The journal is recorded with newest events at the top, the day we found out I was pregnant at the very bottom!

July 25th- 9:48 am

Benjamin Thomas is born! Read all about his birth story and see pictures of the new little one.

July 24th- 10:30 pm

My water broke!

July 23rd- Doctor's Appointment

I saw Beth Adams again, one of the nurse practitioners. The results for the Group B Strep were negative, so that's one less thing I have to worry about. She examined me and said that the head is down, my cervix is still long (not effaced), and that I'm about 1-1.5 cm dialated. She also said that I could go into labor today or 2 weeks from now, so who knows! I've been feeling more pressure down low on my pelvis the last few days, so I hope that's helping things along. My next appointment is on Monday, so we'll see if there is any change by then!

Week of July 13th- July 19th- Week 37

Time is just dragging by now! I'm anxious to get this show on the road and have our baby HERE! I'm tired all the time, crampy, irritable, and moving around is difficult. Besides those things, I'm feeling ok, just ready and willing! It's officially still 3 weeks to go, but based on what my sister has said about how she was early with both her babies, I am hoping I'm early too. Just watch, I'll be still pregnant 2 weeks past my due date! ARG! I had a doctor's appointment on Wednesday, which is described below. I've also finally selected a pediatrician. We are ALL READY, all we need now is little Benjamin!

July 16th- Doctor's Appointment

I saw Dr.Dein again this time and everything is "fine". I had my first internal exam since the beginning and he said that the head is definitly down but that my cervix is closed.. no dialation at all. He also took the swab for the group B Strep test. Keeping my fingers crossed that I don't have it and don't have to worry about the baby during delivery. I go back in weekly increments now until the end. Hoping for some dialation next week!!

Week of July 6th- July 12th- Week 36

What a great week! We are finally re-doing the living room and things are coming together very nicely. It's almost like we have a whole new house.. pretty amazing what work and money spent on one room can do! Besides that, I had a wonderful Wednesday and Thursday. Ellen (from work) picked me up at about 10:00 on Wednesday morning and we drove to Ocean City, NJ to have a "day at the beach" with Diane. Well, when we got there and I opened the door, Jenn, Carol, Patty, Robin, and later on Priscilla, were all there with a surprise shower! What a fun 2 days. We ate a lot, went to the beach, watched "French Kiss", played Trivial Pursuit, and had a great "slumber party"! I'm so lucky to have such good friends! As for my health, I'm still getting bigger- I noticed my first few stretch marks this week on my lower belly - ARG! I'm tired a lot and I'm still feeling crampy. I'm also feeling nauseous again on and off.. almost like the Morning Sickness is back. I'm hanging in there though- only a few more weeks to go!

Week of June 29th- July 5th- Week 35

We got the baby's room finished this week! Mike did a great job painting, we picked up the dresser, got some bookshelves, and everything is coming together. I will be posting some pictures really soon. I also washed all the clothes and blankets I got at my shower and put everything away. The room looks so cute! Other than that, everything is going really well. Belly is still growing, baby is still squirming around a lot and all's well. I'm feeling tired a lot and very uncomfortable too. I had a doctor's appointment on Monday which is described below. I've been having some cramping and Braxton Hick's contractions down low, and there definitely is more pressure! 4 more weeks to go!!

June 30th- Doctor's Appointment

I met with Dr. Bernardini this time and as usual, she said everything looks "perfect". My weight is good, blood pressure is good, measurements are right on, and everything else is right on track! After my next appointment on the 16th I will be having weekly appointments until the end!

Week of June 22nd- June 28th- Week 34

What a relaxing week! I spent the time reading, lounging, spending time with Mike and Maggie, gardening, and basically just "chillin'"! My baby shower was on Saturday, and it was just a lovely day. My sister Dawn did such a great job, I couldn't have asked for a better party. Check out the web page I made for it: Dianne & Mike's Shower.

