15 weeks, 3 days

This post is a little delayed because I was in Disney World for the weekend! John's sisters suggested a girls trip before I got "too pregnant" so we decided to go to Disney World for a long weekend to celebrate my pregnancy, Natalie's graduation, and Mother's Day.

Backing up, after I wrote last week's post, we found out the results of the VisibiliT screen that we did, including baby's gender! There's a 95% chance that baby is a girl! I didn't have a gender preference at all. I was just happy to be pregnant. But, now that I've known for a little over a week that baby is most likely a girl, I'm super excited and love knowing that "it" is a she! (It felt so wrong to call baby "it.")

Natalie's graduation weekend was great except for the weather. We had lots of yummy food and time with family. The graduation ceremony was really nice. Russell Wilson's commencement speech was even better than I expected it to be!

Natalie with her awesome cap at her chemistry ceremony.

The Lenz Family

We walked by my senior year apartment and I just had to get a pic on the porch!

Sunday, John and I met Mary, Jeff, and Mitch (my aunt, uncle, and cousin) for breakfast and told them the news. They were all very excited for us...but Mary especially. This news is so special to so many people.

The weekend in Disney World was absolutely great! I'm so glad we went! We weren't planning to go to the parks but Natalie talked us into buying a one-day park ticket to go to Magic Kingdom on Friday. It was totally worth it! Besides that, we spent time at the pool, hung out at Disney Springs, and went to brunch at Boma in the Animal Kingdom Lodge. There's just something about Disney...

Could you get a better picture?!?

I found a little something for baby girl.

Simba AND Mickey waffles at brunch!

I wore my button to brunch...but that was all!

14 weeks

Woohoo! 14 weeks marks the start of the second trimester!

It's been a super busy week. I was up in Cochrane from Friday to Tuesday for the Spindler(ish) Girls Weekend with my mom, five aunts (well, four of my mom's sisters and one of her cousins), and five of my girl cousins. I took off Monday so I could stay a little longer and help Mom get Dad settled in at home. It really was great to be home. We helped Mom plant the garden, visited a local greenhouse, and had lots of laughs with the whole crew. Then I helped Mom plant a bunch of flowers and mow the lawn. We had a couple of really nice, warm, sunny days. It was great to be outside!

I told all the relatives, plus Grandma Rohrer, and a few of the neighbors about being pregnant. Everyone was super excited! I also told one of my coworkers this week. I'm looking forward to telling my Aunt Mary this weekend!

We also Facetimed with Laura and I told her with the M&Ms I had given Mom and Dad to tell them the news. She was so excited! It was so fun to be able to tell her "in person." I also told Zulay, Laura's mom, with this little note:

"Guess what? You're going to be a Costa Rica grandma!"

Her response was so sweet. I had tears in my eyes!

Translation: Emily CONGRATULATIONS...My tears flowed when I saw your message. Today in the morning I asked the Virgin to bless you with a pregnancy. We celebrate it as if it were Laura. Receive our congratulations for you and John and for Jul and Lonnie.

I love my Costa Rican family!

Mom got me a really cute Mother's Day gift:

It lights up!

This weekend we're heading up to Madison for Natalie's graduation. We're going to both the chemistry-specific ceremony and the big ceremony (Russell Wilson is the commencement speaker). The weather is not supposed to be too great which stinks for the big ceremony outside at Camp Randall...oh well.

It's time for a new prayer!

13 weeks, 6 days

Oops...I had been doing a good job of writing these posts on the actual day but last Friday I drove up to Cochrane and then had a busy weekend and just didn't get to it.

John and I had an appointment for genetic screening and with the midwife last Friday. We're doing a genetic screening test that will also tell us the baby's gender. So, we'll know if baby is a boy or girl with 95% certainty early next week. The genetic counselor told us not to paint the nursery based on this test but to wait until the 20 week full anatomy ultrasound...ha! We heard the baby's heartbeat at the midwife appointment. Nice and strong at about 150 beats per minute.

In other news, my dad went home from the hospital last Wednesday. Woohoo!

The tulips are finally blooming!

