My First Pregnancy

New Weblog

2006-02-21T11:35:00.000-05:00

Since my first pregnancy is over, I've decided to write a new weblog about my life as a new mom with Tyler. Check it out at http://tyler126.blogspot.com.

Things I Wish I'd Known...

2006-02-21T10:03:00.000-05:00

If you read my previous blog about labor and delivery, you'll notice that we had a very UN-natural birth experience. That is unfortunately what is likely to happen when induced. Everything is very artificial. Not so horrible, because the nurses are very attentive and everyone only wants to make you as comfortable as possible. All the wires and tubes attached to me did make it kind of difficult to every GET comfortable, but I was at least able to nap on and off.

Anyway, here are some things I discovered while in the hospital:

1. Fashion is the last of your (or anyone else's) concerns: After I had Tyler, my doctor sewed up my episiotomy and I was given some disposable netting underwear to wear. I was also given a huge feminine pad that had a cold pack in it to place in my gorgeous underwear. Then, they gave me a nursing hospital gown (those gowns, by the way, do not stay closed!) to wear. So I had to constantly hold the two nursing openings closed...and you can imagine what I looked like from the back!

2. You lose all sense of personal space: Almost from the moment I checked into the hospital, my cervix became everyone's business. I count at least 7 different doctors or nurses who checked my dilation every couple of hours or so. Also, once my water broke, the nurses had to constantly change the disposeable pad I was laying on in bed. They would put 3 or 4 pads underneath me on th bed and remove the top one as it was soiled. I was also bleeding a little bit. After I had the baby, the nurses would come in and check my episiotomy sutures and see if I had hemorrhoids.

3. Your breasts are not your own anymore: Every nurse and a few lactation consultants saw my breasts, and most of them touched them to try and help me learn how to nurse Tyler.

After Delivery

2006-02-12T21:50:00.000-05:00

We stayed in the hospital for two more days (typical for vaginal deliveries) after I had Tyler. We got shuffled around a bit between rooms, but ended up in a comfortable but smaller postpartum room. Mike and I got to spend some time with Tyler, and Mike even changed a few diapers (before me!). During the night, Tyler stayed in the nursery and his nurse would bring him in our room for me to feed him. I had a little trouble getting the hang of breastfeeding at first, but practice makes perfect!

At around 2 am on Friday morning, the hospital tested Tyler's bilirubin level (jaundice). The blood test came back high, so they said he would have to be put uinder the bilirubin lights (they look like mini tanning lights) to help his body process the bilirubin. I was superemotional by then, so every time I thought of him by himself under those lights I would start crying. Mike had to keep telling me that it was better they discovered his jaundice while we were still in the hospital and they could treat him, instead of us discovering it at home and having to bring him back. I never thought I would be so protective of anyone in my life, but I just wanted Tyler with me.

Anyway, Ty's bilirubin level was 15 mg/L at 36 hours old (-ish), which put him in the moderate to high risk category. Every 12 hours or so, they would re-test Tyler's blood and his levels were going down. The older he got and the lower his bilirubin level went, the less risk he would be for any negative effects. Nevertheless, by the time I was discharged, the pediatrician didn't feel that Ty's bilirubin level was low enough and wanted to keep him under the lights for at least another 24 hours. My parents, sister, and brother-in-law came down on Saturday afternoon to visit, but they could only see Tyler when either Mike or I went to visit him in the nursery. So, we went home from the hospital without our little boy on Saturday.

Mike and I and one of my family members would go back to the hospital every 6 hours to visit and feed Tyler. I would pump while I was at home, so that the nurses could feed him breastmilk during the times I wasn't there to feed him. After 24 hours, Tyler's bilirubin was still too high for the pediatrician, so he wanted Tyler to stay under the lights for ANOTHER 24 hours. My mom was staying with us through the week, which was a great big help, since I couldn't walk around or do much around the house. Mike went to work on Monday, and my mom and I went to the hospital every 6 hours for the feedings. Finally, on Tuesday morning, we got a call from the pediatrician who said that Tyler's bilirubin level was way down, and we could come and get him whenever we wanted! We finally brought our son home on Tuesday, January 31! :)

Pictures

2006-02-11T19:35:00.000-05:00

Here are some pictures from the hospital.

Here's Tyler, in his hospital bassinet, he's about 12 hours old in this picture:

Here I am with my son, a couple of hours later:
Here's Mike holding Tyler. Ty's 3 days old and still in the hospital so they can treat his jaundice (more about that later!):
Finally, we brought our little guy home! Here's Tyler, 1 week old:

Labor and Delivery

2006-02-03T11:45:00.000-05:00

February 11, 2006 - It really IS worth it!

Hello again everyone! Here's my labor and delivery story:

I checked into the hospital at 3:30pm on Tuesday, January 24th. It took a couple of hours for them to get us into our room and for me to get into my hospital gown and hooked up to various monitors and an IV. I was hooked up to a fetal heart rate monitor and tocotonometer (both around my belly, the tocotonometer monitors my contractions). I also had a blood pressure cuff around my arm, and a pulse/ox monitor clipped onto my finger. They put an IV into my right arm to administer fluids (and to administer medication later). At around 5 or 5:30 pm, a doctor came in (not my regular doctor, but another OB/GYN) to insert the cervidil by my cervix (to soften my cervix). After that, Mike and I just hung out in the hospital room, since the cervidil had to be in for 12 hours. We watched TV and took naps on and off, with nurses coming in every so often to check my blood pressure and fetal movements, and to help me go to the bathroom!

The next morning, at around 6 am, a nurse came in to remove the cervidil and shortly afterwards, my doctor came in to check my cervix. She said it had softened significantly, but I was barely 2 cm dialated. She gave the go-ahead for them to start me on pitocin. I think that was around 8 am. By 11 am, I felt my water break, and my contractions were getting stronger. I asked for an epidural around noon, and was finally administered one by 1 pm. I had to have extra fluids pumped into my body via the IV prior to receiving the epidural, so that made my hands, legs and feet swell up again. Pitocin makes for stronger and more frequent contractions, so things were pretty rough for the hour before I received the epidural. I was a little apprehensive about the actual epidural procedure, but it went well and relieved all of the contraction pain. I also had to have a catheter inserted, since I couldn't get up to go to the bathroom anymore. So, that was two more things I was attached to!

Sometimes the epidural would sort of wear off (I had a constant low dose drip, which kept me comfortable for the most part, but sometimes the contractions were so intense that the epidural drip didn't do much to relieve any pain) and I would ask for another "hit" of the epidural medication. Often, it would take the anesthesiologist around an hour to get to me, so Mike would end up sitting with me and holding my hand as I breathed through contaction after contraction. Once I did get the new "hit" I felt fine again!

