It's always something!

I swear it's always something with me!
Got a message today, because my phone has been messing up and it goes straight to voicemail instead of actually ringing, from my nurse and my levels came back "wack" on my thyroid and it's elevated. Since it was a message I didn't get to ask any questions but figured if it's elevated that means hyperthyroid but when I pick up the meds she is putting me on for this it was for hypothyroidism which kinda confused me.

There's too types of thyroid problems, hypo or hyper. Hypo your body doesn't produce enough thyroid hormone and if you are hyper it produces too much. I have to figure out which type I am and if this medicine is the correct thing for me to take. She said on the message to give her a call back in the morning if I had any questions.

In case you don't know I'm a worry-wart, it's partly because I'm a control freak as well. So anything that is "wacky" as the nurse said in the message worries me. Anything that could possible affect my child definitely causes me to lose sleep. And the fact that I couldn't call the doc back to ask questions b/c their phones were already turned off really erks me...

I will update when I find out more.
Love,
LeAnn

8 Weeks

It’s been a very busy week it seems. This past week the baby has doubled in size even though it’s very small and I sure have been able to notice! I’ve been extremely sick this week! Nausea is no fun but I’m so thankful I’m off work right now. I think the sight of 150 7th graders would put me over the edge right now and I’d be hugging the toilet even closer. Right now I’m just standing over it saying to myself ok come up or stay down but decide either way!!! Another thing I’ve noticed is the number of trips I take to the bathroom. I can no longer sleep all night without having to get up and go to the bathroom. You know when you have to pee really bad and you’ve been holding it for awhile(pretty much every road trip I take with B and he won’t pull over b/c we had just stopped 10 minutes prior) you get goose bumps when you finally do let it out….well now I get the goose bumps and it kills my tender boobs!! It’s actually very comical in the bathroom now, B will hear wooo ahhh…woo ouch!

I’ve found something that has helped the nausea, sea bands, but I definitely look like I play dodge ball in 1980!










They aren’t cute at all but whatever makes me feel better. I also got some prego pops from Babies R Us in Ginger flavor that help a lot as well! People sure do make great inventions now-a-days. As far as the MAN who labeled it morning sickness, well he obviously had never been pregnant. The mornings are when I feel my best, it’s about noon on that I feel sick!
I went to the doctor on Friday and all looks well. We haven’t got my test results back so I’m still waiting to hear on the Factor 5. We did see the baby again and he/she has grown a ton!! It’s so amazing to sit on that table and look inside your stomach and see another person’s heart beating. It was really obvious on the screen this week. Looked a lot bigger and stronger! The baby also measured 3 days ahead but the doctor said we will keep our due date because they can measure ahead one week and the next week slow down a bit. But I’m glad our pumpkin is being an overachiever and growing ahead  It’s almost an out of body experience, this whole being pregnant thing. You know that this little miracle is inside of you but yet I still can’t wrap my head around the fact that I have another person inside me. I didn’t realize you could have so much love over something that’s the size of a pinto bean. I love when B rubs my belly and talks about his child. I can’t wait to hear the heartbeat and feel the baby. I think then it will feel real! I go back to the doctor on August 25th and she should call me once the results are back on the Factor 5. It usually takes 2-3 weeks.
Here is the picture from this week. The round ball up in the corner is the yolk sac and if you look very closely you can see the baby’s foot! Grow baby Grow!!


Here is what will be happening this week:

Your embryo is now called a fetus, which means "offspring". Your uterus expands to accommodate its new resident, which now measures approximately. The embryonic tail is gone, and all organs, muscles, and nerves are beginning to function. The hands now bend at the wrist, and the feet begin to lose their webbed appearance. Eyelids are beginning to cover the eyes. The tiny person is protected by the amniotic sac, filled with fluid. Inside, the child swims and moves gracefully. The arms and legs have lengthened, and fingers can be seen. The toes will develop in the next few days.


