Baby Lewis is 9 weeks

Today was my 9 weeks appointment to check on Baby Lewis and make sure he/she was growing okay and that I was okay as well after our little scare.  Chris was supposed to go with me to my appointment this morning but at the last minute he couldn't come because of some exercises that were going on with his ship.  He was super bummed out because he doesn't want to miss out on anything but we both know that him being in the Navy that some things just can't be avoided. 

 So this is a snapshot of Baby Lewis at the last minute that Dr McCoy was able to move around the baby around and get a good shot of the head, feet, and legs.  Chris says the baby looks like a little gummy bear.

Baby Lewis Pic #1

Baby Lewis Pic #2

Heartbeat at 175 bpm, which is a big improvement from the 134 bpm it was 2 weeks ago, it was music to my ears!  I felt so proud and so much emotion!  

This moment was so surreal to me..... I didn't realize that all this could happen so early but the babies hands and feet were moving back and forth.  Of course I was a big baby and started crying because I never thought this moment was ever going to be possible for Chris and I.  I still don't think sometimes it has set in for Chris and I that we have plans to make.... decisions to agree on.... things to start buying.....it just seems like this is all a dream.  Sooooo I went out on a limb and bought my first pack of diapers..... it felt so awesome to walk through the baby aisle at the grocery store and know that I will soon be needing this stuff, and that I'm not just going to be "Aunt Amy" and pick this stuff up for friends.

My belly is starting to grow so much already.  I cannot fit into most all my pants already and we are just at 9wks.  So I had some friends tell me about a Maternity Belly Band that helps you stay in your regular clothes as long as possible without having to buy a lot of new clothes.  It's very comfortable and Chris loves rubbing my belly while I have it on because it makes everything so smooth.  Plus it keeps my pants from falling down.  Chris and I will start doing belly shots soon.  I've just been so tired that I haven't felt like having my picture taken.  So stay tuned for those........

I want to thank all my family and friends for being there for us, and listening to all of my different emotions.  I wouldn't know what to do without you all.  Everyone that knows me and Chris knows what being parents means to us.  We often think what if we would have been able to conceive in our early twenties..... What IF?????  Well I'm here to say that I don't think I would change anything.  Chris will be 40 by the time the baby is born, and I will be 36 almost 37.  Yes we will be older parents, but I feel that we are wiser, more settled down and we have been able to make our marriage solid as a ever.  We have gone and done so many things together and made so many memories. Adding a child to our life is only going to make our dream BIGGER!  I already love Chris so much but seeing this side of him, the side of being a father and what joy it brings to him is absolutely stunning.  Being parents is what we've been missing, the piece that hasn't been there.  And to see my husband's excitement only makes my love for him even stronger and I don't even know how that's possible.  

Our baby's due date is March 21, 2013..... Nobody has a March birthday in our family, so it will be a nice change for once.  The only bad thing is Chris deploys in April of 2013 and we pick orders to a new duty station in May of 2013.  So we have big things coming up!!!!  Please keep us in your prayers!!!  Until next time.... Love you all!!!!

We are Pregnant

Well I'm new to this blogging thing but I feel that it's very important to document my new life as a parent.  I don't want to forget anything, and I want to document everything to show my new little bundle of joy one day!

So let me start out by saying that Chris and I have never been able to conceive naturally!  It has devastated us so much NOT to be able to be parents as easily as most happily married couples.  We have tried several times to become pregnant with several different fertility specialists over the United States as we have moved around with Chris's schedule and the US Navy!  Little did we know by moving back to our hometown of the Jacksonville FL area (the area we originally started treatment) that we would find a Doctor that specifically works with the issues that I've had all of these years.  After only 2 treatments I became pregnant the first time, but then later miscarried early because the eggs weren't' strong enough to keep the pregnancy going.  Chris and I were DEVASTATED!!!  Chris was wonderful during this time and kept me strong through everything.  So we tried again the following month with a few different tweaks to the treatments we had originally tried the previous times.  Low and behold we had another positive pregnancy test. 

We are Pregnant

I did not get my hopes up at first because I was scared to death.  My first blood pregnancy test was Positive at the Dr's office on June 10th and my HCG levels were at about a 37 which was better than what we had before.  The nurse told me that we were on the right track but we needed another test to confirm they were rising to confirm the pregnancy.  So I had to wait from Tuesday until the next Monday to get the next appointment.  So on June 16th I went in for my next HCG level testing.  This day was grueling....... I never thought the time was gonna get here for the nurse to call me.  At 2pm on June 16th my nurse called me and told me that my levels had went from a 37 to a 436!!!  I instantly started crying on the phone, and was in total shock and awe.  She explained to me that we needed to get an early ultrasound scheduled.  At this point I went from trying to conceive for 15yrs to the expectant mother world.  On June 24th we had our early ultrasound appointment and Chris and I were so nervous.... As soon as we got settled and was able to see the sack and the fetal pole we were ecstatic.  It was the best sight I could have ever hoped for.  Doctor McCoy told us that I was about 51/2 wks and that everything looked great!!  Of course we are programmed to not expect the total best right off the bat... but seeing the sack and the start of our baby was amazing!!

5 1/2 Weeks Pregnant

After our early ultrasound appointment knew it would be a waiting game until the next appointment.  Dr McCoy wanted to schedule me again at 8wks to make sure we were still on track.... BUTTTT..... low and behold we had a scare!!  On Aug 1st I woke up that morning with lots of blood!  I instantly started crying and was absolutely in complete shock!  I called Chris who was already on the ship for work that day.  He rushed home while I called Dr McCoy.  He got me in really quick so we could do another ultrasound to see what the problem was.  This was the worst and most painful time for me because I just knew that something had gone wrong and our dream was in the wind of being parents.  After we got the ultrasound set up you could hear a pin drop.  Chris and I both had tears in our eyes as we waited for the Dr to say something.  Then out of nowhere.... I heard music to my ears.... A HEARTBEAT!!!!!  Dr McCoy seemed relieved as well because he knows our struggle.  

Almost 7 weeks here

  

Apparently the issue was that some women have pockets of blood around their cervix that sometimes pass through.  Which is why some women think they are still on their period even though they are really in fact pregnant.  We were not expecting to hear the heartbeat but low and behold there is was strong as ever.  Chris and I instantly started crying even more and a feeling of ease and being blessed devoured us immediately.  Even the nurse had tears..... it was a great moment.  I went from being distraught.... to being happy in a matter of seconds.  

I'm now entering my 8th week of pregnancy and now that we have a heartbeat my miscarriage rate has decreased a lot and we just need to get through the 1st trimester with no more incidents.  My next appointment is on Aug. 15th and we are praying for another good report so my fertility doctors can release me to a regular OBGYN.  Please keep us in your prayers....