Good Morning Pregnant Peeps & Partners!
Here is our current EDD roster for this check-in:
1.
@Jazibel: April 29 boy
2.
@KH826: June 3 girl
3.
@redrockmama: July 11 singleton
4.
@ball.and.chain July 13 boy
5.
@belovedvirgo0209 July 14 girl
6.
@Kleigh1: July 26 girl
7.
@2mamazinseattle: Aug 20 girl
8.
@2momsinCA: Aug 20 boy/boy twins
9.
@flygirl1228: Aug 21 girl/boy twins
10.
@Trisholio and
@trisholiosboi: Sept 2 girl
11.
@shelly2314: Oct 2 twins
12.
@manada and
@healz413: Oct 29 twins
13.
@only1leia: Oct 31 singleton
14.
@pauljl: Nov 2 singleton
15.
@byrrd: Nov 3 singleton
16.
@rkbo: Dec 10 singleton
17.
@doodah1013 &
@firstcomeslove2013: Dec 12
If you have a recent BFP, and you would like to be added to this list, please just let me know your EDD and other info if available! Thanks
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So how is everyone doing/feeling? How is pregnancy treating you and/or your partner this week? Any updates to share?
QOTW: What is your favorite/most memorable or meaningful baby gift that you have received so far? If you are new to pregnancy and/or haven’t received any baby gifts yet, tell us about what you most look forward to purchasing or receiving for your future LO!
Me
- 30, My wife - 31 , Together for 10 yrs - Married August 2012
5 medicated IUIs w/ RE (March -
July 2013) = BFN
Fresh IVF Cycle in September 2013
resulted in 18 mature eggs, 16 fertilized, 12 made it to day 5. Transfer of 2
Grade A blastocysts on 9/15/13, and 10 embryos in the freezer! *****BFP on 9/25/13 - betas: @10dp5dt
= 232; @12dp5dt = 465; @15dp5dt = 1,581
*********William George born June 4, 2014*********
Re: Pregnancy Check-in!
Feeling deliciously crappy! I am struggling with some serious nausea and while it is nagging, I am still pretty happy about making a baby so nothing too bad. I am exhausted all the time and by chest is huge!!! I have been binding since I was 20, so having big "boobs" has been the hardest thing so far. It's like I don't know how to steer them or something and they are always getting caught on things.
The there super weird thing is I am having these super bizzzzaaarrrre dreams. Not very many are about pregnancy or babies, but they are all super creepy. Not scary, just vivid and about situations in which one would be anxious. I usually wake up several times a night in a strange state of shock... It's uncomfortable, but certainly not unbearable! Once i snap back to reality some of the dreams are very interesting to think about....
QOTD: the most memorable gift I have been given so far since we have been pregnant, was the kite my Dad and I use to fly at the beach when I was little. He was so excited that now @firstcomeslove2013 and I will have a little kiddo to fly the kite with. It was really cute and sweet!
Baby Hayden Frances born 12/20/14 at 11:11 a.m... Our perfect little miracle. Here's how we got here:
My lovely wife:
5 IUI's January 2013-June 2013- 3 Cycles with Clomid- BFN
Myself: Genderqueer guy who hopped in the driver's seat of the baby making train
IUI #6- 7/23- Monitored and Trigger on Day 12, with one 16mm follicle and one 18mm follicle- BFN
IUI #7- 8/21- Not monitored, 50mg Clomid- BFN
September and October: Missed Cycles due to vacation and a Half Marathon
IUI #8- Monitored and triggered on day 15, with one 23x18mm follicle- BFN on 11/19/2013
December: Moved onto to see an RE to make a good plan.
IUI #9- 1/1/2014 Natural Cycle, BFP on 1/15/2014, 6W Ultra-Sound Reveals nothing in Gestation Sack... Natural M/C at 7W, 2/3/2014
IUI #10 3/21/2014- Natural Cycle- BFP on 4/1/2014 (please don't be an April Fools. Beta #1 13dpiui- 48, Beta #2 16dpiui- 416, Beta #3 1018...
1st Ultrasound- 4/22/2014- 6w4d HB- 134!
