It sounds crazy to be shopping for maternity wear when I’m just over two weeks pregnant, but the combination of the hormones and the mandate to stay inactive until further notice has caused my belly to look more like I’m approaching the end of my first trimester. Some of my pants no longer fit comfortably, so I decided that it was time to take the plunge and buy a few articles of maternity wear.

Joyce and I went to Motherhood at the Waikele Premium Outlets on Saturday. Since Mars suggested the Bella Band, I decided to see if I could find that to prolong my ability to wear my pre-pregnancy wardrobe.

Motherhood has their own version of the Bella Band ($25.88 USD) called the Tummy Sleeve ($16.98 USD). The Bella Band comes in 4 sizes, but the Tummy Sleeve is one size fits all. I am curious to see if there are significant differences between the two products. After all, it’s basically a tube top that you fit around your waist, so you can leave your pants unbuttoned (and unzipped, if necessary) and the band keeps everything smooth and in place. The Ingrid & Isabel website has all the info on how to use this simple, yet nifty accessory and the cute story about how the Bella Band idea came to be.

Walking into a maternity store for the first time is a little daunting at first. The sizes went from S-3X, instead of the usual numbered sizes. I tried on two pairs of pants and decided to pick up one pair of black dress pants, size M. When I tried it on, it looked pretty nice — like they weren’t even made for maternity wear. However, I washed them today and they’re hanging on the line next to my other work slacks and they look strangely like parachute pants from the 80’s. I hope after I iron them, that they look a little less billowy. But heck, they sure are comfy — and I have a feeling that in the coming months, that’s all that will matter.

[tags]maternity wear, Motherhood Maternity, Tummy Sleeve, Bella Band, pregnancy[/tags]

Hubby’s folks invited us to dinner and movie tonight. Dad-in-law is a fan of Jack Nicholson, so they wanted to see his latest film, The Bucket List, which also stars Morgan Freeman. Although there are some light and humorous moments, the film was touching and brings the viewer face-to-face with the brevity of life and teaches us that we should not wait until we are given 6 months to live before we start checking off items on our “bucket list.” I think I heard someone else sniffling during the movie, but I was the only one walking out of the theater with puffy eyes and a Rudolf nose.

The evening air carried a slight chill and we decided that a steaming bowl of ramen would be a good way to warm the bones, so we walked over to Genki Ramen.

The place was packed, so we ended up sitting at the counter, which isn’t a bad thing, since it’s a good vantage point to watch the cooks whip up our orders.

Mabo Tofu Ramen

I ordered the mabo tofu ramen, which proved to be a good choice. Tasty and slightly spicy, it is a rich ramen dish and a generous portion that I could not finish even on my best day. Another nice thing about Genki Ramen is that you can ask them to exclude the MSG in your ramen, if you wish, which I chose to do.

Beef curry over rice

Everyone agreed that their chosen dishes were very tasty, the service was good, and the prices were reasonable. Genki Ramen gets a thumbs-up all around. Judging by the crowd of patrons, we’re not alone in this assessment.

[tags]ramen, restaurant, Mililani, Hawaii[/tags]

A short videolog sharing scenes from today’s Chinese New Year festivities at the Chinese Cultural Center in Honolulu’s Chinatown.

[tags]Chinatown, Chinese New Year, Honolulu, Hawaii[/tags]

Last week, Hubby and I visited Mr. Liu, a Chinese artisan to order our soapstone chop carved with our family name in tensho (seal script). Today, Joyce and I went to pick it up in Chinatown.

I was a little disappointed that he didn’t provide a box to keep the chop in. Instead, he wrapped it in a paper towel and told me to find a nice box for it so I could keep it “for lifetime.” Luckily, I had a nice silk-covered box at home that Joyce had given me a few years back that would work just fine.

I was quite pleased with the result. In hindsight, perhaps we should have gotten a smaller chop, which would fit better on correspondence. This one measures about 2″ square. Hubby is now considering having a chop engraved with his family crest.

[tags]soapstone, chop, stamp, tensho, seal script[/tags]

Since the embryo transfer and subsequent positive news about the Snowflake(s), I have been much more careful about what I have been putting in my body. Somehow, in this delicate time in his/her/their lives, I feel that I must do everything possible to keep them healthy. Eating has become a serious time of decision for me as of late. A time when I must fend off temptation with every ounce of will left in me. For a foodie like myself, it’s not always easy.

At the office today, the guys opted for lunch at McDonald’s. My normal order would be something along the lines of a filet o’ fish or cheeseburger, french fries, Diet Coke, and maybe an apple pie. Today, I ordered a side salad and a fruit & walnut salad. However, I did reap half the benefits of the 2 apple pies for $0.99 deal, thanks to Ted, which probably negated all of the healthy eating I did prior to that. But dang, that piece of deep fried goodness sure was tasty delicious.

Hey, I’m trying. Give me a break. Baby steps.

I haven’t had any chocolate since December, and surprisingly, I don’t miss it all that much. During chilly evenings like the past week or two, though, a hot cocoa sure is tempting. I bought some herbal tea (no caffeine) at Long’s tonight while I picked up my prescription for my Climara estrogen patches. (12 patches cost me $61.88! When you have to wear 3 patches at a time, that’s only 4 applications. Geez.)

Wow, how did we go from hot beverages to a rant about the cost of my prescriptions? Oh yeah, I am the queen of tangents.

