The US Has Issued a Code Orange Belly Button Alert

20w 6d

Time for a Belly Button Watch 2008 update. I want to introduce you to my, er, the United State's new code system for Belly Button Alerts:

Code Blue - Normal, not even pregnant
Code Green - Just pregnant, still an innie
Code Yellow - Starting to become shallow
Code Orange - Completely flush with the rest of the belly skin
Code Red - Full-on outie.

Ladies and gents of the internets, we are now at a full code ORANGE, I repeat a full code ORANGE. The in-depth description for a full code orange is as follows: Belly button is completely flush with the rest of the stomach skin. It no longer looks like a cut piece of a hot dog, but a smashed piece of a cut hot dog. The top portion of the belly button now protrudes a small amount out further than the rest of the belly button. Full disgust of husband is now complete. He will start giving you strange looks and is almost afraid of said belly button. He will hesitate when you demand that he feels it, YOU MUST FEEL THIS!

Image of code orange (please ignore the nasty scar of my youth):

Typical response of person attached to code orange belly button:

I hope that your meals for the rest of the week have not been ruined.

They found SOS written on the bathroom floor in blood.

21w 5d

10pm - Slowly roll off of couch after House is over. I have been sleeping off and on throughout the show and pretending to know what Paul is talking about when he asks questions.
10:15pm - Finally make it upstairs, change, watch some of The Hills.
10:30pm - after washing face, taking out contacts, and peeing, crawl into bed.
10:35pm - Finally done positioning the wedge under my belly, body pillow between legs and arms, and a pillow under my head. Shit. Can't see TV, reposition head pillow.
11pm - STILL awake. I could have swore I was exhausted when I was on the couch. Baby is now having a disco. Jon and Kate are so funny. How do they do it?
1am - Wake up. Have to pee. Might pee pants. Ahhhhh. I made it. Hey, where's Paul? Asleep on the couch I presume. Turn off TV.
3am-ish - Wake up, dripping wet with sweat. Hey! There's Paul! And Binx! On my legs. Can't move. Pee again. Reposition all pillows that have since shifted. Fall back asleep 15 minutes later.
4:15am - Wake up in pain. Sciatic nerve is killing me. Must change positions. Move body pillow and wedge. Slowly turn over. Baby is not happy. Now kicking again. Reposition pillows, kick Binx off bed. Nudge Paul because he is snoring. Elbow Paul VERY HARD because the first time didn't work. Throw covers off because I am sweating again.
4:45am - Pull covers back on, freezing.
6:15am - Alarm goes off. Hit snooze. Bladder is nearing it's limit.
6:24am - Alarm goes off again. Hit snooze again. Listen to birds outside.
6:31am - Alarm goes off again. Can't hold the pee any longer. Slowly get up, can't put pressure on right leg because of sciatica. Feel something warm run down my face. AWESOME. A nose bleed. Limp into bathroom, pee, shove tissue up nose to stop bleeding. Don't get blood on the cream rug! Success.

And I wonder why I am always tired?

Caution: Makes Wide Turns. Objects in Mirror May Be Closer Than They Appear.

21w 1d

WARNING: Hit the parental protection button for this post now. It may get R-rated. It's a free country.

The belly keeps getting bigger kids and I often feel the need to protect it. Whether it be consciously or subconsciously, I protect it. I often find myself walking around with my hand on it just in case something or someone pops out of a closet screaming BOO! and I jump back Mary Katherine Gallagher-style into a wall and the baby gets all shaken-not-stirred in there. I still have a whopping 18 weeks and some odd days of growing to do and by that time I am sure Paul will be slapping a WIDE LOAD banner across my ass.

"Stand back folks, this one makes wide turns!"
"What's that? I just dropped something? Funny, I can't see it. Can you point me in the general direction it fell? Oh, and can you pick it up for me?"
"Eeeeeee my sciatic! Give me ten minutes, I need to roll over."

Can't wait.

And it isn't just a fear of someone or something hitting or poking the belly (and don't give me the whole "Relax, he's well protected" speech either, because as he gets bigger, he gets less protection), sometimes when I, or Paul, or whoever says something like, "Fuckity fuck fuck, etc." I feel the need to cover the belly up so he can't hear. Funny huh? Well, I am a funny gal. I do make him listen to Wu Tang (shh don't tell Paul) and he loves Ushers new jam.

