11 weeks

Wow what a day! So I had my first prenatal appointment today and was so excited going in. Well, when it got to be the good stuff, you know listening to the baby and such, we couldn't find the heartbeat. I've heard that's normal, so I tried not to freak out. The nurse practitioner (the midwife didn't see me today) said that many times the doppler won't pick up babies until at least 12 weeks. But then, when the she checked my uterus, she told me it felt like I was only measuring 8 weeks. She commented that maybe I wasn't as far along as I thought. There was NO way that I was only 8 weeks; I've known about the pregnancy longer than that and I know exactly when I became pregnant, no doubt in my mind. The only reasonable thought for me at that point was maybe I had miscarried. I knew last week I had spotted a tiny bit, but it stopped and never came back. I also hadn't been cramping, and I threw up the past two mornings. I hadn't today, but I was nauseous slightly. Regardless, I was so close to breaking down in tears right there on the table. She said that she would set me up for an ultrasound so we could make sure everything was fine and date the pregnancy.



I was trying to stay positive, but the main thought that kept running through my head was that I could NOT lose another baby. I hadn't even met this little one yet, but I'm still head over heels in love with it. The ultrasound clinic called and set up for me to go in at 2:15 that day, which was awesome how fast they could get me in. I can only imagine having to wait even a day in this sort of wonder. I was excited about the prospect of getting an ultrasound, but so nervous about what it might reveal. Nate, on the other hand, didn't exactly share my worry. He was just plain excited about the fact we would get to see the baby after all. I was happy that he was so excited, but that meant that I was left alone in my worry. He's never lost a baby, so I'm sure he has problems relating to that aspect of my life.

Anyway, 2:15 comes around and we head in for the ultrasound, full bladder and all. By the way, having pregnant women have a full bladder for these things is pure torture, in case you were wondering. They didn't even do the transvanginal ultrasound like they did with my first one of Blake, just a regular ultrasound. I was immediately able to pick out the little heart beating. I have never been so relieved! I could finally relax and enjoy the ultrasound of our little baby. Everything was perfect; the baby was actually measuring a day AHEAD (11 wks, 4 days), the heart rate was 155 (girl maybe?), and this little one was SO active. (S)he kept kicking, playing with his/her face, and just wiggling everywhere. It was so cute. :) Nate really enjoyed getting to see the baby though. It was so different from when I brought Ryan when I was pregnant with Blake. Nate asked questions, got excited, and he even said he teared up at seeing the little one. Glad I wasn't the only one. I'll give you a sneak peak at what baby looks like. I'll have more pictures AND a video later, but the lady was out of film or something, so I have to wait until next week.






Isn't (s)he cute? And even looks like a baby! In Blake's first ultrasound he still looked a little like a peanut. In this one, you can tell where the eyes are, and nose and mouth, the arms and legs are very distinct, oh, and only ONE baby. :) But that's pretty much been all of the excitement I've had lately. I'll just leave you with my 11 week belly shot.