Monthly Archives: February 2016

Eight Weeks ! – The 411

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BABY STATS – WEEK 8 !!

IVF #6 - kidney bean wk 8

How Far Along?

8 wks 2 days

How Big Is The Little One?

The size of a kidney bean

Total Weight Gain / Loss?

I have lost 8 pounds thus far

Maternity Clothes?

I can still wear all of my clothes.  I just ordered some maternity skinny jeans since my clothes are getting too big with the constant weight loss.

Sleep?

I am super tired most of the time, but am not sleeping well through the night.

Best Moment of the Week?

I had my first OB appointment on Thursday, my prenatal work up with my OB’s nurse complete with labs and genetic screenings on Friday and also saw my RE Friday.  I saw the baby three times during sonos and the baby is growing, looks like a bird and has a heartbeat of 165. Dr. Karamitsos, my OB, and I set a date of September 30th as my scheduled c-section / birth date.  He wants to do it at 39 weeks.  I wanted 38 so that I can leave sooner to go to the beach with my bae bae(s) !

Symptoms?

My morning sickness has gotten worse.  I feel nauseated all the time.  I have read up on some things to do and stopped drinking when I eat to avoid overfilling my stomach.  I have not stopped eating fried meats, however, fried chicken or fried fish every once in a while doesn’t bother me.  Spicy food doesn’t bother me either.  The thought of eating is not a pleasant one.

Food Cravings?

The only things I craved this week was a fried chicken leg from Popeyes, Hibachi veggies, chicken fried rice and onion soup from Benihana and fried flounder.  I had all of those, but ate only a few bites before I did not feel too well. My baby seems to love soup !  I have been thinking about soup and looking for soup all week.  I did get a huge bowl at Westway Diner in NYC, where I used to pick up a cup of soup every day before acting class.

Food Aversions?

Pretty much all food until I make myself eat something every 4 hours.  I can not fathom eating fruit or eggs.  Half and Half makes me very queasy when I add it to my coffee.

Gender?

It BETTER be a girl in there !  I hope there are two babies in there.. but so far, only one is showing up.

Labor Signs?

Nope… way too soon !

What I Miss?

Sleeping all night without much interruption.  Being able to wear my skinny jeans without them falling off of me.

What I Am Looking Forward To?

My Materni-T21 test in a few weeks and learning who is in there ! Getting normal results on all this genetic screening.

Bump?

Unfortunately, my little one is getting bigger and more noticeable by me.  My mom is on bump watch !  I am hoping to be able to keep my pregnancy under wraps until at least 12 weeks, so hopefully I will not pop out more over the next 4 weeks.

Navel In/Out?

In and I hope it stays that way.

Baby Purchases?

I have started removing and adding items to my registry that I will be purchasing closer to summer.  One item I may get ahead of time is the Stokke Xplory stroller system with the bassinet, winter kit, mosquito net, and rain kit.  It is a very expensive item and I have a friend who works at Saks who can get 40% off, making the stroller only $735 and I can order the other pieces from Amazon.com.   I will refrain from making any other purchases until late Spring, when I order the crib from Bratt Decor and the bassinet.  The car seat and zillion other cute must haves that are in my registry, I will get just before coming back to the condo at the beach in October, so that I can have them all shipped to the condo and not have to worry with dragging more stuff with me.

