Ally’s Pregnancy Journal

Well Wednesday night I went over Kate’s to see her, Felipe and Mary. We watched her wedding video and had some pizza, greek salad and amazing garlic bread (I absolutely loved it!!) After Kate baked some cookies, though Mary had to leave just before they were done (btw Mary… Lost was not as good as an episode as I would have expected, seemed like they were trying to fill an empty episode!). Kate, Felipe and I enjoyed the cookies with some milk (mmm I still can’t stop thinking about those chocolate chip cookies with M&Ms added, must get cookie dough this weekend)

Yesterday I had a yogurt with grapenuts for breafast, tacos for lunch and after work I picked up Bryan at the train station and we went to our friend’s house for dinner. I had some samon, rice and veggies in this great orange ginger sauce!

Today we finished our project so are in the “do nothing for a day” phase and our boss gave us monday off.

Tomorrow we are heading with a friend and her kids and taking a road trip down to IKEA in CT - I know the one in Stoughton is opening the beginning of November but I can’t wait a month to find out if we like the cribs at IKEA better! I also saw 2 of their highchairs online and want to see them in person and see what others they have as that might work out best and save us some money!

Yesterday I had the ultrasound and everything looks great, she double checked pretty much every area to make sure it didn’t look like it was pulling up or anything. She also said it is pretty normal for some women to have a little bleeding but they always like to make sure it is ok. Bryan had decided to come with me (knowing if it was bad news he would want to be there with me). Well he was soo excited to see the baby again but this time no tail and very active. The tech decided it was best to do some measurements to make sure things are still progressing along and the baby measured right on target for being almost 15 weeks. After her assuring me a few times that everything was definitely fine I started to relax and sure enough the baby started to move around like crazy, the look on Bryan’s face was too cute and then he asked if she could print out a few shots. So she did (and of course proud papa he is he scanned them as soon as we got home last night)

This is mostly of the head (one of the few profile images she was able to capture since it kept moving)

This is of the whole baby (you can see the legs coming together up on the left)

And here are 3 more (yep she gave us 5 but the above 2 are the best)

So after we went to Baby Depot and Babies R Us just to look at the cribs one more time, want to be sure we have the one we are really going to be happy with.

After we went out for Vietnamese and I got the vermicelli beef with the rice paper to make my own rolls again and of course Jasmine Limeade.

So today I have been taking it easy again, had an egg, ham and cheese on a English muffin for breakfast with a big orange juice. Lunch I had a salad with blue cheese, steak and balsamic vinaigrette over field greens.

Friday I ended up having chicken quesadillas for lunch but only ended up eating half. After work I picked Bryan up and we went down and had dinner with his mom, she made stuffed pork chops with squash and green beans. I only ended up eating about half of that meal as well but ate all the green beans (I’m a big fan of fresh green beans). After we hung out and I took out the Doppler so she could hear the baby’s heartbeat. It was nice having her be able to hear it.

Saturday morning I had a piece of apple ginger loaf and a smoothie for breakfast and I ended up skipping lunch. We went over our friend Ellen’s to hang out with her and her kids (Bobby and Jennie) We ended up going out for Vietnamese for dinner and I had a jasmine limeade before we ate which really helped settle my stomach and I was able to eat a nice portion of Bun Thit Nuong which is beef with vermicelli with fixings and rice paper to make your own rolls. After we walked around the Atrium with the kids. Later we went back to Ellen’s, helped put the kids to bed then hung out till 2am chatting.

Sunday we slept in a little and had toast and smoothies for breakfast. For lunch I had my leftover calzone. Dinner time we went back over Ellen’s where we had cheese and crackers and I had about a fourth of a glass of wine, just enough to wet my palate. We didn’t stay as long Sunday night but Ellen had me go though her maternity clothes to see if any fit me and sure enough most of the pants and some of the tops did. This will definitely help me not have to buy much at all for maternity clothes, just some sweaters when my belly gets bigger and that should be enough.

