The doctor, the doula, and the belly

THE DOCTOR
We had another check up on Friday. We see her again in 3 weeks, then in 2 weeks, then every week after that. At 36-37 weeks they will do an ultrasound to see how her position looks and make sure she is starting to move head-down.

As far as our appointment on Friday, here are the stats:

Weight: 174 (I've gained 26 pounds- you are supposed to gain 25-35 and the average person gains about 35-40 ish so I am doing good)

Baby's Height: 30 cm (so she has caught up in size)

Baby's Heart Beat: go speed racer!! Lookin' good and very strong

Test results #1: Anemia- yes, I'm anemic so I am taking iron supplements. I have had hardly any red meat throughout my pregnancy because I like my meat on the rarer side and since I have to have it fully cooked, I am not eating it. Guess I should have been afterall!

Test results #2: Gestational Diabetes- nope. If your sugar levels are at or above 130, then you are a candidate for gestational diabetes and need further testing. My levels came in at 79. Bring on da cake!

Eye Check Up: yes, remember the eye? I had a check up for that, as well as my vision. All is good on the eye ball front.

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THE DOULA
Here is a little bit about our first meeting with our new doula!

Her name is Stacia and she is just fantastic. She met us at the house yesterday morning for a little "get to know you" session. She had Ryan and I each take a piece of paper and answer some questions, like

1) name 5 ways you would describe your partner
2) name 5 ways you think your partner described you
3) (to Krista) what would you like for Ryan to say to you during labor and (to Ryan) what do you think you should say to Krista while she is in labor and
4) How do you think you will respond towards each other during labor

VERY INTERESTING...try this with your partner and see what happens!

It was actually tough to come up with some answers. But I will say, my FIRST response to #3 was "Please go get me a cold beer." Well....since Ryan won't do that, I need to enlist someone else to. Afterall, beer does promote lactation! And I will take a beer over an epidural anyday (ask me if I still fell the same way after the delivery!)

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THE BELLY
On another note, my women's networking group threw me the sweetest baby shower yesterday. We are a small group so there were 9 of us. We ate greek food, had some delicious cake, did some Feldenkrais movements and belly dancing. It was fab-u-lous! The highlight of the afternoon was doing a belly casting. I wasn't sure I'd be up for this, being topless and all in front of a group of women, but it turned out to be such a great experience! I am so glad I did it. And it wasn't a big deal either, because I tend to surround myself around supportive, energetic and amazing women. I think it would be cool to do some sort of collage on it.

Ok everyone, get back to work you slackers!

Hugs!

Aaaahhh! We're at 30 weeks!

Aaaahhh! 30 weeks? Are we nuts? What have we gotten ourselves into? We are no longer in our 20's. I miss the 20's. I am closer to giving birth than not! Aaahhh! Ok, freakout mode is on. It's WAY on! Our house is full of baby stuff. The upstairs is a mess. The room isn't painted...why is it that when you have a baby you have to paint the room anyway? What is wrong with white walls? We still need furniture. Where will ALL of these clothes go? And who is going to wash them? Is Tide ok or do I really have to use Dreft? I steam cleaned the carpet this weekend. It wasn't even dirty! I steam cleaned the window channels. Those WERE dirty. Eeuch. Where will the cat box go now? What if I don't like the paint color we picked? What if I can't handle the pain? AaahhhH!!

Is there any turning back?

Can I pay someone to have the baby for me?

Oh man, I am stuck.

Oh man...

Oh man...

I think I need some ice cream. I will be right back.








Ok, I feel better. Thank you Missy and Steven for the gift certificate for the ice cream. This was CLEARLY an emergency.

29 weeks- a shower full of presumptions

I love my husband. He is strong, supportive, handsome, and will be a great dad. But I can't wait until we take the childbirthing class.

Last weekend we began to interview doula's. Most doula's usually meet with you twice before the due date, but for Ryan, one of the doula's suggested we have not 2, but 3 meetings! Why do you ask? Ryan was suprised to find out that the moment the water breaks, you DO NOT have to be bedridden. He assumed once labor begins that you have to be in bed the entire time.

We watch Scrubs and Grey's Anatomy together. I thought he would have known this.

Note to self: never assume Ryan knows.

On another note...We went down to So. Cal this weekend and had our first baby shower. It was so great to see all of our family and my friends from high school and college. We received so many great gifts. One thing is for sure, this will be a well-dressed kid! Ryan doubted that we could fit it all into his hybrid- but put me to the task and I can get it done. And so I did! We also announced the baby's name. Care to take a guess at what it is? Hahahahahaha!

