Back From Vacation And The Doctor's Office Too!

Hello, hello, hello!

Well, we are back from our Thanksgiving holiday in the land of all things mouse. Disney World was great (busy and crowded), but still great!

And yes, I did ride the scooter around the parks (just think Wal-Mart motorized cart only with not as big of a basket on front). And, of course, I've included a photo of it for your viewing pleasure.

No, I did not do anything stupid. In fact I avoided all rides that said, "EXPECTANT MOTHERS SHOULD NOT RIDE".

And just FYI, that means you can just stay back at your condo/hotel room when the family goes to the Animal Kingdom because there is absolutely NOTHING you can ride/go on in that park.

But hey, the Festival of the Lion King show was terrific thankyouverymuch!

My son (who turned 7 years old - on Thanksgiving Day -while on this vacation), was my big, brave boy and went on all the rides with Daddy including every single roller coaster and water ride. Given that this same child would not even entertain the thought of a roller coaster a year ago, this accomplishment was huge!

We only had one day of rain (out of 8 total). Water droplets did not deter us and we braved our second day at the Magic Kingdom with umbrella in hand and ponchos ready to go.

It was a wonderful family vacation, but there is nothing like being home and sleeping in your own bed.

In fact, my husband said to me when we got home, "Babe, it was great fun, but I'm good for another four years before we go back again."

Okay, so it looks like R.J. will be 11 years old at his next Disney visit and I will be pushing a stroller...LOL!

Here are some pics (and I'm sure you will recognize some of the famous characters aside from the three of us that is...LOL!)

ANIMAL KINGDOM

CAPTAIN HOOK, SMEE AND THEIR TWO PIRATES

RAINY NIGHT AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM

MAGIC CARPET RIDE

THE JUNGLE CRUISE

WINNIE THE POOH RIDE

THE BOY AND THE CASTLE

MICKEY AND THE GANG

HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

RAINY DAY AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM

THE CASTLE

MIKEY FROM MONSTER'S INC.

THE BIRTHDAY BOY AND HIS CAKE

THE BROWN DERBY IN HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS

MAIN STREET AT THE MAGIC KINGDOM

PETER PAN

THE MOUSE HIMSELF

GOOFY

EPCOT

THE SCOOTER!

Okay, now back on the home front...

I had my doctor's appointment today and we were able to actually HEAR the baby's heartbeat for the very first time!

Honestly, it was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard.

Michael and I both had tears in our eyes. The heart rate was 170 BPM, loud and clear and strong!

Praise God for his hands cradling this babe.

We go back in two more weeks and at that time I will be closing in on the first trimester...finally!

Giving Thanks

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever."
~Psalm 107:1 (NIV)

No, I did not bring my laptop to the land of the famous Mouse (chalk it up to setting up a publish date on Blogger prior to leaving), but I could not let today go by without wishing everyone a Happy Thankgiving, and personally giving thanks for my greatest and most precious blessing.

Seven years ago today, I gave birth to our son, R.J.

Here is a look at our very first "together as a family" photo. He was only hours old.

Although I was a severely water retentioned, 60 lbs. heavier Tracey at the time, I could not have been any happier. We had a son. A healthy, beautiful, 6lb. 11 oz. baby boy.

Talk about a being thankful!

Fast forward seven years later and that same sweet and precious baby has really grown.

Oh, yes, he still is my sweet and precious boy, but definitely no longer a baby by any means.

HAPPY 7th BIRTHDAY!

You are going to be a wonderful Big Brother my darling son!

Before I end this post, I want to thank the Lord for the many blessings he has bestowed upon my life...my son, my husband, my family, my friends, and this amazing life growing inside of me.

May God bless each and everyone of you as well!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Did You Hear?

Tracey is taking a bloggy break for about 10 days and this picture should give you a great big hint as to where she'll be!

Yep, you guessed it folks...we are headed to Disney World.

Now, let me just tell you that when we planned this trip, I joked around with my husband and said, "After trying to conceive for almost another whole year, watch me get pregnant now that we've planned this trip."

Well, slap me silly and call my clairvoyant!

Who would have thunk it?!

So there you have it, we are Florida bound and pregnant.

My doctor was not too thrilled that we are going on this trip right now, but we have non-refundable plane tickets, non-refundable Disney tickets and non-refundable accommodations so cancelling this vacation was totally out of the question.

Plus, my son will be celebrating his birthday while we are there and to say he is excited about going is an understatement!