Monday I had a pumpkin muffin and a smoothie for breakfast and for lunch - sweet potato soup and a piece of garlic bread. After lunch when I went to the bathroom I noticed some blood and called my doctors office right away, it had gone away after wiping about 4 times and was bright red. They told me to come in after 3 and the doctor would see me and check for a heartbeat. I got there about 3:30 and by 4 one of the doctors was able to see me and we were able to hear the heartbeat. I was so relieved that I started to cry and could not stop. Though he explained I am most likely fine as the walls of the uterus can sometimes lift a little then go back down it would take it to lift 40% for me to miscarry. He asked that I make an appointment to have an ultrasound on Tuesday just to check and make sure everything is ok. I got my composure and went out to the desk where I lost it again when I tried to tell her I needed to make an appointment. Boy did I worry them that the doctor had given me completely bad news. I tried to muster out that I was ok but he wanted to make sure. I even commented how I can’t believe I can’t stop crying even though I heard the heartbeat which is a good sign. I finally held it together long enough to get my appointment for Tuesday at 5pm and left the office. I held it together pretty good on my way to the car but it was so hard to get my mind on something else! I went home and fell asleep on the couch. Bryan woke me up around 8 to eat, he had picked up steak tips and a salad for me. I ate a bunch of the salad but was only able to eat 2 of the tips, at least they make great leftovers!!

Tuesday morning here we are, I’m trying to relax while testing a new CD as this product is about to be released. Had a smoothie on my drive in and have a pistachio muffin for after. Hopefully this day will fly so I can get to my appointment.

OK I finally figured out why I occasionally get these burps that make me feel like I just ate fish - it is my prenatal vitamin(DuetDHA)! In addition to being a prenatal vitamin, it also has a DHA supplement. DHA is an Omega-3 fatty acid that occurs naturally in fish and fish oils and has been linked to improved vision and mental (cognitive) development in babies. It can also have benefits to mom.

So essentially I have been eating fish, or should I say fish oil At least they don’t smell, since smells can turn my stomach, but the taste is quickly gone once I have something to drink! Thank god for google since I had finally decided this morning to look up pregnant burp fish and sure enough DHA came up!

No I’m not craving lemon but according to one of the emails I get for each week of pregnancy at week 14 your baby is about the size of a lemon. It also says that at any time now I will regain my energy and nausea will fade - hopefully they are right and both end in the next couple of week.

Officially I am in the 2nd Trimester aka the Honeymoon Trimester, though once the above fades like they say it will definately feel like a honeymoon!! Though I have to say there have been quite a few times now that I have forgotten about it because work has been keeping me so busy since we are in the final testing phase of a product due to ship the end of this month (less than a week away).

Wednesday night I had my salad and spring rolls, not a big dinner but a very healthy one since it is all veggies and a little bit of vermachelli.

After we decided to try the fetal doppler and sure enough - success!! We did record it to the computer and here is a link to the file (in certain parts you can also hear my heartbeat with it).

http://thepikes.org/baby/ally_and_littlepike_heartbeat.mp3

Bryan was just too excited we actually got it and kept playing it over and over! It’s kindof strange hearing both my heartbeat and the baby’s! The BabyCom registered the baby at 134bpm consistantly and mine was between 65 and 70bpm with a few spikes depending on how calm I stayed (hard not to get excited when hearing the baby’s heartbeat)

Thursday morning I had another yogurt smoothie, a piece of sour apple and ginger loaf and an iced white mocha. Lunch was a wonderful salad with lettuce, tomatoe, onions, black olives, steak and blue cheese dressing - unfortunately I wasn’t able to come anywhere near finishing. After leaving work late I was exausted so the couch was calling my name the whole ride home and was welcomed when I got in the door. Bryan went and picked up a calzone which we split. Normally my half I can finish but only ate about half of it so the leftover went in the fridge knowing it could be lunch this weekend or dinner.

This morning I had the exact same breakfast, though I have not eaten the piece of loaf yet since my stomach is a bit more unsettled than usual.

I really have to get some classical music on my iPod since the baby will be able to hear in a few weeks!

Also less than 5 weeks till we see our little pike again and from what other moms tell me this Ultrasound is much longer! This might be the last appointment that Bryan comes with me to since after that most of them are just checkups that don’t involve an ultrasound or listening to the heartbeat (though now that we can listen from home I don’t think he will even come to the ones where you can hear the heartbeat). I think we will turn the listen to the heartbeat thing into a weekly event. I think he will be even more excited when he can feel the baby move and hear the baby move around since he has already put his head to my belly a few times and I find his hand sitting on my belly when we are sitting and watching tv.

