Boy is this kid going to hear about it later

I'm sorry it's been so long you guys. And the fact that many of you have worried over me has actually forced me out of bed and on to the computer for once. Boy do we need a laptop in this house.

Yes, both The Beanie and I (and a VERY patient Mr. Blogger) are still alive. Barely. Don't worry, everything's ok. I just can't function. It's as simple as that. Everyone else is fine.

After trips to the ER and several complete breakdowns where I was hysterical in the assumption that Beanie couldn't possibly be ok with all this vomitation...my doc finally pulled me out of work for a few weeks. Turns out I have Hyperemesis Gravidarum, which is frankly just Latin for "Food is not your friend".

As Betty said...how could I possibly get this when not only do I not fit the profile, but only 1-2% of women even get this. Oh no, that's right. OF COURSE I would get this.

Since not much stays down, I get IV's and I'm on my third attempt at an anti-nausea med. None of them have worked so far. And I gotta tell ya'...this one's not doing much more than making me constipated.

I of course, blame my mother. Since she was sick the entire pregnancy with me, it's possible that it's hereditary. Sure, EVERY SINGLE PART OF MY PHYSICAL BEING TAKES AFTER MY DAD'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY EXCEPT THIS. I take it back then. I blame my father.

I actually dragged myself out of the house, and wore makeup and everything, to get to a bridal shower last Saturday. It was a big victory for me. Well, right up to the part where I threw up while she was opening the gifts. Don't worry. I made it to a bathroom at least. What was I thinking, daring to eat a piece of cantaloupe.

That's just pretty much my life these days. It sucks. But what matters most is that Beanie still seems to be thriving. I still worry every time we wait to hear the heartbeat, or look to see the ultrasound results (who am I kidding...I don't "worry"...I cry so hard my contacts fall out), but so far so good.

HOWEVER...I WILL NOT MISS THE FIRST GAME OF THE SEASON. Sure, being stuck in the Rose Bowl stands while feeling a wave come upon me may be a tad bit inconvenient. And I have nothing to wear now that I'm at this weird "in-between maternity clothes and yet I can't button my regular jeans" phase. But that's ok.

Beanie WILL be indoctrinated from the womb and WILL come out doing the 8-clap. (And I'm so excited to buy these I can't stand it!)

Did you expect any less from me? Come on now. So the people sitting around me might freak out a tad.

That's ok. I'll just bring barf bags.

13 weeks, two days and another deep breath

First and foremost...AGAIN...thank you for every single kind word and virtual hug you've thrown our way. It never seems enough to just say thank you though, so if I'm repeating myself, just keep in mind that it DESERVES repeating. So there! ;)

WordGirl was even SOOO kind as to nominate me for a Perfect Post for what I thought was just my incessant rambling. She's so freakin' talented that I was almost embarrassed to be considered. Much love back to ya' WG...MUCH love!

So yesterday was a tremendously momentous day and I had PLANNED to mark the occasion with proper pomp and circumstance. Little did I know that such planning would include vomiting all over my local drugstore's floor.

I find that highly apropos.

You see, I am now officially in my SECOND TRIMESTER. I have trouble even believing that as I type. And if I end up typing most of this post in all caps, please understand the significance.

I HAVE NEVER EVER HAD A SECOND TRIMESTER BEFORE.

EVER.

THIS IS HUGE.

OK, I'll try to contain myself a tad and lose the caps.

And what I find so funny about being so sick yesterday is the fact that Beanie decided to mark the first day of this celebration with MAKING ME SICKER THAN I'VE BEEN IN WEEKS. (I guess I lied about losing the caps...sorry.)

First I didn't get to work until noon because I couldn't peel myself off the bathroom floor. And then when I decided to stop at SavOn after work, she/he/whatever decided to remind me who's running the show here. I don't think I've thrown up in public like that since I was a little kid. I mean there was NO TIME to find a bathroom. Yeah. I wanted to die.

The second trimester is supposed to be the time of waning nausea and increased energy? HA! (Beanie seemed to say...) I'LL SHOW YOU! MWAHAHAHAHA...

Oh and later my entire dinner came right back up in brilliant technocolor as well.

Gotta love that Beanie.

(My BFF Kona Girl is convinced it's a girl if for no other reason than Beanie's pretty damn demanding. But keep in mind that KG has also already vowed to come down from Seattle to attend every dance recital and spelling bee.)

But Beanie did give us some good news last week. My Nuchal Scan (plus blood draw) confirmed that my chance of Down's is 1 in 941. And the chances of Trisomy 18 and 13 combined is 1 in 1561.

At first, being the skeptic I am, I found it hard to understand the enthusiasm in the nurse's voice since it still seemed kinda "eh" to me. That was until she told me that my chances were originally 1 in 60 (!!!) just due to my age alone, so this is a pretty huge jump in the right direction. Additionally, this puts me somewhere in the range of a 26 year old, which I will definitely take.

What's funny is that until we heard these numbers, Mr. Blogger and I were pretty set on doing an amniocentesis because of all the risks associated with my...yes...age. (Can't get enough of hearing how freakin' old I am all the time.) We had already ruled out a CVS and the Triple Screen and were going to go straight for the amnio only.

But when I called the genetic counselor we had met with prior to the Nuchal Scan, she told me that one way to look at it is that they don't necessarily recommend amnio for 26 year olds.

So now, after A LOT of thought, we've decided to go with just a level II ultrasound, done around the 18th week. The risks involved with the amnio ended up being more than I was willing to take in the long run. And this type of ultrasound should hopefully show us even more. For now, I can only hope things continue on in a positive manner.

(As a final say on what has become such a controversial matter, I have found that a lot of people have given me both solicited and unsolicited advice on this matter and the best thing I can say is that it was our personal decision. Everyone does what is right for them and I would support anyone's feelings and thought processes involved in their choices. I guess I just wanted to make sure I wasn't offending anyone.)

Anywho... long and the short of it is that we're doing ok. And most importantly Beanie seems to be kicking and thrashing away (not that I can feel it yet but you know what I mean)! I think I've had another two scans since I last posted and I'm still amazed every time I see that.

Oh, and she/he/whatever seems to have a penchant for ska-dancing. That's our child.