Baby pictures

I have a bunch of baby-related pictures, so I thought I would share them. =)

These are my tests I took over 2 (3?) days. It never really got past the "Am I crazy or is that a real line!?" stage before I had a blood test, which was positive.

Ultrasound at 6 Weeks, 5 Days
The ball on top is the proto-Baby, and the ball on bottom is the yolk sack.

Ultrasound at 8 Weeks, 6 Days
Arm and Leg buds!

Ultrasound at 11 Weeks
Baby looks like a baby! We also got to see Baby move for the first time.

 Baby belly at 11 Weeks, 1 Day.

We had a really big NT ultrasound at 11 Weeks, 5 Days. Baby was moving around a LOT the whole time, and Baby very much LOOKS like a baby now. The results were that Baby has a normal neck fold, which means no Down Syndrome or Trisomy 18. The tech took a bunch of pictures of Baby for us =) George scanned these so they look better than the others that I just took a picture of =P

NT ultrasound at 11 Weeks, 5 Days.

Baby has 2 Legs!

NT ultrasound at 11 Weeks, 5 Days.

Baby has 2 Arms!

NT ultrasound at 11 Weeks, 5 Days.

NT ultrasound at 11 Weeks, 5 Days.

NT ultrasound at 11 Weeks, 5 Days.

NT ultrasound at 11 Weeks, 5 Days.

Baby belly at 12 Weeks. My belly is getting so big so soon! Weird, but kinda cool =)

George will keep taking Baby belly pictures each week and I will eventually share them. I might do it each week, I might not. Morning sickness decided to go away partway through Week 10, so I am feeling much better now. I still have an injured hip, so I have trouble walking. It was getting better, then it got worse again -.- My POTS has completely gone away, which happens about 1/3 of the time in pregnancy, so overall I feel great! I can actually STAND for a while without getting dizzy for the first time since I was about 18. Except for the hip issue, which means standing and walking hurts. I am still not eating enough, because when I eat more than about half of a usual meal I get nauseous, yet I don't want to eat more often. Hopefully that will get better soon before I start starving Baby. I am pretty sure Baby will take over my brain before that happens =P

Rachael

Registry

George and I spent a lot of time today at Babies R Us making a registry. Then we did more research and fiddled with some things once we got home to make it even better. =) Our registry number is 50516828, or you can find it under my name. You do NOT have to get anything. Plenty of people want to get stuff, so here is some stuff I want. If nothing else, PLEASE read the "Things to avoid" at the end if you want to buy something. 

Here is what I have on it so far with more information. Babies R Us seems to actually have decently priced baby gear, but I cross-referenced everything on Amazon as well. 

Important things:


Graco Travel Lite Crib with Stages - Keaton
Rather than a traditional crib, we have decided to get a "lite" crib. It can easily be moved into or out of our bedroom depending on what works for us best. It is also collapsible for easy traveling. It is rated safe for daily sleeping, so no worries there. 
~$110 at Babies R Us


Chicco Cortina Magic Stroller - Rattania
We spent quite a while pushing strollers around, reading reviews, and comparing prices. This is the one we like best. 
~$200 at Babies R Us


Graco My Size 70 Convertible Car Seat - Odyssey
This is the best reviewed car seat that is not super expensive. It can be used as an infant rear facing seat, and a forward facing toddler seat.
~$180 at Babies R Us


Fisher-Price My Little Snugabunny Cradle Swing
We decided we prefer a swing to a rocking chair. Mostly because a rocking chair invites injury to little hands that get in the way. We also looked at gliders, and all had the same issue. This swing moves from the top, meaning little fingers are less likely to get in the way. It can swing side-to-side or front-to-back. We also liked the moving mobile with mirror =)
~$140 both at Babies R Us and Amazon


Sassy Sensory Gym
This is a floor mat with toys on bars over the babies head. They are generally used before a baby can roll over. This might not be the "coolest" mat you have seen, but it is the best for a baby. Sassy is actually a very nice company that takes baby development into account for its toys. There are a lot of high contrast black and white stripes, and a lot of red. Fun fact- the only colors babies can see 0-3 months is those in the red spectrum. 
~$50 at Babies R Us


