THE PLAYROOM SAGA

Back in February, we moved out of our 3 bedroom apartment and into a much more spacious 3 bedroom home. We wanted more privacy and a yard for Miles and Chicago. We opted to set our office up in the garage and use the third bedroom as a playroom for Miles. It has been one sweet set up. Of course, now with Baby numero dos on the way we are facing the fact that we have to give up the playroom in order to turn it into a nursery!!! Thank goodness we are doing this before Miles even realizes he has a playroom. Boy would he be ticked off. The truth is, it has been so nice for Mommy and Daddy that Miles has a place can we safely put him to play. Especially when something needs to be done right away. It's also nice to have a space where he can go hog wild and play with whatever he wants to because they are all his toys. So this has led us to now -- we need a nursery and we NEED a playroom. Hmmmmmmmm..... we finally came up with an idea that we both could live with -- one that did not involve trying to convert the garage (icky). We have both agreed to give up our dining room (not that we eat there anyway) in order to gate the area off and create a playroom. We're actually really excited about it and can't wait to get started. We'd like to do it sooner rather than later so that Miles can adjust to the change before he realizes that it was baby number 2 who took his playroom. LOL.

CHOOSING A BIRTHING TUB

When I was pregnant with Miles I had this beautiful vision of relaxing in a gentle, calming bath, letting the warm waters soothe my labor pains away. I was certain that our large oval bathtub would be just the place to labor away in. I WAS WRONG. That tub was itsy bitsy for a largely pregnant woman in the throws of childbirth!!!! I tried it 3 different times, only to crawl out of it miserable and even more uncomfortable than I was before I had slipped in. This time will be different. Now I know why all of those other home birth mommas have pics and videos of themselves laboring in massive birthing pools!!!! I will be one of those happy ladies!!!! We, obviously, still have plenty of time to choose the tub we want, but we have pretty much narrowed it down and are most likely going to go with the AquaBorn Eco Pool!!!! This bad boy is 27" deep and is made to withstand even the most laborious of labors. It has reinforced handles around the edges and has a lid to help keep the water hot while not in use. And the bonus -- there's room for two in it so Jay Jay can climb in and Massage my back!!!! Hey -- it ia all about the laboring woman, right???? LOL.

10 WEEKS AND FINALLY FEELING BETTER!!!

We are just 3 weeks away from completeing the First Trimester!!! Yippee. I cannot wait to revel in the Second Trimester energy!!! I am sooooo looking forward to feeling a little less lethargic. Of course, now that I have worked through most of this nasty viral infection, I am already beginning to feel a little more peppy. A little. I was concerned that this viral bug was turning into a chronic case of bronchitis, but as of today, yes I am still coughing, but nowhere near as much as I was Monday through Thursday!!! So -- I think Bronchitis is out of the question. Yay. Oh -- and since I have been so ill -- I totally forgot to blog about our first Prenatal Appointment!!!! Unfortunately, Jay Jay had to work, so he missed it, but Miles and Nana were right by my side. We were all so excited to see Renee again for the first time in 6 months and we spent some time catching up. She did all of the routine prenatal exams and then offered to use the doppler. She said that it was probably still too early to hear the heart beat, but we tried anyway. And guess what.... we heard a very VERY faint little swooshy swooshy heart beat!!! We are set to return in 2 weeks to complete the blood work and she said at that time we will definately be able to hear a distinct heart beat. Cannot wait!!!! I think we have our First Trimester Screening scheduled for the same week, so we will also be able to see the heart beating!!!! How wonderful!!!!

10 WEEKS PREGNANT - OUR LITTLE KUMQUAT

How your baby's growing:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

9 WEEKS PREGNANT AND SICK AS A DOG!!!!!

Yep -- that's right. I have a summer bug!!! While pregnant. In the first trimester!!! F this!!!! I feel like death warmed over -- I mean really REALLY warmed over, as the temperature here in Southern Cali has been well into the hundreds. The only blessing in disguise is the fact that I am not living through this heat while 9 months pregnant. Hip hip hooray for a third trimester in the winter!!! Now I just have to make it through this aweful bug. It's very flu-like and includes achey joints, congested chest, sore throat, and fatigue. Of course, I feel fatigue already so it is quadrupled at this point. Plus the heat and the bug have really made my nausea nice and prevalent. Oh and I sound like I've been smoking for 100 years. Very nice. I've been trying to take care of myself as best I can. Ive been drinking plenty of water, 100% Pom Juice, and the miracle concoction -- Garlic, Lemon, and Honey in hot water. My only wish is that I could pop a few advil, but alas, I am pregnant and cannot. I feel like I will have this bug kicked by Tuesday. So wish me luck. In other news, I am officially off of the working out band wagon until the weather changes to a more suitable temperature. I nearly overheated the other day and that was it. I decided to take a vacation. Now, we're just enjoying our evenings on the back patio reading and drinking delicious juices or teas. My belly has not budged an inch (thank goodness) so I think it's size may catch up to the number of weeks pregnant. We will have our first prenatal apointment this Thursday which will just including an exam and some blood work. I think it's still too early to hear the heartbeat, although Renee thinks we might be able to since I'm so "small". That reminds me -- I have to thank her for boosting my ego!!!! LOL. I will update soon.

