Camille sleeps in her crib - December 13, 2009

I decided it was time to try to have baby Camilley sleep in her crib. Ainsley NEVER slept in her crib. Every time her body touched down she'd let out a huge wail. So, I walk up the stairs in a robotic sort of trance with Camille in my arms. No big movements or sounds from me, and I'm trying to avoid all the creaks on the stairs (suddenly, there seems to be a bunch of new ones in our floorboards!) Down she goes, slowly and soundlessly. Her butt touches the mattress, then the rest of her body and not a peep from her. The big test is sliding my arms out from underneath her and creeping away noiselessly. And there it is! So, it wasn't something I did wrong with Ainsley. She just didn't want to sleep in there, I guess. Camille goes down and stays down for about 45 minutes. I will call that a great success!! Later that night, she slept in the crib for the night, into the early morning, and the following night for a few hours as well. Looks like this new crib is going to work out just fine.

In the following days, the baby fell asleep in her "sleep beside" under the Christmas tree (she's our best little Christmas present we could ever get!) and Frank carried her upstairs and laid her in her crib while still in the sleep beside. Not a peep from the little chickie! I love that sleep beside. And so does baby.

Bright, smiling baby Camille - December 09

Camille smiled a great big smile today! This is not a poop smile either. No flatulence went along with it (I'm pretty sure). She has dimples like Frank - big huge dimples when she smiles. First she squinted her eyes then opened her mouth into this big, toothless grin. Such a cute baby. I will get a picture of this if it kills me! Every time the camera finally clicks, I miss it!

All my helpers are gone! - Tuesday, December 1, 2009

What a sad day for me. I was really getting used to Frank being around all the time. He did all the things he's been planning to do for years: organize and clean the basement and garage! Plus, run and get every tiny thing I ask him to. I also had a reprieve after Thanksgiving, Ainsley was off school Monday (yesterday) so she was my runner. She was my good little runner every day she was home. Now I have to do all that running myself! I couldn't imagine getting the baby in and out of the car without Frank. However, I did some practicing, so I might be okay!

First thing this morning, as I'm sitting here boo-hooing to myself, Camille spoke up. She cooed at me - a really big one for the first time! I think she was saying, "You can do it, get it together Mom, for real!" I called Frank right away (he had only walked out about 10 minutes earlier) to let him know what he missed. This is just the beginning of Camille's voice. I have a feeling she will never let herself be ignored! That's my girl.

Camille's Baptism - Saturday, Nov 28, 2009

Camille was baptized at 5 weeks old. We wanted to have her blessed as soon as possible. My sister, Tara, is her godmother and Frank's cousin, Mike, her godfather. It was so cute to have Ainsley, and Miranda and Gene (Miranda and Gene are Tara's children; they are four and five) sit in the short pew in the front row right in front of the church. They were so good and so interested in everything that was going on. I was so proud of them. There were three other babies being baptized, as it was Thanksgiving weekend and apparently the perfect time to do it. Camille slept the entire time through the service. The only time she woke up is when Father Whitman poured the water over her because a little trickle made its way to her eye. It was a very special service. Afterward, we traveled downstairs for coffee and cake, joined by about 20 friends and mostly relatives. Camille slept through that, also. What a great baby!

Camille Sleeps Through the Night - Friday, November 27, 2009

It's hard to believe that we went to bed around 1 am on Thursday and woke up around 6am with the baby. She slept a whole six hours straight. Way to go! Mommy feels pretty good after getting all that sleep.

Camille's One Month Visit to the pediatrician - November 24, 2009

Camille is perfect! We are truly blessed. She has grown to 8 lbs. 9 oz. and is in the mid-range for her height and weight. She grows so much every day. We are so lucky and thank God every day for her.

Camille loses her belly button - November 9, 2009

The nurse told me to use water and soap to clean Camille's belly button. Nothing else?! No alcohol? No peroxide? These are all the things I used for Ainsley's belly button ten years ago. Hers took awhile to fall off.  Camille's took 17 days to fall off, and I didn't have to do more than give her a bath. I was getting out of bed after nursing Camille and I had been laying on something. As I went to brush it off the bed, disgusted that there were crumbs or some kind of foreign fuzz ball in my bed, I realized just before I got rid of it that it was Camille's belly button. That little bugger's belly button fell right off by itself! So I put it in an envelope, labeled and dated it, and put it in the "Camille momentos" file.

