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Monday, February 20, 2012Chelsea
Hello all! Just a couple quick updates. Today I am 23 weeks pregnant. Last night, Steven felt Adelaide move for the first time while we were laying on the couch. He was pretty excited.
My sister Haleigh wrote a letter to Adelaide on Feb. 1, after we found out our baby is a girl. Since we don't have a scanner, I will transcribe it here for all to read.
"Dear Adelaide,
I've been writing this little journal since Febuary 1st 2012. I loved you since I found out you were a beutiful young girl! When they did and an altrasound to find out your gender, they took pictures and you looked just like your mohter. I can't wait until your born. The day I found out that you exsisted, it changed my entire life. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, you were also my first neice or nephew! Awesome, right. You are probably really little the first time I ever read this to you, but who cares at least you and I care about each other! I know it's going to take forever until June. You are supposed to be born after all of us get out of school for the summer. I'm going to be in the waiting room waiting for you to be born. I will always love you with all my heart! I never can stop smiling now. When I found out you were alive in your mom's stomach, I couldn't stop talking about it and..... when I found out you were a girl, I couldn't stop smiling..... Also did you know that I'm going to end up crying when you are actually born. I just can tell, I also can tell that I'm going to become the best auntie Ha ever in your life! No one will ever be better at loving you then me. When you were still in your mom's stomach, I got to touch you and feel you kick, that means that all the systems are working. Everytime your mom came to visit, I hugged her so softly instead of squeezing her like I used to. But I'm not the only one who was excited for your aperence. Chelsea, your mother was, and Steven, your dad. They both NEVER could stop smiling the day the told everyone that she was pregnant. Your due date is around the 20th of June, 2012. I'm so happy for everyone, and I hope you like me the moment you see me. But I bet you will. When I told my teacher about you, she almost started to cry. She's really fun and I hope you get her in ten years! She pushes you, but I'll bet you'll be smart enough to pass everything and get princaples honor roll! I'm so excited tfor you to be so educated. I will be ready to teach you everything. You will be always ahead of people in school. You will at least know how to do decimals when your about 6! Get ready for my teachers stories! She can tell you about anything, even gum! Hahaha!"
At my appointment this past week with my midwife, I learned that if I have gestational diabetes, I will have to give birth in a hospital. My glucose tolerance test is on March 27th, although I don't know how quickly I will find out the results. By then, I will be 28 weeks, so my next appointment will only be two weeks away, so perhaps I will only have to wait that long.
The invitations to the baby party should be arriving soon so I can send them out to friends and family. I am so excited! Now, I'm going to go work on my registry :)
Friday, February 3, 2012Chelsea
So we're having a girl! Somehow, against the odds, we're having a girl! So far everyone likes her name, which is Adelaide Lynn Hunt.
Some fun facts about the name Adelaide:
-> Adelaide was the name of a German princess
-> She married an English prince, and became his queen consort when he became king of England (King George IV)
-> The capitol city of South Australia, which is the fifth largest city in Australia, is her namesake
-> Beethoven wrote a song to go with a German poem called "Adelaide"
-> My favorite band, Anberlin, also has a song called "Adelaide". You can find both songs on YouTube
-> The middle name Lynn is from the middle names of my grandma, mom, and myself.
I have been feeling her kick up a storm this week! She was very active on Tuesday and today as well. Seems she likes to move around in the afternoon, which I am very happy about! Hopefully she will be a good little sleeper like both her parents. We both feel best when we've slept for about 10 hours or so, lol! Anyway, I think the ultrasound has definitely shifted our mindset. Steven's off ready to buy a house for goodness sake! :) Me? I'm really starting to think about all the things we don't have yet, even though we're only halfway. We are working on finding items for our registry, although we haven't actually put it together yet. Soon though!
Speaking of the registry, we are starting to plan our baby PARTY. No shower for me/us. We want to invite our guy friends and make it a bigger party since we never got our families together for a reception after we got married. So we're going to spend some money, and gifts will be absolutely optional, especially for our friends still in or fresh out of college! We'll put all the details on the registry page when it comes time so everyone knows what's up, but invitations should be out at the end of the month. I'm really looking forward to it. We have set a date and booked a pavillion at a park already, so mark you calendars for SATURDAY APRIL 21! WOOT!
