What to expect...

WE'RE EXPECTING!!!!!!!! That's right, Baby Rings will make his or her debut early April of 2010! We are SOOOOOOO excited!!

I have been waiting to post for a while until we heard the heartbeat, then we wanted to personally tell our family and close friends rather than reading it on a blog. Although who the heck reads this thing anymore anyway!?!?

So those few that know know we have been trying to conceive for almost three years. It was a looong process as well as a huge emotional and physical struggle but the end result is, of course, so rewarding and we are so incredibly thankful to be welcoming a baby into our lives! We couldn't be happier!!

So how am I feeling? What's going on in our lives? Well the first few weeks (and this might be TMI so read on only if you're super interested in details :) ) I was super bloated, uncomfortable and crampy. This was after our last fertility treatment.... so I just felt like something was different. I had never felt that way for so long in my life! Around week 4 I took a pregnancy test (3 to be exact) and viola! The treatment worked (finally!!!!) and we're pregnant!! YAY!!! We quickly told our parents and families because we were just over the moon that this was even happening. Sometimes I still just can't believe it. I called my infertility doctor and they quickly told me to come in and get a blood draw to check my HCG level (the pregnancy hormone) to make sure it was elevating as it should be. Good news is that it was elevating appropriately so that definitely confirmed that I was pregnant. Over the next week and a half I had two more blood draws taken, again, to make sure my HCG level was continuing to rise. Everything was looking great!!! Around 7 weeks we went in for the first ultrasound. I feel so incredibly lucky to have been able to have an ultrasound at such an early stage. Normally they only do a doppler ultrasound (so you can hear the heartbeat) between 8-12 weeks. The first concern going into the ultrasound was (1) is there a heartbeat and (2) are there more than one heartbeats? This was a concern for us because I had been taking a high dosage of fertility drugs which increased the possibility of multiples. I thought I was going to pass out before I even got to the waiting room.... I was prepping myself just in case of a miscarriage but also what if there was more than one baby in there?! I was a wreck! Ultrasound confirmed there is one baby and one heartbeat. :) It was the most amazing and surreal experience to be able to actually SEE the little tiny baby bud and actually HEAR the heart beating!! AH-MAZING. Tears of joy all around!!!! And here's a picture of our tiny little offspring at 7 weeks! :)

Not too much to see but to us, it's a miracle picture! :)

Over the next few weeks I started to finally feel the 'morning sickness' (and headaches!!)everyone had been warning and asking about, only it lasted pretty much all throughout the day. Thankfully we were in North Carolina on vacation for a week of it so I didn't have to be miserable at work. This past Tuesday was the last time I felt really sick. (knock on wood) Headaches still come and go but I can definitely deal with that!!

I am now in my 10th week and everything is going along wonderfully! I have my first appointment at my regular Ob/Gyn's office on the 21st. I cannot wait until I get to hear that little heartbeat again!

Thank you to everyone for your love and support and I'll keep you posted along the way!!!! :)