Barefoot, with baby & in the Kitchen

3 Months

2010-02-03T06:55:00.000-08:00

Goal obtained

2010-02-03T06:40:00.000-08:00

Back in the 120s again! Just barely, but who the hell cares. I actually stopped working out so much and ate more the past week because I think my supply was beginning to drop off from losing weight too quickly. I was met with a very nice suprise on the scale and my milk supply has been better the past couple days. I feel so much better and my pants are feeling better too. Id still like to drop a couple more pounds and keep working out, but it can wait until we are back from Florida. HOpefully I wont gain when we are there, but itll be warm so I can atleast walk everyday with the baby.

By the way, have I mentioned Bristol is three months old today!! I cant believe it.
Which also reminds me, I have made it to my first goal to exclusively breastfeed for three months! I cant begin to express how much harder it has been than I anticipated and I did think it was going to be very hard. But Im happy to say nothing has passed her lips except pure healthy breastmilk. My next goal is to make it to 6 months and my ultimate goal is to make it to one year so that she never has to have any formula. But we will take it one step at a time.

Shhh she's asleep....

2010-01-25T12:22:00.000-08:00

Ill try to type quietly, Bristol just passed out in her bouncer. Have I mentioned I am the queen of multi-tasking? I have conquered the art of typing on my computer, with one leg outstretched bouncing her bouncey, while eating a snack & talking on my phone. Yes my muscles hurt from being pulled in each direction....

Anyways -- my fatty update. I lost 2 more lbs last week (week 3), so total Im down 5 lbs & 3 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight. I just want to lose 2 more pounds before I go to Florida in two weeks & I will be happy! I NEED to weigh in the 120s! Im working out about 6 days a week & I really cut back on my calories. Although Im getting a little nervous about not eating enough to keep my supply up so Im goin to watch that.

Have I mentioned that there is nothing more precious in the whole wide world than a sleeping baby?? If only I had the time to have her nap in my arms everyday. You cant help from smiling when you see something so peaceful.

I have to leave my baby....

2010-01-21T07:02:00.000-08:00

So Bristol is 11 weeks old this week. Time sure does fly. I started working again the beginning of this month. Its been an adjustment and probably the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Caring for a baby is a full time, nonstop, 24 hr/day job add into that doing the laundry, cooking meals & trying to keep your house clean is another monumental task. Then add in working a full time job from home plus continuing to help Ryan with ASAP and doing all billing, invoicing, & payables -- I dont have a free second in 24 hrs. Im constantly running & working from the second I wake up and when Im done Im passed out on my pillow in about 2 seconds flat. Im soo thankful that I have a job though - even if it's a pay cut from my drug rep days - I get to stay home and be with my baby. It's definately tough - especially when I have a whole bunch of conference calls and a screaming baby in the background. Yesterday I had 1 conference call that took forever. We started a little late and I had Bristol down for her nap in her swing. Well she woke up about 10 min into the call, so I had to go get her. Of course it was a conference call/webiner so I needed to be in front of my computer for the call. So I rush back to my computer and have to nurse her in my chair while be on the call & computer. Of course she finishes just before the call is going to be over & starts crying because she really needed to burp. Finally muted the call & then got off & was able to burp her. Of course my phone rings 10 seconds later & its one of the guys I work with. He's laughing cause he said he could hear my baby crying at the end! I always get called out! Thankfully, Bristol is usually pretty good and she plays a lot in her bumbo or on her play gym next to my desk. She spends a lot of time on my lap while I am on my computer too. Luckily my boss that I report to is out in Colorado - so with the time change I can finish my calls with him after 5 pm my time when Ryan is home & can take the baby if she is being fussy.
So wait -- back to my original point I have to LEAVE my baby! Basically I can count on one hand how many times I have left Bristol in the past 11 weeks and its never been for more than an hour or two. Well, I need to go to a business meeting next month for two days. It's when we were supposed to be in Florida for vacation anyways, so Ryan will have Jeanne as backup. But Im still freaking out. Im not freaking out that she won't be cared for, because I know Ryan is a great dad and Jeanne is great with babies too. Im just freaked out that I will be away from her & then I start worrying about her refusing a bottle of milk or my milk supply getting messed up and a million other things.... Ill be gone for two nights & luckily I have a huge stash of frozen breast milk so she shoud be okay there. Yes, I will point out that my baby has never had a sip of formula & Im very proud of that & hope it continues that way! I will pump while I am away from her & just freeze the milk til I get back home again. Its going to be soo strange not having a baby attached to me at all times. Since Bristol has only taken like 5 bottles of pumped milk her whole life, Im trying to get her more used to them over the next couple weeks. Hopefully, itll all work out.
And yes, I cried hysterically when I booked my flight for the meeting....

Can we talk about my boobs ?

2010-01-19T08:38:00.001-08:00

So Im officially under (just barely!) my pre-pregnancy weight. Im starting to fit into more jeans, but the whole top situation is still out of control. I have been living in nursing tanks with hoodies & tshirts. When I try to put on a normal shirt, we have two huge problems. My boobs. Size small shirts apparently do NOT work with size F cup boobs. I either look like a huge whore or I cant even get the shirt over my boobs. Its ridiculous.
And where can I find shirts that will fit me & cover my boobs?! Basically I need to stalk someone who got a boob job and doesnt dress like a porn star. This may be hard to do....

Fatty McFaterson Week 2 Recap

2010-01-18T06:00:00.001-08:00

Week 2: Lost 1 lb, worked out 6 days out of 7. Had to take off the day of the ER visit - I was too busy freakin out to work out. Anyways, I also ate well all week except yesterday we had taco bell. But I just ate 3 tacos because I was starving and stressed from the stupid visit to the Apple Store.
So anyways - that leaves me with 5 more lbs to lose and only 3 weeks to do it in. Our FLA trip got moved up slightly. So I may have to re-assess my goals. I will be happy if I lose 3 lbs in the next 3 weeks. Its hard as hell to get this weight off. Ugh.

worst mother ever award

2010-01-13T12:20:00.000-08:00

Goes to me today! Yea, so my baby fell on her head this morning. WHaaa?! Yea, you heard me. How much do I suck?
So its like 6:15 am I stumble into her room to nurse her. I change her diaper quick & then lay her on my lap while Im sitting in the glider. I then let go of her (bad idea!) to get my boob out for her. Thats when she decided to use her very strong legs to push off my stomach and push herself right onto the ground. headfirst. I pretty sure I had a heart attack and lost about 5 years off my life. I screamed for Ryan. Bristol started screaming immediately (which turns out was a good thing) and I immediately stuck her on my boob to nurse which immediately calmed her down. Now what?! Hysteria new mom panic sets in and I text Lara to ask what do I do? I dont bothering calling the pediatrician since I know Ill just get a recording and I demand we take her straight to ER. Despite Ryan trying to explain that babies bounce or fall a lot or something, that I dont want to hear, we get her in the car and off to the ER.
Less than an hour later, we are on our way out of the ER because she is perfectly fine according to the doctor & nurses. The doctor was literally with her for 3 minutes, but assured us this happens & she is fine. But this shouldn't happen to my baby!
So I've spent the rest of the day feeling like total & complete crap & staring at her head trying to figure out if it is mishapen or lumpy. I suck.
Bristol, if you ever read this, you can probably make me feel guilty enough to buy you whatever you want....

Fatty McFaterson

2010-01-09T12:02:00.000-08:00

One week down! Offical weigh-in this morning & I am down 2 lbs!
Six more lbs to go & 4.5 weeks to do it in. I worked out 6 of the past 7 days. I took off the day after Bristol was up all night screaming from her vaccines because I was just plain exhausted. I have been alternating going on the elliptical and doing a workout video on FitTV on ONdemand. That way I dont get too bored. Im also doing abs everyday. I did just this ab routine by jillian michaels the one day and had very sore abs the next day, it was great. I also like doing the jillian michaels biggest loser workouts because the people in them are generally fat & it makes me feel better about myself!
I also ate pretty healthy this week. Im back to an apple & yogurt a day rule. It sucks. Have I mentioned how much I hate yogurt? So basically Ive been eating frosted mini wheats for breakfast, turkey & swiss sandwich for lunch, apple & yogurt for snack & a healthy dinner. Pretty boring, but oh well.

A post of pictures...

2010-01-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

Bristol seems to be starting to feel a little better. There has been a lot of this: the past couple days. It's so sad, but yes I still snapped a picture with my blackberry. Called the pediatrician again yesterday (this time they were open) & re-explained what was going on. They reiterated that they thought it was a reaction to the rotavirus vaccine and they would put a note in my chart and it would most likely last about 72 hrs. Hopefully we are on the downside of that now. I'd also like to point out that the reason why the side effect rate is so low is because very rarely does a doctor call & report the side effect to the FDA like they are supposed. So yes, I will be THAT person today & take it upon myself to look up the info on the vaccine & call & report side effect. Its BS that drug companies get away with these low side effect profiles. BTW - thank you unnamed pharma company for paying me soo abundantly for 5 years to push drugs. I take that back, I never really pushed the drugs. Guess thats why I got fired. Ohwells!
This is what you get when you wake up and Mama tries to take your photo with too bright of a flash! Good Morning everyone!

And here is more precious smiles! Smiles are great. However, smiles not soo great at 3:15 am (like today for example), but its still a hell of a lot better than screaming at 3 am.
And finally this is what you get when you feed Daddy & Baby too much for dinner! Daddy had a meatball coma & Bristol had a milk coma.

It's POISON!!

2010-01-07T06:52:00.001-08:00

Seriously, why must we inject our babies with poison!? I cant take it. Im not a hippy, crunchy freak I swear. I just dont get how I give birth to a pure, innocent little baby and the stupid (ahem democratic) government REQUIRES me to inject my baby with crap! Why cant I have the choice of what I think is best for her? Its ridiculous I tell ya.
So on Tue she got two vaccines (after fighting with the doctor who wanted to giver her SEVEN, yes I said seven vaccines at once to a two month old, actually correction, they tried to give these to her at 6 weeks and some of them just hours after her birth). Of course she has a bad reaction to the rotavirus vaccine. She was up all that night and spitting up all the next day. And when I say spitting up, I mean spitting up 10-12 times after a feeding up until the next feeding. And she was screaming while spitting up. I called the pediatrician at 2 pm on a Wed (day after vaccines) -- they were freakin closed! Are you kidding me?! I remember interviewing them and asking for their office hours and they said they were open every day! LIARS!!! And the on-call number is to a completely DIFFERENT doctor's office. Yup, another doctor's office that has no idea who I am, has no chart to reference, NADA! Yea, thats helpful. And of course I get freakin recording when I call them. Nurse finally calls me back and says it sounds like she is having an adverse reaction to the rotavirus vaccine. **flashback to day before when I ask the nurse giving the vaccine what the side effects are and she and I quote says "oh, we dont hear about any side effects anymore". I knew she was an idiot right then since I had obviously researched all of this since I came up with my own vaccination schedule.** Fucking Moron. Anyways, new nurse says she'll talk to doctor and then call me back. Calls back & says yup reaction to rotavirus vaccine. Then get this, they tell me to give her pedialyte in her bottle after I explicitly state that she is exclusively breastfed. What the heck is wrong with these idiots?! Not only does she obviously not get fed with a bottle, but breastmilk is considered a clear liquid and recommended when babies have a stomach virus (although formula is not) and to NOT give pedialyte. Bad advice round 230498! I swear if you dont completely educate yourself you would listen to these idiots. So I hung up and just continued to nurse her and keep an eye on her wet diapers. She wouldnt go to sleep last night and was still crying a lot. Ryan finally got her to sleep in her swing & just left her there. Im hoping she feels better today. But what a freaking day. BTW - the rotavirus is basically like the stomach flu - causing vomitting & diarrhea. The rotavirus vaccine is an oral vaccine and includes the LIVE virus, so there is a greater chance your baby will get sick from this.
Now back to my original point -- why must all these drugs be pushed on us. Yes, I can understand their place & benefit, but why isnt it my choice?! I would agree to most of them, but on my OWN TIME schedule. Why cant I wait until she is a little older. How can you tell when a two month old is in pain or sick? You cant. They cant communicate that to you. If my baby is not going to be in daycare and is breastfed so thus getting my immunities, why does she need to be shot up at birth?! She is perfectly protected right now.
BTW - I am on the search for a new pediatrician. Although so far it has been quite difficult. Doylestown doctors apparently pride themselves on shooting up kids 100%. Ughh.

Another reason I dont like doctors...

