Heartbeat

Today marks 14 weeks and 5 days and the first day I've heard Paxlet's heartbeat. At least I'm pretty sure it was Paxlet's heartbeat!

After Mr Siili had already left for work, I just couldn't help myself, I had to try and see if I could find Paxlet's heartbeat with the fetal heart monitor I've borrowed from a friend. I've tried a couple of times during the last couple of weeks, but I just never found anything as it was most likely too early. But today, I heard a heartbeat sound that was definitely a bit faster than my own. I can't wait to try again and have Mr Siili hear this time.

Weekend snippets

This was originally supposed to be Saturday Snippets and then Sunday Snippets, but I figured I'd cover the entire weekend instead. That's what happens when you're lazy on your last 2 days of holiday.

* I am so glad I had this last week off from work. I really needed the time to recharge my battery and recover from the horrendous flu from the week before.

* I'm still coughing (up junk), but it is much better. I know this cough is going to linger for quite some time, it's one of those coughs.

* On Saturday, Mr Siili and I drove to the store (instead of walking) to get food. It would have been good to get out and stretch my legs, but we bought 3 bottles of soda and it was easier to transport them home that way. Plus, it was the only way to get Mr Siili to go with me. :)

* On Saturday I tried 2 new recipes: kanakookoskeitto (chicken coconut milk soup) and Great Harvest Whole Wheat Bread Copycat which I found on Eat Cake for Dinner. The soup was ok, but I don't think I'll be making it again. At least not any time soon. The bread, on the other hand, was yummy and Mr Siili devoured the last few slices this evening. I didn't quite follow the recipe (I read the flour type wrong), but it turned out amazing anyway. For some reason I kept thinking the flour was supposed to be graham instead of whole wheat. Don't ask where I came up with graham, as it is no where on the blog post or recipe!

I put our initials on the bread. Cute, eh?

* I also made a Muzzy's Cheesecake. This recipe is from the coffeehouse I worked at for several years when I was younger. The coffeehouse was one of my first real jobs and I still have fond memories of the place. Plus, I have many of the amazing recipes that we used there. I had thought of possibly freezing part of it so we'd have some for later, but more than half of it has already been eating today alone.

I forgot to take a picture of it before cutting into it.

* The flute girl monkey girl downstairs decided to be noisy, again, this weekend. She and whoever else was with her decided to sing karaoke or at least play loud music and talk yell most of Saturday. Thankfully they went out before it got too late and didn't make noise all night. Unfortunately, they were back at it early this morning. I did go down and talk to her, which resulted in them being quite for maybe 5 minutes. Ugh! We so can't wait to move!

* To try and drown out some of the noise, Mr Siili and I had a TV show marathon this weekend. We watched some Big Bang Theory, New Girl, Nikita, Dexter, Broke Girls, Once Upon a Time and possibly something else. We didn't watch too many Dexter episodes, at least night right before bed, as the last few times I've had strange dreams/nightmares from that show.

What would you do if you had a cute cat on your lap?

* Mr Siili has told me several times that if I continue to go pee so often, my bladder will shrink and I'll 'train' my bladder to get used to going pee all the time. I tried telling him I'm not peeing all the time because I want to, but because I need to. (Especially with this cough still!) I can feel my eyeballs floating when my bladder gets relatively full and it makes me feel a bit ill and uncomfortable. Silly guy!

* And now it's time for bed. I've hardly thought about work this last two weeks, but it's now time to get back into the grind. I can't wait to see (sarcasm here) what sort of mess has been left behind for me.

Paxlet pictures - aka - baby bump pics

You asked and you shall receive! Hehe. I didn't want to put my pregnancy pictures directly in my posts, instead I've created a page called Paxlet's Pictures where I have put and will continue to put our (semi) weekly photos. I don't think these pictures are nearly as good as Jesica's over at Just Smile and Blog. She is positively glowing and so cute! But, I have always wanted to take pregnancy pictures, so this is what we get.
Enjoy!

14 weeks

It's been great these last couple of days not having to work!! I've slept in, taken naps and basically done what I've wanted to do: absolutely nothing. Ok, I have done a few things like go wedding dressing hunting with a friend (She thinks she's found the one), food shopping, dishes, laundry and such, but not much else. I've also started reading another book (Danse Macabre by Laurell K. Hamilton), but that's because I want to and not have to. *big grin*

My flu is most of the way gone. Yay! The only thing that is left now is a cough to get the phlegm out of my throat and a sore left nostril from all the nose blowing last week. It's amazing how much better I feel this week.

