Our Gummy Bear

January 12th Appt

2012-01-22T10:19:00.000-08:00

Dr. Harper was very kind to allow us to have an ultrasound in between appointments. We got to see the little peanut!

It's little heartbeat as going 178 beats per minute, which the doctor was very pleased with. I even got to see it jiggling and dancing away in there. According to the measurements, our little one is due on August 17th. I can't wait to meet him or her.

I've been feeling pretty miserable. I finally caved in and got anti-nausea medication. It seems to help to some extent, but I'm still very nauseous for multiple hours each day. This little one sure wants to remind me that they are there! As difficult as these symptoms are, it's a daily reminder that baby is growing. This time I've been lucky to have a zillion symptoms: nausea, extreme fatigue, constipation like no other, food aversion. Yuck.

We have our next appointment on January 31st. According to the dates, that would put us at 11 weeks and 4 days.

Happy New Year Gummy Bear!

2012-01-01T20:12:00.000-08:00

2012 is shaping up to be a busy year for the Rank family. We stayed home and had a low-key celebration. I even stayed awake for the ball drop at midnight.

Lately, things like vanilla ice cream have been tasting extremely good! For two whole days I lived off of Cheerios with sliced strawberries in it. I made Mike take an extra trip to the grocery store just to get a giant box of Cheerios.

This winter break has been full of lots of rest and relaxation. We go back to school on Tuesday the 3rd. I will miss my afternoon naptime! Hopefully the month of January flies by quickly and we can approach the 2nd trimester.

First Ultrasound Photos

2011-12-27T11:05:00.000-08:00

BPM= 120

First Appointments

2011-12-27T10:53:00.000-08:00

We had our first appointments yesterday and today. Yesterday was pretty uneventful- PAPs, talking with the doctor, and a blood test. What a trooper I was...5 vials of blood and I lived to tell about it!

We had to go back today to do the ultrasound. It was absolutely amazing. We got to see the little gummy bear's heartbeat just flashing away on the screen. According to the measurements, it looks like this little one is about 6 weeks and 4 days along. The ultrasound tech was even able to let us hear the heartbeat! My eyes welled up right away as soon as that sound came into the room. Mike cried like a little baby himself. All in all, it was quite the amazing experience. Today's heartbeat was 120 bpm.

Dr. Harper is being so helpful and allowing us to come back for another ultrasound in 2 weeks. Next appointment isn't until January 12th followed by our next big follow-up on January 24th.

Can't wait to see how much this little gummy bear grows!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T12:08:00.000-08:00

We hosted Christmas eve in our new home. Things went swimmingly well....until I walked in the kitchen and saw the turkey carcass. Bleh.

For Christmas morning we went to my parents who insisted I already brought the best gift along and she pointed at my stomach. They have given our gummy bear a new name- branky. It's the combination of "baby" and "rank". Very cute.

I woke up this morning and let Daisy out. Just as I opened the door I had an extremely sharp painful cramp...enough that I had to double over in pain for a good 5-7 seconds. This little gummy bear has had me so worried ever since! It's hard to stay calm and not worry about it's health. Luckily for me, this afternoon I'm getting that little twinge of a crummy stomach. I've never been so happy for morning sickness in my life. Fingers are crossed!

Tomorrow is our first doctor's appointment. I cannot wait for it to get here. I'd just like some good confirmation that things are going as planned. Let's hope that ultrasound shows us a healthy little heartbeat!

5th week reflections...

2011-12-18T17:37:00.000-08:00

Against my better judgement, Mike and I chose to tell our parents about the pregnancy. Given the difficult events last time around, it's best to have as much family support as we can get.

So far my symptoms have been fairly decent. Other than sore (and rather vuluptous!) breasts and sleepiness, I haven't had much yet. Here and there a few things will make my stomach curl. For example, since I cannot stand the sight of melted cheese, the young lady eating lunch with me at school this week caused a bit of a rumble in my tummy. It was grilled cheese day at school and she chose to open her sandwich and LICK the cheese out. UGH.

I've had some very dull and achy cramping today. It's very difficult to assure myself that this is normal. The bloggers on thebump.com have done a great job of reassuring me that this is okay. After the severe cramping and miscarriage in 2010, I apparently suffer from extreme paranoia now.

I've become accustomed to my daily coffee and figured that I would now need to switch to decaf. When I made myself a cup at home this weekend, it tasted terrible! How sad will it be if I cannot stand coffee for the next eight months?

According to my due date predictor calendar, I am looking at a possible due date of August 14th. Right in the middle of two-a-days for Mike. Won't he just be thrilled :)

What a great holdiay present this little gummy bear is turning out to be. Our first appointment is on the 26th and I cannot wait!!!

The exciting news

2011-12-18T17:31:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's official.....we are expecting!!!

Today, I start our "Baby Blog" so that we can always remember this amazing journey.

It's been a big week for Mike and me. On Thursday morning (December 15th), I woke up with a stuffy nose. Unfortunately for me, a sore throat and stuffy nose had been with me all week. When I tried blowing my nose, I gagged and ending up bonding with the porcelain god. Combining that with the soreness in my breasts, I thought that maybe I should take a pregnancy test...just in case. After all, we were planning to go out to dinner at Rupp's with my in-laws that night which meant a few drinks at the bar. Imagine my surprise when I hopped out of the shower and saw a faint 2nd line!

I thought that maybe it was an old test, so I ran to Walmart on my way to school and bought another one. When I got to school, I snuck in the bathroom and tried again....positive! I was over the moon ecstatic! It was really hard to keep to myself all day. Since we had been trying for so many years, I had previously made a little picture book for Mike announcing that we wouldbe parents. Unfortunately, that book was collecting dust for the past year, but I was finally able to use it.

Mike's mom was ill that night and had to cancel dinner, but Mike decided that he and I would go anyways. It was great timing! I wrapped it up and drove down to our favorite lookout near Blue Harbor. I told him that I had an early Christmas present. When he got to the last page he looked at me and teared up and asked, "Are you serious?" We had a great celebratory dinner!

Since we had been trying unsuccessfully for so long, I didn't know if I'd ever get to share that news with him again. I am so thankful to even have another chance to be a parent.