Race Report: Crazylegs Classic 8K

Saturday was the 2016 Crazylegs Classic. Once again, we met Mark for a reunion weekend in Madison. I really love this tradition!

Friday evening John's little sister Natalie had a chemistry award ceremony and poster session so we met her, one of her friends, and John's parents there and then went to dinner. John and I were still recovering from a stomach bug we had last week. Dinner tasted so good but left me feeling not-so-good. I had told Natalie that if I wasn't feeling 100% the next morning, I'd run the race with her. (A friend had talked her into signing up but was running in a faster corral.)

We hung out with Mark and Amber for a bit after dinner Friday evening but went to bed pretty early so we could be up for the race. We drove down to the Kohl Center to pick up our race packets and then took the shuttle to the Capitol. We attended the Wisconsin Alumni Association Member Appreciation breakfast on the Square again. It's such a nice event! A nice warm place to wait for the race to begin, a great view of the Capitol, and all the bagels and bananas you can eat.

I was actually in Corral P but moved back to run with Natalie in Corral W. Mark and Amber ran together in Corral X. We left the breakfast about 9:45 or so to walk to our corrals. As soon as I got to Corral W, the corrals started to move...but it took a good 35 minutes or so until we actually started the race. Natalie did a really good job of keeping a steady pace and only requested that we walk once when we got to the top of Bascom Hill. I was super impressed that she made it all the way up Bascom without stopping or walking.

I've run by myself every year until now and I always get a little bored when we run out by the hospital. This year, Natalie and her friend Kellyn kept me entertained. Our pace was probably a little slower than I would have run by myself but it felt so good.

Running in to Camp Randall

The weather wasn't great. It was cloudy and chilly before the start. I warmed up enough in the first mile or so to take my windbreaker off but it started to rain towards the end. It wasn't terrible weather for running but it was terrible weather for the post-race party. We didn't stick around for too long.

The rest of the weekend was great! We had lunch with Lisa and Conor at Lisa's parents' house, swam in the hotel pool with Jamine, Cade, and Blake, had dinner at Buffalo Wild Wings with Jamine, Brandon, and the kids, played some games, and had a delicious brunch at the Old Fashioned on Sunday morning. It's always so fun to be back in Madison!

Distance: 8K
Time: 54:33
Cost: $45
Pros: Reunion tradition, great course through UW-Madison, fun post-race party at Camp Randall, easy transportation to start line, 10am start
Cons: Weather
Would I run it again?: Yes!

12 weeks

It's been quite an eventful week after a nice, relaxing weekend at home last weekend. Tuesday morning John and I both woke up not feeling too hot which progressed into a pretty nasty stomach bug. I hadn't thrown up at all since finding out I was pregnant but that ended on Tuesday. John had more stomach pain than I did. But, there wasn't much either one of us could do for the other except call out "Are you OK?" from the other room. I stayed home from work on Wednesday too. Things seemed to be better yesterday. I made it through work then we had supper at Panera. I think I ate too much so we had to go home instead of going to see our Broadway in Chicago show Bullets Over Broadway. It's the first show we missed...but oh well. It felt better to just lay on the couch and go to bed early!

Of course, being sick like this made me super worried about the baby. But, my midwife reassured me that I just needed to stay hydrated and eat what I could. Hopefully baby is doing fine!

We're heading up to Madison for the Crazylegs Classic this weekend. It's our fifth annual Crazylegs weekend with Mark. I'm signed up to run the 8K but may have to pull out and just do the 2 mile walk depending on how I'm feeling and how much I can eat between now and then.

In other exciting news, my sister-in-laws asked if I'd like to take a girls weekend before I get "too pregnant." So, we're going to Disney World May 19-22. We're staying at Disney's Port Orleans Resort but not getting park tickets. Instead, we'll hang out at Disney Springs, on the Boardwalk, and at various resorts. It's going to be a pregnancy, Mother's Day, and graduation celebration. I can't wait!

RIP Grandma Jo

On Saturday, April 16th, John's Grandma Jo was laid to rest. She had passed away the previous Tuesday after being on hospice for the last few months due to congestive heart failure. We last saw her on Easter Sunday when she was still doing pretty well. We knew the end was near but it was still hard to say goodbye. Grandma Jo was ready. She was ready to be with Grandpa John again.

