First Blood Test

It's funny how quickly you forget all things that go into the process of having a baby. It had completely slipped my mind that I needed to do a blood test for confirmation. In true Kelly fashion, I had arranged with the doctor's office to have my script for blood work faxed directly to LabCorp in Maryville. Once I arrived, they informed me that they didn't have anything and couldn't draw my blood. This made me relatively grouchy. The doctor's office had closed for the day so I had to wait until the next morning and opted to have the fax sent to work so it would be in my possession. So, on 10/19 I had blood drawn which confirmed a beta level of 1,094. Now, I will be completely honest, even after questioning I'm not sure I completely get what this level means. The nurse informed me that if I had given blood on 10/15 (one month from my last period) then they would have expected the number to be 100. I asked why my number was so high and questioned if this was an indication of multiples. The nurse said the number was high and confirmed at least one baby, but couldn't say more until I give more blood. So....I give blood again this Wednesday and then they said we get to have our first ultrasound the week of Halloween! I'm so excited!!! The cramping has stopped which is nice, but I feel SO tired and keep having crazy dreams. I've also noticed a decrease in appetite, but I'm not nauseous - thank goodness. So far, so good!

Hooray!

I'M PREGNANT!!! Oh, it really is such a surreal feeling. I was super anxious Friday night knowing that I could "test" the next morning. Silas had a rough night and ended up in bed with us around 4:30 am. Around 7, I woke up and really had to "go," but I knew if I got up there was a chance of waking everyone up. I couldn't wait any longer and crept into the bathroom. Fortunately, the three minute wait to get my results seemed to fly by and I stared in amazement at the blue stick that read, "pregnant." I'm not sure what it is about those tests, but I found myself blinking to be sure that I was reading it correctly. The next thing that popped in my mind is that I had to tell BJ. The problem is that I had surprised him with the news of our pregnancy with Si, but he hadn't been home when I tested. I immediately started trying to think up some amazing way to break the news, and finally snuck out of the bedroom to take a picture of the test. My options were to hide the test and purchase a "big bro" shirt for Silas that day while BJ was in Belleville taking an HVAC class and surprise him when he got home or make him breakfast in bed. I couldn't stand to make him wait so I dashed down the stairs to the basement to get a bag of pancake mix. While in the basement, I heard the floor shaking from above and knew that Silas had gotten up and let the dogs out of our bedroom. I ran back up the stairs, darted into the kitchen, and asked Silas to take something to dada. I handed him the stick and he took off for the bedroom. I chased him with the camera, but failed to get any good shots in the dark. I told BJ that Silas had a present for him and BJ asked if he was "holding pee." Goodness. He finally read the test and smiled. I patted him on the chest and told him, "good job."

We told Silas that mommy has a baby in her belly. He has been super cute about the whole thing, but is clearly clueless. He keeps asking, "where did the baby go?" When given the choice of a brother or sister, he chooses a sister. Time will tell. I really can't say that I have an opinion one way or the other. I think it would be really cool for Si to have a brother or a sister. I am just so hopeful for a healthy pregnancy. I am trying to eat better and drink lots of liquids. The official due date per babycenter.com is 6.21.12. Eleven days different than Si's due date.

I'm waiting until at least our first doctor's appointment to break the news. I put a smiley face on facebook and Amanda knew immediately what this meant. She called me with excitement, so just like with Si - she is the first to know. :) I have been tired, but no other miserable side effects at this point. I am just so happy.

Progress

I gave blood again this past Friday (10/7) and anxiously awaited the results over the weekend. I'm trying not to become overly hopeful so I don't get my heart broken, but it's a struggle because this month I could really FEEL when I ovulated. I KNEW my progesterone levels were going to be better. Alas, I had to contact Wash U to get the results from work because I dropped my cellphone in the port-a-pottie at the Kelly Miller Circus over the weekend and haven't receive my replacement phone. They giggled at my call today and looked in my chart for the results. My progesterone was at an 8.7 (still below the goal of 10, but progress from the month before). The waiting game continues, and if this isn't the month then they will increase my dose again next month.