It's Official

Bailey's going to be a big sister, and NO I'm not talking about the dog this time. We're pregnant!

As of this week I'm 12 weeks along, with a tentative due date of March 21st. A few weeks ago I had some spotting that completely freaked me out (I didn't have any with Bailey) and so a friend took me to urgent care to get things checked out. They did blood work - to confirm that I really was pregnant - and followed up with an ultrasound. At that point, the baby wasn't moving any, but it's heartbeat was strong. The doctor recommended taking progesterone to help replenish the part of the placenta that had shed itself and put me on 10 days of bed rest. At that point, I knew we wouldn't be able to keep the pregnancy a secret for too much longer. After all, who calls their boss and lets them know: "hey, I'm sick and I know I'm going to stay that way for the next ten days, thanks!"

(Baby at 10 weeks)

During the week of bed rest - while I was going stir-crazy in the house - we tracked down our parents and siblings on Skype to let them know the good news. The following week I let my students know what was going on and, as staff asked me how I was feeling (after a week of being "sick" *cough*cough*), I let them know the truth of everything.

(Baby at 11 weeks)

Last week I went back to urgent care for a follow up ultrasound to see if the placenta had been rebuilt, or was at least getting that way. I had had some more bleeding that same morning, but the ultrasound was again all good news with the little booger wiggling around, kicking it's legs and shaking it's fists. The doctor recommended more rest, though I'm not confined to the bed anymore. Just no strenuous workouts or heavy lifting for a while.

(The high-tech pregnancy test! Yes, it's really just a strip of paper.)

And here the answers to some FAQ's:

- Morning sickness? Not so much anymore. It's more like night sickness. Most evenings around 6PM when I'm starting to cook dinner, I start to feel "off". The best way I've been able to describe it is that I feel full, hungry, and about to throw up, all at the same time.

-Fatigue? Of course. Even before the week of bed rest I would nap every afternoon with Bailey and still sleep soundly through the night. I think the week of bed rest, though, got me in a routine of laziness that I'm trying to break (while still trying to take it easy, per the doc's orders).

-Christmas? Yes, we're still coming back for Christmas. We might not be able to stay as late into January/February as we'd like because my doctor wants me back eight weeks before the due date, but we're still negotiating that detail.

-Boy or Girl? We'll find out in October (I think). And, just like last time, Brandon is hoping for a boy and I'd like another girl. After all, we have all the girl stuff! We wouldn't have to buy more clothes or toys or anything; I'm just being practical! :)

-Planned? Not exactly. We weren't "trying" to have another, but when your only form of birth control is breast feeding, pregnancy is a likely outcome!

-Work? I will finish out the semester teaching part-time, but won't go back in February. I'd have to go on maternity leave just a few weeks into the semester (and don't want to go back to work after the baby is born) so it doesn't make sense for me to start the new term only to have a new teacher step in and have to make the transition mid-semester. It'll be a smoother break to end things at the end of the term.