friday, september 13 :::
 
+ Unhappy intestines +
Whew. Two days of some interesting gastrointestinal somersaults. Just thought I'd share. It ranges from burping, to cramping, and on to other delightful body complaints. Trying to stay positive, but this is getting pretty darned annoying.

::: posted by Kerry at 12:41 PM


 
+ Triple digits +
Today is Day 100. Wow. That doesn't seem right, but that's what all of the calculators and web sites say. 100 days. That's amazing.

::: posted by Kerry at 8:02 AM



thursday, september 12 :::
 
+ AFP Test +
Oh, and I decided to go ahead and get this. We might as well know, and I have enough faith in myself to know I can handle any undesired results. I'll go in sometime about 2 weeks from now.

::: posted by Kerry at 9:26 AM


 
+ 14 weeks +
Plugging along, aren't we? I'm wearing maternity pants again today. They're way too big, but I'm having trouble finding anything in between that's okay for work. I'm sick of dresses. I wear a lot of dresses in the summer, and by the end of summer, I need a reprieve. I could wear jeans every day... if they fit. Grrr. Anyway, I keep thinking I feel some kind of movement in there, but it's so indistinct it doesn't count. Last night was the first night I've slept in days without the ligament pain waking me up. Thank goodness for a break! Anyway, today is 14w0d! Only 26 to go!

::: posted by Kerry at 7:59 AM


 
+ September 11th +
I'd like to say that I didn't post yesterday out of some measure of respect for the anniversary of this awful day. But truth be told, Blogger was down and I couldn't. I actually did want to post to you, about this anniversary you will never fully understand. How can I explain to you someday, when you ask me about "Patriot's Day" and what it means? I'm not sure I'll do a very good job of that, but I know I'll try. I'll tell you about what we felt before that day. I'll explain to you what it was like as a teenager to stand at the base of those twin towers and look up. My own mommy asked me if I wanted to go up, but I told her no, I was afraid of heights. Sometimes in my dreams, I do take that elevator ride to the top and look out. We've seen so much footage of the view I can almost pretend I wasn't afraid that day. But then the dream turns to a nightmare, and those places in your brain that won't let you process supreme tragedy take over and block the images that start playing. I don't know that I can ever share or shield you from that kind of emotion. But as a nation, we are healing, and those directly affected still feel the effects of that tragic day and always will. For you, I dream of so much more, and I dream of a world where this is just history.

::: posted by Kerry at 7:42 AM



tuesday, september 10 :::
 
+ Another Day, Another Dr. +
Yesterday we had a visit with my "real" OB Dr. Daddy went with me and we both got to hear your heartbeat! I'd heard this was supposed to be an incredibly emotional thing, but it wasn't. I think we both thought that first ultrasound when we saw your little heart beating was a little more dramatic. Don't get me wrong, it was neat, and very comforting to hear it beating away fast and steady. The Dr. joked and said, "Sounds like a girl!" He really was kidding, and I never did find out what your heartbeat really is. But whatever it was, it probably fell in that window that old wives' tales say is a girl. Who knows?! We got some freebies (yippee!) and made another appt. for 10/9. This one will be another ultrasound to see you growing........ and see your gender! Hopefully. Please don't hide from us. I know I'm kind of shy, but there's no reason for you to be just yet. It's just you, me, daddy, and the Dr. so you can show us your stuff!

Now we just have to decide if we're going to go in early to get an AFP test. We haven't decided on that one yet. There was also a little bit of blood in my urine, but he didn't seem worried about it. Everything else was great. They looked at my blood and urine results from last time, and said my numbers are really high and healthy; and I should not have to take those iron pills. The nurse double-checked with my records and said if I want to take them like once a week, that's okay. But she doesn't see any reason for me to upset my tummy if not needed. That was good to know! The Dr. also wasn't worried about this frequent and uncomfortable urination thing I've been having for weeks and weeks. He said there was absolutely no sign of infection and it's probably just your growing little home in there pushing things around. Good to know!

He did tell me to expect to have to wear maternity clothes any day. His comment about my jeans (the last fitting pair) was: "In a month, you will definitely not be wearing those anymore." Great. :-)

::: posted by Kerry at 7:27 AM



monday, september 9 :::
 
+ Growing Pains +
I'm starting to have some ligament stretching, I think. Usually most noticeable when I wake up in the morning, it feels like a gentle muscle strain on either side of my lower belly, running in a line into my pelvis. It's kind of interesting, and moderately annoying. I definitely can't sleep directly on my tummy anymore; that hurts. And while my skin is finally clearing up (had a rough couple of weeks there), I'm getting daily horrible headaches. That's not so fun. It doesn't seem to correlate to my vitamins or iron pills, or even to food or hydration. Really, it doesn't correlate to anything at all, as far as I can tell. And Tylenol is practically useless. It just eventually goes away, hours and hours later.

Other than that :-) I'm feeling great. I'm definitely having that gas that mimics baby movements. I know better, but once in a while I pretend that it is you, and I lay really still to feel you better. Soon enough, it really will be your movements, and I can't wait for that. Today we're going to the Dr. again - it's been 5.5 weeks, so I'm really ready! I'm hoping to hear your heartbeat, and daddy's going with me so it will be great for both of us to know you're okay. Maybe I gained some weight too. I tried to eat some more (even healthy!) this weekend, since my appetite's back sometimes. I know the Dr. will start to get annoyed with me if my weight doesn't start moving eventually. Hang in there, and we'll see (or at least hear) you in a few hours!

::: posted by Kerry at 9:01 AM