Week of June 15th- June 21st- Week 33

I'm done work until November (hopefully!)!! The last few days of work went very quickly and now I have months of relaxation! Well, until little Ben gets here! I have been catching up on reading, laundry, cleaning, etc. I visited with mommy and gram on Saturday and had birthday lunch for gram at Olive Garden with Dawn and the kids. I picked up the swing from mommy's as well as the cradle that's been in our family for generations. I think it was my great-great grandfather's when he was a baby! Wow! We finally decided to paint the baby's room light blue and will be going to get the paint next week. Hopefully we can get it done quickly! It's still been raining and it looks to be hot and sunny next week! Yay finally sun!

June 16th- Doctor's Appointment

I met with Martha Hughes this time, another Nurse Practitioner. She was very nice and she said everything is going along fine. I asked her about the swelling and she said it's perfectly normal for the heat and humidity of summer. It's going to be a long, hot summer I'm afraid! Thank God for air conditioning!

Week of June 8th- June 14th- Week 32

School's almost over! Thank god too because I'm starting to feel VERY uncomfortable. The belly is definitely in the way now and movement is very very slow. Forget about bending over! Plus, my ankles, feet and fingers are really starting to swell - I feel like a living sausage. I told the ladies at work to call me "sausage girl" :P It's been raining constantly and I really miss the sun. I haven't had the chance to get much work done outside and once I'm done school I hope to get some stuff done before I'm HUGE. Another thing I've noticed is that I'm REALLY hot all the time. I'm usually cold, but not now. It's going to be interesting to see how I feel in July.. I'm sure I'll stay in the air conditioned house most of the time!

Week of June 1st- June 7th- Week 31

All's still going well. A lot of movement, and a lot of growth! Doctor's appointment and Glucose test results are below. Other than that, just waiting for school to be finished! We got the baby's room pretty much set up.. all but the dresser and the paint. It's so amazing just standing in there and looking at the crib and all the cute little clothes hanging in the closet. It's hard to believe that in just about 2 months there will be a baby living in there!

June 4th- 3 Hour Glucose Test Results

I passed! The message from the doctor was that my results were "perfectly normal". Woowoo!

June 2nd- Doctor's Appointment

This time around I met with Beth Adams for the first time. She was great and very friendly. The results from my glucose test weren't back yet and she told me to call in a few days to find out about that. I asked her about my weight gain since no one had mentioned that along the way. She said that I am right on target and have nothing to worry about either way. Yippee! She measured my belly and said that I'm exactly where I should be at this stage and that everything looks great. Let's hope the rest of the journey is as easy as it has been so far!

May 29th- Gestational Diabetes Glucose Test #2

Well, I had to go into Bryn Mawr on Friday, my day off, to do the 3 hour glucose test. I got there by 7:45 and at 8:00 they took my blood and then I had to drink a huge cup full of the orange soda sweet stuff (yuck!). Then, they took my blood at 8:30, 9:00, 10:00, and 11:00. What a long morning! I got a lot of reading done and spent some time people watching, but I'm glad it's over! Now the long wait for the results.. I really hope I don't have Gestational Diabetes :( Only time will tell now.

Week of May 25th-May 31st- Week 30

Week 30 is here- 10 more weeks to go!! I can't believe how time has flown by. This week was ok in that I had Monday and Friday off of work, so I could sleep in and relax, but bad because Mike has a bad kidney stone and we were in the ER 2 times! My belly seems to be getting bigger everyday and now sleep is more uncomfortable than ever. I have been having to get up 1-2 times every night to pee and I think its going to be 2-3 times soon. We picked up the crib that we ordered but haven't put it together yet... we need to paint first!! Just 2 more full weeks of school!! woowoo!

Week of May 18th-May 24th- Week 29

Belly's still growing, gaining weight, getting tired! Not much of note this week except that I'm really starting to feel LARGE. My belly is noticeably in the way more and it's getting harder and harder to bend over to put on shoes, paint my toenails, etc. I guess this is just the beginning of the big growth though! I'm very much looking forward to the end of school and the start of my new life as a mommy.

May 19th- Doctor's Appointment

I met with Dr.Bernardini this time and everything is still going well. She told me that the results of my glucose test were a "little high" and that I'd have to go on and do the 3 hour test. Ug! I'm not very worried about it, but it will be long and boring. I asked her what would happen if I "failed" that test too and she told me that I would have to change my diet some and monitor my blood sugar levels everyday, and then maybe go on insulin. No fun at all!