After a lazy morning of reading in bed, finally getting out of bed to make some sushi for lunch, then sitting and reading and eating said lunch and eventually watching an episode of 16 & pregnant, I thought it might be time to take a short walk outside. But what I saw was the following image. Snow and lots of it coming down. So, I proceeded to watch another TV show, read some more and then turn on the computer. Over all, I think today has been a great day!

Total Weight Loss/Gain: I haven't checked lately, but I'm probably still at my beginning weight of 66kg because of the stupid flu last week.

Maternity Clothes: I've done a bit of looking on a FB group where women sell their used maternity clothes cheaply. I think I'll try to get some stuff from there, at some point.

Sleep: I've been trying to drink a little bit less liquid in the couple of hours leading up to bed time. That seems to help the trips to the bathroom during the night.

Cravings/Aversions: Still eating whatever I want whenever I want. No cravings or aversions. I am learning to eat much smaller than normal portions of food more regularly to help fight the bloating. It's going pretty good this week. It was strange that the potato-carrot puree soup that I made from scratch seemed to make me the most bloated. I ate those foods in other forms quite often and don't have any issues. 

Symptoms: The need to pee more often, still a bit tired and feeling bloated sometimes, but more-so in the evening. 

What I miss: Not really missing anything at the moment.

What I look forward to: Still can't wait to have a more noticeably visible pregnancy bump. I would also like to hear Paxlet's heart beat. I haven't found it yet with the fetal heart monitor I'm borrowing from a friend.

Moods: Feeling pretty good.

Milestones: Paxlet is the size of a lemon!! We're in the second trimester now, no matter which way you look at it! I bought my first baby purchase since being pregnant. There was some cloth diapers (covers and inserts) at the 2nd hand store, but these things look totally brand new and one of the pieces still has the store tag on it. I only paid 15€ for the 6 pieces, which is roughly valued at 57€. Now I just need to decide if Mr Siili and I are going this route or not.

Medical concerns: I don't think I had too much in the way of a fever during my flu, but I can't help but wonder if it did anything to Paxlet. I know I'll be more relieved when I either hear Paxlet's heartbeat or have my next doctor's appointment (in two weeks).

Sex?: Not for a while. Coughing to the point of gagging or peeing oneself is not sexy and most likely painful to the guy. Thankfully this cough is almost gone.

Misc: Mr Siili is so weird!!! I was just playing a bonus Farkle game on FB and some text said: BONUS GAME OVER. Mr Siili started talking about how the text really said BONER GAME OVUS and how I'm so obsessed about this whole pregnancy and baby thing that I can't stop thinking about boners and ovaries. He also went on to say joke that I was hoping he wouldn't notice it said 'boner game ovus' and show how obsessed I really am. Where he gets this stuff, I just don't know, but it sure makes me laugh!

13 weeks
12 weeks
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7 weeks

Mini rant

Ok, this has been on my mind for a while and I just need to get it out there! I'm sure it'll annoy some, but oh well.

I can't stand the captcha text that many blogs have in order for you to leave a comment. I like leaving comments, but when I have to figure out the letters and take extra time figuring that out, sometimes I just can't be bothered. :( In addition, Blogger's captcha text has even gotten worse lately! There is now not just one word, but two AND they are very hard to read!! What I find even worse is having to type in the text and then your comment is awaiting moderation?! Why not just put all comments on moderation and forgo the captcha text altogether?

Anyway, done with the rant and stepping of my slippery soap box.

Sauna

A while back, I posted about cleaning the cat's litter box and how you're not really supposed to while pregnant. Here's another thing you're not supposed to do while pregnant (according to some): Sauna.

Last night on FB, I mentioned that I was looking forward to going to sauna. Some friends in a FB group nicely cautioned/advised that I shouldn't be going to sauna, using hot baths or hot tubs while pregnant. For which, I thanked them from the bottom of my heart and I truly meant it. (I've never been in this situation before, I have lots of questions and love been there done that answers! Following them to a T is a different story.) And then I proceed to explain how and why I believe it is okay to go to sauna while pregnant.

First off, I asked the doctor at the very first appointment I had if it was okay to go to sauna, as I know in the USA (and UK) that it is advised against going. The doctor told me it is fine to go throughout my entire pregnancy. So, I do have the professional go ahead.

Another thing, I live in Finland. Finland is the homeland of sauna. In a country of 5 million people and over 2 million saunas (roughly 1 for every household), I think that says a lot. Going to sauna is a weekly (if not more) tradition in Finnish families. It's a time to relax, bond as a family and also get clean. Finnish people, young and old (from a couple of months old on up) have been going to sauna for so long, it's impossible to trace its roots.