It really is funny though that I felt so big at 10 weeks. Then WHOA! 16 weeks. Then came 20. In all seriousness, I do love the belly. I really, really do.

Congrats to Kristin and Lee! Ty Robert made his appearance yesterday-ish in Italy!! We can't wait to meet him!

Dear Baby - 21 weeks

21w

Dear Baby,

Well it's official. Your mom has lost her foot bones. The bones in my feet. My cute little feet. They are no more. They are beginning to form into Stay Puff Marshmallow Man feet. At least my hands are still okay. Well my left one anyways. The wedding rings are still on, but I had to retire my right hand ring. It was always tight anyways.

Enough about me. Let's talk about you muffin. I have a feeling you are going to be a big, strong boy. You kick me so hard sometimes I think you are trying to bust out through my belly button! You are now 10.5 inches from head to toe (7.2 crown to rump) and weigh 3/4 of a pound! So that's why it takes mommy 10 minutes to roll over at night. Your main concern at this point is putting on the pounds and getting nice and cute. Your eyelids are completely done forming, but you are still going to keep them closed for a few more weeks.

You love when I eat. Every. Single. Time. You hold baby disco dance party USA after each meal. It is hilarious. I actually sit at my desk at work and giggle to myself. You also love to play poke-and -tickle with my bladder. I know when I am starting to piss you off because you will will repeatedly use my bladder as a punching bag if I let it get to full and cramp yo' style, homey.

Alright big boy. Hang tight and continue to grow, and keep the party going! I love it! 19 (19?!) weeks until you are getting evicted (hopefully).

Set the record straight.

20w 6d

I have talked about Old Wives Tales before (OWT) and their undeniable hilarity, so now that we know we have a penis on our hands, lets revisit those. Shall we?

I am carrying high. OWT say it should be a girl. WRONG! The way you carry actually depends on your uterine tone (aka how tone your stomach muscles are).

Baby Luc's heartbeat has been above 140 for the majority (if not all) of the times it has been checked. Heart rate's over 140 usually mean it's a girl. WRONG. Heart rate is actually not affected by the sex of the child until after it is born, when a baby girl's heart rate will increase during labor.

I will usually take a Sour Patch Kid over some chocolate. Sour cravings usually mean it's a boy. RIGHT. Although I do indulge in some chocolate or other sweets from time to time so this is a moot point. Some scientists will even tell you that cravings don't even exist.

Paul has not gained any weight. This usually means it's a boy. RIGHT. But if you know my husband, you knew this wouldn't be happening anyways.

My face has stayed about the same. Only a couple break outs here and there, but mostly from me switching moisturizers. This would say the baby is a boy. RIGHT.

My instinct always said that it was a boy. RIGHT. Did you know that 71% of pregnant women guess their unborn baby's gender correctly? Maybe some of you should have listened to me!

Chinese gender charts. One said boy, one said girl. I guess it depends which kind you are using.

So the final score 4 right, 2 wrong (not counting the Chinese Gender charts). Though fun, OWT are just that. There is no truth to them and usually they will annoy pregnant women after a certain point. But what doesn't, right?

Signs of Life

20w 5d

Baby boy's first stuffed animal. This little guy plays Brahm's Lullaby. Every time I hold it up to my stomach, the baby goes crazy. He either really likes that song, or really hates it.

New Spring wreath. On sale. At Joann's.

Magnolia number one.

Magnolia number two. Aren't they pretty?

A leaf from one of our flaming spirea. I love these.

One of our hydrangea bushes, showing some little leaves of Spring goodness.

Mr. Binx enjoying the fresh air from his window perch. That we purchased this winter. For $25. That he just started using.

The view from above. And look! Flip-flops! Green grass!

Here she goes again.

20w 4d

I don't know why, but I always feel the need to apologize before I write posts like this. So, here I go: I am sorry men. Men who know me, have known me since I was little, etc. I am sorry Paul's family; although somehow I know you will all get a kick out of this. I am sorry Paul. I am sorry I am airing out some probably-embarrassing-for-you-but-hilarious-to-me comments you have made this past weekend.

My husband was hilarious this weekend. I don't know what he was smoking, but he was funny as hell. Not that hell is in the least bit funny. We decided that it is because we took the day off Friday and he was able to actually relax and emerge from the fog that work sometimes puts him in. It could have also been because of the circumstances Friday and how it was agreed to be the second best day of our lives (behind our wedding day).

