Mother/Daughter Day

On Tuesday, March 27th, Mom came up to accompany me for my second appointment wtih Dr. Heckman. She came in Monday night and left Wednesday morning, and it was an amazing visit! Of course, Tuesday was the best. :) I took the entire day off work. My appointment was at 9:30, so we headed straight to Dallas. When we arrived the nurse did a survey of genetic and health disorders in Zac and myself. I can see how some women might freak out hearing the long list of possible issues (spina bifida, cerebal palsy, austism, down syndrome, etc). I'm not sure if it's because I was on a complete high, just being with mom and at the ob (I'm PREGNANT!!) or if it's because I work with kids with all of these disorders and don't see them as scary and negative as some do, but it didn't bother me or phase me. Anyways, when Dr. Heckman came in, he asked how I'd been feeling and answered some of my pre-written questions. We listened to the baby's heartbeat, and he asked mom if she was going to get to come up a lot. Mom told him that my sister is expecting and April and she just put her mom in a retirement home, so she wasn't sure if she'd make it up much. Guess what...he asked if we wanted to do a sonogram!? Isn't that the greatest? I was already prepared to beg him, and didn't even have to! :) The sonogram was easily the best part of the day. The sonographer woman really spent a lot of time, and we got to see both traditional and 3-D images! Look how cute my sweet pea was at 11 weeks...

After the appointment, we went to eat a celebratory lunch at PF Changs. Because how many times are you pregnant for the first time, and spending the day with your Mama, who came just to be a part of the excitement and to make you feel extra special? :) After lunch we went to North Park Mall. It's a very nice mall. I don't go often, but I enjoy it when I do. I found some great maternity items at GAP and we hit the jackpot in the H&M kids department. I bought Eliza and Madeline matching dresses, and although I've received pics of each of them wearing them separately, all my dreams will really come true when both nieces are together, wearing matching pink dresses.

I wish they had a tiny one for Annabelle too! (shout out to my youngest niece, who is due to arrive within the week! I can't wait to meet her! Squeal!) Mom and I shopped until we dropped, then headed home to meet Zac for some dinner. We went to Tuscan Slice, and it was delish as usual. The day was so magical, from beginning to end. I can't wait to go back to see Dr. Heckman in one week, next Monday, April 23rd. :)

Meeting Dr. Heckman

Our first appointment with an obstetrician was Tuesday, March 6th. I had been getting pretty stressed about finding a great doctor. Because of all of my past health issues, I know the importance of a wonderful doctor, which also includes a friendly and helpful office staff, and knowledgeable and available (reachable) nurses. I wanted a male, with lots of experience, and whom delivered at the big Baylor Hospital in downtown Dallas. I picked this hospital (first, before I chose a doctor) because it is one of the best hospitals in the area, and has a level III nicu. Anyways, after choosing Baylor, and doing lots of online research for amazing Ob-Gyns in Dallas, I chose Dr. Heckman. I was excited about my decision, and relieved to have picked someone, but still a little nervous...until we met him. He exceeded even my high expectations. He was warm, personable, friendly, professional, kind, direct and detailed, and best of all, he made Zac and I feel like we were his only patients and his number one priority. The appointment was at 3, but we did not get to actually see him until 4:30. He apologized profusely, and explained that he squeezed three additional women into his schedule this afternoon, because they had each experienced some bleeding. (This actually earned him points in my book, because it made me happy to know that if I am ever the one who needs to be seen in a crunch, he'd find a way to make it happen.) We chatted in his office for awhile, then he asked if we'd mind doing things a little out of order, since his sonographer leaves at 5, and he wanted to make sure we got a picture of our little one. :) Of course we didn't mind, we couldn't wait to see pics of the little gummy bear. =) After seeing our baby, and hearing the heartbeat, I told the sonographer that she was my new best friend, and she said 'yeah, I'm pretty well liked around here.' Look at this precious picture...

After the sonogram, we went back to his office and talked for another 45 minutes. I was so relieved (and almost surprised!) to hear him say over and over that he didn't want me to feel like I was fragile or that I should walk on eggshells. He told me to live my normal life, and quit worrying about miscarriage. (He said my chance of miscarriage was less that 2%, now that I am past eight weeks.) Pure relief!
At times, Dr. Heckman would speak directly to Zac. I liked that about him, and I think it made Zac feel important too. We planned to see him again on March 27th, and left the office on a complete high. We headed to Pei Wei for a celebratory dinner, where Zac took this picture of me and Sweet Pea.

After dinner we went and got dessert (ahem, I alone, got dessert) at The Cupcakery. It was delish! What a wonderful day, that I'll never ever forget. =D