On another note have I told y’all lately how great my 2 nephews are? They crack me up every time I’m around them and are truly a breath of fresh air. No matter how crappy I feel or what kind of mood I’m in anytime I’m around them they instantly put a smile on my face and give me so much energy! I love the fact that they have embraced my pregnancy and are so excited to see, play, and hug the new baby. Ben ask me all the time if he can take the baby out and give it a hug and then put it back inside my belly so she can grow  Ben says she all the time and says it’s a girl and Andy will say he and says it’s a boy. We watched them on Friday and we were outside eating popsicles, Andy came over and said Aunt Lee, is the baby too little to get a Michael Angelo popsicle. I love these kiddos!
I told him not to smile!
That's CAPTAIN Jack Sparrow

Here's Andy and I chilling while watching a movie:


Another person that needs recognition would be my husband, B. He has been amazing these past weeks and I know I haven’t told him enough! Usually because I’m too hormonal to notice but he really is an amazing husband and the most exciting thing about this pregnancy is that I get to see him be an even more amazing father, thanks for loving me B…

This is B stretching for his softball game...underneath is my pregnancy books!!
Have a great week!
LeAnn

7 Weeks

This week I’ve noticed a lot of changes going on. At the first of the week I was extremely nauseas but thank goodness my baby loves me and isn’t making me hug the toilet. The latter part of the week has been much better and I haven’t felt bad at all. I’m extremely tired though. I can do absolutely nothing all day long and be exhausted by 7 pm! This is quite a change for me because I love to be active and hardly ever sit still. But I’m adjusting and learning to take it easy. After reading what’s going on with the baby this coming week I’m afraid the tiredness is only going to get worse. He or she is going to be a very busy bee this week. Here’s what’s going on with my sugar booger:

This week your baby has an amazing growth spurt(But hopefully not mom) At the beginning of this week, your baby is approximately 4 to 5 mm and by the end of the week it has more than doubled to 11 to 13 mm, the size of a grape! Your baby is approximately 0.03 ounces. Your baby's leg and arm buds are longer now and they have divided into segments where the hands and feet will be. The hands and feet also have an area where the fingers and toes will begin to form. It's a jumping bean, moving in fits and starts. At this point of your pregnancy, the heart is bulging from the body and it has divided into right and left chambers. The brain's hemispheres are continuing to grow and the air passages into the lungs are visible. Your baby's eyes are beginning to get pigment. The nose is developing and the beginning of the face can be seen. The baby's abdomen is developing quickly and the appendix and pancreas are already present. Your baby's digestive tract is beginning to form and the hindgut is present. The shape of the tail can still be seen, but it will fade in 3 or 4 weeks. The eighth week marks the beginning of a very busy developmental stage. Between now and 20 weeks, your baby will be growing rapidly, and body parts that formed in the first few weeks of life (such as the heart and brain) will become more specialized and complicated. Right now, the teeth and palate are forming. The fetus' skin is paper thin, and veins are clearly visible.
I think what’s so amazing is what is going on with the feet and hands. Here are some pictures at 7 weeks and then again just 7-8 days later. It truly is amazing the rate at which this baby is growing!

Above is the baby's hand at 7 weeks. Below is the baby's hand only 3 days later!

Here is the baby's foot at 7 weeks:

And here is the baby's foot 1 week later at 8 weeks: No wonder I'm so tired!


We went with my mom to Babies R Us and found some great furniture. Brandon is actually the one that picked it out and my mom and I fell in love with it. The great part is that it can turn into a full size bed so that it can grow as our child grows. Thanks Grammy and Papa for the great furniture! You guys are awesome.




I also found the bedding that I want. I’ve had my eye on this bedding forever but it was so expensive online!! 850 bucks to be exact…I know…INSANE!! But Nana came to the rescue and said she would make our bedding. I found the fabric awhile again and we’ve been finding the other fabric to go along with it over the past couple of weeks. I can’t wait to see it all put together…no rush though Nana.


