It never fails.
For 30 years, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in our area of the world have gone as a group to the local professional baseball stadium to watch a game, hang out, see some fireworks and some friends, eat some hot dogs and enjoy the summer night:
The local professional team, no matter how they have been doing, (including the year they would go on to win the World Series) never wins the night we go. At least in the 12 years Tarzan and I have been going they haven't ever won.
Makes a girl suspicious.
We did catch up with some old friends, and made some new ones. Including this one who hung on to Tarzan for a very long time:
Like 1/2 hour long which is a big deal for an insect. Had time for 3 people to notice and tell us there was a bee on his shirt.
We also were allowed onto the field itself, for the fireworks following the game:
And that was a novelty as I had never been on a professional baseball field before. Grass was shorter and tougher than I expected. No wonder a single slide into plate causes huge stains up the side of a uniform.
It was fun and a tradition that we enjoy. I can only imagine how much more fun it would be if we won a game once in a while.
This is me and it's a conspiracy.
There are a number of statistics the professionals are watching very closely because of my medical history and status. I am considered a red-hot high risk pregnancy.
However, after all the drama and hysteria with the trying and the nothing and the getting here, it's been kind of anticlimactic now that it's happened.
The biggest thing the doctors worry about - and there are a lot of doctor that want a piece of me - is my age. At the top of all my medical files are the words "Elder primigravida" which sounds serious but just means I am having my first baby over the age of 35. My obstetrician actually apologized for having to put it down.
It does mean I have get to take a lot of tests. Mostly genetic tests, to check chromosomes for defects and assess viability of the pregnancy. It was through a chromosome test that we found out we were having a boy, long before the ultrasound could tell anything. Which is handy, because we registered for a lot of blue stuff. All the chromosome tests have come back normal and though it's not 100% guaranteed, the geneticist says, "what pregnancy is?"
There will be more tests, every four weeks, and should something come out weird, they get to invade some more, but thus far, all is good and normal.
In addition to all the testing - which has come a long way from our mothers' generation, I get mostly blood tests and none of the needles sticking weird places gathering strange fluids - I get bumped up from random ultrasound tech guy to perinatologist. He does a very thorough ultrasound, with better resolution, and according to his own statement, he's smarter than all the other people in the department, so he's the best one to see. I've been to see him twice and he also says all is normal and looks good. Cheeta grows consistently, is on target for the due date - which means he's getting enough food - all his bones are in the right place and at the first appointment with Dr. Smarty-pants I was told, with all sincerity, "your baby has a head."
I consider that a plus.
He's actually a pretty fun doctor for being the high-risk pregnancy specialist and I don't think all the women he sees get the all-clear, or get it as early as I have. Because the other reason I am on the high-risk list is a function of my being a type-I diabetic. Because I am, and because I have been for a long time, I know about sugar monitoring, exercise and eating right and thusly my sugars have been in good control since long before this baby was a consideration. The nurses check in regularly, get lists of my sugars weekly, adjust my insulin, test the HbA1c (it's a history of sugar control thing) and make sure I exercise regularly. (Thank you Stingy's dog.)
Not all people know, or care, or monitor apparently and I guess he has to give some bad news quite often.
Another concern because of being diabetic is preeclampsia, but my blood pressure is awesome and thus we need not fear that condition at this point in time.
My proteins are also good, not showing up places they shouldn't AND because of being diabetic, I get to skip the nasty orange drink thing as we already know: I couldn't take it.
Interestingly, the infertility history doesn't mean much to the white coats, especially as it was a spontaneous fertilization.
Weight in general is monitored and because I have never been a slender person, my OB would like less weight gain than the usual for a pregnancy. Thus far it's been only 2lbs so I'm okay there too.
I do have to watch my potassium - not a usual pregnancy concern I understand - but it means a lot of bananas (ick), pistachios, apricots and one more tube every time they take blood.
I know, it's all going to change later and the third trimester is hardest of all, but if the potassium is the worst thing I deal with, it's going to be okay.
This is me and how's that for potentially, but in the end totally, but completely not at all complicated?
A second reason why I am so happy to be pregnant - and this truly is selfish and stupid - is that we were wasting an excellent chance for a code name here on the blog.
I was so sad when it seemed evident we weren't going to have children because we were Tarzan and Jane and we lived in the Jungle and it was such a appropriate theme for us; where was Cheeta?
We were not going to have a Cheeta.
Such a waste of a theme! And I hate waste.
But the improbable has happened and we're getting a little Cheeta come November.
This is me and even my blog prayers are answered.