Check out my Blog at: http://pregnantboithinksoutloud.blogspot.com/
@Manada is feeling really gaggy and nauseated but over the last few days has had significantly more energy than she has in the last 2+ months. So we took advantage of it and did some baby-related errands on Saturday. We bought a dresser for the twins at ikea on Saturday and picked out a shelf/storage unit we want but they are out of stock in the color we want. We also went to a used baby stuff store and we got a baby fence/play yard thing. It is pretty awesome and we will probably PIP it but I'm on my phone now. We have now added the extension set to our registry.
I updates this in the induced lactation check-in but I'm not sure how many people read that. We had our consultation last week at the breastfeeding clinic for me to induce lactation. They want me to meet with my doctor for a full check up before I start the protocol. I will be taking ortho 35 (a high dose BCP) and domperidone for a few months. Then 4-6 weeks before we think the twins will come, I will stop BCPs and start pumping. My appointment with my doctor is next Tuesday. I hope that all goes well and I get to start the protocol soon.
QOTW: we are still pretty early to receive gifts. M's friend sent us a couple lovely baby hats she knit. M's mom told us she has a couple of baby quilts for us but we don't have those yet. My mom has been having a field day shopping for clothes, sheets, etc. at a couple of her favorite thrift stores.
We're queer. I'm 33, have severe stage 4 endo, and had both fallopian tubes removed. My love ("Manada" on the boards, 32) was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve. We did Partner IVF (my eggs, her uterus). We lost our twins Tavin and Casey at 21 weeks gestation.
Our IUIs
with @Manada: IUI# 1-7 (December 2012- September 2013) all BFN. Tried natural, femara, clomid, puregon/follistim, clomid and menopur combo, both the ovidrel and HCG triggers.
Our IVFs:
IVF #1 my eggs November/December 2013: Cancelled IVF due to poor response
IVF #2 my eggs/Manada's uterus January/February 2014
BCPs and lupron overlap Stimmed: 1/22-2/2: Bravelle and Menopur (dosage ranged from B300 and M150 to B375 and M150 to B300 and M225)
2/4 retrieved 10 eggs. Endo was much worse than expected. Only 3 eggs fertilized; February 7 transferred two day 3 embryos, froze one. All great condition.
BFP eve of 6dp3dt; Beta 1 (11dp3dt): 110; Beta 2 (13dp3dt): 175; Beta 3 (15dp3dt): 348; Beta 4 (19dp3dt): 2222; Beta 5 (21dp3dt): 4255
1st ultrasound (3/6 6w 1d): TWINS!!!! Twin A measuring 6w1d with a heartbeat of 118bpm. Twin B measuring 6w0d with a heartbeat of 113bpm.
***July 18, 2014 we lost our beautiful babies at 21 weeks gestation. They were born too early. Tavin Sara T. and Casey Elizabeth T. are beautiful and precious and we will love them and miss them forever.***
FET #1 December 2014
As I mentioned in my GTKY post on Friday, baby flipped last week. She had been breech since the anatomy scan at 20 weeks, and we were pretty sure that we were going to be looking at a c-section. However, baby surprised us, and last Monday-Tuesday she managed to get herself turned around. I could tell she was trying to turn – it was mega uncomfy and I had tons of BH contractions and shortness of breath while she was turning. Wednesday I went to the OB and she confirmed with an ultrasound that baby was then successfully head down! Having her not be breech has taken A LOT of pressure off of my lungs, and most of my shortness of breath is gone. The end of last week was WAY better than the start of it. I am proud of her for figuring this out and getting into position, and it is an added bonus that it has made me feel physically better.
At my appointment on Wednesday they estimated that baby was approximately 5lbs10oz. She has slowed down her growth a bit too in the last couple of weeks, so that is also reassuring. She had been measuring in the 95%-ile and 2-3 weeks ahead for a while, but as of last week she was only 1.5 weeks ahead now, so we are hopeful that she is not going to be gigantic! HAHA
We had our baby shower on Saturday. It was awesome. I will post more about the shower in my 10 Things tomorrow, and I will save some PIPs for Thursday
QOTW: So we received soooo many wonderful things at our shower this weekend, but I will pick two that stand out as particularly memorable/meaningful:
· Many of you who have been around for a while know the story about my little brother. I won’t go into detail here b/c it is long and complicated, but I will just say that he is 15 yrs old and has severe special needs and is medically fragile. He has been classified as end of life, but at this point no one is really sure when that will be… he has more bad days than good and is now living full time in a residential facility with round the clock medical care (before that he was at home with my mom). Anyway, one of his nurses knits, and she knew that my wife and I were having a baby and that my mom was coming for our baby shower. So, she sat with my brother every day for a month and she made the baby a quilt, and took pictures of her doing it with my brother each step of the way and put together a photo book that went with the blanket. She had my brother hold the yarn, she held his hands around the knitting needles, she had him test out the blanket when she was done… it is really special. And now baby will have a blanket that her uncle “made” for her and the photo book to go with it that tells the story. It’s pretty amazing.