I’m so blessed to have the family that I have. They’ve been amazing and so supportive. I just don’t know what I’ve done to be this lucky. It’s really great to see my parents this excited. They’ve wanted a grandchild for some time now and to be able to give them this, it truly is awesome to see the joy in their face when they talk about this little…let’s see how big is he/she(sorry I can’t call he/she an it) this week? Ah, that’s right, this little grape! Well, that’s all I have for this week! Here’s a peek from the inside:

Have a great week!!
LeAnn

Meet Our Bean

Well we went to the doctor today and everything looked great. I didn't get the Factor 5 test results back but we did get to see our baby and his/her heartbeat. It was a strong 133 beats per minute and the us tech said everything looked perfect and measured right on track. So here's the pics we got. There isn't much to see but he/she will double in size over the next week. We go back to the doc next Friday for our orginal appointment. The arrows in these pictures are pointing at the heart. So the rest of the blob is the body I'm assuming :)


Til next time,
LeAnn

Bummed

That pretty much sums it up. I have some good news and bad news as far as what the doctor had to say today. The good news is that my beta came back really good, in fact pretty high! For 26 DPO it was at 27,462 which could put me in the twins region but then again could just be a very healthy pregnancy. They said that high betas could indicate a twin pregnancy but then again it could just be a singleton. We will know more on Thursday when I go in for my 2nd ultrasound.

Now to the bad news. My dad got diagnosed with Factor V Leiden. I'm sure y'all don't know what that is because it's only been around for 10 or so years. But here's the basic info:

Factor V Leiden is not a disease, it is the presence of a particular gene that is passed on from your parents. Factor V Leiden is a variant of the protein Factor V(5) which is needed for blood clotting. People who have a Factor V deficiency are more likely to bleed badly while people with Factor V Leiden have blood that has an increased tendency to clot. People carrying the Factor V Leiden gene have a five times greater risk of developing a blood clot (thrombosis) than the rest of the population. So pretty much if you have Factor 5 your blood clots more which leaves you with a higher risk of blood clots.

My dad had a clot when he was in his twenties that nearly took his life and did serious damage to his leg. For the past 18 months, up until January, he has been battling smaller blood clots in his foot that has been causing damage to his viens and tissue. Well, when he was diagnosed two years ago with this I got tested(so I thought) to make sure I didn't have it. The doctor told me I was clear and didn't have Factor 5.

When I went to the doctor on Friday and was telling the nurse my family history the doctor wanted my blood test sent over. Come to find out the doctor had tested me for the wrong thing and I never was tested for Factor 5. So my OB tested me for it today to see if I have it. Luckily she caught the fact that I was given the wrong test! I should have the results in 7 - 10 days. Until they rule this out I'm considered high risk and will be given ultrasounds to check on the baby and make sure there aren't any blood clots endangering the baby. My next one is this Thursday.

I'm extremely frustrated! The whole reason I went to get tested was to prevent anything from happening while being pregnant. Now, our baby might be at risk for something that should have been prevented. I know doctors make so much money and I know I pay out the booty for health insurance so when a patient presents you with something you would think that you would take 2 seconds out of your day to make sure you are giving the right test and to make sure your patient is taken care of! URGH! I know that with all the genetic testing going on it's very hard to know what's what and to know which test are the correct one to give but isn't that why I pay them so much! I'm so thankful for my new doctor and the care she has given me! I'm so glad she just didn't take my word that I was tested and she took it one step further for me.

I know this is in God's hands and all I can do right now is pray that I don't have this or if I do I can begin the heprin shots(yuck!) so that my baby is ok. If this is the road he wants me to go down then I'm ok with that. He won't give me any more than I can handle and he knows what is right for me and my family.

When my dad got diagnosed with this I did a lot of research, so luckily I know about all the major problems with Factor 5 and pregnancy. The main one is that blood clots can form around the baby and/or umbilical cord which would kill the baby. The risk for me would be severe preeclampsia and I believe there's a problem with taking heprin the last 2 months of pregnancy in case of csection and bleeding while on a blood thinner. But lets not worry about all those details until we get the results back!! By the way did I mention I hate needles :) Guess B will have to be giving me the shots if it comes down to that!!!