Oh my gosh- I have to tell another funny Ryan story. (Sorry hon, but this is just too much!) My girlfriend Jenny has an adorable 12 year old daughter named Kiersten. Kiersten made the cutest card for us! She also asked if Ryan would be changing the baby's diaper with gloves on, and if so, she'd like a picture! THIS from a 12 year old. Do we all know Ryan or what?!!

Sorry this is late, we didn't get home from LA until around 1am last night. Ryan did take a picture when we got home, but he is currently in Austin- with the camera. If he has some time, he will put it up.

Hugs to all!

28 weeks- the sugar runneth over

I was just getting ready to go to bed when I realized I hadn't posted anything yet. And since I know that y'all just can't start your Monday without the latest baby smitty du jour reading, I decided to sit down and blog rather than sleep- which I don't get much of- so consider yourselves lucky! However, there won't be a picture up tonight. Sorry!

We had a prenatal appointment on Friday. It went well; the baby is measuring in at 26-1/2 weeks (don't worry, this is fine) so I am pretty sure she will be late. Oh joy. My nurse practioner will neither confirm nor deny. Weight is good, although I lost a pound. But I am sure I have a pound or two to spare from my derrier. Everything else with the baby looks good.

I also had glucose testing done to determine if I have gestational diabetes. I had to drink this super sweet orange concoction loaded with sugar...mmmmm...not so good...and then see how well my body absorbed the sugar. I won't have the results until this week. It was funny though- the nurse who was drawing my blood accidently brushed up against my boobs. I told her not to worry, they seem to be getting in the way of everything these days.

Although I have a middle name picked out, Ryan isn't into it yet. He has designed a program in FrontPage that will allow us to view the names in some sort of order, and see how they look on paper and sound in person. Only Ryan. As if this will help me pick the name- I already know what it will be!

We also started interviewing doula's. We have met with two so far and have one more interview set up. What a fascinating job to have! Jill- Ryan and I think you should look into becoming one- you'd be very good at it. How great it would be to be to experience so many babies coming into this world!

On another note, for all of you concerned folks out there, my eye is doing much better, thank you. And thank you for all of the emails in response to my recent post. Gotta keep you on your toes!

Ok, I really need to go to bed now. I am exhausted. Sweet dreams!

27 weeks and popping blood vessels

We had a little scare this week. (Don't worry, this story has a happy ending)

I popped a blood vessel in my eye...

...only I didn't know it at the time.

Here is how it happened, well, sort of. A week ago I "developed" a blind spot in my eye. A few days later the blind spot turned into flashing white spots. Hmmm...symptom of preeclampsia (a very bad thing to have for both mom and baby). But I had no other symptoms so I didn't worry too much.

I emailed my ObGyn and decided to call an advice nurse a couple days later. The advice nurse spoke with the on-call ER doctor and they didn't think it was preeclampsia, rather that I had a detached retina, and to see the opthamologist. I went in to have my eyes checked on Wednesday. After a series of tests, lots of waiting, pictures of my eyeballs (this was WAY cool), and consults with the retina specialist, it was determined that I had a popped a blood vessel in my eye, commonly found amongst weightlifters. Not a common thing to do, but not a suprising one either. Phew! Nothing to worry about.

Two days later I get 3 phone calls from my regular doctor. Yes, 3. "Based on the symptoms you have in your eye you must come in immediately to have your blood pressure tested, as well as a series of fasting glucose testing done." My response: "Uh, do you know I am pregnant and that I am scheduled to have my glucose checked with my ObGyn next Friday?" Their response: "Come in anyway." Hmmmm...now I am freaked out and they won't give me answers.

I put in an urgent call to the eye doctor and my ObGyn. I didn't hear back, so I continued to freak out. I went to Longs to check my blood pressure- if it was low (it always is) then I wouldn't worry. Of course the machine didn't work. While at Longs, my eye doc called and said it was just precautionary and not to be alarmed. So he was just trying to CHA (cover his ass). He said he spoke with my Obgyn and she said I need not worry. She called me later and said she spoke to my regular doctor and told them to stop freaking out first time moms.

I cried uncontrolably for the next 2 hours.

The moral of this story: be careful while having sex if you are pregnant as you may pop a blood vessel in your eye.

26 Weeks - Ode to the bra

The bra. Let me just tell you about the bra.

(Eric Joe, this may be a little TMI for you so you may want to skip ahead)

So, I used to have nice boobs that came with nice bras. Cute bras. Lacy bras- some were even sexy push-ups. What happened to my nice, 32 D's? Sometimes I was a 34 C. Two months ago I became a 34 DD. Egads. Last week...I became...oh god...let me sit down...

