Good bye, Old Girl

Well, my cat Maxi died on Friday, July 22. She was 19 years old. I kind of knew she was dying, but I was still kind of in denial and debating whether to put her down or not. She made the choice for me. She died peacefully in her sleep. My husband buried her next to a little tree in our backyard. Today, I ordered an engraved rock to put on her spot. I am also working on a memorial video/slideshow and photo album. I am posting this picture in loving memory.

                                       Maxi, about 5 years ago, when she was still very playful. :)

I miss her so much. She was my baby for so long. I can't believe she is gone. I don't think I will ever have a pet as great as she was. She was the pet that would cuddle me when I was sad. She was also the cat that would bite me (not hard) to communicate her displeasure with me. LOL I always loved her sassy, cranky nature. I am thinking that if this baby in my tummy turns out to be a boy, I might name him Max or Maxwell after her. That's how much she meant to me and will always mean to me. I hope she is at peace in "Kitty Heaven". I also hope that she knew in her final moments/days of life that I loved her very much. I did everything I could to make her last few days comfortable for her. I hope I succeeded. I hope she wasn't in any pain. I am just so thankful that I had her for so long and she had good health for the vast majority of that time. I am very lucky.

She will always be my sweet precious "Old Girl". :) I will never forget her. EVER.

I heard the heartbeat!!!

Yesterday, I had my first appointment. Both my husband and I were feeling crummy on our way there. He was feeling crummy because work that day was super stressful. I was feeling crummy because my cat's health keeps going downhill, and I might have to make the decision as to whether or not to "put her down".

Anyways, we sit in the waiting room a LONG time waiting for the NP to come in. She finally comes in and says something, "Oh, it's so nice to see you two again! Is this baby number 2 then?" We then tell/remind her that the first pregnancy (3 months ago) ended in a miscarriage. She says something about how it did seem like she just saw us and that must be why. She then goes into the usual pregnancy information. She asks me if I would like to hear the heartbeat. I say "no" right away because I was worried that it would be a repeat of the last appointment for my last pregnancy. Last time, she moved her wand around for a long time and could not find the heartbeat. Plus, I know that not everyone can hear the heartbeat at 8w5d and that doesn't mean anything is necessarily wrong. I was thinking I just wanted to wait until the ultrasound. She was surprised I said "no", but then keeps talking. As she talks, I think some more and decide that I would KICK myself if I didn't take this chance to see that everything is OK.

She gets me up on the table and starts moving the wand around. I am very calm, telling myself that it's not a big deal if she can't find it. After 1-2 minutes of moving the wand around, BAM! I instantly recognize a heartbeat that is too fast to be my own. 150 bpm! I start crying and I can hear my husband let out a gasp, so I know he is crying too. He recorded the sound on his phone. I love hearing the heartbeat!

I am not a religious person at all, but I am so thankful for this little miracle! Even though I am still worried about my cat, I feel more at peace knowing that at least my baby is OK.

Also, my first ultrasound appointment is August 1. Can't wait! :)

Harry Potter!!!

Nerd Alert! I am so excited! I am going to see the new Harry Potter movie tonight with my husband! It is nice having that to look forward because I just got done with a week-long reading conference. When I say week-long, I actually mean it was a looooooong week. ;)

Not much new on the pregnancy front. I am now just past 8 weeks pregnant. I am still having symptoms, but nothing debilitating or anything. I am just really looking forward to my first appointment on Tuesday. I am hoping the NP will order a dating ultrasound, and I can see my baby some time later next week. I just really want to know everything is OK.

Have a great weekend!

Old Cat

Hello. Wow. Ever since I got pregnant, I feel like my life is a never-ending soap opera. So much drama! My life is normally very quiet and boring. This week was tough because I was an emotional mess. My old cat, Maxi, who is 19 years old started having health issues. She peed all over a cat bed and a dog bed and also doesn't want to pee in the litter box anymore. She sometimes does this, so I thought maybe this was just a phase. Then, I find bleeding in her nether region, which has never happened before, so I get really worried. I took her to the vet and they said she may have a liver infection. She also lost 2 pounds and is now underweight. Yikes! I was so worried about her! I was picturing her dying and the horrible grieving that would take place. I have owned this cat for 18 years. I love her a bunch. Luckily, the enema cleared her out and she got her appetite back. She seems her usual self.

On top of all that drama, I was so worried about my baby and it was driving me crazy not knowing how things are going "down there". I try to reassure myself by realizing I have more symptoms this go-around and it seems like things are all right. Logic doesn't always work though. I am really looking forward to my first appointment on the 18th and hopefully the ultrasound will be soon after.

If you're TTC, I wish you luck and hope for a BFP very soon. For those pregnant, I hope for sticky babies!
Have a nice weekend!