Bryan took belly photos last night to mark week 14, I will try to get them up in this post this weekend.

Monday night we had spinach ravioli for dinner with a couple of meatballs, I had a big glass of milk with it and surprisingly I was able to eat a nice portion for dinner!

Tuesday I had a piece of apple loaf from starbucks that had ginger in it, I really loved it and I think the ginger helped it stay down nicely. I had to go to the dentist before lunch to get my teeth cleaned and she said my gums were doing great and they have not changed since before I was pregnant other than they bleed much easier which she said was normal. After the apt. I went to Lemon Tree where I picked up miso soup, golden bags, a salad and spring rolls, I figured if I could eat 2 of those then I could have the other 2 for dinner - I ate the soup and the golden bags. Not too bad considering my gums were sore from the dentist.

After work I picked Bryan up and we went to The Right Start to look at the strollers again and instead of sticking with the Maclaren I think we are going to go with the Inglesina Zippy in Green since it is a true one handed close and open, has a bar in front like I want, a very large canopy, comes with a rain cover which is easy to put on, lays fully down and will also hold an infant carrier if necessary. After we stopped at The Bubbling Brook where I got a fried clam basket and Bryan got Fried scallops. I didn’t even eat a third of it so Bryan said he would eat it Wednesday night for dinner and I would have my salad and springrolls. When we went home we pretty much crashed, watching a little TV before bed.

Today I had a yogurt smoothie for breakfast and half of a granola bar(couldn’t finish it) I have been fighting wanting to take a nap all day so I know I will crash when I get home! Lunch I had a grilled chicken rollup but only ate half so maybe Bryan will eat it tonight with his leftover seafood.

I’m officially 14 weeks tomorrow and I so wish this nausea would just go away!!

I don’t really want to work today, I’m tired and can’t wait to go home and sleep! I actually ate an egg, ham and cheese on a english for breakfast and our team had a lunch gathering bbq out back so I had a cheeseburger and lots of water. I don’t know how long it is going to stay down though as my stomach is spinning so I don’t think I will be getting up from my chair anytime shortly! Thank god I can remote control most of the computers in our lab so I can get some work done without getting up!

Oh, I almost compltely forgot to mention in my update that over the last few nights I have been having some really vivid dreams and Bryan even said I talked in my sleep last night though because he was so tired he doesn’t remember what I said. I can never remember my dreams in the morning but they leave me feeling like I haven’t slept at all.

Last week flew but not without event.

Most of the week I had issues eating as usual and the nausea kept going. Eating was the normal half amount I normally do but no throwing up this week which was nice.

Thursday was my OB appointment and I lost 4lbs from my last apt. My doctor was not concerned but the nurses tried to give me a tip about eating more smaller meals but then thought I was doing pretty good when I told them putting anything in my mouth makes me gag to begin with so the fact that I am actually eating and keeping some food down I should just stick with. They said to just keep eating when ever I can and what ever I can. Since I have had a hard time eating carbs and really can’t do fried foods and anything processed tastes funny to me they know I will only be trying to eat good foods.

Bryan has been even more attentive as time goes on and even though the doctor was unable to tell us the beats per minute we all got to hear the heartbeat of the baby, but my heartbeat was really strong with it too so it made it impossible for her to tell us how fast. She liked my theory on not worrying - I told her that as long as I have this constant nausea I know the hormones keep getting stronger and that must mean the baby is fine, I told her once the nausea goes away then maybe I would start worrying. She laughed because I actually saw a bright side to the constant nausea!

I had lots of questions for her again and one of them she said it was fine for me to have an occasional glass of wine if I want and we went over a lot of the birthing questions I had and so far her, Bryan and I are on exactly the same page, which makes us even more comfortable with her. We also setup for birthing classes in January since they book up fast and I think we might take one or 2 of the infant classes that Harvard Pilgrim offers big discounts on.

Being the preparers we are, I already asked my general practitioner about a recommendation about a pediatrician and she recommended the office she uses and turns out they have an office in Weston as well as Medfield and they have late hours on some days and 2 of the doctors work in both locations so we might wait till December or January to setup an interview with one of the doctors but I think they will work for us with the 2 locations but meeting the doctor will tell us more.

