Bye-Bye Nerds Rope, Milky Way and Reese's...

Well, it was bound to happen. The sugar train has pulled out of the station, and I've been refused boarding. The results of my 3 hour Glucose Tolerance test are in and they are not good. The doctor told me that I failed 3 of the four blood tests, which means that I have gestational diabetes. So, no more Nerds Rope for me. It's a damn shame, too, because I love those gummy, crunchy, sweet and tangy things....

On a serious note, this is very troubling to me. The doctor reassured me that it is common and that I shouldn't worry, and even said that typically women with gestational diabetes return to "normal" as soon as the baby is born, but I am still pretty freaked out. And unhappy. And I want a chocolate milkshake.

So, I'll have to control my diet for the next few months, and chances are good that Baby Max will be pretty darn big and that I will end up having a c-section. Once a dietition finally contacts me and I get in to talk to someone, I'll feel better I'm sure.

The First Hiccup...Literally

For the last few weeks the baby has been kicking up a storm. It doesn't matter what time of day it is, or where I am, or what is going on around me; he makes his presence known A LOT. Believe me, I'm not complaining one bit. I actually love it and cherish it. Today, something a little unusual happened, though. I was working hard and getting a lot done at my desk and felt a little jab to the middle part of my belly. Since it was a strange place for the baby to kick me, I sat back for a few seconds, and then I felt the same sensation again about 10 seconds later. By the third jab, I realized that he wasn't kicking at all, but he had the hiccups! These big hearty hiccups lasted for about 3 minutes and really made me giggle. Seriously, this whole experience is crazy!!!

I am officially in my third trimester today...we're in the homestretch!

The First Kick!!!!

As some of you may know, I am a big worrier, especially now that I am not only responsible for my own well-being, but also the health of the baby. To say that I feel the pressure is an understatement. I've been reading everything I can get my hands on about the growth of the baby and what "milestones" may or should be going on week to week, and when I don't experience what is being described, I worry. So, when I read that most women feel their baby kick around 22 weeks and I hadn't felt it yet I obsessed over it. I had felt the little guy swim around in my belly, but I was longing for a real swift jab from him just to let me know that we were on track. So, I waited. And I worried.

Last night I was relaxing on the couch while Ted was downstairs doing his busy "guy stuff" in the garage. All of a sudden I felt it. "Thump". It startled me for a second, and then I realized what it was. Then... "Thump". I felt him! He kicked me!! Hooray!!! I yelled down to Ted and of course started to cry. While I was waiting for Ted to come upstairs again, I felt it again. "Thump". Clearly, he was making up for lost time. Of course, by the time Ted's hand was on my belly the baby decided he was done kicking me, so I was the only one to feel it. I was disappointed that Ted didn't feel it, but in his usual calm and supportive way he reassured me that we have plenty of time for him to feel the baby kick. And I'm sure that I'll experience it a lot more, too, which is wonderful!

The Name-Picking Process

Wow. It's been a long time since I've posted! For the few of you that actually read this blog, sorry it's been so long!

Well, I promised a while back to "announce" the name we've chosen for the baby and I think the best way to do that is to tell the story of how we came up with it.

Very shortly after I found out that I was pregnant (just about 5 minutes after!) I started making a list of potential baby names. Now, I'll admit, some of the names were a little out there (I had the name "Angus" on there for a little while and now that I think about it, that sounds better suited for a big old black lab then for a cute little baby) but if a name struck me, even for a minute, I added it to that list. Every once in a while I would run a name by Ted, but he wasn't ready to talk about names yet. Admittedly, I was getting ahead of myself, but the more Ted resisted talking about it, the more obsessed I became with it. Finally, we decided that no serious discussion about names would take place until we found out if we were having a boy or a girl, and I eased up on it a little. But, just a little....

