We have a Heartbeat!

I went to the doctor two days ago and I was able to hear the heartbeat! It was beating very fast at 173 beats/minute and was loud and clear. It was really good to hear it and to know that things seem to be progressing just fine. Since my hubs wasn't able to make it to the appointment I recorded it on my cell phone and played it for him later. I won't go into all of the details , but he spent 5 days in the hospital and had 2 surgeries due to a staph infection in his knee which developed 4 weeks after his initial knee surgery November 14 (sigh). He wasn't out of the hospital yet at the time of my appointment....thus the recording. He's home now and recovering well but will be administering his own antibiotics every 8 hours via an I.V. in his arm until January 10. Sounds fun, eh?!

Back to my appointment...I FINALLY met my doctor! She's SUPER nice and I'm so glad I chose her over my PCP. She was really friendly and easy to talk to...I felt very comfortable with her. She asked if I feel like I'm eating healthy and I told her that until this last week, which included lots of fast food runs (due to spending so much time at the hospital away from home), I had been doing well with my eating. I also told her that prior to becoming pregnant, I had lost almost 70 pounds via WW. She said that was great and she's going to help me watch my weight during pregnancy so I don't gain a lot of excess pounds since I worked so hard to get them off in the first place. We are shooting for a 30-pound gain which will put me at 180 (still 40 pounds less than when I began WW). She asked if I minded if she told me that I had gained too much in between my visits and I told her no. I need that accountability! So far I've gained exactly 3 pounds and I'm this close to the end of my first trimester, so I'm doing fine!

I'm feeling much better, too. I still get a little sleepy in the evenings but I've been able to stay up past 9:00 the past few nights (it was after 11 last night...stayed up to watch a volleyball game). I also don't feel as queezy, which is really nice...and the "girls" aren't as tender either. I'm very happy about that! lol.... What I'm NOT happy about is the fact that my chin has TWO pimples on it...thanks pregnancy hormones! Argghhh..... I feel like I'm 16 again. =( Oh well...this too shall pass.

I almost forgot...I told the nurse why I was recording the heartbeat and I also wanted to play it for family and she had a great suggestion. You know those greeting cards that you can record a personal message in? Well, I bought a Christmas one for grandparents and recorded the recording of the heartbeat into it. When you open the card, it plays the heartbeat for 8 seconds and then starts playing "Away in a Manger." I'm going to send it to my parents with a "do not open until Christmas Eve NIGHT" message on the envelope. I don't want her to open it before she gets the flowers because she might be a bit confused. ; ) On the inside I wrote, "This is my heartbeat at 11.5 weeks." I'm glad she suggested it because now my parents will get to hear it, too, and I won't feel like they're being left out since my husband's parents will hear it 'in person'.

I'll let all of you know how the telling of the family goes after next week. Only FIVE more days and everyone will know! The best part is that I can finally quit lying to my mom and mother-in-law about my WW weigh-ins! lol.... ; )

I still don't have a tummy pic to post...although I must admit...some of my pants are getting tight and I do have a pooch that isn't just a fat roll! ; ) lol... One of these days, I promise.

I hope all of you have a very blessed Christmas and a safe New Year. =)