Week of May 11th-May 17th- Week 28

Not much new this week at all. I'm getting bigger and more uncomfortable. My belly is noticeably bigger and getting in the way. I'm still very tired, but what else is new?? I'm counting the days until school is over so summer can be here and then, the baby! I ordered the crib and dresser from Babies R Us and I know the crib will be in soon, but the dresser was a special order that can take 10-12 weeks. I hope it's here before Benjamin gets here!

May 10th- Gestational Diabetes Glucose Test

I went in to Bryn Mawr Hospital this morning to take the one hour glucose test. They gave me a sweet/syrupy drink that tasted like orange soda to drink. Then, after waiting an hour (and almost falling asleep) they drew some blood. I should find out in 5-7 days what the results are, hopefully good!

Week of May 4th-May 10th- Week 27

Third Trimester, here we come!! The belly is growing, hunger returning, & gaining weight finally! I was worried that I wasn't gaining weight quickly enough, but that has definitely picked up this week. I've been hungry all the time and have gained about 2 lbs since last week. Let's hope that it doesn't come on too quickly now though!

Week of April 27th-May 3rd- Week 26

Same old, same old! I've worked this week on getting my Thesis into the finished stages and delivered it to Sister Louise on Tuesday. Wednesday night I had my graduation reception/dinner and then Saturday I graduated with my Master's Degree! I had a party/BBQ here at the house afterwards for family and it was very nice. Everyone said they had a good time and the food was good! What else can I ask for! As for baby news - not much new! He's still growing and moving around. My belly is still (of course) getting bigger and things are just going along!

Week of April 20th-April 26th- Week 25

Everything is just going along the same... belly growing, baby moving, back hurting! No new news this week really except that I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday, and you can read about that below. The next thing I have to do is go for the glucose tolerance test and more blood tests. I have to go to the hospital to get them done. I hope that everything turns out ok! In Thesis news, I printed it out this week and took it to Kinko's to get bound. I also converted it to PDF format and put it on the web for the world to see! Graduation next week!!!

April 24th- Doctor's Appointment

I met with Dr. El-Mallah this month for the first time. He is a really nice guy, and asked me a lot of questions to get to know me and my health history. He said that everything looks great, that I'm measuring about 26 weeks (although I'm only 25) and we heard a very strong heartbeat! My blood pressure is fine, as well as all the tests that they do on my urine, etc. He told me that I should go back in 3 weeks, and then every 2 weeks until week 36, and then every week until I deliver! Time seems to be going quickly now!

Week of April 13th-April 19th- Week 24

Ahh - Spring Break! It was a great week off, although I had a lot of work to do. I finished and presented my Thesis on Tuesday evening. What a great stress off of me! As for baby news, I am feeling a lot of movement! Benjamin is an active boy and he always lets me know he is doing well in there. Well, I hope he is anyways! Not much else going on. Of course I'm still getting bigger, and I am definatly looking pregnant. The counter girl at Chick-fil-a asked me "Are you pregnant?" the other day. This was the first time a stranger asked me. To tell you the truth, it was pretty weird!

April 13th- Name decision!

Well, I think we have finally decided on a name for our baby boy- Benjamin Thomas!

Week of April 6th-April 12th- Week 23

Although I'm still not gaining much weight at all (up 17 lbs total, and no weight change in the past 2 weeks), I am still feeling movement everyday and hearing the heartbeat when I use the monitor. Because I am feeling movement, I haven't felt the need to use the heartbeat monitor everyday, so I've cut back to every 3-4 days. I can definatly feel kicking and punching from the outside now, but it's still very sporatic, so Mike hasn't had a chance to feel the movement yet. My belly, although it looks very pregnant when I look in the mirror with no clothes on, still just looks bigger/fatter with clothes on. I think it's because my breasts have grown so big that they overpower any belly thats growing! In other news, I'm finishing up my thesis and I do my presentation next Tuesday. I hope everything goes well!

