Another glimpse of BitB

"I went to the ER in St. Louis to make sure all was still well with my pregnancy. Spotting again. It makes me extra nervous. All turned out well and I even got to see my baby on the ultrasound. Just as cool as with Jackson’s first ultrasound! Tiny little white bean form in a black orb, and then a tiny bright white flicker-flicker of the little heart beating away. 188 bpm. So thrilling! Ross was still in Washington so didn’t get to see it... sad."
--Clare, 6/23/2008

Two for one

"It seems all my ideas for telling family members get tripped up one way or another. Both my mom and my dad were going to meet Jackson and me at the airport, and I had anticipated telling them as soon as we exited the security gates. However, I did not anticipate my good high school friend Megan also being there. She and her fiancé had just deplaned from San Francisco and Megan’s family and my parents recognized each other and so both families greeted both girls! After a quick catch up, we each went to our separate baggage carousels knowing that we’d see each other again in a few days at another friend's wedding (the reason we were both in town).

I did my best to pay attention to what my mom or my dad were telling me but had to interject as the wait was driving me crazy. I grabbed one of each of their hands in mine, pulled them in a little closer and spilled the beans. It was really wonderful for me to get to tell them at the same time. I don’t generally have a chance to tell them anything in one fell swoop. Needless to say they were pleased as punch and didn’t talk about much else before my mom drove home to tell Jim, and Jackson and I went with my dad to his house to share the news with Ann."
--Clare, 6/19/2008

Love for Baby Doll

"The baby is now the size of a blueberry.

Good news for us, Jackson is showing signs of growing into a great big brother. He does not know about the birthday gift waiting for him as soon as he turns three, but has been taking care of Baby Doll all week. Baby Doll is the name of his baby doll, though sometimes he refers to it as Baby Adam, Baby Sachin, or Baby Taya. Those are all babies we have recently met. And also a good sign is that Jackson switches back and forth from calling Baby Doll a he and a she. Though Baby Doll does seem to cry a lot and I’m not sure why he thinks babies cry so much since the three real babies mentioned above were complete angels when we visited with them...

Pretty exciting stuff to watch: he gives Baby Doll kisses, puts him/her to bed, puts band-aids on boo-boos. It’s too cute."
--Clare, 6/18/2008

Sharing the news

Father’s Day (and Becky’s birthday).

We told Ross’s family today. One at a time, privately, because there was a family friend over for dinner that was a surprise to us. We expected an all family dinner and I was planning on sharing the news whenever someone asked me if I wanted some wine. 'No thanks, I’m pregnant!' I was planning on saying. However, with our family friend there, we instead took each person aside and told them quietly. It was kind of fun that way because then we got to watch them attempt to hold back their grins and whoops at dinner. Pam and John were very excited and admitted that they were just waiting for this to happen... Carl had guessed before and so we let him know that he had guessed right... and Emily was the funniest of all as she let out a huge 'Woohoo!' full with fist pumps before she realized she had to keep it mum!

One side of the family down, one side to go--Jackson and I will be heading to St. Louis soon so will be able to tell my family, at least my parents, in person.
--Clare, 6/15/2008

An unexpected cyst

"I just got back from an ultrasound to ensure I was still pregnant after slight spotting yesterday. Everything is fine with the embryo for now; it’s growing and has a heart beat.

They did diagnose a right ovarian cyst, however. The doctor said that this is of no concern and generally it’s a sign of heightened hormones and it helps feed the embryo.

I found this on webmd.com: 'Normally after ovulation a corpus luteum of less than 3 cm resolves within two weeks. This type of cyst will be maintained, if conception occurs, to produce hormones needed in early pregnancy. If excessive amounts of fluid collect, a corpus luteum cyst can also get large enough to cause pain—or very rarely, ovarian torsion. Occasionally, this type of cyst will have a small blood vessel which continues to bleed into a corpus luteum cyst. This is called a "hemorrhagic ovarian cyst". A cyst of this type can either leak small amounts of blood, or it can rupture, spilling blood into the abdomen. This hemorrhagic ovarian cyst can be linked to prolonged pain, and merits closer follow up.'

Hmmm, hopefully this will just resolve itself soon. I think I’ll probably get another early ultrasound to check on it. The one neat thing about this is that I know which ovary the egg came from. How crazy is that?!"
--Clare, 6/13/2008

Seed to bean

"I am at six weeks today and I’m exhausted. I don’t remember being this tired the first time around, but maybe that’s because I wasn’t also chasing around a toddler. The gurgle-y tummy has yet to disappear, but the sciatic pain was thankfully only one day's worth. I am finding that with more liquid and picking up prenatal yoga again that it is less intense than last week.

Baby’s heart is beating and s/he is a quarter of an inch long, about the size of a lentil bean. Just last week baby was the size of a sesame seed. That’s a huge growth rate!"
--Clare, 6/11/2008

Ick

"I don’t remember my first pregnancy being this gurgle-y in the tummy or such a literal pain in my backside. I think it’s my sciatic nerve but I’m planning on calling my doctor about it. My stomach, on the other hand, just bubbles. It’s not comfortable in any which way."
--Clare, 6/9/2008

It's on!

"It’s official. Dr. Haastrup gave the thumbs up. Due Feb 4, 2009."
--Clare, 5/28/2008

BitB begins

"I took the test just to prove I wasn’t, so as not to get my hopes up. I figured this month would be like the rest even though I had a slight morning fever and my body felt a tiny bit different.

I took the test to just get it over with and prepare myself for another month of waiting.

And then after two minutes, a little blue plus sign showed up!

I didn’t believe it.

Possibly this tiny ink cross has just changed our lives. The doctor will confirm or deny tomorrow.

If it is true, are we really ready for another even though we say we are? How will each of us really fare?"
--Clare, 5/27/2008

The First Belly Shot

This was the state of the belly back in late June.