When we (Mr Siili and I and most everyone else in Finland) go to sauna, it's not like you see on TV in those competitions: we don't see who can stand the most heat. It's unhealthy and well, just plain silly. We go to sauna to get clean, relax and enjoy. (Often times, so I've been told, even business agreements are made in the sauna.)We can make it as hot or as cool as we want in there and we can change the humidity by tossing more water on the rocks, or not. Also, there is no rule that one has to sit on the top bench all the time. In fact, depending on how I feel, especially now, I sit on the middle bench quite often. It's still pleasantly hot, but not too hot. Also, we sit in sauna for a bit, then leave for a cool refreshing shower. After a bit, we head back into sauna and repeat the process over again until we are done for the evening. (Plus, all my friends are doing it. *giggle*)

I understand the concern others have about going to sauna, especially when it has been taught that it is unhealthy for the baby. And if I was just coming to Finland or going to a spa or health club in the US and not at all used to going to sauna, I would agree that I should not be going to sauna. But having lived in this country for almost 13 years and enjoyed sauna all these years, I think I'm quite acclimated to sauna and its customs.

Here are some sauna links to read if you'd like to learn more:
Finnish Sauna via Wikipedia
Bare facts of the sauna via This is Finland
Finnish Sauna Culture via The Finnish Sauna Society
Sauna and your health (personal website)
Finnish Sauna Secrets (personal website)

Oh For Fucks Sake Friday - February 17th

I think this week deserves a "Oh For Fucks Sake Friday" post.

* I've been horrendously sick all week. Coughing, nausea, gagging, stuffed up nose, runny nose, not able to breath, fevery, achey, pounding head, burning eyes, cold, hot and just plain ol' miserable. FFS

* Mr Siili hasn't been very supportive of me while I've been sick. He's quite grumpy when he comes home (in my opinion) and then he says I'm being naggy the second I open my mouth. He started it! FFS

* As much as I am loving being pregnant, this peeing all the time is getting old, especially in the middle of the night. FFS

* Monday, after I'd already gone to work (before coming home sick) Mr Siili found cat puke on a rug. He dragged said rug into the bathroom and left it there, permanently. He pushed said rug aside to take a shower, but other than that, it sat on the bathroom floor, in direct sight of the toilet when you sit on it. It made me gag each time I looked at it. I would think that whoever found the puke would take care of it. Not so. FFS

* In my sad miserable state of sickness, I squatted in the bathroom to clean the cat puke off the rug. And then set it to dry. When Mr Siili came home and took a shower, he shoved said rug aside, so it got more damp and not more dry. FFS

* One more rant about my pregnancy: I am so freaking bloated! In the morning not so, but at the day progresses, it gets worse until I am so bloated it hurts. And going pee doesn't help. FFS
On a serious note, does anyone have any suggestions on how to make this bloated-ness even a tiny bit better?

* I'm supposed to go wedding dress shopping on Monday with a friend. And I'm barely feeling any better today, I can only hope 2 more days makes a miracle. FFS

* Next week is also supposed to be a free week from work, I don't have any major plans, but I didn't plan on being sick. So this cold can just F-off! FFS

13 weeks

...and one day. Yes, I'm a day late post this week, because I've been fantastically sick all week! Prepare for a whoa is me whinge:

I can't remember the last time I've been this miserably sick. It started with a sharp painful cough Sunday evening. By Monday morning I did not want to get ready for work (who does on Monday morning?), but I trudged along and went to work. I stayed most of the day, stupid me. My mind wasn't all there (Mr Siili would say that is normal) and I was nauseous. This nausea was horrendous!! All I can say is that I am even more thankful that I did not have this symptom (this badly) at the beginning of my pregnancy. One day of it was more than enough for me. I stayed home Tuesday, coughing and hacking up parts of my lung. This slimy junk in my throat just doesn't want to come out easily and so I end up gagging most of the time I cough, which leaves me sweaty, shaky and tears in my eyes. I have been trying to remember to take my asthma medicine more, I have sort of succeeded. My throat was so sore and my stomach hurt too from all the coughing/gagging. I didn't sleep well Tuesday night and had to get up early to meet a co-worker visiting from the US at his hotel, near my house, to take him to work. It was planned already last week and I didn't even think of finding someway to get out of it until too late the night before. Oh well. I took the guy into work and stayed there until my doctor's appointment to get sick leave for the rest of the week. Went home with sore ears as 2 stupid teen boys decided to sit behind me and basically yell their conversation the whole trip. I tried to sleep for 3 hours, but I couldn't get warm (until I took a long hot shower), I was achey and I couldn't breath because my nose decided to start running. So, I slept in 10-30 minute intervals, breathing with my mouth open, which then dries my mouth out and then I start coughing, which leads me having to run to the bathroom so I don't pee myself. LOL, this just sucks! I also didn't sleep too well last night, but as the night wore on, I found myself sleeping in longer stretches and being able to breath more. I only woke up to go pee and turn myself to a more comfortable position. My nose isn't running as badly today, but I still ache and feel miserable.

