It is official....We are having a.......

So I had my level II ultrasound yesterday morning and what an experience it was. My eyes were teary the entire time... and i think i had a silly grin the whole time. The whole time I was laying there while the first ultrasound tech did her thing, was pray. I prayed for thanks that God brought me to this point. A point where, in my darkest days, seemed impossible and would never happen.  I prayed that all was well with my baby that i was seeing on the t.v. screen in front of me. The tech wouldn't say too much (she was also training) and occasional made positive comments like how amazing it all was, and how much the baby was moving...i couldn't tell the baby was moving, actually i thought the baby seemed too still, but occasionally i would catch the baby move their hands and or legs.  I was relieved when the tech focused on the heart and i heard the heart beating. A big reassurance!

Then the second tech came in, the experienced one, and she went over some of the same measurements the first tech did and warned me that they would spend a lot of time on the heart and it was standard procedure. It did not mean anything was wrong at all... which i thanked her for letting me know. I would have certainly worried my own little heart out. But all looked great. The baby was not very cooperative and was in a position that wouldn't allow the tech to get the pictures she needed for the Dr. She would poke at the baby and baby would swat back with their little hands..it was very darling and so magical.  The baby is actually positioned under my belly button, and seemed very comfortable there. It would explain why my belly button area has been hurting and feeling some stretching pain lately.... it's been the baby the whole time! Well, the tech went to see if we would be able to determine gender, and she said the baby had their legs closed. Of course the baby would... the baby was being a bit difficult to work with... just behaving stubbornly!! LOL

Somehow the experienced tech was able to get beneath the baby and get the "Money Shot". We got to see from beneath that we are having a.....................

BOY!!!!

That is right, we are having a Jr. due May 1st!! He measured right on target to where i'm at and was weighing approximately 11 ounces!!! Simply amazing.  He was all ready displaying daddy's characteristics!!! When the tech finished and went to get the dr., there was a few minutes where i was sitting up and when the dr. came in to review the ultrasound pictures and take a look for herself, my son had gone to sleep!!! The dr. attempted to get the few pictures of the his heart that he wouldn't allow before and it took forever to get him to wake up, and the dr. could not get him to wake up. She would poke (rather hard too) at him with the ultrasound 'wand' and still he would not cooperate. I had to shift and lay on my side and that seemed to get him to move. And this was after being lowered a few times on the table laying on my back. He also seems to be camera shy like his father. My hubby doesn't like taking pictures and when the tech tried (on several attempts) to get a good profile shot of my son, he would immediately lift his hands to cover his face or drape it over his forehead . the tech was able to snap a couple profile pictures...it was very funny!!!  i don't know how to post pictures up here, but i promise that i will learn!!! I will have some more free time beginning in January and I will not rest until i learn how.....i'm sure it is quite simply too!!!

Overall, the scan took about an hour and a half.  It was all just amazing that we have the technology to see a child inside the womb and see their little hands and feet, cute little toes, and their spine, heart and other vital organs. Simply A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!! I feel ever so grateful to God that this is possible. I'm looking forward to the following 20 weeks or so (i am exactly 20 weeks today!!) And will continue to find amazement in the whole process as my body changes, and just simply to believe that after our very long, painful, emotional and frustrating journey we are almost there.... becoming the family my husband and I had dreamt and planned on.  God is Great and God is good!! Thanks be to God!

Updating..... and ALMOST 20 weeks!!!

Where does time go??? I can not believe how quickly time goes by and there has been so much going on it is no wonder that it is passing me by.  I do apologize for no updates since 13 weeks!!!! Here I am a couple of days away from being 20 weeks, the half way mark!! Time is certainly moving faster, yet seems to creep by!! I have my "BIG" ultrasound tomorrow.  I haven't seen my baby since i was just over 10 weeks.... i can imagine how big he or SHE is!! but then again i can't imagine!!! I of course pray for a healthy baby, but would love to have  a little girl.... hubby of course hopes for a boy.... in the end it doesn't matter, as long as the baby is healthy. I'm very nervous and pray for a great ultra sound. Unfortunately, being fertility challenged, I have heard and read too many stories of pregnancies gone wrong.... i lived it within my own family with my sister just last year! While i think and pray for our little angel that grew wings before being born, i do focus on my niece that is here with us.  It will be okay! I keep telling myself that at least!!

