Written in February: Today marks nine weeks. Tomorrow is my third ultrasound. Hopefully, our little elephant’s heart is still beating strong. Our last pregnancy did not make it this far. All of my pants are tight, and by the end of the day I unbutton them. It’s been hard not to share the news publicly yet. Sometimes I want to wait until we have proof of the gender, and announce to my grandmother that she’s having her first great-granddaughter. Granny Gee will be 90 this June. I think that would be an awesome birthday announcement for her.

Written in February: Guess who’s heart is beating at 110 beats per minute? My baby elephant’s! I had a dream last night about my doctor’s appointment today, and when I looked on the monitor, I saw the outline of a baby elephant, trunk and all inside the sac. I don’t know how to interpret that dream, other than I have really weird dreams while pregnant (well, really anytime).

I tried really hard not to worry before today’s appointment, but it was hard. My midwife knows I have been very cautious, so she immediately asked me if I was feeling pregnant this week. I told her yes, since I had a few symptoms, but not as pregnant as I felt with Gadget or the Lion. She did an ultrasound, and lo and behold on the screen was one little baby elephant. I was glad there was one baby. Her head looked huge, and there was a pulsating blur where her heat was beating. Yay! She played the sound for me to hear. It sounded a wee bit slow, but I was glad to hear a beat nevertheless.

My midwife ordered a progesterone test so we could make sure the pregnancy is progressing. I should get the results tomorrow. Based on the elephant’s measurements, my midwife changed my due date. At first, I got a little freaked out. She told me the date of conception occurred in January, and not December as I thought. I immediately wondered what were the implications for the Chinese Lunar Calendar, which has been eerily accurate for both boys. When I got back to my computer, I doubled checked, and we’re still in the go for a girl.

So, my baby girl does not really look like an elephant. In fact, she looks more like an alien with her huge head right now.

Written in January: I had my first doctor’s appointment today. I tried not to think about it too much at work this morning. I went during lunch since it was just down the road. When I got there, I filled out the massive piles of paperwork and checked the boxes on all the diseases and surgeries I’ve had: endometriosis, check; gallbladder disease, check; asthma, check; anemia, check; alpha thalassemia, check; miscarriage, check, twice.

The nurse weighed me (128, ouch! gained six pounds already. At this rate I will definitely be having lypo and a tummy tuck when this one comes out), and took my super low blood pressure (112 over 76). I told her I had concerns because this pregnancy felt just like my previous miscarriages, and she reassured me that that didn’t mean a thing.

The midwife was prompt. I was not waiting in the room for long, and she asked me about my medical history. She shared some details of her childbirth and asked me what questions did I have. She then did an ultrasound where I saw baby for the first time. She was a little round sac, and it was waaayyyyy to early to see anything else but that. I was glad to see the evidence of the beginning of a pregnancy, but I look forward to Thursday when I get the results back from two blood tests. I took one today to determine my hormone levels. They are supposed to double every two days, so by Thursday I’ll be able to tell if things are progressing as they should. I can’t wait to see a heartbeat at the next appointment.

It’s so weird. I’ve never gotten excited about hearing the heartbeat. With Gadget, it was just another appointment, and I definitely took it for granted with the Lion. But this time it’s so different. I am so excited about the possibility of having a baby girl, that I cannot fathomed God blessing us with the chance and them swiping her away. Anyway, let’s not focus on the that. I said that I didn’t have any symptoms but today I think two started to stand out. I had dog nose when I was pregnant with Gadget. I could smell things about 100 yards away. Last night, hubby grilled some pepperoni to put on the boy’s lunch sandwiches, and it smelt like eggs. I had to open the door to let a breeze in. Today, when we got into the car to go to preschool, Gadget asked if I was driving a taxi because hubby hung an air freshener on the rearview mirror. The scent was Peachy Peach, but it smelt like the sweetness of day old B.O. I put the air freshener in the trunk. So I’ve definitely had a slight sensitivity to smell. I also had to suck in all day.

I believe its bloating and water weight, but there is definitely a pooch forming on my midsection. Tonight, Gadget asked me if my belly was squeezing out. I told him it was a baby. He asked of my chest had two babies in them as well, LOL! I told him it was his sister, and he told me to keep her.