And for some good news! A package arrived for me in the mail yesterday! A lady from my hometown sent me a bag of coconut and cherry M&Ms!!! I haven't eaten too many, as they just aren't appealing at the moment, but I was totally thrilled for this package.

And my other insanely wonderful news: one of my best friends is pregnant!!! She has the very cute 2.5 year old that just loves me and she is now 8 weeks pregnant. She only found out last week that she is pregnant because she hasn't had a period in 4 months. She gets some pretty bad migraines, which completely mess up her hormones. So when she started feeling nausea and puking again, she figured she'd better test and it came up positive. I'm so excited for her and on a slightly selfish note, I'm exited to have a friend on maternity leave at the same time as me.

Now, for this week's weekly update! I've removed a couple that just aren't relevant yet, but I'll put them back in as they become relevant. 

Total Weight Loss/Gain: I think I'm right back at my beginning weight of 66kg because of this stupid flu.

Maternity Clothes: This will become a reality soon-ish. My pants are getting tighter and tighter. I'm gonna see what I can do about jerry-rigging my pants so I can fight off buying pants for as long as possible. I hate shopping and don't look forward to it. I still haven't bought any new bras. I just hate trying on bras and I really don't like under-wires. So, I'm thinking I'll buy me some nice soft nursing bras quite soon. I am quite sure I've gone up at least one size around and in cup from a 75D (34C US) to at least an 80DD, although I think I might need an even bigger cup. Bleh. 


Sleep: Having to get up and go pee several times a night is putting a bit of a damper on my sleep, but it isn't so bad. I really just need to get a night light so I don't have to have the bright light on every time I go in there. 

Cravings/Aversions: Still eating whatever I want whenever I want. No cravings or aversions. Although, sometimes talk about certain foods will make me queasy.  Mr Siili thinks that is funny. 

Symptoms: The need to pee more often, still a bit tired (but this is also sickness related) and feeling bloated, very bloated, but more-so in the evening. 

What I miss: Only waking up once a night to go pee instead of 3 or 4 times. Haha
Not really pregnancy related, but I miss my mom! 

What I look forward to: Still can't wait to have a noticeably visible pregnancy bump. I think it is showing more, especially now if/when I don't suck my tummy in. (I should stop doing that for my semi-weekly photos.) 

Moods: I cry at the drop of a hat when watching something on TV. It's quite funny really, but also silly. Other than that, I think my moods are like they normally are. 

Milestones: Paxlet is the size of a peach!! We're in the second trimester (at least by some books)! 

Medical concerns: I sure hope this cold doesn't bother Paxlet. I'm also a bit concerned about all the coughing and sneezing, as my stomach and lady bits are somewhat sore. I'm sure it's normal, but feeling something new for the first time is always something that gives me a quick pause to think about. 

Sex?: Still no raging desire in me, but there is still time. There definitely won't be any sex until I'm feeling better and Mr Siili's back isn't hurting. 

Misc: I'm thrilled my friend is pregnant. I can't wait to be over this flu. And I really do hope I am feeling better soon, because I would like to go outside, even if for a short bit. The sun was beautiful today and it definitely isn't cold (only -2 to -4C). I've also made an appointment with a friend/co-worker to go wedding dress shopping with her on Monday. Fingers crossed we can kick this flu to the curb.
I'm sick of drinking hot black currant juice and tea, but what else can I drink?!

12 weeks
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7 weeks

I caught what everyone else had last week

Last week at work and in the bus I remember hearing everyone (ok, maybe not everyone, but enough people) coughing and hacking and they DIDN'T COVER THEIR MOUTH! I'm usually the type of person that thinks and says: I'm not going to get sick. Simple as that. I just don't like being sick (who does?) and just don't want to be. It so isn't worth the feelings and effort to get time off work to be home and be sick. But this time around, I remember people coughing and I just felt that here it comes... And then the weekend came and I forgot about it all.