36 E.

Yes, the "E" is for enormous. They don't make a lot of 36 E's. 38 and 40 E's, yes, but not 36.

Did you know that E-cups often come with 4 latches on the back? That is a HUGE FREAKIN' BRA.

To you boob men out there who think this is great? Well its not. They are heavy. Jugular. Ginormous. From outer-space. As Ryan said to them last week, "I don't even know who you are!"

Ode to the boobs. Ode to the bra.

Ladies, if you are planning on becoming pregnant, word to the wise. Your boobs will continue to grow while prego (and apparently after) so if you have to buy a bra, only buy one. And for god's sake, don't buy it at Nordstrom, like I did.

25 weeks and going commando

So one of the mom's in my mom's group told me that an advocate for the Bradley Method (a form of child-birthing class I wanted to take that promotes natural childbirth) did a study on childbirth and women who wear underwear vs. those who don't. The results were that for those women who did not wear underwear while pregnant had an easier delivery and lower need for an episiotomy. By wearing no underwear, the skin "down there" is less constricted and stretches out easier to make way for baby. Not sure what I think about it, but the next time you see me, I may be "going commando." Or not.


Congrats to Janie and Aunt Mel- they are the next two to figure out the baby's name (although, according to Ryan, they cheated). That makes a total of four people to know.

Ryan and I are trying to find some place to go for 3 or 4 days- a little R&R before the baby comes. Any ideas? We want someplace warm, and we'd like to avoid a plane. Although a short plane trip would be ok.


A bizarre fact about pregnancy: sometimes when I sneeze, a little pee comes out. (chuckle) The only remedy I have been told about is to do kegel's. So now, I am going commando, peeing a little when I don't intend to, and doing kegel's.



Hahahahahaha!

(Side note: I just read this to Ryan. He said "Do we really need to be honest about this? You are going to embarrass me.")

I took a water aerobics class this week on the advice of my obgyn and chiropractor. I really hate water aerobics. Actually, I hate being cold in the pool and it was cold! When you are a runner water aerobics seem so ineffective. But, my back is hurting so...I will be back in class tomorrow night. I hope it helps!

I think my feet are starting to make the trip from size 7.5 to size 8. My shoes are fitting a bit tighter these days. I never thought I would do it, but I succumbed to buying Crocs. They are roomy and comfy, but god-awful ugly!

Other than that, we are all doing really well! She wakes up about every three hours, plays and eats for about 20-30 minutes, then goes back to sleep. No hiccups yet. Ryan got to see her move in my belly for the first time- usually he can feel her, but this time he watched her move. On Friday night he was really tired so he rested his head on my belly. He could hear her sloshing and moving all around- he was tripping out! It was so cute.

Ryan has leadership training all week in San Jose so he will be staying there through Friday. I am going to stay with him on Tuesday night. That means I will be home alone, so if anyone is up for dinner...call!

Hold on...a..ah...achoo! (Excuse me!) Oh man! Bring on the Depends.

We are growing and growing and growing...

She is as long as celery. And moving all the time!

24 weeks marks the spot. Or line. That wierd line associated with pregnancy, called "linea nigra," is starting to surface down my belly. Fine, so there isn't a thing I can do about it.

As you may have heard, we have a winner for the "What is this flower?" game. Two people have now guessed correctly. 1. Beccah Birken and 2. Saundra Bedient. Beccah is my cousin (but will be an auntie to the baby) and Saundra is the chiropractor in my Team Women networking group. Congratulations to the two of you!

And no, we aren't quite ready to share the name so you will just have to keep on guessing!

We had a doctor's appointment last week. The results from the ultrasound came in and everything looks normal! My uterus is about 1-1/4" above my belly button which marks 23 weeks gestation. Looks like we are right on track! Unless our little one decides to come early, we are moving towards a late June b'day. The doctor did report that I gained too much weight this past month- 9 pounds! I should only have gained 4. Not something you tell a woman. Now I am going to agonize over everything I eat. Yah, yah, so what if I was underweight in the beginning (so really, I have just caught up), but 9 pounds! "Yah, yah, don't stress over it"- everyone says- "eat whatever you want." WELL, that is a whole other blog entry. The food restrictions for a pregnant woman is obscene! I CAN'T wait until I can do some real exercising. So other than eating too much crap, the check up went well. In 4 weeks I will do another round of bloodwork, this time to check for gestational diabetes.

