Facebook - The New PBS!

Status: 6 weeks, 0 Days

It didn't really surprise me when it happened, but it is still kind of interesting to watch. Joel and I announced our pregnancy to our brothers, parents, and grandparents yesterday via an e-card disguised as an announcement of my birthday present. As we all know, technology is not 100% all the time, and therefore a few of the e-cards never made it to their recipients and had to be re-sent the next day. Unfortunately, those recipients had already heard about our news through other sources.....

Ben - My Grandma was returning a call to Ben and mentioned that she had heard from me. Being that it was the day before my birthday, Ben replied, "Yea, I need to call her for her birthday." Grandma, of course, went on to tell him the news.

Sam - This is where Facebook comes in. My dad had posted how proud he was to become a grandfather again, and one of our family friends, Mark Rubin, read that and called Sam to inquire about the comment. Sam denied knowing anything about it and eventually found out it was me.

It is also interesting how well we know our family. I knew as soon as we told my grandmother, the entire synagogue would know of our little Tobe. I wasn't sure exactly how fast this could happen, but I have since discovered. Grandma found out yesterday, and I got a call from my parents today telling me the Rabbi came up to them at synagogue and wanted to know if they had something to tell them. Of course he already knew!

Say Cheese!

Status: 5weeks, 6 days

**New EDD of 9/19/09***

Today, Joel and I went for our "Confirmation of Pregnancy" ultrasound. It was a scary and exciting experience, all at the same time. The moment they aimed the ultrasound wand at my uterus, and I saw that magic bubble, I couldn't stop smiling. I've seen enough ultrasounds at work to know exactly what I was looking at, even before the tech made the announcement. It was really cool to watch as she probed around, trying to get better pictures of our tiny little "rice" baby! She confirmed the estimated gestational age, looked around, and pronounced us a viable little family.

(This is the "life-size" picture the tech gave us to put everything in perspective.)

(A larger view...)

(Another View...)

Because Tobe was so little, the tech was only able to pick up the heartbeat at an average of 94 bpm. We met with one of the doctors at my OB's office after the ultrasound, and she decided to have the ultrasound re-done after the 7 week mark so that we could get a better reading on the heartbeat. Tune in after Feb 2 to find out more!

Told on ourselves!

Status: 4 weeks, 3 days

Long before I knew how I was going to tell Joel about Tobe, I knew how I wanted to tell my parents. Everything worked out perfectly, and we even caught them BOTH on video (thanks to Sarah)!

Mom's Story

I dragged Joel to about 4 different card stores in search of the absolute perfect card for my mom. We finally found one after spending at least 30 minutes in Hallmark, and after making about 5 rounds of the store! I know Joel was tired, but it was totally worth it! Video to be uploaded soon!

Dad's Story

When Joel and I got engaged, we bought my dad a copy of the original Father of the Bride. I always knew that when we found out we were expecting, I would get him a copy of the sequel. This search proved almost as difficult as finding a card for my mom! We had to go to 4 different stores, and finally found it at Borders. We also gave him a tile magnet that says "Opa is the greatest". It was really great because we told him the gifts were his Hannukah presents. He opened the tile first, and thought nothing of it. Then he opened the movie. At first he was like, "Oh, that's cute." Then he paused, dropped the movie, and said, "No way." I started laughing, and so did everyone else. It was truly priceless. Video to be uploaded soon!

Wishing, and hoping, and thinking, and praying...

Status: 4 weeks, 0 Days

So I went to see (one of) my doctor(s) today to talk about where we are in this whole process. Dr. Sharon was really nice, but he repeated the phrase, "You know" a lot. Anyway, he asked me a lot of questions, and basically told me that they would draw serum HCG and progresterone levels, and I will hear from the office tomorrow about what to do next. As of this point, there are two ways this can go:
1. The levels are both good, and I will call to schedule a confirmation of pregnancy visit and U/S.

2. The levels are not so good, and I will go back on Thursday to repeat the blood tests.

Obviously, we are hoping for #1. Since I will be at work tomorrow, my dear husband has been charged with taking specific notes on what the office says when they call and to then call my cell phone immediately with the message. Keep those fingers and toes crossed!

A proper name, or is it?

Status: 4 Weeks, 0 Days

So, as I was blogging earlier, I forgot one major decision Joel and I made this morning. Well, I guess I came up with it, but he seemed to like it as well...Tobe's official FULL name is now... Tobe Juan Cannoli Blaiss in honor of Joel's love of Star Wars. Of course, it's a joke, but still pretty funny and fits much better alongside Consuela Bananahammock!

More to blog later......

Oh, Oh, Oh, It's Magic, you know!

Status: 4 weeks, 0 Days

Ever since we decided to TTC, I have been dreaming of the day when I would get that instant line on a HPT. Today was that day!

(Yes, I realize the date is wrong....blame it on Baby Brain)

As you can clearly see, the newest test (from today) is INSANELY darker than the first one. But even better, when the test was "incubating" the pregnant line turned pink, and then dark pink, even before the test line changed color!!!!! It was pretty instantaneous, and I am therefore satisfied with my HPT experience. I think I have oversome the urge to POAS!!!!!