Except on Sunday afternoon, I started coughing a little bit. A harsh and searingly painful cough. And then this morning when I woke up, I didn't feel well, but I still managed to get ready and head to work. The cough wasn't too persistent, but when I did cough, it hurt! And then the nausea kicked in and I just felt like crud. I was worried I wouldn't make the bus ride home without having to make an emergency pit-stop to get off and vomit. But, I made it home. I ate a little something, which sort of quieted my stomach for a very short while and then I crawled into bed, which made my stomach angry again. It was all I could do to keep my stomach where it should be. I managed to sleep for a while, but when I woke up, I felt just a cruddy as before, if not worse. I sent a text message to EK, my team leader, saying that I definitely wasn't going to feel better by morning. And by some miraculous way, an hour and a half later, the nausea has subsided a bit, but I still feel like crud. I think I'll go crawl into bed and hope I feel better tomorrow.

I would like to feel better by tomorrow, as tomorrow is Ysävänpäivää (Friend day) also known as Valentine's Day everywhere else. And for the first time in ages I've managed to get Mr Siili to do something with me for it. A restaurant chain in town is having a special where if you buy two of the same main meals, you get the 2nd one free. Our reservation is made, but we might have to un-make it. But I guess this is better than last year's V-day when Mr Siili was in the hospital for appendix surgery.

I did it! I told my co-workers!

I did it! I told my co-workers that I'm pregnant yesterday! It wasn't quite how I had planned it, but it worked. And now I've got a different secret to keep for a while.

First, let me give a little background on this. Last Sunday, I posted about being nervous as to how I was going to tell my co-workers. So, I asked two women who have been pregnant at my work how they told everyone their news. The first one is my former team leader and she said she told everyone during a team meeting. The other lady said that she made some comment about being extremely tired during a coffee break and one of the other girls said "You must be pregnant", to which she replied, "Why, yes I am". And from there the word spread. So she didn't really "officially" tell anyone, it just sort of got out.

And now back to yesterday at work. Earlier in the day, my former team leader started chatting with me (via a chat program) asking if I told everyone earlier in the week during our coffee break where I had baked something and shared it with everyone. I told her I hadn't said anything yet and that I had baked just because. She then asked when I planned on telling everyone, how it would make holiday planning easier for everyone if they knew and so on. She didn't want it to seem like she was rushing or pushing me, but just that she was curious. I told her I wanted to tell and that I probably should tell, but that I was still unsure of how to go about it.

During this chat with the former team leader, I started chatting (verbally & via the chat program) with the one co-worker in my team that did know I was pregnant, as he sits right next to me. Often times we chat half via the chat program and half verbally, quite interesting to listen to I'm sure. I told him what our former team leader was saying and that I just didn't know what or how to say I'm pregnant to the team. He told me the summer holiday thing was a good idea and that I could casually mention during lunch or a coffee break when the topic of summer holidays came up (or try to steer conversation towards that) about my extended summer "holiday" plans. At one point the guy said something (funny, I think) and tears started welling up in my eyes and I started crying and laughing. I tried telling him I had no idea where these tears came from and they were completely unfounded! He said he knew where they came from and that they were founded. LOL

Anyway, from these two conversations, I now had it mostly figured out how I was going to tell people. I liked the idea of summer holidays and it being able to be brought up during a regular conversation. And most likely not everyone would be there at once, so I wouldn't have to face the entire peanut gallery at once. What is really weird (to me) about this whole situation is that normally I don't have issues speaking up and saying what's on my mind, especially when it is around a group of people I know. This whole "announcing" thing and bringing all of the attention focused solely on me, is just a bit too strange. So, it was now just time to wait for the opportunity to strike.

Then our team meeting happened (during the time most people take their afternoon coffee break). We've recently gotten 4 new people to our team and the EK thought it would be nice if we could go around the room introducing ourselves with our name, how long we've worked there and which units we handle. Someone jokingly said it was sort of like AA meeting, except instead of how long they had been clean, someone said hold old they are. We all had a laugh and people started introducing themselves stating their names, how old they are and their units. For the first few introductions, others would say "You don't need to say your age if you don't want to", but people kept saying it. So finally my turn came, half way around the circle and I said: "My name is Heather, I'm 35 years old and I previously handled this, but now I'm doing this". And this next part is where it gets a bit fuzzy, as I just got totally nervous and blurted out weird stuff. I continued, "And while everyone is sharing a little bit about themselves, I just wanted to say that I'll be taking an long summer holiday this year because... *gulp* ...I'm pregnant". It felt like minutes, but I'm sure it was only seconds while everyone processed what I said and then started saying congrats and clapping. I honestly don't remember exactly what happened because I was in my own world of embarrassment and burning cheeks. It was then the girl's turn next to me.