Having all those wires and tubes attached to me also made it difficult to move or adjust my position. The nurses would come in every so often and check my cervix for dilation, and everything was going pretty smoothly (I was dilating about 1 cm or so every couple of hours) until around 10 pm on Wednesday. Then, I just stopped dilating...I was 8 or 9 cm dilated, and it didn't change for hours. The nurses suggested that I lay on one side for a while, then switch and lay on another side to help the baby come down and help with my dilation. Well, every time they switched me over to my right side, I started feeling sick. Then, I threw up! EVERY TIME! Poor Mike had to rush and get me a bowl to vomit in at least 3 times during the night...except I had only had ice chips and orange popsicles all day, so the first time I threw up it was orange flavored, and the other times was just bile :(

The L&D nurses kept checking my cervix throughout the night, but I still hadn't dilated any more than 9 cm. They decided to switch from the toco to an internal contraction monitor, which would give a more accurate representation of the contractions. My doctor had another delivery in the morning and a cesarean to perform, so once she was done with those, she was planning to check on me and decide whether or not to give me a c-section. LUCKILY, she had those two deliveries in the morning, because (after upping the dosage of my pitocin) I was finally fully dilated by 5:30 am on Thursday. My new nurse (who began her shift at 7 am) came in and helped me start pushing with each contraction. For about an hour and a half, it was just her, Mike and I in the room...Mike was counting through my contractions and the nurse was encouraging me to push.

I have to say, at first, I had NO CLUE what to do. The nurse told me to push like I was having a bowel movement. WHAT?? I did NOT want to do THAT in front of her OR Mike! After about 45 minutes or so of pushing, Mike noticed that sometimes I would push from my upper abdomen, and other times I pushed from my lower abs. The times I pushed with my lower abs were the pushes that helped the baby move down the birth canal the best. A couple of times, the nurse had to leave and page the doctor or something, and she told us to keep pushing with each contraction. Finally, I started feeling pressure building up and I felt like I could concentrate my pushing on an actual part of my body. Then the pressure began to feel more intense, like nothing I've ever felt before. The nurse went to get the doctor and told us NOT to push at all! That's all I wanted to do! Holy crap, unbelieveable pressure!!!

All of a sudden, there were about 5 more people in our room, rolling in trays of tools and blankets, a bassinet, and lots of other stuff. Two nurses were getting all the stuff ready for the baby, two other nurses were re-adjusting my bed (they took off the lower part that my feet had been resting on and raised the bed to about waist height), while I could see my doctor putting on a gown, an apron, and a face mask. All I could think of was,"Why isn't she putting that stuff on faster??! What else does she have to put on?!?" Because by then, I just wanted to push that baby out of me!

So, that's what I said to my doctor..."I NEED to PUSH!" She said,"Go ahead!" Each time I pushed, it felt better, but I also felt like I was screaming my head off! (Later, Mike asked me to try to scream and push really hard at the same time...all that comes out is a grunt!) I didn't have a clue as to what else was going on around me...I knew Mike was still next to me, holding my foot and counting. Then, my doctor asked me if it was okay to give me an episiotomy (she actually said,"I'm going to have to snip you a little, if that's okay.") As much as I didn't want one, at that point I really didn't care and anything to get the baby out was fine! So I said okay, and as soon as she "snipped" me, I was able to push a couple more times and she pulled out our baby and placed him on my chest. She said,"Open your eyes!" so I could look at our sweet little baby. The nurses had already put little blankets on me to clean him off once he was born (I had no clue they had done that). I was holding our new son and laughing and saying,"Oh my god!" and Mike kissed me...it was an unforgettable feeling! I couldn't believe he was outside of me and I was finally holding him. He had tons of hair, and a crazy conehead :) but he looked amazing!

Quick update from Dad ...

2006-01-29T11:17:00.000-05:00

We are proud to introduce our baby Tyler!
Born at 1/26/06, 9:01 AM
6 lbs 15 oz, 20 1/2"

I will let Cathy go through all the details, but I thought all of you might like a quick update and picture. Thanks to all of you who followed Cathy's blog throughout her pregnancy and provided support. I know it really meant a lot to her. Good luck to all of you in your upcoming deliveries.

-Mike

37 Weeks

2006-01-24T09:22:00.000-05:00

January 24, 2006

I've hit the 37 week mark! I had my final doctor's appointment yesterday, where my doctor told us everything looked pretty good. My blood pressure is still high, but not higher than at my last appointment. My 24-hour urine sample actually came back negative for protein content, and all the swelling in my legs/ankles/feet has gone away since I've been on bedrest. However, doctor still thinks that if I carry the baby for 40 weeks that I will eventually develop pre-eclampsia, so she still wants to induce me tomorrow. So, Mike and I are headed to the hospital this afternoon to check in and get cervidil applied (to soften my cervix and hopefully help it dilate). I'm supposed to have it in for 12 hours, and tomorrow morning they'll remove the cervidil and start me on pitosin (to start contractions)! This is definitely NOT the way I imagined having a baby, especially since induction has a higher rate of c-sections, but I really trust my doctor and if she believes that this is the best way for me and the baby then that's what we're going to do.

So, hopefully by the end of the day tomorrow, Mike and I will be new parents :) We're so looking forward to meeting our little son...so exciting!!!!

36 Weeks and 3 days

2006-01-20T12:06:00.000-05:00

January 20, 2006

Check out these beautiful pictures we had taken last weekend (while I was still on modified "rest," before I was on strict bedrest)!

I'm showing them on this weblog because I want to advertise the company. They're two great women who specialize in maternity and family photos, but also do children and some on-location events. I guess they're based mostly out of Virginia. They're called Saga Photos and their website is: www.sagaphotos.com. The example photographs they have on their website are beautiful!

Yesterday morning I had another doctor's appointment...they checked my blood pressure and it's gone down!! Not a huge amount, but down nonetheless :) I turned in my 24-hour urine sample...SO glad to be done with that! I won't find out what the protein content is until my next appointment on Monday. We did another NST, and that came out fine, also. The plan is to still be induced on Wednesday, January 25th!