Beautiful flowers we took home from the funeral.

The service was really nice. Annie and Natalie sang with Annie's Franciscan Courts choir and other grandchildren participated in parts of the mass. Grandma Jo didn't want any stories told at her funeral so Sister Pam clarified that her opening words were a reflection, not stories. She had us laughing and crying. Grandma Jo also didn't want baked beans at the luncheon or a parade to the cemetery. There were no baked beans but it was kind of hard to get everyone to the cemetery without a parade of cars.

What I'll remember most about Grandma Jo is making her cinnamon and anise candies the day after Thanksgiving. Annie, Natalie, and I would go over to her condo and make the candy under Grandma's supervision. In recent years, Brigitte helped too. Hopefully it's a tradition we'll continue (though we definitely won't be making the anise candy)!

Grandma Jo, thank you for welcoming me into your family. It was nice to have another Grandma these last 10+ years.

Grandma Jo wanted everyone to take a plate from her collection. This is the one I chose.

And these three Christmas carol plates.

11 Weeks

11 weeks now! It really is weird to be pregnant but to barely be able to tell...which makes me anxious sometimes. I can't wait until I can feel baby moving so I know he or she is really there. I've still been feeling really good, just tired. And, sometimes, more hungry than usual. I've had to have a Picky Bar around 11am each day I work because I just can't make it until my 1pm lunch time. I finally gave in to my ice cream craving and bought some for at home. I've had a couple scoops the last couple nights. Yum!

Really, the only excitement we had this past week was spending last weekend in Oshkosh for Grandma Jo's funeral. It was a really nice service.

Spring is finally here (though you wouldn't know it today). We had a couple of days in the 70s this week. I even sat outside for lunch. It's so nice to be able to get outside for a bit during the day.

This weekend we're relaxing at home with no plans. It's going to be glorious! Then, we start a stretch of busy weekends all the way through May.

10 Weeks

10 weeks! I'm still feeling really good, just tired. John laughed at me the other night because I stayed up past 10pm without taking a nap during the day. It's kind of weird to be pregnant but not really be able to tell. Well, besides my tender breasts and a few weird pains in my lower abdomen and lower back from time to time.

It was really good to visit my parents last weekend. Dad was doing much better than I expected him to be doing. I was also super impressed with the new tower at Gundersen...all large private rooms with in-ceiling lifts and full bathrooms. The nurse he had over the weekend was really great too. I even got to unclamp his IV after a nurse forgot to after she hooked it back up and help his nurse transfer him from the chair to the bed. I told Mom being there almost made me want to work inpatient again...ha!

He transferred to the inpatient rehab until on Monday and has been working hard during his 3 hours of therapy each day. He was exhausted when I talked to him Monday evening but has been in better spirits since then. He's making quite a bit of progress every day which is amazing! Today he got a tentative discharge date of May 3rd.

Tuesday we got more sad news. John's Grandma Jo passed away. We knew it was coming as she had been on hospice for the last few months. But, it's still sad. We're on our way up to Oshkosh now for her funeral this weekend. Rest in peace, Grandma Jo!

Last night John and I went to the Wisconsin Alumni Association's All Ways Forward event at Navy Pier. It was a lot of fun and I actually knew quite a few people from my previous work on interviewing potential scholarship recipients. We also got to meet Greg Gard, the new head basketball coach, and his wife Michelle. They're really good people!

I found out after I got home that my friend Jess was also at the event. I'm so bummed that I didn't get to see her!

9 Weeks

I had my first appointment with my midwife today. Unfortunately, the only time available was while John was teaching so he wasn't able to go. But he'll be able to be at the next appointment! I really liked the midwife. I'll see her until 20 weeks and after that I'll rotate between all the midwives. They're all on call for labors on different days/nights so that way I'll meet them all before the birth.

I got to see the baby on the ultrasound today. It's amazing how different the baby is from two weeks ago! This time I could see a defined head as well as arms/hands and a foot. Amazing! The baby also moved during the ultrasound. I'm not sure if that's common or not but the midwife said "Ooh, baby is dancing for momma!" My eyes definitely got a little watery there...