Week of March 30th-April 5th- Week 22

The baby belly is finally here! Although many people still tell me that I don't really look 5 months pregnant, I think my belly has grown substantially this week. I've been buying more maternity clothes so that I don't have to wear the same thing to work every week. I feel like I need to buy a whole new wardrobe! I am still feeling a lot of movement (yay!) and the kicks are getting stronger and stronger. I'm still very tired, but that's normal for me anyways.

Week of March 23rd-March 29th- Week 21

Not much of an update this week except for the appointment information below. My birthday was this week and everyone in work, both the teachers and kids, are very excited for the news of the baby boy! My first period students threw me a surprise party on Thursday, and a student from my 11th period class brought in a cake for my birthday/baby news.

March 25th- Ultrasound and Doctor's Appointment

It's a BOY !!

Well, the appointment today went very very well and we have a little baby boy growing inside me! The ultrasound was great! The technician was very nice and took us through a tour of the whole baby and his body... even the little boy parts :) I couldn't tell really what I was seeing, but she sure knew what it was! Afterwards, we met with Dr. Dein who showed us lots of pictures for the ultrasound and pointed out parts of the brain, heart, liver, and other fun parts! He also agreed that it is a boy. So, we are pretty sure! He also said that I'm doing well and that I'm the "poster child" for pregnancy! Woohoo! Here's some pictures that we got today.



Our Baby Boy!!

Week of March 9th-March 22nd- Week 20

We definatly have movement! The belly is getting much bigger, as is the rest of me :( I feel the baby moving at least 3 different times a day, and have for the past 4-5 days. I'm very much looking forward to the ultrasound on Tuesday. I hope that we can find out if it's a boy or a girl!

Week of March 9th-March 15th- Week 19

I think we have movement!! I felt a few taps and bubble "bursts" this week, especially at night when I'm sitting on the couch or laying down. Yay!! My belly is getting substantially bigger, and I need to take pictures soon to have a record of it!! The weather is getting warm finally and all the snow has melted. It's nice to feel the sun again. I went shopping for maternity clothes at Motherhood in the mall and bought a few things. I will have to get some more stuff once I get bigger too I think. I just don't know how big I'm going to get! I'm really looking forward to my ultrasound on the 25th and really hope that we can tell if it's a boy or a girl! I just have no clue which it is and it's going to be a total surprise! I also hope that everything is ok with the little bean. S/he has a strong heart and I hope the rest of him or her is the same. Thesis is coming along, and almost finished! I am very much looking forward to graduation on May 3rd. Then I can focus more on the baby and what we will need for him or her.

Week of March 2nd-March 8th- Week 18

Everything is just going along fine. I'm still slowly gaining weight and growing a belly, but I don't think I've "popped" yet. I also still haven't felt the baby move around. I still listen for the heartbeat every night, and it's beating along just fine! All the results from the AFP test came back, and the Doc said that everything looked great! I'm still continuing to have very bizarre dreams, but that is to be expected with all the extra hormones racing around. My lower back has started to hurt more and more. I know I have to try and figure out how I can sit more at work. It's hard when I'm teaching!

Week of February 23rd-March 1st- Week 17

This week has been going just like the past 2-3 weeks, just fine! I went to the doctor's on Monday, and I wrote about that below. I'm scheduled for the "big" ultrasound on March 25th. That's when we find out everything is OK with the baby and if it's a boy or girl. I can't wait! Other than that, I'm feeling fine. I'm still a bit tired all the time, but that is expected. The queasiness has all but gone away, but I still feel it every once and while. I haven't heard back with the results from my AFP quad screen test, but Dr. Bernardini said "no news is good news", so I guess that means good news!

February 24th- Doctor's Appointment

I met with Dr. Bernardini again and she said everything is going well. She found the heartbeat after a bit of searching and recorded it at 150 beats/minute. That is about the same thing I get when I use the Babybeat, so it's good to know that what I'm finding matches what she found. Also, I only gained 1.5 lbs since the last appointment, which isn't too bad. I thought I would gain weight more quickly now, so I hope the baby is growing ok.

