Week Two
Before she actually starts growing, you'll set the stage. Last week an increase in the amount of estrogen and progesterone coursing through your bloodstream prompted your uterus to form a lush, blood-rich lining of tissue to support a potential fertilized egg. At the same time, in your ovaries, eggs were ripening in fluid-filled sacs called follicles. At the beginning of this week (often around day 14 of a 28-day cycle), you ovulate: One of your eggs erupts from its follicle and is swept away from your ovary and into a Fallopian tube. During the next 12 to 24 hours that egg will be fertilized if one of the 250 million sperm (on average) your mate ejaculates manages to swim all the way from your vagina through your cervix, up into your uterus to the Fallopian tube and penetrates the egg. Only about 400 sperm will survive the arduous ten-hour journey to the egg, and only one will succeed in burrowing through its outer membrane. (It takes about 20 minutes for the lucky winner to find his way in.)
Over the next ten to 30 hours, the sperm's nucleus will merge with the egg's as they combine their genetic material. If the sperm carries a Y chromosome, your baby will be a boy; if it's an X chromosome, you'll be welcoming a girl. During the three- to four-day trip from your Fallopian tube to your uterus, the fertilized egg (now called a zygote) will divide into 16 identical cells. Once it enters the uterus, the zygote is called a morula. A day or two later, it will begin burrowing into the lush lining of your uterus, continuing its amazing growth and transformation. By this time your developing baby is just a little ball of cells that's officially referred to by scientists as a blastocyst: It has an inner cell mass that will become the embryo itself, a fluid-filled cavity that will become the amniotic sac, and an outer cell mass that will become the placenta, the pancake-shaped organ that delivers life-sustaining oxygen and nutrients to your baby and carries away her waste products.
We are in our First Month!
February 16, 2008
I am standing here beside myself right now, because I took a pregancy test this morning and it came back positive. I was so sure it would only have one line, and did a double take, but they say they are 99% accurate. I am really having trouble getting my mind around it because I don’t feel very different. I was quite surprised, stunned, shocked...because I was mainly taking the test to prove that I wasn't pregnant!
That was this morning before I dropped Andrew off for class, and when I got back I took another and the line is very faint but I think cuz I had a lot to drink and it's diluted the results. However, they say that even if it is really light, it is still positive. Holy cow! Can it be?
Tonight we had planned to celebrate Valentine’s Day by cooking together, so I will tell him then. And if it’s true, then according to the web sites the baby would be born around my Mom’s bday. I would love that.
I am still a little shaky. I feel like I’m in a daze.
February 17, 2008
Second full day of knowing that I am pregnant! It’s still all so new, but I am excited and feel a little happy to have my own big secret.
I told Andrew last night. We had already planned to celebrate Valentine's Day, so as a 'gift' I wrapped the positive stick and placed it in a velvet heart-shaped chocolates box. His face was priceless and he was obviously moved.
I had brunch AND dinner with some friends - different ones each time, but I didn’t tell them. We will wait until we know more about the due date and so on, and after we’ve told the family.
Andrew asked if we wanted to tell the parents today, he said he’s excited to tell people...but we agreed that it’s best to wait until after the dr appointment which I need to set tomorrow.
...just got off the phone with Andrew and he says he’s kinda wants to tell people (he’s in Vegas at a show for work). I told him I would like to tell the parents in person. He said maybe we can conference call...but I would like to tell my mom in person. Maybe via web cam? I will have to check into that.
February 20, 2008
Of all the symptoms that I could have, the only one that I have noticed so far is kind of a depression and moodiness. This morning I was really grumpy and now I feel happy?
I’ve been on the phone about three times with mom, just our normal day to day conversation, but it’s been hard not to tell her. I can’t wait until tomorrow after the blood test. I plan to call her on the way to work or sometime shortly after. I think she’ll be on top of the world!
It’s such a life changing thing, I guess I still can’t get my mind around it. Especially since, so far, I don’t feel much different.
February 21, 2008
Andrew came with me this morning to have blood drawn for the test to tell us how far along we are. (It still feels like someone else is saying those things)... We are going to video tape as much of this as possible, because it’s all such a blur that it will be nice to have the documentation...and I imagine fun for a child to watch someday.
The loft is now under contract too. It’s amazing to me how the whole plan is working out perfectly. Babies, house-selling, getting a great home for cheap, I mean it really couldn’t have worked out better and I thank God for it all. He’s watched over us, over every bit. I think it’s just a matter of handing it all over to him and not worrying about it. Trust in the Lord, he will deliver!
We plan to tell the parents this weekend, although it’s still really early I am excited to give Mom the news she’s been so anxious to hear.
I would like to video tape Mom’s reaction so I might try to get in touch with David to do that Saturday morning. I will do that now actually....
Turns out that they don’t have a video camera. Maybe I will just tell David to have the camera ready when we break the news.
February 23, 2008
The blood results came back and my number was 1572, which means that we are approximately four weeks in. So we probably conceived on Feb 1 or 2.
This morning we woke up and called the grandparents. Bob and Karen were excited and thankful for the good news. And when we finally got Mom, she was so excited too and said she’s been waiting for it for so long! David said ‘hallelujah’....
I am glad to have given them all something to be happy about. I pray that each day the baby grows healthier and happier. I can see myself falling in love already. And it’s been fun to go through this with Andrew, speculating on whether we’ll find out or how we’ll handle the first year. Either way, I am blessed to have him with me. He’s a good husband.
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