After the doctor appointment on Friday, I made Paul tag along to all men's favorite place on earth: Victoria's Secret. I love when I see men there. They all follow so closely to the woman they are with like lost puppy dogs. I am sure they fear the moment that they hear, "Okay, I am going to go try this on.". I mean, what the hell are they supposed to do for those 5 minutes? Try on lotion?

Of course I ended up buying a HUGE bra. HUGE for me at least. And I am sure it will only get bigger. Once we left the store, Paul was all, "How can we keep your boobs this big?" and I was all, "I can have back to back kids, get implants, or breastfeed your son until his is 15. Your choice."
I am convinced that my boobs are the size of Pam Anderson's...at one point in time.

Details, Details

20w 2d

What a crazy two days it has been! Yesterday was very fun but very tiring. We had both sides of our family over last night to reveal the news and then a family issue to attend to early today. I know you are all waiting so patiently to hear about the appointment, right?

We got up early yesterday morning and headed for the doctor. To our delight, the ultrasound was first and it was so fun. Of course Paul screamed, "I just saw a wiener!" as soon as the ultrasound tech (UT) turned the thing on. The UT quickly replied with, "Come on. I have been doing this for a long time. I think I can save the best for last!". She then informed him that what he saw was the umbilical cord. Indeed it was, this time. She checked all of the boring yet important stuff out first - ovaries, uterus, placenta, fluid levels, etc. Then she began the fun stuff. We looked at his brain, organs, blood flow, heart (a mighty 150 bpm, how's that for old wives tales?), fingers (10!), toes (10!), bones, etc. He was very active as usual and tried sucking on his thumb a couple times, only to settle for some quick drinks of amniotic fluid. Yum.

After looking over all of his PERFECT little pieces-parts, it was time for the moment of truth. Paul happened to be looking at my stomach to see where the UT had the wand and he heard the UT and I start letting out cries of joy. "There it is! Oh, that is FOR SURE a boy!", said the UT. Paul snapped his head back to the screen and stood up to give out some Tiger Wood-ish punches. The best part was that once we found the penis, Baby Boy Luc immediately started playing with it. So typical. In the end, we walked out of the ultrasound room with 14 pictures total. Here are some of my favorites:

Later that evening, our families came over for food and a special cake cutting. I had filled a cake with blue filling and my dad (the birthday boy) was to cut into it so that everyone could FINALLY see what the baby was. Once he cut into it the first time and pulled out the cutter to make his next cut, it was all over. There was a streak of blue on the cake cutter and everyone knew right away! Mission accomplished.

We are so excited about this little boy and so in love with him already. He is already showing his little personality and lets me know when he likes or dislikes what I am doing. So cute! We cannot wait to meet him! Let the name debating begin!

20 weeks!

It's a....

20w 1d



BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!BOY!!


More details to follow....

Sorry it took so long! Don't hate me!

Dear Baby - 20 weeks

20w

Dear Baby,

Earmuffs.

HOLY SHIT! I cannot believe we are half way there! The past 20 weeks have gone by so fast and I am sure that once we know what you are (tomorrow!) they will go by even faster! We are so excited to start the REAL planning for you. We are even more excited for you to get here (in a healthy way) so we can hold you and look at you. Tomorrow is such a big day and we can't wait to see you again. Ultrasound days are always so much fun and tomorrow is no exception.

We will get to see all of your organs, and I mean all of them. Don't be shy! I am anxious to see how much you weigh and how big you are now. Websites are saying that you are around 10.5 inches head to toe and 10.5 ounces in weight. That's the size of a cantaloupe or the length of a really long...banana? Have you even seen a banana that big? Of course not. Your eyes are still fused shut. Duh. You are fattening up and getting cuter by the day and swallowing amniotic fluid like a champ. You also now have tiny little eye lashes and eyebrows. Your genitals are now completely formed as well, so again, don't be shy tomorrow!

I feel great now that my allergies are giving me a break. Spring has officially sprung and it is going to be gorgeous today and tomorrow. The belly is getting bigger and bigger but you are still kicking away. I imagine that it is going to start getting tight in there, so curl up and enjoy the rest of your baking.