I have been trying like crazy to find bedding and paint for the nursery. I give up. I am done. Too much stress. This is supposed to be the fun part of having a baby. But it isn't. Sorry everyone, no theme, nothing! If I am feeling motivated I will just slap some paint up and be done with it. (Can you tell I am tired today?)

We set up a couple of email addresses for the baby! If you would like to send her an email, you can do so at babygirlsmitty@gmail.com.

Ha! I bet you thought it would have her name in it. Come on, give us a little more credit! This email will forward to her real one!

I am having some problems with my Sacroiliac Joint, which is the joint within the pelvic girdle. I threw it out when I fell down some stairs last October- the further along I get in my pregnancy the more inflammed it becomes. Sleep is the biggest issue. I am at the point in my pregnancy where I can no longer sleep on my back; sleeping on my side compresses this joint. So a few nights ago I rigged a ton of pillows on the bed so that I can sleep partially sitting upright. Not the most comfortable position in the world but my SI joint no longer hurts throughout the night.

I still have had NO cravings. Sure, some things taste better than others, but no REAL cravings. I am a little dissappointed. I have been so wanting to "make" Ryan leave the house at 10pm to get me a taco or some ice cream- anything! But it hasn't happened. He is sooooo lucky. And no real aversions to food, either. Sometimes the smell of cooking salmon gets to me, but that has only happened a couple of times. Now that I think about it, I guess I have had an aversion. I am really sensitive towards sweet foods. Not the rich, dark chocolate kind, but the artifical-tasting foods like Yoplait and sorbet.

Other than that, we are moving along! A lot of people have been asking me about work- I am still working, and plan to do so until I can no longer manage it. So yes, please continue to send me your referrals!

Signing off...

And the winner is....

This just in...

Beccah Birken has figured it out.

If you want to know, I am sure there is a dollar amount she'd be willing to consider!

Ha!

(And I'd like to point out that it was Beccah who told me from the beginning that she WILL win this.)

What week is this? I can't keep track! (It's week 23 dear)

I know, I know- this is a day late. Who knew so many people actually checked it on Sunday nights! Sheesh!

Speaking of "who knews..." Who knew that the flower picture would create such a ruckus! We just figured people would look at the picture, make a guess, and be done with it! Nope! Between Janie calling all pissed off because she had just spent the last 4 hours on the computer looking at every flower picture in existence to Eric Joe casually slipping in names during conversations with Ryan at work to Laura saying "I don't know what the *&@#! this picture is- I will just have to wait until I meet her!" -this little girl has really created a controversy. But I have to give kudos to Elena- she has created a strategy that is so well thought out that if anyone gets it, she will get it. Elena, you are so close!

Want to know what the #1 guess is? Lily. And Connie came up with the most unique name: Ixia. Great guesses!

I went to my first official "Mom's Group" meeting on Friday. Most of the women are new moms (the oldest was 8 months- no, not the mom, the baby!) and live near me. I was the only pregnant one, but that turned out to be a good thing- I got lots of advice! It was a lot of fun!

Tomorrow marks the 13 year anniversary of my mom's passing. Oh man. It's gonna be a tough one this year. I am so greatful to all of the mom's in my life, but not having my own here with me...well, I am sure you could imagine. Someone suggested I read this book called "Motherless Mothers." I read a book by the same author while I was in grad school called "Motherless Daughters." I really enjoyed this book because I connected with it on so many levels. So I thought I would pick up "Motherless Mothers" because, well, that is me. I was on page 2 and Ryan told me to put it down because I wasn't handling it very well. I was so entranced by this book. But by page 7 I just couldn't do it anymore. I had to put it down. Not only that, I had to put it out of sight. I am just not ready to read something like that. Perhaps in a few years, but not now. It was just too much.

Here is the cool thing about blogs. I can say mushy shit like that. Some people will read it, some will even comment on it, and others won't say a word because they don't know what to say. But it sure feels good putting it out there.

On another note, I am off to continue my search for cornish game hens. I have been to 3 stores already and can't find them. Are they out of season or something? I hope not, because I need 5 of them by 7pm tonight. Let me know if you've seen any, unless it was on the side of the road or in your backyard.

22 weeks - what's in a name?

Ok, $20 bucks to the first person who can identify this flower...

...ok, not really- but you will get kudos for guessing the baby's name.

It's now been nearly a week since we found out we were having a girl. What a difference it makes to go from calling the baby "it" or "muffin" to "her/she." It's as though she is no longer a foreign object and now is a member of the family.

