1 Year Later

I am coming clean about a little secret I've had that only certain people have known about me. I'm not proud of it but it's a part of who I used to be. I'm hoping that maybe my confession will touch someone with their own struggle and be some sort of inspiration!

One year ago this month I quit smoking! I had smoked for about 15 years. Never very much--no more than 5 a day. I quit for a year when I was pregnant with Bradley. Even though I was a "smoker" I still hated the smell of smoke and taste of it in your mouth. I really only kept doing it to relax and unstress.

Last August my brother completely quit smoking a pack/day and switched to vaping. I finally decided to give it a try since it only has nicotine in it instead of all the other nasty additives, plus you can control the level of nicotine. I switched over in September (with the lowest level of nicotine) and never looked back! I am not even tempted when someone offers me one or I'm around someone else smoking.

I of course have quit vaping (embryos don't like it!) and am proud to say I have zero desire to start smoking again! I feel strongly that vaping is an amazing technique to quit smoking or at least start weaning yourself off of cigarettes. There are so many awful chemicals and carcinogens in the cigarette, not to mention the second and thirdhand effects on those around you.

As a former smoker I can say from experience that quitting techniques are more effective when you can substitute the actual cigarette for something else to do with your hand and/or mouth. Just a nicotine patch or gum is nowhere near the same habit and even though you are getting the nicotine, your brain is still not fully satisfied. With vaping you still have the feeling of holding something and "smoke" but without the ash, smell, and carcinogens. You can slowly wean down your nicotine level until you don't need it anymore!

I kind of compare the idea to when I did a juice fast for a week. After 7 days of no solid food and only fresh fruit/veggie juice, I really missed eating! Even though I wasn't "hungry" and I was getting nutrition, my mouth and mostly my brain missed chewing.

10 Week Checkup

Today marks the end of the "embryonic" phase and the beginning of the fetal stage. My first prenatal appt went well today and the heartbeat was around 160bpm. I was a bit disappointed there was no US but I will get one in 2 weeks for the NT test (nuchal translucency). From here until 26 weeks I will go in once per month for a checkup.

I am super happy to report that today is also my very LAST Progesterone shot! PIO (Progesterone in oil) is a lovely little thing that those who get IVF have to get as an IM shot until 10wk pregnant. It helps support the uterine lining until the placenta is big enough to take over. Last time I got lucky and after a few weeks the doc let me switch to a cream....this time the doc said NO NO.

Brad is still very excited about being a big brother and is always asking to look at pics of how big the baby is. I think he'll love being able to help out.

I have been looking up a lot of great ideas for DIY maternity clothes. I refuse to go out and buy all new shirts/pants to only wear for a few months. I've seem some ingenious ideas on ways to refashion thrifted shirts/dresses into maternity wear. I have a lot of things I want to sew in the next several months!

As for my belly, it is definitely showing much earlier than the first pregnancy. Last time I really didn't show until at least around 4-5mo. This time I have had a little bump since at least 6-7wks! My pants refuse to button so I made myself a belly band to extend their use as far as I can. I'm going to try to pull off a majority of skirt/dress/legging combos this winter and avoid uncomfortable jeans as much as possible.

Thanks for reading! Check back soon for more posts.

Having a Blast at our County Fair

This weekend was our county fair, and every year it is the ONLY fair we go to! It is the highlight of September and this year we took my brother and his 3 kids with us. Now that Brad is bigger he had a blast riding more rides and sitting with his cousins!

The weather was absolutely perfect! It was overcast and had rained the whole day until around 3pm. We went in the evening after 6pm and enjoyed the cool breeze and fair food. Brad got to ride his first roller coaster and he had a blast!! He is turning out to be a thrill seeker just like I was at his age. I only rode the Ferris Wheel and managed to get a little queasy on it......

 

Everyone had fun and we were worn out by the end of the evening. We can't wait for next year!

 

Our Last RE Visit

Today was our very last visit to our infertility clinic! I made a huge batch of brownies and took them up there for the office to enjoy. It has been 2 weeks since our last US and it is so amazing to see how much little bit is growing! You can see the arms/legs, and the heartbeat was super strong and going at 172. There wasn't much movement that we caught but I swear I saw a leg twitch.

8wk3d

It is very reassuring to know that he is growing according to schedule and the heartbeat is strong. A little over 3 more weeks and I'll already be in the 2nd trimester!

I have scheduled my first prenatal appt with my OB for Sept 16 so I am assuming I will get another US then. We are all very excited to see what changes will come over the next several months!

In other news....Nick and I have booked our babymoon! Next month we are flying (adults only) to Cancun!! Neither of us have been to Mexico but we LOVE the Caribbean so I know it will be amazing. I've heard so many good things about Cancun. We are staying at an all-inclusive resort so we won't have to worry about one little thing. It will be our last big trip for awhile!