2010-01-05T10:36:00.000-08:00

The damage:

Thats her poor, cute little chubby thigh with a BLOODY bandaid. Mean nurse who stuck my poor little defenseless baby with a needle!! It was very traumatic for the both of us.
But back to my original point about why Im not a fan of doctors. At her 6 wk appt, they tried to give her SIX vaccines after I called prior to the appt to make sure that it wasnt for shots because I didnt want her to have any. But alas, we show up for appt and they try to give her the shots. So then we spent her 6 wk appt going over a vaccination schedule that I was somewhat okay with. To be honest, I really have doubts about any of these vaccines and if the school district didnt make it mandatory I wouldnt get any of them -- and btw its ridiculous that the government tells me that I have to shoot my daughter up with drugs. But I digress..
Okay so today at her two month appt, she was supposed to get ONE shot (which was the pnuemococcal vaccine) and one oral vaccine (which is the rotavirus vaccine). At the 6 wk appt, I had AGAIN declined the Hep B vaccine (which I had already signed & declined at her birth) & signed the waiver and set up this schedule. So we show up and they gave me a copy of the bill ahead of time, which was the only reason I caught that they had her schedule for a whole slew of vaccines. UGH. Here we go again. So I re-explain all of this to the nurse AGAIN. She claims to be getting everything ready. Then she comes & gets me and puts me on the phone with the pediatrician who again tries to get me to give her multiple shots. I again refuse & explain the schedule we had previously discussed, then he has to get back on the phone with the nurse to tell her what to give. But WTF -- we had already one over this & he had supposedly wrote it down in her chart. BTW - I checked her chart and he had somewhat wrote it down, but reversed it. Seriously, how on top of this do I need to be?! If I hadnt double checked everything, they would have gone ahead and stuck her with a million things. I was seriously annoyed.
So the oral vaccine wasnt bad, but of course she screamed bloody murder with the shot. I decided to sit in the room and nurse her for a few minutes to get her to calm down, which seemed to work well. Then we nursed again when we got home and she seems to be fine.

Two months in Recap

2010-01-04T06:09:00.001-08:00

In some ways I cant believe two months with Bristol have flown by so quickly. On the other hand, I vaguely remember the sleepless nights, the hellacious pain and frustration of the first 3 weeks or so and thinking will this ever get better....?
Oh yes, I am blessed with a beautiful, healthy baby girl. And I cant be more thankful than that. But let me tell you, those first few weeks are tough. Things did get better - thank the good lord. Im sure those memories will fade even further to the point where Ill be thinking...yah I can do it again. But let's recap, shall we?
The first two weeks are marked with a lot of pain - healing pain from the numerous stitches I had to endure (yah let's remember I got those stitches without any pain meds, damn that hurt). Oh & at 3 weeks post partum check up, I was told I had torn out some of my stitches which is probably why I had so much pain. Oh joy, that was fun. The pain of breastfeeding -- Im pretty sure for the first two weeks or so I nursed her with tears streaming down my face at every feeding. I'd also like to point out that I didnt shed a single tear during labor, thats how much this hurt. It was a great mix of struggling with my body to recover so I felt up to taking care of Bristol. What got me through you ask? Well, there is this song... "you're goin to miss this" by trace atkins. Well, I kept saying that to myself. Im going to miss her being so tiny & squished up so I better suck it the heck up and enjoy it while it was there. And its true - you do miss it. She grows soo fast and its gone all too soon.
There was the week of mastitis or as I fondly remember it - the week of hell on earth. I wouldnt wish that on my worst enemy! It was weeks of no sleep. What they forget to tell you is that if you decide to exclusively breastfeeding, you are the ONLY one that can get up in the night to feed her. Yah, thats fun. Im sure Ryan liked it because he really enjoyed his sleep. I remember nights stumbling back to bed to hear him snoring and I came ::this close:: to just throwing something at him to wake him the heck up! How much do you sleep in the begining you ask? Well, not much - she would eat every 2-3 hrs (if we were lucky), so if she ate for 30 min and then it would typically take another 30 min to get her to go back to sleep. That left a window of 1-2 hrs of sleep. But at this point you are so exhausted & wound up with anxiety that you pretty much don't sleep. But just remember, its worth it.
Week 3 I refer to as the awakening. The first two weeks are hard, but she mostly sleeps, eats, poops. After 3-4 weeks, she kind of woke up. This led to about 2 weeks of screaming awake time. It wasnt until around week 6 that she discovered 'happy awake time'. Happy awake time is great by the way, because she isnt screaming!
And then we have her first smile. The smile makes everything even more worthwhile. Here we are at two months and in the morning I am greeted with a smile, a huge stretch and typically a small fart thrown in for good measure. But I'll take it any day over a crying baby. At this point, she pretty much knows that I = boob = milk. She smiles a lot for Ryan, but I think when she sees me she just thinks milk still. Hopefully, one day that'll change.
So here we are at two months, the pain becoming a distant memory as well as the completely sleepless nights. We aren't consistently sleeping through the night yet, but getting up one time is soo much better than 4 times! Be thankful for what you can get in my opinion.
How does she sleep? - Well, we start with tubby time -- which for some reason calms her right down. She could be screaming bloody murder & throw her in the warm tub and she will just stop. After tubby time, she gets on her sleep gown and I nurse her for a long time. Then we swaddle TIGHTLY with the miracle blanket & nurse a little more. Then she goes down with the sound machine playing sounds of the ocean (with light projector thingy on) and the ipod playing willie nelson lullabies. Apparently babies like noise. Put her in a quiet room and she will immediately wake up.

the struggles of the fat girl....

2010-01-03T07:21:00.001-08:00

Day 2 of working out.I have done 20 min on the elliptical plus abs both yesterday & today. Today I kicked it up a notch to the "intermediate" program on the elliptical. It seemed a lot harder than beginner II. And Im tired. I'd also like to add that working out while breastfeeding is a lot harder than you think. You need to wear like 3 bras piled on top of each other and its still not exactly what I would call comfortable. But more on that later....
Here are some pics from this morning. In my defense, I had Just eaten breakfast prior to taking this. Other than that I have no excuses for my fat ass. Also, I am posting these to embarass myself into continuing to work out & because I dont think I look too bad in the mirror, but somehow in pics I look awful. For your amusement:

This is exactly 2 months post partum. And for anyone who wants to say its not that bad -- I basically looked like this at 4-5 weeks post partum and have remained the same since then. So that is really bugging me.
So here is my goal:
Lose 8 lbs by my trip to Florida, which is in exactly 5.5 weeks. I dont think that is too unreasonable. I must also work out Atleast 5 days a week and eat healthier. (dont worry all the christmas cookies have been given away at this point).
Now Im tired and need to chug a bottle of water.
Adios...

Let's talk about my fat ass...

2009-12-31T12:09:00.001-08:00

Exhibit A:

Not sure if I could look any WIDER!! Holy bajesus. I swore to myself that I would be at my pre-pregnancy weight by christmas. I forgot to weigh myself on Christmas, but the day after I weighed in at exactly my pre-pregnancy weight! Yah for me. Boo for my huge fat ass. WTF?! How can I look so horrible still? Yes those are my 'regular' jeans and they are obviously still way too tight. My fat jeans are pretty baggy at this point though and I pretty much look like a slub ( a slub is worse than a slob). Im refusing to buy new clothes until I look better or better yet, just fit into my old clothes. Okay, I will deserve some new shirts since my new huge boobs wont fit into much these days.
My husband who wins the award for worst gift giver of all time got me THREE pairs of sweatpants (yah because one wasnt enough) from various stores where the clothes are made for 16 yr old girls in size small. Of course none of them fit me. Im pretty sure he just likes going in these stores to get help from the 17 yr old whores that tend to work there. This led us to have to go return them and for the stupid young whore to ask me if I would like to exchange them for something. She was slightly taken aback when I explained that I wasnt a 17 yr old whore anymore and therefore refused to shop in said store. I hate skinny people right now.
Tomorrow starts the exercising & dieting. I have no problem cutting my calories down and working out til I pass out to look better -- I find this picture especially motivating. My problem is constantly worrying about my milk supply dropping from losing too quickly. So Im faced with the dilemna of trying to drop some weight more slowly for this not to happen. Ugh. And my other problem is how much do I have to lose? I fit into my clothes when I weighed this much before, however apparently my ass didnt get this memo.
Tomorrow I will take some serious photos and since no one is paying much attention to me, I might even post them.
Now let's discuss my how old and tired I look. okay not much of a discussion, but jeez I look like crap....
And Bristol, you owe your Mama big time for ruining my body like this!

Bristol's 1st Christmas

2009-12-31T12:03:00.000-08:00

Bristol looked cute as a button of course. Her Christmas was wonderful and she got to visit with so many of her aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. It was an action packed 3 days of celebrating and WAY too much eating.

Bristol was obviously a good girl and Santa brought her lots of presents:

She cant wait to play with everything. Bristol decided to give her very tired parents the best chrismas gift of all -- sleeping through the night!!! Not sure if itll continue, but we will take & be thankful for what we can get!

Is anyone reading this??

2009-12-21T08:27:00.000-08:00

So I abandoned my blog for 6-7 weeks. I was busy taking care of a newborn, I swear that is a good excuse. Here I am....exactly 7 weeks ago I looked like this:

I realized that with all the going into labor that day, I never got around to posting my 40 wk pic. If I wasnt so darn lazy right now and trying not to hurry so much before Bristol decides to wake up again, then I would post a current pic. Today we had slight success.. What you ask?

Well, after sweating unprettily to Jillian Michaels 30 day shred, step #2 (because really i can skip step #1 right? Im not that fat) and feeling quite defeated, I showered and then thought...do I dare reach into my vast stack of loved blue jeans that have gathered dust for the past year? Yes, I have been wearing my fat jeans since 2 weeks post partum. Before that I was living in sweats & pj pants. I REFUSE to wear anything maternity if Im not actually pregnant. Its just a rule I made to drive myself nuts. So I grab my favorite Size 4s and pull them on and suck it in and zip & button them!! Success. Okay, dont look in the mirror, because I have a serious muffintop going on, but good lord they button! I wouldnt be caught in public with them on and hate wearing things tight, but small steps. It started last week when I finally got measured for a new nursing bra & was happy to find that my ribcage had de-swelled back down to my normal size 34 (vs 36). The DDD/E/F cup size is apparently here to stay for a while though. What the heck is up with that size anyways? Apparently all those letters are the same thing depending on the manufacturer...but I digress... Baby steps, but Ill take them none the less.

I have been working out everyday for the past week - 20 min on the ellipitcal or a workout routine on ONDemand (which rocks by the way) plus atleast 200 various situps. Because seriously, my stomach may be pretty much flat looking, but not so toned at this point.

Im tired of tight pants and tight shirts and tight things in general. They suck. I hate feeling uncomfortable in my own clothes. And I really dont want to buy new clothes.

Yes, I realize this post is all about me. Dont worry, Bristol will get her own post.

She is currently in her swing. The two hours she spends in her swing each morning while I work out, shower, pump, eat breakfast & attempt to squeeze in some work before she wakes up. Its usually a blissful two hours where I dont stop moving for a single second-- however, it doesnt happen everyday. Sometimes she decides she hates her swing. Just like some night she decides she doesnt want to sleep.

This morning I thought she smiled at me, but then she let out a huge fart. Ehh, what are you goin to do?

Our Birth Story

2009-12-16T06:37:00.000-08:00

Bristol Morgan was born on November 3, 2009 at 10:46 am. Obviously aware of her Mama's disdain for those that are tardy, she came on her due date and just 4 minutes prior to what was my scheduled 40 wk appt with my midwife. She weighed in at 8 lbs, 3 oz & 20 inches long and is just perfection.