My ER visit - Thursday, October 29, 2009

Camille is now five days old and I'm not feeling any better. In fact, I'm feeling worse at this point. I'm bleeding as much if not more than I was in the hospital, and the pain in my middle was still bad. I was actually getting worse instead of better. So, I called Dr. Malak, my Ob/Gyn and spoke to the nurse. She told me to go to the ER immediately and she ordered a STAT ultrasound and also ordered blood and urine tests. So, Frank and I headed to the ER and nothing came up out of the ordinary. The last hope to figure out what was wrong was for the ER doctor to do an internal exam. Upon this examination, he found a small piece of placenta that did not show up on the ultrasound. He said this is what was causing my problems. He ordered me to also take Motrin instead of Tylenol. Motrin is a stronger pain killer than Tylenol.

After this, I felt like I was about a week behind in my recovery, but I started feeling better and was on the road to recovery.

Camille's first visit to the pediatrician - October 27, 2009

Camille's weight went down to 6lbs 10oz. This is normal. The doctor said she would like to see her at the end of the week when she's exactly one week old and she would like her weight to be back to her birth weight. I reported that we were changing about 6 diapers a day at least and that she is breastfeeding exclusively. Dr. Duffy said that she was perfect, just keep doing what we're doing.

Note:  Camille almost hit her birth weight at one week. She was 7lbs. exactly (4 oz short).

Naming the Baby

We attended baptism class at our church six days before the baby was born. We did not have a name yet and I was getting nervous about it. Father passed out a list of saints' names and Camille is the female derivation of a saint's name. (I forget the male form) That name really hit me. I told Frank and he liked it too, and so did Ainsley when asked later. But we didn't come up with the middle name, Grace, until right after the baby was born. Grace was the name of our nurse who was really wonderful. She must have a lot of babies named after her, because we've seen two more babies with the middle name Grace in the paper, and they were born at the same hospital. Plus, one of the other nurses said, "You got another named after you, Grace."

Camille Grace. What a beautiful name for a beautiful little baby!

Baby arrives! Friday, October 23, 2009

Thursday night after dinner, Frank and I arrive at the hospital and we have the entire Women's Center to ourselves. No other moms or babies that night, so it was pretty quiet there. So we settle into the labor and delivery room, which is pretty nice with a TV and CD player/radio. Dr. Malak arrives and in 3 seconds, inserts Prostaglandin (I believe!) into me to ripen the cervix. Just in time to watch Survivor on TV, then the nurse gives me a sleeping pill around 9:30 and my mind starts to drift for awhile. Around 11:15, the action begins. Here come the contractions. These contractions seem like mid-labor contractions. They were kind of strong, with only about 30 seconds in between them. My Dave Matthews CD was put in and it was time to concentrate. This is how it was during the entire night. I kept getting up to go to the bathroom and the poor nurse had to un-hook me from the monitor and eventually the saline IV all night. Then, finally, around 7:30am, she checked and there was hardly any progression. I was still at 1cm, with 50% effacement. The doctor then authorized some pain meds and I fell asleep for a short amount of time. The doctor came in around 8:15 - Frank and I had snoozed for about 40 minutes. He then broke my water, decided not to give me Pitocin, and that's when all heck broke loose. The contractions were much stronger with less time in between. We were not going back to sleep.

This went on for about an hour and a half. Then, I got the epidural. I had caved during the night and let it be known that I definitely wanted one this time (with Ainsley, I did not have one, the anesthesiologist was MIA!). Still not a lot of progression, but when I was sat upright and given the epidural, I went from 2cm to 7cm right then! I also asked for my mommy, who rushed from home and came into the delivery room with us to witness the birth of her tenth grandchild!

Everything went smoothly with the epidural. I felt no pain, but I could feel the pressure, which enabled me to push. After about 4-5 pushing sessions, Camille Grace Klaric came into the world at 11:37am on Friday, October 23, 2009. She was 7 lbs. 4 oz. and 19 1/2 in long. What a complete miracle!

Preparing for Delivery - Thursday, October 22, 2009

The plan was to pick up Ainsley from school and bring her with us to the doctor's office, the hospital, and then to stay with my mom until the baby arrives. So, having packed our bags (see "Packing a bag for the hospital" at the end of this post), Frank and I went to pick up Ainsley, then to Dr. Malak's (the Ob/Gyn) office for a Non-Stress Test to make sure everything was okay the baby, which it was. Ainsley decided that she didn't want any more part of things, so she ducked out with relatives early. She didn't even make it to the hospital. We were wondering how long she would make it.