On the flip side, my doctor did say that if something was to happen (God forbid), it would happen whether I was in Alabama or not and I just need to listen to my body, take breaks when I need to and not do anything stupid.

C'mon doc, after it has taken us so long to get here, do you really think I'm going to be riding the Tower of Terror or the Rock 'N' Roller coaster?

Ah, that would be NO!

Seriously though, I do appreciate his concern and I would be lying if I told you I wasn't just a wee little bit on edge, but I know I'm not the first woman to go to Disney World pregnant and I certainly won't be the last. Besides, my son is at the age where he can go on all the rides with my husband that I won't be able to do this time around.

Oh, and my husband has already got it in his mind that I'm going to be riding around the parks in an electronic chair just to be on the safe side...LOL!

So my sweet blogger friends, don't be worried when you don't see any posts for about a week or so, just close your eyes and picture this grown woman wearing Mickey Mouse ears and cruising around Cinderella's castle in an ECV (Electric Convenience Vehicle).

Talk to you all soon!

Oh, one more thing before I go...if any of you have been to Disney while pregnant and have any advice and/or suggestions to pass along, please do. I would welcome your input!

P.S. Please remember to keep me and this babe in your prayers while I am away. It would mean so much to me! Thanks!

A Good Day

Today was another good day at the doctor's office, and I cannot sing enough praises to our Lord for his goodness and mercy. I know that He is guiding me and this babe every single step of the way.

Okay, so we're not quite sure if Little Speck is going to be a body builder or a ballerina, but what we do know is that he/she is still growing strong!

Here is the latest ultrasound picture. Our precious baby is measuring 7 weeks 5 days.

I go back in two more weeks and at that time the doctor is going to try and listen for the heartbeat on doppler.

If we can't pick up the heartbeat on the doppler at that time (since I'll only be at just about 10 weeks) then I'll get another ultrasound to gauge heartbeat and another look at Little Speck...and you know I will never will get tired of that ;0)

In the meantime, it looks like all is well and what a relief that is!

I'm 43 And Afraid To Pee

Hi, my name is Tracey and I am addicted to looking at toilet paper when I wipe and what color of pee falls in the bowl.

After all, the first step is admitting you have a problem, right?!

I know, I know, it's sounds stupid, but it's true.

Every since my two spotting episodes, I have been absolutely paranoid about going to the restroom.

So much so that I say a quick prayer before I enter a stall or my own private bathroom at home.

I am pleased (and relieved) to report that as of Wednesday, this gal has been free of spotting!

Dear Lord, please let it stay that way.

Of course, I still have this weekend to get through before our next ultrasound on Monday, but just being spot free for several days in a row has really helped my psyche.

However, more than anything, this Bible verse has helped me the most.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.

And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding,

will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

~Phillipians 4:6-7 (NIV)

So, I am once again clinging to His word and claiming it as my own!

May you all have a wonderful weekend and thank you for remembering to keep me and this precious miracle of life in your prayers.

God Bless!

Just Call Me The Queen Of Denial

As in...NO, NO, NO!

This cannot be happening to me AGAIN!

Tuesday evening right before I left work I felt a little bit of a "gush" down you know where.

At first, the gush was no big deal since the progesterone stuff I have been inserting vaginally does tend to melt like an ice cream cone on a hot day, but something just made me take a peek to see what was going on.

You guessed it...pink bloodlike spotting...again!

So of course, I rushed out of work in a panic and immediately called my nurse to explain what was going on. She told me to go home, put my feet up and she would schedule me to come in for an appointment the following morning (yesterday) at 8:45 a.m.

Now, let me just remind you all that I have an ultrasound appointment scheduled for this upcoming Monday (November 16), but evidently, we were going to get another look at Little Speck even earlier.

I don't have to tell you how frightened I was. I mean, spotting, again?!

When I had my last two miscarriages, we never made it past a second ultrasound because it was at that second ultrasound I found out (each time) that my babies had not made it. You can just imagine the fear that was running through my bones at the thought of having this second ultrasound (done even earlier than expected to boot) and because of an issue that could potentially be bad.

Now, ask me if I slept any on Tuesday night?!

We got to the doctor's office and my favorite ultrasound tech was the one who called my name. The minute I got in the room, I started to cry (she had been the tech both times I miscarried as well, so she knew my history).

Anyway, I layed back on the table and closed my eyes. All of a sudden, she gently touched my arm and said, "Tracey, there it is...you've got a beautiful heartbeat."

My eyes flew open and I said. "I do? Where is it?" and she then proceeded to point it out on a very blurry looking screen. I barely was able to discern it, but I knew whe was not lying and Michael clearly saw it from over her shoulder.