· My mother-in-law gave us a handmade outfit (pants, sweater, hat, booties…) that my wife’s great-grandmother made when my MIL was a baby. My MIL has worn it, my wife wore it and now our baby will wear it. We didn’t know anything about this until we opened it and read the note that my MIL wrote to explain it on Saturday. It’s particularly special because we are naming our little girl after my MIL’s mom – so this feels like a further connection to that family, and it just feels really special. I cried. Again!
Me - 30, My wife - 31 , Together for 10 yrs - Married August 2012
5 medicated IUIs w/ RE (March - July 2013) = BFN
Fresh IVF Cycle in September 2013 resulted in 18 mature eggs, 16 fertilized, 12 made it to day 5. Transfer of 2 Grade A blastocysts on 9/15/13, and 10 embryos in the freezer! *****BFP on 9/25/13 - betas: @10dp5dt = 232; @12dp5dt = 465; @15dp5dt = 1,581 *********William George born June 4, 2014*********We're queer. I'm 33, have severe stage 4 endo, and had both fallopian tubes removed. My love ("Manada" on the boards, 32) was diagnosed with diminished ovarian reserve. We did Partner IVF (my eggs, her uterus). We lost our twins Tavin and Casey at 21 weeks gestation.
Our IUIs
with @Manada: IUI# 1-7 (December 2012- September 2013) all BFN. Tried natural, femara, clomid, puregon/follistim, clomid and menopur combo, both the ovidrel and HCG triggers.
Our IVFs:
IVF #1 my eggs November/December 2013: Cancelled IVF due to poor response
IVF #2 my eggs/Manada's uterus January/February 2014
BCPs and lupron overlap Stimmed: 1/22-2/2: Bravelle and Menopur (dosage ranged from B300 and M150 to B375 and M150 to B300 and M225)
2/4 retrieved 10 eggs. Endo was much worse than expected. Only 3 eggs fertilized; February 7 transferred two day 3 embryos, froze one. All great condition.
BFP eve of 6dp3dt; Beta 1 (11dp3dt): 110; Beta 2 (13dp3dt): 175; Beta 3 (15dp3dt): 348; Beta 4 (19dp3dt): 2222; Beta 5 (21dp3dt): 4255
1st ultrasound (3/6 6w 1d): TWINS!!!! Twin A measuring 6w1d with a heartbeat of 118bpm. Twin B measuring 6w0d with a heartbeat of 113bpm.
***July 18, 2014 we lost our beautiful babies at 21 weeks gestation. They were born too early. Tavin Sara T. and Casey Elizabeth T. are beautiful and precious and we will love them and miss them forever.***
FET #1 December 2014
At 13 weeks 5 days we are now officially in 2nd tri! HURRAY! I never thought we'd make it here!
Symptoms List:
- GAG REFLEX is in full swing. It's not the same as morning sickness, but way more dramatic! I just gagged super loud in my office as I was desperately reaching for my anti-nausea pills and started laughing hysterically. But smells are setting me off like never before, and while the super-loud-dramatic-gagging hasn't resulted in actual puking lately, it's definitely unpleasant.
- Heartburn - I've had a bit of it. Mostly from eating too much too close to bedtime I think. I've started propping myself up to sleep more.
- Fatigue - I am SO enthused to make it through the day with just a little lie-down midday instead of a full-blown multi-hour nap. I feel like a new human being. The Multiples board tells me this joy will be short-lived as the growing cranks up, so I'm enjoying it while I can.
- Squished organs. I notice this mostly in that my stomach is getting noticeably smaller. I am actually forced to eat smaller meals, but also need to eat way more often. This part is hard because I want to have a life other than always eating, but yeah... I also generally feel the pressure in my throat more like I am GOING to vomit, but don't actually do it.
