Bursting with Excitement!

2.15.15

I know I won't be publishing this for a few weeks but I am just so freaking excited!

LIL TROUT IS ON HER (or his) WAY!!!

It's been a long road - a story I may tell later. But we're finally here, with our little bun in the oven!

I painted my mom a wine glass that read "Grandma's Sippy Cup, est. Oct. 2015" and her reaction when she realized what we were telling her was epic. Priceless. The best thing ever! 

On my husband's mother's birthday, one of her presents will be a binky with a note attached asking her to save it for visits with her newest grandbaby. THEN we can tell the world! It will be sooner than the advised 12 weeks but after all we've been through, I can't wait that long!

I'm just over four weeks right now and the only symptom is insomnia! But that might be partly due to rambunctious kitties and sheer excitement. We'll be watching my hCG levels this week and scheduling an ultrasound soon - I can't wait till my baby's little heart starts beating. 

2.16.15

I had my second quant this morning an am anxiously awaiting the results! Working in obstetrics means I am all too familiar with the uncertainty in early pregnancy. I am trying my best to keep positive! Every night, my sweet husband talks to the baby and prays for his or her safe arrival into the world. 

Update: 727! That means my hCG has been doubling every two days which is exactly what's supposed to happen. I get checked again Wednesday and then we decide when my first ultrasound is - I'm pulling for next week. Once I see my lil Trout I'll feel so much better!

2.18.15

It's 4:30am and my darling kitties woke me up. So far I have very few pregnancy symptoms, the worst being sheer exhaustion and difficulty sleeping. But! Today marks five weeks, and Lil Trout will have a beating heart any day now! I am so excited for Adam to see and hear this. It's incredible to me every time I see it with a patient, and I still can't even believe *I* have a teeny tiny life inside me at this moment. I check all 9 of my pregnancy apps before email, Facebook, anything. Going to try to get some sleep before I head to the doctor for my final quant. This is all so exciting!

Wee Mail is one of the cutest apps, although less clinical than the others. 

My latest quant is perfect :) which means next week, ultrasound! It's a little early, 5w6d, but hopefully we'll be able to see Lil Trout's little heartbeat. We are so excited and overjoyed! It hasn't quite sunk in just yet…

2.19.15

It may not have sunk in, but my body knows. I feel like crap! I'm exhausted and have some sort of cold I can't kick. Add in the headaches and dizzy spells. Hoping I'm one of the lucky ones to bypass morning sickness. 

2.21.15

So far no morning sickness! Maybe it will never come. Headaches under control too. Lack of symptoms is actually worse though. I'm so scared because I'm well aware of what can go wrong and how often it happens. Two and a half days until our first ultrasound and I might die waiting! Tomorrow Adam and I are heading back to the city for a Flyers game so hopefully the distraction works! 

Prayers for Lil Trout.

2.22.15

Two more sleeps until our first ultrasound! I don't know how I'm going to keep this quiet - we're planning on telling his family at his mother's birthday dinner in two weeks and actually announcing on St. Patrick's Day (I got the cutest reveal shirt!) I just can't wait!!!

2.23.15

Our ultrasound is in less than 12 hours and to put it mildly - I am freaking out! It could be too early to see anything and all the clinical logic in the world won't stop me from being devastated. Or we could see twins and I might faint! I'm so exhausted all the time, I sure do wish I could sleep easily right now…

2.24.15

WE SAW HER! Our lil trout is in my belly and her little heart is beating at 108 bpm. She's measuring perfect at 5w6d and we go back in two weeks for another scan. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! I'm finally pregnant!

2.25.15

Can I just fast forward a few weeks? I'm so paranoid of every symptom, lack of symptom, belly cramp, everything! Stick, lol trout! We love you so much already. 

2.27.15

Every day that passes without the dreaded morning sickness is a very worrisome little blessing! I'm sneaking in a scan at work next week to make sure everything is ok before we tell Adam's family. Then we have our second official ultrasound and begin regular prenatal care! I'm still in shock. 

3.1.15

It's March! That means it's BABY ANNOUNCEMENT MONTH! St. Patrick's Day is going to be so special this year :) Next weekend is when we're telling Adam's mother; I'm sneaking in an "unofficial" ultrasound this week just to make sure things still look good. I'm SO excited :)))

3.4.15

Peeked at lil Trout again today :) looking good! It's amazing how much changed in a week! See for yourself…

3.6.15

Peeked at lil trout again today because I'm neurotic. All is well! Tomorrow we're telling Adam's family and soon, everyone!

3.9.25

So we told Adam's family this weekend. Pretty darn cute if I may say so myself!

Tomorrow we have another scan and then I'm officially an OB patient. Can't wait to actually see AND hear lil trout's heartbeat. Still feeling good, too - no morning sickness for this girl!

3.10.15

Today went great! Lil Trout is perfect. Heart rate at 175 :) I'm still feeling pretty good, except EXHAUSTED. Like, sit-down-to-dry-my-hair exhausted. Today I came home from work to the sweetest surprise from my hubby - who, by the way, is the most amazing man in the world. 

Lil Trout is already so loved. We feel blessed beyond belief. 

3.14.25

We can't wait any longer. Our family & close friends know; tomorrow it's going viral!

We can't contain our excitement any longer! HAPPY ST. PADDY'S DAY ALL!!!

3.15.15

The cat's out of the bag, time to hit publish! CHEERS!

Going Green

Let food be thy medicine, thy medicine shall be thy food. - Hippocrates

I've been inspired lately to treat my body better and keep my husband healthy so he's around a long, long time. It's tough because we love everything bad for you, red meat and cream sauces and cheesy pasta for days. Oh, and wine. No secret there! Alas, we're not getting any younger & there's no time like the present. In the spirit of things…here's my latest made-up delicacy.

Kale! Quinoa! Where has this stuff been all my life? I always knew the darker the greens the more nutrients, and kale is no exception. It's loaded with vitamins and potent anti-cancer properties. Quinoa is a protein-packed grain that is super easy to cook and incredibly versatile. Salads are such a simple meal; I made a huge bowl to get me through lunch all week. It's time-consuming; the quinoa needs to cook and chill, and the kale and other ingredients needed to be chopped teeny tiny. I added yellow pepper, dried cranberries (the plain Ocean Spray kind) and chopped honey roasted walnuts; you can honestly add whatever you like! Toss it all up and wa-la, lunch for days.

I use Panera Bread's Fuji Apple Vinaigrette dressing (because it's amazing and I'm addicted) and added some crumbled goat cheese - blue cheese would work well too, I think. 

I also made this super-easy tomato-basil-mozzarella salad with quinoa and it turned out so yummy, my steak-and-potatoes husband can't get enough!

Eating healthier is a bit more costly and time-consuming, but the rewards are immeasurable and priceless. Any excuse to try a new recipe is a plus!