The poll about your gender is officially closed and BOY won with 35 votes. Thank you to all of you who voted - don't forget to leave a comment tomorrow and let me know if you were right or wrong!

20 more weeks until your big debut little one. I can't wait to see you tomorrow!

A little peek.

19w 6d

I have been holding out in regards to talking about what things we like for the baby and the nursery because I wanted to wait until we were a little closer. I also wanted to wait until we were closer to knowing what gender the baby was because that has a lot to do with what color bedding we get. I think it is close enough, so here are some of the big things we like for baby:

Nursery - Sweet Potato (Glenna Jean) Mud Puddle

Of course the color depends on the sex of the baby. Also, our nursery furniture is an espresso color and not white. The mobile is so cute as well and has bears (GASP!) on it. If you know me well, you know I am not really big on the cutesy animal patterns, or basically anything that even resembles something that would go in a baby nursery. The bears, I think I can live with. They are nice looking bears. No scary faces or looks of disappointment.

For the Hoopty - Graco Snugride and Metrolite Stroller in Platinum

Okay, we really don't have a hoopty. We actually have a 2008 VW Jetta in black. Which is one of the reasons why I choose this carrier and stroller. It matches so well! I mean, who would put a BROWN travel system in a BLACK car?? Beats me. It also is gender friendly and we'll be able to get more than one use out of it if we so please. Most importantly, I did my research (of course) and the Snugride got some of the highest ratings and is fairly inexpensive. Both of these are also pretty lite. I am not a very big person, so I need all the help I can get.

I think that is enough of a tease for today.

About Friday. Our appointment is fairly early in the morning, and the reveal dinner for our families is not until Friday evening. In all fairness, and because I don't trust that some people in the fam will be able to not look at this blog all day, I will not be posting what the gender is until Friday night. Most likely, it will be sometime after 7:30 (a pregnant girl's gotta eat), but it will be that night. I promise not to leave you hanging that long! I thought about doing a live webcast, but I don't own a web camera, so this will have to do.

I'm sorry! I will make it up to you, I promise! Wanna make out now?

PSA - BPA

Look at that, a two-post day. I know there are a couple other pregnant women/mothers that read this blog, so I thought I would do a Public Service Announcement.

Canada Declares BPA (Bispehnol A) Dangerous

If you want more info on BPA (which is found in many bottles, spoons, sippy cups, etc.), and a list of the products that are BPA free, you can click HERE.

This is something I have been keeping a close "motherly" eye on since I have been pregnant. There has been a lot of research done on the effects of BPA on humans and obviously, I have made my decision on the matter. Hopefully, this will help some others make an educated decision when purchasing plastic products for your children!

From a dragon to a turtle.

19w 5d

Some days the baby is so active, others he chooses to sleep all day only waking up to kick me a couple times in the bladder to let me know it's time to pee. I think today will be an active day. In between snooze button hits this morning, (get your dialing fingers ready) I rolled onto my back for a couple minutes (gasp!) because my right side was giving me sciatica issues and my left arm was asleep from laying on it all night. Once on my back, the baby went crazy. I imagine him flailing his arms and legs like a turtle that is stuck on his back. Poor thing.

Of course, being the nice mommy that I am, and not wanting to get up yet, I rolled back onto my now limp and lifeless left arm for a couple minutes. I think the baby ninja then did some SUPER RAD flips because by the time I got to the shower, he was kicking me by my belly button. Usually it is nothing but crotch and bladder kicks.

A couple random thoughts for today:
1. Juno is released on DVD today. GO RENT/BUY IT. I am serious. Such a wonderful movie. I promise you will not be disappointed!

2. Why do people STILL not understand that you are supposed to slow down in a school zone? There was a crossing guard that gave her life last week because a dump truck came barreling through a school zone and almost hit a 4th grader crossing the street.

3. Only one more day to get your Baby Luc gender vote in! Friday is the day! I will be posting tomorrow about what will go down that day in regards to this blog.

4. Belly Button Watch 2008 Update: Still an innie. VERY close to the edge though. If I pull upwards on the top of the belly button, it is then even with the rest of my stomach. Soon people, very soon.

A burnin' bed of fire!