I will update y'all as soon as I find anything out. Hopefully we can get some pics of this little guy/girl on Thursday!

Take care,
LeAnn

6 Weeks

We’ve had a great week at the McCollough house. Brandon started another summer school session and after this he will be down to only two classes!! I’m super proud of him and his grades are amazing. He has officially passed my GPA even though that was nothing for me to brag about and I’m starting to think he’s smarter than me!

As far as our little bean, this is what’s going on for week 6: This is going to be a busy week for our amazing little embryo. Their brain is still growing remarkably fast; miniature hand plates are starting to develop and the early formations of what will be their fingers are already visible. Also, the lower limbs do not develop quite as fast, so they’re pretty much still flippers. Up until this point, our baby has been very curled up with the head and tail in close proximity, but this week their trunk and neck are beginning to grow and straighten as their tail recedes into its resting position in the back. Even though our little miracle is only 6 weeks old, they’re already capable of demonstrating reflex responses to touch! Believe it or not here is a 6 week old embryo, isn’t it cute! That’s what our baby looks like right now, amazing!!

I had to go into the doc a little earlier than I expected because I had an episode of bleeding on Friday. At first, I didn’t think much of it but when it continued I got a little worried. So I called the doc just to make sure that this was normal and she asked that I come on in. Because my dad has Factor VI Leiden, a blood clotting disorder, she wanted to have me tested for a few other things that can come along with this. And don’t you know I did great all by myself getting my blood drawn. I hate needles and usually get very dizzy and queasy when I have to get my blood drawn. But all was good!! She also wanted to do an ultrasound to make sure I wasn’t having a tubal…so I got to see the little itty bitty bean!! The baby was extremely small and we couldn’t see much. It really does look like the ticker on my sidebar. We “thought” we saw the baby’s heart flickering but she couldn’t get the machine to stay on the baby long enough to get a heartbeat count. I have to go back in on Monday for some more blood and she said based on that she might want to do another ultrasound next week. We did see only ONE baby but she said I was so early that there could be another in there but she wasn’t going to search today. So Marcy, I don’t think you are going to get your third child via one of my triplets. I know, bummer!

I’m definitely starting to “feel” pregnant as far as the fatigue goes. I took a 3 hour nap today!! What gets me is that I don’t do a thing all day long and I’m still exhausted, it makes me feel quite useless and lazy but oh well! Yesterday was awful with the nausea. We went to help my parents and my dad was had bondo out and yuck, that stuff was stinky and I just felt like I was going to throw up all day. You know when your mouth starts watering…today has been much better! Here's the last 2 weeks belly pics:


Until next time,
LeAnn

He is saying all is ok

As I walked outside tonight to water the bushes I saw a beautiful rainbow. It is the 2nd rainbow this month that I have seen. The last rainbow I saw was probably years ago. It's the 2nd rainbow I've seen since I became pregnant. The first was a few weeks ago when I was at Brandon's baseball tournament. It was before I even knew I was pregnant although I had a feeling that I was. I was worried because I had some unexplained cramping going on and I thought that it was my first "sign" that things were changing within.

I know that the rainbow that I saw tonight was God saying LeAnn, don't worry, all is ok, I have taken care of you. So as much as I worry and complain about the doctors or the hormones and what not I know that God has taken care of me. I should not fret or worry because it is in his hands, he has paved the perfect road for my life, for this child, that all is well. On top of every blessing he has given me, he has even spoken to me through the little signs that most might overlook. You should look for them as well because he is so great, so loving, that he speaks to us all.