Things really began the Saturday prior to her arrival (Oct 31st). I began having the "real" contractions, although quite randomly. I had always thought she would come that weekend, but the contractions just continued sporadically. Sunday night into Monday morning (Nov 1st & Nov 2nd), I was awaken a few times with contractions and Monday morning they began to get somewhat regular. I went for my weekly massage & chiropractic adjustment and had a few more contractions while I was there. I then headed in to work. Contractions continued and varied from 10 min apart to 40 min apart throught the entire day. I went for my still daily walk at lunch time and cut out from work slightly early to head to my acupuncture appointment. My appt was at 330 pm and my acupuncturist told me I would have this baby by noon tomorrow (Tue, Nov 3rd) -- I wasnt soo convinced, but as she wiggled the needles in the pressure points, each time I would have a contraction. By the time I got home around 5 pm, I was having regular, timeable contractions at 10 min apart.
I decided I should eat and made myself a roasted chicken sandwich and waited for Ryan to come home from work. I dont think Ryan really believed me when I told him about the contractions. They continued through the evening between 8-10 min apart. I tried to lay down and go to sleep, but they were too painful to handle when laying down. I took a good shower and then went downstairs. Ryan went off to bed without me and I told him if they kept up we would be heading to the hospital. He then slept blissfully unaware while I labored downstairs all through the night. By midnight, the contractions were about 5-6 min apart. I could only handle them by walking around - so I literally paced around the downstairs of our house all night with 4 little dogs following me wondering what was going on. I could sit down inbetween contractions, but when I felt one coming I would have to get up again. I was at the point where I had to stop at the peak of the contraction and lean & sway & breathe to get through them. By around 2 am, they were about 4 min apart. I was told to call my midwife when they were 5 min apart for an hour, but she said I could wait longer if I felt okay since I wanted to labor at home as long as possible. I was having very strong contractions every 3-4 minutes and smaller contractions inbetween that werent nearly as bad. By 3:30 am (Tue, Nov 3rd) I began feeling very restless and the need to go to the hospital. I decided to take another shower & then I would call Joanne (my midwife). While I was in the shower, Ryan woke up and came to check on me. I told him to finish packing and get ready. He still didnt believe and kept questioning me if I was sure we needed to go. I think we were both nervous about getting to the hospital "too soon" and me not having much progress. At my last appt at 39 wks, I was only 1 cm & 70% effaced. So I had a lot more to go. I really felt restless though and I made the call to Joanne around 4 am. She seemed skeptical as well since I was so calm, but she told me to make my way to the hospital and she would meet me there.
I finished packing and getting dressed and we got to the hospital around 5 am. I had 3 strong contractions on the 6 min drive to the Hospital and made Ryan stop the truck during them since the bouncing of the big truck was not conducive to me coping with the pain. When we arrived, I started to get nervous because my contractions seemed to slow, which they said is normal. My midwife checked me right away & Ryan & I were both surprised & pleased to learn I was already 5 cm & 100% effaced. We were going to have a baby today!! We both called our parents quickly. They popped me on the monitor for 15 minutes to make sure the baby looked good & she did. So I was allowed to be removed from the monitor and labor as I wished. We mostly made what felt like a million laps around the maternity floor. At the peak of the contractions, we would stop and I would lean on Ryan like you used to slow dance in middle school & he would rub my low back and I would breathe. We did this for a couple hours and every 1-2 hrs, the nurse would hold the monitor to my belly for a few minutes to check the baby. My nurse was wonderful and she allowed me to stand during this and not get back in bed, since the pain was much harder to handle laying down. I tried to embrace the pain and realize that its my cervix opening so that I could meet my baby soon. It worked well for me. At some point, I wanted to get in the shower. The water really helps with the pain. Unfortunately, the shower was soo small, so Ryan couldnt get in there with me. But I probably stayed in there laboring for atleast an hour. Ryan would keep bringing me water & snacks since I did not want an IV.
After I got out of the shower (probably around 830 am), the nurse suggested I try the jacuzzi tub. I was apprehensive since laying down was so hard on me, but thought the water might help. After being in the tub for a few minutes, I had a huge contraction and felt a big POP! My water had broke. This was at 9 am. Ryan went and got the nurse and she said I could stay in the tub, but she would call my midwife since things would probably go fast now. I had one more contraction in the tub and decided I wanted to get out since the pain was not as manageable laying down like I had thought.
We made our way back to our room where they checked the baby again (she was still doing great!). Then Joanne had me lay down so she could check me. I was just over 9 cm! Ryan and I were so shocked and excited that I was almost there already. Joanne said I just had a little lip of cervix left on the right and she had me lay on my right side to try and get me fully dialated. I was now in transition and the contractions were at their highest. On the monitor, they were off the chart and lasting much longer and not much rest inbetween. I had to take it one contraction at a time and it was very difficult laying down. I finally got up and asked to sit on the toilet. I peed one last time and then got back in bed & it was time to push!
I started pushing around 10:15 am on Nov 3rd. In the beginning, I wasnt pushing effectively because I was letting air out while pushing. I was sooo tired. I had been up for so long and not only awake, but constantly walking. I remember my legs shaking and I couldnt hold them up myself, but Ryan & the nurse were there to help me. I pushed for about 30 minutes, but at my own pace. I could feel the contractions build and the urge to push and I would let everyone know when it was coming. I just listened to my body. I remember her crowning and everyone telling me they could see all her hair. I remember being asked if I wanted to reach down and touch her head, but I said no. I didnt want to put a visual to all the pain I was feeling!
At 10:46 am, Bristol Morgan was born. She was perfectly healthy & beautiful & very pink. She was placed on my chest and we dried her off. I remember her grabbing my finger. Her apgars were 9 and then a perfect 10 at 5 minutes. I have never seen Ryan so happy in all my life. Of course he cried. I was exhausted, but I had my perfect little girl.
We cleaned her off on my chest and I was allowed to keep her for almost 2 hours before they took her for her bath. I do remember being stitched up and that probably hurt the worse since I still didnt have any pain meds. Apparently, I started losing a lot of blood so they clamped her cord & had Ryan cut it and started me on pitocin to get my uterus to clamp down. I then nursed her for 20 min on each side within an hour of her birth. It was truly amazing.
Bristol was then taken to get her bath and get checked out. Ryan went with her per our birth plan. Thats when they tried to get me up and I apparently passed out in the bathroom with the nurses. I just remember the nurse grabbing me and pulling the emergency cord to get more help. I had lost a lot of blood and my bladder was too full and pushing on my uterus preventing it from contracting back like it was supposed to. They got me back in bed and eventually after threatening to cath me, I was able to pee & get back in bed. I remember being very exahusted and shaking and weak and just wanting to hold my baby.
Then Ryan was back with Bristol and he held her next to me since I didnt have the strength too.
Throughout everything, Ryan was my strength and support & I couldnt have done this without him. Bristol's birth was amazing and I wouldnt change a thing. Im so thankful to have a beautiful, healthy baby.

Our Birth Plan

2009-12-16T06:33:00.000-08:00

a little late..but here it is:

Parents: Lindsay & Ryan Hegna
Pediatrician: Dr Rinaldi, 215-345-1122

To our nursing staff:
Thank you so much for taking our birth preferences below into consideration. We are so excited to be expecting our baby girl, Bristol Morgan! We've taken great care over the past nine months to have a very healthy pregnancy, and we wish to have a birth that's as free of interventions as possible.
Of course, we realize that I've never done this before, and also that life often doesn't go quite as planned. We defer to the experts when it comes to getting our baby here safely, but we'd like to be kept involved in all decisions along the way.

Preferences for Labor and Birth:
During Labor
- Please do not offer an epidural or anesthetics. If I decide to get one, I will ask for it.
- I prefer intermittent fetal monitoring to constant fetal monitoring, so that I can move around as freely as possible.
- I do not wish to have an IV hooked up to me unless I need it.
- I wish to have the freedom to labor however is most comfortable – in the shower, in the bed, walking around, on the birthing ball, on the toilet, in the whirlpool tub if available.
- I do not want Pitocin to be administered and I'd prefer not to have my bag of waters broken unless it's deemed necessary.
Pushing
- I'd like to be able to push spontaneously and in any position that seems to be the most effective.
- I'd like to avoid an episiotomy unless it's absolutely necessary as determined by my midwife
Birth and Post-Birth
- I'd like her put on my chest immediately after she's born. Please clean her off and suction her while she's still on my chest. I would like skin to skin contact for the first hour or two after birth if her health permits.
- I'd like to delay the cutting of the cord until it stops pulsating & Ryan would like to cut the cord.
- I would like to immediately try breastfeeding.
- I wish to delay any treatment that can be delayed so that I can have as much bonding time with baby immediately after birth if possible
- I would like our baby to room in with us after delivery
Baby Care
- I would like my daughter to be bathed & examined in my presence. If my daughter must be taken from me for medical treatment or to the nursery, I would like my husband Ryan to remain with her at all times (viewing window at nursery)
- Please do not offer any bottles or pacifiers, as I will be exclusively breastfeeding.
- We wish to decline the Hepatitis B shot & erythromycin eye ointment

Thank you so much for all your support during our daughter’s birth

No, I dont know when she is coming....

2009-10-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

39 weeks, 1 day:

Yea, I know Im huge. I thought growth/weight gain was supposed to slow at this point. No such luck here. This girl has decided to have a late 3rd tri growth spurt...oh the joy. At 37 wk appt, I was measuring 34 weeks. Today at my 39 wk appt, I was measuring right on at 39 wks. Yup 5 cm growth in 2 weeks. Hence why I am huge I guess, but atleast measuring on track.

Those sweatpants are hot, right?!

Hmm what else.... No I have no clue when the baby is coming. Seriously. I swear I do not know. She will come when she is ready I suppose. Everything still looked good at my appt this morning. Baby is head is Very low & I have the pleasure of knowing that constantly. Yea, walking is a whole lot of fun at this point, but I still force myself everyday.

If I dont go into labor this week, then next week I have to have a non-stress test on my due date (tue) and then go back in on Fri for another one. As long as she passes, we dont have to talk induction yet, which I like.

38 weeks, 3 days

2009-10-22T12:15:00.001-07:00

Here's me at 38 wks, 3 days:

Lookin' large & in charge. Had my 38 wk appt on Tuesday and everything looked good: blood pressure great, baby head down, measured at 36 weeks (so obvious growth spurt accompanied by 2 lb weight gain for the week - ugh) & that was about it. For all the nosey people - no I have not had an internal check yet. Not sure if I will get one before Im due, still debating that. I dont think it really tells you anything anyways.
But other than that....I feel like I am ready for her to come now:
-I have gained my alotted 25 lbs & really, do we need to go over that?
-I have prepared all the meals on my list & the freezer is out of room. Here's the list of what I've made & frozen: homemade tomato sauce & meatballs, beef & cheese manicotti, lasagna, chicken pot pie, chicken alfredo casserole, homemade mac & cheese, dijon parm chicken, sweet potato casserole, cheesey chicken tator tot casserole, choc chip banana bread, choc chip pumpkin bread, & M&M cookies. I also bought excess meats (chicken, ground beef) and portioned them in 1 lb portions and stocked up on pasta, rice, soups, taco kits, etc. We also still have some Halloween sugar cookies left in the freezer that we are still working on. Im going to make some cinnamon apple bread hopefully tonight as well. Have I mentioned that I think my nesting instinct has appeared as a compulsion to cook? Or I may have always had this compulsion.
-Her nursery is ready & pretty much everything has been washed dutifully in Dreft.
-Carseats installed
-Toys assembled
-Birth plan complete, discussed with midwife & put in my file for the hospital (my chart was moved to the hospital this week to in prep for my delivery)
-Pediatrician confirmed
-Hospital bag is packed with stuff Im not currently still using
-Feeling of being kicked in the crotch repeatedly is ongoing & apparently normal for this time of pregnancy
See, pretty much ready, right?
So this weekend will be spent cleaning again I guess.

Bristol Update

2009-10-15T12:57:00.000-07:00

So at my 37 week appt on Tuesday, my fundal height (aka my belly) was still measuring 34 weeks. I had been having regular growth up until 34 weeks & then it just kind of stopped and I had been measuring the same for the past 3 weeks. If you are more than 2 weeks they usually start to check things out (ie growth restriction & fluid levels). Since I was measuring 3 weeks behind (aka 3 cm), my midwife decided to send me for an ultrasound to make sure verything was okay.
Had the ultrasound today & baby is looking good & my fluid level was very good. Baby Bristol is just a little on the small side (which is what I thought). She is measuring around the 30th percentile and they estimate her weight at birth will be high 6 lbs to low 7 lbs, which sounds good to me! She is in position - very low, head down & facing towards my back, which is good for delivery, but it meant we couldnt see her little face at all. So no cute pictures. It did appear that she had some hair though. So basically, I just have a smaller belly & baby & she has already started to drop, so she is lower down.
Good news all around.
So now my question is....do I go & buy clothes in "newborn" size? I always thought the 0-3 months clothes were looking a little big. From what I can gather, if she's born that little she will be in newborn clothes for about a month. I currently have 3 long sleeve onesies, 1 sleeper & 1 outfit in newborn sized. Ahhh

FULL TERM - 37 wks (+1 day)

2009-10-13T06:07:00.000-07:00

Here's me at 37 weeks.....

How far along? 37 weeks

Total weight gain? 24 lbs - I will be sad the day I surpass my 25 lb goal, but I think I should be okay (knock on wood) to keep it under 30 lbs total. Well, I guess that depends on if my mad compulsion to bake stops anytime soon and when she decides to make an appearance. I want to live in sweatpants. Seriously.

Stretch marks? not yet

Sleep? Not too horrible. Okay, I wake up literally every 2 hours to pee or switch positions, but Im trying not to complain.

Craving? Brownie sundaes were quite good. Im hoping to be over my ice cream/milkshake craving since its so freakin cold out, but who knows. I could eat a cheesesteak right now and a sugar cookie.

Labor signs? Having contractions completely randomly - I get way more when I am walking.

Belly Button? popped - This turkey is done!

What I miss? My flat stomach, being able to easily tie my shoes, having a choice of clothes to wear in the morning....

What I'm looking forward to? Finding out what Bristol looks like

Weekly Wisdom: an apple a day keeps the doctor away

Bristol's Nursery

2009-10-06T07:04:00.000-07:00

I think it'll get the job done.

Oh & enter your guess here

2009-10-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

http://www.expectnet.com/games/BabyBristolMorgan

I'm a fat cow -- 36 weeks!

2009-10-05T13:32:00.000-07:00

Here's me today:

I feel like I had a big growth spurt the past week & I feel pretty huge. Oh & the insatiable hunger -- yea its back! God help me!
We are getting more prepared - which is good because I seem to be having a lot more contractions, especially when I am walking.
The nursery is about finished (finally). I have started cooking/baking and freezing stuff so we have some food when Bristol arrives. My husband is good for many things, but if I had to depend on him to feed me, Im pretty positive I would starve to death within days. And Unfortunately for us, no food places will deliver to us either. So I have been trying to make 'freezer meals' that I can just defrost and bake. So far I have made chicken pot pie, homemade tomato sauce, meatballs, & homemade mac & cheese. Also stocking up on pantry items while they are on sale (like soaps, taco mixes, etc) & buying bulk meat and freezing it in portion sizes. Tonight Im trying to bake some choc chip banana bread and we also got a bunch of apples, so Im going to make applesauce this week too. Next up on meals is beef & cheese manicotti & lasagna.
Hopefully we will attempt to install the car seat bases this week too. My car should be intersting to say the least. I just got the seat protector things I ordered, which will hopefully prevent the car seat from leaving horrible marks in my leather seats.
Also - if we could pray for continued none freezing temperature so I can keep up with my walks outside that would be great.
Thanks, my fatass

When will baby come??