February 22nd- Gave blood for Alpha Fetal Protien test

The AFP test is a blood test that screens for Down's Syndrome, Spina Bifida, and a few other things. As it's just a screening test, it doesn't tell anything conclusive. If I get a "positive" result, I will have to then get a level 2 ultrasound or an amniocentesis. I will have to wait about 5-7 for the results- what a long wait!

Week of February 16th-February 22nd- Week 16

About 2 feet of snow made this week interesting. Because of the snow, I had Monday and Tuesday off of work. But, what a LOT of snow! Mike had to do a LOT of shoveling and although I helped some, I was really no use to him! The short week at school was good as well. I'm feeling fine, no sickness at all. My belly is growing bigger and my back is starting to hurt a bit. I still haven't felt the baby move, but it's still early for that. The heartbeat is still going strong, so I know (well, hope I know) the baby is doing well.

Week of February 10th-February 15th- Week 15

My belly is really starting to grow now! I'll be sure to add some photos within the next week or so, so I have a nice record of growth. This week was just about the same as the past 2- feeling well, no sickness, not much fatigue, just going along. The heartbeat is still going strong! Click the image below to hear the heartbeat with an image in the background.


Click the image to hear the Heartbeat

Week of February 2nd-February 8th- Week 14

Things are going along.. going along! As I stated last week, I'm feeling better and I have more energy. Work is keeping me busy with not much time to think about the baby- good or bad things! I have been getting the word out to more people at work and I told my students on Thursday in school through a word search puzzle. I made a word search using current vocabulary, and put the hidden message in it "Madame va avoir un bébé" (Madame is going to have a baby). My morning classes didn't get it finished before the end of the class, but as they figured it out, I had visitors for the rest of the day stating Congratulations! My afternoon classes had time in class to finish, and I tried my best to stifle the ones who figured it out early, but most of the students found out within minutes of the first person finishing. They seem very happy for me. Now, let's hope that it sticks through! The chances of miscarriage at this point are very very low, but you never know! I've been more brave about getting maternity clothes and ordered a few more things online. *Fingers Crossed*

Week of January 26th-February 1st- Week 13

As discussed below, I had my 3rd Doctor's appointment on Tuesday. Other than that, just busy as usual. My belly is starting to grow and I wore maternity jeans for the first time on Friday to work. So much more comfortable than my regular ones! I haven't been feeling as sick or as tired this week, which hopefully means the second trimester is "kicking in" and I may get some energy back. I haven't started exercising yet, but I will as soon as we get a VCR upstairs. I like doing Pregnancy Yoga and I bought 2 other pregnancy exercise tapes. We'll see how that goes!

January 28th- Doctor's Appointment

I met with Dr.Dein at 7:00. Everything went well. We listened for and heard the heartbeat of the baby. I told him I had rented a Doppler from online and he said "That's a really bad idea" and then went into horror stories women have put him through because they rented them and freaked out. He told me about another blood test I can take at about 15 weeks to test for likelyhood of Down's Syndrome and a few other things. I have to go to Bryn Mawr to get it done, but I'm going to do it. Why not?

Week of January 19th-January 25th- Week 12

Again, a pretty uneventful week. Busy with work and my thesis. I felt ok most of the week, still feeling hungry all the time. I guess that's better than feeling queasy all the time! Doctor's appointment next Tuesday!

Week of January 12th-January 18th- Week 11

This was a pretty uneventful week. I was still tired and queasy, but I think that overall the symptoms are getting better. I had late nights at work Tuesday and Wednesday, so all I felt like doing when I got home was going straight to bed! Work itself was easy though because it was Midterm Exam week, so that was a good change of pace from the frantic everyday life of a high school teacher. I'm still hearing the heartbeat every few days on the babybeat. It's still pretty hard to find, but I can usually find it within 10-15 minutes. I'm still keeping my fingers crossed that this pregnancy "sticks"! We are almost out of the danger zone.. only a few more weeks!

January 12th- Heard the Heartbeat!

