A little message for the hopeful ones.......

I wanted to create a little message for a few of my friends and colleagues who have been struggling with infertility and pregnancy complications. Never give up hope....

"Hope is the only bee that makes honey without flowers."
--Robert Ingersoll

"Hope is the companion of power, and mother of success; for who so hopes strongly has within him the gift of miracles."

-- Samuel Smiles

Pregnancy is often taken for granted. I feel blessed everyday that I was able to get pregnant. Sometimes it is hard for me to be elated about my own pregnancy because I know my friends are so desperate to experience it themselves. I want all of the people around me who are struggling to stay strong and positive. My thoughts and prayers are with you. Just remember that a short period of heartache will result in a miracle that will last a lifetime.

The Secret is out!

So our goal was to wait until 12 weeks to tell everyone about the baby, but that proved to be more of a challenge then we thought. We decided to tell John's parents via Facetime (like Skype, but used with Apple products) while doing an ultrasound in his office. They were able to see the baby all the way in Maui. Technology can be pretty fun! They were beyond thrilled and already throwing out their hopes for a baby boy.

A few days after we told John's parents, we told my Dad and his girlfriend Sally. We planned for a fancy home cooked meal at our house, but had to change the plans last minute, so we all went out to dinner instead. We prepared a card for them that contained a couple of ultrasound pictures and presented it to them at dinner. They too were extremely excited and even admitted to being suspicious that I might be pregnant. The best response so far was from my Dad who didn't quite understand the ultrasound picture and thought it was a picture of our new washing machine. HAHA.

So now most of our friends and family have been clued in. It is nice to finally talk about it openly with everyone, but I have to admit it is still nerve racking. I have decided not to confirm anything at work just yet. There is definitely a lot of suspicion going around that I might be with child, but I am keeping mum about it.

Congrats my little peanut, everyone knows about you now and can't wait to meet you!!

Gender Prediction test!

So John and I purchased an over the counter gender prediction test to do for fun. You can test anytime after 10 weeks and the company claims to have an 80% accuracy rate (But most of the testimonials online state it is still 50/50). After a rough night at work, I took the test this morning to cheer me up. Here are the results......

If you haven't figured it out, it is based on color. If the urine appears light green to dark green then it is a boy. If it is yellow or orange then it is a girl. My results were definitely orange. I guess we will have to wait for a few more weeks to confirm, but it was a fun test to do. Here is website to see other samples and how it works. http://www.intelligender.com/gpt-sample-results.html

10 Weeks!

How far along? 10 Weeks. Baby Rivera is roughly the size of a prune!

Total weight gain/loss? Approximately 1 pound according to my scale at home (Which I have been using since I found out I was pregnant, so we will go off that one)

Feeling Sick? Still getting waves of nausea, but it is manageable. The bloating and gas is still very present and very annoying.

Clothing? I have not put on a pair of jeans in a month. I live in sundresses and cotton shorts. I am thankful I live in a warm city that allows me to do this everyday. I am also happy that I get to wear loose, comfy scrubs to work during the week!

Stretch Marks? Nope.

Sleep? Well besides the fact that I have been working day shift the last 2 weeks cross-training in another dept. which has screwed with my sleep schedule a little, sleep has been fine. I have to retrain my body to sleep during the day again. It has been a bit of a challenge.

Movement? Nope, but we saw the baby moving a lot on the ultrasound this week.

Cravings? Salads, Bread, and sweets that contain fruit in them.

Gender? I am still convinced it is a boy. John thinks it is a girl. We still have several more weeks before we can find out, but we did buy an over the counter gender prediction kit that we are going to do for fun. I will post the results when we do it.

What I miss? I miss not feeling anxious and nervous all the time. I never realized how pregnancy causes so much paranoia. I question everything I feel and do. Is it hurting the baby? Does the baby get stressed if I get stressed? I am convinced I will feel this way forever now.

Upcoming Events? Dinner with my Dad and Sally on Wednesday. We are finally going to tell him I am pregnant!

Best moment of the week? My first OB appointment!

The first prenatal visit!

I was very excited about my first "Official" prenatal visit yesterday! With John by my side, in an office that was cozy and comfortable, with Doctors that I am very familiar with (probably because I work with them all:), the visit went so smooth! The baby is starting to look like and actual baby, with a strong heartbeat at 160BPM and measuring approximately 1 inch. John and I were pleasantly surprised to see he/she little arms and feet moving a lot; we were convinced he/she was already giving us Jazz hands (I told the doctor that I am now convinced that there is no doubt in my mind that the little peanut was my kid, a future broadway star!) I am measuring right on schedule and my due date was confirmed for February 19th, 2012!

Babys 1st Onesie!

Daddy Rivera went on a little boys getaway to the Big Apple! He brought the baby back a special souvenir!

8 Weeks!!!

I made it through my second month. I am up approximately 1 pound, but feel as if I have gained 10, especially after I eat. The bloating doesn't help. The fatigue comes and goes, but I haven't noticed it affecting me during my nightshifts at work too much. I have definitely been enjoying quiet time at home, curled up in my bed with a good book. My diet has yet to change and I haven't experienced any cravings yet. I can smell Everything!! I thought I would miss having happy hours cocktails with the girls, but the fact that alcohol smells so bad to me right now, I am pleasantly surprised that I don't miss it at all.

This week we decided to tell more people about the pregnancy, starting with John's brother Josh and his wife Heidi. They were excited to learn that their two girls were going to finally get a cousin. Then the baby got its first taste of musical theater when we went and saw Les Miserables. Today I had brunch with the girls and told them I was expecting as well:) It was such a relief to let the cat out of the bag. I can't believe I was able to hold out for this long. Baby shower planning immediately started. They also took the liberty of being the first people to rub and talk to my belly. Good times:)

Baby Riveras first ultrasound!

John did my first ultrasound on 6/30. The baby is measuring right on track at 6 weeks and 4 days, with a heartbeat of 117. It was very exciting to see! He did find a 3cm cyst on my left ovary which we are hoping will go away on its own within the next few months. Other than that, we have a healthy pregnancy so far.