2009-09-29T13:32:00.001-07:00

I'd like to direct your attention to the new poll to the right of your screen.

35 Weeks -- 35 Days to go!

2009-09-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

Uhm so when I got pregnant, I kind of felt like it would go on forever. Now I'm 35 weeks, 2 weeks away from being full term & 5 weeks away from my due date & Im wondering how the heck Ill get everything done in time. They say you wont get into labor until you have 'fully nested' and feel ready for the baby to come. So there is a possiblity I may never have this baby. Ha!

Anyways, here's me at 35 weeks.

Had my midwife appt this afternoon -- Baby is head down (yah!) and curled up with her feet sticking out my right side. Im up 21 lbs total, measuring pretty close just over 34 weeks, and my blood pressure is still low at 90/60 (which is what it always is). Also Im group strep b negative, so that means I dont have to have an IV during labor (yah again!). That was my last test result I was waiting on & now I need to finalize our birth plan and go over it with Joanne at my next appt next week.

Oh yea, I have weekly appts starting next week....deep breaths.

Still feeling good, but kinda large. Bending over is a real pain (literally) and tying my sneakers for my daily walk is getting to be a production. Maybe I need some velcro sneakers or something. Im not really ready for this cold weather, since I basically have nothing to wear!

Our dogs are confused...

2009-09-24T13:45:00.000-07:00

They seem to think that all the baby stuff is theirs. Magnum immediately confiscated the rubber ducky I got at my shower. He even jumped in the basket to get it and run off with it. He has a serious ducky obsession though. Every little toy they think is theirs as well as all the big stuff too. I constantly find all four of them on this playmat thing.

Someone is going to have to have another talk with them...

34 Weeks!

2009-09-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

Seriously this outfit is horrendous. I should be shot as a fashion victim.

How far along? 34 weeks, 2 days

Total weight gain? 21 lbs - It seems the month of 'insane weight gain & hunger' has come to end. Im a little hesitant to breath a sigh of relief for fear I might get another growth spurt like that. Weeks 28-32 were crazy! I was measuring 2 weeks ahead for that period to, but at my last appt I was back to measuring on track, which I was happy about.

Maternity clothes? Pretty much - although Ive even 'outgrown' most of my maternity tops. I have very few left that are long enough to cover my belly. Old navy blows by the way - I outgrew their stuff weeks ago and refuse to buy anymore. This chilly weather is throwing me for a loop on what to wear.

Stretch marks? not yet

Sleep? Depends on the night, sometimes I wake up wide freakin awake for no reason & cant go back to sleep. Other nights Im so exhausted I think I sleepwalk to the bathroom to pee.

Food Craving? ice cream, milkshakes, cheese fries

Labor signs? nope

Belly Button? Its popped out about half way most of the time - but isnt completely popped otu and if I lay on my back depending on what position the baby is in, itll go back in.

What I miss? being able to bend over! seriously, its getting so bad I can barely tie my sneakers!

What I'm looking forward to? having everything ready so i can relax for a minute before she comes....not sure this will actually happen though!

Weekly Wisdom: keep moving because if you stop using it, you'll lose it

Maternity Pics (33 wks, 1 day)

2009-09-17T06:47:00.000-07:00

My amazingly talented friend Jess offered to do some maternity pictures for me. She did an awesome job and here are my favorites so far. I have her scheduled to do newborn pics of little Bristol too and am soo excited. You can check out her blog at jessicajakatt.wordpress.com

Bristol Morgan @ my shower (33wks)

2009-09-17T06:38:00.000-07:00

Ryan was committed enough to her name to finally announce it. It was my idea to include cake in the announcement, because well, I love cake!

Me & my amazing friends who threw me a wonderful shower. There are a lot of baby bumps in this pic!

Bristol is very blessed to have such wonderful family & friends and she is very spoiled already!

I even got a surprise visit from Auntie Kate who flew up from Atlanta! Probably the best gift I got!

Nicole - thank you soooo very much for putting this together for me. I had an amazing time and am so blessed to have you as a friend.

32 Weeks!!

2009-09-08T07:58:00.000-07:00

Here's me @ 32 weeks

Ryan managed to put the crib together, but the height of the springs are too low, so he kind of needs to fix that. We should probably go buy the mattress too!
Yes, I am looking quite rotund. The baby is approximately 3.5 lbs and 16.5" long. She'll be gaining about a 1/2 lb per week til the end of the pregnancy. She still likes to try to lay transverse & attempt to stretch out, which makes her feet come out my side. I think she is starting to run out of room in this direction and am hoping she decides to flip head down & stay down soon -- for my sanity atleast!
The past 4-5 weeks have been ravenous hunger for me, which of course correlates to gaining weight. Im up 20 lbs total and getting a little too close for comfort to my 25 lb goal. I might have to re-assess that though. Ugh. Im hoping this was just a serious growth spurt and things calm down soon. Im starting to really feel the extra weight now too and feel pretty big. This makes me terrified of how big I am really going to get!

Little girls are Made of...

2009-09-04T07:14:00.000-07:00

Gunpowder & Lead!

It wouldnt be bad if we bought this, right? Or should we wait until little girl is a bit older, like for her 3rd or 4th birthday?

Randomness...

2009-09-03T08:06:00.000-07:00

1. Did you know that you can take your placenta home with you after delivery...all you need to do is bring your own "to-go container" to the hospital and they'll give it back to you with your placenta. I think Ryan plans on eating it. Its kind of like when you kill a deer and you have to take a bite out of the heart to release its spirit back into the wild....err uhm something like that. Anyways, pretty cool, huh?

2. If you dont sign anything upon check-in to the hospital for delivery, you are consenting to everything. If you do not want some of their 'standard procedures' like eye antibiotic ointment, hep C vaccine, vitamin K shot, etc - then you must somehow track down a form and sign that you do NOT want these things. They make it pretty difficult for you for some reason. It seems kind of ass backwards to me.

3. We have our first pediatrician consult meeting tomorrow. He came highly recommended by my midwife and I spoke to the office manager on the phone for quite a while & am hoping it'll be a good match. I will try to keep my doctor bias down to a minimum for the meeting.

4. Sometimes I forget I'm pregnant and randomly wonder why I cant reach something or bend over or other random things. Like when I jump up onto the step rails on the truck and try to reach something in the bed, but instead I slam my belly against the truck and bounce off and wonder what the heck just happened.

5. Why is rolling over in your sleep soo difficult?! When you're not pregnant, you completely take this for granted. You simply roll over and don't even wake up. When you're pregnant it becomes an olympic event. First you have to wake up and wonder why your hip hurts, than attempt to flip over and wonder why its soo difficult, then realize oh you're pregnant and there is essentially 20 lbs attached your belly, then try to maneuver your body to the other side. Technically, I should probably re-adjust my pillows at this point too, but usually Im too darn tired and lazy. Oh and I forgot, you will also realize you have to pee and try to get up and go to the bathroom for the millionth time too. I believe that this process closely resemebles how a beached whale feels, hence my newfound sympathy for them.

6. I'm getting quite large. I am hoping the past month has been a growth spurt and this rate of hunger/weight gain subsides somewhat soon. Otherwise, I will be seriously huge by the end of this. Also, Im actually tired of eating. Yes, I never thought that would be possible, but it has happened. Im sick & tired of eating all the time and trying to think of what to eat and then eating. Maybe its because Im trying to eat well. Maybe if I got to eat a brownies, cakes & a huge bowl of ice cream everyday I wouldnt be soo tired of it. Mmm ice cream. I swear I seriously crave ice cream every freaking day. I try to limit myself to once a week, but it feels like sheer torture I tell you. The whole pregnancy guilt things is quite annoying in my opinion.

7. We are set to announce our baby girl's name soon. Although now Ryan is getting cold feet again on his choice, so we shall see.

Our nursery/crib

2009-08-25T05:51:00.000-07:00

That's our crib! Isnt it pretty?!
And here's the nursery:

I know its looks awesome, right? We have gotten so much done!

I mean I have 7 more weeks until Im full term, no need to have anything done, right?!

Lord, give me strength.

30 Weeks!!

2009-08-24T12:50:00.001-07:00

That's me @ 30 weeks! Saying that Im 30 weeks doesnt sound that bad. Until you look to the right and see that ticker on how many days are left. I cant tell you because I stopped looking. It kind of induces a panic attack~!
Still feeling good & doing the usual - walking about 3 miles per day. I think I really need to start doing some arm exercises too though - sausage arms freak me out!
The scale & I had a serious breakup! Im up 17 lbs now - I really would like to stick to the 25 lb weight gain total, but we shall see. I can definately tell you where the pounds came from though because I AM HUNGRY ALL THE TIME!! I mean seriously HUNGRY ALL THE TIME. Im not sure if you catch my drift, but I cant go more than 2 hours without eating & it's not like a little snack will hold me over. I need like 6 MEALS a day. I am eating well though and not eating junk, so should I really be gaining that much weight?! Who knows. I want a sundae.
I've also started bi-weekly appointments with my midwife, so I guess that means we are getting close!
My belly button is still pretty freaky although it hasnt totally popped yet. Here's a hot belly pic shot!

28 Weeks!!

2009-08-10T05:50:00.000-07:00

This is funny... on the left is me @ 18 weeks & the right is me this morning @ 28 weeks in the same exact outfit.

I was just a little impressed I could still button those regular jeans and that top is one of those extra long tank tops, which is now a hot belly shirt on me.
Oh & this is me from the front today:

Please dont freak out...I didnt wear this outfit in public. I changed before leaving the house.

Welcome to the BIG show!!

2009-08-06T13:37:00.000-07:00

Hello 3rd Trimester! Hello big ol' belly!

Me @ 27 weeks, 2 days:

Lord help me...I think my belly is bigger today.

How far along? 27 weeks (beginning of 7 th month & 3rd trimester!!!)
Total weight gain? 12 lbs (gulp) - as of monday. I havent weighed myself since getting back from FL. Im more than a little frightened to since my belly looks even bigger. Although I ate really well and didnt even go to Sonic or Steak 'n Shake or Krispy Kreme. It was pure torture really.
Maternity clothes? If me wearing the same thing in every picture isnt a tip off, then I dont know what is.
Stretch marks? not yet
Sleep? Getting worse. Some nights are really bad & I think I wake up with a bigger belly. I have to wake up in order to roll over plus the peeing = me waking up atleast 4-5 times per night.
Food Craving? ice cream, milkshakes
Labor signs? nope. still not liking the Braxton Hicks though
Belly Button? Getting creepier by the day. I would recommend not seeing me because I totally show my creepy belly button to people. Its like half flipped out.
What I miss? being able to bend over
What I'm looking forward to? i dont now. all i see ahead right now is getting fatter, which really isnt something to look forward to!
Weekly Wisdom: Never sit next to the fat guy on a plane
Milestones: Last trimester!!

Staring at Countdown ticker in Bewilderment....

2009-07-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

Uhmm....can you see that?!?! Does that say 98 days left?!?! I feel like Im having a slight panic attack - shouldnt I be nesting or have a nursery ready or Something?! Oh crap. Im usually quite prepared & organized, I swear. I feel like I need a week vacation of laying on a deserted beach because Im way too drained to actually acoomplish anything. My excuse is that the crib wont be in for another month, so why not wait til then to get stuff done?
I really need to schedule a hospital tour too so I can feel more comfortable with all the nonsense that they might impose on me. Ive been keeping up with my reading & our childbirth class is going well, although the teacher is a bit on the long-winded side.
I started my research on vaccinations and found out some utter ridiculousness that left me fuming. Apparently you have no choice in what the doctors want to inject into your child because the school district REQUIRES your child has these vaccinations in order to go to school. And Ill be damned if Im going to pay a ridiculous amount in school taxes and not send my kids to public school. Im still quite pissed & looking into this. Supposedly there is a way around this if I "affiliate" myself with a random religious group that is against vaccinations - so screw you CB school district. Im looking more into this as well. Im okay with some vaccinations, although would prefer if they were more spread out. But some things are just ridiculous - like Hep B - please explain to me why an infant only hours old needs to be vaccinated for this. I have never been vaccinated for Hep B & I tested negative. HEP B is a freakin' STD and the only other risk is from blood transfusions which is minuscule even if she needed a transfusion, which the chance of that is minuscule. So once again please tell me why this is necessary & required to go to school. Its completely eff'd up in my opinion. I am still scarred for life from my infant chicken pox vaccination and don't want to scar my kid & I still got chicken pox (yes vaccines arent really all that effective now, are they?!). Ive also never gotten a flu vaccine in my life & Im still alive and kicking. Needless to say that doctors don't really explain to you that its not just a vaccine they're injecting in your baby, but also aluminum, mercury, formaldehyde, etc that are in there to "help" make the vaccine work better. Ohh but I ramble on....
I forgot to take my picture today, so you will have to wait.
Other than that, Im super hungry. Like all the time. I could really eat a cupcake right now...or 9.
I promise to not rant as much tomorrow....

25 Weeks!!

2009-07-20T10:51:00.000-07:00

Here's Me:

How far along? 25 weeks

Total weight gain? 10 lbs (gulp) - hitting double digits wasnt quite as bad as I thought....although it still pretty much sucks.