Have a great night!
LeAnn

Hormones

Apparently when you are pregnant the hormones can cause you to be a tearful mess, or so I'm hoping it's the hormones. Today I feel like my hormones are just all messed up and I could cry about anything and everything. It all started this morning. See my doctor informed me this year that he would be retiring soon and is no longer delivering babies. No problem, I gotta another lined up. So when I found out I was pregnant I called to make my first appointment which was suppose to be last Wednesday. Except he got sick and had to reschedule for this Friday. No problem it's only one more week I can wait. Fast forward to today and the doctor called again. Apparently the poor guy is going to be out for some time and can't see me until August!! Yup, that's right August!! Of course I panic (blame the hormones). I don't want to wait until I'm 9-10 weeks along to go to my first appointment. I need to know everything is ok and that something is indeed in there :) Breakdown #1

Breakdown #2: Then I need B to tell me everything is going to be ok, that we will find a new doctor, etc, etc. but he forgot his phone at home and I cannot get a hold of him: crying #2. Brandon is the only one who can calm me down during one of my over-dramatic moments and when he isn't answering my calls or texts I immediately go from call me back to OMG he's dead on the side of the road because he ALWAYS has his phone on him. Except for today when he left it on the nightstand at the house :) So poor thing, as soon as he walked through the door, he got his head chopped off...sorry babe...really do love ya!

Breakdown #3: So back to the doctor: I frantically figure out how to find a new doctor. I just don't want someone out of the hat that I don't know. I mean this person will be delivering my first born...don't need any oopses going on or end up with Robin Williams from 9 Months. So I call my cousin who happens to be a nurse for some referrals. She's awesome and gives me along list. I start with checking who is on my insurance and that is just a pain to begin with. But luckily I found a great doctor that Katy recommended. I call the office to schedule my first appointment. She asked if I was pregnant and I said yes. She said well I will have to leave a message with a nurse to give you a call back today. She said that the nurse likes to ask the patient several questions and then schedule an appointment. Did the nurse ever call back...huh no. This frustrates me to no end. It's bad enough to want to talk to a doctor or a nurse but time and time you have to first leave a message and then wait for them to call you back, if that ever happens. Why can't you just talk to someone the first time you call? Is getting in to see a doctor and see your baby too much to ask?

Alright, enough of my rant. I just needed to clear my chest of this mess that's my own fault and vent a little :) That way B won't have to hear it all night!
Thanks for every ones well wishes and prayers. I especially need some prayers for patience, my weakest characteristic by far!

Also tomorrow is my last day of summer school...WHOOPEE

5 Weeks - It has begun

Here is what's happening with Baby McCollough at 5 weeks: The embryo's heart, no bigger than a poppyseed, has already begun to beat and pump blood. The heart is dividing into chambers and will find a more regular rhythm soon. The embryo itself is about a quarter of an inch/ half a centimetre long and looks more like a tadpole than a human. It undergoes a growth spurt this week. Major organs, including the kidneys and liver, begin to grow. The neural tube, which connects the brain and spinal cord, will close this week. The embryo's upper and lower limb buds begin to sprout -- these will form your baby's arms and legs. The intestines are developing and the appendix is in place.

It truly is amazing that something so small has so much life. God has created this teeny tiny life inside me and it's unbelieveable how much love I already feel for this little poppyseed. It doesn't quite seem real yet but I'm sure it will soon enough.

I've been feeling really good this week. I've noticed that I have a superhero nose! I can smell anything and everything. Which trust me isn't always a good thing. I haven't felt sick much but when I do I have a smile on my face because I know that me getting sick means that baby is growing. On the way home today I thought I was going to do the deed and as Brandon was asking me if we needed to pull over I had a smile on my face saying how exciting it was that I needed to throw up!! Luckily the moment passed and I was good and hungry again :) Just so you can have a mental image this is what a superhero nose looks like:


We went to West, Texas this weekend with B's family and had a great time. If you haven't ever been to West, Texas it's a great place. Here'a picture of West:


Seriously, I googled imaged West, Texas and this is what popped up. Not even trying to be funny here :)