I do have to confess, I went out and bought an outfit for her- I HAD to do it before Ryan did! It is the cutest little outfit I have ever seen! Little overalls with patches on it and a butterfly onesie. TOO CUTE! No more shopping for us though- we promise! (right, Ryan? :-)

Sleep is sooooo overrated. Although I am not as physically exhausted as I was in the first trimester, I never wake up refreshed, no matter how much sleep I get. Now I seem to always have heavy eyes, but lots of energy. Here is a typical night: go to bed around 11:30-12:00, wake up at 2:00am from hunger, figure I may as well get up to pee, but I don't eat. Go back to bed, fall asleep, wake up an hour and a half later because my back hurts, so I spend the next hour trying to get comfortable (I now have pillows everywhere)- try the left side- arm starts to hurt do to previous shoulder injury, try my back (even though I am not supposed to be on my back, by this point I am desperate), flop to the right. I am still hungry. Finally fall asleep an hour later with a cat next to my head. Wake up to the same orange cat yelling at me around 7:30 (feed me mom- I am going to DIE if I don't eat NOW!)- push him off the bed, he comes back, pet him, push him off, fall back asleep for another 20 minutes, then finally get out of bed. 3:30 in the afternoon- I am burnt. So I listen to my body, lay down on the couch, this time with the tail-less cat, sleep for an hour and a half, wake up even more tired.

But it is all worth it...

...right?


She is kicking all the time now! I love it! She's like an adorable little rumble in my tummy. Ryan has felt her only a couple of times though- I think he is getting frustrated with her because he will grab my belly and try and make her move! It's so cute.

The upstairs is no longer a red zone- you can now walk through it. We are working on colors for the room, but will most likely go with a light green and chocolate brown as the main colors, and maybe yellow and raspberry as accents.

Look! My belly button is almost an out-ee! And when I laugh, it definately becomes an out-ee. It's hysterical to watch!


Big hugs to all.

21 weeks - boy or girl and what I know about maternity clothes

How would you like to be carrying something inside of you the size of an english cucumber?

We had our big ultrasound this morning where they perform a "physical" of the baby, measuring and taking pictures. It was so amazing! The baby was clenching its fists and releasing them (aka "jazz hands" as Beccah called it) and crossing and uncrossing its legs- already a show off! Here are some pictures from the ultrasound.

Last night I experienced something very annoying. I woke up around 2am STARVING. I wasn't just a little hungry, I was so hungry that my stomach was hurting! So I got up and made myself a piece of toast, then went back to bed. Apparently it wasn't enough. But I fought it! I was going to go back to sleep no matter what. An hour later I was still awake, and still starving. I should have gotten up, but I didn't. When I woke up this morning I thought I was going to die of starvation. Tonight I think I will eat a snack before bed.

As I mentioned, last week I went down to So. Cal for a visit. I was spoiled rotten! Between shopping with Beccah and my aunt, I came home with twice as much as I left with! I now have all of the comfy maternity clothes I will ever need! Here is what I know about maternity clothes:

1. "Pea in the Pod" is to "Motherhood Maternity" what "Banana Republic" is to "Old Navy."
2. Maternity clothes are sized according to your pre-prego size. Whatever. So not true.
3. The bigger the better. The softer the better.
4. Don't spend a lot on bras as your boobs will be bigger next month.
5. Shopping for maternity clothes is more fun when you are with people you love.
6. Not everyone who works at a maternity store is nice.
7. Strap on the maternity pillow under your clothes- it's pretty amusing.
8. I have a desire to wear colors rather than just Pottery Barn earth tones.
9. Nursing clothes are wierd.
10. When all else fails, buy a bella band.

So I can say with absolute certainty that the baby is kicking! No ifs ands or buts about it. We've got a soccer player on our hands! I especially notice it at night when things have calmed down. Such a wierd experience! It's like little tiny earthquakes inside the belly. Or like when your muscles have a little twitch. Amazing!

Oh, and I guess I don't have to say "it" anymore...she's a girl!

20 weeks! We are half way there!

Ok, just a note. I switched over this blog thing to my google account, which the blog gods kept asking me to do. Ryan, if you are reading this way over in India, can you please figure out how to unlink it from google? It has my real estate info attached to it now! Like my picture? Thank you all for your patience.

I am up super early today as I have a plane to catch in about an hour and a half. Auntie Mel offered to fly me down to So. Cal for a few days while Ryan was away. And you don't say no to Auntie Mel. And because Ryan is in India, he took the camera, so there won't be a picture of my belly this week. I'd rather see pictures of the Taj Mahal anyway!

For those of you who remember when Ryan came back from India the last time, he brought back a belly. Well, you will be happy to know that he is working hard on not bringing it back this time. No sympathy weight for him! (Although sympathy gas, now that is another story- all this gas talk- you don't want to come over.)