19w 4d

Poor Paul. Really. My temperature fluctuates so frequently these days and he is on the losing end of the deal. Last night I wore what I normally wear to bed - sweats and a t-shirt. At about 1am I was tossing back and forth, throwing my body pillow off the bed, pulling the covers up, down, up, down. I was sweating worse than Chris Farley during his famous Chip N' Dales skit (God rest his soul). I swear to you I could feel the heat radiating off of Paul (who was probably freezing in his sweat shirt, t-shirt, sweat pants and socks). The humidifier was turned up (it's a cool air one, so I think that helps), we took the extra winter blanket off of the bed, the heater always kicks back at night and last night was a fairly cool night. AHHH!

I got up to pee after much tossing and turning. I peeled (no, literally peeled) my sweat soaked pants off and went back to bed barely using any covers. I also had to kick Binx off of the bed at one point because he is for sure the source of some of the heat. I finally went to sleep around 3am. I feel horrible that I am disturbing Paul and Binx, but I was on FIRE!

This morning I think I asked Paul 5 times what it was like outside. Do I need a winter coat? Is it cold? WHAT IS IT LIKE? COLD?!?! The poor guy finally said, "Just take a Spring jacket, damn it! You are outside for 2 minutes total in the morning!"

My office is so cold today. I'm freezing!

Surprise! A Saturday Post!

19w2d

Being pushed beyond my limits?

19w 1d

I usually dream pretty frequently and remember them. Since I have been pregnant, the dreams have gotten increasingly strange but very telling. I always try to look up what my dreams mean when I remember to, and after some pretty vivid dreams last night, I thought I would share.

I remember at one point in my dream last night, getting beat up by another girl. I immediately thought that this could have been related to the fact that I had been watching the horrible video of the teenage girls who decided to beat the living crap out of one of their friends and tape it (they are SO smart). I remembered that in the dream I kept telling the girl beating me up to "Not hit my stomach! I am pregnant!". According to the Dream Moods Dictionary:

To dream that you are beaten, indicates that you need to make some fundamental changes to yourself. You need to make some conscious adjustments and evaluations. Alternatively, it suggests that someone is pushing you beyond your limits.

I find this to be quite interesting because there are some things that I am currently getting ready to adjust and getting ready for a new baby means constantly evaluating yourself and the way you live. I have also felt that some people have been pushing me beyond my limits lately. Beyond my limits of sanity!

I also remember a portion of my dream where I was bleeding very heavily. Obviously this could have been directly related to what happened on Monday and my constant worry about it now. The Dream Moods Dictionary had this to say:

To see blood in your dream, represents life, love, and passion as well as disappointments...To dream that you are bleeding or losing blood, signifies that you are suffering from exhaustion or that you are feeling emotionally drained. It may also denote bitter confrontations between you and your friends. Your past actions has come back to haunt you. Women often dream of blood or of someone bleeding shortly before or during their periods and when they are pregnant.

I am not sure about the past actions part, because I always believe that past actions and decision make a person and one should never have regrets. However, the life, love, passion and disappointment part I guess has some validity. Exhaustion and being emotionally drained, sure. I can't say that I can DIRECTLY connect any of these words to any single experience lately, but I can say that at one point or another I have felt one or more of those feelings.

I just thought those interpretations were interesting and wanted to share.

In other news, Belly Button Watch 2008 is in full effect and it seems that the top is beginning to protrude somewhat. I am going to take pictures this weekend to begin comparisons. Also, we are now down to one week until gender discovery so get those votes in! You have until Wednesday night to vote. I will be treating all readers who come forward and tell me they were right (through comments) to a virtual pat on the back. Was that too obvious? Leave me lovin's people! Have a wonderful weekend.

Dear Baby - 19 weeks

19w

Dear Baby-

I cannot believe we are almost half way there! The last week has been amazing - the kicks are getting so strong now and I love feeling them to know you are there. You dad has been able to feel them more frequently now, and from what he told me, even when I am asleep. I realized Monday just how excited I am for you to come into our lives. The thought that something could have possibly been wrong scared me out of my mind. Deep down I think that all along I knew you were fine (one indicator being that you were kicking the crap out of me) and that we were going to be alright.

"Strike a pose, there's nothing to it. Vogue."

