Update -- 7 Weeks to Go!!

Hello, disregarded blog. I am here, once again.

My status for the day: Life is good. I have a man who loves me, a fun and loving daughter, a baby on the way, great friends and family, a good dog, a great job, a decent house and car, and pickled cauliflower in the fridge.

Physical update (Don't read if you don't want to know!!):

I have gained 43 lbs. to date. Not bad, considering that 3/4 of that was put on in the first 4 months . . . ! I am catching up to it. Or something.

I haven't measured my girth - let me do that right now. . . . ummmm . . . . 47 1/2 inches. I started at 30.

My hands, legs, and feet are swollen.

I have to pee every 30-45 minutes . . .

I get winded walking from my desk to the bathroom.

My hair is unmanageable.

My skin is crying out for less hormones.

It's hard to even roll over in bed.

I suffer from acid reflux.

My teeth hurt. So do my gums.

My boobs are finally getting bigger! But my belly trumps them still.

My belly button went from 2nd knuckle deep to half a fingernail shallow.

I can't reach my toes or get up easily from the floor (or the couch for that matter).
I get really hot when I am trying to sleep.

Cravings: carbonated mineral water, ice cream, strong flavors (pickle, spicy food, olives, mustard, citrus, etc.).

Emotional Update:

I still worry I will damage Peanut by resting something on my stomach, or bending too much, or sleeping on the "wrong" side, or eating the "wrong" food, or missing my vitamin, or whatever else my pea brain can come up with.

I am giggly over a Laffy Taffy joke one minute, and crying over a Hallmark ad the next.

I no longer have a filter when I speak.

I no longer have patience for stupidity.

Although I was never super careless with myself, I miss not having to worry so much about what I do to myself.

I am nervous about the baby room being done in time, even though she won't even use it right away. I am also nervous that we won't have the furniture in time.

I am starting to get the nesting instinct, which allows for me to overbuy, overcook, and overprepare.

I keep thinking that there really aren't 7 weeks to go, that she'll show up early, and that makes me worry more (see 2 lines above).

I get frustrated easier than ever before.

There is already an anticipation around doing everything perfectly (which I know is not an attainable goal).

Baby Update:

She is still breech.

I am feeling her kick a lot more than before, but I think it's because there is less fluid and more baby.

Natalie talked to her on the phone last night. :)

She likes to kick the dog.

She reacts to music and spicy food.

She is about 4 - 4 1/2 lbs. now.

Other:

My symptoms categorize me about 2 weeks farther along than the doctor estimated.

I got a promotion at work! With a raise! Just in time for babysitting fees. :)

We are starting to interview potential temps for me at work. First one is tomorrow. The goal is to start them next week, which will be nice, because I will have some help for at least a few weeks.

We bought an Envoy from a friend. He took very good care of it, and gave us a very good deal on it. It makes me feel safer and much more comfortable.

The latest check-up showed protein in my urine, a second sign of preeclampsia (the first being my swollen extremities). I was chided for not drinking enough fluid. Otherwise, everything looked good. Now I visit every two weeks, and the next visit may include a physical "look-see" to make sure I'm not dilated yet.

I continue to have strange dreams. Lately, there have been a lot that suggest she is a he.

People are finally speaking up about my pregnancy. When I say people, I mean strangers. When I say speaking up, I mean they are asking when I'm due, or if it's a girl or boy, or giving me a congratulations. I'm sure it was noticeable before, but now it must be so noticeable that they aren't afraid to make a remark.

A baby shower was held for Lorelai at work Friday. I will post some photos. It was spectacular.

My last shower will hopefully happen on May 22nd. I hate waiting until the last moment to plan, but that's how this one is ending up. I am trying not to stress over it, but I can't help myself. My blood pressure is actually really low, considering the frenzies into which I work myself.

Week 27! 91 Days to Go!

First, I will post week 26's photo by Monday . . . I've been slacking.

After a couple of weeks of pure pain (only in the ankles and back . . .), I took the glucose tolerance test that all pregnant women endure around week 24-26. I flunked it. (And I fainted -- I warned them to be gentle, but they didn't listen!!) I should hear back from the doctor today regarding my situation, but his nurse told me 2 nights ago that I can't have pop or ice cream or cake.

I am miserable.

I am miserable not only because I crave that stuff (not the pop so much, but all the rest seems yummy at all times of the day), but because since I've cut it out, I've felt light-headed and kinda sicky. Maybe I need that stuff!!

Otherwise, things are good. Peanut is still breeched, but from what I hear, that means less back pain. And I still have 13 weeks to go, so there's plenty of time for her to roll around.

And, I'm in my third trimester already!! It feels so good to say that, because now if anything should happen, we have an excellent chance of her being totally okay.

My ankles are literally twice their size, and have bruised a little, but I am cutting down on salt and upping the water intake. The diabetes probably has something to do with it too, so it's good to know that it will be taken care of shortly.

The new boss is female, and from what I had heard about her previous to me working for her, I thought she was going to be a bear to handle, especially through the pregnancy. Fortunately, the opposite has been true. She's had 3 children herself, so she understands what I'm going through, and has been very understanding about the time I have to take off for this and for that.

My first baby shower is this weekend, back home. I am soooo excited! Unfortunately, less than half of my friends are able to make it, but I think a large part of the family will be there. I keep having dreams that I go into labor on the way to Michigan. Yikes.

That's about it for now. . . I can't wait for her to get here!

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!

Week 13 Update

So, today marks 13 weeks.

Physical Feelings: Slight nausea, Lots of dizziness, Generally slightly weak and fatigued, Heightened sense of smell, otherwise totally normal . . .

Emotional Feelings: Eager/Over-Eager, Nervous, Mentally exhausted, Excited, Maternal

Cravings: Pudding, Salty Stuff, Cheese, Fruit

Aversions: Many smells, Bananas and other soft food, Bread

Weight: (Do I really want to admit this???) How about weight gained: 7 lb.

Waist: 40.5 inches (vs. normal 30)

I've been told I have "that glow" now, but my skin is still breaking out terribly. Most days, I wear maternity pants, just because they are more comfortable . . . I like to wear shirt dresses anyway, so those have helped tremendously.

So, I've been bad. I've had mahimahi (a big no-no I guess), caffeine, processed meat, and aspartame. Sorry, Peanut!

That's about it for now . . . Over the next couple of weeks I have to start looking at birthing prep classes. That should be fun!

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.