Waiting on an Egg Timer

It has been a while since the last update in October! On Oct 19th, I went in for the hysteroscopy to remove the scar tissue.  Surgery was a success, and completed in about an hour and a half.  I was put on hormones for a few weeks in order to regrow new tissue and hopefully have a cycle on my own.  I went back for a follow-up visit on Nov 8th.  All scarring was still clear, and since I really did cycle on my own, Dr. Odem gave the go ahead to start trying for a baby!

     It was really hard to wait to test, extremely hard! I even made a pact with a friend to not test until Dec 3rd, when I would be technically "late".  However, my birthday was on the 1st, and we were having people over.  So, on November 30, I decided to pee on a digital test- the only one I had left out of a pack that my friend Laura Bos sent me for my birthday!  I waited and waited for the little timer to do it's thing, but expected it to be negative because I NEVER get positives before my period is due!! I left the bathroom and put shoes on, and came back to this:

I was shocked! I had been following basal body temperatures, and fully expected to have to "try" another month! I had actually told Aaron that I thought we were out for the month!  I knew that Aaron was going to be late getting home, as he was going to the store to get my graduation gift.  So, after my initial "Oh, shit!" said to no one in particular but myself, I hopped in the car and went to the party supply store.  I bought one pink balloon, and one blue ballon.  I brought them home and tied them to Aaron's chair along with the test.  Then I sent him a text asking him to let me know when he was close to home. I can hear the door of the apartment building open because it squeaks, so I met him at the door of our apartment and told him he had to wait to come in.  I finally let him come in and he saw: 

He said, "Really?!"  He was so excited!! We went out to dinner at La Casa Mexicana to celebrate.  

December 12, I got pinned as a nurse! The kids were here and we all had a blast. My mom came in town, and since the kids were here, we celebrated Christmas a little early.  On Dec 3rd, I had blood drawn.  Hormone levels were 47, and they wanted them drawn again 48 hours later.  Levels are supposed to double every 48-72 hours, and mine only went to 74.  Which meant they would double every 73 hours.  Dr. Odem's nurse said they wanted more levels the following Monday, but to be aware that they've seen pregnancies be perfectly fine with those levels, or not go so well.  It was very hard waiting for the numbers, and was why I was always asking for prayers or thoughts.  On Monday, the nurse called to say that the number had gone up to 546, more than doubled every 48 hours!! It was still low, but she said not to start worrying yet.  We set up an ultrasound for the following Tuesday.  I was 6 weeks, and I was scared that we would get in there and not see a heart beat because either baby wasn't growing, or because it was too early. We had our ultrasound first and found this little human:

He or she was measuring perfectly at 3.5mm, WITH a heart rate of 109.  Dr. Odem said at that point we would expect between 95 and "one-oh-something".  I was on cloud nine!! He released me to see a regular OB-GYN, and I met with her this past Wednesday.  I explained to her my concern of getting farther along and then finding out baby had no heart beat, and she pulled a nifty toy! It was a hand held ultrasound machine, made by GE.  You can't hear anything on it, but as soon as she put it on my belly, I saw our baby! He/she had a great heart beat fluttering away! And looked like a little gummy bear with short little arms and legs! As of today, I am 9 weeks pregnant. We have another full ultrasound scheduled for January 28th and I can't wait to see Baby bear again!!!

So here are a few fun facts so far:

6 Weeks: Baby measured 3.5mm- about the size of a sesame seed!

9 Weeks: Baby should be 0.9 inches- the size of a green olive!

Craving: Salty foods

Morning sickness: Nope