Baby West makes its pictorial debut :)

I don't like calling our baby "it", but since we don't yet know if we are on team pink or team blue, I've mostly been referring to the bun as little one, munchkin, and gummy bear ;) (You'll see why down below).

Our first appointment with my doctor was when I was supposedly at 6 weeks, and we expected to be able to see the little one's heartbeat on the ultrasound. Unfortunately it was a disappointing (to say the least) and scary appointment, as all my doctor saw was an empty sac. He said it might be too early to see anything, but that it might also be a blighted ovum, which is when the baby never develops. Brian almost fainted and we were just devastated. I got more blood drawn and we made another appointment for a week later. After going home and scouring the internet I saw that this is quite common and often its too early to see the baby on the ultrasound, and I might not have been as far along as the doctors and I thought I was. My doctor called the next day saying that my HCG levels were doubling appropriately which was a good sign, and he'd let me know what my progesterone was when he got those results. A day or two later he called and said my progesterone level was at 31.6, and that any number higher than 25 usually indicates a healthy pregnancy! :) Great news! I was able to breathe a little easier until my next appointment.

On April 15, Brian and I went back for ultrasound #2 praying we'd get good news. The doctor looked around for a moment, and then asked Brian to turn out the lights and look at the screen. There it was... a little smudge (OUR BABY!) and a little flicker on the screen (OUR BABY'S HEARTBEAT!). I immediately burst into tears as I felt relief, joy, excitement... all at the same time. Brian and I were SO happy our baby was there and it was ok! I will never forget that moment as long as I live. My doctor (Dr. Kohn, btw, we love him!) told us to remember that when our baby turns into a tantrum-throwing toddler ;) Without further adieu, here is the very first picture ever of our little miracle at 6 weeks, 4 days:

(the little circle is the yolk sac, not the baby's head... baby is the little smudge between the 2 plus signs hehe)

Our next appointment was scheduled for exactly 2 weeks later, and there it was again... the little heartbeat (beating at approx. 140 beats per minute - great!), and our little one, looking more like a gummy bear now (hence the temporary nickname). Here's Baby West at 8 weeks, 4 days:

Last week we had our biggest appointment yet... actually, 2 appointments! In the morning we went to a high-risk doctor (that my OB sends his patients to for certain testing) who was going to do the first trimester scan called a Nuchal Translucency scan. They basically look for indicators for Down Syndrome and create a risk score for the possibility of the baby having Down Syndrome. They look at the fluid in the back of the baby's neck (the skin is still translucent at this point), check that a nasal bone is present, and then they combine those results with my age and an analysis on my blood. The doctor said everything on the ultrasound (more about that in a minute) looked normal (yay!!) so even though I haven't been given my score yet, we're not worried.

When we first go to the doctor they had us speak with a genetic counselor who explained the test and what they're looking for (they look for two different types of Trisomy disorders along with Down Syndrome). Based on my age we're not worrying about this. I think the average risk for having a child with DS at my age is like 1:990.

I feel confident our baby is going to be just fine :) Perfect, even. And we will love it no matter what.

Now about this ultrasound... it was AMAZING. It was a high resolution ultrasound which was great, and the ultrasound tech started out. So with Brian sitting next to me, she squeezed out the gel and put the wand on my belly and said, "there's your baby". I can't even put into words how relieved and thrilled we were! I started crying immediately and Brian teared up, too, and grabbed my hand. It had been 4 weeks since we had seen the little one and we were really starting to worry if it was still in there, growing... I asked about the heartbeat and right away she showed us! And the baby... well, now it looks like a baby! No more gummy bear! We saw its little head, and body, spine, brain (!), legs, arms, hands (with little fingers I just can't wait to smooch!). The tech started moving the wand around and labeling parts to print out (for their records). She checked to make sure the umbilical cord was in the right spot and that everything looked like it should. Baby started moving around a lot, and even started hiccuping! It was the cutest thing I've even seen! Then we heard the most amazing sound in the world... our baby's heartbeat!! We saw the rhythm on the screen and heard it loud and clear... I can't even describe the feeling of hearing our child's heartbeat for the first time. It was one of the most amazing moments of my entire life, and I will never forget that sound.... The tech also looked all around the baby, and we asked her if she had a guess on the gender. She said, if I had to guess, I'd say _____ (you didn't really think we'd spill the beans before being sure, now do you? hehe), but she said not to hold her to it! She wouldn't even tell us how often she's wrong... but I think she's right. We will hopefully know for sure in 3 weeks!