Again, I can't remember the exact order of this as things were still a bit fuzzy, but soon after I told my news, the girl who was next to introduce herself turned to me and whispered "I'm pregnant too!". And then a few seconds later she turned to me again and said "I haven't told EK yet." and I whispered to her "No worries". I did talk to her a bit later in the day and told her congrats and found out she is a week behind me. It'll be cool to have someone else on the team going through the same thing, but I have to say, I'm selfishly glad I told my news first.

And wave 4 of my team's department of pregnancies begins. At least this time, I'm a part of it!

12 weeks

My 12 week scan was today and it was awesome! I'm feeling much more relaxed and confident now. More about at the end of this post under the Misc topic.

Total Weight Loss/Gain: +1-2kg, at most (starting 66kg)


Maternity Clothes: Not yet. I'm just unbuttoning my pants when I sit for too long.

Stretch marks: None yet.

Sleep: Still needing more sleep than usual for me. But it is still good sleep, usually. Sometimes I have weirder than normal dreams, but I can generally fall back asleep after the weirdest ones quite easily.

Movement: Not feeling any movement yet, but I'm "practicing" feeling it every night. As I fall asleep, I lay with my hands on my stomach waiting for Paxlet to wiggle.

Cravings/Aversions: Still only avoiding sweets off and on.

Gender: No idea!

Symptoms: Nothing really new: So long as I eat regularly and not too much at a time, I feel fine. I'm peeing much more. And I'm still quite tired each evening and especially after lunch. I just can't seem to function for about an hour to an hour and a half after I've eaten.

What I miss: Nothing! Maybe a tiny thing I'm missing is not having any friends in town with me who are also pregnant. My closest friends have kids who are 7 years, 3.5 years, 2.5 years (*2) and just over 1 year. I totally missed having a kid at the same time as everyone else.

What I look forward to: Having a visible (to everyone else) bump and feeling Paxlet move!

Moods: Normal for the most part. I did have a grump session with Mr Siili who reciprocated in kind. Haha

Milestones: 12 week scan today!!! edited to add: Paxlet is the size of a plum as of today!

Medical concerns: No concerns. I'm not sure if it is the cold weather or pregnancy (or my lack of taking my meds as regularly as I should), but my asthma seems to be acting up a bit. Much more phlegm in my throat than usual, but thankfully nothing more than that.

Sex?: :)

Misc: As soon as the doctor put the ultrasound on my tummy, my eyes misted a bit. Such a great sight to see! Paxlet is measuring spot on! As per my EDD (confirmed once again today), Paxlet should be 12weeks 0days, which is where s/he is, exactly! The external ultrasound was quite blurry still (as the doctor explained it most likely would be), so she switched to the wand. We got to see the heart beat, but not hear it. Tiny bummer, but oh well. There is a beautiful head, spine, heart, stomach, bladder, arms, elbows, knees and feet! Towards the end the doctor jiggled my tummy to get Paxlet to move and boy, did s/he! Paxlet put on a little show for us and then turned away from us as if to say, "Ok, I moved for you, now leave me alone". Hehe! Sounds like Paxlet is already taking after mom and dad. I don't remember too many numbers, except for the ranges for possible Down Syndrome. For my age (35.5 years) it was 1:350, which is decent. And for Paxlet's measurements it was 1:3250. (At least close to that.). The doctor talked to us a bit after the ultrasound, gave us 2 pictures and we scheduled a more detailed scan when I am 20 weeks. Not much more was done after that, so Mr Siili and I went back to work.

Mr Siili still hasn't said too much about this whole pregnancy thing. Well, he did comment that I need to be much more careful and not be so spazzy and clumsy. *eye roll* It's not as if I do those things on purpose! And he does say little things here and there, so I know he is thinking about it some, but I'd just love to talk to him more about it. I'm still going to give him some time and try to catch him at a good moment.

I'm just really relieved to see Paxlet alive and wiggling. I feel like I can definitely relax, at least for the time being. Who knows what the future holds, but for today it is quite bright and I'm very happy and thankful!

11 weeks
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7 weeks

12 week ultrasound moved to Wednesday

So, I just got a call from the nurse at the doctor's office, 30 minutes before our appointment, the doctor just went home sick. So, we rescheduled the appointment for Wednesday afternoon. I'm a bit bummed that our appointment got cancelled today, but glad that it is only one more day's wait.

