Laxatives Are Not The Answer

October 9, 2012

I've been feeling sick for the past four days or so- -feeling like I'm bloated and full of a lot of stuff that just needs to get out of me.  It was Conference this past weekend and I was quite miserable the entire time.  Tyson was leaving for job training in North Dakota this week so I anticipated going on some sort of detox/fiber diet while he was gone, eating lentils and split peas and things of that sort to hopefully clean me out.  Sunday night I just couldn't take it anymore and decided to take a laxative to speed up the process.  It left me feeling light headed most of the day yesterday (Monday) and did it's job at cleaning me out but I still felt sick.  Frustrated, I stopped at a gas station last night and bought a 7up to hopefully ease the sickness.  That didn't help.  I had been feeling sick 24/7 for 4 days straight and the only time I felt comfortable was when I was laying in my bed.

Well, this morning, I loaded the boys in the van to go spend some time at my parents' house.  Still feeling sick, I was concentrating on the discomfort and trying to come up with a solution.  All of a sudden, as I was buckling the boys in, it donned on me- -take a pregnancy test!  I ran inside, mostly thinking it would rule out the idea, but before I knew it there was a positive result staring back at me!  Whaaaaaat? 

I immediately called my OB office.  I told the receptionist what was going on and she put me on the doctor's schedule for this afternoon.  I anxiously awaited the appointment feeling like I was probably a fool and expecting to learn that I was completely mistaken.  Had that pregnancy test not been my last on hand I would have taken another one to prove the first one wrong.

I guess even if I'd have had one more test it wouldn't have proved the first one wrong.  The nurse tested my urine first thing during my appointment and said, "you're definitely pregnant!"  So then the question- -how far along am I?  You might recall my inconsistent menstrual cycles.  My last was 6 months ago in April so there's no way a calendar could say, hence the impulsive appointment.  The doc did an ultrasound and found a tiny, tiny gestational sac with a flicker of a tad pole in it, indicating I'm at maybe 6 weeks?  He wants to see me at the end of the month so we can get a better idea.  One way or another, if all goes well, we'll be welcoming baby Todd #3 into the world in June or July of 2013!

Albeit a welcomed surprise, it's still a surprise and I'm kind of freaking out.  After "trying" (and I put that in quotations because we were purposefully, regularly, diligently "trying") for Ryder for over 7 months, we thought this time around we would shorten the length of time I was on birth control so it hopefully wouldn't hinder our plans when we wanted to make things happen.  I stopped taking birth control in August and we've just been leisurely since then, planning to start "trying" at the end of November or so.  Funny how we wanted Ryder to come earlier and it didn't happen and we expected this one a little later but it's coming now.  The irony. 

The hard part is going to be keeping this to myself for 3 more days until Tyson gets home from his trip!  It took everything I had to keep from telling him when he called today, but I really want to tell him face to face and see his reaction.  He is going to die!  

October 17, 2012

Tyson returned from North Dakota on October 12th.  We met in Vernal at his mom's house so we could watch some baseball and relax for the night.  I told him I wanted to take him out for ice cream after we put the boys to bed so that was the plan and I anticipated breaking the news to him then.  Something funny though- -when everyone was sitting around at dinner, we were talking about how cute Ryder is and Tyson said, "I guess it's time to have another one."  I did my best to hide the secret and just looked a him with a face of, "Oh you think so, do you?" But I could tell by the face he shot back that he knew something was up already!  I just looked away and tried to make it seem as natural as possible. 

We put the boys down for bed and went to Farr's Fresh.  After assembling our ice cream I chose a corner table where we would have some privacy.  We chatted for a minute and then I asked if he thought it was odd that I was so determined to get him out for ice cream with me.  He didn't think it was odd......but then I told him I had something to show him.  Immediately, he got a surprised/excited/in-denial face and asked, "are you serious?"  Laughing, I reached for my purse and pulled out my ultrasound picture.  His first response was, "I KNEW IT!" 

He knew it!?!  What???  He told me he knew it before he even left for North Dakota, to which I asked why he didn't tell me!!?!?  Because I never even had an inkling of a thought that that would be the reason I was feeling sick!  Some of you reading might think I'm crazy, or oblivious, or just plain stupid, but you have to look at it from my point of view. 

When we were trying to get pregnant with Ryder, it took 7 months of diligent "trying."  Sure, I've been off birth control since August, but between that time and now, we have been far less than "trying" (if you catch my drift...)  For a woman who only ovulates 3 or 4 times per YEAR,  her chances are already slim while she's "trying," let alone when she's not!  And since I haven't had a menstrual cycle for 6 months, the lack thereof gave no reason to wonder.  Even Tyson, half jokingly, said he wanted a DNA test because all the pieces just don't come together.  I guess it just wasn't our puzzle to figure out this time.

