"Please excuse this interruption..."

Whoa....it's been awhile since I updated the blog. Let's see, here's what's happened (almost in chronological order)

1. Lil sis graduated from college + trip to NYC
2. DH celebrated his 30th
3. I started a new job with an awesome science education non-profit, Iridescent Check out my bio under about us --> Director and team
4. Vida turned 2 + she went to Disneyland for the 1st time
5. My husband stood in 2 weddings in March, 1 week apart + trip to San Diego and trip to New Orleans
6. I AM PREGNANT...11 weeks and 4 days!

Each of these events have enough significant details to warrant their own posts. I can weave them all through the pregnancy though, here it goes...

Mid-March: Chatting up with the bridal party in SD about my goal to finish having kids by the time I am 30 (turning 29 in July). Told them that I took my last birth control pill earlier that month. So we'll see. I had been taking prenatals to prep my body for pregnancy. I did that with Vida and things turned out well, this was not the case with the surprise pregnancy of that resulted in a miscarriage last summer.

Late March: I get pregnant on the first shot according to my calculations. I am very certain of the date and my EDD is set as 12/15...(my estimate)....12/16 (my UCLA CNM estimate)....12/17 (my midwife estimate)

Early April: Vida turns 2! Before I missed my period, the following week, I knew I was pregnant. So far the 1st trimester has been way different from when I was pregnant with Vida. I didn't have that sense, whereas with Vida symptoms such as super tender BB's manifested super quickly and strong nausea. This time it was more of a feeling AND super dry skin around my mouth and chin area. This persisted and was so sensitive that I had to switch to a mild, facial cleansing bar.

Mid-April: The stick gives me a faint but definite positive.

Late-April: I test almost 1/week until my first MW appt. The pink lines get stronger along with the odd appetite. I remember picking up a strong whiff of Lucky Charms around midnight when there was NO cereal in the house. DH was on a business trip, had he been home, I probably would've dashed off to get some.

Early May: First appt with midwife, she's so wonderful. Paying for this out of pocket with hope that the insurance reimburses at their stated rate. I am 8 weeks at this point.

Mid-May: Go to UCLA CNM for 'shadow care'. They know my history and they squeezed in an ultrasound. Jelly Bean was beating away at 170 bpm. NUTS! It was a LONG appt, I actually had to return early the next morning to do the bloodwork. I was so trying to get the appt in before Mother's Day but it wasn't necessary. My plan was to put a copy of the ultrasound picture in the Mother's Day card to my mom. She already knew and I knew she knew. :-) I just wanted to select a special day to tell her and I was being cautious...still am. Her reaction was not what I expected and she wasn't quite loving her gift. She was immature about it and it escalated the following week. It was drama but in 24 hrs she did an about face so someone must have talked some sense into her.

Mid-May: Pablo (DH) turns 30, we have an awesome day with the beautiful outdoors and a lovely dinner, co-planned by Carmen.

Late May: Veronica's graduation from Marist. Traveling to NYC with a toddler has its challenges. It was a toughy but still so much fun. I had the chance to visit with a former student. I was his 5th grade teacher and now's he's a junior in HS! We also visited our old shoebox apt on 125th street in Harlem!

Memorial Day Weekend: Looking forward to my UCLA CNM appointment on Tuesday for the 1st trimester ultrasound screening. I won't return to them until 22-24 weeks for the anatomical screening and other battery of tests. I will inform them of my birth plans at that time. Wednesday will make 12 weeks, hooray! Hopefully my sinuses and intestines will simmer down. Another odd set of symptoms in comparison to my pregnancy with Vida. I am so getting boy vibes with this one. I crave MEAT and not the good kind. Do you know how hard it was to NOT eat a hot dog in NYC! UGH!
So I bought the vegan corn dogs and nitrite and nitrate-free hot dogs from Trader Joe's along with fake bacon from Morning Star. I know the fake bacon sucks but it's more about the texture.