21 Weeks!! Over the hump!

I went in for a checkup and an ultrasound last Thursday. After peeing in a cup, having gel slathered on my belly, and having my blood pressure taken, they told me everything looked good. At the ultrasound (photos posted below) the technician said everything looked good as well.

Yesterday morning I received a call from the office. Apparently, they did not get a good look at all the parts they were wanting to . . . I was scheduled to have another ultrasound with my next visit (March 4) . . .

At first, I freaked out. Did they only see 3 valves? Was there a toe missing? Does the head look funny?

Then I realized if they had seen something out of the ordinary, they would have had me come in much sooner than 4 weeks from now.

I even asked my forum friends on whattoexpect.com if they had ever been called back in for a follow-up ultrasound. They all told me not to worry.

So I'm not.

Otherwise, things are good. However, I did have a creepy dream the other night. I dreamt that all of my high school classmates were pregnant at the same time, and we all had blonde-haired babies, born on the same day. It was kind-of like that horror flick, Village of the Damned. Yikes. (Mine was the cutest baby though!)

March will bring a big weekend. The 20th will be a day of celebration for my friend, Sara, who is getting married in April. On the 21st, assuming all of my friends survive the previous night, will consist of a celebration for Lorelai Mosier (this is going to be a Michigan family and friends party -- Indiana party will come later!!). I am geeked.

Boppa Don and Grandma Francie will be visiting in a couple weekends -- I will be putting dad to work on the baby's room, where painting, sanding, and staining will be necessary. We will also have to remove all of the furniture in there . . . Goodbye, spare bedroom!!

It seems as though things are moving quickly now. I think with less symptoms, the days fly by faster. Really, the only symptoms I have are fatigue, backache, and having a hard time getting up from sitting or bending over . . . :)

I do love my belly though. It's fun. But since I haven't felt her move much, I am still having a hard time realizing that there is someone in there. I don't talk to my belly, or rub it, or play music for it . . . but I am trying not to yell (at the dogs or at Clint, for example) - I don't want her to hear my yelling and think that's how I talk.

That's about it for now . . . I will be posting a belly photo soon!

Weight Gain Update -- Week 19

To date, I have gained 18 lbs. According to "the rules", I should have gained about 10 (3 the first trimester and 1 for every week in the second). I gained 5 in the first 12 weeks, and 13 over the last 7 weeks.

Ummmm, for those of you not doing the math, I'm gaining twice as fast as I should!!

I'm not worried.

As far as girth goes, we are now at a 12-inch gain. Gee whiz.

Clint went with me last night to register for Lorelai (or Lorelei) at Target. He knows just a little bit more than I do, so I was grateful that he assisted! However, he told me that he will not be helping at Babies 'R Us, because there are lots of pregnant women there, and pregnant women are crazy.

By the way, I have changed my mind, once again, on the furniture. It is so tough to find matching crib/dresser/armoire sets!! Maybe if the companies would stop having recalls . . . So now, it's cherry finish.

I am lucky enough to have two showers -- 1 in Indiana at the Mosier homestead (Jeff and Lisa), and 1 at the Fralick house (Don and Francie). Mom and Aunt Cheryl are going to take part in the one at Dad and Francie's house, which is so cool. I am totally grateful!!

Another issue we're facing: vehicles. I drive a Focus, and Clint has a Civic hatchback. Both are small, and neither are kid-friendly. Even with just Natalie, we sometimes have to drive both vehicles to our destination! So, we are trying to figure out a way to get a different (not necessarily new) auto that can carry us, 2 children, and 2 little dogs if necessary (plus everything we pack). And we want to do all this without financing through a bank or car company. Yikes. So, wish us luck!

18 Weeks and Counting

So, I've been trying to take photos in the same shirt every two weeks or so, but this morning I snapped one really quick just to get one . . . I will try to get a pic in the right shirt later this week.

As you can see, I've gained quite a bit of girth over the last two weeks . . . I'm wondering if I should start taking photos every week now??

My emotions have become almost unbearable over the last several days. Everything makes me cry. I'm afraid to watch dramatic shows or movies. My friend's sister died this week, and I am afraid to go to the funeral (I've never met her, but have been considering attending for the sake of said friend).

They say morning sickness is worst in the first trimester . . . well, once again, I go against the flow. I've vomited more over the last week than I have in my entire life! I'm sure you were curious about that . . . but it's true.

I still have 2 weeks to go before we find out the gender, and it is absolutely killing me to have to wait. Plus, I have a friend who is 6 weeks behind me in this pregnancy ordeal, and she's had 3 ultrasounds already!! And her doctor told her she could find out gender in 3 weeks!! But there's this place nearby that does 3D/4D (I assume 4D is sound, but I don't really know) and for $60 they will give you photos and identify gender anytime after 16 weeks . . . Clint doesn't seem that thrilled about it, but I think it would make me feel so much better.

After all, I shouldn't be giving the baby a stressful environment to live in, right?

There seems to be deals everywhere on seasonal clothing . . . but alas, I cannot buy any. How fantastic would it be to buy everything on sale??? (Actually, it wouldn't mean that I would be saving money. It just means that Peanut would have twice as much stuff).

I also discovered that very few Target stores carry the Classic Pooh bedroom stuff in their stores -- most of it is online only. This will make it very difficult to paint the baby's room the right shade of sage . . . which is something I wanted to get done this weekend.