The doctor informed us that he will perform the procedure to ripen the cervix with the vaginal insert at 7pm at the hospital, so be there by 6:30. Well, this gave us time to enjoy one last "hurrah" out together - just the two of us. So I had cavatelli at Inn 62 - yum!

A LIST FOR NEW MOMS
Packing a bag for the hospital: Below are two lists including items that are useful to pack, and items that I packed that I did not use. Remember that you are leaving with a lot more than you arrived with, so keep it simple!

Items that were useful to have in the hospital:
slippers (or slipper socks)
nursing nightgown (the hospital gown is very unattractive)
CD or something relaxing to do during labor (I played a Dave Matthews CD through the entire labor)
Item used as a focal point during labor
Extra pairs of underwear
One outfit for mom to wear home (something you would wear at about six months' into pregnancy)
One outfit for baby to wear for hospital picture and to wear home
Snacks - I packed cheese nips and a couple cookies (you never know what time the baby's going to come or how long labor will be)
Brush
Body wash or soap
Shampoo/Conditioner in one (I only had time and energy for a quick shower)
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Deodorant
Baby car seat - the hospital has to approve this before you can leave the hospital with the baby. There is a year stamped on the back of the car seat. It has to meet all current requirements. (Don't ever buy a car seat at a garage sale - chances are it is out of date)

Items that I packed and did NOT need:
Computer (I did not have the time or desire to touch this)
Extra clothes (I packed t-shirts, an extra nightgown and other clothes that just took up space)
Hair dryer (The last thing I wanted to do was fix my hair)
Curling iron
Magazines and book

Update - new posts coming!

Today is Frank's first day back to work and I'm ready to update the blog with lots of news. So, even though my posts may be marked with later dates, a lot has happened in between. The baby is five weeks now and I'm nervous about what will happen when both Ainsley and Frank are gone at school and work. I'll have to do everything without my helpers. Ainsley is the "Lil' Mama". She is so great with the baby. She holds her all the time and she's so good at calming Camille down. She puts her to sleep all the time. So, I'll be on my own now! I'll blog more about this in following posts. Get ready for updates!

Baby to arrive by Friday!

At 39 weeks, I went in and took the NST again. When the doctor checked for further progress, he seemed worried that there was no further dilation, and still at 50% effacement. He wanted to move the labor along right then and there and send me to the hospital. This was hard for me to take in. I wanted further discussion and explanation. Frank look dumbfounded, then shocked, then happy. I'm sure my face mirrored his expressions! The main reason for the doctor's worries (he explained to me) was because of my advanced maternal age. Statistics show that the chance of Intrauterine Fetal Death increases after 39 weeks in women age 40 and over. See my "By the way" note at the end of this post. When I told the doctor that my experience with Pitocin was "yucky" (yes, that's the only description I could come up with at the time), he said that was because it brings on the hard labor contractions, and that he could just give me an epidural. I did explain that I didn't want the epidural if it could be helped (although I won't rule it out). He said that we schedule the induction but that the day before, we try to ripen the cervix. This is done in one of two ways: using Prostaglandin gel, or a vaginal insertion of Misoprostol. They are both cervical ripening agents that contain a hormone that cause the cervix to thin out (also referred to as effacement) or even help dilate the cervix. After using one of the two methods, the baby will be monitored (using an external monitor). Pitocin may or may not have to be used next. After discussion, we all decided that Thursday I will come into the office for another Non Stress Test, then he will check to see if there is further progression. At that point, he will most likely begin the ripening of the cervix, and send me to the hospital to be monitored overnight. If nothing happens, at that point he will begin the induction with Pitocin. (Let's pray for activity overnight!) SO THIS IS HOW THERE WILL BE A BABY BY FRIDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2009! WE ARE SO EXCITED!! By the way: I found information about advanced maternal age (AMA) as an independent risk factor for Intrauterine Fetal Death (IUFD): The cumulative risk of IUFD at 38 weeks of gestation in an uncomplicated patient age 40 and over is similar to the risk of IUFD at 41 weeks in an uncomplicated patient less than age 35. These results support routine antenatal testing beginning at maternal age 40, and started at 38 weeks gestation.