Strict Bedrest

2006-01-16T17:05:00.000-05:00

January 16, 2006

Well, I had another doctor's appointment this morning. They did another ultrasound and took some of our baby's measurements. They estimate that he's 6 pounds 9 ounces already! He's also DEFINITELY head-down, but he's facing out (towards my bellybutton). After the ultrasound, they set me up for a non-stress test (NST). Normally, they want to see 3 movements within 30 minutes, and our little guy moved 8 or 9 times, so our doctor was very pleased with that! After the NST, our doctor checked my blood pressure and cervix. My BP was still high (146/100) and my cervix was still closed. My blood tests from my last appointment came out normal, but I did have elevated levels of uric acid in my blood (normal levels are 3-4 mg/dL, and mine was 6.7 mg/dL).

My doctor said that I don't have pre-eclampsia, but she thinks that if I carry the baby to 40 weeks, I could eventually develop pre-eclampsia. So, she put me on strict bedrest (only getting up to shower, go to the bathroom, or get a snack...no cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, etc.) for the next week and she wants to induce me on Wednsday, January 25th! However, even though all my urine tests have not detected any protein, my doctor thinks that a 24-hour urine test WILL show that I have protein in my urine. She gave me a jug that I have to collect all my urine in over a 24-hour period (beginning this Wednesday morning and ending Thursday morning, right before my next appointment). I will be 37 weeks along on Tuesday, the 24th, and she wants me to check in the hospital that night, when they will apply some cream to my cervix that should help with dilation. Now, if they do detect protein in my urine, I don't know what's going to happen. I suspect that they'll put me on hospital bedrest until I'm 37 weeks...which will suck :( I can handle the bedrest at home, but in the hospital will be so boring! And Mike is only allowed 2 weeks off of work, so I don't want him to waste any of those days just keeping me company in the hospital.

Anyway, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that there's no protein in my urine...mmm...can't wait to start that!

At Home

2006-01-13T16:23:00.000-05:00

January 13, 2006

Well, I went to my doctor for a follow-up exam yesterday morning. There, she decided to check my cervix and take samples for the GBS (Group B Streptococcus) test. The first thing my doctor did was take my blood pressure...very high: 140/100! My cervix was dilated 0.5 cm (not a big deal) and the baby's head is down and low in my pelvis...also very good. The swelling in my feet had gone down from the previous appointment, but because of my high blood pressure, my doctor told me she didn't want me to go back to work. She said that she wanted me to stay home and rest with my feet up. I can get up and walk around to make myeslf food, go to the bathroom, shower, etc., and if I need to go to the grocery store then Mike has to take me and it has to be a quick trip. Otherwise, I can't exercise, be on my feet for long periods of time, or clean the house. So, here I am parked on the couch :)

I went to work after my appointment yesterday, to let everyone know that I would have to go home, and to attend the baby shower my co-workers threw for me :) It's really nice to work in an environment that realizes the importance of families! Everyone at work has been so supportive, and the shower was the icing on the cake! I am planning to do some work from home, and go into work once a week to meet with my supervisor and turn in work.

One thing that I was talking to someone at work about that I wasn't really prepared for is how things can drastically change in the last month of pregnancy. I don't know if it was because my blood pressure was high, but at my last appointment my doctor was very serious and firm (not at all with her usual relaxed and laid-back attitude). She didn't come across as worried, but the fact that she told me not to return to work (and had the lab draw blood for testing) made ME start worrying. I guess this is a critical time period in pregnancy...the baby is taking more of a toll on your body than before, and your body isn't working as efficiently.

Anyway, I have another appointment on Monday morning. They're going to perform an ultrasound to check the true position of the baby and also do the non-stress test. Mike wasn't able to come with me to my last appointment (we both thought it would be a quick follow-up, and not a big deal since my swelling had gone down). He was upset that he didn't end up coming with me, but I think it was the first one he's missed during my entire pregnancy. He'll be able to come to my Monday appointment :)

35 Weeks

2006-01-11T23:23:00.000-05:00

January 11, 2005 - 35 Weeks and 1 day

On Monday night, my ankles and feet were very swollen. More than they have been in the past few weeks. So, I freaked out a little (and got Mike a little freaked out, too) and we went to see one of the available midwives in my doctor's office. She took my blood pressure, and it was a little higher than normal (132/80). She told me I needed to drink a LOT of water every day. "How much?" Mike asked. She said,"One gallon every day." ONE GALLON??!?! Are you freaking kidding me? Okay, its for the baby. I tried...seriously. I drank 1/2 a gallon of water at work today. It was really hard, because I never drank the required 8 glasses per day in the first place. But I'm on my 3rd quart right now and I'm really going to try to drink enough water until our baby's born :) I have another appointment tomorrow morning with my normal doctor to re-check my blood pressure and the swelling in my legs.

On a lighter note...my sister threw me and Mike a baby shower on Saturday. We had it at our house, with lots of good food and everyone hanging out through the night! TONS of fun! Mike's friends gave us (well, they got it for Mike, really) a really funny book called The Baby Owner's Manual. I highly recommend it...especially for the men :)

Yesterday, I also started packing my hospital bag. As I was gathering a suitcase, the diaper bag, and another bag for extras, Mike pulls out a stack of paper about 1/2 an inch thick...all with various lists of suggested items to bring in a hospital bag. He searched the internet for suggestions and printed every single one out! How cool is that? So, I think we've got everything covered. I washed some of the baby clothes and blankets and got so excited. This is really going to happen! I folded the little baby socks, and the onesie that Mike made (he put a "VT" for Virginia Tech on it!), the receiving blankets, a little going-home outfit for our baby, and then put some extra newborn diapers in the diaper bag. Wow. I can't wait to put those clothes on our baby. I just can't wait to hold him and kiss him and snuggle with him. I think Mike was thinking the same thing, because he shaved his goatee off tonight!

So, check out our crib...we hung the quilt on the wall and installed the mobile that my sister and her husband gave us at the shower. The giraffe in the crib is one we made for Tyler at Build-A-Bear, who we named George :) George's "birth certificate" says "From Mommy and Daddy"! We figured George would go well with the Noah's Ark theme :)

Tagged :)

2006-01-09T09:00:00.000-05:00

January 9, 2005

I've been "tagged" by Avorie (at ReDinkyDink)! I don't know who else to tag, but the questions are fun, so here are my answers:

Four jobs I've had in my life: environmental engineer, project engineer, soils lab technician, and coffee house barista

Four movies I could watch over and over: "O Brother, Where Art Thou?", "Office Space", "The Princess Bride", and "Bridget Jones' Diary"

Four places I've lived: Manila (Philippines), and all around Virginia

Four TV shows I love to watch: Lost, The Office, My Name is Earl, ER

Four places I've been on vacation: Nags Head, NC; Gatlinburg, TN; Toronto, Canada; and a cruise in the Western Caribbean (I swear, I could live in the Grand Cayman Islands!)