Some of you may be asking how I didn't know I was pregnant for so long and I will tell you; one of the most obvious early warning symptoms - the nausea and vomiting train - did not, has not, come by this station.
I count myself very blessed, considering all the other things I have to monitor, that I don't feel like throwing up every day as well. Turns out it's kind of a genetic thing and neither of my sisters nor my mother had much morning sickness.
I have had some other crazy symptoms.
Fatigue, of course. This whole, making another person thing takes a lot out of a girl. I sleep a lot, and I already needed more sleep than Tarzan, poor guy. I feel like I'm ignoring him sort of; snoozing later in the mornings, I lay down at 4 for an hour if I can, and still I'm zonked by 9:30pm. Last time we saw a movie we had to go to a matinee so I wouldn't fall asleep during the film.
Congestion is one symptom I hadn't expected. I feel like I am getting a cold. Have felt that way for almost 10 weeks now. I sneeze a bunch, but it never develops into anything. Which is something else to be thankful for.
I feel full all the time, stuffed full, so even though I can eat, I don't really want to.
Dry mouth has bothered me from the beginning, no matter how much water I drink, and
that's quite a bit. No trouble getting my 64-80oz a day.
I don't know if the dry mouth causes the nasty taste in my mouth, or if the nasty taste results in the dry mouth, or if I'm just lucky enough to have both. And I do, which makes eating interesting. Dairy seems to aggravate the dry mouth so I'm taking that light and hoping the vitamins have all the calcium we need.
I haven't had any cravings that I have noticed, but the only thing that ever sounds good to eat is fruit. This kid is going to love nectarines, grapes and watermelon. Anything juicy. I ate a ton of apples at the beginning but their appeal is starting to wane.
And as a final note, without giving too much information, should this happen to any of you; eat the prunes. They are magic.
This is me symptoms galore.
It's a little narcissistic, but part of the reason I am happy to be pregnant is that now I will have street cred when it comes to pregnancy and kids and behavior and stuff.
So often people have complained, whined, talked, sighed, cried whatever over their children and/or pregnancy and though I have seen a method of solving the problem - and I always preface my comments with, "my mother, who had nine children, did this" or "my sister who has four, found this worked" or "this lady in the ward at church has eleven children and she found that this worked," - I always get the eye roll and the "uh-huh" response because, I don't have kids, how can I know anything?
So now I know stuff.
It hasn't stopped people from offering me advice, such as this gem: "don't hold your baby too much or he'll become dependent and you won't be able to get anything done."
And of course the ever popular "get your rest now..." in the sing song voice.
(Hahaha! If only I could convince the many people I work for that I could use some rest now.)
But I can now offer real life experience on fatigue, stretching muscles, weight gain (or lack of, only 2lbs thus far!), eating preferences, vitamins, and a myriad of other topics.
All because it got personal.
This is me and now I'm legit.
It seriously affects my sense of aesthetics that the dark pink half of my two part prenatal vitamins, with DHA & folic acid, are in the light pink container and the light pink pills are in the dark pink container:
This is me and first world problems.
So let's, on top of everything that is going on right now, this spring, let's add me being PREGNANT to the list!
Let me tell you, THIS was a surprise.
We have been married for 13-1/2 years. We have "been late" before, we have tried infertility treatments, we have never, ever, ever gotten even a positive ovulation test, let alone a positive pregnancy test. We did not even get a chemical positive during the IUI, IVF, alphabet soup times.
So when I was late, back in March, eh. No biggie. Happens all the time. Regular is not my middle name. But it kept not happening.
I was giving even odds it was the flu, a tumor or some intestinal bug.
But, given the time frame and the lack of evidence to the contrary, when going in for some regular blood work, I asked the doctor to tack on a pregnancy test too.
And on April 3, the results were in: positive.
Tarzan was both over the moon with excitement and terrified.
I kind of didn't believe it still, until I had my first real doctor's appointment and they did the ultrasound and pointed out the heart flicker:
Then it all became real.
And it meant we had to tell people too. So we waited for Mother's Day to tell our families - Tarzan wanted a lot of fanfare and his family came through.
Then he wanted to tell the people at church on Father's Day. They were suitably impressed as well.
But all the holding it in is over now and that's good because half of the reason I haven't posted much is because except for whining about how much I don't want to do work and this baby! I've got nothing.
Now I can share with you all and that will be a big relief.
This is me and it is way weird.
Completely random stuff off the FB:
I don't know who thinks of these things, but I am glad that someone has the time to post ridiculously cute things on the Internet for me to find at odd moments.
This is me and it does not take a lot to amuse me these days.