One night as we were settling into bed, I brought up the subject again. I think we were talking about potential girls names, and I made a comment about how I thought that deciding on a boys name would be very difficult since I really hadn't thought of any that I loved. That's when Ted said, "I think if we have a boy, we should just name him Max and leave it at that". I was shocked. He sounded serious, but was he? So, I asked him very tentatively: "Are you serious????" He looked at me and said, "Well, kind of." So I almost screamed, "I hope you're serious, because I LOVE IT!!!!". He said he was glad, because he had thought of it a little while ago, but wasn't sure how I would feel about it. All of a sudden, that was it. We thought of a boys name that we loved.

So, there you have it. Our son's name will be Max Keenan Lorson. I love the strength in the first name, and I love that my maiden name will be a part of him. I'll have to let someone else have the name Angus....

The details of the the appointment

I've been a little tired (read: lazy) for the past few days, but after a relaxing Friday night on the couch and a good nights sleep followed by an early Saturday morning nap, I'm finally going to give more details on the appointment on the 20th.

I worked in the morning and left around 1130am to pick Ted up at his office. I went up to get him, met a few of his co-workers, and then off we went to Farmington. I felt like I was absolutely going to burst! A lot of people have been asking me why I would want to know the sex of the baby, and my response has been, "Finding out I was pregnant in the first place was enough of a surprise...now I want to know everything!"

First we were brought into the examination room by an ultrasound tech. I got comfy on the table while Ted sat in a chair next to me and we anxiously looked at the flat-screen monitor hanging on the wall in front of us. In the beginning of the exam, the baby was very still and the tech seemed to be able to get the measurements she needed: the top of the noggin, the length of the body, the thickness of the placenta, etc. A few minutes into the exam, she asked if we wanted to know the sex of the baby to which I said "YES!!!" and she said, "Well, this baby is a boy!" Sure enough, she showed us a shot of the baby, taken as if the "camera" was underneath the baby looking up at his butt, and there was his "equipment". I cried (of course) out of happiness and Ted was just beaming.

Ok, I really don't want to scar my poor boy for life, so as he grows older PLEASE don't tell him that I posted the photo of his stuff on this blog, please. You can see it just to the left of where the tech wrote "BOY".

Aren't I awful?????

Ok. Next the tech showed us some really cool things, like the four chambers of the heart, his leg bones, spine, fingers, toes, lips, and of course the top of his huge head. Below are two of the most amazing photos:

Once the tech was finished, the doctor and an intern came in to look things over and talk with us. He said that the chances that our boy has any kind of birth defect or Down Syndrome are very limited which was great news. He offered an amnioscenthesis still, though, saying that it is always an option for me, but also saying that the chances of the amnio causing a miscarriage are greater then the chances of them finding a defect from it. So, we walked out of the Health Center happy about having a boy and even happier about hearing that everything seems fine!

The next installment of this blog will be the baby's name and how we came up with it, so stayed tuned!

NEWS FLASH!!!

IT'S A BOY!!!!

16 Week Check-up Report

This morning I had my monthly OB check-up, and Ted was able to join me for this appointment which was great. The Doctor on duty today was Dr. Briggs who is a nice, young guy and very patient and thorough in answering questions. He went over (in great detail) the results of my UConn tests and also what I can expect from the next round of testing there. The basic gist here is that, although the test results were very promising, it doesn't mean that we're out of the woods for anything being "wrong". It is still possible that the Quad screening (a maternal blood screening test that checks for four specific substances that can be evidence of birth defects) will show less then desireable results. The test results from the Quad screening will determine whether or not I'll get the amnioscenthesis done which I'm obviously hoping to avoid.

The best part of the appointment was having Ted hear the heartbeat for the first time. I had told him that the first time you hear that "Wow-Wow-Wow-Wow" of the baby's heart beating away (ask me to do the imitation next time you see me....it's pretty good if I do say so myself!) it was amazing, and I think he agreed with me. We heard it right away when the doc put the instrument to my belly and then we heard a lot of swooshing which was explained to be the baby moving around. Seriously, this kid is VERY active!! In between all the swooshing, we also heard a few "whumps" which was "something hard" as the doc said, "like an arm or a leg". Crazy.