Four websites I visit daily: Google, Gmail, other pregnancy weblogs, MSN

Four of my favorite foods: Greek spaghetti, ice cream (well, all desserts really!), Minute Maid orange juice, and gorgonzola topped Schiacciatta bread from Our Daily Bread Bakery in Blacksburg, VA.

Four places I'd rather be: anywhere with Mike, the Grand Cayman Islands, and I would love to vacation in a fun wintery climate in a log cabin

Four albums I can't live without: I don't have any album preferences, but my favorite artists are the Counting Crows, the Dave Matthews Band, Blues Traveler, and the Barenaked Ladies

That was fun! Thanks Avorie :)

Nursery

2006-01-05T10:45:00.000-05:00

January 5, 2005

I am so excited about the nursery, now! I wasn't before because we hadn't done much with it, but we're finally getting things together! Like I said before, Mike painted the room over the weekend, and our theme is Noah's Ark...this is our crib bedding:

and we plan to hang the quilt on the wall along with some great prints I found on www.art.com! Since the Noah's Ark theme is all about animals, Mike and I picked out a few fun prints of animal paintings:

Aren't they all adorable?!?! I had a few others picked out that were photographs of animal couples together, but we ulimately agreed that the prints of the paintings looked more like they belonged in a nursery. Now I need to work on organizing the closet in our baby's room...I want to install a closet system that will be kid-friendly, and maybe put some colorful drawers or storage boxes in there. Speaking of which, I need to do the same thing to my own closet, and probably to Mike's closet, too! Let the nesting phase continue!

January 9, 2005 - Update: By the way, the crib bedding is called "Noah's Patch" by NoJo :)

34 Weeks

2006-01-04T21:58:00.000-05:00

January 4, 2006

Happy New Year!! I actually typed "2005" in the date, and then realized it's 2006! Which reminds me, I think I did that in a letter at work yesterday, too...

So, 34 weeks and I'm definitely coming down with another cold. This will be my second one since I've been pregnant. Normally, I don't mind colds so much because I just take Dayquil during the day and Nyquil at night...BUT I can't really take anything anymore, so now I'm just blowing my nose every 20 minutes! I did take some Children's Tylenol cold medicine the other day, but I didn't feel like it did anything, so I haven't taken any since.

Over the weekend, Mike and I finally picked out a color for the baby's room! I think it will go well with the bedding we bought. The color is called Bother Free Blue, and it's part of Behr Paint's Disney Wall Colors Winnie the Pooh collection. Mike painted the baby's room on Monday, with kind help from his brother! Surprisingly, just painting the room already makes it look like a nursery!

We also took down our Christmas tree and all the decorations on Monday evening. My sister is throwing us a co-ed baby shower on Saturday at our house, since it's located between my family and Mike's family. The Christmas tree was taking up a lot of room in the living room, so we just put away all the other Christmas decorations when we took down the tree. It's so sad to put them away after the holidays...but this year we definitely have other things to look forward to! I'm really excited about having everyone over for the shower, because some of my family hasn't seen our house yet!

Volleyball season started up again this week, and Mike played with his men's team last night. Even though I'm feeling pretty tired and stuffy, I still wished I could play! I was going to go watch his games, but figured that staying home and resting would probably be better for me.

I had my 34 week checkup this afternoon...my belly measures exactly 34 cm! And I've gained 1 pound per week for the past month, which is putting me on track for a total weight gain of 30 pounds during my pregnancy. That's pretty reasonable, even though I would have liked to gain less (more to lose in the future!). Mike says it's okay, because that means our baby is growing strong :) I'm so glad he's been as supportive as he has. During my entire pregnancy, he's shown concern and been very encouraging! Sometimes the concern could have been mistaken for paranoia, but it IS our first child, so maybe that's to be expected. (Still, I would like to buy an elliptical machine after the baby's born to try to work off some baby weight and get back into shape!)

33 Weeks and 1 Day!

2005-12-28T13:40:00.000-05:00

December 28, 2005

Christmas was wonderful! I ate so much good food (lots of fun sweets and some of my favorite foods for dinner!). I'm trying to get back to eating better, but there are still a lot of leftover cookies and things that coworkers are bringing to the office :)

The Thursday before Christmas, my sister found out she's having a little girl! They're going to name her Hannah...which is a gorgeous name, and one that I wish we could have used, except that Mike's side of the family already has a "Hannah." Anyway, my sister was 19-1/2 weeks along over Christmas, and I was 32-1/2 weeks.

I cannot believe 2005 is almost over! Usually, I'm sad after Christmas (people will be taking down decorations soon, nobody plays Christmas music anymore and all) but this year I'm feeling wound up. We have so many things to do before the baby comes! My wonderful sister is throwing us a baby shower on January 7th, which is only a week and a half away! Plus, we're having it at our house, since we're located right smack dab between my family and Mike's family. Nothing like having company over to encourage you to finally get your house pulled together! We had been putting off getting decent dining chairs because our very sweet neighbors welcomed us by loaning us some dining furniture. The table is gorgeous and fits our breakfast nook perfectly, but the chairs are a bit uncomfortable (especially for me!)...so we're going to look for some dining chairs this week, along with a cocktail table and a chest of drawers.

The baby's room is a bit of a mess right now, too...we received some really nice things for the baby for Christmas, but his room is so unorganized that everything is just piled in his crib! Mike said that he would paint the room as soon as we picked out a color...but we still have a lot of work to do!

My hands and ankles are swollen on a regular basis, now. I showed my doctor and she sort of just said that's the way things go. They're not swollen excessively, but I'm definitely feeling some carpal tunnel (mostly in my right hand, but sometimes in my left hand in the mornings). It's hard to grasp a firm hold of things...squeezing the bottle of shampoo in the mornings hurts as well as writing for long periods of time. But honestly, I don't mind! I'm happy to go through them if that's what will bring our baby into the world happy and healthy :)

I AM looking forward to playing volleyball again, though! The schedule for the next season is out and I'm somewhat jealous because Mike will be playing again (we get a few weeks off between seasons and for the holidays). I'm looking forward to getting back in shape after the baby's born!

For Posterity

2005-12-21T09:55:00.000-05:00

December 22, 2005 - 32 weeks and 2 days!