After almost a week of trying and worrying, I finally heard the little one's heartbeat on the babybeat monitor. It was very very faint when I first heard it, but I knew it wasn't my heartbeat because it was so fast! I moved the doppler instrument a little bit more and there it was, very strong and very much there! I calculated the rate and it was 168 bpm. I think this is right on target! A lot of worries and anxiety just got lifted off of my shoulders this morning!

Week of January 5th-January 11th- Week 10

My first full week back to work after break went ok. I had a hard time opening my eyes each morning, but I had to, so up I got! I am still hungry all the time and if I don't keep food in my belly the queasiness starts up. So, I go to work now prepared with oatmeal, crackers, pretzels, a good lunch, and plenty of water to drink. I have a good schedule where I have time to eat about every 1.5 hours or so, so I've been getting by. After work I'm absolutely exhausted and I've been going to bed around 8:30-9:00 still. I rented a fetal heart monitor from babybeat.com and it came on Tuesday. I haven't yet found the heartbeat, but it is very early on still and most doctors don't even try to find it until the 12th week or so. So, I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping everything is ok. I haven't had any cramping or bleeding at all, and I still "feel" pregnant, so I'm hanging in there!

Week of December 29nd-January 4th- Week 9

Monday was our first ultrasound, and you can read about it below. Other than that, things are still basically the same. I feel queasy, but not too bad. I'm tired, but the time off of work has been a godsend. I've been napping and eating whenever I want. I went back to work Thursday and I was exhausted Thursday night- I went to bed at 8:00! Friday wasn't much better and I'm just starting to realize that maybe 9:30 is too late to go to bed! Can you believe it? I've been an active member of the August 2003 Expecting Club at ParentsPlace.com. It has been a great place to meet other ladies due in August and to ask questions and read responses about things that may be concerning me. It is starting to be a real community and it will be great as the months go on to have people to relate to!

December 30th- Doctor's Appointment and Ultrasound

We had our first ultrasound and we saw a small, rapid heartbeat! YAY! Dr. Bernardini asked me lots of questions about my health history and I had to fill out forms asking the same. She said everything looked good on the ultrasound and our due date is still August 6th, 2003!

Our little bean!

Week of December 22nd-28th- Week 8

We had the kids this Weekend, so we spread the good news to them. Jennifer is excited again to have a little brother or sister. Michael doesn't really seem to care either way! Christmas was good, although sans alcohol. I ate A LOT, but I always do on Christmas! The 26th and 27th, I was sick with a stomach bug that I'm sure I got from Dawn's family, since they were sick a few days before. It only lasted Thursday night and Friday, and I was all better by Saturday. I'm still feeling yucky and tired all the time, but I guess I'm getting used to it.

Week of December 15th-21st- Week 7

I'm starting to feel really nauseous and queasy. I'm also very very tired. By the end of the school day I am so exhausted, and 11th period always leaves me very irritable. No throwing up yet at all, but the constant queasiness is always there. I seem to be ok if I keep food in my stomach, so I'm constantly carrying around crackers. I haven't told a lot of people at work yet, but the word is getting out slowly. I've told Ellen, Lori, Marcia, Barbara & the Library Ladies, and Lois so far. After break I will probably tell a few more people.

December 10th- Doctor's Appointment

First appointment at the doctor's, officially called the "Missed Menses" appointment. I met with one of the nurse practitioners, Emily Evans. She was very nice and cute and told me I was definitely pregnant and we discussed having an ultrasound early in this pregnancy for my peace of mind. An ultrasound and appointment with Dr. Bernardini was scheduled for the 30th.

November 28th, Thanksgiving

I called Mom, Gram, and Dawn and told them the good news early in the morning. Then I broke the news to Dad & Connie at dinner. Everyone was so happy for us, and Janice said a special prayer during grace for us and our new baby.

November 27th, the day before Thanksgiving

It all started on November 27th, when I took a pregnancy test and lo and behold- there were two lines! I had been taking tests ever since a week past the time I thought I ovulated, all to come back negative. I really thought that we would have to try again the following month. But no! It "took" this month!

2 lines= pregnant!

Being very unsure and the line being very faint, I immediately went to the store and bought more tests. After a few more days, and 3 more tests, I finally convinced myself that I was pregnant! woohoo!