I also seem to have kicked the Diet Pepsi habit as well. (So, Ryan is now the recipient of all of my Costco coupons for Diet Pepsi.) Prior to beginning IVF, I would drink nothing but diet soda, tea, iced tea (sweetened with Splenda), or water. Non-caloric drinks. There’s something about drinking 150 calories in a few thirsty gulps that just seems inherently wrong. But, you know, sometimes you just gotta drink something with more flavor than water. Perhaps the introduction of caloric drinks into my diet has also contributed to my weight gain, which incidentally, I am blaming completely on those hormones at the moment.

Today, I woke up less bloated than last night. My work pants fit and I was a little concerned. “Are the Snowflake(s) okay??” I have a feeling that I am going to be paranoid until I get my first ultrasound on February 1st. And, I probably still won’t completely relax in my pregnancy until I hit the end of my first trimester, which will also mark the end of my progesterone injections and climara patches. Now, that will be a day for celebration indeed!

First of all, let me just say that I am so touched by all of the kind comments and e-mails I have been receiving from you all. It’s so cool to hear from folks that I never knew were reading my site and following along with my travails and triumphs. And of course, the old faithfuls who have been with me since I was at champuru.com, you are all special to me, too! It’s funny because I shared my big news with the Internet even before I got a chance to share it with many of the folks I know in real life. How typical of me.

I don’t know if it’s all in my head, but I am already starting to feel pregnant. I’m sleepy, sloth-like, hungry, and fat. In fact, my largest pair of “fat pants” are already too tight. I attribute the “fat” part to the combination of the hormones, lack of exercise, and increased caloric intake. Nevertheless, the reality is that I’m starting to outgrow my current wardrobe and there’s no sense in going up a size. I figure, I might as well just take the plunge and start buying elastic waistband maternity pants already.

Looks like I’ll be making a stop at a nearby maternity wear store this weekend before I find myself relegated to wearing my pajamas to the office. I wore a pair of plain black pajama pants to Bible study tonight because none of my jeans fit! I hope no one noticed.

Monday, January 14, 2008

Diagnostic Labs opened at 7:00 am this morning and I was there before they opened their doors. Hubby and I, along with a handful of other early-rising senior citizens taking blood tests for a potpourri of different maladies, waited patiently outside. I was #5 and just a few minutes after 7 am, I found myself in a chair with a rubber tourniquet wrapped tightly around a bicep and a needle sticking out of my vein. As I watched the blood flow into the plastic collection tube, I lifted another prayer. “Lord, please let the results be positive. And, not a faint positive — but a good, strong ‘hallelujah!’ positive.”

The night before, Hubby and I prayed together before bed. Soon after, Hubby’s heavy breathing told me that he was already fast asleep. I placed both hands on my tummy, as I always do, and cried out to God, asking Him for a miracle, because that’s truly what it would take to make me pregnant. I hadn’t mentioned it before, but the doc told me that I had a 20% chance of a successful transfer. That’s lower than the average odds for someone my age, but because of my challenging and abnormal case, he was giving me a measly, sad 20%. When he told me this (prior to the egg retrieval), I was disheartened. I mean, if your doc gave you a 20% chance to live, you wouldn’t be happy about that, would you? But, 20% was better than 0% and we decided to go for it. And besides, if it was the Lord’s will, even if it was a 0.001% chance, He would still make a way. With God, all things are possible.

Then, the call came. On my cell phone, I saw my doctor’s phone number on the caller ID. I answered in half a ring and held my breath.

“Hi Donna. I have good news: your results are back. You’re pregnant — and your numbers are really good! Congratulations!” Alia, the nurse, said. An answer to prayer: a “hallelujah!” positive!

Then she started giving me some particulars about what’s next, but I barely heard. I had to force myself to focus, my mind was reeling. Hubby, sitting next to me, was looking at me expectantly. I gave him the thumbs up and his face beamed.

I. AM. PREGNANT! I could barely believe it. I had prayed so hard, and when the answer came I was floored. I wish I could say that I had a calm confidence and an unshakable faith, but I can’t. I was speechless. After I got off the phone with Alia, I turned to Hubby. Tears of joy flowed as we embraced, a long-awaited answer to prayer, a miracle had just unfolded before our eyes.

Today is Monday, January 14, 2008, but by the time you read this it will be Wednesday. I have determined that I would not publish this entry until after the second blood test to confirm that all is well with the Snowflake(s). But yet, I am so excited that I can barely contain myself. I want to shout it from the rooftops and tell everyone I meet that I AM PREGNANT! I must restrain myself from hitting the Publish button right now and will simply Save until the time is right.

Thank you to those who have been faithfully following my progress, lifting prayers and sending well-wishes.
And now, for a whole new chapter in the journey toward parenthood entitled “pregnancy,” one that is nine months long. Heck, it took us two years to get here, what’s another nine months, right?

Update: Wednesday, January 16, 2008

We pray every night for the Snowflake(s), for their health and strength and that they are growing into nice, big snowball(s).

This morning’s first order of business: HCG blood test #2. At 7:10 am, I was #10 in line at the neighborhood DLS.

The call from the doctor’s office came at 12:15 pm. The test results are good! A solid 168! Up from 62 on Monday. The upward trend in the HCG levels confirm pregnancy. Again, God gets all the glory. Man can do many things, but only God truly gives life. Praise Him for defying my grim 20% odds and blessing us with a 100% pregnancy!

Next step: my first ultrasound on February 1, 2008!

[tags]HCG, blood test, pregnancy, in vitro fertilization, infertility, IVF, frozen embryo transfer[/tags]