I've been feeling good this week...just tired.

The other big news this week was that my dad was in an accident. Here's the update I posted on Facebook earlier this week:

I'm going to drive up to La Crosse early tomorrow morning to see him. Mom and Dad both had a pretty rough day yesterday as the reality of his injury hit them. They're doing better today but still...

Time for a new prayer for the baby and extra prayers for Dad and Mom.

Book Report: Falling Free (in Miles, Mutants & Microbes)

I accidentally started reading Miles, Mutants & Microbes before Miles in Love. John and I caught the mistake soon enough that I didn't spoil any future plots. So, this book report is really just a report on Falling Free in Miles, Mutants & Microbes by Lois McMaster Bujold so I don't forget about it by the time I get back to the rest of the stories in this omnibus.

I really enjoyed Falling Free. It took a bit for me to get into because all of the characters were new. But once I was into it, I was really into it. Leo, Tony, Claire, and Andy were all favorite new characters. Silver too! McMaster Bujold is really a great storyteller. Her worlds are so imaginative. I really loved the story of the quaddies...and all the details!

Title: Falling Free in Miles, Mutants & Microbes
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Genre: Science fiction
Pages: 308
Stars (Out of 5): *****

Race Report: Shamrock Shuffle 8K

Finishers (minus Geoff who is taking the photo)

Keith, Natallie, Geoff, and I ran the Shamrock Shuffle 8K this morning. Keith stayed at our place last night so he didn't have to get up as early. We met Natallie in the lobby at 7:15am. We got to the gear check area before 7:45am so we got to stand out in the chilly weather for awhile. Geoff, Meg, and the boys met us right around 8am so Keith and I gave our jackets to Meg and we went to our corrals. Keith and Geoff were in Corral B and Natallie and I were in Corral C.

The sun came out a little while we were waiting for the start. That warmed us up a little bit...but just a little! I told Natallie I was just going to run this one, not race it. She ran with me until the first turn when she ran ahead to find a port-a-potty. I had planned to run by myself but didn't bring headphones along. I figured the other runners, volunteers, and spectators would be enough entertainment.

My watch had a hard time keeping signal so I wasn't really sure what my pace was. It told me one mile was in the 7:00s which I knew was wrong and another was in the 11:00s which I thought just might be right. It was a good lesson in running by feel!

I finished feeling really good. I even had enough to give the last stretch a little extra. I made my way through the finish area and found Natallie in the finisher photo area. Soon after, we found Keith, Geoff, Meg, and the boys...and then John showed up shortly after that. The plan was to go to brunch but, of course, the waits were long so we just got food from Eggy's and brought it back to our place to eat. It ended up working out pretty well!

I did it!

Cute shirt and a bottle opener medal

Distance: 8K
Time: 46:52
Cost: $40
Pros: Fun race to kick off the running season in Chicago, great course through downtown, easy to get to the start, reasonable start time
Cons: Weather
Would I run it again?: Yup!

8 weeks

The big news this week is that our families know the news! We had a great Easter weekend in Oshkosh (well, minus the Badgers losing on Friday night). We could hardly wait to reveal the news so as soon as my parents arrived and my mom and mother-in-law finally joined the rest of us after going to the store to get beer for my dad and chatting in another room, I brought out the Easter pails. Natalie got it first, "Ooh, I see," she said, but waited for our moms to figure it out too. Unfortunately, our dads were sitting on the other side of the room so they were sort of removed from the reveal...but it worked. I asked Natalie if she suspected it after our ski trip and she said she and Annie discussed it but came to the conclusion that I wasn't pregnant because I skied all three days and never complained about being tired or hungry...ha!

The cards for our parents and Natalie. I didn't get a picture of the card for Annie and Ben but it was similar to Natalie's.

Annie and Ben weren't there until later in the evening but I didn't want to wait until they were there to reveal it to everyone. John gave Annie their pail almost as soon as they arrived. Poor Uncle Tom was a little confused...he thought Annie was the pregnant one at first!