Fisher-Price Little Superstar Step 'n Play Piano Walker
This toy will not get any use until the baby can hold their head up, obviously. They can push the piano keys on the bottom with their feet to make sounds. This helps teach motor skills in their feet. It also has all kinds of little things to explore with their hands. Once they can walk, the seat part is removable and it becomes an area for standing play.
~$100 at Babies R Us


Angelcare Bath Support
Rather than a "baby bathtub" we would prefer this seat for the normal bathtub. It would make transitioning to normal baths less complicated or confusing.
~$25 on Amazon, ~$30 at Babies R Us


Fisher Price Mini Diaper Bag - Brown
I like this diaper bag. Not much more to say =)
~$30 at Babies R Us


Babies R Us Contoured Changing Pad
Rather than a "changing table" that seems a bit useless after 6 months, we will be getting a standard dresser for clothes & clean diapers and then putting this changing pad on top of it. After 6 months, changing will most likely be done on the floor in the bathroom, so solids can be dealt with properly.
~$27 at Babies R Us


Brica Corner Bath Basket
Since I like bath toys so much, we are going to need somewhere to keep them all.
~$12 on Amazon, ~$15 at Babies R Us


OXO TOT Baby Blocks Freezer Storage Containers - 2 oz Set
Rather than buying baby food in little jars, I will be making it myself. As a 6 month old baby cannot eat a whole carrot or banana in one sitting, we need a way to store food in small amounts. I love OXO, and these look perfect. I put 3 on the registry, because I will most likely be making food for a whole week at once. =)
~$10 Each on both Amazon and at Babies R Us x 3


Graco Travel Lite Portable Crib Sheet - Cream
Unfortunately, it seems the only color of sheets available for the Travel Lite crib is cream. Cream is not bad, but if you magically find blue, green, or brown, get them please! I would like at least 2 sets.
~$9 at Babies R Us x 2




Toys (Listed from most to least expensive):

Imaginarium Textured Foam Building Blocks - 60-Piece
Building blocks before hard objects like LEGOs are safe/liked. These particular blocks are 3 thin foam pieces glued together, making each block 3 colors. 
~$30 at Babies R Us


Fisher Price ABC Block Set
ABC blocks are always nice for learning letters, but this set is AWESOME. Each block has uppercase, lowercase, an object from that letter (Airplane, Ball, etc.), and part of a puzzle of a barn.
~$20 on Amazon, $22 at Babies R Us


LEGO Duplo Toddler Starter Building Set (10561)
LEGOs are amazing for development. Duplos cannot really be used until 18 months, but then they will be used all the time! This set has a lot of faces and textured blocks.
~$20 at Babies R Us


LEGO Duplo Bricks & More Brick Box - Pink (4623)
Some pink duplos to mix in with the rest. All colors should be represented. It also has some little flowers and bunnies.
~$15 at Babies R Us


LEGO Duplo Brick Box (4624)
More Duplos! This set has a cat and a puppy.
~$15 at Babies R Us


Sassy Baby's First Books
Cloth, machine washable, very simple books. One of them has a baby-safe mirror in it.
~$15 at Babies R Us


Little Tikes Play Cube
Lots of stimulating things on this cube, including a mirror!
~$15 on both Amazon and at Babies R Us


LEGO Duplo Read & Build Busy Farm (6759)
This duplo set comes with a book. It has things on the pages and it wants you to build them as the story goes. Most of the builds are 3 pieces, so very good for an 18 month old. This will help direction-following and spatial awareness.
~$13 at Babies R Us


LEGO Duplo Read & Build Grow Caterpillar Grow (6758)
Another Duplo book. This one you keep adding to the caterpillar who gets bigger and bigger.
~$13 at Babies R Us

LEGO Duplo Read & Build Peekaboo Jungle (Not on website)
This Duplo book for some reason, appears to not be online. I saw it in the store today. It has the toddler building jungle animals just like the farm book.
~$13 at Babies R Us (in store only)


Sassy Go Go Bugs
These are little rattles that attach to a car seat or stroller for entertainment. Notice the high contrast and much use of red for eye development. I love Sassy.
~$12 at Babies R Us


Bumpy Ball by Sassy
High contrast, lots of red, some blue thrown in for magic at 6 months, cloth AND plastic. A pretty awesome ball. 
~$10 at Babies R Us