We didn't do much but it was so nice to get away, relax and just hang out with everyone. I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures but hopefully Marcy took some! We did go to Hillsboro Outlet Mall because that was pretty much the only thing to do. And there was a Carter's outlet!! So I went a little crazy and got a few things. My mother-in-law also got some really cute things while she took the grandboys to Toys-R-Us and she got the cutest little bag that made B so happy. It was pink and had "PRINCESS" on the front. Then we stopped by my parents on the way home and my mom had been shopping for the little prince/princess. So we got a few more things for the baby. I know it's way to early but it's the first child/grandchild for us and we are a little shop happy right now. I'm sure it will get much worse once we find out if it's a girl or boy...or both!

Here are a few pictures of the baby items, enjoy!



Take Care!
LeAnn

Q & A

Until I actually get pictures of our little bean I will probably post this one...it's just such a sweet, sweet site for me to see :)

Ok so we are getting alot of questions so I figured I'd answer them on here as well, so I can remember every part of this experience and to inform the blogging world.

#1: Was this planned: Yup sure was!! I'm a pessimist(spelling?yeah I'm a teacher what's your point) and Brandon is an optimist...therefore I thought for sure it'd take at least 6 months to get preggo and B thought for sure it would happen on the first try and sure enough he won!! Which is fine by me because I have no patience. God trully is amazing and I'm taken back everyday with the blessings that he gives us.

#2: How did you tell B: Well, it was pretty sad. See I'm very blind especially when I"m not wearing my contacts. I took a test one morning and it was really early for me to be testing but once again I have not patience. So when I "thought" I saw a second line but then again it could just be my blindness I had to scream for B to come in and look. Sure enough he saw it too and then immediately went back to bed grumbling about it being too early...LOVE MY HUSBAND. The whole time I was in the shower I was just yelling to him "HOW IN THE WORLD CAN YOU SLEEP AT A TIME LIKE THIS" Of course I got no reply until I walked back into the bedroom and he answered, "Simple, I close my eyes" Huh, just wait 9 months honey :) I of course wasn't too sure about the whole double line test so I went and bought a digital and you can see from above what I got.

#3: Are y'all going to find out the sex of the baby? Well, I don't want to know but B does so yes we are going to find out the sex...like I said no patience...but we aren't going to let anyone know what we are having :) Isn't that gonna be fun...I can hear Marcy yelling from her house now.

#4: Are you seriously not going to tell anyone what you are having: You think my husband will be able to hold in that he's having a boy...I don't think so. So I will tell you now, if you don't hear anything we are having a girl and if you see a bulletin board off I35 saying we are having a boy then you will know.

#5: Which do you want: a boy or girl? Well of course B wants a boy, what man doesn't, but he really doesn't care either way. I really just want a healthy baby, boy or girl, doesn't matter to me :)

#6 How are you feeling: I feel good most of the time. I'm pretty early so I don't think it's really hit yet. I'm tired mostly which is a 360 degree change for me. I love being active and I never sit still. But now I can really start dragging about 4:00 and I pretty much yawn every 2 minutes past 7:00. I've been feeling nauseas only when I let my stomach get really empty so I'm trying not to let that happen. Although I might complain to B I'm really happy to be tired and sick, means the baby is growing :) Can't wait to hug the porcelain bowl (insert sarcasm and grossness)

#7 Belly Pictures: I will update this blog hopefully every week or two on the different happenings and B says I'm not posting my growing belly bump but I think otherwise. I have mixed feelings so need your poll: Some might not want to see my gigantic bump on this blog and it might gross them out(Brandon hush...you can't vote) and some might want to see the little bean's growth...so we will take a vote and just leave it on my comments. Don't worry you won't hurt my feelings either way. But for now here is my before pregnancy belly:


Haha...I wish my stomach looked like this :)And my thighs too.

Also, I was suppose to go to my first doc appointment today but the doc is out sick so they had to reschedule...boo! So I now go on July 11th next Friday.

The baby is developing his/her heart right now...isn't that amazing!