Only 3 days until Christmas! Hope everyone's done with their shopping...luckily, we are :)

Some more wonderful things about pregnancy that I don't want to forget :)

1. Swelling. This has probably been the most uncomfortable feeling for me. My hands and lower legs are only slightly swollen, but enough to be uncomfortable. I can still fit my wedding rings on my ring finger, but my hands constantly feel tight. It's more pronounced in the mornings with my hands, but with my legs it's more in the evenings (after walking around all afternoon). I've taken to wearing the low ankle socks, since they don't cut into my calves. My legs look so gross at the end of the day if I wear taller trouser socks...there's a definite indentation from them!

2. Along with the swelling in my hands, I've also started to feel a hint of carpal tunnel syndrome in my hands. It's mostly when I make a tight fist (especially with my right hand), or if I'm holding something for a longer period of time (like my hairdryer, toothbrush, or curling iron. This morning, I was curling my hair and my hand started to ache, then I got a hint of numbness in that arm holding the curling iron. Once I brought my hand down and shook it out a little, it was better.

3. Feeling the baby kick. That is still a wonderful feeling! I never get tired of feeling him move around...I think he had the hiccups yesterday, it was so funny to watch my belly! The other night, Mike and I were in bed and my belly was pressed against his side, and our baby kicked him! Mike was completely amazed at how strong the movement was :) And right now, I can feel him moving around...it's just an amazing experience!

4. Having the feeling that you need to go to the bathroom and when you get there, 3 drops come out. But you need to go every time, because sometimes it's a decent amount that comes out...you just never know.

Well, I had my 32 week check-up yesterday...and everything is totally fine. Nothing out of the ordinary...I talked to my doctor about all the swelling, carpal tunnel feelings, and numbness and she said that was all normal. It's good to hear that :)

Mike and I went to our final childbirth class last night, too. We learned more about cesareans, practiced breathing, and did a mock birth (no real pushing, though!). I don't feel like I will know exactly what to do in every situation during labor, but at least now I know what to expect during each stage and I'm not so afraid of labor anymore! I'm even considering going the natural childbirth route...but I'm just CONSIDERING it! :)

I'm leaking!

2005-12-15T09:31:00.000-05:00

December 15, 2005

Okay, my body seems to be attuned to whatever baby email newsletter I get, because once something happens, I read about it in my newsletter! I just read about leaking breasts this morning...Last night, we went to our childbirth class again (very informative about medications, when they may be necessary, and more massages!), but when I got home I looked in the mirror and saw a spot on my shirt. There was no possible way that I could have spilled anything on that spot, and then I checked my bra...leakage! So, tonight I need to go and buy some nursing pads. Right now I'm wearing a bra with more padding and some Kleenex :) At least I know that my body's ready to feed my baby!

Baby weighs over 3 pounds and is around 18 inches long!

Sweet Forward and My Ramblings

2005-12-14T13:59:00.000-05:00

My cousin (who just had her first baby in August) forwarded me this, and it brought tears to my eyes:

Before I was a Mom...
I slept as late as I wanted and never worried about how late I got into bed.
I brushed my hair and my teeth everyday.

Before I was a Mom...
I cleaned my house each day.
I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn't worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.

Before I was a Mom...
I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Spit on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.

Before I was a Mom...
I never held down a screaming child so that doctors could do tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.I
never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.

Before I was a Mom...
I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put it down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.

Before I was a Mom...
I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby.
I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.

Before I was a Mom...
I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to makesure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much before I was a Mom.

Sweet, huh? I have some of those feelings now...I just can't imagine how I'll feel when we finally meet our little son!

I LOVE Christmas! I love the whole time between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, actually! I love everything about it, visiting family, listening to Christmas songs, snow and cold weather, bundling up to go outside, drinking hot chocolate, using our fireplace, baking sweets, enjoying the Christmas lights on people's houses, wearing sweaters...I could go on! But I also love that Hannukah is celebrated around this time, and that winter finally begins! So, it really irks me when people try so hard to be politically correct about the holidays that we lose sight of why we celebrate in the first place! Has anyone heard about how some people are offended by the term "Christmas Tree" and instead use the term "Holiday Tree"?? Is that ridiculous or what? Are these people TRULY offended? What is going on with our country (founded, by the way, by Christians!)? What if I'm offended by people calling my Christmas tree a "Holiday Tree"? Hmmm?? Grrr...

31 Weeks and overemotional

2005-12-14T08:54:00.000-05:00

December 14, 2005 - 31 Weeks and 1 day

Mike doesn't like this picture, but I do! Since he doesn't want me to send them out in our Christmas cards, I'm putting it up here :)

So, this week hasn't been horrible, but it has been a little trying. My emotions seem to be riding a little roller coaster, lately! We were getting ready to go Christmas shopping over the weekend, and I couldn't find a comfortable way to bend over and tie my shoes. I asked Mike if he could help me, but while he was tying the first shoe I started crying and left the room! Why?? Who knows? I had a split second thought that I was too much of a burden on him or that he didn't like helping me (both very NOT true!) . Mike followed me and asked what was wrong, and of course reassured me that he didn't feel any of those things!

I've been feeling really big this week, too...sometimes fat, but not really. It's mostly that my belly feels huge! Eating a meal makes me feel overstuffed and full to the point it's really uncomfortable. I just try to graze on food throughout the day...AND drink my water! (Still working on that)

I had a horrible bout of gas last night, too! I think it may have been the KFC mashed potatoes I had for lunch...gotta remember that. They weren't that great anyway, I was craving REAL mashed potatoes and had to settle for those. A bad idea all around! I think that's what gave me such horrible gas pains. Mike was a little worried b/c in our Childbirth Class the instructor said that early labor can feel like gas. Since they went away that night, I reassured him that I wasn't going into labor :)

My clumsiness has also increased this week! It's actually funny, but I'm always bumping into something or bruising my arm or hand. We were in the check-out line at the grocery store and Mike wanted to push the shopping cart past me to the person who was bagging our groceries, and I SWEAR I thought the cart and I could fit in that aisleway! It's funny, but I know exactly what space my car can fit in and how much room I need to parallel park, squeeze by traffic, etc., but I can't figure out how much room I take up now!

As evidenced by the time I'm submitting this post, I just cannot concentrate on work lately! I keep thinking of things we still need to do to get ready for the baby, what to pack in my hospital bag, what I need to do for Christmas...it seems endless! Hopefully I'll get a decent amount of work done today :)

Happy Wednesday!

Less than 10 weeks to go!