Maternity clothes? Can you tell from the 5 whole outfits I rotate weekly? I can still barely get away with regular tops (like the one in this pic), but they're quickly getting too short. And I'd hate to be that WT girl with her belly hanging out the bottom of her shirt. That is pretty hot though, right?

Stretch marks? not yet

Sleep? Okay. I wake up ALOT during the night. And I feel really tired most of the day.

Movement? Feeling her everyday now but she is relatively calm compared to how much she moved the weekend in Nashville - must've been all that loud music.

Food Craving? ice cream & cheese (apparently she needs more calcium right about now)

Labor signs? the Braxton Hicks contractions started about a week or so ago. They totally freaked me out at first because I didnt know what it was. They're quite creepy imo.

Belly Button? still stretched open & shallower

What I miss? Being able to get out of bed quickly

What I'm looking forward to? Is it bad I cant think of anything right now?

Weekly Wisdom: If your husband never did his homework in school, he probably isnt going to do his childbirth class homework either....

Milestones: We started our bradley childbirth classes.

p.s. Im hungry!

Pregnancy makes you stupid

2009-07-17T05:52:00.000-07:00

I never really knew this before. Who tells you these things & why the heck would you believe them?

This may or may not be caused by either your brain shrinking during pregnancy (i have no idea why your brain shrinks, but apparently it takes 6 months after birth to return to its normal size) or the weird influx of hormones. I found research that also suggested hormones during pregnancy sometimes mimic the effects of alzheimers. And yes, I researched this because Im a nerd & I didnt really believe this was a side effect.

So I try to keep it together - I make my lists & write everything down so I dont sound like a total idiot. I may have sometimes put the peanut butter in the fridge with the jelly after making my pb&j and dumb things like that. I sometimes completely forget what I was doing or what I was going to say - but ehh it comes back eventually & only results in a few extra trips to the grocery store.

The most annoying things has been burning myself in the kitchen. Not sure if its the stupidness or Im just really hungry, but the other day resulted in my second bad, blistering burn to the hand. I was just trying to make a new recipe for S'more bars (yummy, right?):

These are super easy to make, but include bringing chocolate and a few other ingrediants to a boil on the stove & then pouring the hot chocolate mixture over golden grahams in a bowl. So as I began to pour the boiling hot chocolate over the golden grahams - I think to myself 'hmm I should spread these out in the bowl to get better chocolate coverage'. So I reach my hand into the bowl to move the golden grahams WHILE the other hand continues to pour the chocolate. In my head, Im pretty sure I told my other hand to stop pouring the chocolate. But alas, I pour burning hot chocolate on my fingers! OWWWW. So then I calmly have to set the hot pot down and run to the sink to get the chocolate off my hand. Yahh that really freakin hurt. Then I had to quickly return to pouring the chocolate before it cooled because I couldnt possibly ruin my bars. I am a dedicated baker. Then I had to mix in the marshmallows all while my hand is pulsating & burning. But I got those bars done & proceeded to be in pain for the next day. Here's a shot of one of the burn blisters 2 days later:

Yea that hurt, but the s'mores bars were yummy. Ryan had the nerve to tell me there should be more marshmallows in them. Which truly there should be, but had my fingers not been burning like hell, I might've added more.

24 Weeks - Happy Viability Day!!

2009-07-13T08:34:00.000-07:00

So supposedly at 24 weeks the baby is potentially viable if delivered - so we will be thankful for that but hope she stays in there for atleast another 3 months!

I didnt take a picture this morning, but here is one from our weekend away & I felt like I got a lot bigger.

The scale & I were actually friends this morning & I didnt gain any weight this past week even with us travelling! So I havent crossed into double digits yet - which reminds me, Im staaarving!
Ryan was trying to convince me that I was eating a ton - and by a ton, he means I actually finished my sandwich and didnt share it with him. It was a small sandwich, I swear!
Other than that we had a fabulous weekend even though I was exhausted most of the time, but Im glad we went.
There is definately no hiding my belly at this point & I actually started getting stares (while at honky tonks a little late) and comments from strangers.
I'm starting to feel like we have a lot to get done in the next three months & we better get crackin' if this baby doesnt want to sleep in a drawer after she's born!
Ryan has still not come up with a name....please feel free to harass him about it.

Oh we also started our first childbirth class last night. It was a bit of a blur since we headed there last night straight from the airport & were both really tired. Alot of the info I already knew since I read a lot of books (Im a nerd) and the exercises they taught us I was already doing in prenatal yoga. The teacher seemed really nice though so it should be fun.

Now I really need to find something for lunch or Im going to eat my arm off.....

23 Weeks (+1 day)

2009-07-07T07:08:00.000-07:00

So I'm pretty positive I offically "popped" sometime in the last week.

Look at that big belly! It happend over like 3 days last week & was kind of crazy. My belly button is also getting all stretched out & a lot shallower.
Baby is about the size of a small doll -- almost a foot in length and about 1.5 lbs in weight.

How far along? 23 weeks + 1 day
Total weight gain? 9 lbs - Im really dreading the whole double digit weight gain thing & I know its coming this week especially with us going on vacation.....
Maternity clothes? Pretty much - I can still get away with regular dresses & tops if they're long enough.
Stretch marks? not yet
Sleep? Good when I can get it.
Movement? Feel her moving just about every day now -- usually at night when Im watching tv before bed. She'll actually move my whole belly & you can see it. Sometimes she curls up on one side & sticks her butt out or something and I poke at her. Its creepy & awesome at the same time.
Food Craving? mostly ice ceam (maybe because its hot?)
Labor signs? no thankfully
Belly Button? my belly button is getting really creepy. Its all stretched open and getting pulled out & it hurts if you poke it.
What I miss? Having a choice in clothes to wear
What I'm looking forward to? Our trip to NOLA & Nashville this week - but Im quite scared of getting cankles on the plane ride!
Weekly Wisdom: A bouncer wont really throw a pregnant woman out of a bar because he is too afraid to put his hands on you.
Milestones: We are supposed to start our bradley labor classes this coming Sunday!

I'm becoming a Mama....

2009-07-01T15:12:00.000-07:00

So today Im headed to the grocery store & DQ just happens to be in the same shopping center, but all the way at the other end. So I decided to park at the grocery store & walk down to the DQ and back (you should be proud of me, right?!). I NEEDED a twist in a cone of course. Anyways, I order my twist and the young (cough, cough) hoe tells me its $2.01!!! What?!
So my immediate response (before I can think of what Im saying) was: "What?! When I was a kid a small twist in a cone was .96 cents! That hoe looked at me like I was nuts and I forked over my money.
Am I really that old or is this some thing that just happens when you become a mom...... (atleast I didnt claim I had to walk 10 miles uphill in the snow to get to the DQ!)

By the way - I think I have officially "popped" some time in the last couple days. My bump is quite rotund and along with it came the back pain. Yipee.

p.s. that ice cream cone was totally worth my 2 bucks

A Pregnant Lady's Morning

2009-06-30T09:19:00.000-07:00

1. Wake up & try to sit up. Realize you cant sit up because the belly is interfering. Roll on side & sit up by pushing up on hands like an old person. Wonder if they make cranes to help pregnant people get out of bed.
2. Realize you are about to pee yourself. Try to stand up. Listen to every joint in your body crack & moan loudly for full effect.
3. Grab your sore back & try to stretch, but realize you cant because this induces pains in your belly. Grab belly instead.
4. Waddle into bathroom
5. Sit down to pee & realize you really didnt have to pee that badly, it was just the baby kicking at your bladder again.
6. Go to brush teeth
7. Drop toothbrush as you are horrified to see what appears to be your first stretch marks on your belly in mirror. Examine marks like a crazed animal by climbing up on counter to get closer to the mirror. Rub furiously at said marks. Slowly calm down because its just skin creases from sleeping on the bed sheet wrinkles. Phewww one more day without stretch marks.
8. Grap cocoa butter with Vitamin E & begin slathering it all over your middle until you feel like a greased pig.
9. Pick toothbrush back up & brush teeth.
10. Spit out mouth full of blood (because pregnancy makes your gums bleed like a faucet)
11. Wash face
12. Blow nose full of blood (because pregnancy gives you a bloody nose too!)
13. Examine size of belly in mirror. Refuse to look at your fat ass in mirror.
14. Go put underwear on. Wonder why sides of underwear are cutting into you. Walk by mirror & realize no pregnant woman should be allowed to wear a thong. Hold your resolve to not give into buying granny panties for one more week.
15. Waddle over to scale. Hold breath before stepping on (you rationalize this makes you lighter). Stare horrified at number. Quickly step off. Remove underwear. Step back on. Gasp horrified again. Run to pregnancy book & weight chart. Carefully record weigh & triple check that you're not anywhere near the high end of the range. Breathe a sigh of relief.
16. Time to get dressed - waddle over to closet. Find bra. Wonder why bra doesnt fit you (again!), mentally ponder where you can buy a bra big enough to fit you since your go-to Victoria's Secret stops making bras at a DD and apparently you've surpassed that. Pat yourself on the back because obviously those pounds you gained went straight to your boobs & not your ass (its ok to lie to yourself)
17. Stare at racks of clothes & try not to break down crying that none of them fit you. Mentally debate wearing nothing & laying on the floor of the closet all day in a depressive sobbing state. Choose outfit from the one of 5 things left that actually fit you.
18. Turn around in front of the mirror atleast 349 times debating if you look fat or pregnant.
19. When husband shows up, ask him if he thinks you've gotten bigger. His response that you look a lot bigger is not taken well. Break down sobbing that you're a fat beached whale with thunder thighs. Husband looks perplexed & assures you that you look smaller. Break down crying that your baby is starving since you're smaller & fall into hysterics again. Husband becomes more perplexed and decides to just ignore your crazy ass.
20. Pick yourself up off of floor & waddle downstairs.
21. Pour yourself a bowl of fiber-enriched cereal while daydreaming of eating yummy bacon, egg, & cheese biscuits & donuts instead.

How far along are you?

2009-06-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

The age old question that you will hear approximately 213043904 times while you are pregnant. This is not an easy question to answer! To people who have never been pregnant - a pregnancy is 9 months long. Well let me show you how this gets confusing -- pregnancy is actually 40 weeks long, which may or may not technically be 9 months. See a month isnt exactly 4 weeks long, although most of us think that way for some reason. So here we go - ask me how far along I am -- I'm 22 weeks. Well, how many months is that? Uhmmm (22 wks divided by 4 wks/month) = 5 1/2 months. Okay, so you have 3 1/2 months left? But you're due Nov 2nd, which is 4 months away. See are you confused yet?!!
Then it gets real confusing because instead of referring to someone as how much they have completed, its really about what month you are "in". Yes, I know this makes no sense and quite obviously was made up by some guy who was never pregnant. So I found this chart to help us all be less confused.
Wks 1-4 = You're in your 1st month, this is Month #1, 1st Trimester

Wks 5-8 = You're in your 2nd month, This is Month #2, 1st Trimester

Wks 9-13 = You're in your 3rd month, This is Month #3, 1st Trimester

Wks 14-17 = You're in your 4th month, This is Month #4, 2nd Trimester

Wks 18-21 = You're in your 5th month, This is Month #5, 2nd Trimester

Wks 22-26 = You're in your 6th month, This is Month #6, 2nd Trimester

Wks 27-30 = You're in your 7th month, This is Month #7, 3rd Trimester

Wks 31-35= You're in your 8th month, This is Month #8, 3rd Trimester

Wks 36-40= You're in your 9th month, This is Month #9, 3rd Trimester

And for all lucky ladies who are pregnant longer than 40 months - just call yourself a beached whale, because they dont give ya a classification apparently!

So if you're still reading because you're a weird numbers person like me,

I am supposedly 6 months pregnant @ 22 weeks.

Here's me:

So the real question is, do I look pregnant yet?! Its still somewhat debatable, but my belly is definately popping out at this point.

The scale was also quite nice to me this week & after gaining a pound a week for the last 8 weeks, I stayed the same this week! Yes, Im one of those anal people who weigh themselves everyday.

i love baby socks

2009-06-24T06:26:00.001-07:00

We got these on our recent trip to Va
How cute are these?! They look like little cowgirl boots (i got a whole box in various colors)!!

Baby socks are seriously adorable. Seriously. The kid might not have any clothes, but she'll have warm feetsies. Have you seen these things called baby legs?! Freakin adorable (seriously google that)! Im pretty sure they serve no actual purpose, but they're cute as a button.

21 Weeks (+1 day)

2009-06-23T06:15:00.000-07:00

Our dogs are obvious scene-stealers....

And quite obviously Ryan's spawn is determined to make me look like I ate way too many twinkies for atleast another week....(p.s. white is not slimming)
Obviously this quote is somewhat true:
"Even during gestation, girl babies are determined to ruin your figure so that they can be prettier than you."

The unnamed baby is now about 10.5" long & weighing in at about 12-13 ounces. Supposedly she will Really be packing on the weight over the next 4 weeks - does this mean I will be too?! Lord help me.

No, the baby still doesnt have a name. I have taken to calling her "unnamed baby" in hopes of guilting Ryan in to picking a name -- its not really working to be honest. Yes, ryan is in charge of coming up with a name. Yea, I know you're shaking your head right now. Ryan has a few commitment issues, so we're hoping that the baby has a name by the time she is like two or maybe she'll have had like 23490 names by then. Who knows.