Otherwise --- just here, growing and growing. Waiting for next week when we get another u/s. I am doing pretty good about maintaining faith that the babies are still growing and rocking out in there, but it's hard to go so long between confirmations of that.
My PAIF brain sneaks in occasionally. H. and I have also bought/been given lots of baby stuff, which feels strange to me sometimes because I haven't yet connected the idea/experience of being pregnant with the actual babies who will use all this stuff we are accumulating. I hear this is a common struggle after infertility, but I still feel like I'm generally bracing for news or something, even if I don't feel particularly negative. That part is hard.
I know some friends are a little stranged out by the fact that we are preparing and buying stuff so early, I was talking to a friend last night who said there's no way she even wants any baby stuff in her house until she hits 24 weeks... but for us, I don't know - it's like we've had such a long string of terrible luck, the alternative to us having hope and actually planning/preparing for our twins is an awful desperation and grief at how much we've hurt so far.
QOTW: I think that Little Playzone we bought last weekend is pretty damn awesome! I'll PIP a pic of it below, but I'm totally stoked to have some babies to enjoy it! It's the most awesome baby jail I think I've ever seen!
It's fairly large, about 5 feet across on the sides, and while the extension kit will make it huge, I'm pumped to have a place to put in our living room that will keep the dog out of the baby toys and help keep the baby stuff contained! Plus it looks like tons of fun.
queer couple - 32 (me) & 33 (my love) years old - donor sperm,
Our IF/TTC journey since Nov 2012.
Me: dx of DOR in Nov. 2012. Low AMH, AFC - 6, Normal FSH, SS-A (RO) Antibodies (Autoimmune issues), tubes clear, Sono (November 2013) NORMAL! <p>
7 IUI's - December 2012-September 2013. Medicated, Injected, Triggered.... all BFN.
My Love: (the amazing @Healz413)
Normal AMH & FSH, AFC ~27, blocked tube dx'd via HSG in 2012. Hydrosalpinx & ovarian cyst dx'd in May 2013.
dx of Stage IV Endo & bilateral salpinectomy in June 2013.
Partner IVF#1a- December 2013 - H's eggs, my Ute - CANCELLED due to low response
Partner IVF #1b - February 2014 - H's eggs, my Ute - ER February 4 (10 retrieved, 3 fertilized), Transfer Feb 7 of one Grade 1 and one Grade 2 day 3 embryos. 1 - Day 3, Grade 1 frosty saved. BFP - 6dp3dt via FRER, Beta #1 - 110, Beta #2 175, Beta #3 - 348, Beta #4 - 2222!, Beta #5 - 4255. Ultrasound (6w1d) - 2 heartbearts!
We lost our beautiful Twin baby girls on June 18, 2014. Tavin Sara and Casey Elizabeth were born at 21 weeks gestation and were absolutely beautiful, precious, amazing babies. We miss our daughters every day and love them with all our hearts.
I'm 23w5d today and feeling good. I had an ultrasound this morning to look at my gallbladder- I've had major pain in my right upper back. This was the only ultrasound I've had where they are trying to not look at babies. The sonographer said everything looked good so it really is just my rib cage stretching to accommodate my organs.
Otherwise I'm feeling alright but very much looking forward to not making this drive to work in June. Heartburn has returned a bit- that was a big part of my first tri and had somewhat tapered off. I'm hoping it stays at this minimal level of discomfort though (wishful thinking).
QOTD: the best gifts we've gotten so far are the gifts for my dogs. My dad and his wife have generously offered to watch them when I deliver and for a little bit after which is fabulous because they love spending time with grandpa. Also we got a book from a coworker on how to prepare dogs for the coming baby. We are failing on that front but it's important for us to think about- they are our first babies but I have a feeling they will be pretty neglected in those first few weeks when these boys arrive.
A & K, married 7/1/13.
After 10 months of ttc via medicated IUIs and two early losses, we finally got our boys- Perfect premie twins born 5/27/14.
I'm 23w5d with an EDD of 8/20 with Simone!
All is well here! I think our biggest development was that she FINALLY starting kicking me! I felt a few things but couldn't be sure. However, on our flight home I got a movement so big it kind of shocked me! I thought "oh maybe it was just gas" but then @ball.and.chain wisely noted, "I doubt gas would shock you." Fair! And, since, definitely feeling her lots - not constant or consistent, but enough! Very exciting!