2005-12-09T10:10:00.000-05:00

December 9, 2005 - 30 Weeks and 3 days

Well, Mike and I went to a breastfeeding class on Tuesday night and a childbirth class (the first of a series of 3!) on Wednesday night. I never thought about childbirth so much for such a long time (the class was 3 1/2 hours long). I don't think I'm scared about it, maybe just worried? I also never thought about what my baby will be going through during childbirth...I guess it must be pretty traumatic for him, so it's a good thing he won't remember it! One minute you're all cozy and warm, swimming around all snuggled up, and the next minute you're freezing cold and bright lights and strange noises surround you! The whole idea of childbirth is so amazing to me, though. As a woman, you help this little tiny creature grow into a small human being. True, your life changes during pregnancy, but for what your body is doing, it's amazing that you can pretty much carry on regular daily activities. And then nature has figured out a way for your little baby to leave you and nobody ever seems to remember the pain. After all, many women have more than 1 child!

In the childbirth class, the support people had to give the moms massages, too! That rocked! I absolutely loved it, and I'm hoping that Mike will remember that even after I have the baby :) He did a great job with the massages, so maybe if he was a sucky masseur I might not have liked it so much...sorry babe! :)

My 30 week check-up was routine...everything is going well and the doctor was happy with my progress. The only thing I sort of got lectured on was not drinking enough water. I just can't seem to drink 8 - 10 glasses a day. Mike has started to get on me about it, and I'm trying, but I've never been a big water drinker. I'm trying different things like drinking flavored selter water, watered-down juices, and decaf tea.

Warning on Christmas Lights!

2005-12-05T11:26:00.000-05:00

December 5, 2005 - 29 Weeks and 6 days

YAY!!! It's snowing!! I love snow! We got off of work early this afternoon...I love government work! Except driving on the highway in snow, that always sucks, because everyone thinks they're still invincible on the road. I'm not a prude super-cautious driver, but I AM more careful in the rain and snow. It ticks me off when other people think that because they're in an SUV or truck that they can drive the same way they would in dry conditions (speeding and tailgating, etc...). I'm pregnant here! Be careful already!

So, we put our lights up on the house this weekend..."we" meaning "Mike" because he wouldn't let me climb the ladder and get on the roof (not that I blame him, but I just wish I could have been more help). I think he did a really good job for our first time putting up lights on our first house!
Also, have you ever read the warning label on those lights? Mike read the one on our tree lights and the label said the lights have a coating that contains lead, which has been proven to cause birth defects! Anyway, you're just supposed to wash your hands after you handle them (don't go and prepare dinner or lick your fingers while you're putting up the lights). The lights we put up on the house had the same warning, but since we were outside and it was cold, I had gloves on the whole time AND washed my hands afterwards anyway.

So, I heard official word from my doctor's office...my gestational diabetes test came out normal! Awesome! One less thing to worry about :) Mike and I are taking a few pregnancy classes to prepare for our little baby. We took one called Newborn Nuances where we learned how to burp our baby, swaddle him, we talked about SIDS, learned about various baby supplies we would and wouldn't need, and tons of other stuff that I wrote down but have already forgotten off the top of my head! Anyway, so we're signed up to take a childbirthing class, and I totally forgot about it when I scheduled my doctor's appointment. My doctor's office is wonderful for many reasons, but one perk is that they're open very late on Wednesdays, which means I don't have to take any time off of work to go to my appointments. Unfortunately, I scheduled my next appointment during my first childbirthing class, so I rescheduled but will have to take time off work anyway! Grrr....

I had an unsettling dream the other night...Mike was asleep in a bed, and it looked like the bed was empty, but he reached across and felt around under the sheets and there was another woman there. He put his arm around her and pulled her in towards him and snuggled against her. I was watching it all and thought to myself, "He probably just thinks it's me." So I lay next to him and whispered in his ear, "Hey babe, that's not me," but he didn't do anything except snuggle in more with her! I said it again, and he still ignored me.

I don't know why, but lately I've been having dreams about Mike and I and our relationship. I don't have any reason to think that he wouldn't want to be with me...he's really been very wonderful about telling me that he thinks I'm cute or beautiful, and he's very caring and loving all the time. I guess I'm just worried about how our relationship will change once the baby's born. We've talked about that, though, and we both agreed to let each other know if we ever feel neglected or ignored.

I've noticed lately that I'm short of breath more, especially when I've been sitting for a while. A lot of times, I'm more comfortable either lying down or standing up. Little Tyler's crowding out my lungs :) He does make sure that I have good posture, though...I breathe much better and deeper when my back is straight and my shoulders are back.

Well, we have a fire in the fireplace and the Christmas tree is lit, so I'm going to make a cup of hot tea and make some Christmas cards!

Good night :)

29 Weeks and 2 days

2005-12-01T00:29:00.000-05:00

December 1, 2005 - Over 29 weeks along

I don't want to sound like I'm complaining, because I really think that I've had a very easy pregnancy, compared to people I've talked to and things I've read about. I just want to make sure I have some record of all the things that are happening to my body and what I'm experiencing.

So, here we go: Twice already this morning I've had to rush to the bathroom with the strongest urge to pee, only to get there and have almost nothing come out! It's as if the baby's pushing down on my bladder to make me think I have to use the bathroom, and once I get there he moves and I don't have to go anymore! The little guy's gonna be a troublemaker :)

I'm still having trouble getting to sleep at night. I don't have any trouble staying asleep (i.e. no middle-of-the-night runs to the bathroom or anything), but I haven't gotten to sleep before 1:00 AM in a long time. Lately, I've been so exhausted that I can't function here at work unless I have some tea or juice (or both!).

I haven't felt any more Braxton-Hicks contractions since the first time, unless they feel different every time...but those were pretty intense last week, and I haven't felt anything close to that since then.

I do find that I'm a lot clumsier with my big belly :) I've lost my balance doing simple things, like reaching over to get something or anything with bending over, really! I've caught myself every single time, although the worst time was when I fell off the couch trying to reach for something on the floor that was too far away! I'm also not entirely aware of how far my belly really sticks out. I've almost burned myself a few times while cooking and reaching over something on the stove. My belly will touch the edge of the stove and then I realize that I can't move any further! No burns yet :)

I do love to rub my belly, though! It's so round! I still can't believe there's a little baby in there (not so little, really...he's about 15 inches long!). I've noticed that he'll kick more when I'm talking (maybe because he recognizes my voice?) and singing. I'm singing a lot of Christmas songs now, so we might end up having to play him "Silent Night" as a regular lullaby! I like to think he's trying to talk to me when he's kicking and punching :)