So . . . . I'm back!

I've been away from a solid internet connection now for two weeks, but I am finally back.

I took a photo of my 16-week belly, but the website is not accepting my photos for some reason . . . I will continue to try and upload the update.

Not much is new, except for the size of my belly. I have gained significant inches in the pelvic region, but not really anywhere else.

My food intake is frightful. I am always hungry. No constant cravings . . . I mostly want something different every five minutes. Last night, I wanted apples. Today, I want bananas.

I still feel tired, but that could be because I have been sick for the last week and a half. Sinus infection. Bleh. And now my ears are aching. Dr. Kathy gave me some weak antibiotics, but they'll only get me so far.

The holidays were spectacular, and throughout the entire season, I kept thinking about how next year we'll have a little one to tote with us to the get-togethers!!

For New Year's Eve, we took Peanut to its first concert. It exhausted me. And I cried for absolutely no reason. But that's getting more typical.

I am sooooooo wanting to feel the baby move. I think I felt it a week ago, but it was surely not definitive enough to rest my worried mind (My mind is always in a state of worry). Maybe our next visit with Dr. Dedelow this week will help (Thursday at 4:30, central time). I don't think we will get an ultrasound or find out Peanut's gender, but by February we should know!!

I've looked at every single gender myth I could find, and signs are generally pointing to boy. However, the Chinese gender calendar (which is over 90% correct -- and I tested this!) says it's a girl. Mom says I would be better with a boy. I can't argue with that. Everyone on my side of the family thinks it's a boy . . . I just want 10 fingers, 10 toes, 2 eyes, a nose, and a mouth. Well, and everything in-between.

Peanut is sitting very low still (which you would be able to tell on your own, if I could upload the pic), and so visits to the bathroom are increasing in number.

I am starting to really think about what we have to do before Peanut gets here (which is only 5 months from now!!!) . . . we need a new vehicle, because Natalie and Peanut cannot easily fit into the Honda. We have lots of little projects around the house that need to be finished up . . . and we still have to remove the spare bedroom furniture and prep Peanut's bedroom. Yikes!! I am trying not to get overwhelmed, but it seems like there is a lot on my plate these days.

For Christmas, my mother gave us money to prepare the new bedroom (and also a stuffed animal and receiving blanket for baby), so that will help quite a bit.

That's all for now. Let me know if you have questions!! And expect to see a new photo soon!

Quick Update

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I cannot wait for all the food!! My belly seems to be growing at a monstrous rate, so much so that I think I will be doing my bump pictures weekly . . . stay tuned.

I just found out that my friend, Julie, is going to have a baby in March. And Tara is due the day after my birthday. How fun!!

Had to make a special trip for pickles last night. I love pickles.

Some women at work began telling me about their deliveries. Yikes. Not ready to be thinking about that yet.

Oh. And it's not peppermint toothpaste that is making me gag, but actually the act of brushing my teeth. It's violent.

Starting Week 10!

It's week 10, and I'm just starting this page...

We took our pregnancy test 3 weeks ago today. And I only took it to ease my mind. I was sure I wasn't preggo, because those 100 other tests I took were all negative . . . I actually had to have Clint read the test because I couldn't believe what I was seeing!

It's hard to believe that those 3 weeks have come and gone already, yet it seems like there is stiill such a long time to go before we get to meet the baby face to face!

Sure, I've met the baby. Peanut has been giving me indigestion for at least 3 weeks already, and has made me tired for at least 5. But I won't hold that against him/her . . . It's actually kind-of comforting to feel yucky -- that way, I know something's going on in there.

We saw the doctor 2 weeks ago. He seems pretty cool -- though I am breaking one of my rules by seeing a male doctor. It's just not my thing. But he came highly recommended, so we are giving it a go.

At first, we couldn't find a heartbeat -- we found out later that it was because Peanut was so small still! The ultrasound gave us chills and tears when it picked up the 171bpm!

What's the status now? Well, I am still tired. I fall asleep at 7 or 8, naturally wake up at 5, and get tired again around lunch time. They say that will wear off in the next 2 or 3 weeks . . .

I am just now starting to get cravings. Most of what I have been eating has been severely more healthy than my normal diet, but still the kinds of foods I like all the time. It seems like anything I have been eating though, I've wanted with a stronger demand (if we're eating Mexican, it needs to be really spicy, or if we're eating hot dogs, I need lots of ketchup and mustard) Over the weekend, though, I started wanting potato chips. I hate potato chips.

Aversions? I'm glad you asked. Several different smells are getting to me. The seafood area at the grocery store just makes me want to yak. I also can't stand cigarette smoke. And there is some cleaning solution that I can't handle -- I haven't deduced the ingredients yet. Also, the taste of peppermint toothpaste gets to me.

And then there's my body. It is doing some funky things. I haven't gained any weight, but it seems to have re-organized itself. My legs are slimmer, but my belly is bigger. I don't think I should be showing yet, but there is definitely a bump! Jeans do not zip and button, my friends! (I will start a bump album shortly.)

My mind races all day long, too . . . from what I should be eating, to if I'm taking good enough care of us, to how much I don't know about taking care of a baby, to what kind of furniture we should get for Peanut's room . . . I am trying to control my brain, but so far, it is winning.