Getting some sleep last night did help the panic, nerves and scared feelings mostly go away.

12 week ultrasound tomorrow

And I'm scared!

Hormonally, this makes sense (sort of), but rationally it doesn't, but I can't help myself. I've not had any spotting, no previous miscarriages, no flu or colds recently, no unbearable pain or anything that should make me worry about something being wrong. But I've read too many blogs to know that anything can happy and does happen. And I'm still scared!

I'm thankful that I haven't been worried, nervous or scared about this scan up until yesterday (or so) and today. I'm truly enjoying the fact that I am pregnant. And I'm still totally amazed by it. I want this ultrasound tomorrow to go well! I want it with all my heart and as much as I have wanted this pregnancy.

I talked to my sister-in-law this evening on my way home from work. She sort of allayed my fears, a tiny but, but not fully. I've also cried to Mr Siili this evening and it sort of helped. But I don't think anything will really help until we get to the doctor's appointment and see Paxlet alive and kicking tomorrow.

I'm heading to bed in hopes of getting some sleep this evening, because I really need it!

p.s. Thank you everyone for your comments on yesterday's post about how to tell my co-workers about my pregnancy. I still haven't figured it out yet, but I've got things to think on now.

Help! How to break the news to my co-workers?

It's Sunday evening already! Where does the weekend go?
Friday I left work early, to make up for staying late on Thursday and because I wanted to leave early. While waiting to meet up with a friend downtown, I tried on bras. (I'm now at least a 80DD, that one cup and one size bigger, although I think I might still need something bigger.) I found one bra that was ok (in store) and on sale for only 6€, but I didn't buy it. After I met up with my friend, we looked for shoes for her without any success. Then we went to my house to pick up the food I'd made, to the food and liquor store and eventually (only 25min late) to our final destination: another friends house. In all there was 4 of us hanging out, eating, chatting and having a good time. When I got home, I basically crawled straight into bed.

After sleeping almost 11 hours, I woke up, watched the two most recent episodes of American Idol and then scrambled to get ready to brave the freezing temperatures outside to meet some other friends downtown for food. We hung out at a cafe, where I ended up telling them I'm pregnant (none of them have kids, only god-kids and nieces/nephews). Later we went for food and chatted even more. I had a yummy Bacon & BBQ burger with sweet potato fries. Yum!

Today, Mr Siili and I walked to the food stores and back, in slightly less freezing weather than we've been having the rest of this week. It was colder coming home because the wind was against us. When we got home, I finished watching Vampire Diaries (one of my silly vices, I know!) and then decided to vacuum. I vacuumed half of our place and then did the dishes, but by the time I was mostly done with the dishes, my abdomen area was hurting enough that I couldn't stand up straight without it hurting. The living room remains unvacuumed. I think walking to the stores and then vacuuming was too much for me. *sigh*

Finland had second and final round of voting for a new president. We'll find out tonight or tomorrow the latest who our new President is. The last 12 years (2 terms) Finland has had a female President: Tarja Halonen. She was the first female president and it was pretty cool to be here when she was elected into office the first time around. I was a bad Finn (just like I'm a bad American) and didn't vote. (Neither did Mr Siili.)

Help! How does one go about telling their coworkers they are pregnant?
I told my team leader (immediate boss aka EK) this afternoon that I am pregnant. My former team leader and big boss already know and have known almost as long as I have. Whether that was smart or not, who knows, but they know a fair share of my journey and have been totally supportive of me. Anywho, the reason for telling EK "already" is that she sent an email out on Friday asking if we had any input about her training plans for the new people that are joining us this next week. I thought I'd let her know I was pregnant now, not that it affects the training plans so much now, but in the near-ish future and just in case someone would need to be hired to cover for me when I go on maternity leave.

Our 12 week scan is on Tuesday and then we have a team meeting on Friday. I was thinking of telling everyone then. As I figured everyone would be in the same place at once. I'd be able to do it and get it over with. But when I told Mr Siili these thoughts, he reacted quite badly. He asked if I was trying to be a drama queen and was that really the time and place to let people know. He asked if wouldn't it be better to just tell during a coffee break? My reply was that not everyone goes to coffee breaks at the same time and I don't want some to know and others not. Not that I really feel the need to tell all of them anyway, but...I'd rather have it out in the open so I don't have to be concerned with saying or not saying anything. Mr Siili's other suggestion was to just wait and let my growing tummy (not that you can really see anything yet) tell for itself.