In other news we took a different route than expected and got a crib, changing table and small dresser via Craigs.list yesterday! The people were super cool (like, to the point that J wants to make friends with them!), so I have no qualms about using their 'used' stuff at all. We had thought we were going to buy all-new, crib with conversion kits to toddler bed and then regular bed, etc. but we are way happier with this approach. Especially since we do plan to co-sleep, spending that kind of money seems silly since the baby may never even sleep in the crib! And, I love the idea of her getting to pick out her toddler bed, big girl bed, etc. later. Anyhow - there is a crib in our house! Holy crap!
Other tasks accomplished included finishing our Amaz.on registry and getting our shower invite list to my sister. I also called to get the second-parent adoption train started.
Otherwise, I got back to prenatal yoga on Saturday and walked the lake yesterday so feeling like I'm back in my groove health-wise. Food is now the focus since I did allow myself many'a'treat while in Maui, and a few things since I got home. I want to stay off the sugar train so I am getting myself back to center in terms of eating this week. We continue to read to her every night (right now we're reading The Phantom Tollbooth - super cute kids book that adults can appreciate - J found it on a "good books to read aloud'" list and it really is a fun out-loud read!) and we play her 15 minutes of music each night (usually classical, but we did play The Flaming Lips a bit to also ensure she likes cool music
Our next appointment is a week from Thursday - glucose test and growth scan, otherwise regular visit with the doc. I'm still in the second tri bliss physically - I think I may actually feel better now than when I wasn't pregnant! I know that won't really last, but...
QOTW: I think the best thing is the cradle my grandfather made me when I was a baby! I shipped it from PA when I was back for my dad's (non) surgery in March, and it is set to arrive this week! I plan to give it a good cleaning and potentially pay to have it refinished. It's very cute, but my dad said "don't get too excited, a baby really on fits in it for a month or two..." but still. It's special!
Me (43) and J (45) - same sex couple. And we don't feel 40+!
June'12 - First RE Visit
Sept. '12 - Tubes removed
Dec. '12 - Donor Egg/Donor Sperm IVF Cycle - 4 good embies!
Dec. '12 - Fresh transfer, BFP! EDD 8/29/13
Mar. '13 - Missed m/c at 16w1d, baby boy stopped growing at 15w4d
Loss due to umbilical cord clot...baby was perfect.
Jul '13 - FET#1 - c/p
Sept. '13 - FET#2 - BFN
Dec.' 2, 2013 - FET#3 with our last chance embie - BFP!!!
Dec' 26, 2013 - hb!!
EDD 8/20/14 with a baby girl!
Little S was born on 8/21/14 - 8lb, 14 oz and 20 inches long.
We live in Seattle and used SRM for our donor egg IVF cycle
39 weeks and 6 days today.
Feeling very tired, but this is probably less related to the pregnancy and more to a cold Kaden came down yesterday with that had me up last night.
No new symptoms really. I had some mild contractions in the wee hours yesterday that stayed 20ish minutes apart. I chose to sleep (when I finally could drift off) and they went away by my first pee break.
I have acupuncture today and a chiropractic appointment that I rescheduled due to Kaden's cold. Since I slept less than 5 hours last night I'm counting down the minutes until Kaden's nap so I can jump in the shower and crawl into bed.
Tomorrow our midwives come over for my 40 week visit. We'll likely strip my membranes and see if that moves things along. I haven't had a ton of cramping or pelvic pain like I did with Kaden which makes me worried that I'm not progressing - but I guess I'll find out tomorrow.
One good note is that I finished a very thorough rough draft of my portion of our group capstone project. A friend said to me that maybe "Owen was holding out until I finished my homework because he was so considerate already". Anyway pre-labor superstition is as bad for me as TTC superstition so I worked all weekend and submitted it last night. I have more to do on our capstone project, but I feel like this is a huge weight of my shoulders and will buy me some "just Mama & baby time" if he arrives in the next week or so.
QOTD: We were surprised by the gifts we did receive and by our mini-baby shower since this is #2. Just having friends and family so excited about Owen's arrival makes me so grateful. One of my favorites are these adorable newborn socks my BFF brought us from a little boutique in NYC. I just love baby socks.