You are getting so big now - big enough that doctors may begin measuring you from head to toe instead of crown to rump. Your head to toe measurement is 10 inches this week! I also read where your little feet are each an inch long now! I looked at my handy ruler this morning and said, "Aww little feet!". Don't worry, you really don't have that much further to go before you can wear my shoes - if you are a girl of course (or a boy, that's fine). You weigh a whole 8 ounces this week! I am just amazed at how fast you are growing. Your brain is working hard this week on sensory development. This is probably why you have become quite the little dancer when we are in the car. You love listening to Danity Kane, a fact that does not make your dad happy. I like to think that you have my same love of music and sometimes just like a good beat to dance to. You can listen to it HERE.

My belly just keeps getting bigger, and since we were not home last night I don't have a new picture to show to you yet. Hopefully soon. There is one issue that I am going to start talking about this week and that is Belly Button Watch 2008. I have a rather large, usually deep belly button. It almost looks like what the end of a sliced hot dog looks like. The belly button is getting dangerously close to the surface and I think I may only have a couple more weeks before I am officially an "outie". I will keep the Internet posted.

Thumbs down to outie belly buttons.

Countdown to gender discovery is now at 8 days and only 21 weeks until you get to feel a wonderful Ohio summer/fall.

Newport Aquarium

And that's all I got kids, I am super busy today! Have a good one!

My Trip to L&D

18w 5d

This entry required about zero thinking. We had a bit of a scare last night. I got home around 6:00pm after a little trip to Target and shortly after I walked in the door, I went to the bathroom because I of course had to pee. I was totally not prepared for what I saw. I thought there was blood on my underwear, but I was wearing pink underwear and it was a little difficult to distinguish. So after I finished my business, I of course wiped and saw more bright red blood and what appeared to be a small clot. Doctors, baby books, etc will tell you that if the blood is brown, it is usually no cause for concern, but if it is bright red, to call your doctor ASAP. I called out to Paul to call the doctor because I was bleeding. I immediately started crying.

By the time I got out of the bathroom, the night nurse was on the phone asking me questions. She said she would have the on-call doctor call me back within 20 minutes. I just sat on the couch, pretending to be calm, watching a DVR'd The Hills, waiting for the call back. By the time the doctor called me, I had stopped crying, but as soon as he asked me to explain what was going on I was crying again. Paul, meanwhile had went upstairs to clean the bathroom (what he does best, and a defense mechanism I presume). The doctor told me to come the OB Triage (OB ER) in Labor and Delivery. I yelled up to Paul that we had to go to the hospital.

The car ride there was pretty quiet, only my sniffles and few words here and there. There was so much going through my head, and I am sure Paul's. Once we got to the hospital, I headed straight for the OB Triage and signed in while Paul parked the car. I met the doctor and waited for a girl that was in the room I needed to get out. She was in labor or something, she took forever. Geesh. I keed, I keed. Anywho, they cleaned up all of her fun stuff and sent me in. I have never had to put on a hospital gown before so that was fun and provided some comic relief. I did notice that the bleeding had stopped when I changed.

The nurse came in and did all the normal stuff, asking me questions, taking my blood pressure and then she grabbed the Doppler to look for the baby's heartbeat. I guess I am spoiled at my OB's office because I have never waited more than 15 seconds to hear the heart. It took about a minute (or what seemed like and hour) for the nurse to find it. But she did, and it sounded beautiful. She also ended it with a "active little sucker" as she put the Doppler away. I should also say that from the moment I saw the blood up until the waiting room, I had been feeling the baby kick me - probably because it was dinnertime and I was not eating, MOM WHY AREN'T YOU EATING?

Next a guy came in and did a pelvic exam and knew right away what was causing the bleeding - I had a small cervical polyp. This is pretty normal and there is really no cause for them except for cervical inflammation from something like, oh I don't know... being pregnant and having increased blood vessels around your cervix. The doctor said that the polyps will bleed, especially with the added blood flow in my body and that area. The cervix is very fragile and the littlest thing can irritate it during pregnancy. I figure that with all the walking I did this weekend and bouncing around in a car for 6 hours didn't help.

So all is well and I have not had any more bleeding, but lots of kicks. Paul loves that the baby is being really active now and constantly tells him to "kick your mom in the bladder". Gee thanks! After last night I will take kicks anywhere I can get them!

It's about time!