I had a doctor's appointment on Thursday and all is well! I have finally caught up in baby weight and have gained 8 pounds. Everything else looked good. I got to hear the heartbeat again, and heard the baby kicking left and right. At the time I couldn't feel it, but last night I did! I am positive! Well, maybe. But I really think I did this time! We have our ultrasound a week from Monday so hopefully the muffin will cooperate and tell us what he/she is!

Ok, my ride is here so I am going to sign off! Love from the Smitty's!

(this picture was taken 2/6 at Janie's house)

19 weeks- no rap music please

You know how each week the baby's size is compared to a food? I have decided that whatever that food is, I am going to eat it. So this week I have to eat zucchini! I think I will saute it and add a little garlic and rosemary. Mmmm. Ok, I should remove the garlic- I have stinky farts right now. Maybe it will have to be zucchini bread.

Our friends Shaun and Tou (who are due in July with their 2nd) sent us a link to a company that rents fetal monitors by the month. I am thinking of getting one of those so we can listen to the baby's heartbeat. I really don't think I have felt the baby move yet (but maybe this morning- I really don't know) so the monitor will help relieve my nerves.

Update: Sunday PM: Ok, because of unknown side effects from frequent use of a fetal monitor, Amy, after reading this post, has begged me to not get one. She is going to send me a stethoscope instead.

I bought some Baby Mozart and have been playing it for the baby. Ryan's comment (as we are all listening to it right now) was "Is this what my life is going to become? Can't we put on some rap music?" Nope, sorry hon. No rap for this baby!

We got our crib! A coworker of Ryan's gave it to us and now it is in our garage. The room is still in shambles so it will be sometime before it ever makes it up there.

I definately feel like I am pregnant now. It is such a wild and mysterious experience. I am really sorry that Ryan can't experience the way I am- but I try to explain all of the sensations to him. He is so good about massaging my belly- it's the first thing he does when he gets home from work each day (well, the second. Smooches are first!). He is going to be such a great dad (although if I find out he is playing rap for the baby...).

Ok, lunchtime. Gotta go feed the kid.

18 weeks and all is well!

Greetings from the Smitty's and the sweet potato!

Well, we received word that all of our bloodwork from the AFP testing came back normal which means we are low-risk for any developmental challenges. I am so relieved!

We have decided that my art studio is going to become the nursery and the guest bedroom will now be an art studio/guest bedroom. I have begun what will probably be a long and tedious task of clearing things out of the studio. The upstairs now looks like a bomb went off. But I'd much rather start on that now- besides, being the organizational freak that I am, I actually enjoy this sort of thing!

I have been REALLY hungry lately. I could eat and eat and eat and not get full. And if I did get full, just give me 30 minutes. Thank god it isn't going straight to my butt or I'd be in trouble! And I can't tell you how bad I want to go for a run. A long, hard run along the Bay. That is something I have really begun to miss. Walking or doing the elliptical just isn't the same!

Everyone keeps asking if I have felt the baby move yet. I am not totally sure, to be honest. I think I have, but everyone keeps saying I will know. So then I have to say I probably haven't.

On Wednesday night Lori, the branch manager of the escrow office I use, as well as Paula, the assistant to the mortgage broker I use (all work on my floor), decided to do a test to see what the sex is of the baby. So here I am, lying on the floor next to our office manager's desk, and Elena (the office manager) is hanging a silver cross over my belly. Agents would just walk by and stare. So did our broker, Liz. Everyone was cracking up. If it swings back and forth its a boy and if it goes in a circle its a girl..."It's a boy!" But then Lori said the real test is to put a needle with some thread into the eraser on a pencil and do the same thing. She has been right 100% of the time (of course, there were only 2 times!) So when I got home, I made Ryan do it. He kept calling it hocus pocus. Well, the stupid pencil wouldn't move so I kept telling him "you HAVE to believe!" It still didn't work. Guess you will just have to wait until Feb. 12th to find out.

Ok, time to go make dinner. Bye!

17 weeks- care to go shopping?

Week 17 and all is well. Well, except for Ryan. He is not doing well. He has become sick in the head. He shops non-stop for this baby, which isn't even here yet. Every day it seems a new box shows up either from Baby Gap, Old Navy, or Banana Republic. (although it is fitting that our child will wear clothes from Banana) I keep telling him to stop. But he can't. "But it's sooo cute! And what a deal!" It's a disease.

