Hollerdaze!

I had prepared a sanctimonious rant, but I’ve scrapped it in favor of just talking about how excited I am for the holidays this year.

My brother and his wife (Lord and Lady Bear) are coming out to visit this year! They’ll be here on Friday and will be staying well through the New Year. Yes, I saw them last summer, but Lord Bear and I were very close as kids, and dammit I miss him! Plus, Lady Bear is one of the sweetest, most fun people I know – I’m lucky to have her for a sister-in-law.

We don’t celebrate Christmas, so this works out nicely for Lord and Lady Bear’s visit. Friday being the Winter Solstice (our holiday), we’ll be picking them up from the airport and grabbing lunch with our Uncle, then heading back home to chill out and wait for Hubs to get home from work (he couldn’t get out of it this year), do presents and then get ready for my End of the World Solstice Dinner.

Normally our Solstice looks like this:

1.) Stockings and presents in the morning – One present FOR each person, FROM each person. That way, within our little nucleus, no one gets more than two actual presents. Little piddly things are fine in stockings, but nothing expensive. Some years we have a little extra money, so we’re able to get big-ticket items. Other years we have to scrape to get even a little cash together, so we make gifts. But either way, much thought is put into each gift, and I’ve never had a year where I didn’t absolutely love what I was given.

2.) Chill out as a family for the day – if electronics are given as gifts, they can be used, but the recipient has to be near the rest of the family

3.) In the evening, we throw a big potluck dinner party for family and friends, and give out gifts to our closest friends, as surreptitiously as possible. It’s always loud and fun and comfortable.

It works out well, because then we can either just relax and do nothing on Christmas Day, or go visit family without sacrificing our own family time. This year it’s even better, because this way Lord & Lady Bear can visit us for our holiday and our father and his family for Christmas Day.

Happy Holidays, Everyone!

Sponsored By The Letter "D"

The last of my fears regarding this pregnancy have been obliterated as of today.

As I expected, the staff at The Big Hospital was extremely friendly, and they were all pleased to see me again. Apparently Dr. Badass WAS there and was bummed that I hadn't gotten an appointment with her, but the nurses assured her that I had asked for her specifically, and that I would try to make as many of my upcoming appointments as I could, with her. It's nice to be wanted.

I met with a new obstetrician, instead. (I'll call him Dr. Goggles, for lack of a better nickname.) He was pretty cool; very laid-back and easygoing. He asked if I minded if he brought in a student, because Dr. Badass had told him I was a good practice-patient, and didn't normally mind. I didn't. She was very nice, if a little nervous. It was clear that she was still pretty wet behind the ears, so I went easy on her. She took lots of notes in a little black book - something I've never seen before - but I heard her chatting with the new OB outside the door, so I assume she was taking notes to report back to him and get his evaluation of her performance before he came in.

I have to admit, I was more than a little relieved at how laid-back he was. I was on a relatively tight schedule, and didn't REALLY want to go have tests repeated that I had done back in March at The IVF Clinic. So I didn't have to get re-tested for STDs, and I didn't have to get tested for diabetes! WOO!

Anyway; fears have subsided. Today's ultrasound was sponsored by the letter "D" for Doctor. One of the fertility specialists at The Big Hospital came and did my ultrasound with yet another student. They measured Tempest at around 7 weeks, 3 days, so that put my due date (by their calculations) right around the same time that the IVF Clinic and I figured it - July 19th-ish. The IVF Doctor said that within the next couple of weeks (post-visit-with-him), Tempest's heart rate should be up over 120 beats per minute. Today it was 136 beats per minute, which the Fertility Specialist said was excellent. I've never had an ultrasound done by a doctor before; I like it! It cuts out the middle-man, so I get to know what I need to know right away!

I emailed I.F. all the information and asked what his schedule looks like, so I can try to arrange further appointments when he's available. Hopefully he gets back to me soon. We're looking at sometime between January 4th and 11th for the next appointment.

Appointments!

I have my first OB appointment at The Big Hospital tomorrow afternoon. One of the things I love most about that place is how very personable the Women’s Health staff is. When I called to set up the appointment, the nurse who returned my call made sure to mention that she remembered me and was so glad I was going back there for this pregnancy. Then when I called to let them know I had requested that my chart be sent up from The IVF Clinic and the head Women’s Health nurse called me back to help me schedule my follow-up ultrasound, she knew me by name and also expressed excitement that I was choosing them to provide my care again. She also pulled some strings to make sure that I got in for an ultrasound earlier than the date I was initially given by the nurse who set up my appointment. Seriously love these people.

I haven’t met the doctor who is scheduled to see me tomorrow. To be honest, when I was asked who I’d prefer to see, I had to ask for the obstetrician who delivered WiggleWorm. She has a badass name, and is the coolest, most laid-back obstetrician I’ve ever met, so I’ll refer to her as Dr. Badass. She didn’t have any appointments this week, but the nurses have made a note in my file that I prefer her so that I get her as often as possible. I’m seriously hoping that she’s the OB on the floor when I give birth to Tempest.

I also scheduled an appointment at Community College to see what I need to do to start getting my prerequisites out of the way and transfer to nursing school. I think I can get my employer to pay for classes if I propose that I could work for the Department of Health (which is a very real possibility, assuming I can get through school). I wouldn’t start classes till Fall – wouldn’t want Tempest to mess with classes and vice versa – but if I can make this happen, it’ll be a big step toward my personal career goal. Fingers crossed!