Pressure Cooker Vegetable Beef & Rice Soup – Recipe

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Pressure Cooker Beef Veggie Rice Soup

 

Ingredients :
  • 1lb. lean organic, grass fed ground beef
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large organic sweet onion, diced
  • 1 rib organic celery heart, chopped
  • 3 cloves organic garlic, finely chopped or pressed
  • 2 14-ounce cans organic chicken or beef broth
  • 1 14-ounce can organic crushed tomatoes
  • 1 12-ounce bottle Original or Spicy Hot V8 juice
  • 1/2 cup long grain parboiled white rice
  • 1 15-ounce can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 large organic potato, peeled and diced into 1-inch pieces
  • 2 organic carrots, peeled then sliced into thin coins
  • 1/2 cup frozen organic peas, thawed
  • Kosher salt and Fresh cracked pepper
Directions:
  1. Preheat the pressure cooking pot using the browning or sauté setting. Add ground beef to the pressure cooking pot and cook until browned. Remove to a plate lined with paper towels.
  2. Add oil to the pressure cooking pot. Add onion and celery and cook, stirring occasionally until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more.
  3. Add beef broth, tomatoes, V8 juice, rice, garbanzo beans, potatoes, carrots, and browned ground beef to the pot and stir to combine. Lock lid in place, select High Pressure and 4 minutes cook time. When timer beeps, turn off pressure cooker and do a quick pressure release.
  4. Stir in peas and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Seven Weeks ! – The 411

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IVF #6 - 7wks blueberry

Baby Stats at 7wks

Beta : 35,517         Progesterone : 33           TSH:  1.8             Vit D : 47.7          Heart rate:  114bpm

How Far Along?

7 wks 3days

How Big Is The Little One?

The size of a blueberry

Total Weight Gain / Loss?

I have lost 6 pounds over the past three weeks

Maternity Clothes?

I can still wear all of my clothes, although over the past year, I did order a ton of tees from Old Navy Maternity section online dirt cheap.

Sleep?

I still have bouts of insomnia.  I am so very tired during the day, however, I am not napping much during the day like I was a few weeks ago. I wake up at 3 or 4 am and always have to pee !

Best Moment of the Week?

When I saw my baby’s heartbeat.  What a relief !!!

Symptoms?

Morning sickness ALL day everyday.  I do not vomit, but I am hella queasy usually at 3am and 3pm is when it is strongest.

Food Cravings?

Of ALL things, I was craving FRIED BOLOGNA SANDWICHES with mustard !  The edges had to be burned a little bit !  Really?  Bologna?  I have not had lunch meat since I was small child.  Today, I was craving a bowl of salad from Olive Garden, so I went there for lunch.  I have also been craving pineapple and milkshakes.

Food Aversions?

The little one(s) do NOT like salt nor sugar.  I was a sugar freak before pregnancy and now I can not tolerate large amounts of sugar.

Gender?

It BETTER be a girl in there !  I hope there are two babies in there.. but so far, only one is showing up.

Labor Signs?

Nope… way too soon !

What I Miss?

Being able to just pick up things and not having to be careful about how I move and what I can and can not pick up.  Now, I have to think thru everything.  I miss being an energizer bunny and being able to breath easily.

What I Am Looking Forward To?

Getting to a point where I am not afraid of something going wrong every minute of every day.  I look forward to getting to a point where the stretching and slight cramping subside and I can start to enjoy pregnancy and believe that THIS IS going to happen.  I look forward to seeing the little one’s face and hearing it cry for the first time.

Bump?

My stomach, which had gotten pretty flat after my weightloss over the summer, is now a little pooch !

Navel In/Out?

In and I hope it stays that way.

Baby Purchases?

I bought a Kinsa thermometer, a case of Aden and Anais receiving blankets from a wholesaler, and my mom bought baby gowns from a children’s consignment shop.  I bought six cases of Honest brand diapers a few weeks ago on one of my couponing sprees because I got them DIRT cheap !.

Seven Week Sonogram Appointment – The 411

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IVF #6 - 7 wk sono

Yesterday I had my 7 wk 0 day sonogram and blood work, mainly for my own peace of mind, since my OB and RE appointments in NYC are not until late next week.

I was disturbed by the fact that my baby is measuring 6w1d and should be at 7w0d.  I was relieved that there is a heartbeat of 114 bpm, which is perfect for this age. The heart rate has to be 110 or higher at 7 wks.

