Good Appointment, Bad Appointment

Had my second doctor appointment today. Here are the reasons it was good:
1) Heard cute baby heartbeat of 170 BPM - you go, girl (or boy)!
2) Was happy with only 1 lb. weight gain despite the significant eat-a-thon that's been happening here
3) Doctor gave me the "you now are past the risk of miscarriage" green light
4) Doctor very happy I am "growing and doing great so far!!!"

Also she was in her Good Doctor mood today. (Sometimes, with Matthew's pregnancy, Crabby Doctor came instead and those appointments weren't as fun. They were much less smiley, and good jobby, and tended to center more around how I've gained too much weight. Sometimes the words "BMI" and "obese" were used.)

But here are the reasons today was not so good: actually, I can save space, it's really one big reason. THEY LOST MY APPOINTMENT AND SO I WAITED FOR ABOUT ONE AND HALF HOURS.

I was so impatient, I am surprised I didn't jump the counter and strangle the ditzy front desk lady (who I just know never put my appointment into the computer after she wrote out my appointment card last time) with her own phone cord. The whole time I'm sitting there reading this new magazine for women, Pink, all about high-powered careers. Thinking I won't have a medium or low-powered one if I couldn't get the hell outta there and back to my conference call.

Anyway - in life - all things in perspective. Please know I am thrilled with my appointment. Just, you know, not the 3 hours event it took to get me out there, wait and get to work. For the five minutes I spent with Good Doctor.

Neglect

Can it be 11 days since I last posted? Since then I have:

• Shifted back out of morning sickness, for the most part.
• Gained a solid 4 lbs (of what? does this grain of rice weigh four lbs?)
• Started feeling my stomach pooch out.
• Told a few more friends and co-workers.
• And begun neglecting every good eating habit I formed last year, in favor of second lunches and hourly snacks.

So far I'm just loving this. Yes, a bit tired, and feeling queasy and averse to certain foods and smells all days. Coffee is a lost BFF to me now. But it's really been so low key in terms of symptoms. One week of true morning sickness, and now it's just every third day or so that I feel bad.

I actually don't think about this pregnancy as much as I did every minute with Matthew. But, whenever I do, I'm loving my new "project" and the feeling that no matter how crappy a day goes, I've always got something better cooking. It makes all the juggling and craziness worthwhile, and seem manageable, and temporary.

Sex Prediction #1

Sorry, not the interesting kind. I just want to log my guesses this time. I have a feeling I'll change my mind a lot, like last time. Hopefulloy at the end I'll count them up and hopefully be at least 51% correct.

So because my friends Sarah and Cara both found out they're having girls ... that is just too many girls ... today I say BOY.

A Real Update

We had a perfect healthy ultrasound on Monday - whoo hoo! Got a little 90 BPM heartbeat, which is normal for a couple more weeks. Matthew's was 160+ on his first ultrasound at 8 weeks, while Little Rice Krispie Muldrow was only 6 weeks so the doctor said that was normal.

And yes, our child is a Rice Krispie. Didn't even have the little arm/leg blobs - yet. Course that was 2 days ago ... who knows she s/he is up to in there now.

Well, actually, I know - making me SICK. I am having pretty strong nausea from the time I first wake up, until I get to work. I have to wait around eating crackers in bed for 1/2 hour before I dare stand up (or really even sit up) unless I want to cruise straight in to barf.

Not a big fan of barfing - and once I start, I don't stop. But my "moving slowly" in the morning unfortunately means sticking poor Mike with the sole child care/pet care in the morning, and also being a bit late to work.

But so be it; we knew another pregnancy would bring some inconvenience, and hopefully it only lasts another 6-7 weeks at the most. Moving slowly, by 7:30 I feel good enough to shower and get to work. By about 9, I feel like eating, and I'm really into fruit or fruit yogurt; bread is sadly out. Eating stops the cycle, I just can't stand the thought of it until I get to work.

And then really all day, my stomach is still "off" all day. Which is different than Matthew (GIRL????).

But not complaining. I know people who throw up all day, every day. Even once every day would be too much for me. If we can keep this to nausea in the mornings, I will not complain too much.

Besides that, I do get tired at night - but not exhausted, and I'm not noticing it at work. I'm busy, which really does help. God, last time, at GE, I was so bored I felt a physically overpowering need to crawl under my desk and nap - daily. At work now, I find my carefully planned second cup of coffee around 3 p.m. is all I need to get through.

Course night is another story. I'm going to sign off now, as I'm feeling a bit like the walking dead. My perkiness ends about 8 p.m. so I don't know what the heck I'm doing up at 10:45.

Two Words

Morning sickness.

Pregnancy in 2008 So Far

So far, so good! I am still feeling sick in the morning, but no barfing and it totally goes away after I eat. Which I don't feel like doing, which is sad because my morning english muffin with cheese or waffle with peanut butter standard is a highlight of my entire day.

Now it's plain toast, one piece, and even that I find myself not finishing. Just don't have the appetite*. But I gotta get a base in there to buffer the coffee which yes, I am still drinking (half caff at least).

Tomorrow morning I get more blood drawn for HCG levels again. Monday I get my ultrasound. Babycenter.com tells me that early ultrasounds may not show heartbeats, and if not I shouldn't worry. Even though heartbeats are usually visible by 6 1/2 weeks (4 1/2 weeks after conception, wow) if your cycle is longer you might have to come back the next week. (Perfect, because that is super convenient with me and a job and highway 40.)

Technically, I will be exactly 6 1/2 weeks on Monday. But based on my 31 day cycle, I won't be. Don't know what we'll see - and it WILL freak me out not so see something.

So, all together now, let's hear it for a heartbeat!

*After dinner, I have that appetite and then some and an generally now feeling the need for two dinners - then dessert. I don't always give in, but I always shop around the kitchen for quite a while each night, planning and debating what secondsies might be.