29 Weeks

2005-11-30T09:04:00.000-05:00

November 30, 2005 - 29 Weeks

Only 11 weeks to go! It seems so short when it's said like that...but it's still 3 months away. That's good, though, because we're still not quite ready for the baby to arrive. Part of me wants him here so badly, I want to hold him and see him, but I want his room ready and I want us to be prepared with everything we'll need for him, too. Speaking of which, the nursery is finally getting closer to becoming a nursery! Mike has been cleaning it out and taking things up to the attic. He's been doing a really good job...there was a LOT of crap in there! We still need to paint the walls and fix up my dresser (which I plan to use as the baby's dresser/changing table). Those tasks will have to be done on a weekend, though!
We had a great Thanksgiving weekend...it was nice to relax and sleep in! I've been having trouble getting to sleep at night, but I can't figure out why. We have dinner at a reasonable time, and if I drink caffinated drinks, it's usually in the mornings. Maybe it's because I haven't been able to work out this week...hmmm...I'll work out tonight before "Lost" comes on and see if that helps!
On Sunday, we put up and decorated our Christmas tree! It's right in front of our living room window, and it looks gorgeous! I love Christmas, and having the tree up is so wonderful...I even sewed a couple of Christmas stockings last night (the second one turned out much better than the first one!). Maybe I can get Mike to put the lights up outside this weekend :)
My knee has been killing me lately. I had arthroscopic knee surgery several years ago, and it's been more irritated these past few months (if I keep my knee bent for too long, I have to straighten it out slowly and stretch out the ligaments before I stand and walk anywhere, or else I'm limping). My doctor said that the soreness should go away after I have the baby, otherwise I can go to a specialist and have it looked at. Let's hope it heals after the baby's born!

28 Weeks

2005-11-23T10:07:00.000-05:00

November 23, 2005 - 28 Weeks!

Only 12 weeks to go...it seems like a long time, but with all the things we still need to do, it really isn't much time! I have my 28-week check-up this afternoon. I'll have to get tested for gestational diabetes, which means I have my blood tested when I first arrive at the doctor's office, then I have to drink a sugary drink and wait an hour and have my blood sugar level tested again. I haven't gained a lot of weight and I'm not predisposed for diabetes, so hopefully everything will be okay!

I think that I felt my first Braxton-Hicks contractions last night. It was really strange...it didn't really hurt, I think it caught me by surprise more than anything else. I was just sitting on the floor in the living room and the entire right side of my belly just sort of cramped up for a second and then released. It didn't feel like anything I felt before (the baby's movements), and then it happened on my left side a few minutes later, and that was it.

I've noticed that our little baby has developed a schedule. He's usually very active in the mornings (anywhere from 7:30 to 10:30), then again in the afternoons (between 3:00 and 4:30), and finally again in the late evenings (9:00 - midnight). I love sitting in bed and watching him move around at night. Mike can usually feel or see him move, too. I've come to look forward to those times of the day...it's always reassuring to feel your baby kick and move around in there.

Last night, Mike and I visited a day care, just to try and get ready for when I have to go back to work. Four of my co-workers take their kids to the same day care, and they've all said great things about it. When we visited, we talked with the provider for over an hour and she showed us around her home. It seemed wonderful, and although we plan to look at other places, I really like that provider. She seemed fascinated by children (how much they are able to comprehend and learn) but she also seemed to understand young children herself. We will look around at other places just to be able to compare, though.

27 Weeks

2005-11-16T13:11:00.000-05:00

November 16, 2005 - 27 Weeks and 1 day

I'm in my 3rd trimester! I am luckily feeling very well, although I've stopped playing volleyball because I've been more tired during the games and my knee has really been bothering me. I last played on Sunday night (the 13th) and my team did really well, so I was happy to end my season on a high note! The team we played against had a horrible attitude, though! Between plays, during a dead ball, one of them kicked the volleyball so that it almost hit me in my belly. She has no aim, mind you, and she likes to kick the ball quite often instead of just rolling it on the ground to get it to the other team. Luckily, I was behind the net (on our side of the court) and I was able to deflect it in time. I just glared at her while she said "I'm sorry" with such an attitude that it was obvious she wasn't sincere. Another woman on her team said, "That's what you get if you play volleyball pregnant."!!!! THE NERVE of her! So, is she saying that the second she finds out she's pregnant, she's going to plop herself down on the couch and not exercise? Volleyball may be a little rougher than walking or swimming, but it's certainly NOT as much of a contact sport as basketball or soccer! At least if I was playing soccer, I would know to expect a ball KICKED at me. Anyway, all the women on my team have kids and ALL of them have played volleyball while they were pregnant....so they were all pretty fired up about the other team member's comment. In the end, we beat them 2 games to 1, and that definitely made my evening!

WHEW!! Sorry about the ranting, but I just thought that most women would be pretty understanding! Needless to say, I've decided it best to stop playing until after the baby's born. Mike is training for a marathon in November 2006, so after he runs in the evenings, we'll walk together for 20 minutes or so. I also bought a couple of pregnancy workout videos. I really like the first one (The Perfect Pregnancy Workout, hosted by an ex Cirque de Soleil acrobat!) because it helps strengthen and tone your arms, legs, back, and abs but in a way that's not strenuous. You also do Kegel exercises! I haven't tried the second one yet. That one is by Yoga Journal called Yoga for Your Pregnancy. I'll let you know how that goes!

Some days I cannot wait for the baby to arrive, and then other days I feel like there's too much to do to prepare, and we've barely scratched the surface! I don't just mean things like painting the nursery or getting more organized...I get so scared sometimes about how my relationship with Mike will change. I LOVE it now, we are always there for each other and always supportive of one another. He is my stability, but also my fun and laughter! I can see him being a wonderful father, and us together being great parents, but I guess I just don't want to lose any of the closeness and intimacy we've enjoyed for the past several years. I told Mike that I'm now anxious because, even though I always want to be with him and I love him to death, I never felt like I needed him until I was pregnant. In this day and age, I know there are many successful single parents out there, and I don't know if that's necessarily what I think I need him for...but he and the baby are my whole life now....they're my family.

Some days I still don't feel so big, but there are other days when I do, and on those days I feel huge! I've also been having trouble getting to sleep at night. The past week or two, I've finally been able to fall asleep at around 1:00 in the morning. I think that's mostly because I'm more comfortable sitting up than lying down. Ahhh, the joys of pregnancy!

26 Weeks

2005-11-08T17:00:00.000-05:00

November 8, 2005 - 26 Weeks

Today is my and Mike's 2-year wedding anniversary! I seriously cannot believe that 2 years has already gone by since our wedding...I look back on the pictures and I can remember everything that happened and how I felt and who was there...it just doesn't seem like all that long ago. We're going out to dinner tonight to the Cheesecake Factory! Mmmmm!! I think that I may just order an appetizer so that I'll be ready for cheesecake afterwards :) And, Mike actually doesn't like cheesecake (don't ask me why...I couldn't tell you...maybe the texture?) but that only means more for me!!