My doctor says he is not concerned about the measurements because measurements can vary from week to week, clinic to clinic and this is not a measurement taken by a doctor, but a radiology tech.  He said that the baby’s position and the angle could cause the measurement to be off.  He was only concerned that there was heartbeat detection and that it was strong.  He told me to stay on all my meds and continue with the autoimmune treatments just as I have.  The sono revealed that I have a possible funal fibroid, and I have NEVER had a fibroid before.  They were not certain so I am wondering if it is a hidden sac.  Fingers crossed.   I also have a small SCH (sub chorionic hematoma ).  I hope it absorbs into the tissue and doesn’t cause me any grief.  They come with their own risks, unfortunately.  I am just trusting God that He works this all out…

I am doing well, except the off and on morning sickness and tiredness.  I wake up to do my shots, take meds, watch tv for a few hours and then I am back in bed under my heated blanket.  My doctor told me to rest as much as I need to.  No need in telling me twice !

Today was a great day for me.  I got up and played with my two new kitchen gadgets !  I got the Waring Double Belgium Waffle Pro Iron and a Black and Decker one and made Sourdough Vanilla Bean Bourbon Waffles.   Oddly enough, I have never eaten them, though my clients, friends, and family adore them.   I prefer malted vanilla waffles with bourbon in the batter 🙂

I put the container of batter in the fridge after making about 10-12 waffles and then left to see Risen with my mom at the theater.  Great movie, though I am annoyed at casting choices in Hollywood.  They are never authentic when it comes to casting race.  Why not cast people who live in the region you are filming about?  Casting people and making them attempt to look like they are from Egypt by smudging dirt on them and tanning them up a bit is NOT cutting it.  It is fake and insulting.   One day, I will be in a position to make a biblical film and you can bet your bottom dollar that it will be authentic and realistic !

I decided to trek 55 mins away to this restaurant I read about when we first arrived at the beach and it was worth that drive !   Best food EVER !

I came back to condo and finished up the waffles.  I ended up with six or seven gallon size bags of these huge waffles.  I placed them in the freezer to ship out on Monday and also took a few down to the staff.

I am now in my pjs, about to peak at some maternity clothing online and watch old cartoons on DVD.  I love Looney Tunes 🙂   I am such a big kid !!

Busy Day of Acupuncture & Blood Work – The 411

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This morning, I drug myself back out of bed, after going out earlier in the morning to get a breakfast sandwich, decaf coffee, and sweet tea, to head to my acupuncture appointment.  Why oh why so I continue to schedule appointments so early, knowing I won’t want to get up and out? Lol

After a nice relaxing session, I left and stopped by the grocery store to pick up organic eggs and organic milk so that I can get started on making sourdough vanilla bourbon pancakes and waffles so that I can get rid of my growing lot of sourdough starter, that I refuse to throw out ! I ended up cursing out a morbidly obese, crippled, evil old man because he turned his raggedy assed car into the parking space I was turning into, but I didn’t want my Audi wrecked up so I didn’t do what I wanted to do, and that was let him hit me then act hysterical and in pain. Lol

I got my items, left the store and then pushed my shopping cart right by his car door and the curb ! I know…. I’m petty ! Lol

I then headed to LabCorp for routine blood work and came back to the condo and made a quick lunch.  I am still awaiting FedEx to show up with this parbaked I ordered from Bocces in Buffalo NY.  (Which better taste like heaven for what I had to pay for it! )

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It has been some rather warm days here and the beach is so amazing !  I have one more full month here and then I will be a Yankee again.  I have decided to do some traveling with my mom and work on my film project which I hope to shoot at the end of summer.

I hope everyone else is well !

A Little Scare – The 411

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panic

On Friday morning, I woke at 3 am with an urgent need to go to the bathroom.  The progesterone has truly done a number on me constipation wise.  I went back to sleep about an hour later and when I got up at 7 am, I had to go to the bathroom again !  (YAY Coffee !)