On a random, but very sweet, note, I talked to mom earlier this morning. Haleigh has written Adelaide a beautiful (2 page!) letter. She's so excited to be Auntie Ha, and she wants to be there for the birth. We'll see what she thinks after she sees a video of a birth. :) I got teary-eyed in some places while she was reading it to me. I'd like to put a copy in my prenatal journal... maybe even post it on here at some point.
Until next time!
Monday, January 9, 2012Chelsea
We are officially online now! Wow, has it been a trip! Stay tuned, as the links above will become active as I get to them. Steven will be working on the guest book, and I will post the ultrasounds from week 12 on the Little Hunt #1 page. The registry will become active once baby shower plans have been established. All details will be posted here so as not to overwhelm my Facebook friends with baby crap :D You are welcome.
To give you something to look forward to, we find out the baby's sex on February 1. Make sure you stop by to see what the results are!
Wednesday, November 2, 2011Chelsea
Let's recap!
July: Clomid Round 1 did not work out as planned. I ovulated so late that I didn't realize it until after I started taking the progesterone to jump-start my period, so it was too late by then.
August: Clomid Round 2 also didn't work out. I did ovulate, but I ovulated late again, around day 21 instead of day 14 like it's supposed to be.
September: Clomid Round 3 did not look like it was working. I ovulated on day 20, so still late, and my doctor didn't know why. She gave me a prescription for an injectible for the next round, and we prepared to end our baby-making journey.
So here's where it gets interesting. In the meantime, the place where I have been volunteering was looking to hire someone to run the food pantry, so I applied on September 7th, interviewed about two weeks later, and I got the job! I was set to start on Monday, October 10th.
So, according to my chart and my ovulation predictor kits, I ovulated on September 27th.
On Saturday, October 8th, Steven and I spent the night at my parents' house since we knew we wouldn't be able to get over there for awhile after I started my job. In the middle of the night, I got up to pee, and my boobs were sore! That usually only happens when I'm ovulating. Then at lunchtime the next day, the cheese I was eating tasted funny to me. I was growing suspicious, and even joked around that I had better be pregnant with symptoms like that.
Morning of Monday, October 10: Steven had left for work. I was getting ready for my first day! I decided to pee on a stick to see what would happen, just to put my mind at ease. I left the stick to continue getting ready while I waited for the negative I knew was coming in 5 minutes. I was brushing my hair, and I glanced over at the stick, and it was positive! I couldn't believe it! I was in total shock. I called Steven immediately, and I said, "So I took a pregnancy test just now." He said, "Yeah? What did it say?" (because he's oblivious like that ;), and I said, "It's positive." We talked for a little bit longer, but he was excited. So, here I am, my first day of work. Also, my first day (knowingly) pregnant!
I spent a good part of that first day being anxious, upset, sad, and wondering why I didn't just feel happy to finally be pregnant. I hadn't changed my mind! It took me a week or two, but I felt/feel so nervous about the pregnancy because it's taken us so long to get it. It's taken thousands of dollars worth of tests, a surgery, and 10 months to get here. I am so afraid of losing my brand new baby, so I have been reluctant to be OVERJOYED!!! I am excited, and very much looking forward to everything, but I won't be happy until he or she is safely in my arms come June. Yep, gonna have a Junebug :)
Since I found out I am pregnant, here's how I have been feeling: boobs are alternatively fine then sore; they are also huge (to qualify this, they are not bigger than they were 6 months ago. However, I have lost about 15 pounds in that time frame, so they are more recently re-enlargening lol); I am cramping just about daily, although I have been having less and less cramps as time has gone on; I get nauseous when I wake up or if I eat too much or if I eat too many carbs, then I burp and I'm fine; my burps are super gross; I'm smellier; and last but not least I AM SO FREAKING TIRED ALL THE TIME! Surprisingly, not much extra pee time and no actual vomiting, so keeping the secret from coworkers has been easy so far, and since this is my first baby, I shouldn't start showing until December or January which is when I plan on telling everyone. (YOU!) In the meantime, the only people who have been told are our parents and the baby's godmother. So, I'm not sorry I didn't tell you sooner, oh dear-friend/family member-who-feels-slighted-like-when-we-eloped, because (1) we are open books all the time, so having a secret here and there is fun, (2) I have been too nervous to shout it from the rooftops just yet as previously explained, and (3) well, it's just how it is. Too bad.