How far along? 21 weeks, 1 day (because everyday counts ok!)
Total weight gain: up 8 lbs (gulp)
Maternity clothes?Pretty much - although they're not doing much for the whole make me look pregnant vs just plain fat thing going on
Stretch Marks? Not yet
Sleep? Just okay
Movement: Nothing consistent still, but definately feeling her
Food cravings: Last night after yoga, I really wanted a cheeseteak, chicken nuggets, hamburger & ice cream cone - like right then. I settled for 5 piece nuggets from the dollar menu at wendys. I will still starving, but burnt my mouth so bad shoving them in my face that I didnt want to eat anymore.
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: my flat stomach (will you ever come back to me?!)
What I am looking forward to: feeling more movement & getting fatter (note sarcasm)
Weekly Wisdom: I got nothin'
Milestones: uhmm more than half way done (we hope!)

Its a GIRL!!!

2009-06-17T08:15:00.001-07:00

I almost feel like posting "its NOT a boy" because every freakin person thought it was a boy and when we went to tell people everyone was like 'its a boy, right?!' and we're all like No. Its a girl.

So the shock is wearing off since we too thought it was a boy. But 2.1 seconds into the ultrasound it was quite apparent it was a girl, even before the tech told us anything.

So here are the pics (but they're not very good)

I will feel much better tomorrow when we should get the report from the ultrasound at my midwife appointment & know that everything is alright & she is healthy.

In the meantime I am left to panic with the following thoughts:

1. our daughter will be deprived of anything pink due to my disdain of the color

2. our daughter will be forced to do back breaking man chores on the farm because, well, someone's got to do it

3. our daughter will have horrible hair. Have you seen my hair? I havent done my hair EVER in my life. I have never had a hairstyle. I have no clue how to do hair? what the heck am I going to do?!

4. some people might think our daughter is a boy since I will be sure to dress in her in blue as a baby. maybe i will find blue dresses & then it will be more obvious.

5. our daughter has no name since ryan was left in charge of this

on the positive side....our daughter will be sure to kick ass, because well, she is my daughter.

HALF WAY THERE!! 20 Weeks!!

2009-06-15T10:50:00.000-07:00

My eyes are closed because Im laughing that Ruger really wants me to pick him up while Im getting my picture taken.
Baby is the size of a Cantaloupe -- over 10 ounces!!

How far along? 20 weeks
Total weight gain: up 7 lbs
Maternity clothes? Oh yes, my vast unattractive wardrobe now consists of 3 sundresses, 5 shirts, one pair of jeans & one pair of jean shorts. Sweet! After much, much searching I found thee shortest pair of maternity jeans online...they have a 3.5" inseam....the best I could do. The wash is a bit light, but beggers cant be choosers at this point.
Stretch marks? Not yet
Sleep? Ok except last night apparently I fell out of bed somehow, Ryan claimed he saved me. I dont really remember this except my knee is very sore this morning & I remember waking up in the middle of the night with my heart racing...
Movement: I think Im finally starting to feel little kicks & flips - especially yesterday after the lemon meringue pie
Food cravings: I like food. I just ate a cupcake. It was yum.
Gender: I totally know but am waiting for Ryan to tell his family first....
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: my flat stomach
What I am looking forward to: feeling more movement
Weekly Wisdom: Just go ahead & tell people you're pregnant so that they stop looking at you like you ate too many twinkies.
Milestones: Half way done!!

Do we dare wear short shorts....?

2009-06-10T06:49:00.000-07:00

So shoppping for maternity clothes pretty much sucks. Basically you get 4 size choices (S, M, L & XL) -- this doesnt offer a lot of customization. Then you either get to pick from either tent like dresses & shirts to jeans that constantly fall down & tank tops with rouched sides. Did I mention that the vast majority of shirts have sleeves -- this doesnt make a whole lot of sense to me since its freaking hot being pregnant. I want tank tops damnit. Im guessing this is because pregnant women are subject to those oh so hot "fat arms" - but really I dont care. Ok, I care if my arms get fat, but I would still wear a freakin tank top. Let's move on to shorts....apparently you have limited options here as well - most are capris. Well, capris are basically like wearing jeans in my opinion and are also too hot. Then we move up to those bermuda shorts - listen, my huge hips (which Im hoping I become thankful for when trying to get this baby out of me) have never looked good in bermudas and add in the current fatness, it definately isnt happening.
Then we have the dreaded regular shorts with the FIVE to seven inch inseam. UHM What the heck is that about?! Why do I need to wear shorts that come down to my mid-thigh? So I was shopping in like the fourth & final store I could find that actually sold maternity clothes & was whining to the sales girl about the lack of shorter shorts....then I was like "I mean seriously these are like Mom shorts or something" And then the sales girl chuckled. And then it hit me.....I'M GOING TO BE SOMEONE'S MOM! Crap. Please dont make me wear the mom shorts. Please......
The search continues.....

19 Weeks!!

2009-06-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

Baby is the size of a Mango:

This says baby is still only 6 inches, but everything else I read says it closer to 10 inches. So its somewhere in that range Im guessing.

That's me. And the white rooster that apparently decided to sneak in the background.

How far along? 19 weeks

Total weight gain: up 6 lbs

Maternity clothes? Finally gave in...mainly for the jeans. Still wearing a mix of tops and dresses.

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep? Ok except when those stupid birds start chirping at 5 am

Movement: Nothing confirmed yet, but sometimes I think I feel something -

Food cravings: I like food. Last night I really wanted a cupcake.

Gender: It is what it is....

Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: my flat stomach

What I am looking forward to: Finding out the sex!

Weekly Wisdom: Just go ahead & tell people you're pregnant so that they stop looking at you like you ate too many twinkies.

Milestones: Half way to full term!!

Broke down & went shopping

2009-06-04T11:54:00.001-07:00

Finally bought some maternity clothes yesterday....I think they make me look less fat & more pregnant. Here is me this morning sporting my $62 jeans reduced to just $10 at Kohls (score!).

Sally wanted to be in the picture too. Not much else going on...Ryan is still be non-conducive to helping pick a name. I'm trying my best to get in exercise 5 times a week. So far this week has been:
Mon: Prenantal Yoga class
Tue:Walked an hour at the park with Magnum
Wed: 20 min on elliptical + lifted arms.
Today my stomach just hurts & I dont know if its because its growing or what, but is certainly uncomfortable. And just in case you wondering, I never got my donut - I settled for yogurt instead (which I hate!).

Mmm donuts

2009-06-02T06:59:00.001-07:00

I want a donut. Now.

That is all.

18 Weeks!!

2009-06-01T08:34:00.000-07:00

Here is me:

Definately can tell a difference this week - although I still just look like that fat girl who ate too much. Dont worry - I didnt actually wear this outfit today - just trying to wear the same thing for the sake of the picture.
Baby is apparently the size of a sweet potato this week - the pic of the sweet potato wasnt very cute, so I decided not to post it. Baby is about 6 inches long & weighs about 7 oz. There is some yucky stuff going on with the skin this week that I really dont want to know about!

How far along? 18 weeks
Total weight gain: up 5-6 lbs
Maternity clothes? Still holding the fight in regular clothes - but I gotta say, my jeans are pretty uncomfy today. I may give in this week to some maternity jeans.
Stretch marks? Not yet
Sleep? Ok - except for my allergies going nuts
Best moment this week? Felt like I had a growth spurt last Fri & eating the cheese fries at Outback last night
Movement: Nothing confirmed yet, but sometimes I think I feel something - like someone lightly poking me from inside or like a goldfish doing a flip flop in my tummy
Food cravings: Food is good. Mostly I dont know what I want. But I do know when Im hungry. Starting to like ice cream again!
Gender: It is what it is....
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: my flat stomach
What I am looking forward to: Finding out the sex!
Weekly Wisdom: Husband of a pregnant wife should Never make comments to insinuate that his wife looks fat (no matter if she makes these comments), nor should he implied she has gained too much weight or might gain too much weight, or may not grow some cute tiny bump that she can (and i quote) "wear those little tight tank tops". If you do make such comments, you can be pretty sure you may not make it to see the baby born. tia
Milestones: Starting doing some light weights - squats, curls, etc -- legs very sore.

17 Weeks (+2 days)

2009-05-27T06:20:00.000-07:00

And here's me:

Now I just look really THICK. Maybe Im standing funny or someting. That is one weird picture. So Im goin to go with, nope, still don't look pregnant - now I look like Im thick and ate too much.

How far along? 17 weeks, 2 days!
Total weight gain: up 3-4 lbs (look at me gaining a lb a week)
Maternity clothes? Do we have to talk about this?! I'm still refusing although my fat jeans are starting to get slightly annoying. Buying maternity clothes has to be the worst experience ever. I did buy a pair of jeans and a top that were 80% off at kohls last weekend, but still debating if I'm returning them. The quest for a pair of shorts that fit me is still ongoing. Apparently if you're pregnant you must wear shorts with a 7" inseam - NO short, shorts for you!
Stretch marks? Not yet and I still apply cocoa butter every night knowing that it cant really stop them. My only saving hope is that my mom could still sport a bikini after having the four of us.
Sleep? Not too shabby. Last night rocked actually, I was exhausted and slept like a log & only woke up once to pee!
Best moment this week? Hmm not sure, I feel like the week just started.
Movement: I dont think so. Sometimes I think I feel something, but nothing confirmed yet.
Food cravings: I dont now really - right now I want a grilled ham & cheese, but its only 9:28 am. Sigh.
Gender: Still don't know folks!
Labor Signs: No
Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: wearing little tank tops with built in bras
What I am looking forward to: Feeling the baby's movement
Weekly Wisdom: When I say I'm hungry, feed me immediately
Milestones: Hmm nothing too monumentous really - I guess looking into the different childbirth classes

17 weeks (+1 day)

2009-05-26T11:20:00.000-07:00

An onion is not really an exciting image to compare the baby's size to, but you get the point.

Baby is about 6 inches long already and bones are getting stronger & putting on fat!

I forgot my camera, so itll be tomorrow before I have a pic. I'm feeling good and noticing a difference this week.

I had my appt with my midwife last friday, which went well. Baby's heartbeat was still in the low 150s. We also talked about potential child birth classes and I'm looking into taking a Bradley method class. Its taught by a doula in Doylestown and she seems really nice - except its like $350 for the freakin' class! Ughh one more expense to figure out....

Ok, Im hungry...

2009-05-21T12:20:00.000-07:00

So the hunger finally struck me about two days ago.... By about 10:30 am, Im ready to eat lunch even though I eat breakfast around 7:30 am. I'm even starting to be able to eat more for dinner - rather than my usual yogurt & fruit. And it's like one second Im fine and then two minutes later I NEED to eat right then or I might chew my own arm off. Seriously, if I say I'm hungry I need to eat right then, not in 10 minutes -- if someone could explain this to my husband it might help me refrain from eating his arm.

The Business of Being Born -- if you have no watched this documentary, I Highly recommend it. It really explains the nonsense that goes on in the birthing process and it makes me very happy about the choices Ive made so far in my car.
That is all....I would like to eat an entire pineapple now.

Wed Update

2009-05-20T10:08:00.000-07:00

So I started prenatal yoga this week. I really liked it. I dont think I looked too ridiculous either considering it was my first time doing yoga. I signed up at this place in Doylestown and it's once a week. The class is really small and actually this week there was only one other person other than me, so the instructor gave us a lot of individual attention and made sure I was in all the right poses. I was even a little sore the next day. The weird part was the other girl in the class is due two days before me and she has like an actual pregnant looking belly. She kept asking me how far along I was since I still look like I just have a gut. I hope to keep going every week & also pick up on walking more if the weather will ever cooperate.
Saw my acupuncturist today too and she I looked great and everything was right on track. I dont have to go back until I'm 7 months now unless I have any issues.
Other than that....everything is going well, still feeling okay. We're trying to make some more progress on deciding what to do with the nursery and figuring all the stuff we're going to need to buy. The great name debate still battles on, but we may have had a breakthrough today. And no, we're not telling the names until after we know the sex and the name is finalized!

16 Weeks (+1 day)!!

2009-05-19T05:52:00.000-07:00

Baby is the size of a....uhmm what is that an avacado??

Anyways...baby is between 4 and 5 inches long and weighs a bit less than 3 ounces. He or she can now make a fist. Baby's eyes are becoming sensitive to light. More developed facial muscles may lead to various expressions, such as squinting and frowning. Baby may have frequent bouts of hiccups as well.

Here's me @ 16 wks, 1 day:

I think I look slightly bigger, but still not really looking pregnant yet.

How far along? 16 weeks!

Total weight gain: up 2-3 lbs depending on the day

Maternity clothes? Nah

Stretch marks? Not yet
Sleep? Not too shabby

Best moment this week?

Movement: Not yet :(
Food cravings: fruit

Gender: It is what it is!
Labor Signs: No

Belly Button in or out? In
What I miss: Having energy after 8 pm

What I am looking forward to: Feeling the baby's movement
Weekly Wisdom: Start big purchases early so you can spread them out over a few months
Milestones: Bought the crib

Furniture Update

2009-05-18T12:38:00.001-07:00

So I made the decision - I called and cancelled the four drawer chest. I figured it wasnt a "necessity", but the crib & combo/changing table really are necessities. So I just went with the two pieces. We have SO much stuff we Need to buy, that it'd be pretty wasteful buying anything that wasnt a necessity right now. We can always throw all the clothes in the closet or even build some sort of shelves in the closet to make do with everything.
Okay, that is all for now...