18w 4d

I cannot even begin to tell you how refreshing it is to see sunshine and be able to put my car windows down! I hope Spring is here to stay because this is great! Do I need another exclamation point? There! We were in Cincinnati this weekend to visit friends and I got to hang out with one of my best friends all day Saturday. What fun can you have with a 5 month pregnant lady you ask? The child-ish and food-related kind. We went to the Newport Aquarium (posting pictures later), candy store, out to eat (twice) and officially busted my IKEA cherry. I am convinced that place is a small slice of what my heaven must look like.

I behaved, only buying things that will benefit our newly-found love of nesting or things for the baby. I got a closet organizer, floating shelf, drawer organizers, curtains, and more! I was going to post pictures from the IKEA website, but I forget the names of the products and they are all Swedish. I got a ton of stuff for around $80. It was a steal. Especially on the floating shelf, which will match the nursery furniture perfectly and is about 3 feet long - only $14.99. Paul didn't get to go so when we go on our mini-babymoon to Pittsburgh I see an IKEA stop in our future.

Ohh here. I found some of the items I bought:

The first is a closet organizer (I got white) that you can buy drawers for as well (I did). The second is actually a DVD storage box that I got to put loose photos in. The last is a tiny picture of the drawer organizers.

More on my Cincinnati trip tonight after I retouch the aquarium pictures that I took. Check back!

Gender countdown: 11 days

Do I or Don't I?

18w 1d

Here is another question I got from a reader:

There is a lot of talk on what you can, or cannot, do while with child. What is the list of ABSOLUTE do's and dont's of pregnancy?

I don't know if I can answer in an ABSOLUTE fashion, but here's what I will say: While I highly recommend listening to your doctor FIRST (they all have different opinions), I think there are some no-brainers out there of things NOT to do. Those things would include:

-not doing drugs - this includes the hard stuff as well as over the counter drugs that your doc says no to (Tylenol is usually the safest pain reliever).
-not smoking
-not drinking alcohol while pregnant (wine is the exception - but I waited until I was well into my second trimester to have a small amount, after all of the important BIG fetal development was over). This isn't a big deal for me, because I want a margarita. Tequila is not good for the baby though, kids.
-paying attention to your fish intake. Certain fish have a higher mercury content (shark, swordfish, mackerel) while others in moderation can be very good for baby. Fish like albacore white (canned) tuna and salmon have low mercury contents and are safe AND beneficial to baby.
-taking on the "I'm eating for two" mentality. No you are not. You only need an extra 300 calories a day.
-changing the litter box. Chances are if you have an indoor only cat, you are fine and have already been affected and are now immune to toxoplasmosis - your doctor can test you for this. If you have cats that go outdoors, it is best to have someone else change the litter for you. Also, wear gloves when gardening in case the neighborhood kitties decide to poo in your garden.
-eating raw meat. DUH.
-lifting over 20 pounds. Make your husband do this.
-increasing your core temp. It is okay if you like warm baths - some will even say hot tubs are fine. As long as you do not increase your core temp (you'll know if this happens because you will get sweaty) you are A-ok.

I always think it is funny when people have common misconceptions of things that you can or cannot do when you are pregnant. Those include:

-eating sushi. Yes, you can have the cooked stuff like California rolls. As long as it is not raw you are cool. I always just ask that the sushi chef cleans his knife and cutting board (which they should be doing anyways) before preparing my sushi.
-working out. Good God. It is GOOD for you. It is not good, however, to diet or begin a vigorous work-out routine while pregnant. Also, never push yourself. If you feel tired or out of breath then it is probably time to stop. My doctor said not taking my pulse over 140 was a good idea.
-Soda (I live in Ohio, we say POP) or coffee. Or should I say caffeine? Most doctors will say it is okay to have caffeine in moderation. I stay on the cautious side of this one and drink pops like Sprite and Root Beer, which are caffeine-free. Diet pop is sometimes considered worse because of the aspartame.
-Cheese and deli meat. Okay. Yes, certain cheeses and most deli meats have a chance of containing listeria (bacteria), but chances are if your cheese says it is pasteurized, it is FINE. Also, the chance of contracting listeria from un-heated deli meat is somewhere around .000008%. I don't heat mine. I also eat feta and a little bit of blue cheese.
-getting highlights is FINE. The color never really touches your scalp (unless your hairdresser is awful, then I suggest getting a new one). The biggie here is can you take the smell?