I was measuring 6 weeks and 6 days (two days off), but given the fact that this ultrasound was done on a different (and older) machine and by a different tech than last time, she assured me that it was no big deal. After all, it is really hard to get absolutely exact measurements on something the length of an eyelash, ya' know?

So, for your viewing pleasure, here is a second glance at Little Speck:



Of course, Little Speck looks more like a little blob right now, but the arrows are pointing to our miracle baby who is growing bit by bit every day, Praise God!

We then met with the doctor who seemed extremely pleased with the ultrasound results and decided to have me stop inserting ANYthing vaginally (sorry sweet hubby).

Instead, I am to take the progesterone orally and keep an eye on myself with regard to anymore spotting (as if I didn't already have an eagle eye into the toilet every time I pee).

He is keeping my appointment this Monday as well, so I will get yet another look at Little Speck and will be hoping and praying that the news is just as good then.

In the meantime, I cannot thank you enough for the kind and uplifting words and especially, your prayers.

My faith in God, my family and my friends are definitely helping me to get through this wonderful, yet very scary (at times) miracle baby journey.

God Bless!

A Scary Saturday

I woke up at 4 a.m. on Saturday to go to the bathroom and there it was...BLOOD! I wiped and I was still spotting.

I totally freaked and woke Michael up in a panic.

Needless to say, I was completely petrified because my first miscarriage started this way...first the spotting, then the bleeding, then the cramping and then...well, you already know what eventually happened.

Dear Lord, I prayed, please do not let this be the beginning of the end.

Michael told me to calm down and reminded me what the doctor had told me at our last visit...light bleeding/spotting was okay and no serious cause for alarm as long as it did not get any heavier and it was not accompanied by cramps (neither of which I was experiencing).

I layed back down and prayed that this was just a fluke.

Something was telling me that I was having a reaction/irritation due to the progesterone (Endometrin) I was inserting vaginally...again.

I texted my nurse later that morning and she said to continue to insert the med, so I did, and for the rest of the day, the light bleeding/spotting continued.

At about 9:00 p.m. I told Michael that I was not going to give myself that last dose of progesterone just to see if the spotting would stop.

Guess what?

I woke up the next morning to no bleeding/spotting at all!

What a relief!

I had some oral progesterone (Prometrium) in my possession and so I decided to take that Sunday and give my body a break from inserting anything vaginally for at least a day.

Yesterday came and went with no issues...Praise the Lord!

I can take the oral progesterone and use it vaginally so that is what I have done beginning this morning and again, so far, so good. I have had no adverse reaction whatsoever.

I totally believe that for some reason, my body is reacting badly to the other progesterone prescription.

Whatever it is, at least I have had two days now of no bleeding/spotting.

Mentally and emotionally, that has put me in a much, much better place.

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I am tired, no, really TIRED!!

Okay, maybe exhausted is a better word.

Whatever you call it I can hardlry keoep myt eyedfs opejn!

See what I mean!

I’m beginning to wonder what the point is of going to sleep at 8:30 p.m. every night and waking up in the morning (thinking I had enough sleep) only to want to close my door and crawl up on the floor under my desk by time I get to work.

Of course, that's probably not the best thing to do, especially around promotion time...LOL!

Anyway, I just can’t help it though!

I’m thinking that next week I’m going to secretly sneak in my son’s napper (from when he was in daycare) with the excuse that I’m taking it to get reconfigured into a lap throw on my lunch hour and then secretly stash it away in my office drawer for use during oh, let’s just say, break time, lunch time, etc. - - you get the picture, right?!

While I'm on the subject of sleepiness, just thought I’d bring up another bed-related topic…the baby dance (you know…sex).

Because of my two previous early miscarriages and more recently my spotting/bleeding episode, sex is the farthest thing from my mind.

However, let me just add that I love my husband and do not wish to deprive him in any way (especially since he did have a thing to do with contributing to this tiredness, right?!), but I am just here to tell you that never more has the quote in the book, The Girlfriends’ Guide To Pregnancy, by Vicki Iovine been more appropriate.

Here, I’ll share the gem:

“ATTENTION HUSBANDS OF NEWLY PREGNANT WOMEN: Do not take it personally when your wife would rather sleep than sleep with you! She really cannot help it and it is absolutely no reflection on your manhood or how much she loves you. Try again tomorrow morning after she has had some rest (unless, of course, she has morning sickness, too, in which case, try the Playboy channel).”

