Big pregnancy update!

I had my second OB appointment today and was the first one in the door after lunch so I was the first one back and the first one seen. Woo-hoo!! I really do like my doctor and she answered all my questions so I'm happy about that.
Here's the deal:

1. I actually lost half a pound according to them but she's not concerned. I didn't gain in the first trimester with Andrew, either, but certainly caught up later (I gained almost 30 lbs. with Andrew). Now that I feel better, I'm sure I'll be making up for lost time!

2. We looked at my fertility chart and she has my due date officially at May 6, a week earlier than I had determined. I bet I'll end up closer to the 13th, anyway, but we'll see. So I gained a week!! You'll notice my ticker, weeks progress and days left have all been updated. I like being farther along rather than less!!

3. She is scheduling my ultrasound for 19 weeks, when my grandmother is here visiting from Florida so she can come to the ultrasound with me! Woo-hoo!! It'll be Dec. 22 so I'm super-excited to know that all is well with the baby and hopefully to find out the gender!! What a great Christmas gift!!

4. She said my uterus is measuring larger than usual for this point, but evidently my pelvis is tilted...?? So it's normal. She did feel my uterus up under my belly button, which explains why I feel so huge!!

5. All my blood, urine and Pap results came back normal. YAH! She said there was a slightly elevated thyroid reading that's normal in the first trimester that they'll re-test when they do the diabetes screening later.

6. The BIG news! She couldn't find the heartbeat with the Doppler, no matter how low she went. NO, I wasn't worried or freaked out! She thought the baby was sleeping and sitting very low, so we moved into the ultrasound room. There, she powered that sucker up and my uterus and the baby popped up immediately! I could make out the head and body right away. It was so still--it really was sleeping!!

***THIS is exactly what it looked like! It's a Google image I borrowed but I wanted a visual. Laying in this position, head to the right. Same head shape I remember, too!!***



So she jostled me around a little and sure enough, it started wiggling around and moving its head!! I'm pretty sure I could make out its eye sockets! It was my first ultrasound and totally amazing. It looked just like the Babystrology picture in the sidebar!

She did see the heartbeat and we watched it move for a moment. Since I'd just emptied my bladder, there wasn't much to see but she said everything looked great!!

My next appointment is for the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, then the ultrasound is the Monday before Christmas!

Having miscarried just 6 months ago, I can honestly say that this pregnancy had a very surreal quality to it up until today and having seen our baby was so reassuring and made me feel so good, to connect with that little person in there! I hadn't realized how much I was sort of "holding my breath" to make sure everything was OK before getting excited about this baby. Now I can look forward to the next milestones and the holidays approaching, knowing there's a bona fide baby growing in there and it's not just gas! :)

I am so grateful for all of you who have been praying and asking about the pregnancy. I feel so blessed that this baby is healthy and well--and Mama, too!!

In other news, some of you may not know that at my annual exam, my doc found a spot on one of my breasts. I had a sonogram done and it was nothing, BUT they found a different spot. That spot is probably nothing but because of my family history, they wanted to be sure.

I'm seeing a highly recommended surgeon on Thursday who is going to give me a second opinion and advise me on what to do and whether a biopsy is required. The other issue is that Andrew isn't completely weaned yet, and they can't do a biopsy until he is. So pray for wisdom for the doctor (Dr. Donoghue) and that we can continue (and bring to an END) the weaning process quickly, and with as little drama (and trauma!) as possible.

Will keep you posted!!

Thanks again for your prayers! Thank you, Lord!!