Sunday, June 26, 2011Chelsea
My HSG went super awesome guys! My tubes are all clear and ready for action! So I started the clomid on Wednesday. I've experienced a few side-effects, like a higher-than-normal body temperature, headache, and vision problems! YAY! Although, luckily I haven't had any mood swings yet. Steven is very thankful!
I took the last clomid pill tonight, and I start using ovulation predictor kits in two days, which will help with timing things out. I am pretty excited. I feel pretty good about this. Everything I've read so far indicates that I am a good candidate for clomid success. Which is to say, OH MY GOD I HOPE IT WORKS!!!!! :D Steven is getting pretty excited too.
We leave for New York City on Friday. We get back from Steven's cousin's wedding two weeks from today, and then Monday I go to the doctor to see how things went. Woot! Wish me retroactive luck! :)
Thursday, May 26, 2011Chelsea
We have been a bit busy for the past few months! Here's what's gone down since February:
1. Went to the Women's Center to get checked out. You know, that whole "I don't have periods" thing. I was given an ultrasound and it came back that my ovaries each had 10 (TEN!) cysts. The cysts are from eggs that have not matured enough to fully ovulate, so they're just stuck on my ovaries. Woohoo! My doctor ordered some blood tests and put me on progestin to stimulate a period.
2. On Day #3 of my cycle after the progestin, I got my blood work done. I found out just yesterday that my LH-FSH ratio is not quite to PCOS proportions (2:1), but that my LH levels were still a bit elevated from "normal". It was 8:5.7. She said my estrogen levels were good though, so that's good to know. She had me schedule an endometrial biopsy for Day #21.
3. I had my biopsy done. I got to see inside my uterus, and it was super cool. It was pink. I was expecting it to be red, since you know, blood and stuff, but it was bright pink. We saw some polyps and the doctor ordered a full D&C to remove them. Afterward, they did another ultrasound and found out that my right ovary was getting ready to ovulate. I ended up canceling the surgery to see if we could get pregnant with this little egg. My temperatures went up, so I knew I had ovulated, but I did not get pregnant. I rescheduled the surgery for the next month for Day #28, but I didn't get the confirmation call until a week before (May 4).
4. On Monday, May 9, Steven and I went in to Winnie Palmer Hospital and registered and paid for the surgery. I got my blood drawn and was given instructions for the D&C. The next day, May 10th was Steven's birthday, so I made sure the peanut butter cheesecake I made him was the last thing I got to eat!
5. On May 11, Steven and I woke up at 4:30am, dressed, and went to the hospital. We were to be there at 5:30, and the surgery was to begin at 7:30. The nurses were very awesome. I can't remember the name of the nurse who helped me with the gown and laying on the bed, but my pre-op nurse was Bev and she was really great. She hooked me up to all the meds and lines and what-have-you. I watched ESPN in a very comfy bed until they got me into the OR. Steven got to hang out with me for about an hour or so right beforehand. I remember everything up until they put the mask on me. Someone in the room, maybe the anasthesiologist, said "Sweet dreams" and then I was out and awake in the first recovery room. They asked me how much pain I was in on a 10-point scale, and I said "One half". I just had some slight cramping, but that was it. I was pretty drowsy though. I kept laying my head back. They moved me to the second stage recovery pretty quickly, and Steven had to sign off on my post-op instructions. I had to go to the bathroom on my own and get dressed before I could go, but I was out of there before 10, which was about 45 minutes ahead of schedule. When we got home, I was still a bit sleepy, so I laid down while Steven worked from home. He ordered Chipotle and brought it home for lunch for us. It was delicious, and he is the best! We took a walk later that afternoon, and I went to Zumba the next day. I found a card in the bag we took with us that Steven had forgotten to give me. All the nurses had signed a get-well card for me! It was so sweet.