Okay, so thankfully (at least right now) I don’t have any morning sickness (and I didn't when I was pregnant with my son either), but the other scenario she mentions absolutely applies in my case.

Sorry, but true, my dear husband…however, I promise I’ll call the cable company and get that Playboy channel hooked right up! Better yet, I'll have them install ALL 900 college football channels as well.

There, that oughta' cover it.

Now, if I could just find the most comfortable spot in my office for that napper...

All Is Well

Therefore I will give thanks to You, O LORD, among the nations,

And I will sing praises to Your name. (2 Samuel 22:50)

This was the scripture for Today's Word with Joel and Victoria Osteen. How absolutely appropriate as it captures exactly how I am feeling at the moment.

Yesterday's recap:

My doctor was called away to do an emergency surgery when we got to the office yesterday, so we waited an hour and 15 minutes before they even got to us...sorry to keep you all waiting, but trust me, the wait was just as hard on us too.

My ultrasound showed our little speck at 5w6d which is exactly to the day of the first day of my last menstrual period (which is what they use to calculate the due date).

We saw a pulsating little heartbeat, but we were not able to get a beat count yet since I am still so early. Out of the last two pregnancies (that ended in miscarriage), this heartbeat was by far the clearest and strongest pulsating one yet so that made me feel good.

The doctor checked me internally and said that he did not see any residual bleeding, but he did see some irritation and that was nothing unusual given the fact that I am inserting something down there 3x/day. He said that brownish/pinkish is okay and even red blood spots are okay as long as it doesn't flow like a period.

He went on to say that he totally understands my concern and I did the right thing by calling. He said that if it would make me feel better, I could come in weekly if I wanted, but if not, I am to not ever hesitate to call if I am worried and they will fit me in. I love that man!

The doctor also said I have a corpus lutem cyst. Not really sure what that is, but he said it is what's feeding the baby right now? He wants me to continue doing the same meds I am doing and then I go back in two weeks (November 16) for my second ultrasound. He said that second ultrasound will tell us a whole lot as far as how this pregnancy is probably heading.

The doctor is happy and we are relieved…for now. We know we have to take this one step and one day at a time.

Thank you all for your prayers and wonderful words of encouragement. I am honored and humbled by the fact that you all have decided to follow this this journey with me.

God Bless!

But, before I go...

INTRODUCING

Our little speck!

Our Due Date is June 29, 2010!

Spotting...Dear Lord Help Me

There has been a slight change in plans.

When I inserted my progesterone just a little while ago, I wound up spotting...small red specs of blood.

I am hoping and praying that this is being caused due to my cervix being irritated by the suppositories that I have been doing three times a day, but of course I am absolutely terrified!

I called my doctor's office and they are going to have me come in today at 3:30 PM (CST) just to be sure everything is okay.

Lord, please be with me and surround me with peaceful thoughts so that I will not let the enemy get a hold of my mind.

Asking for your prayers...again.

I will be back to update (hopefully with news that all is okay).

God Bless!

I'll Get Through This

Tomorrow is the big day...our first ultrasound.

I should be ecstatic, but that is not the word to describe how I am feeling for sure.

You see, when I had my first miscarriage, we went for our first ultrasound and I was measuring almost two weeks behind (not good). We waited another two weeks and when we went back for that ultrasound, we had a heartbeat...praise God. However, that very same evening, I started to cramp and spot and withing 24 hours I went from being overjoyed at the doctor's office to being in an emergency room miscarrying our child and having a D & C.

With my second miscarriage, we went for our first ultrasound and we saw a heartbeat immediately and measured only 2 days off (no big deal). We felt a sigh of relief and thought this was going to be totally different...everything was going to be okay. I rocked along for another 3 weeks with no visible problems, no spotting, no cramping, etc. Then the day came for our follow-up ultrasound and there it was...NO HEARTBEAT. We lost this baby too. Needless to say, we were completely devastated and spent New Year's Eve day in a surgical center as I underwent my second D & C in less than 4 months.

And so now, here I am just one day away from my first ultrasound with this pregnancy, and instead of feeling giddy and anticipatory, I am feeling anxious and worried. Will there be a heartbeat? Will I measure on track? Will I spot and miscarry after having the ultrasound done?

Questions I know cannot be answered since the future of this babe inside my womb has already been determined, but as a human I am weak and so I question.

What I do know is that I will get through this...my fear, my worry, my doubts, my questioning. Because deep down I know that the Lord will carry me through just has He has done in the past and just as He continues to do now and will forever more!