Okay. I just touched on some of the big ones, but what is important to remember is this: Always listen to your doctor. Not your mom, not your grandma, not your neighbor, not even me. Chances are things have changed drastically since they were pregnant (except for me). Also, moderation is key. Some people will throw facts at you saying that smoking is fine during pregnancy. I say, to each their own. Just do your own research, talk to your doctor and make your own assumptions.

Personally, I am always a "better safe than sorry" type of person. But that's just me. I feel complete responsibility for this child and their development. Hopefully this helped a little! I could go on and on and on. But I won't!

Dear Baby - 18 Weeks

18w

Dear Baby,

I have a feeling you are a ninja. Or an acrobat. You sure have been kicking the hell out of me this week, which I love to feel because I know you are happy in there (or unhappy about what I just fed you). You always kick me after I eat and are especially active in the morning (like now). I am calling you a ninja because one minute you will kick me way down low, then the minute it will be up higher towards my belly button. Sometimes it's in the middle. I imagine you doing flips and roundhouse kicks in there, or maybe some karate chops? Enjoy your space now little one because you are growing by leaps and bounds (6 inches long and 7 ounces this week) and will be running out of room soon.

This week your skin is being covered by vernix, or as I like to call it... BIRTH LUBE! I know it is to protect your soft skin, but it will also help with delivery. Momma likey. You can fully hear me now and your ears are in the proper position. I have been trying to cut back on the trucker-talk and have been using letters instead of words to communicate my frustration. For example, F, B, GD, OPP? Kidding. I know you are probably sick of hearing your dad and I say, "And Gary, on the kick drum, come come. Come come Gary, on the kick drum...". You are probably all like, "Who is Gary?". Some day I will sit down and watch The Breakup with you and it will all make sense.

I have definitely seen a slow down in my movements. I have learned that if I take my time getting up, walking, rolling over and bending down, I will not get those pains I have been talking about. I am also suffering from the "Dropsies". I read that the ligaments in pregnant women's hands will loosen for some strange reason. When I try to hold onto anything that is somewhat light, I usually drop it. Then I have to pick it up, slowly. This has thrown my whole day off. I need to get up earlier.

Guess what? Chicken butt. No really, guess what? We are going to Cincinnati this weekend to hang out with your auntie Anne. Guess what else? We are going to the aquarium, they have penguins there. Also, Anne lives close to Ohio's only IKEA. AND she said she would make us a smoothie. Are you as excited as I am?

2 more weeks until the BIG ultrasound and 22 more weeks until I show you what a Wii is.

"SO?! I love my baby mama, I'll never let her go."

17w 6d

I am going to hurry up and write this entry before anything bad happens today. Who knew so much could happen in the first 2 hours you are awake? Let me explain, kind of, what yesterday was about. I got hit with 3 "issues" like BAM BAM BAM and my poor little-ish hormonal body just had a break down. But if I did learn anything from yesterday it is that a.)I have to be careful about how long and how hard I cry nowadays because I get an instant headache and swollen eyes, and b.) I cannot let myself get TOO upset because I will be sick to my stomach all day.

I also want to mention that yesterday had nothing to do with my wonderful husband. He has been the BEST support to me. I love him more and more every day.

Finally, if you wish to listen to my theme song from yesterday while you read the rest of the post, click HERE.

Down to business. Since it is Wednesday, I am going to do a Wordy Wednesday and talk about Pica. Pica can affect anyone, but a lot of pregnant women develop it during the course of their pregnancy. Pica is a disorder that causes one to have an appetite for non-nutritive substances such as clay, wood, metal, feces, chalk, paper, flour, etc. Research suggests that Pica develops in people who have some sort of biochemical deficiency, particularly in iron. If this is not the case, it is usually caused by a mental disorder. Pregnant women tend to be deficient in iron (among other minerals) so this makes perfect sense.

I do not have any tendencies related to Pica, nor do I know anyone who has suffered from this, but I thought it interesting nonetheless. Okay, I am going to go eat some fish and beans. Who's with me?

No title.

17w 5d

I was prepared to write a cheery post about how Paul and I were nesting this weekend and blah blah blah. But I can't bring myself to do it. My blood is boiling right now. It is only 8:55am EST and my blood is boiling. I feel a frustration cry coming on.

I am 13 shades of hurt, frustrated, sad, and angry. I feel left out, hopeless, worthless and like I mean nothing.

Have a great day.