Here we go again

Announcement time!

I'm three months pregnant.

=)

Here are the answers to your questions!

I'm due October 7th. Theo was 3 weeks early (and not premature in any way) and supposedly earlier is very possible for a second baby so we're definitely set to be ready ahead of time.

We'd been trying for a while. This is within our ideal gap between Theo and new baby. Theo is excited, though we know we'll be dealing with the usual jealousy issues eventually. He has been around pregnant moms and new babies and kids with siblings so he's relatively familiar with the concepts.

I'm feeling very well. I had some nausea but not as bad as I had the first time (which was short-lived and mild compared to most). I'm feeling better but definitely tired much of the time, and I'm hungrier between meals.

I'm already showing, which isn't surprising on my small frame.

I've had a couple of OB visits. We're with a different doctor and a different hospital, at Saddleback in Laguna Hills. They have a dedicated women's hospital and their maternity ward has individual rooms. My ultrasounds have been very good, strong heartbeat, fetus looks active and well-formed.

Up until just now, a mom over 35 (which, yup, I definitely am) would be required to get an amniocentesis, aka an amnio, which involves using a large needle inserted into the belly to check fluids. It carries a relatively high miscarriage rate and no one loves doing it. Thankfully there is a new test, where they just take the moms blood normally and can check it for free-floating fragments of the baby's DNA. The branded name is "MaterniT21" and it can check for chromosomal problems like Down's Syndrome. On the lighter side, it's a 100% accurate check of the baby's gender. We got really lucky on this one, as our insurance just started to cover it as of January 1st. Even my doctor hadn't yet dealt with insurance that so easily gave us the go-ahead. I've already had the blood draw and the results should be in very soon.

Yes, we're hoping to move. Having Theo share a room wouldn't be too bad, but with Greg working from our bedroom, he has nowhere to go when the house will be busy with a noisy baby. It has already been tight and this is definitely a tipping point. The market looks very close to being ready for us to sell the place but we need to wait just a little longer. Even a few more months might be enough. If we need to, we might rent the place out, but of course that's loaded with complications. We could move to all sorts of place as Greg doesn't have a commute, but we'd need a big house in a good school district, and we'll see just what we can afford.

We're hoping for a healthy kid, boy or girl. You know that you'll know most everything as soon as I do.