Little Tikes 3-Pack Tickle Balls
Very squishy plastic balls with texture on them. It seemed kinda cool.
~$10 at Babies R Us


Fun Years Deluxe Bath Stickers
These are NOT stickers. That is a horrible name. They are foam blocks, which happen to stick to things when wet. Excellent bath-time toys. This set has 52 letters, 25 numbers and math symbols, 20 sea animals, and 8 shapes. A lot of toys for cheap!
~$10 at Babies R Us


Sassy Illumination Station
This has a suction cup on the bottom so it can stick to a highchair or... whatever else. It is a sassy toy. It is good =)
~$9 at Amazon and at Babies R Us


Sassy Rock & Roll Stacker
This stacker set is better than most because each donut has a different texture! Of course, it is by sassy.
~$7 on Amazon, ~$9 at Babies R Us


Sassy Wonder Wheel
Suction cup on the bottom to stick to things. When you turn the wheel, beads cascade through the toy, making fun sounds.
~$7 on Amazon, ~$9 at Babies R Us


Sassy Letter Links
Everyone knows about normal links, but these are LETTERS! Some are striped, some have texture, and they all interlink with each other.
~$6 on Amazon, ~$7 at Babies R Us


Sassy Discovery Loop
It is small, and cool. It has high contrast, red, and I think it makes a sound. I saw too many toys to remember them all.
~$6 at Babies R Us


Sassy Ring Tone Rattle
A rattle! With contrast!
~$5 at Babies R Us


Babies R Us Inflatable Peek 'n Roll
This seemed interesting. I think it would help object permanence. 
~$5 at Babies R Us


GRAPES TEETHER W/HANDLE by Sassy
You put ice in the "grape" part and let teething baby suck on it. The terry cloth apparently is a good texture for soothing along with the cold, and it is cute!
~$5 at Babies R Us


Babies R Us Color Change Ducky
Duckys are cool. This one changes colors and squeaks without having a water-trap hole. 
~$5 at Babies R Us


Sassy Flip & Grip Rattle - 2 Pack
Tiny Baby rattle. That is why they are red and orange. Sassy knows their child development =)
~$4 at Babies R Us


Sassy Spin Shine Rattle
Another tiny baby toy. High contrast + reds.
~$4 at Babies R Us


Sassy Inc. Wrist Rattles - Set of 2 
Wrist rattles are great for babies too young to be able to grab and hold accurately. They still like sounds.
~$4 at Babies R Us


Sassy Hello Baby Phone
Another little toy. Reds and high contrast.
~$3 at Babies R Us



Things to AVOID:

• Anything that takes batteries below the age of 4. That is completely unnecessary. I will make farm sounds and sing the alphabet. We do not need toys to do it for us.
• PASTELS!
• Play kitchen.
• Frilly girly things. I really just do not like them.
• Dolls. I will get a doll if I want, but I do not want to end up with 15 of them. There are better things to buy for kids that help develop their brains, rather than their parenting skills.
• Baby shoes. They do not make much sense for non-walking babies. When they walk, I will figure out what fits them.
• Used non-toys from Ebay or similar  There are way to many safety things to check when you get a used item from a stranger. I just want to avoid that. Toys that can be washed in the washer on hot or plastic toys that can be bleached would be okay.

What about things not on here?
Well, I did not see everything in existence. If it is a toy by Sassy that does not require batteries, it is perfect. They seem to know what they are doing. Stuffed animals are okay, but we already have a bunch from my sister. Clothes are ok, but NO PASTELS! Found something on here in a different color? If it is a toy, I do not much care, so great! If it is one of the "important things" I chose the colors I wanted specifically. 

Think this is all too complicated, but want to get something? Babies R Us gift cards will be put to good use =)


Rachael

The last cycle

I have not posted in a while on here, which has everyone asking me the big question you all want to know. What happened in the last cycle? It worked! Here is the whole long story:

Firstly, the last cycle had a huge change of plans. We actually have amazing health insurance, thanks to the great state of Massachusetts, that covers infertility. Unfortunately, that also means they can tell us what to do. After 3 failed IUI cycles, our RE recommended going to IVF, and I felt ready for it. We had everything prepared, and I was taking the birth control to regulate my cycle for 3 weeks before all the fun started. 2 days before the end of the BC, I got a call from the RE. Our insurance denied coverage for IVF. I spent a long time talking to the insurance company and reading lots of legal stuff. What happened, apparently, was that my RE never really talked to them to see HOW we were covered. He was recommending IVF after 3 failed IUI cycles and 2 failed TI cycles, because that was what we needed. Our insurance will only cover IVF after 6 failed cycles in which ovulation is shown. We only had 5. I was EXTREMELY angry with everyone involved. Mostly because I had wasted 3 weeks on birth control getting ready for IVF. If they had told me I needed another IUI first at the end of the last one, I would have been much better. Anyways, I was very angry and upset about the whole situation. The RE obviously thought another IUI was not worth trying, and the statistics on a 4th IUI working after 3 failed ones are very poor. But whatever, this was the stupid hoop I needed to jump through to get insurance to cover the $15,000 price tag of IVF. Fine.

During that cycle, I had, for the first time EVER, TWO follicles. The day I found that out, the first one was measuring at 18mm, and my E2 was 300ish. Normally, I would expect them to trigger that day for the IUI the following day. But my RE must have said something like, "What the hell, lets go all out for this last one!" because the nurse called and told me to do 3 more days of shots to try to make the 2nd follicle be big enough to release as well. The day I triggered they could not find the 2nd one, but the first was 21mm and my E2 was over 450. 18mm and 300ish was all I had the other 5 trials. That gave me a bit of hope. This cycle actually WAS going well, for once. I also remembered to order cheepo pregnancy tests online before it was testing time, so I could test all I wanted without throwing away lots of money. ($15 for 25 rather than the normal $25 for 2.) 

A few days before my blood test, I tried one of the tests. And it had one of those "If I turn it this way and squint, its there" lines. WHAT!? So I did another. Same thing. Another the next morning. Same. Another that afternoon, same. Well, ok if you compare them, they got slightly darker, but it was still a "am I a crazy person?" line. Blood test came back positive for the first time EVER! 

The hcg was low though, which was potentially a problem, but not certain yet. I had it re-checked a few times, and it was doubling appropriately. So what must have happened is late implantation, which is not bad at all =)

So now, here we are at 9 weeks, 1 day. Finally past the huge miscarriage risk time period, hooray! I was avoiding spreading the news too much until then, so I did not have to un-tell everyone. We have been "graduated" from the RE to a normal OB, and everything is perfectly on track so far. The baby is due early February if all goes according to plan. Travel plans as of right now are going to Texas for Thanksgiving and Richmond for Christmas/Yule. Thanksgiving is about the last time I will be able to fly for a while, and Yule is about the last time I will be able to be away from home for a while. Of course, if things don't go quite as planned (bed rest or similar) travel will be canceled.

I have no idea if we will/should have a baby shower. I barely know anyone up where we live, so I don't think there will be one here. If there is to be one somewhere else, someone who lives there will have to plan it =P Oh and for those who do not know, I HATE SURPRISES. Seriously. Don't anger the pregnant lady.

As for how I am feeling- I am in the first trimester, how do you think I feel? I have not actually thrown up yet, but I have gotten very close. I have dealt with nausea on a regular basis for something like 4 years now, so I know how to prevent actual vomiting. Cold water, cold apple juice, cold house, breathing, sour candy, fresh limes, ginger, and ZOFRAN! Aka Magic medicine.

For those who want to get presents/gifts for the baby- some guidelines. (No one should feel obligated to get anything!) I STRONGLY recommend following these if you want your presents to be appreciated by me. If you want to know my reasoning, post a comment/e-mail me/call me. If you see something that you think is AMAZING but you are not sure I will like- ask me! I hate surprises anyways. I am really picky, and you are welcome to just not get anything or give a gift card if that really annoys you. It is just part of me. Thanks <3