I had the scare of my life when I looked at my pantyliner and it had bright red blood in it !  When I wiped, there was no blood, so sometime between 3 and 7, I bled.

I sent my nurse a message on the portal to let her know and she said it was more than likely from straining or just constipation in general and for me to start taking Colace daily and to increase my fluid intake by double what I am currently drinking.  She said  to also add in more fiber to my diet.

Thank goodness, there has been no more bleeding and I am drinking like a fish !

 

 

CANCER FREE Mommy ! – The 411

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cancer free 2

Well, look at God !!!   My mother had a Petscan on Monday, following a suspect Ct Scan a few weeks ago.  The doctors were worried about a change in the left breast and an unidentified mass in the right one where she had cancer that was just treated for the past almost two years.  They felt the right breast was more likely scar tissue from 36 rounds of radiation.

The right breast was n fact just scar tissue which has shrunk since the CT Scan, indicating that it is healing and the left breast is just a ruptured implant that will have to be replaced ! They compared the 2007, 2014 and 2016 tests and are certain that our mother is 100% CANCER FREE !!

I bless the Lord for His faithfulness and unwarranted grace !

2016 IS going to be our year !  AMEN !!! 🙂

 

 

 

Third Beta ! 02/08 – The 411

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IVF #6 - 1st sono (sac)

Third Beta…… 4274 !! Progesterone….. 43 !!  E2….  1620 !!  Number of bambinos?  Inconclusive 😦

Baby’s first pictures !!

At 5 weeks 3 days, there is one clear sac and to the right and above the sac, looks like it could be another.  In another week or two, if there are hiding sacs, they will be visible by then.  I was hoping to see at least two sacs since I put back three embryos.  I was very disappointed, but very grateful for a strong healthy one !  I hate that I will not know for sure until closer to eight weeks.

I have an appointment with my OB on Wednesday and I will find out if I need to change my vitamins to Vitapearl or if I need to add more iron etc…  My OB is writing me a referral to have unlimited visits with my RE, Dr. Tomer Singer.  I am also going to ask him about doing a TAC and if he feels it is necessary.  I can not wait until week 10 when I do the Materni-T 21 testing. I am sooooo hoping for a girl !  Would LOVE to have two girls, but am happy with whatever God gives me at this point as long as they are healthy and happy !

Five Weeks ! – The 411

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IVF - Keep Calm 5wks Pregnant

I am officially five weeks two days pregnant.  I have already started to experience insomnia and some days, the morning sickness kicks in off and on throughout the day.  For some reason, most of the queasiness sets in at night.  I woke up last Thursday almost vomiting.

I have also noticed that I am excessively thirsty, craving water, craving specific foods sometimes, and am starting to be a bit constipated.  I am going to pick up some Dulcolax stool softeners to take in the mornings to make sure I do not become constipated, as that is not cute AT all !

Tomorrow, I take my mom for her PetScan at 7:30 am and as soon as she is done, we are heading to the women’s imaging center for my first scan.  I will look for a Labcorp while my mom is doing her PetScan or will just do it after my sonogram.  I am excited to know what my beta is since I have not had it checked since 2/1.  I am also hoping to clearly see how many sacs are present.  Please send up some prayers that I have more than one baby in there but less than three LOL.

I will update tomorrow, after I find out what is what.  I am a bit worn out.  We spent the weekend in Charlotte, NC with my sister so that we could go support my nephew at his basketball game.  I got to spend some quality time with the fam and my little mini me, DJ.  My little three year old niece is so adorable and so smart !  It is like talking to a little adult.  She has way too much sense for a child.  I also had a ball hanging out with my dog, Langston.  He was chirping when he saw me and slept with me the whole time I was there.  I miss him so much, but it is highly unlikely my sister and niece are going to want to give him back now… he is like a part of their little clique. lol.

I am signing off and will wait for the Half Time show and then it is night night !