9 WEEKS PREGNANT - OUR LITTLE GRAPE

How your baby's growing:
Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

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FIRST TRIMESTER SCREENING UPDATE

Even though we really loved our experience at The Center for Fetal Medicine, we have opted to try a new Doctor and facility. We canceled our appointment with Dr. Platt and rescheduled for August 10, 2010 at 10:00 AM with Dr. Samadi at The Valencia Perinatology Center. Dr. Samadi came VERY highly recommended and as a bonus he is located just minutes from our home. We were very motivated by the fact that we would not have to make the long trek to Los Angeles. When you have a wee one in tow, a 45 minute drive, followed by a 2 hour appointment, and then another 45 minute drive sounds like torture!!!! So -- we are still all set to see the baby only it will be a few days later and with our newest doc!!!! Yippee!!!

8 WEEK BELLY PICTURE

We are 2 months preggo and boy oh boy is my belly popping out!!! It was astonishing how quickly my uterus swelled and popped. It took a little getting used to, but now I am really feeling the early bump and am enjoying the fact that I get to rub on my little bump way longer this time around. YIPPEEEEEE!!!! I am having all kinds of feelings in the uteran area, including the stretching and cramping associated with a growing uterus. I am still having waves of morning sickness and tons and tons of fatigue. That being said, I am feeling really excellent. We are really looking forward to seeing our little one at the first ultrasound and can't believe that we still have 4 weeks to wait. Aye aye.

8 WEEKS PREGNANT - UMMMMM -- OUR LITTLE KIDNEY BEAN???

How your baby's growing:
New this week: Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

MORNING SICKNESS VS ALL DAY SICKNESS

Most of the time, I feel pretty good. Sporadically, throughout the day, I feel like garbage. I just have general nausea and a plan icky feeling. But mornings???? I feel like I partied with the best of them and I lost!!! I figured out that I feel worse on the mornings that I took my pre-natals before bed, but even when I haven't, I still feel crummy!!! I am not throwing up, thank God. But, I am sooooooooo looking forward to moving beyond this "happy" phase. I'm still super ridiculously tired all the time and trying to make it on 4 hours of sleep a night is not cutting it. Even on the nights that I manage to get 7 or 8 I still feel wiped out. I long for a blissful 12 hour stretch!!!! OH how sweet that would be.

WE SCHEDULED OUR GENDER DETERMINATION ULTRASOUND

We are set to find out the sex of the newest Koiter on September 4, 2010!!! We are lucky enough to be working with the very experienced Sonographer Lisa Bones of Stork Vision in Valencia!!!! She comes highly recommended by many people, including our midwife, and she is certain that she will be able to tell us whether or not we are having a boy or a girl at 15 weeks!!!! We are absoultely freaking excited to know and can't wait to find out!!!! YIPPEEEEE!!!

WE'VE SCHEDULED OUR FIRST TRIMESTER SCREENING

We had such a great first experience with Dr. Platt at The Center for Fetal Medicine in Los Angeles that we have opted to use him again. We are scheduled to have our First Trimester Screening and Ultrasound on August 5, 2010 at 11.5 weeks. The screening involves genetic testing (maternal blood test) and counseling. If they find anything unusual we will do more testing, if not, we continue on our merry way. With Miles, we passed all the screenings with flying colors. They will also perform our first abdominal ultrasound, where they will measure all of the baby's bits and pieces to determine whether or not he/she is growing properly and to eliminate the possibility of downs or other defects. The whole experience with Miles was absolutely wonderful. We never imagined that the ultrasound would reveal a fully formed baby. What a treat it was to get to see our little boy at such an early age. He was such a mover even then. We were also able to get a good luck at his "boy parts" although the doctor insisted it was too early to tell. We knew. He totally had a package!!!! So, now we are excited to get to experience the same thing all over again with baby number 2!!! We cannot wait to see the newest bundle of joy!!!

7 WEEKS PREGNANT -- OUR SWEET LIL' BLUEBERRY

How your baby's growing:

The big news this week: Hands and feet are emerging from developing arms and legs — although they look more like paddles at this point than the tiny, pudgy extremities you're daydreaming about holding and tickling. Technically, your baby is still considered an embryo and has something of a small tail, which is an extension of her tailbone. The tail will disappear within a few weeks, but that's the only thing getting smaller. Your baby has doubled in size since last week and now measures half an inch long, about the size of a blueberry.

If you could see inside your womb, you'd spot eyelid folds partially covering her peepers, which already have some color, as well as the tip of her nose and tiny veins beneath parchment-thin skin. Both hemispheres of your baby's brain are growing, and her liver is churning out red blood cells until her bone marrow forms and takes over this role. She also has an appendix and a pancreas, which will eventually produce the hormone insulin to aid in digestion. A loop in your baby's growing intestines is bulging into her umbilical cord, which now has distinct blood vessels to carry oxygen and nutrients to and from her tiny body.