found this to be amusing or utterly disturbing - even after my insistence that I hadn't gone completely psycho baby-crazy and started signing up for random baby things online.  He put it down to data mining and internet cookies.

Then, yesterday, the final whammy arrived in the mail.  I got a nice little postcard from my health insurance company telling me about their new program for expectant mothers.  It's a free program with a 24-hour hotline to speak with a nurse during the course of the pregnancy, in addition to reading materials for various stages of pregnancy, an immunization calendar and a host of other things to promote a healthy pregnancy.  It said to give them a call to enroll as soon as I'm pregnant.  I personally think the program sounds great, but how did my health insurance know?  Granted, I saw my doctor for my annual exam, and pregnancy was discussed at the time, but did she give them a full report, or are they just making assumptions based on my age and the blood tests she ran? 

I'm starting to think that somebody implanted a bug in my brain that's transmitting signals to third parties indicating that it's baby time...