I do have to confess though, I have a shopping fetish as well...but what I shop for will last longer than 0-3 mos or 6-12 mos. Children's books. I LOVE childrens books. I can't wait until the nursery is ready and I can just sit in the rocking chair and read to the baby. Of course I have already begun to read to the baby, and play music for the baby, but in my imagination it seems absolutely magical to just sit in the nursery and think...and read...and live.

But the 5 books I have purchased doesn't compare to the boxes and boxes of clothes Ry has bought.

Speaking of clothes, I need to go buy some more for myself. I have two pairs of pants I can wear for work. It is tricky making those two pair look different each day.

I am sure you are dying to know: this week the baby is the size of an onion. Not a great addition to your fruit salad, eh, Amy? Hehe.

I have become really fond of belly rubs from Ryan, actually, it's more like a belly massage. Speaking of the belly, I am starving! I just want everyone to know that my husband isn't taking care of the inside of my belly. It's now 12noon and Ryan is supposed to cook me breakfast. He hasn't yet. He is probably shopping for baby clothes. Forget him, I am going to cook pancakes for myself. I will put up a picture of my belly after I have eaten.

Ciao! (Or should I say "chow?")

16 weeks- I heard the avocado!

Do you like avocado's? I sure do! And now that the muffin (or as Reid would say "Baby Smitty" and Amy would say "fruit salad") is the size of an avocado, I like them even more!

I had another doctor's appointment this week and got to hear the baby's heartbeat! It was so amazing. I even heard the baby kicking! The baby's heartbeat was beating in sync with mine- obviously it was going faster, but it was right in tune with my own. It was so melodic! Now I need to go buy some Baby Einstein CD's and start playing them for little muffin. If I had known I was going to listen to the heartbeat, I would have had Ryan come. The next appointment Ryan will be in India so I will bring a tape recorder. Maybe you will get to hear it too- if anyone can figure out how to add sound to this blog, Ryan can.

My weight is good, I've gained about 4 pounds. Now it seems I will be gaining about a pound per week. Oh joy, oh rapture.

Speaking of kicking, I should be able to start feeling the baby kick over the next couple of weeks! Yikes! This is sooooo exciting. We received a couple of children's books at Christmas and I went and bought some more so that I can start reading to the baby- I can't wait to have the room cleaned out and a rocking chair in there so I can just sit and read. One book I bought is called "The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish." Hehe.

What else. You should all be thankful for these pictures. I am tired of Ryan running around with a camera and taking my picture! Aargh! Oh, and another annoying thing is that the acne is back. Boise and Colorado cleared me up and now it is back. Very annoying. I am going to see the dermatologist in a couple of weeks.

Want to know what I love? Anything spicy or lemon. Mmmmm...Miss Grace Baking (www.missgrace.com) has the BEST lemon cakes. Ryan's aunt sent a gift basket to Colorado with these cakes and they were SO GOOD!!!!! I wonder what a spicy lemon cake would taste like? Can we say wacky cravings??? Hehe.

Have a good week!

Week 15- I've popped

Well, it's week 15 and all is well here on our last day in snowy Colorado! I think I popped yesterday...I can no longer call my belly button an "inny." The baby is now 4 inches long and weighs 2-1/2 ounces. If you shine a flashlight to my belly the baby will supposedly turn away!

Pregnancy and colds don't mix. Yes, I have been hit by the bug. Everyone tells you different things about what you should and shouldn't take- it is very stressful. A nurse says one thing, a pharmacist says another. Yikes! Can't everyone just agree?

I have a doctor's appointment this week- they MIGHT be able to tell the sex. Unfortunately I won't be able to tell you what it is because Ryan doesn't want to know. We will see how long he can handle the suspense of not knowing. If they aren't able to tell me this week, then I will know in two weeks as we have the official sonogram then.


Happy New Year's everyone! We will talk to you in 2007!

14 weeks, 5 days- Welcome to the Second Trimester

So it's the Thursday after Christmas...sorry for the delay but we've been jet-setting for the holidays. First we landed in Boise, where we left with baby presents galore. Then it was off to Colorado, where we opened up even more. Needless to say, this baby is already spoiled and it isn't even here yet!

It's official: sleeping sucks.

Perhaps it's the travelling, but I am now waking up every few hours. Not just to go to the bathroom, but I just wake up. One night I was wide awake for about 4 hours.

Guess I'm preparing early.

I am not happy about it.

ALTHOUGH... Alec (our nephew) has a really cool clock that projects the time on the ceiling so when I wake up, I don't have to fight hard to figure out what time it is. I just look up at the ceiling, read the time, and know how much time I have left to sleep.