At this point I'm just really curious to get in for my next appointment and get a more accurate due date.  I'm thrown off because I didn't get sick with my first two pregnancies until I reached about 7 or 8 weeks and I knew I was pregnant before that point with both of them.  The fact that my sickness is what triggered me to question whether I was pregnant this time around makes me wonder where I'm at and what I'm in for.  I've been sick every day since October 5.  I hope the earlier onset means an earlier ending to the sickness!

October 30, 2012

Friday evening (Oct 26) we went to visit Greg for a little bit.  While we were there we found out he planned to leave town for work on Sunday and wouldn't be back until Halloween (Wednesday).  I pulled Tyson aside and mentioned maybe we should tell him the news before he left since he wouldn't be around when we planned to announce it to him and Betty on Monday.  Tyson agreed and told me he would "take care of it."  Soon after, we were watching TV and Tyson casually mentioned to Greg, "we have an appointment in the morning at 9:00.  *casual pause*  We're getting an ultrasound.  Dani's pregnant."  Greg immediately lit up with surprise and excitement.  It was pretty funny.  Then Brandon came downstairs a little while later and asked "so what's the big news?"  So those two found out earlier than the rest of the family.

Saturday morning (Oct 27) at the ultrasound everything looked great and the baby had grown at least 20X in size.  Look at this!

(In case you're having a hard time seeing it, the tiny black thing in the top right-hand corner of the first ultrasound is the gestational sac.  The vague flicker of matter you see inside the sac is the baby.)

The first ultrasound was at about 6 weeks 1 day and the 2nd one was at 8 weeks 5 days.  Pretty amazing how much it grew in just under three weeks!!  Dr. Williams guesstimated a June 3, 2013 due date at the first ultrasound and the second ultrasound just solidified it.  June 2nd or 3rd will be the date!

Tyson wanted to cut and split some firewood after the ultrasound so we headed to my parents' house where our waiting-to-be-cut pile of wood is sitting.  I made cards for all of our parents with this picture on the front:

On the front it said, "Trick or treat?"  And on the inside it said, ".......It's not a trick.......it must be a treat!  Baby Todd #3 is on it's way June 2, 2013!" with a picture of that morning's ultrasound. When we arrived at my parents' house Teryn delivered the card to my mom.  She opened the envelope, only glanced at the front, and went straight for the inside.  She saw the ultrasound picture and her jaw dropped.  "Seriously!?"  We just laughed.  I told her to go back to the front and look at the picture, but it took her a while to understand it.   She and my dad were pleasantly surprised!

I requested a visit from Grandma Michelle that afternoon so she could go to the Halloween carnival with us.  She didn't know it was also premeditated so we could give her the special news =0) When she arrived Teryn handed her the card.  We made sure to point out that she needed to really look at the picture before she opened to the inside.  She did, but it also took her a minute to see it.  When she caught on she was also pleasantly surprised!

Then Sunday afternoon (Oct 28) we took a little ride out to Bluebell to see grandma and grandpa Todd.  We handed grandma only a picture and she caught on right away!  Her reaction even implied that she already knew!  She's always known when I'm pregnant- -she's just intuitive like that.  Grandpa too, neither one of them seemed surprised.  They just knew!  Kind of funny.

So the only ones left to tell were Betty, Lexi, Ben, and Bree.  We get together every Monday for Family Home Evening so I already planned to break the news to them at that point.  Last night (Oct 29) we met at Ben & Bree's for dinner.  After dinner we gathered for a lesson and then I mentioned we had something to add to the lesson and handed the card to Betty.  Breanna's face lit up and she got so excited.  Betty opened and read the card aloud and Breanna exclaimed "I knew it!"  I asked if her mom had told her and she said no, she could see my belly!  Ha ha!  I didn't deny it because something is definitely starting to show, whether it's baby or bloating I'm not sure, but my body is changing and it's obvious to the world. 

That's kind of one reason I wanted to announce it so early- -I knew people were already assuming and I'm the worst liar on earth.  Also, I have seriously been sick every day ALL day since the beginning of the month and it's making me a little less-than-happy.  It's also stripping me of all motivation to do anything.  My house is a complete disaster.  I need people to know I'm growing a baby so they don't assume I've just fallen into an abyss of laziness.

It's becoming a little more real now that everyone knows.  My relationship with Ryder has changed.  It's bittersweet, knowing he'll be my "baby" for such a short time.  He and the new baby will be just about 16 months apart.  Actually, closer to 15 months.  It's been good to hear so many friends and family speak highly of their relationships with siblings who are close to them in age.  Both Teryn and Ryder will be awesome big brothers.  Tyson thinks it's another boy and I feel like it's a girl.  But we all know what happened when I swore I knew what I was having last time, so I won't put any money on it.