Me and Mom

Kathy and me

Ben, Annie, Natalie, me, and John

We told Grandma Jo when we stopped in to see her on our way back home on Easter Sunday. I gave her some M&Ms too. She couldn't read the November 2016 ones but read a blue Baby Lenz one. She thought that meant it was a boy but I reassured her that it was too early to tell and just a coincidence. Maybe she'll be right...

On that note, I used BabyCenter's Chinese Gender Predictor today. It just uses your age and month of conception so obviously isn't scientifically-based. It said the baby was a girl.

I have my first appointment with my midwife next week and have already been in contact with her. She seems really reasonable and responsive so far so that's a good sign! The midwife I had established with a few years ago left the practice. I really liked her but I've heard great things about the whole practice so I think I'm in good hands.

I've been feeling pretty good this week though I did have another spotting episode Sunday evening. My midwife and the fertility and reproductive medicine nurses both reassured me that this was likely fine. I've been more tired this week. Last night we went to Matilda and I was struggling to stay awake through it (which was unfortunate because it was so good)! I slept until almost 10am today.

I ran/walked three times so far this week! Tuesday John got approval to follow a return-to-running program so I did 4.5 minutes walking/30 seconds of running for 30 minutes with him. Then I ran with Natallie on Wednesday morning and revealed the news to her so she knows why I'm so slow! She had the best reaction: she stopped running, squealed, jumped up and down, and hugged me! I ran again today and while I felt good, I was definitely a lot slower than usual. Sunday is the Shamrock Shuffle 8K and I'm just going to take it nice and easy.

Baby's first card!

Baby's first Oiselle

7 weeks

Today's photo was taken in the Northwestern Fertility and Reproductive Medicine office after we had our second ultrasound. (I'm wearing the same outfit as last week because it's been a lucky outfit for my Badgers.) John had a PT appointment this morning so we didn't have time to take one at home before we left. Our appointment went well. Baby is doing just fine, measuring appropriately, and had a heart rate of 140. We have now graduated back to the regular OBs/midwives. I guess I better get our initial appointment set up with them!

We had a great time skiing in Jackson Hole. I was completely exhausted after three full days of skiing...but it was awesome to be back in the mountains. There's just something about that mountain fresh air. John only took me into an "expert only" area once...and I lived!

Zac Brown Band played at Jackson Hole's Rendezvous Fest Saturday night and we got free tickets! They are my favorite band, especially to see live, so I loved it! Baby's first concert...ha!

We also sneakily picked up a souvenir for baby on our way out of town. John's dad drove us to the airport and made a pit stop at Starbucks so we could get some drinks and sandwiches. He stayed out in the car so while John was getting our Starbucks goodies, I went down to the toy store and got an adorable little moose.

This week I've started feeling more nauseated and more fatigued. From what I've read, that's a good sign. I haven't been reading too much about pregnancy but this book that Jamine gave me years ago (after she had Cade and Blake) has been super helpful! I suppose I'll get around to reading the other ones she gave me one of these days...

We're heading up to Oshkosh today for Easter. My parents are coming tomorrow. We have everything ready for the reveal...hopefully we'll get through tonight without any questions and then be able to surprise everyone tomorrow! John, Annie, and Natalie didn't come out and ask while we were in Jackson Hole...but I'm not sure we entirely evaded suspicion.

The M&Ms say "Baby Lenz" and "November 2016"

Little Easter pails for our parents, Annie and Ben, and Natalie

Go Badgers!

6 Weeks

I decided to do the pictures in front of our shadowy whitish wall this week. I'm not sure I like it better than in front of the shelves or not...but it's definitely easier to read the words.

 

We're on our way to Jackson Hole for a weekend of skiing with John's dad and his sisters. I'm hoping we can keep the news a secret until we see the whole family (and my parents) next weekend.

I've felt pretty good this week. A little nauseas, a little tired, and breast tenderness but that's pretty much it. I had a bit of a scare with some spotting last night but that seems to be resolving. Now the anxiety begins, I guess.

We had our first ultrasound on Tuesday afternoon and got the first picture of our baby. Amazing.

Go Badgers!