(Side note: we are still in Colorado and it's snowing! Cool! Except it is adding to the existing 2 feet already on the ground)

Lisa (my sister-in-law) gave me a really cool gift- it is a loon to help knit a baby hat...it's so easy! I am almost done with it. I'll post a picture when I am done.

I am still feeling well. My headaches aren't as frequent either. I don't know if it is the dry air here in Colorado but my acne has cleared up. I am sure once I get home it will return.

Please note: this week our baby is the size of a lemon.

13 Facts About Pregnancy...

Week 13: 13 Facts About Pregnancy

1. Wearing heels is not a very smart thing to do
2. I am allowed to relax
3. The in-between stage makes it difficult to fit into clothes
4. I don't have a pregnancy glow -its called acne
5. I love that life is no longer about just Ryan and me
6. I get lots of massages!
7. I can eat whatever I want and get away with it
8. I have to pee a lot
9. Everyone is very protective of me, even the kitties
10. Large boobs aren't as glamorous as they seem, although they make for some GREAT cleavage!
11. "Baby brain" has developed (forgetful, lose train of thought)
12. I am much more sensitive to different fabrics and textures
13. I feel like I have angels watching over me all the time

Is that a jumbo shrimp I see?

12 weeks and I'm oh so sleepy....

Well we're headed into the last two weeks of the first trimester and my boobs aren't really hurting anymore. I am however getting more tired during the day and now I'm having to get up in the middle of the night to pee (there goes a full night of sleep for the next 18 years).

We get weekly updates from babycenter.com on the status of the baby and each week they describe the size as a food item (grain of rice, kidney bean, raspberry, etc) - this week she/he is the size of a lime weighing in at a whopping 1/2 ounce.

We had a pretty busy weekend - Aunt Mel and Uncle Les came in to town for a wedding and stayed with us. On Saturday Aunt Mel took me to JoAnn's Fabrics and Michael's and bought me a crochet needle and yarn and proceeded to teach me how to crochet a baby blanket. After spending the afternoon learning to crochet, I think it'd be easier to go out and buy one :)

Ryan's company party was Friday night and it seems now that most of PayPal knows we're pregnant. This is a picture from the party.

We then went to dinner on Saturday night with my latest client and his new wife. It turns out they are 8 weeks pregnant. Now I have somebody to share in all the woes of pregnancy, as well as the joys. Ryan's been bugging me to find people that live close by that are also pregnant, so I guess this is the beginning of my new prenatal mom's group :)

I think I previously mentioned that I am carrying a "muffin" and I'm the muffin tin. It was actually our friend Linda that originally called it a muffin. We were telling the story to Aunt Mel and Uncle Les and Aunt Mel called Ryan the "muffin man." We all got a good kick out of that.

Ok, you've been updated for the week - I'm going to bed!

11 weeks- It's A Circle of Life...

Sorry this one is a couple of days late. We were in Huntington Beach for Grandma Jane's "Celebration of Life/Birthday Party" event all weekend and didn't return home until late Sunday night. The entire weekend was truly amazing. But it was also bittersweet. As we were saying goodbye and watching her ashes blanket the glorious sea, I couldn't help but feel a deeper loss- she will never get to meet the newest addition to the family. But with this closure, a new life will be born. To quote Ry: "It is a circle of life." Ain't that the truth?

One great thing about being with family this past weekend is that I got A LOT of tummy rubs! My little pooch was definately present! Aunt Mel and Uncle Les will be staying with us this coming up weekend so we will get to be around more family and have more tummy rubs. :-)

I had my second doctor's appointment last Thursday, which ironically, would also have been Grandma Jane's 89th birthday. The appointment went well, although the nurse slapped the back of my hand for not gaining any weight. In fact, I lost weight! Not a ton, but I lost weight nonetheless. I will chalk it up to going to the gym because I am CLEARLY gaining weight in the tummy area.

The doctor said that everything looks fine and that all of the blood tests came back normal. She did another ultrasound, although it wasn't official (they don't usually do them at this time). The BIG ultrasound will occur mid-January. We will be able to find out the sex and hear the little...guy...girl? Ok, pipsqueek. Or as Ryan calls it, the "muffin." (And I am the muffin tin)

I am still feeling really well. Although the past couple of days multiple people have come up to me and asked if I felt ok. I finally asked someone what that was about- they said I looked really tired. I don't feel tired, but maybe I should slow down a bit more.

What else? The cravings haven't sent in yet- can't wait to see what that brings up!

That's it for now. Hugs to all!

(this pic was taken at Huntington Beach pier this past weekend)