6. The next day, I scheduled my two-week checkup and an HSG, which my doctor told me I needed to have done in the pre-op stage. It is a procedure where they fill the uterus with contrast dye (radioactive iodine I think) and take an x-ray. It is used to determine whether the Fallopian tubes are blocked or clear.
So yesterday was my two-week checkup. We went over what had been done so far, and if there were any more procedures after the HSG that needed to be done. In fact, it is the final test! She gave me prescriptions for progestin, clomid, and an antibiotic. I start the progestin regimen next Saturday, June 4 and that will stimulate a period for me. On Day #3, I will take clomid for five days, which will stimulate ovulation. I am to keep taking my temperatures and I have to start doing an ovulation predictor kit (OPK) every day so I know when I'm about to ovulate. It is important to know exactly when I ovulate to get the timing right because I can only be on clomid for about 6 cycles. If I don't get pregnant, it increases my risk of ovarian cancer, so they don't overuse it. Every cycle counts.
The HSG is scheduled for June 15, so I will be taking an antibiotic to prevent an infection June 14-16. June 16 marks my last day of progestin, which means my period will start around the 20th. If I ovulate, I will probably do so either while we're in New York City or right before. On Day #21, the doctor is going to do an exam and have me get blood drawn to measure my progesterone level in order to determine whether I have ovulated or not. She has me on the lowest dose of clomid, and so if I don't ovulate this time around, she will bump me up to the next highest dose, and so on and so forth. She seemed pretty confident that I would get pregnant the first time though. We'll see I suppose :)
Monday, February 21, 2011Chelsea
I went to see an ob/gyn this morning with Steven to discuss my history of severely irregular periods. She's pretty sure I have poly-cystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). I was given a sonogram this morning, and it seems that I have 10 follicles on each ovary, which is pretty indicative of PCOS. Basically, my hormones aren't reaching the right levels to ovulate, so instead, the egg remains in the ovary as a cyst. So I have twenty cysts that were supposed to be ovulated eggs that are now just chillin' in my ovaries. So, I started provera today, which is a synthetic progesterone that will stimulate my period in two weeks. After that, I have paperwork to get some blood drawn and analyzed for hormone counts. Then two weeks later, I have to go back to the doctor to get another sonogram and an endometrial biopsy. Once the results are in and I definitely have PCOS, she is going to put me on some drugs that should stimulate actual ovulation and THEN MAYBE? we'll get pregnant.
I am very glad to know that what's going on with my body is common and treatable. My doctor didn't care that we haven't been ttc for that long, and she didn't care that I was young. I was expecting to be turned away, but she really has my best interest at heart, which is something I have rare chance to see in a medical professional. I have perma-smile today! :)
Thursday, January 27, 2011Chelsea
Welp, this month was a bust! My temperature dipped yesterday and today, and I took a pregnancy test yesterday that came up negative. Here's looking forward to a period and a fresh start in February! :)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011Chelsea
According to my BBT, I *MAY* have ovulated on Friday. I guess I will know by next Friday if that is in fact the case. I am excited though! I have been fretting about ovulating for the past few weeks, since I had SUPER irregular periods when I was a teenager. Like, 1-2 per year irregular! Then I've been on the pill for three years, and I JUST went off it this month, so I wasn't sure if my body would figure it out or not (or how long it might take!) It seems that I might have ovulated though, and honestly, even if we don't get pregnant this month, I will be the most ecstatic woman to ever get her period! So by next Friday (Jan. 28), I should either be bleeding or taking a pregnancy test! Woot!!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011Chelsea
Working on making a baby! Trying to conceive! Reading a baby book! Drinking no alcohol :( Thinking of baby showers!
