Daddy-to-be

Most of the blogs are about me. And why shouldn't they be, right? I'm the one going through the actual pregnancy.  But we can't forget about Dennis.  Dennis is just smitten that we are having a baby.  There's really no better word to describe it.  It's hard to know how Dennis is feeling most of the time because he tends to keep certain feelings bottled up, but there is no doubt that he is elated that we are pregnant.  Honestly, I think Dennis was more sure he would have kids than I was, so for him this is just something he always knew would happen.  Of course, he's pulling for a boy.  He already jokes that the baby is holding a baseball.  I equally joke that the harder he wishes for a jock, the more likely we will end up with a gay, tap dancing kid.  He hates when I do that, which makes it even more fun.  Even more endearing is he's already started to rub my stomach and talk to the baby.  I've told him it can't hear him yet, but he still talks to it.  Having Dennis be so excited about the possibilties of our future makes me less nervous about the realities of it. I don't think I could have asked for a better Daddy-to-be.   

Come on Week 13!

As I write this I am about 10 1/2 weeks pregnant, which means that I am less than two weeks away from being finished with my first trimester.  Of course this is a great milestone because the chances of a miscarriage after 12 weeks is significantly reduced.  But let's be honest, I'm more excited by the fact that my first trimester side effects are starting to dissipate, and will hopefully disappear completely. I ran out of Zofran yesterday, but luckily I made it the better part of a day without any nausea. Today, I have zero nausea. (But just in case, I still called in a refill).   I still have bad nights, but before it was 24/7, so I think things are looking up.  My body also feels relatively normal again, and the 3 a.m. severe hunger wake up calls are certainly less frequent.  I am just hopeful that this improvement means I won't be part of the club of women who suffer first trimester side effects throughtout their entire pregnancy. The mere thought of that makes me sick. So far I've been textbook, so here's hoping I stay textbook. Come on week 13!

First Ultrasound

On September 12, 2011, we had our first appointment with the doctor, and more importantly our first sonogram.  We had been reading weekly updates about the progress of the embryo (now graduated to fetus), but were shocked when we saw an actual form in the shape of a baby on the screen. There was clearly a head, a heart and stubby appendages. And yet the actual size is that of an olive. I'm not sure what the normal reaction is when first seeing your baby, but I laughed hysterically.  Literally.  I'm a Hanks, what can I say.  I was laughing so hard, I caused the baby to kick his/her little stubby appendages, which of course just made me laugh even harder.  I laughed myself to tears and couldn't stop.  Even the doctor said, "I've never had that reaction before."  Then we heard the heartbeat.  All I can say is "wow."  Baby Fowler's heart is beating at 165 beats per minute and everything looks great.

Once we got home, we couldn't stop staring at the sonogram pictures.  We are still amazed at what we are seeing and what is growing inside me.  Just thinking about the whole moment the next day, I couldn't stop smiling.   

Pregnancy Side Effects

Read a list of side effects that most women suffer during their first trimester, and you would see my name next to each one (except vomiting).  But while I was spared this one side effect, this did not lessen the torture of the other side effects.  After suffering for about three weeks with 24/7 nausea, I finally called my doctor who prescribed Zofran aka "miracle drug."  Within one hour of taking this medicine all of my nausea disappeared.  Unfortunately, the other side effects remained, which I will not bore or disgust you with.  But they were manageable because I was no longer nauseated. 

The most sad side effect for me: all the weight loss and tummy toning I achieved with 90 days of P90X and 60 days of Insanity disappeared.  It was like it never happened.  Oh well. It was bound to happen eventually, but why did it have to happen so fast? 

As I write this blog, I am 9 weeks pregnant and oh so looking forward to the next trimester where I am promised relief from the first trimester side effects and more energy.

We're pregnant!

On August 19, 2011 I took a home pregnancy test and it came back positive.  It wasn't planned or something Dennis and I even thought about wanting at this point in our life, but sometimes God has bigger plans. 

I won't lie, I couldn't sleep that first night.  In fact, I had small panic attacks where I actually couldn't breath just thinking about the enormous task that lay ahead.  Also, true to form, I started analyzing every aspect of having a baby.  How much money do we need? How much time will I need to miss from work? How are we going to afford daycare?  I'll have to get rid of my Miata.  I'm not getting rid of my Miata.  All of these thoughts washed over me.  But for some reason I'll never be able to explain, I felt in my heart that this was a journey we were supposed to take. Whether it's God or fate, I don't know, but I just had this deep down in my soul feeling that this was the path we were supposed to take.  I guess you could say I just let go.

The next day, Dennis won $1,200.00 after gambling some free play.  Another sign? Maybe. We promptly put the bulk of the winnings in the savings account.  Then on Sunday, Dennis won $10,000.00 after his name was randomly drawn by a computer. Surely this was a sign that everything was going to be okay.   Once again, we put the bulk of the money into the savings account.

And so in one weekend, we found out our lives would change forever and became $11,200.00 richer.  What an amazing weekend!