• BRIGHT colors! I very much dislike pastels. Bright colors with high contrast is much better for baby eye development anyways. Bright color + brown/black/white is fine too. Even something like light blue + dark brown stripes is great because of the high contrast. That is about the only time a light color is good =)
• Avoid gender segregation as much as possible. My girls will wear blue, my boys will wear pink. My boys will play dress-up and my girls will play with cars. My girls will get dirty in the dirt, and my boys will have purses. All goes vice versa as well. You really want to get a doll for my girl, that is fine, but do not get it just because you know she is female. Get the doll because it is cooler than the car. If the car is cooler, get the car! I don't really understand gender segregation, and I am trying to avoid it. 
• I am not sure how much it matters in baby toys, but I like "thinking" toys. LEGOS and K'Nex are MUCH better than a toy with a button that makes annoying sounds. For baby toys, think blocks and other toys that help develop fine motor skills. 
• PLEASE for the love of all that is good, NO SOUNDS! To clarify, I mean no sounds that require batteries. Rattles and the like are totally ok. The battery-sound toys look SO COOL at the store and on the commercials. I was 14 when my sister was born. I remember her noisy toys. I might have taken screwdriver to some of them and removed the batteries before I went insane.
• No play kitchen. George and I want to avoid the fake kitchen stuff, and instead let the little ones help in the real kitchen. Some of you might think this is a bad idea and I will regret it. If I change my mind, I will let you know.
• Stuffed animals are great, but make sure they are machine washable! Babies are very good at making messes, and I do not want to have to figure out how to wash complicated toys.
• We will be cloth diapering. Please no buying us diapers or wipes or creams or anything like that. We will handle that part =)
• I love bath toys. Bath crayons are awesome. So are those color tabs for the water.
• Speaking of crayons, all art supplies are awesome. Crayola brand in my opinion is FAR superior to other brands.
• Books are wonderful! Dr. Seuss books are the best.
• On the subject of TV/movies. We do not have TV. We do have a PS3 that plays DVDs and we have Netflix. Try to avoid stuff with TV characters, because our kids will not really know them. Disney movies are GREAT! Particularly when the DVD can be played in French (most Disney movies can). I don't really like mindless TV shows/movies for kids. You can ask if you want to know about one in particular. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is cool, and so are the Care Bears.
• Clothes- I know almost nothing about baby clothes, honestly. I did get a whole bunch of stuff from my sister, so I will have to look through that to see what we might still need. For those who knit/crochet, hat/socks sets are always awesome and easy! We will also need some sweaters for a winter baby.
• Bottles/Binkeys- Let us handle that please =)
• I will figure out what other (bigger, non-toy) stuff I want sometime in the next week or so and post a registry on my blog.

I almost forgot! Baby picture!

Rachael

IVF

We have come to this point in our journey now- IVF. First there was trying to have babies the normal way, no luck. Then there were pills to help ovulate, which did not work so we upgraded to shots. That was still mostly natural as far as things go. Then we moved on to IUI- a syringe full of Georges "sample" injected into my uterus. All the important parts were still natural. Now, we move on to IVF. 

Step 1- A month of birth control to suppress the ovaries to start fresh. 
-I hate this part, I feel like it is a bit counter-productive...

Step 2- Pump Rachael FULL OF ESTROGEN and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone)
-Normal peak levels of E2 are around 300. 300 makes me irritable and feel crazy, because my whole life I have peaked at about 75. Now they want to see 1500-2000. O.O All aboard the CRAZY TRAIN. This is 2 weeks of 3-5 shots/day.

Step 3- Once there are a bunch of follicles (10 is really good, we are aiming for min. 6) and my E2 is really high, I have a trigger shot exactly 36 hours before...

Step 4- Egg retrieval.
-I will get put to sleep and a doctor will go though the uterine wall to retrieve the eggs. 

Step 5- Fertilization
-In a petri dish, Georges sample and my eggs are combined and incubated. The doctor will let us know that day how many fertilized.

Step 6- Embro growth
-We wait 3 days to see how the embryos develop. Some might stop growing, while others pull ahead.

Step 7- Transfer
-The doctor picks the best 2 embryos and puts them back into my uterus exactly where he thinks implantation is most likely. 2 Embryos have a higher chance of success than 1, but also have about a 40% twin chance. I am okay with twins, so I am fine with that. We could request only 1 if that was an issue. At my age, no sane doctor will give me more than 2.

Step 8- Freezing
-Any extra embryos that look good are frozen to be used in another cycle.

Step 9- WAITING
-We then wait 2 weeks to see if it worked. If not, we start a FET (Frozen embryo transfer), another fresh cycle, or if there is an egg quality issue, look into egg donors.

All the magic and natural-ness of creating a baby has completely been removed for us now =/ 
"Oh, you got pregnant! Was it planned?" OF COURSE IT WAS. 

