Sharing the Joy

It is time to announce something special... we're expecting a baby in October!

I haven't been quite sure how to write about it here, 'cause the 3-year fertility journey up until now has been difficult, including a strange inability to get pregnant on 6 clomid/IUI cycles over the last year.  Since I'm leaving the first trimester this week, I've been pregnant far longer than ever before, so we're feeling pretty hopeful.

What changed?  

Well, there are 2 big things that stick out in my mind.

1:   I had a job which was so high-stress that several doctors including my reproductive endocrinologist kept asking when I was going to leave because my health problems would not resolve and were directly related to said job atmosphere.  My last cycle started 3 days before my last day at work, my body just couldn't wait for me to get well-rested and stress free.  We were hoping that pregnancy would occur soon after being in the right environment, but it was still surprising that it happened so fast!

2:   I found out that I have a 50% chance of having a mutation of the MTHFR gene... full explanation requires a separate blog post or two, but my main concern was that repeated miscarriage is related to it, and I had so many of the symptoms of the mutation.  My health insurance won't test for it, and there was no harm in properly supplementing for it (besides harm to my wallet, the prenatals aren't the cheapest), so I took a chance.  I began the supplements one month before my last cycle began and noticed a dramatic reduction of MTHFR-related symptoms.  The next cycle, BAM!  Pregnant.

Honestly, I feel it is a combination of both.  So I owe a huge debt of gratitude to my husband for making #1 possible, and to my mom for making #2 possible.

All is looking good so far.

We've had 3 great ultrasounds (I am getting more than average because my fertility history makes me high risk), and it is amazing to see the little one wiggling about in there!  We've passed the 12-week mark, so the placenta has taken over hormone production and was able to stop taking the progesterone pills.  All testing has come back with ideal results so far.  Morning sickness* has been horrendous, which is a good sign for a viable pregnancy.  Baby brain is kind of taking over:  I have left a pencil in the fridge, and have thrown my nice dry towel on the shower floor to stand on as I showered for a full minute before I realized what I had done.  I can definitely say that I've gone from being "cautiously pregnant" to "happily pregnant" as these milestones have been passed.

I somehow already have a "baby bump" (or a bloat bump?) and my boobs are huge, despite having lost 4 pounds.  Not sure how it's possible, but I kinda like it and can't wait to start really showing.  I'll admit to trading my jeans for yoga pants and recycled-sari wrap skirts for the last 2 weeks already.

Anyway, my morning sickness is finally easing enough that I can type and scroll on a freaking internet page without hugging the puke bucket.  Expect the blog posts to pick back up again!  :D

It's been fun breaking the news to my family, and I just told my grandma for her birthday this weekend.  It's time to share the joy with you too!

 Expect the little one's arrival on or around 10-10-14.

Please let it be noted:  If you're on Facebook too, don't "out" me there.  Hardly anyone reads this blog or is on my Google+, and for various reasons I don't want all of Facebook knowing until much later in the pregnancy.  Thank you!   Edit:  I was "outed" on Mother's Day, and decided to just go with it and post a photo of my mom pointing at my belly... what better a day to announce?  The voluntary Facebook ban has been lifted. 

* It's a lie!  It's ALL DAY!  I will punch the next person who suggests ginger or crackers.

Elder Scrolls Online Decision

QUICK ESO BULLETIN!

Well folks, the guild polls are in and the results are tallied.

We'll be joining the Ebonheart Pact on the US server.  Woo!! 

A song dedicated to our alliance.

Will you be joining us there?  We have a dragon emblem... and sweet rolls...

Holding My Breathilepsy*

Monday night, Stormy had a 15-minute episode of something that looked like full-body hiccups, except it wasn't affecting her breathing.  I'd never seen this before, and it was a bit disturbing!  A vet appointment the next morning verified that it was very mild seizure activity... nothing to be done at this point and not a concern, but that I should record it if it happens again.

Early this morning, it happened again, for a full HOUR.  I took her in today, along with the video.  The intensity is not of any real concern, but the length is.  Theoretically, it could make her overheat and cause brain damage, so if it happens again and is longer than 30 minutes then we need to wrap her in cold wet sheets.

A bit disconcerting when it just won't stop.

In the meantime, we wait.  Blood test results should come back in a few days... is it the liver, pancreas, or kidneys?  Is it diabetes?  Is it an electrolyte imbalance or Addison's disease (which are supposed to be more common in poodles).  Theoretically it's rare for her to have a seizure disorder since she has no family history of it and is so young, but if none of these things come back positive then she's looking at a lifetime of phenobarbital for epilepsy.

I have a hunch that it has something to do with her being in heat (yes, our little Stormy became a woman this month!), and the internet agrees with me, but the vet says there is no research out there that says heat causes it, only that being in heat can make it more frequent.

If the testing points to epilepsy, but her sudden onset of these symptoms completely disappear in a week and a half when the heat is over, I'll be looking for a second opinion just to be sure... the liver damage risk with phenobarbital is something I'd like to avoid.  Here's hoping it is something easily curable.

This is me, keeping my sense of humor.

*Sorry, my sense of humor was not intact enough to come up with a better title.