The doctor came in and looked all around again, explaining what he was looking for and commented that the he could see the nasal bone and the fluid space was normal... great news! He didn't have the best bedside manner (so glad we love our regular doctor!) but he was nice enough, and I was so happy to see our baby moving about I couldn't have cared if he was an alien pretending to be a doctor! He said baby is growing right on schedule and he didn't even need to change my due date. We left with a couple of great pictures...

Here's our little one at 12 weeks, 4 days:

(the little black dot on the body is baby's stomach!)


baby head, baby body, baby legs (you can see the bones, too)...

(cutest baby I've ever seen! but I could be saying that because I'm the mommy! hehe)

In the afternoon we went to see my regular OB. He just checked the heartbeat with the doppler (we recorded the sound on Brian's iphone, though its not very clear) and we told him that our appointment with the other doctor went very well so he didn't need to do another ultrasound. Baby's heartbeat was 162 bpm which is great! I asked him if we were ok to officially spread the word now, and he said we could shout it from the mountaintops! So yesterday, at the beginning of my second trimester, we officially shouted our news from the mountaintop that is Facebook! :) We got so many amazing responses and really feel so loved by everyone. It definitely feels more real now... we're going to be parents!!!

My estimated due date is DECEMBER 5, 2010! I can hardly believe that by the end of this year we are going to be parents! We are beyond excited!! :) Stay tuned for more updates about the baby... and my belly!

We're Having a Baby!!!

I know it's been forever since I've written... but this is the very good reason why!

We wanted you to be able to look back with us and share in our joy as we prepare to welcome a new member into our family!

On March 22, 2010, I officially found out that I'M PREGNANT!! That's right, folks... I'm knocked up, with child, preggers, got a bun in the oven, damaged goods (wait... strike that!). We were on our second month of TTC (Trying to conceive = one of the many new terms I've learned recently...), and even though I had been charting (taking my temp every morning, etc.), we still consider ourselves very, very lucky that we were able to conceive so quickly.

I guess now would be the time to spill the story on how I found out, and how I told my baby daddy ;)

Well, since I was charting I knew when I ovulated, and soon after I had been talking to women on my fertility/pregnancy message boards. A couple of them suggested I test since my chart looked "good". I thought it was too early, but on the afternoon of March 21, Brian went out to Trader Joe's and I decided to try one of my little cheapie internet strip tests. I waited about 3 minutes (not the 10 you're supposed to), didn't see a second line, and tossed the test in the trash not thinking much of it. After all, 10 dpo (days past ovulation - another fun term) is very early to get a positive HPT (home pregnancy test). I went back to the computer, but a few minutes later something told me to check the test again. I went back to the bathroom and grabbed the test out of the trash. I saw the FAINTEST line ever, and thought it might have been an evaporation line since I could barely even see it and the test had been sitting for more than 10 minutes. Still, I started tearing up and freaking out and saying over and over "ohmygodithinkimpregnant!" I put the test away and decided not to say anything to Bri since I wasn't totally sure, plus I had a whole plan on how I would tell him and I didn't want to spoil the only chance I'd get to do that. I couldn't wait until the morning where I'd test again.