So, we have an active baby on our hands, it seems. Hopefully I can keep up! Next update on the baby's progress will be on the 20th of this month when we'll hopefully find out the sex of the baby! Stay tuned!

Groundhog's Day and Superbowl Sunday

Yesterday was Groundhog's Day and also my Dad's birthday, and the official start of my orientation season for work. My co-workers Theresa, Sabrina and I headed off to White River Junction, Vermont (jealous?) in the morning in a fancy, red Chevy Aveo (NOW are you jealous?) while my immediate family celebrated my Dad's big day by participating in the Essex, CT Groundhog's Day parade. Here's a photo that Ted took of my Dad and his Grandkids Jack, Julia and Olivia. Notice my Dad's snazzy, custom-made Groundhog hat:






I wish I could have been there, but I needed to be at the orientation since I pretty much re-vamped it this year and I needed the practice with the new transitions and some new info I've added. I also wanted Theresa and Sabrina watch me go through the presentation before I send them out on their own to do them. I think the orientation went well and we were able to hit the road to return home a little after 3pm which worked out fine.



When I got home, Ted came right outside and we headed to my Dad's house so that I could at least see him for a little while on his birthday. Glenna fed us well, as always, and we had a great chat about politics, my work, and of course the baby! They gave Ted and I some great advice about naming the baby once we find out whether it will be a boy or a girl, and loved the names we have in mind. (More on that at a later time...stay tuned) I showed them all the updated sonogram photos and they just seem genuinely thrilled about this baby. Thanks, Dad and Glenna for a great evening!

Sunday was Superbowl Sunday, and we had a lazy day for the most part. Ted fired up the smoker and cooked up some ABT's (jalepenos stuffed with cream cheese and pulled pork and wrapped in bacon) and some chicken wings so we could pig out during the game. Now, I usually only watch the Superbowl for the commercials (typical chick move) but I had a real interest in seeing the Giants win this one and watched mostly the whole game, taking only a half hour break to talk to Karen on the phone. It was such an exciting game at the end, and I had fun spending the time with Ted and he was very patient answering all my silly "what does that mean" questions. In the last few minutes, I even felt a few flutters in my belly that I'm sure were the baby...this kid will be a Giants fan for sure!

The Beginning of the 2nd Trimester

This week marked the beginning of my 2nd Trimester which is just unbelieveable to me. My friend Sabrina told me that on the first day of her 2nd trimester, when she was pregnant with her daughter Emma, she instantly felt better then she had in her first trimester. So, I woke up on Tuesday expecting to be full of energy and free from the pesky morning/evening sickness that I've experienced here and there. No luck. All I felt was that Sabrina is a very lucky woman!

Ted was in the mood for sushi early in the week, so we went to a Japanese restaurant in New London for dinner. I wasn't feeling well in the car ride there, but I'm really trying my best to be a trooper and not put a damper on any of our plans just because of my occasional queeziness, so I sucked it up and made it all the way through dinner not eating much other then some sticky rice. After dinner, I couldn't "hide it" anymore and I threw up twice in the parking lot and spent the first 10 minutes of being home getting sick. I'm such a fun date, aren't I? The following night I was sick again, spending 10 minutes in the parking lot of my office getting sick into a WalMart bag. My friend Kris Eastman said that I could have at least been a little more classy and used a Target bag. She's got a point and I'll have to work on that....

The last few days have been better, and while I've had some moments of queeziness, I haven't actually gotten sick at all. I do have more energy then I did in the first trimester which is huge. Saturday Ted and I had a condo association meeting in the morning (we were early so we hit Dixie Doughnuts on our way....yum!) and then did some cleaning when we got home. I actually enjoyed being able to contribute more and pulling my weight. Later in the afternoon, I went with Ted to the salon while he got his hair cut and then we went straight to the Westbrook Outlets so I could use some very generous gift cards my Dad and Step-Mom gave me at Motherhood Maternity. I picked out two nice blouses and two pairs of pants for work that I think will be great for the orientations I have to do for work throughout the winter and early spring. The best part of trying on clothes there is that they have fake belly bumps that you strap on around your waist so you can see how the clothes will fit you as your belly grows. I have to admit, I liked the way I looked with a big old pregnant belly!! Weird, huh? Ted didn't get a chance to see it, but I might drag him back there again soon so he can have a little preview of what's in store!

