Here I am at week 17 of my pregnancy and my hormones just won't settle down. I've given up all hope of it ever going away. The vomiting is still there but it has shifted to a nightly schedule. It's a bit more convenient now. 

I had a warm fuzzy feeling when I woke up this morning. I have a new doctor. My old one wasn't bad at all but I was wondering if this one could provide me better answers to my questions. I was eager to meet up for my routine checkup. I've been sick since Friday with fever, cough and cold so I spent the entire weekend at home resting. I was determined to receive all positive results from the doctor today. 

Having confused my time of appointment with next week's, I was 3 minutes late instead of 20 minutes early. Kaiser Permanente had no reservations about making me pay for that mistake. I had to wait an hour and ten minutes before I saw anyone.

After falling asleep to the sound of Sponge Bob on TV at the lobby, my visit finally started ... (BTW, Sponge Bob's funny!) 

First up is the urine test. All was well since the strip didn't change in color. That's all they tell me. Believe me. I've asked. 

Then they weighed me. I lost two more pounds since my last visit for a grand total of 12 lbs since I found out I was pregnant back in July. I was told this is still normal. I'm a bit leery since I'm now a little over four months pregnant. But no worries. I'll just eat some more -- hehe! 

Then they took my blood pressure. 100 over 50. Is that good? Why yes, they said it was. woo-hoo! Score 3 for Carmela. 

I read some consent forms to draw some more blood for the Expanded AFP Screening Program. This test will help determine certain birth defects such as neural tube defects, abdominal wall defects, Down Syndrome, and Trisonomy 18. How can I refuse? Sign me up, doc! It meant more visits to the hospital but I like getting my checkups :-) 

Finally, I got to see the doctor. The first thing she said when she lifted up my skirt was how surprised she was that there was a pouch because I'm so skinny. Under normal circumstances, I like being called skinny. But I was hoping she wouldn't say that today since I've been trying desperately to gain some weight during the past month. It has proven to be quite a challenge since my baby has decided to betray my daily meat regimen and go vegetarian on me. Did I tell you that my body rejects meat (except shrimps)? This didn't seem to concern the doctor so I decided not to be concerned either. She added Ensure to the list of things I should eat. Yey! No more protein worries for me! 

She searched for the heartbeat again. Oh how I love that sound! Just brings a smile to my face every time. She found the baby's heartbeat much faster this time because my belly has gotten much firmer since my last visit. 

She started poking my tummy and she said she felt the baby's head. What?!?! I rub my belly everyday and I've never felt such thing. She guided my hand to the direction of where the baby's head curves. Nope -- didn't feel it. So she tried again. This is when I gave a resounding "OOOOH!". I still didn't feel it but I felt bad that my baby was getting poked too much. So I had to put a stop to it. I envy the doctor for recognizing how a baby's head feels inside a womb. Meanwhile, I pretended to know something I didn't have a clue about. Oh the shame!!

When it was my turn to ask questions, I asked what I should do about my fever. She said the cough and cold were fine but the fever will fry the baby. FRY THE BABY!!!! What the hell does that mean? In my panic, I forgot to ask, "doctor, what the hell do you mean?" A picture of baby struck by lightning popped out on top of my head like a bubble you would see in cartoons. It made me wonder why doctors would use silly euphemisms to unsuspecting and nerve-racked mothers-to-be. Of course, part of me knows that all she meant was that the baby would be very hot. But the worry-wart side of me was sitting there with my mouth hanging open. I was told that if my temperature was over 100.4, I should take 500 mg of Tylenol every 6 hours. There is a solution! Hallelujah!!!

I asked about the shooting pains that I occasionally feel around my belly button. She said my baby is probably moving. Wow! I can't wait! She said that in about two weeks, I will actually start to feel the baby kick. They gave me a kick count card. I don't know why. What's the significance of counting the number of times my baby kicks in one day? Anyone? With a black belt mom and a mountain biker dad, I suspect our baby will be executing 50 round kicks, 40 sidekicks and 100 front kicks a day. Did I mention spin kicks?

Then I was told about the results of last week's lab tests. I have no gestational diabetes, I'm HIV negative, and I don't have to take an MMR. I didn't even ask what that was anymore. The image of a fried baby still lingered heavily in my tired brain. It sounded like good news, so I didn't bother to ask.

So that was a FULL recap of today's visit with the doctor. Aside from the weight concern, everything is working out swimmingly. She gave me more source of calories that might be easy for me to take in. I'm back on prenatal vitamins. I now have a bigger and hairier belly that is a constant source of entertainment for my husband. He always catches me rubbing my belly in the morning when he pulls the covers to wake me up. My belly also often times pops out when I'm wearing my regular shirts with pajamas below my tummy while watching TV. It cracks him up to no end. 

As far as my diet goes, I always feel good when I have a bag of carrots for breakfast. I still eat plenty of fruits. I've been eating organic macaroni with real white cheese for lunch and dinner every day for three weeks now. Tam makes me avocado shake every night before we go to bed. I hate pickles and I'm craving for pineapples. Since I don't think Tam reads my journals, I fear no retribution from him in asking all of you reading this to remind him to ALWAYS pick me up pineapples. He always conveniently forgets to buy some because they're too much work to peel and cut. I find my pregnancy a great excuse for not standing up for 20 minutes in the kitchen cutting pineapple so who else is left to cut it for me? hehe. I'm also craving for KFC popcorn chicken. My mouth waters every time I see it on TV. But unfortunately, my body still rejects it. 

The baby is now about 5 ounces and 6 inches long. The baby is pumping approximately 25 quarts of blood a day. The fingernails and toe nails are formed. The urinary tract and bladder are fully functioning and emptying about once every hour.

We're scheduled for an ultrasound next week. We're excited to get a first glimpse of our baby. I'm still not sure about finding out the gender but Tam is very excited and since he's letting me ultimately decide the name of our child, I'll let him have this one.

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