Dating back....

Status: 3 weeks, 6 days

Here's what I don't get - Why do doctors supposedly study that all women are different, yet they base calculations for important things, such as birth, on standards that 99% of the time do not apply!?! I have heard from so many women who know when they conceived, but their doctors dismiss their charted proof and continue to fight them.

So, hence the position I put myself in. I called my OB/Gyn's office this morning to schedule my first appt, which I thought would not occur for another 4-6 weeks. Of course, the first thing they ask after I tell them I got a positive HPT is, "When was the first day of your LMP?" At the time, I didn't have my chart with me, I couldn't remember the calculated date I had come up with, and I honestly didn't know when my REAL LMP was, so I said, "Early/mid December, but I can't remember the exact date." She asked me to try, so I guessed 12/12. She told me, because I wasn't sure of the date, and because of my insurance, they would have to send me to another place (outside the practice) to get a "confirmation of pregnancy" ultrasound. The person that scheduled those was busy at the time, so she asked for my phone number and said it would be a little while, but she'd call me back.

Fast forward to 5 hours later. Still no phone call, so I decided to call them back. I talked to a different scheduler this time. I told her that I had called earlier, and the person I spoke to had told me something about having to have an ultrasound because I didn't really know when my LMP was, and because of my insurance, or something like that. She sounded confused and said that sounded weird. Then she told me I just needed to come in and get bloodwork and talk to one of the doctors. After dealing with my hectic schedule, we decided that TOMORROW would be the best time. OMG!!!

Then she asked again about my insurance. Because I have a certain kind she told me I still needed to schedule the out-of-office U/S while I am at the appt tomorrow.

I am so nervous about all of this. It is a mixed blessing that it is happening so fast - I can't wait to see the little blob of cells that is Tobe!

Working and Waiting

Status: 3 weeks, 5 days

So, this work thing is killing me. I always found my job to be full of gross things, but I have never been as afraid of it as I am right now. Having Tobe around makes me much more aware of the little (and big) bugs that exist among my patients. I am now keeping a tally on everything I've been exposed, or nearly exposed to. I emailed my manager to set up a meeting because I need to find a way to be okay with my working environment. We shall see...

On another thought, the wait is killing me! I am the most impatient person, and the wait to tell people and see how they react is awful. I am so excited for everyone to know, but scared at the same time. Will they be happy? Will they think it was a mistake? I know how I feel about it, but awaiting reactions is a scary place.

We're Having A Baby, My Baby and Me!

status: 3 weeks, 2 days

So.....I finally told him. I couldn't hold it in any longer. Yesterday, I decided to take a digital HPT. I told myself, if it's negative, I will wait and not tell him yet, but if it's positive I can tell him now. It was about 11PM, and low and behold, it was positive! I don't think it really hit me until the word "Pregnant" flashed up on the little screen.

To tell Joel, I took my two distinctly positive tests from yesterday, and put them in a box with the little baby t-shirt Sarah gave us in our hope chest as our wedding gift. I put a big bow on it and brought it out to him, claiming that it was a belated Hannukah gift that I could finally afford to get him. I had to try so hard not to show my excitement and nervousness on my face! Of course, he replied that it wasn't necessary, but thanked me anyway. He went to open the box, but stumbled a little, and I think he glanced at what he thought was a HPT. He paused and then tore open the box. He knew EXACTLY what this meant!

So after rejoicing in our new-found parenthood, we set about deciding what to refer to our new surprise as. I said, "It must be gender neutral, but still fun." I was thinking of Julianne's nickname of "Consuela Bannahammock". We settled on To-be (pronounced Toby, but I will refer to him/her as TB throught blogs). We came up with this because when we were engaged, we used to refer to each other as "Husband To-Be" and "Wife To-Be", so "Baby To-Be" just kind of fit! We look forward to many happy weeks getting to know little TB!

So This Is It....

Go figure the very first time we decide it's okay to even consider having a baby, it works! I mean, really, who does that happen to? Seems like no one, anymore. Considering I have PCOS and hypothyroidism, I am certainly surprised! But by the grace of the spirit we call G-d, Hashem, Allah, whatever, I am PREGNANT!

I honestly thought this day would be after a lot of hard work and tears. The biggest fear I ever had in my life was that this would never happen to me. Since the day I discovered what PCOS was, and then even more so from the day I discovered I actually had PCOS - I thought my dream of becoming a mom was going to be crushed forever. I actually have a feeling of "survivor's guilt" because it was so easy for us. Today is the first cycle we TTC'd, it worked, and we are 3w and 1d pregnant!

I think the worst part of this is figuring out the best way to tell Joel, my loving DH.

Above all else, I feel blessed to be given the honor of becoming someone's mother. It is a privilege that I do not take lightly. I hope that I can be half the mother mine was, and still is.

I look forward to a call from Sarah (my BFF) any minute now to discuss this amazing news!!!!