Ugh! I'm almost thinking of just not telling anyone or maybe the random person and letting it get leaked out like a rumour. Hahahaha! Thoughts anyone?

Socks alive!

This post has been a few days in the making, but I've just been so exhausted once I get home, that I just don't have the energy to do anything extra. (And I've been quite busy at work that it has been hard to post there. *bad me* It took me an entire shift to write 11 weeks.) But today, I'm going to get this posted and then crawl into bed.

At the end of last year, Cristy at Searching four our silver lining had a sign up for a fertility sock exchange. I'd see people do this on other blogs, but I either didn't find it in time or I just didn't sign up. This time, I jumped right in and signed up!

I was partnered with Still hoping at Hope Delayed. And earlier this week, I received a package from her with not one, nor two, but 3 pairs of socks in it!! I LOVE love these socks! They are the perfect colors for me, the designs are awesome and I was recently thinking about needing some new short socks. Talk about perfect all around.

The first picture is me wearing two pairs of the socks at work. (I do have pants on, I just hiked them up and out of the way for the picture.) And the bottom picture is the pair I haven't worn yet, with the card Still hoping sent too.

Funny thing is, I sent argyle socks to Still hoping too!

Thank you, Christy, for organizing this exchange. Thank you, Still hoping, for being my partner in this exchange!


I'm off to bed now!
But first, I realized that maybe I should explain the title of this post. *grin* Growing up, often times when my dad (he started it) or one of us kids would take our socks off, we'd wad them up and throw them at one another, yelling "socks alive!". If you knew my family and their stinky feet, you'd know these socks definitely were alive!!! (Thankfully, I didn't inherit that gene.) And now, you know the rest of the story.
And I'm really off to bed now.

11 weeks

Total Weight Loss/Gain: Maybe +1kg, 2kg at most. (Starting weight 66kg)

Maternity Clothes: Not using any yet. I've caught myself thinking about the couple pieces of clothes a friend has given me a while ago. Maybe I should check them out and actually try them on. My regular pants are semi tight (still) and the ones that were previously loose and needing a belt to stay up, no longer need a belt. I do find myself needing to unbutton them while sitting for longer periods of time (namely, at work).

Stretch marks: None that are pregnancy related yet.

Sleep: Yup, every night. *grin* It's generally the cat whinging (Rusty) that wakes me up (or Mr Siili yelling at said cat that wakes me up) or the weird dreams I am having. Very strange dreams lately. Stranger and maybe even more than normally.

Movement: I've read that Paxlet should be moving around by now, and that it looks like water ballet, but I'm not feeling these movements and most likely won't for some time still.

Cravings/Aversions: None really.

Gender: Still waiting... (Here's a comic from XKCD about Baby Names. Hover over the image for some extra text.)

Symptoms: I'm freezing!! Almost all of the time I'm so cold. And having it be -20C (or colder) outside right now, does NOT help.
I've been having stomach/uterus area twinges and pangs, esp when turning over in bed and sleep. Or when I sit up to grab the cat from the floor (to shut him up). They aren't necessarily unpleasant, they just make themselves known. I've been told this could be round ligament pains (RLP).
I'm definitely needing to pee more often. Also, if I don't go pee soon enough, I can feel my eyeballs floating. No kidding! That's what it feels like, along with a general feeling of unpleasantness until I empty my bladder.

What I miss: Nothing. Well, to be fully honest, I'm missing Cinnamon Gummy bears and Lemonheads from the US at the moment. *grin*

What I look forward to: 12 week scan! This appointment is with the doctor (not the neuvola nurse) and an ultrasound machine.
Having a bump!
My week off of work during Feb 20th-26th.

Moods: Moods have been normal (in my opinion) for the most part. Except, my emotional meltdown last weekend.

Milestones: OMGosh! Day one of week 11. I couldn't have ever imagined getting this far. Not that I had any prior pregnancy issues with getting to this stage, it just seems so unreal.
Paxlet is the size of a lime!

Medical concerns: None. On a side note, I do keep checking the TP each time I go to the bathroom. I don't expect spotting, but rather just because of the yeast infection during and after progesterone. I want to make sure that any leakage I have is 'normal' leakage.

Sex?: :)

Misc: I'm trying to figure out when to start telling the rest of the world (mainly work) about Paxlet. I definitely won't be telling before next week's doctor appointment and scan. In some respects, it would be great to just get it done and over with so then I don't have to worry about what I say or don't say. On the other hand...I just don't know what to say or when to say. Suggestions, ideas or experiences anyone?

10 weeks
9 weeks
8 weeks
7 weeks