38-Week Visit

Took the Non-Stress Test again. Exciting news this week is that I'm 1 cm dilated and 50% effaced. The doctor said it could happen "any minute now." I'm convinced that he's humoring me - or is he? I'm careful not to get too excited. I know there is still a couple weeks to go.

NST Success

We have had success at every "NST" visit. My advice to any mom: take someone with you, or bring something to do with you, or better yet: take a nap! Since you have to press the button to indicate movement, I was too nervous to take a nap, but the nurse kept telling me to take a nap. I think she might've been joking. Ainsley came with me twice and had fun pressing the button when the baby moved. This was fun having her with me, as she entertained me with funny stories about school. She had me rolling. I laughed so hard I was crying. This was a great way of keeping her involved. She felt really special I think. So the baby's movement in relation to its heartbeat is great which is a relief. I had to take this test because I'm old -- NO, I didn't say that! I mean because of my "advanced maternal age."

NST - starting at 36 weeks

According to my Ob/Gyn, I have to take this test at my weekly visit from week 36 to the end. This is because I am considered high risk because of my age. The test involves attaching one belt to the mother's abdomen to measure fetal heart rate and another belt to measure contractions. Movement, heart rate and "reactivity" of heart rate to movement is measured for 20-30 minutes. As I lie back and stare at the computer and machine that perform the NST test, I start to formulate questions. First, "Why am I taking this test; what are they looking for?" The answer is that they are checking to make sure that the baby's oxygen levels are normal. When oxygen levels are low, the fetus may not respond normally. Low oxygen levels can often be caused by problems with the placenta or umbilical cord. Also, "What do the results mean? Will there have to be further testing?" A reactive non-stress result indicates that blood flow (and oxygen) to the fetus is adequate. A nonreactive non-stress result requires additional testing to determine whether the result is truly due to poor oxygenation, or whether there are other reasons for fetal nonreactivity (i.e. sleep patterns, certain maternal prescription or nonprescription drugs.

Latest doctor visit

Yesterday I saw my regular Ob/Gyn, Dr. Malak and he said everything is "perfect". Great! The baby is now positioned correctly. Head down, butt out, and kicking me all over, all the time! I am exhausted but happy. We are getting close. 44 Days to due date!! Next doctor visit in two weeks, then we switch to the weekly visits. More in depth stuff at the next visit - cultures, etc.

My Sugar is OK

At today's appointment, the doctor gave me the results to the three hour glucose test I took on Thursday. He said all four readings were in the 80's. That is well within the normal range. In fact, those are really good readings. I think I was more worried about my sugar being high than I realized because I've been out of commission since I took the test, until today. Then it could have been a combination of different factors such as the heat or allergies -- I don't know! I think I'm hiding my worry from myself! I'm closet-worrying! I don't want anything to go wrong with this baby. I'm just happy that I have a husband and a daughter who make sure that I take it easy and try to help me out as much as they can - which is often! Just a side note - I noticed I am carrying this baby differently from the first baby. Ainsley was positioned lower. With this baby, I look like I'm carrying a basketball around. It looks the same as when you see a pregnant person on TV and you think, "That looks so fake". I guess I won't be thinking that looks so fake anymore! I have a shelf. I didn't have a shelf the first time. I think she's trying to get into the correct position because my belly-button was practically facing to the left yesterday. She's a mover! She seems to move a lot more than Ainsley did. Ainsley's my little "rule follower", this one may be my little feisty one. We'll see - only 75 more days until we hit the due date!

Routine tests

Last week I was sent in for some routine blood work and glucose test. Turns out my sugar was borderline high. The level was 14o. If your level is 140 or above you have to have the 3-hour glucose test. This is where you drink the same yucky orange or fruit punch stuff, and have your blood drawn every hour - four times. Monday I have an appointment with Malak. We'll see the results then. In the meantime, I'm looking into taking Ainsley to a "sibling" class. I hope they teach them in the area.

Week 26 Ultrasound

Everything looks good! The technician said that I was measuring big because the baby is laying sideways. She is really crammed in there! I'm uncomfortable, too, and I'm having trouble sleeping with all the antics going on inside me! Hopefully, she will wiggle around enough so that she is facing in the right direction. That should put both mom and baby out of our misery. There is no extra fluid. The baby weighs 1 lb, 13 oz. We have some interesting ultrasound pictures that I will add soon. Two of the pictures are in 3D. That technology was not available ten years ago when we had our first.