Friday night while Bryan and our friend John went to a BeerFest and I went over and watched John’s kids - Jenny (almost 2) and Bobby (almost 3). I brought washable paint and clay for them to make pictures then to play with the clay. After we watched the Incredibles and by the end the kids were out so I brought them up to bed. Not long later I was out on the couch.

Saturday we went and looked at 3 houses but since the market really looks like it is turning we are holding off on making any kind of offers on a house but it was nice to have a look at them. One has big potential and is the perfect layout but with the market we really want to wait. After we went t0 my dad’s to see my step mom and the kids, it was great getting to see them and talk to Sue since I hadn’t seen her since we told her I was pregnant. She’s really excited for us and I am happy since she is always soo supportive. When we left there we went to Babies R Us again since we wanted to see if they had any of the other strollers I have been looking at and added a few more small things, but I have a feeling it will change again since I keep doing more research on products.

Saturday evening and today we are taking it easy since I feel so tired and need to rest since next week will be even more busy at work since this product has to ship by the end of this month.

my next apt is in 4 weeks where I go in for a blood test to check for any issues with the baby that would show up in my blood. Though the test is optional since it is only requires to take a blood sample from me we are all for it. Then 2 weeks after that we have another apt and ultrasound.

Thursday night I got together with my friend Mary and helped her shop for a dress and accessories. We also went to The Cheesecake Factory where I had Vietnamese spring rolls and lettuce wraps for dinner. I knew I wouldn’t come close to finishing so only had a little of each and took the rest home for leftovers.

Friday had a yogurt for breakfast, sesame Thai noodles for lunch and after work picked up Bryan at the train station and we headed to look at a house. The house was pretty nice but we found out they already had an offer on the table that they had verbally accepted so we decided we would put in an offer on Monday just incase that one falls through. We are the types where we don’t get our mind set on one house since we know everything happens for a reason and we have many months to keep looking. We know we don’t want to over pay for a house so this was the first house we have looked at. We know there will be more and we know that some of these other houses will have to drop their price if they ever want to sell before the winter comes.

After seeing the house we picked up Lebanese and brought it over to our friend Ellen’s house where her son Bobby (3) and daughter Jenny (almost 2) also ate with us. We spent the night catching up, talking about baby stuff and playing with the kids. It’s amazing how big they get so fast! It also is amazing at how quickly midnight came!

Saturday we ended up hanging out in bed for a while and I had watermelon for breakfast. I had my leftover Vietnamese rolls for lunch then not too long later headed out to a friend’s house where I taught a scrapbook class then we scrapbooked some pages. After we chatted and hung out, my friend has a little girl who is about 12 weeks old now and it was nice getting to see her again since it had been 6 weeks since I saw her. After everyone else left we talked a bit about things they registered for the baby that she couldn’t live without. It is nice hearing from different moms what worked for them as I take it all in and then use that to help me figure out what will work best for us.

Sunday the nausea was kicked into higher gear and I ended up having to have a bowl by my side all day as I felt I was going to get sick at any moment. I had watermelon for breakfast since I really didn’t feel like food, around 2 I had my leftover lettuce wraps for lunch and when Bryan came home with fried clams, fried scallops and fries for some reason my stomach felt it could eat some of them so I had some clams and fries. I didn’t eat much, but since I still wasn’t feeling good that was a good thing. After Bryan went and got us ice-cream since he thought the dairy might help me. Sweet Cream ice-cream is what I had and I’m glad I had as it did settle my stomach for the night… until I brushed my teeth!

For some reason I gag while brushing my teeth for the last week or 2 and I really wish I could prevent it since I normally quite enjoy the ritual! In good news my boobs don’t hurt anymore, they are still sensitive but I have now been able to sleep the last 2 nights without a sleeping bra! I think I am going to have to get a special sleeping pillow soon since everyone tells me I should get use to sleeping on my side but I so love sleeping on my back. I try now by putting pillows between my legs but they always end up popping out or unfolding themselves. The body pillow I have now is just way too flat to use. I think when we go for another trip to Babies R Us I’m going to see what they have.