5 weeks

Our week-by-week pregnancy journal has begun! Unfortunately, the lighting in our apartment is really bad for photos. There are shadows everywhere there's natural light and just plain poor lighting elsewhere. So, our background is going to be in front of our busy bookshelves.

I made it through our first drinking event yesterday. We had friends in town and celebrated St. Patrick's Day with them. I'm not sure if it's because I'm pregnant or not but I really did not enjoy being in a super crowded bar with a lot of drunk people. It was great to see our friends...but I was glad to go home early!

I did not make it through the day without arousing suspicion though. Conor called me out in the afternoon but offered up a "maybe" as an answer so I went with that. I'm not sure how convincing I was...and I'll be sure to let him know he was right as soon as we're ready to share the news.

We definitely want to tell our families first and are planning to do so over Easter weekend. My mother-in-law asked me if I'd like her to invite my parents when we were in Oshkosh a few weeks ago. My mom said she would go but didn't know if my dad wanted to. I talked to my dad last week (before I even knew I was pregnant) and he said they were planning to come without me even talking him into it. It will be great to tell them all together!

My running has been pretty rough the last week or so. Wednesday Natallie accidentally turned around too early for our 3 miler but I didn't correct her because I was exhausted, even at a very reasonable pace. Friday I took a few walking breaks on my solo run. Today we decided to skip our planned 6 miler due to rain and the spring ahead time change. Hopefully I'll be up for our 3 miler on Wednesday!

I didn't sleep very well earlier this week but the last couple nights have been much better.

We have our first doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I can't wait to confirm this pregnancy!

And, it's time for another new prayer!

4 Weeks, 4 Days

I was two days late after having some weird light bleeding earlier last week. This wasn't unusual as my period has liked to toy with my emotions a bit these last 6+ months. I've also developed a bit of anxiety around doing pregnancy tests because they've always been negative, no matter what little symptoms of pregnancy I convinced myself I had.

This month, I had that weird light bleeding...then a bit of nausea...and then basically nothing. So, it didn't feel quite normal but it didn't feel pregnant either. I convinced myself to do a pregnancy test yesterday morning and it was positive! I immediately started crying happy tears. Then, I went back to the bedroom and said "John, I'm pregnant." He jumped out of bed faster than I've ever seen him get up and embraced me. Ever the pragmatist, his first words were "It's only one test. Don't get too excited. But it's a good sign."

I sent a message to the nurses at the Fertility and Reproductive Medicine Clinic and they asked me to come in this week for two blood pregnancy tests 48 hours apart. I went in for the first one this morning and the nurse called me back within a few hours confirming that I am indeed pregnant, 4 weeks and 4 days pregnant. My quantitative hCG level is high enough that I don't even have to go back on Thursday. I have an appointment with another doctor in the office next week.

After many, many months of ovulation tests, six rounds of Clomid/Ovidrel, five IUIs, and one IVF registration appointment, we're finally pregnant! And, we did it without any interventions!

Time for a new bedtime prayer (since the one I mentioned here has partially been met)!

IVF Registration

Last week John and I had our IVF registration appointments. We met with one of the IVF nurses at 10:30, a pharmacist from the Northwestern Specialty Pharmacy at 11:00, a psychologist at 1:00, and Dr. Robins at 2:45 (but we actually saw him earlier because he was available). Plus, John had another appointment at 4pm. It was a long day!

The nurse explained our protocol. The medicines include birth control pills, Lupron, Gonal F, Menopur, Ovidrel, doxycycline, and Endometrin for different lengths of time and at different parts of the cycle. There is one period of time when I'll be doing three subcutaneous injections every day. Eesh!

As I said, it was a long and pretty overwhelming day. I found the meeting with the psychologist pretty helpful. She gave me a new mantra: Live the day you're in.

The Northwestern Specialty Pharmacy has been terrific! They had to submit prior authorization paperwork with my insurance and kept me in the loop throughout the process. I heard back today that our copay for all the meds is $183. I'm so thankful that our insurance makes IVF an affordable option for us. I know others aren't so fortunate.

Now we just wait for my next cycle to start to start the protocol. More to come...