She looks like Ainsley!

Ultrasound for a big baby?

We are going into the 26th week and another ultrasound is being ordered. On Monday, I saw Dr. Malak, my regular Ob/Gyn doctor and he said I was measuring big. He ordered an ultrasound for tomorrow (Monday, July 20th) to make sure everything looks okay. He said there may be extra fluid, or that the baby may be growing too fast. My sister said the same thing happened to her and she had a big baby. Ainsley was only 6lbs 2oz, which is not considered big. I guess I've been a little worried about it. Worried about what it means if the baby is growing too fast. Would that be a form of encephalitis? I'm not overly worried because I promised myself that is something I will not do during this pregnancy over things that I cannot control. So, I'm just waiting patiently for Monday to come- and today is Sunday - and I've been filling out this sheet all week recording the baby's movements in a given hour every day. She's a mover and a shaker!

I'm a human incubator

Technically, yes, I am. But this incubator is tired. Exhausted. For no other reason other than I'm incubating another human being and it is tiring. Have I used the words exhausted and tired enough yet? How about, this incubator is too old of a model to be in excellent working condition. Okay, now I'm exaggerating! It's been great taking Ainsley to the park 4 times a week for the past two weeks to go to her dance lessons. The dog and I have been taking the opportunity to take some nice walks. Sometimes we'll now take two walks a day. It makes me feel great actually. There have just been days here and there where I've felt weirdly exhausted, and I've slept many hours out of the day. I guess that's what made me think of the word "incubator" - because when I fall asleep, a button is pushed somewhere inside and when I wake up, the baby is bigger. Anyway, next doctor's appointment is Monday. I expect it shall be routine. I had a problem last pregnancy with my salt intake. Too much salt (gotta lay off that Burger King!). I noticed that my legs were starting to blow up and now I've been making sure I'm drinking lots of water.

Almost 24 weeks with a 1+ lb baby!

I'm getting big! The baby's getting big. I'm at 24 weeks officially tomorrow. 24 weeks is the point when if you go into early labor, there is a great chance that the baby will survive. Two weeks ago now, I saw Dr. Khawli, the high risk doctor. I received another ultrasound. The baby was one pound exactly. Everything looks great. We opted not to get the amnio. Now I'm riding the pregnancy out with faith, and enjoying myself. I've been feeling pretty good in the last couple weeks. I've been sitting outside with Ainsley while she swims, and even getting in the pool myself. It's been lots of fun. Frank makes fun of me because I'm grunting when I sit down and get up. It just seems to help! What can I say? Knock on wood, I hope that I continue to feel good. I'm drinking lots of water and eating well. Ainsley continues to talk to the baby. She's very excited.

Week 19 Update

There have been two doctor visits since the last post. Yes, it's a girl! And we are very excited. Ainsley's excited to be a big sister. We found out it is a girl at the last doctor's visit with Dr. Zarlingo, a high risk pregnancy doctor, who is also Dr. Khawli's partner. Although the doctor cannot guarantee that the baby does not have a genetic disorder, there are certain factors that point to positive health. Those are: the baby can make a fist, absence of a cleft lip, and an intact nasal cavity. All these positives helped us to decide not to have the amniocentesis. We are putting our faith in God and are going to enjoy the pregnancies and all it brings.

Week 17 Ultrasound

It's a Girl! I'm too excited to write anything else on this post.

Week 16

We are looking forward to the ultrasound on Friday, May 22nd. Especially Ainsley. She keeps asking me when we will find out if it is a boy or girl. Everyone I bump into has been asking this same question. Ainsley's friends have been asking if they can babysit. Since they're all 10, I guess we will not have a shortage of babysitters in a few years! Wow, the baby is growing, and me along with it. Did I not expect this?? Well, it has been ten years and I think I've forgotten what it's like to be pregnant.