@KH826 - I was seriously bawling when I read your post earlier. You're little girl is so lucky to have such a treasure. The nurse seems amazing and I'm just as excited that your little brother has such a lovely care provider in his life. Also congrats on baby girl flipping - Woohoo :-)
Just plugging along. No new or more severe symptoms. Mostly I'm just tired a lot and hungry a lot. Mr. Baby is still kicking like a wild man. On Saturday he kicked so hard my wife could see my belly move from across the room, and so she came over to talk to him and gave him a kiss. He reacted by kicking her in the chin. Not the last time, probably.
OB appointment this Wednesday. Should be pretty routine; my only concern is whether my weight will be up too much.
QOTW: I inherited an antique rocking chair that used to be in my grandparents' house when I was growing up. It is probably at least 100 years old. The seat broke at some point and nobody ever fixed it, so I inherited it broken. My step-mother started walking me through the process of fixing it, but life got in the way and I never made it very far. It's honestly not the type of work I enjoy, and I was only doing it myself because it was too expensive to have it done professionally. After I told my wife's cousin this story, she contacted my step-mother and said that she wanted to pay to have it professionally repaired and upholstered as a surprise for me so I could use it in the nursery. I haven't seen it yet but I'm excited to rock Mr. Baby in it!
9 IUIs = 9 BFNs
IVF October 2012: 22 eggs retrieved, 17 fertilized, 5 frozen
ET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Blighted ovum discovered at 7w5d; D&E
FET #1: 1 blast = BFP; Missed m/c discovered at 9w5d; D&E
Karyotyping: normal ~ RPL Testing: normal ~ Hysteroscopy: normal
FET #2: 1 blast transferred 10/25; BFP 10/31!
EDD 7/13/14 ~ Induced at 37w4d due to pre-eclampsia ~ Born on 6/28/14
*Everyone welcome*
QOTW: What is your favorite/most memorable or meaningful baby gift that you have received so far? If you are new to pregnancy and/or haven’t received any baby gifts yet, tell us about what you most look forward to purchasing or receiving for your future LO!
What we have received is already very important. My parents gave me a rocking chair that my father bought my mother when she was pregnant with me and that is sweet. On top of that my dad came in and put up chair rails in the nursery and it looks great. They bought a crib for our babies and my sister bought anything she can get her hands on LOL
Married to M and proud mothers to Olivia and Elise (8/19/2014) and to our fur-babies: Capone (pitbull), Jax and Atticus (cats)
Had a great midwife appointment yesterday - I just heart them both so much. They're great, wise, funny and easy to talk too. Plus it's nice to have two lesbians who love and respect our family overseeing our birth preparations.
Baby is doing great, a little sleepier than usual which is normal for this stage. I'm measuring a week ahead.
We've set ingesting Castor Oil as our last resort scheduled for mid-week next week if Owen should hold out. Now we're working backwards utilizing other natural induction techniques to hopefully start labor in the next week.`
At my appointment yesterday my cervix was still tucked back (likely caused by my ligaments tightening in that position a while back). With it tucked back the babies head is not engaged in putting pressure on it to help the process of thinning/opening. My midwife "walked" it forward (meaning she pulled it into a better position), and did a membrane sweep. I'm now about 2cm and 20% effaced but very soft so my midwife thinks I'll go quickly once labor starts. Supposedly Owen has a very firm bag of waters. R was also able to feel his fontanel and says his head is well tucked and in a great position for labor. I love that R has the been the first person to "touch our babies" and it makes it so much real - that Owen's right there - so close to being born.
Next steps, include going on a mission to Santa Crux to pick up a couple of herbal tinctures, which I'll take daily while using nipple stimulation with the breast pump to initiation contractions. I'm going to continue Acupuncture and Chiropractic, as well as the herbal supplement the Acupuncturist gave me. As well as evening Primrose oil internally and as a suppository, castor oil externally on the skin, acupressure, walking, eating dates and pineapple, resting and of course orgasms. LOL - that last one was strongly suggested by the midwives and my Acupuncturist.
All in all I feel great, I managed to paint my toes yesterday and our midwives were impressed with my general mobility and health. Last pregnancy I had horrible sciatic pain and discomfort toward the end. Right now I feel like I could be in the 2nd trimester - which is great.
Our poor family and friends are getting so impatient :-)