We are finally in the throes of conception! I am alternatively sober and excited! But mostly I'm rather relaxed about the whole thing. I am confident that what was meant to happen will happen and I am looking forward to the coming year. Good luck to us! :)
Sunday, December 5, 2010Chelsea
Well, I am starting to chart my cycle now. I found a basal body temperature (BBT) thermometer that had great reviews, and I started this morning with an inaccurate reading. YAY! I'm supposed to take my temperature at the very moment I wake up, at the same time every day, after I've had three consecutive hours of sleep. Well, I ended up taking it at 4:15am because I woke up then, but I only had about 2 hours of sleep, because I got up at 2 to go to the bathroom. Not that it's a big deal right now. I also started birth control today (MY LAST ONE!!) I am excited and nervous and I don't know if all of this month's activities will make it fly by, or if my daily pill countdown will keep it moving slower! Eh, maybe it'll even itself out.
As a general update, I am getting better about remembering to take my vitamins on time every day. Since it is a set of three tablets, I try to spread them out and take one with every meal. I've even been remembering to take one before we leave to eat out, which is good. I am starting to get SUPER excited! I can't wait for January to arrive, but I also kind of want it to take its time getting here lol. So I guess I'm nervous too! But definitely in a good way. My ovaries have been on FIRE for the past week or so. When we go to a store, I see all the babies in their cute holiday wear, and I want a baby for Christmas SO BAD! We saw the softest baby outfit yesterday at Target that said "Baby's First Christmas". I told Steven that was my stocking this year, so he had better fill it with baby! Lol... well, it's my stocking for next year anyway! :)
So! My temperature today was 97.7 for those keeping score at home. I figure it will even itself out while I'm on the pill. Having seen some other women's charts online, I am interested to see how my chart will turn out this month. Then I'll be even MORE interested to see how my "natural" cycle goes. :\ I am not looking forward to that. My irregular periods may return with a vengence, but on the other hand, I could start ovulating like crazy like I was doing right before I went on the pill. We'll just have to wait and see I suppose! :)
Tuesday, November 30, 2010Chelsea
I am feeling... excited today! There are four weeks left until I am off the pill, and I'm sure they will fly by. It has been 3 weeks since my wisdom tooth removal, and all is well there (except for all the food that keeps getting caught in the holes!) The weather has been pleasantly cool for awhile, and it is due to get colder here in the next couple days (YAY!) Steven and I are leaving for our honeymoon next Thursday (Dec. 9) so we're getting excited for that. Then the holidays start, and by the time the revelry is finished, we will be on our way to conception.
We have our names picked out, our insurance is ready, and we have a game plan! Steven starts his "new" job tomorrow, which means financial security for our new family. If this show gets on the road as scheduled, we should hit our "late 2011/early 2012" mark quite easily.
Our contingency plan is to adopt. We are going to try for a year to get pregnant, but if in that time we don't conceive on our own, we are going to file paperwork to adopt. If things work out later, great, but we have discussed children off and on for our entire relationship, so we will be pursuing adoption either way sooner or later. There are even people who conceive WHILE in the process of adopting. But yeah, adoption ends up being cheaper than IVF too ($50K and up people). That's a HUGE chunk of change, and the emotional toll is just ridiculous. Plus, I feel like if Steven and I can't conceive, then we weren't meant to.
That's all for today. I hope everyone has a great holiday and happy new year!
Monday, November 29, 2010Steven
This is my first entry on the blog; I'm not much of a writer but I will do my best :)
To my future children:
I've been working very hard preparing for your arrival. A few years ago I thought it would take me many years to be where I am, but sometimes fate has other plans. Life has been very good to me: I have a wonderful wife, and nice place to live, and my childhood dream job; I only hope that life is as good to you. Regardless, I promise that I will always do my best for you, even when you don't see it that way. I will support, love, and care for you to the best of my ability. I will make mistakes, but I hope that some day you'll tell me that I did right by you. Well, I guess I will see you when you get here!