Welcome to Week 15

Just another week? I thought so at the beginning of the week. On Monday, I had another prenatal visit with Dr. Malak, my regular Ob/Gyn doctor, in which we discussed the test results from the prenatal screening conducted two weeks ago. The most fruitful thing that came from this discussion is that I've decided to ask Dr. Khawli, the high risk pregnancy doctor, what his miscarriage rate is for amniocentesis. Maybe this will reassure me about having this done. So my next step is to call Dr. Khawli's office and find out. Dr. Malak assures me that I won't offend the doctor, because he knows this is a very important factor. We also listened to the heartrate. It was loud and strong! I know this baby is growing lots because I'm a lot bigger. What else important happened this week? I don't really want to admit it, because I don't want to jinx it, but I think the nausea has subsided quite a bit. Like a light bulb, I'm up and around more. There's just dizziness now so I'm taking it easy. I'm on the computer more and writing some new and interesting things so check out my new pages at Squidoo.com.

Possible Names

Girl's Names: Rhonna (or Ronna). I just met my new neighbor the other day and her name is Rhonna, although she didn't tell me how to spell it. Frank's brother who passed away is of course Ronald. Alex (Ainsley's choice), or Alexis (Frank's choice). Ainsley says not Alexandra, though...just Alex. I like Lexi. Boy's Names: Adam. The lead singer from the band Maroon 5 's name is Adam. This is how the name caught my attention. Wish I could say it's after Adam Lambert who is of course my favorite American Idol this year. Liam - just thought of yesterday... we kinda like it. If you're thinking that we're trying to come up with another "A" name, you're wrong. We're just having fun with it. Maybe in a couple weeks, I'll set up a poll where everyone can vote for their favorite name. Until then, bring on the comments. Suggestions will be considered!!!

The Results Call

My doctor from St. E.'s (Dr. Khawli, the high risk pregnancy doctor) called me to give me the results of the prenatal genetic screening. There is a 1 in 78 chance that we may have a baby with a genetic disorder such as Down's Syndrome. This is considered a high risk. Dr. Khawli said that this gives us cause to have an amniocentesis. What is an amniocentesis? In a nutshell, a needle is inserted into the uterus to extract amniotic fluid that is then sent to the lab where it can be determined with 98%-99% accuracy if the baby has a genetic abnormality or disease. It can also determine other things, such as paternity, and lung development.

What are your options? Finding out your baby does not have a genetic disorder can give you peace of mind. Finding out your baby does have a disorder can give you time to prepare to care for a special needs child or to terminate the pregnancy. You can terminate the pregnancy up to 24 weeks.

Frank is kind of worried. He wants us to get the amniocentesis done but I don't really want to do it. I feel like the risk of losing the baby is too great. Miscarriage is the primary risk related to amniocentesis. The risk of miscarriage ranges from 1 in 400 to 1 in 200, depending on how regularly the hospital performs the procedure. Miscarriages can occur because of infection in the uterus, the water breaks or labor is induced prematurely. We will see Dr. Khawli, the high risk pregnancy doctor, on May 22nd. He said we can do the amnio then or we can do it before then if we're really nervous. We will definitely have another ultrasound on that day and we may find out the sex of the baby! How exciting. Frank has that day off, so we're going together. We're thinking about the amnio. We're going to talk about it, educate ourselves, and pray. Remember, this is our little miracle and I do have faith that everything will turn out okay. Stay tuned for an update. Next doctor's visit: Monday, May 4th. To Dr. Malak, my regular Ob doctor. Read more about amniocentesis at: http://www.americanpregnancy.org/prenataltesting/amniocentesis.html

First Maternity Shopping Trip

Saturday, April 25th. To the Prime Outlets in Grove City! Ainsley had a sleepover so, as it was later in the day, 7:30pm to be exact, and I was feeling better, we decided to go get me some badly needed bras and clothes. Things are starting to NOT FIT! I am wearing out and stretching out my sports bras. They don't deserve it. I've not been able to wear my regular bras for a good two weeks. So, number one on the agenda is new bras. Number two is jeans. So we made it to "Motherhood," a store at the outlets. They had nursing bras for $11. Thank goodness we didn't go to JCPenney's, as was the original plan. I ended up trying on a bunch of clothes in the "As Is" section, but as I had a small budget to work with, I did not buy everything I wanted. Here's what I ended up with: 2 nice bras for $12 and $13, and one pair of beige maternity shorts for $16. Not bad. We told the lady as we left that we'd be seeing her again, as these are the only maternity clothes I now own. We felt pretty satisfied as we left. I can begin to feel comfortable with my own body again. So we rolled over to Mickey D's and I got a chocolate milkshake, small fries, and a water (all to be thrown up later that night! ugh!). A nice little outing, but maybe a little overdone for how sick I've been.