The main reason for the "Shoreline Tour" was to visit with my Aunt Mary Shanley who lives in an assisted living community in Branford. I haven't seen her in a long while, and I really miss her. Aunt Mary used to live in the apartment above us when we lived on Mansfield Street in New Haven until she fell and broke her hip a few years ago. Once that happened, it really didn't make sense for her to go back to the house, so she moved to Branford. It was always nice to have her close by, and now that we live a fair distance from her we really don't see her all that often. I need to make more of an effort to visit more, since yesterday made me realize how much I miss her! She seems excited about the baby and I showed her some of the sonogram photos which she enjoyed.

Once our visit was over with Aunt Mary, we went to Ted's parents house for a visit and for dinner. We haven't seen them since Christmas so it was nice to spend some time with them, too. Mom Lorson gave us some ADORABLE baby clothes and socks that she said she couldn't resist buying; I have a feeling that this kid of ours is going to be very spoiled by his or her grandparents! I'm so happy that both my and Ted's parents are so excited about this pregnancy! We hung out for a little while and then went to Chuck's Steakhouse for dinner. My family used to go to Chuck's all the time while I was growing up, so it was nice to share that with Ted and his parents. We had a great meal ( I was even tempted to get a steak, but ended up with chicken instead....just to be safe) and then Ted and I ventured home (I of course slept most of the way). Thanks, Mom and Dad Lorson for a great evening!

My next doctor's appointment is on the 6th of February and then my second round of testing at UConn is on the 20th and that's when we find out if this baby is a boy or a girl!!!

13 Weeks and All's Well!

On January 14th I had the first of two appointments at the UConn Health Center in Farmington, CT. Because of my "advanced age" my doctor had recommended that I get some various tests done that will help determine the odds that the baby would be born with Down Syndrome and some other birth defects. Scary stuff. But, I agreed that it is important to know what we're up against, and since women over 35 (for those of you who may not know, I'm at the ripe old age of 37!) have a greater chance of having a baby with a birth defect, I agreed to the testing and went forward with it optimistic that everything would be ok, but cautious knowing that my age may very well be my worst enemy right now.



The first part of the appointment was a meeting with a genetic counselor. The woman I met with was very nice and she carefully explained the sonogram and blood work I would be getting that day, and what the various results would mean. Then she asked a bunch of questions about family history both on my side (easy answer: since I'm adopted, I really don't know!) and on Ted's side. Once that was done, she sent me into the waiting room until I was called for my sonogram.



The sonogram (two of the best photos are above) was AMAZING. I had three done already but this one was different in that the previous ones were transvaginal (images taken from inside the vagina) and this one was standard and taken over my ever-expanding belly. This time, I was able to see the little bugger move around and I saw it's little fingers and toes and even some facial features. The sonogram tech was trying desperately to get a good view of the back of the baby's neck since what they were aiming to do was measure the depth of the fluid there, and the baby was being "difficult" and "stubborn" and moving every which way but the way the tech needed it to! She gave it the old college try for 15 or 20 minutes or so, and meanwhile she got some great photos, and at one point the baby even looked straight at the sonogram wand and moved it little fingers like it was waving at me...amazing! But, there was a task at hand and the baby wasn't cooperating (good lord...what do I have in store with this kid?) so the tech brought the doctor in to get the job done. After a few minutes he got the info he needed, and gave me the good news that the measurements of the fluid looked great: they worry if they measure 2.5mm or more fluid and my baby's measured in at 1.25. Whew! I still have to get my blood work results back, which should be Wednesday or Thursday, but so far so good!