The fun begins April 28- My brother's birthday. Retrieval should be mid-may if things go as planned (which, with my body, they tend not to.)

Rachael

I am BACK!

I finally feel all the way back in the world after the ER visit- About 6 weeks later. I got to stop the propanalol yesterday FINALLY without feeling like my heart was racing. That let me stop being so dizzy all the time, so I was hyper and active and productive. I planned out meals for a week, DROVE MYSELF to the store and got everything I needed, went to the doctor, and cooked. I even planned to have people over Saturday! I went to sleep really early because I was exhausted, so now I am up really early =)

I keep up with updates more on my forums than I do on my blog-

3/16
I am BACK IN THE VIVID WAKING WORLD. Sorry, it was very exciting to be able to take my meds again today after a week without them. The world is brighter, I can walk around, wash dishes, knit. Overall, I REALLY REALLY love and need my meds.
Why did I go without them? For 2 tests my neurologist wanted. The autonomic reflex test, which was a bit uncomfortable for some parts, that ended in a tilt table, confirming that I have a serious issue standing (BP drop, HR skyrocket, brain fuzzy) they only did it for 10 minutes, which was not bad. The one I did for the cardiologist a long time ago they made me actually pass out, which was SO HORRIBLE. Anyways… The 2nd test was an EMG. They first shock different muscles until they see twitching, which was really uncomfortable, but livable. The tech was really good at distracting me with conversation, which helped a lot. Then the doctor came in, well actually it was a fellow, which I think is really cool, and he was really cute. He stuck NEEDLES into various muscles and you could hear the nerves firing when I was instructed to move. That was very unpleasant. The needle did not hurt so much, it was the moving it around inside my muscle while telling me to relax, ugh.
But the upside of all that, they succeeded in breaking my fear of my shots. I don’t understand it, but there was no waiting terrified time today or yesterday. I guess I have accepted that unpleasant things will happen, and thinking about it and delaying only makes it seem worse. The tests were not nearly as bad as I thought they would be, and same with the needles. It never hurts. so what it the point of fretting over it? I am so glad that happened, because in a week I get to talk to my RE about IVF if this cycle fails. The only thing seriously stopping me before was the terrible fear of needles, so I am going to be okay now. Upside of IVF- chance of multiples! That would be so cool.
All I have done all week is sleep (and destroy any semblance of a normal sleep schedule, I wake up at 3pm today >.< ) and play with a ton of new mods for minecraft with DH. Mostly me playing and him joining after work, but it kept me fulling engaged and occupied during the no-med days. Knitting is not easy off my meds, it makes me restless for some reason. 

3/21
I just got back from the appointment with my RE in which we discussed IVF next. 3-5 shots per day, all tiny needles in my belly, which I can handle. The surgery for egg retrieval does not sound as bad as I thought- light sedation and they go in through the cervix, no cutting me open. Then I was given the choice of PIO (Progesterone in Oil shots) or crinone (ikcy cream to put up there for progesterone). I took one look at that PIO needle and decided CRINONE. The stuff is not that great, but OMFG that was a big needle. It is an intramuscular injection with a pretty large gauge needle. Of course, this is all only if my current cycle does not work out. It feels good to have a plan though =)
All the different things for the shots was a lot to learn though. Some have to be mixed, others not, blah blah blah. I need to get back to being productive now- which does not include knitting. =(


3/25
I went to the dentist today. I refused to let her give me a shot of Novocaine, and instead just dealt with the pain of getting 2 deep cavities filled. It hurt a LOT, but I still think I made the right choice. I hate when I cant talk and drool for the rest of the day! 5 minutes of intense pain and it was all over. I get to go back in a week for more >.<
I am currently PUPO (Pregnant until proven otherwise) and don’t really feel any different. Not to say that is bad, just meh. I have the IVF packet of info and it sounds kinda crazy, but do-able. I hope I don’t have to, but I will survive if I do. Maybe I will have twins!? That would be cool.
I have been doing well on the productive-around-the-house front. I have made HUGE progress filing everything and paying off medical stuff I forgot about. I have been cooking almost every day, the kitchen is staying clean, clothes are being washed, and the rooms picked up. My dizzyness level is like through the roof every day lately because of this, but I am DOING it! Next up- organizing the yarn.


Rachael