Tuesday, October 26, 2010Chelsea
Steven and I went to see the birthing center today! No babies this time, although we did learn that one Adam and one Kai were born a week ago today. :3 We went at 9:00 to take a tour of the center and to just get a feel for How Things Are Done. The center is a cute little old house in Winter Park with two birthing rooms. We got to see the water birth pool and the cozy rooms. All the lab work will be done at the center. It's the coziest "lab" I've ever seen. The room where I'll have blood drawn has a wicker sofa for me to sit on! I'm pretty excited, and I've been in a good mood all day. We even found out just how CHEAP the whole thing will be, even if we have to pay for the whole thing out-of-pocket. Steven is less visably excited and happy, but I know he's dancing around on the inside lol.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010Chelsea
Yay! Okay, so the day I wrote the last post, I did the math, and was like, "Oh snap! Three months after Nov. 1 isn't January, it's February!" So we got right on that junk! We bought prenatal vitamins the very next day and I started taking them on Monday, Oct. 11. Can they make them any bigger?! I've also been limiting Steven to one tea/coffee unless it's decaf, and one alcoholic beverage per day, and these are only to alleviate suspicion! I have limited myself to one alcoholic beverage per day, but I've never drunk any caffeinated drinks so I'm already good there. And honestly, "one per day" makes it sound like we drink all the time, but we rarely do. That's just the maximum amount we've agreed upon for public settings.
We also had an appointment scheduled for yesterday to go tour the birthing center from which our midwife will come... Steven got the okay to come in late to work, and we slept in longer than usual, and then at 8, Becky called us and said that both rooms were occupied and they were in "Labor Land", so we rescheduled for next week, on the 26th. Not that we NEED a tour, per se, since I will be delivering at home short of any complications, but we would like to meet our midwife and the other staff, and just get a feel for how things will progress over the next year or so.
*Waits for the flood of questions about homebirth*
Why? I dunno, because I'm a dirty, dirty hippie? It just makes sense to me. When my mom was pregnant with my youngest sister, I was 14, so I remember quite a bit of the pregnancy dealings. I remember that she wanted to give birth in a birthing center, but their crappy insurance wouldn't allow it. I remember learning about how the flat-on-your-back posture is one of the worst for trying to deliver a baby. (Hello gravity!) Mostly, I remember touring the birthing center and feeling how much homier it felt than a hospital. Homebirth is just a half step further on the Hippiness Scale (TM): Why should I panic and worry about delivering in Orlando traffic before I get to the center when I can do it in the comfort of our own home, where I can have as many people present as I want, my mom and Steven can actually assist me, and the midwife just kind of sits back and waits, stepping in only in an emergency?
Or maybe I really just AM a dirty hippie ;)
Saturday, October 9, 2010Chelsea
Good morning world! This is the "birth" of our new website for anything and everything baby! I will be updating this for the next couple months in SECRET while Steven and I begin to prepare for our venture into the wild world of children! We've had this timeline in place for about six months or so, but I will share it now, and it will finally be read by you sometime next year!
We will begin our preparations on November 1. We will not drink (much) alcohol or caffeine, get better sleep, eat better food, and get more exercise. I am going to begin taking prenatal vitamins then as well. You see, our goal is to get pregnant between January and March of 2011, but preparations must be made 3 months before conception to build up a healthy store of folic acid and, *ahem*, um, swimmers. I am already making an effort to eat plenty of spinach, although, to be fair, we've been eating more spinach and other healthy-type plant-based foods (read: vegetables) since January when we watched Food, Inc. Folic acid, in particular, is necessary to prevent certain neural tube defects (read: brain damage) that can develop within the first 28 days of gestation. So I'm gobbling down as much spinach and hummus as I can handle. Quite frankly, I think I could LIVE on the stuff, but that's just me :).
So if we can get pregnant between January and March, we should have a baby sometime between September and November. I am hoping for October myself. I think Erin has a well-timed birthday (Oct. 3). If successful, we will probably make the big reveal sometime between March and May. Hello future folks! *Waves!*
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