I think I had my first craving on May 8, 2012. It was after dinner that Tuesday evening, around 7:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m., and all of a sudden I HAD to go get ice cream. Mike tried talking me out of it, saying it would pass, but to no avail...I was going...with our without him. I hopped in the car (solo) and headed to The Village Ice Cream Shoppe for a single scoop of chocolate peanut butter! Fulfillment!
May 10th was the Annual Nursing Week Bowling Challenge at Markham Bowl. Our team, The Ballers (me, TJ, Eddy, Justin, Steve, Brandi and Molly), won!! And, no, we did not cheat! Eddy bought me a Scotch that evening...I fake-drank! Sorry Eddy, but I do appreciate your generosity!
Early the week of the 7th, I got an e-mail that I did win something at The BabyTime Show (I knew I felt lucky)! I won admission for 2 to Baby Bump-Apalooza @ Cineplex Odeon Queensway Cinemas. Mike and I had a great time...he loves free stuff! We got our photo taken, we got to eat at the following crave stations (Cupcake Crave Station; French Fry Crave Station, Pickle Crave Station, Frozen Yogurt Crave Station)! Yum! There were tons of vendors on hand and we got SO MANY great samples! The best had to be the Britax Baby Carrier ($150 at Babies"R"Us)!! We also got to enjoy an advanced screening of What To Expect When You're Expecting! It was happy, funny, sad, you name it. I'm glad we got to share the day together...the 3 of us!!
On May 13'12, I got my first ever Mother's Day gift...flowers from Mike! A very thoughtful sentiment; one I will always remember! I'm a Mother!!!
The day I had been waiting for finally arrived!! Getting to May 15'12 felt like 24 weeks instead of 12 weeks. My first appointment!! I needed to know that everything was in the right spot. I needed to know me and my baby were healthy and doing fine. I needed to know how many were in there...LOL. I needed to reach 12 weeks so I could share my news with the world!!! I had a complete physical and Integrated Prenatal Screening (IPS), which included an ultrasound...my first!!! Mike and I were excited and nervous. We got to see Fetus-Reali (yup, only 1 in there) for the very first time. Fetus-Reali was very active that day...bouncing all over the place. Also for the first time, we heard a very strong heartbeat at 170!! There was a sense of relief after hearing and seeing our baby. We were already a family! Our technician did tell us that we were a couple of days too early for her to take the measurements she needed, and she booked us to come back on Friday May 18'12. I was happy...another chance to see Fetus-Reali!
On May 16'12, I shared the news with my co-workers! I was shaky and nervous, but the response and surprise was amazing! It's real!! We can tell the world!! And, I did... This was my Facebook status that very day: What is 12-weeks old, 2 inches long, weighs half an ounce and is comparable to the size of a purple plum? I received 103 beautiful comments and 46 likes. I later posted, I am overwhelmed by all the love received today after sharing the big news! Thank you all so very much! We are blessed in so many ways! I still cannot believe that I'm going to be a Mother..., to which I received 51 comments and 41 Likes! I also received so many (more than I can count) e-mails, Direct Messages, Tweets, Wall Posts, Text, Voicemails, visits, etc., etc. Hearts all over the world!!
On May 18th, I saw my baby again! This time Fetus-Reali was sleeping so peacefully. A calm came over me; it was a sweet feeling. One of the things the IPS measures is the fluid in the baby's neck. This is to check for Down Syndrome. After the ultrasound, I took a picture of the Nuchal Translucency (NT) score with my iPhone. Back at home, I googled this measurement. Within Normal Limits. Ecstatic!!! Here is Fetus-Reali's first ever appearance:
That night we had dinner at Gary & Jean's! Fetus-Reali got its first nickname on May 18th..."Bounce"! Thanks, Jean, for the clothes and thank you both for the love and support (and steak)!!! Oh, and Fetus-Reali LOVED its first Bombe!!
On May 20th, I joined the Cornell Moms Photo Walk group! It felt legit...I was a Mom...I was officially part of this group! I met Rebecca and Nassim on a lovely Sunday morning. We took and shared some beautiful pictures. I'm looking forward to our next photo walk!!
From May 21-28'12, Mike and I took "Bounce" on his/her first vacation...to Negril Jamaica!! I believe there were 31 of us (Di Ruscios, Realis and friends combined)...32 with Bounce! Peter and Daniela married on May 24'12. It was a beautiful beach wedding surrounded by love and happiness! I bought Bounce his/her first ever item in Negril...it was a onesie that represented how his/her Mother was feeling the first couple of days in Jamaica. I think I was just getting used to a new lifestyle (no drinking) back at home, but on the island it hit me all over again. I felt like I was no fun...it was baby in the corner watching all the fun happening around her. So, Bounce, you will wear this, but it will represent me:
It was time to go home, and I was ready. This was the first vacation ever where I was so looking forward to getting back. Home is where the heart is!! Before we left, Mike bought me my first ever "baby" gift. He got this for me at the Pandora Duty Free in the Sangster Airport. I wear it with pride!
We finally arrived home, safe and sound! To our surprise, we had a beautiful baby gift (our first) waiting for us in our living room. My brother (Roland) and my sister-in-law (Maria) got Bounce a beautiful bassinet. It's precious. Seeing it there hit us...we're gonna have a real baby asleep in it. Thank you Uncle Rollie and Tia Maria!!! xoxo.
On Tuesday May 29th, it was back to the Family Doctor for results! The Doctor told us that everything came back fine! We were happy and healthy! The Doctor did report that the ultrasound technician did find 2 uterine fibroids during the scan. Both were small and outside of the uterus (so, would not interfere with Fetus-Reali's eventual exit). However, a note was made in my file to watch the fibroids' growth, if any. That night, I again joined the Cornell Moms (legitimately) to discuss Fifty Shades of Grey. I'm a Mom!!!
On Wednesday May 30th, I had my first appointment with my OB/GYN. Mike and I spent almost 2 hours with her. She was very thorough, informative, professional and personable. We both liked her right away and felt comfortable in her taking over our care. We got lots of information (regular appointments, ultrasounds, blood-work, pre-registration, prenatal classes, nutrition, exercise, etc., etc.). It was a lot to take it, but we gulped it all up. We're growing!!!
At the end of the month, I was 14 weeks pregnant! It was a busy, eventful May filled with so much!! From cravings, to contests, my first Mother's Day, the first time I saw and heard my baby, our family's first vacation together, and sharing our news with the world. We felt anxious, nervous, hungry, secretive, lucky, special, healthy, relieved, loved, overwhelmed, emotional, grateful and blessed. We're having a baby, world...glad you can join us for the ride!!
Looking ahead to the 2nd trimester...stay tuned!!
xo.