How Are You Feeling?

Time period: when I first found out - up through week 13. Very nauseous. I've been very nauseous throughout the first trimester. Many smells bother me greatly. There is not a lot I can eat. What are my solutions? What has made me feel somewhat better, for short periods of time anyway, are the following: 1) seasickness wrist bands, given to me by my sister, Tara. She said this is the only thing that worked for her during her last pregnancy. I will say that I feel worse when I'm not wearing them. 2) Ginger ale. People say that ginger works to help nauseousness. This is all I can drink, along with water. I won't say that it combats nauseousness, but it maybe subsides it a little. 3) Saltines, 4) Dry toast. 5) Tums EX. A plus in taking Tums is that you get that extra dose of calcium, which is greatly needed in pregnancy and for older women, such as myself. I think I might've lost weight, or at least not gained any. A small bonus for all the sickness. I did not have this hugely nauseous feeling with Ainsley. I don't know how women are able to work while they feel this way. I'm also extremely tired. Then I went on Ainsley's class field trip. It was cold, windy, and rainy that day. We went to visit Heinz Field, the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Pittsburgh Zoo. We were outside for many hours. A couple of days later, I was sick. Sick with horrible sinus pain, a cold, and cough. This has been for about 4 days, and is hopefully subsiding. Unfortunately, I also passed my sickness onto Ainsley and Frank. Let's hope as we go into the second trimester, I will feel better.

Prenatal Screening Tests

Visit to Dr. Khawli at St. E.'s on Wednesday, April 22nd. Dr. Khawli specializes in high risk pregnancies. My sister, Tara, came with me, which made me feel good because I'm pretty nervous about everything. They pricked my finger and took my blood. I just can't imagine how Frank as a diabetic does this multiple times daily because it hurt. They also did a non-invasive (thank God!) ultrasound. They took many pictures and measurements of the baby. This is part of the prenatal screening to see if the baby is more likely to have Down's Syndrome or another genetic disorder. The nurse told me that they will call me to let me know if my baby is in the higher percentage to have a genetic disorder. The doctor will call if we're in the higher percentage, the nurse will call if there's nothing to worry about. The doctor said that we will most likely be in the higher percentage because of my age. One good thing is that the baby had a nasal bone, which, according to the doctor, most Down's babies do not have. Do we go on with the testing after this? The doctor pointed out that these tests are 90% accurate. The only way to know 100% if the baby has a genetic disorder is to have an amniocentesis performed. There is a small risk of miscarriage if you have an amniocentesis. If these tests show that the baby is at high risk, we will have to make the decision whether or not to get an amnio. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. I found a good article explaining prenatal screening tests: http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/prenatal-testing/PR00014/METHOD=print

Telling The Family (paranoid hormones?!)

Frank and I told Ainsley the day of her birthday party, March 28th. Of course she was thrilled. She's only been waiting for this moment for her entire life! Then we told our moms & dads and the rest of the family the first week of April. I don't think everyone is very thrilled. Maybe it's my hormones being paranoid?! Anyway WE ARE THRILLED! We want to stay positive and remember that this is a miracle sent to us from God for some reason. The most important thing to me is my family: Frank, Ainsley, baby & me!

First doctor's visit

First visit: March 30th. To Dr. Malak. Yes. I am pregnant. Did anyone bother to tell me I am 40? They all sure have. First ultrasound done - invasive. Not comfy at all. There really is a baby in there. Frank and Ainsley came to the ultrasound. We were all so excited! We went to Bob Evans for pie afterwards.

The Revelation

Found out we were pregnant just before my birthday. Great birthday present! This is how I found out. I was working in the cafeteria at Ainsley's school. I caught a nice big whiff of the garbage being changed. YIKES! I was so nauseous for the rest of the day. My friend, Deb, asked jokingly if I were pregnant. Haha. Well, I thought back and I should've had my period a week before. So I ran home and found an ancient pregnancy test under the bathroom sink. The result: a pink plus sign. But one part of the plus sign was kind of faint in color. The box said it doesn't matter. It's still positive. Well, Frank ran out and purchased a test that will leave no doubt whatsoever. It reads "YES" for pregnant and "NO" for not pregnant. "YES" was the result on this one. Okay, well what now? I'm sooooo ill! There is a constant nauseousness. Ugh, I did not have this with Ainsley. Not this bad.