RE: Gestational Diabetes: 

I have a pretty good handle on it and is  under control. My diabetes nurse and dietician are always very pleased with my sugar levels.  I have managed to eat what i'm supposed to, while able to indulge on occasion on the foods that aren't so good for me or GD.  I am proud of the self control i manage to keep when out and about and trying to eat right when the options are so limited. For example, we had a birthday dinner for a family friend last friday night, and it was at a Mexican food restaurant. Now for those of you who don't know, Mexican food isn't the most GD friendly food (I am mexican and boy do i miss out on some of mami and papi's homemade food) I ate about 1/4 cup or less of rice and beans, only had one chicken enchilada and one beef flauta and loaded up on the green salad that was thankfully available. It was buffet style so all you can eat. Now i ate, and like usual, i wasn't full, and simply content....which isn't very fun!! But i fought the urge to eat another enchilada or load up on beans and rice (which were sooo very yummy) but my resistance paid off. My blood sugar level an hour level was 122 (levels an hour after meals should be less than 120) and a point or 2 over is nothing anyone ever gets concerned. i thought for sure my level would be in the high 130's or even 140's.  I rewarded myself with sharing a piece of birthday cake with my hubby.... believe had my levels been higher i would not indulge.  I handle the sweets and treats as rewards, if i'm doing really well with my sugar levels then i will give in and have  an extra slice of pizza, or i will have the big mac for dinner friday night.  I've only gained 6 pounds this pregnancy and this great, no one wants me to gain more than 10 to 15 pounds all together.  

RE: Pregnancy in general: 

Feeling well. Shortly entering the 2nd trimester i've had a bout of headaches. Most of the time they are sinus related and other times i can't seem to figure out what triggers them. They sometimes come out of nowhere, other times i wake up with one. I am prone to migraines, and i feel fortunate that i don't have migraines, and they are just small dull headaches. Tylenol sometimes helps, other times it doesn't. I have taken benadryl (okayed by OB and recommended by her too) and it has helped, but most of the time i try to just tough it out. I go a few days where i'm free of headaches and i'm thankful for those days!! I frequent the bathroom, and seem to have a routine at night...which i see it as preparation for baby. I use the restroom before bed, then usually between 12:30 and 1 am, i make a trip, and then again at 3:30-4 am... most nights these trips are without fail, on a rare occasion i get up only once or not at all, and other rare nights i get up 3 times. I usually hate waking up between 4:30 and 5 am, since most of the time i find myself awake for a long while after getting up. I am usually falling back to sleep when it is time to get up for work!!!

I have started to feel some movement too!! I was about 17 weeks when i felt 4 quick taps, nothing since. I usually feel some flutters or what i assume are flutters. Most of the time i feel it with a little bit of discomfort.... so i'm not always sure it is the baby or just some more stretching.  I also have sciatic nerve pain and some days and nights it is no problem, other days and nights it is quite painful. Usually after a very active day, my right leg and hip would hurt really bad. I have had it pretty much since the beginning..it started gradual. Just some numbness in my right thigh if i laid or sat in one position for too long. By 10 weeks i was noticing the numbness when i also stood for longer than 5 minutes, by 13 weeks it would also occur if i walked for longer than 15-20 minutes and my hip would start to hurt. I did have an ultra sound to be sure to rule out a blood clot. No blood clot and so nurse practitioner said it was sciatic nerve pain. Since i have had back problems in the past, and possible a slipped disk, it had to be it.  I do stretching and in walking more often (i have to walk more anyway to help with GD) it has helped.  There are days where it is too much. The very worst pain and discomfort is when it hurts and have a burning sensation run through my thigh and my hip joints hurt and nothing helps alleviate the pain. If it every gets to bad, nurse said she would refer me to physical therapy.  I sure hope it doesn't get to that.

Other than that all is going well. I am always nervous of course and think i will always be nervous in some way until i delivery a healthy baby.....and then again, after birth i'm nervous about a whole set of new problems!!! LOL

Well i sure hope to be able to update with ultrasound results after my appointment... if not tomorrow, then certainly by Friday!!! 

I also wanted to send out a hello to all my Fertility Challenged sisters.  I know the wait is agonizingly long and very frustrating. Please know that i pray for you all all the time and know that your turn is soon coming too!!! The wait is unbearable and so frustrating and most of soooo painful, but it will happen!!! I continue to pray for you all and know soon you will share your experience of impending motherhood.

XOXO