I'm being indecisive...

2009-05-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

And I'm rarely indecisive. It's not so much indecisiveness - it's that I can't picture things in a room without them actually being there. So we went to this furniture store yesterday and I got a good price on the furniture. The guy gave me a better price if I bought 3 pieces vs 2 pieces. And well, I was starving and Ryan wouldnt go buy me a darn soft pretzel from the street vendor in Philly so I just wanted to get out of there. So I bought all 3 pieces, but told the salesman I wasn't sure if the third piece would fit so I have until today to call back and cancel the third piece. Sooo I need to make a decision Today. We measured and the room is basically 11' x 11' with a 2 foot bump out for the double windows on the one wall. I plan on putting the chair where this bump out is. Anyways, all 3 pieces will fit measurement wise, but I have no clue if it'll make the room feel crowded or if I need to waste the money on the chest of drawers. We have soo much other stuff to buy and I hadn't realized how much those nice rockers cost. I mean there is a good sized closet in the room too with some shelves... I dont know. Anyways, here is a picture of all 3 pieces (except I did Not buy the hutch top to that one piece, just the bottom & will put the changing table on top of that). This is the color too - sienna chestnut and it's the Munire Essex collection.

Little Cowgirl/Cowboy

2009-05-14T12:40:00.000-07:00

I have been very eehhh about decorating a nursery - then I had this brilliant idea! A cowgirl or cowboy theme! See that way I can claim its gender neutral, no matter what you think. So I found this bedding that I really like (although there are a couple other fabrics in the running currently):

So then I found this lady on etsy.com and she'll custom make this bedding and basically has the same fabrics for less than 1/2 the price of buying the set in the store (oh and I dont need the bumper since apparently it kills babies or something).

Ok so now Im trying to figure out if we need to paint the walls - they're currently they all neutral tan color. I was thinking maybe paint half of the wall & add a chair rail. Although I really suck at this kind of stuff so if anyone has any input, it's welcomed!

Hmmm

2009-05-12T07:05:00.000-07:00

Really folks?!!? We're at an even 50/50 split between girl/boy. Gee that's really helpful!! Atleast we know it's one or the other. I've added a new poll -- when do you think I will "pop" or finally look pregnant? Let's see if we do better with this one!

15 Weeks!!

2009-05-11T08:07:00.000-07:00

Holy crap - baby is the size of an orange! Uhm does anyone else think that's big?!

Here's me (not really noticing a difference yet):

How far along? 15 weeks!
Total weight gain: still up about 1-2 lbs total depending on the day

Maternity clothes? Not really. Still wearing regular jeans that were big pre-pregnancy. I have one maternity sundress that I've been wearing, but really it's for the extra coverage up top.

Stretch marks? Not yet

Sleep? Depends on the night, overall not too bad (except for the constant peeing)

Best moment this week? Finding out that I'm probably not responsible for the $1000 lab bill I received last week.

Movement: Not yet :(

Food cravings: Nothing too specific - mainly meats/cheese (protein!) & breakfast sandwiches. Surprisingly, I have little desire for sweets (I even baked an apple pie & had none of it!)

Gender: It is what it is!

Labor Signs: Negative
Belly Button in or out? In

What I miss: Being able to eat a big dinner & not feel like total & complete crap
What I am looking forward to: Feeling the baby's movement

Weekly Wisdom: Don't freak out til you have all the facts.

Milestones: Starting to look for stuff for the nursery

When it rains, it pours...

2009-05-07T11:46:00.001-07:00

quite literally actually....right into our living room. Yup, tis raining IN my living room (thank god its a tile floor and not carpeting). Yes, I could've guessed we were very close to needing a new roof - but seriously, this is just plain unnecessarily stressful. I could kind of deal with the stupid skylight leaking, but not so much the pool in our living room. I'm still in denial.....

On a happier note....I found a crib I really love:

Right now we are pretending that it's totally in our budget....I just emailed 4 different stores to get a price quote. It was rated A+ by consumers & baby bargains and is supposed to be "the toyota of all cribs" -- can you really go wrong buying a toyota? Sure, it's no lexus - but I'm unemployed over here. Purty, right?

14 wks, 1 day (pic)

2009-05-05T06:59:00.000-07:00

Here's me this morning:

Ok, now scroll down & see me 2 weeks ago - can you tell a difference?!? Nope, me neither..

Weight gain: up 1.5 lbs - Probably from eating fast food & bar food all weekend since we were away. And it's going to rain all week which will sadly ruin all my intentions on starting to walk everyday.

Anyways...still feeling pretty good. I have been told that no one gets a chance to notice my belly since they're typically staring at my newly enhanced chest.....

Things I learned this weekend:

1. drunk men tailgating at nascar events still yell "show me your tits" at me & didn't seem to0 fazed when I asked if they also wanted to see my baby belly

2. obnoxious smokers in bars are more likely to stop smoking if you preface your complaint with an "i'm pregnant"

3. when being repeatedly harrassed by a police officer at a nascar event, when all else fails put a quiver on your voice and whine that "you're pregnant & are only there to be a sober driver to ensure that the drunks that you're with get home safely" - this will typically make said cop leave you the heck alone

4. although I've always been a "driver", driving very late at night is becoming increasingly difficult (especially with a drunk husband snoring in the passenger seat)

5. when you REALLY have to pee, a dirty port-a-potty in a parking lot becomes heaven

14 Weeks !

2009-05-04T08:52:00.000-07:00

Is a lemon really bigger than a peach?

Needless to say, your baby will definitely be making themselves known in the upcoming weeks. At about 3.5 inches long, their little body and limber limbs are coordinated enough for loads of complicated motions. In fact, their whole body is moving right now! You're not feeling it because their current size is still a bit too small to make an impact you'd recognize. Still, their movements are recognizable on an ultrasound. Your baby is also starting to develop the ability to move their eyes this week, although the eyelids still remain fused shut. What's more, they can make all sorts of fun facial expressions as they practice squinting, frowning, and grimacing. Cute development of the week: their little hands can grasp at things and they may already be sucking their thumb!

Awkward Stage

2009-04-28T10:47:00.000-07:00

So apparently I am entering the awkward stage of pregnancy...that is if I wasn't already there. This is when I need this t-shirt:

So basically I walk around looking like I'm getting fat or have a serious beer guy. The whole plan was to continue wearing my regular clothes for a while.....this worked when it was cold since baggy sweatshirts hide yourself well. Well, now that its warm.....the little tank tops I like to wear don't quite work. Really I just look like a white trash porn star who had a few too many beers the night before. Probably not the best look going.

Hello 2nd Tri - 13 weeks!

2009-04-27T06:38:00.000-07:00

Baby is about 3 inches & the size of a peach!

He or she now weighs about 2.5 ounces and is roughly 3.5 inches in length. Little hairs, known as lanugo, will start to cover their body this week, as their sense of taste and smell are further refined. Their cozy little amniotic sac is also increasing in size and mass as it continues to fill with more fluid.

Gifts from Grams

2009-04-24T09:35:00.000-07:00

Little baby is already being spoiled.....

I'm pretty sure there isnt anything cuter than tiny onesie for a baby!

The other funny thing is that when Ryan & I met in college - I had the EXACT same cloud print sheets on my bed! They're super cute.

12 wk Appt

2009-04-23T06:52:00.000-07:00

This morning I had my 12 wk appt with my midwife JoAnne. Everything went really well - I got the okay to start exercising again and to stop taking the progesterone cream. She gave me a note that will allow me to sign up for prenatal yoga class too.
I got to hear the baby's heartbeat for the first time - it was at 150 bpm.
I asked her about the almost fainting episodes and she just said that it happens so some people and its typically either low blood pressure or low blood sugar. I keep snacks with me all the time to keep my blood sugar up and there's not much you can do about low blood pressure. So she just said if I feel that way to make sure I sit down & take it easy. She also told me that I need to start gaining weight -- Ryan wasn't really pleased with this development.

12 Weeks, 1 Day

2009-04-21T08:42:00.000-07:00

Here's my pic:

I feel like I'm starting to get a little bump there - either that I or ate too much again. I just started feeling hungrier the past couple of days. My weight is still steady - no gain so far.

Today we also had our NT scan~! It was soo exciting to see the little baby - he/she was moving all around! The heartbeat was at 152 bpm & baby was measuring just slightly ahead at 12 wks 3 days. The very good news is everything looked perfect - the fluid behind the neck measurement (which measures risk for downs syndrome) was only 1.5 mm, with 1-3mm being normal & everything over 3/3.5mm putting you at risk. So baby looks all good! I go back for another blood draw on May 22nd (16.6 wks) and then will get the remainder of the results after that.

Here are some awesome pics from the ultrasound:

12 Weeks!

2009-04-20T10:49:00.000-07:00

Even though your little Einstein’s body is still growing quite rapidly 2 inches long right now, the overall super-speedy growth of their amazing brain continues to leave the head proportionately larger than the body— and is actually slightly more than one third of their total body mass! The head and neck are still straightening at this point as can be seen by their little chin lifting off of the chest. Your baby is also actively rehearsing “breathing” by using amniotic fluid to prepare the lungs for future air respiration.
The big news: your little pooper is now officially going to need diapers! Although a majority of the waste produced is transferred to the mother’s system for discharge (to avoid having it linger in the amniotic sac), some urine is released to the amniotic fluid and your baby will actually breathe it in before it passing it on to your for discharge. Not to worry, urine--in this particular form, is completely harmless to your baby.

Under 200 days to go....

2009-04-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

199 days still seems like a really long time though...

Anyway...wanna see a really cute picture?

How adorable is that? If only it was a john deere tractor instead of a ford. If you didnt guess, that's Ryan circa early 80's.

And yesterday Ryan printed this tshirt for the baby...

And now you have been overloaded with adorableness for your day!

camera up & running

2009-04-16T07:51:00.000-07:00

I know you love pictures....

Baby Book/Keepsake from Aunt Lara

Card from Aunt Jesse

Card from Grams

And some of my first babies just because they're cute...

Daytona looking sad because she just got spayed & Tres who is out of control all the time

and its Wednesday...

2009-04-15T12:31:00.000-07:00

We are now the proud (?) owners of a new 30 year fixed mortgage! Oh yes, we finally closed on the re-fi .... it only took about 6 months because they really wanted to bring it down to the wire and verify my employment the day before I was laid off!! Snuck by on that by the skin of my teeth. Writing big checks still makes me want to barf since we had to pay off our loan we took for the business in order to get the mortage. So now we have the pleasure & added stress of re-applying for that loan....this is when we find out how much Bullshit Obama was shoveling at us. Oh please if we can actually get a business loan (you know, he was all about helping & aiding small business owners!), I will eat my words. I promise.
Thankfully, Ryan bought me an omlette after we signed our lives away, which made me feel a little better.
So one thing crossed off of that 'things that stress me out way too much' list.

Also, I would highly recommend NOT reading anything about SIDS while you are pregnant. For some reason in the "baby bargains" book I am reading, they wanted to go in depth about how crib bumpers can cause infant death/suffocation. This is not something you want to read/think about while enjoying your frosted mini wheats at 7 am. It will induce a panic attack I tell ya!

Other than that....still feeling good....still down those freaky 2 pounds (but I'm not complaining).
Also had my dentist appointment today (see this day rocked, right?!) and thankfully was told I could put off getting my crown until after the baby is born as long as my temporary filling continues to hold up -- see, good news!

My camera died

2009-04-14T07:28:00.000-07:00

So I seem to have lost the battery charger piece for camera. Its driving me nuts that I can't find it. So the good news for you is that I wont force you to look at picture of my fatness this week. The bad news is that you have to wait to see pics of the new gifts & cards we got!
Other than that....I seem to be slightly too stressed. I think I slept like 2 hours total last night - I woke up 7 times. Of course I got up to pee each time (just in case that is why I was waking up), but really I just couldn't shut off my mind from the constant worry. We are suppoed to be closing on the re-finance of our house tomorrow and that has me freaking out of course.
Then I just keep thinking of all the stuff we need to get for the baby. Do you have any idea how much crap you need to buy?! And then you have to worry about what's safe too! So you can't go buying a cheap crib or anything because it could have lead paint from China or be made from MDF which will leak formaldehyde for some reason and poison your little baby. This is insanity I tell you. Then all this stuff takes Months to get ordered in AND you are supposed to have it set up in your nursery 8 weeks Before the baby comes so that it can "air out" its toxic fumes!
Are you in a panic yet?! Cause I sure am......

11 Weeks - a lime seems so big!

2009-04-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

Maybe you’ve noticed… your baby is a super-duper grower! Your lil' fetus will be gaining a substantial amount of weight this week and has already achieved fruit-size-status comparable to a plum. What's more, your little scientist is already starting to explore their body, focusing most intently on touching their head, and especially their face and mouth. Their mouth in particular will provide them with hours of entertainment. This happens not only because your baby is gaining coordination, and is therefore able to move a hand on command, but also because their palms have gained sensation and can actually “feel” what it touches.They're also developing their swallow reflex this week. And lastly, your baby's smelling and other olfactory senses will begin developing this week, which when combined with the maturing taste buds, will provide your baby with their first experiences of taste and smell.