The next morning, Monday, March 22, I got up before Brian and took 3 different pregnancy tests-- the internet cheapie (aimstick), First Response, and a ClearBlue digital... the first 2 developed a clear second pink line and the digital test read PREGNANT. OH.MY.GOD. I'm pregnant!! I was jumping out of my skin but still I didn't run out of the bathroom screaming like a crazy woman... I can't believe I held it together. Yay for self control. I was all giddy when Brian was getting ready for work (I hadn't started my new job yet so timing was perfect) because of course I couldn't go back to sleep!

Brian left for work, and I got working... I called my doctor's office when they opened (I had already chosen an OB/GYN - I was that prepared) and called to see if I could come in to confirm my pregnancy. They were happy to see me right away, and luckily they are like 2 minutes from our house. (Right next to the former Tarzana hospital, where Brian and I were both born.) I went to the office where they had me pee in a cup, and then the nurse took me in a room and she was not grinning ear to ear like I was so of course I thought she was going to tell me the test was negative! Wrong. She looked down and calmly said, ok, the test is positive... UM, YEAH IT IS! ;) Anyway, she sent me to the lab to get blood work done, where they measured my HCG level (the pregnancy hormone that the tests detect) and my progesterone level. I was SO excited! And appropriately enough Brian called me multiple times while I was waiting in the lab and I was forced to ignore his calls and text him that I was out running errands.

When I got home, I started planning the night... I had bought little fortune cookies with custom fortunes in them (to be revealed in just a few), and planned a Chinese themed dinner. I went to the market and bought a little cheesecake (Brian's favorite) and had the cute cake lady write a little inside joke on it (am I keeping you in suspense?) and decorate it with plastic cheesy baby things that thrilled me.

I found our video camera and by the grace of God managed to find a blank tape and charge the thing. I did a little "confessional" in our office about how I was feeling and how I couldn't wait to tell Brian, and how totally over-the-moon excited that I was going to be a MOMMY!!! Then I brought the camera downstairs, and being the sneaky lady I am, I hid the camera on our kitchen counter between a box of Matzoh and a box of cereal, under a Trader Joe's bag, with a bag of chips leaning against it. See? Sneaky. Then I waited. And then prepared a meal consisting of orange chicken, friend rice, stir fry with shrimp and probably some other stuff (none of which actually was consumed that night, mind you). I set the table up with our fortune cookies and waited anxiously for Brian to get home. I also took some pictures... the proof is in the pudding, er, the pregnancy tests.

and my sneaky hidden camera:

When he got home, I called him to dinner right away (I had told him I was making dinner which apparently made him slightly suspicious since I had prepared a whole meal THE WEEK BEFORE. Wow, what a great housewife I am.) He came down and I sat in his normal seat in fear he'd spot the camera and I wouldn't get the genuine reaction I desired. I started opening the fortune cookie right away, and Brian asked why I wasn't saving it for dessert... I just kept cracking and said I wanted it now, and told him to open his. He did, and started opening the fortune and got silent, and then asked me what mine said. I coyly said, "what does yours say?", and he read this:

He said, "it says I'm going to be a daddy"... and started tearing up. It was SO sweet :) And then that was followed my a few "ohmygod"s and "holy shit"s. And it's all on video for our children to see... forever. I said, "I'm pregnant!" (you know, just in case he didn't get it with the whole "you're going to be a daddy" thing staring him in the face). I told him all about my day, and going to the doctor, and when I thought I was due, etc. Eventually... I told him about the hidden camera. ;)

We barely ate dinner... but that's ok. I showed him the dessert that I had bought:

I used to bug Brian all the time about having a baby... I'd tap him multiple times and ask "is it baby time?". It wasn't then... but now, it's definitely baby time! ;)

We then went upstairs to take more pictures (I know, me, pictures? ha) and set up the camera to do our own little "confessional". Words to the baby, really, plus some ramblings... we may be the biggest nerds, but our baby will never doubt that it was loved and wanted before it was even conceived. :)

us = happiest parents-to-be ever!

I think that will do it for our first post pre-baby. More to follow!