My first purchase...

2009-04-10T06:12:00.001-07:00

I just couldn't resist....

Apparently you're supposed to play lullabies to the baby & then after it's born play the same music & the baby will find it soothing. So when I found country lullabies, I had to buy it.

Because if this kid ain't country...I'll kiss your ass...

Heaven

2009-04-09T11:54:00.001-07:00

Oh yea -- 3 egg ham & cheese omlette with a side of sausage. MMmmm good. I didn't really pay much attention to the homefries or toast - it was really about the meat & eggs.
I can't get enough meat, cheese & eggs. And no wussy meat like chicken - give me red meat & pig. Yum.
And yes, I went to a diner in the middle of the day to get this & I went by myself and I really didn't care if I looked like a starving loser. It was damn well worth it!!

10 wks, 1 day

2009-04-07T06:07:00.000-07:00

Ryan has insisted he take over the 'picture taking' duties. He claims that if I keep taking them myself, they won't look right or I won't be able to at some point or some other weird explanation that I gave up trying to understand. The only problem here is that Ryan can be the slowest moving person around. So it takes me approximately 5 seconds to snap a quick photo of myself in the mirror; I go & get him involved and it becomes atleast a 5 minute ordeal. But I digress.... I let him take the picture this morning. He then told me that I had a "pouch" - luckily for him there was no gun within arm's reach.....

So here it is - 10 weeks, 1 day & I look like I ate WAY too much. Total weight gain/loss - I'm actually down 2 lbs. Yes, I know its a conundrum to have lost weight, but your belly is bigger. I have given up on reason and put all my faith in baggy, loose clothes.

10 Weeks! 1/4 of the way Done!

2009-04-06T07:39:00.001-07:00

Your astonishingly tiny baby has been hard at work growing as fast as possible—almost doubling in size in the past three weeks! Amazingly, you’re in for a repeat size doubling performance within the next three weeks! Your tiny champion still weighs less than a quarter of an ounce but has already completed the most critical stage of their development. What’s more, they’re getting ready to make their first baby poop! Your little one’s major organ systems are developing, including a functioning digestive tract capable of moving food all the way through their bowels. The final shiny gold star on their fetal behavior chart for the week: your little scrapper has already developed defense mechanisms to protect them on reflex!

Also of note - baby's tail is now gone! And If your baby is a boy, his testes will start producing the male hormone testosterone.

You'all will have to wait for a pic until tomorrow because I forgot my camera at work.

Dollar Tree employees are nice

2009-04-04T08:24:00.000-07:00

So this week I have been feeling like I am about to pass out quite a few times. The first time wasn't too bad & I figured it was from low blood sugar or something since I was waiting for my food at Panera. So I made an extra point of trying to eat something every 2 hours or so and I keep a whole snack jar in my purse. The last two times though, I had eaten fairly recently. Today was by far the worst & most embarrassing. I was in the check-0ut line at the dollar tree and I really felt like I was about to pass out - I got really hot, blurry vision, felt sick, everything - so I decided my best option was to lay down so I didnt whack my head if I did faint. Apparently, I must've gone really pale as well since the manager rushed over to me and helped me down, they got me a chair & some water and after I stripped some layers off and sat there for 5-10 minutes, I started feeling somewhat better. I was soo embarrassed but everyone was so nice. I had just eaten a bowl of cereal before I left the house, so it couldnt have been low blood sugar. My only guess now is a maybe a drop in blood pressure, I usually have low blood pressure to begin with. Im not sure though. I guess it if it keeps happening, I'll give my midwife a call and see what she thinks. Apparently, I am not to stand in lines for a while.

ZZzzz

2009-04-02T12:11:00.001-07:00

I was goin' to write a post today....but this happened instead....

First Baby Gift!!

2009-03-31T09:12:00.000-07:00

So in getting to share the good news this past weekend - we got our very first gift for baby!

They're adorable burp clothes that my Mom made!! We're not sure if she knew or if she just keeps these things on hand in hopes of more grandchildren, but she gave them to us as soon as we told her the news. They're really cute & it's soo neat to actually have something for the baby.

Thanks, Mom!

Don't mind my hideously messy desk in the background!

Asthma/Allergy Dr Appt

2009-03-30T10:11:00.001-07:00

So I'm back from my appointment with my allergy/asthma specialist. She is still a little miffed that I went off the advair (category c), but I assured her that I am doing fine so far. They say that 1/3 of pregnant woman with asthma have their symptoms improve, 1/3 have their symptoms get worse & 1/3 have it stay about the same. My doctor 'claims' that if I have any flare-ups the lower oxygenation could have worse effects on the baby than the possible side effects of the medication. I'm not sure how much I believe her. Obviously, if I start having asthma flare-ups, I will consider going back on the medications, but for now I feel that I'm doing alright and this way is better for the baby. I'm still the category B meds, which I think is enough. I'm a little nervous about the spring season since that's when I usually have the most issues, but we will just see how it goes.

9 weeks - woohoo it's a fetus!

2009-03-30T09:34:00.000-07:00

Congratulations! Your amazing growing baby has been accepted into to the fetus-club, a very exclusive and exiting new stage in their prenatal development. Basically, this means the little sweet pea has graduated from swimming embryo creature to a recognizable human being! This week in particular, the irises of their little eyes can function, but (frustratingly for them?) their eyelids remain fused shut for a while yet. Their external ears are formed and their inner ears are now filled with fluid—so your little one is already developing their sense of balance. Your baby's little swimmer legs are still relatively, although other bodily developments are going forward at a nice pace: their kidney is actually functioning now, which means they’ve started urinating (this might seem charming now but wait till you have to start buying diapers!).

In other news....despite having some idiot back into us in our truck and me completely flipping out at the lady, we had a good weekend. We were able to share the news with our families, which was a lot of fun. Ryan kept wanting to really surprise everyone, but was disappointed that no one was too shocked.

Appt with Midwife

2009-03-26T10:38:00.000-07:00

Our first appointment went great. I really liked her and feel so much better after this appointment. Ryan liked her too since she even asked if he had any questions. Everything is looking great, although she doesn't really want me exercising for another 3-4 weeks still. I got orders for my NT scan (ultrasound) at 12 weeks and I go back to see her around then as well.
And now we can finally tell everyone the wonderful news!
Already was able to tell my Dad and he was of course very happy for us. Sorry, Dad - no Leo baby this time around. I'm sure Scorpios are cool too though. But I'll let Lara look all that up and inform us on it!

Apparently I look tired & pale

2009-03-25T10:59:00.000-07:00

Not the greatest compliment to get. Saw my acupuncturist again this morning - she seemed worried about me (yes, she is like an anxious mother, but chinese). She told me that I looked too pale & tired and that my lower left back hurt - she determined all this by examining my eyes & tongue and conveyed it to me in broken english. She was probably spot on and I seem to be getting the beginning of sciatica on my left side. So she wants to see me back in two weeks.
I could work on the pale if it would stop being 28 degrees outside. Im really sick of the weather here. The tired - ahh, yea I guess I'm tired. I'm not sleeping any more than I ever have though. I mean I have to work, ya know!
Most importantly, I would like to find a happy balance between starving & my stomach killing me. That would make happy atleast!
Tomorrow is our big appointment, very excited!

Oh & apparently one of our dogs decided to pee on my shoelace. I only figured this out after my hand smelled like pee this morning after tying my shoes. Stupid dog.

8 weeks, 1 day

2009-03-24T06:31:00.000-07:00

Man, those sweatpants from 1999 are really hot, right? Maybe its time I burn those. Anyways, this is how I'm looking at 8 weeks, 1 day. Total weight change -- I'm actually down 1 pound still. My pants feel oh soo tight & uncomfortable though - so those jeans actually have an elastic waistband, which is seriously the best invention ever. People should just buy these as 'eating pants'. Other than being extremely uncomfortable after I eat anything bigger than like 1/2 cup & stomach issues, I'm feeling okay.

Week 8

2009-03-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

Your little embryo has finally reached the one-inch mark (30mm). And if it were possible to take a peek, you could actually see your tiny baby without a telescope! What’s more, your baby is finally starting to take on some very distinct human features. For starters, their little tail (really just the spinal cord) has disappeared completely. It’s nice to know your baby can no longer be mistaken for a sea creature! Additionally, both their toes and fingers are prominent with very little, if any, webbing. Upper and lower limbs all show recognizable joints (elbows and knees) and the lower limb bones are starting to ossify. But don’t expect your baby to resemble either parent quite yet. Right now, your baby’s head is disproportionately larger than the rest of their body--making up almost half of your little one’s height and weight!

Sally

2009-03-22T15:36:00.000-07:00

So I made a little trip to Babies 'R Us today -- not for myself, but to pick up a baby shower gift for a friend. As I was walking into the store after parking Sally, I took note that she looked more than a little out of place in the parking lot. Among the parking lot filled with mini-vans, suvs, & moderate sedans was my hot mustang. Yes, I'm used to have the sweetest ride in the parking lot, but I had to feel bad for some of those guys getting in their vans or worse yet their priuses (pronounced pre-ASS). I'm writing this so when I'm 9 months pregnant and as big as a house trying to maneuver myself out of my bucket leather seats, I suck it up and roll out of that car if I have to. I feel happy knowing my baby will be well accustomed to the loud purr of the V8 and side exhaust. I guess the baby was really exposed to this early with the whole cobra car-chase fiasco in Fla, but hell that was a great time.
So that was my big moment at babies 'r us -- that, and this store is insane!
You may be wondering why I'm driving my mustang again.... in case you hadn't heard I finally lost my job 2 weeks ago, which means the escape is gone. Sad, but on the bright side, I get to drive a cool car again every day. And yes dad, I know the best car in the world is a free car. But the second best car in the world is a hot sports car.

Another Pic!

2009-03-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

Another surprise Ultrasound at 7 weeks, 4 days -- baby was measuring right on at 7 weeks, 4 days and had a heartbeat of 154 bpm. Baby is just about 1/2 inch big, so there has been a lot of growth since the 6 week ultrasound, which is great news. Now baby needs to stop scaring the crap out of Mama - I don't handle it well at all.

One more week...

2009-03-19T08:01:00.001-07:00

One more week until our first appointment... I can NOT wait. I will feel soo much better after finally meeting with my midwife and going over everything and hopefully hearing the heartbeat. Until then, I think I am in a constant state of anxiety & worry. Okay, I realize that probably won't go away, but I know I will feel a little better after that milestone next week. And bonus, we will finally start breaking the news to family & friends! So let's all hope this next week goes by as quickly as possibly, for my sanity's sake.

All about me....

2009-03-17T06:59:00.000-07:00

So I'm feeling pretty good overall. I have a general blah feeling in the eating department - kind of when you're sick and nothing tastes good. It takes a while to figure out what I want to eat too since most of the time nothing sounds yummy. Last night I ate slices of boar's head black wax cheddar cheese slathered in grey poupon and grapes for dinner. It was the yummiest thing ever at that moment. However, an hour or so later I wasn't feeling all that hot. So my daily quest is mainly to find something that sounds good to eat and eat it. Also, if I eat too much I feel just plain awful. So I'm trying to eat 6 small meals a day -- and let me tell you, this is nearly impossible to do!
Some nights I get really tired and fall asleep pretty early, but usually I can hang in there. I definately don't have a ton of energy, but I'm hanging in there and trying not to drool on my laptop too often.

Week 7

2009-03-16T07:40:00.001-07:00

Baby is the size of a blueberry this week! Blueberries are quite cute, don't ya think?

Your baby is really beginning to develop more physical definition this week – their oversized head isn’t just large and oblong anymore, it’s actually a little bit pointy. The tiny receding tail bud is now starting to be overshadowed by the growth of their legs, which are now complete with knees and the beginnings of toes. Their eyes and ears are the most visible features on their head and their miniature bones are starting to harden throughout their body. You also have some variation on a boy or a girl at this point, although their genitals won’t be visible enough to determine which color cigars you’re going to buy until around the 16th week.

Conundrum

2009-03-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

So someone explain this to me. I have actually lost 3 lbs since finding out I was pregnant. However, my pants are tight in the waist and driving me nuts. And if I eat something, forget about it, I look like I have a 6 month old food baby in there! It's quite uncomfortable. Now I realize my belly is supposed to get bigger, but everything I've read clearly states it's practically impossible to be showing before 10 weeks at the earliest. So this is my conundrum. I'm down to one pair of fat jeans that I can stand to put on.

funny

2009-03-14T10:17:00.001-07:00

6 Weeks (+ 3 days)

2009-03-12T07:42:00.000-07:00

This week baby is the size of a sweetpea!

This is going to be a busy week for your amazing little embryo. His/her brain is still growing remarkably fast; miniature hand plates are starting to develop and the early formations of what will be their fingers are already visible. Also, the lower limbs do not develop quite as fast, so they’re pretty much still flippers. Up until this point, your baby has been very curled up with the head and tail in close proximity, but this week their trunk and neck are beginning to grow and straighten as their tail recedes into its resting position in the back. Even though your little miracle is only 6 weeks old, they’re already capable of demonstrating reflex responses to touch!