I can definitely tell that I've become more emotional...most of the time it's because I will apply myself to a situation that I hear about on the radio or see on TV. But sometimes this unstable emotional state can be embarrassing! I was looking for an anniversary card yesterday, and while I was reading through some in the store I started crying! Each one made me cry more! But that situation is something I can totally handle and I chalk it all up to the hormones. On the other hand, poor Mike has had to go through some strange arguments with me because I'll blow things out of proportion in my head or jump to a wrong conclusion. He really is quite a trooper.

We are finally getting things together for the baby's room! This past weekend, Mike spent a long time cleaning up all of his tools and our boxes from the nursery. We're trying to get organized and figure out what we can throw out and what needs to go in the attic. (Speaking of attic, we also got our roof replaced. Shingles were coming off and parts of the roof had sort of bulged out on one side...I'll post before and after pictures soon!) Anyway, we also bought a crib from some friends of ours and I found a cute crib bedding set called Noah's Patch. I posted a picture of the set in my Albums...it's really cute and I got it on sale! Also, I managed to finalize our baby registry so that my sweet sister could send that information out when she sends invitations to my baby shower....whew! You never know how busy you've been until you go back and figure out what you've done in such a short time!

My sister-in-law had her baby this past Friday...they named her Lauren Suzanne! She's the cutest little thing, and has a full head of hair already! Michelle had Lauren by C-section on Friday morning, and we visited her and the baby in the hospital that afternoon. Both Mike and I got to hold Lauren, (probably the youngest baby I've ever held) and I think that my pregnancy became a little more real then. I will be starting my 3rd trimester next week! It definitely won't be long until we're in the hospital holding our little boy!

24 Weeks

2005-10-25T14:19:00.000-05:00

October 25, 2005 - 24 Weeks

Awesome! I'm 6 months along, but still have 16 weeks until my due date...how messed up is that :) That's still 4 more months!

My friend Sharon brought up a thought about having this little being grow inside you for so long and then leave you in such a dramatic way. It is so strange sometimes, when I think about what's actually going on inside me! When I can feel him move and sometimes even SEE him move through my belly, it's so wild! I'm excited most of the time, and I completely stop what I'm doing and just sit there and wait to see if he'll move again. But then another part of me doesn't ever want him to come out, because I know how safe he is inside me, and I won't always be able to make sure he's that safe once he's born...it's so strange what you think about. I'm sure that when I get bigger and when it gets hard for me to walk/sit/move I'll be counting the days until my due date!

I'm still playing volleyball, and I'm always amazed at how good I'm still feeling. I seriously thought I'd be on the sidelines by now, but when I'm out on the court I feel so good. Mind you, I'm not diving or sprinting, but the activity feels awesome. I am definitely going to miss it when I have to stop, but hopefully I'll be able to bounce back quickly after the baby's born.

Mike and I are going to start looking at furniture for the nursery soon! Hopefully today, but it's not that pressing. I'm still blown away by everything we still need to get. How did people raise children 200 years ago? They certainly didn't have a battery-operated bouncer or disposable diapers! Did women just strap the babies on their backs and go work in the fields? But it's amazing, because even with all these "luxuries", raising a baby is still a lot of work. I sure hope I'm ready for it!

23 Weeks

2005-10-19T15:44:00.000-05:00

October 19, 2005 - 23 Weeks and 1 day

Wow, I just finished eating a huge piece of this really good pumpkin/raisin cake with lots of icing. It was so good, and now I feel so gross. I cannot believe I just fed my child all that sugar and fat!! I have decided to buy some running/walking shoes so that I can start walking after work. Mike wants to start running, so maybe he can walk with me as a warm-up, and then go run afterwards. I'm still playing volleyball, but only twice a week, and I don't feel that's enough exercise. I'm not as active as I used to be during the games, and I get tired faster. Walking seems to be a little more gentle, and something I can continue doing after I have to stop playing volleyball. Geez...I still can't believe I ate the whole piece of cake! And, just yesterday, I went to Mike's brother's house for dinner...to which I brought a "sampler" cheesecake! Of course, my sister-in-law and I had to sample more than one flavor. So, I had cheesecake last night, too! In a way, I'm glad that I'm pregnant during the winter, so I can wear more clothes and cover myself up...but maybe the summer would have been better because I would be more aware of how I look (not that a pregnant woman isn't always aware of how she looks, because she's just getting bigger all the time! How could you NOT be aware of that??).

Anyway, my sister-in-law Michelle and I are still really cute! We got dressed up to attend a wedding for a family friend (Mike's side of the family).

22 Weeks

2005-10-11T15:55:00.000-05:00

October 11, 2005 - 22 Full Weeks

Today I am officially 22 weeks pregnant. Wow! Sometimes it seems like time is flying by, and other times I feel like it's creeping...but all in all, I really can't believe I'm over halfway through my pregnancy. My little boy has been kicking and moving around quite a bit. Sometimes I will completely forget what I'm doing if he moves, and I find myself concentrating on him and what I'm feeling. It's so amazing. And Mike has finally been able to feel the little guy move. I think it was only the other morning, I knew he was kicking, and I put Mike's hand on my belly, and he felt our baby! He was so excited! I love that he finally was able to feel the little guy.

I've disovered my favorite time of day...in the morning, right after the alarm clock goes off. Since I don't get up very quickly anymore, Mike gets up and hits snooze on the alarm (we have the alarm clock on the other side of the room from our bed). After he hits the snooze button, he crawls back into bed and snuggles behind me, and puts his hand on my belly. The alarm will go off and he'll hit snooze at least 2 more times. But each time, he always crawls back in bed and snuggles with me. When I finally decide to get up and take my morning shower, he never lets me go right away...he always tries to keep me next to him and I have to pry myself away. It's crazy...Mike has figured out how to make me look forward to waking up in the morning!

Week 22

2005-10-10T12:28:00.000-05:00

Monday, October 10, 2005 - 21 Weeks and 5 days

I'm in week 22 of my pregnancy, and I have REALLY started to feel the baby's movements on a more regular basis. They still feel mostly like muscle spasms, but this morning, while we were still in bed, I felt him kick really hard. So, I put my hand where I just felt the movement, and I felt him move from the outside of my stomach with my hand!! I grabbed Mike's hand and put it on the same spot, but the little guy stopped kicking. Mike wasn't disappointed, though...he said that it meant he would get to really start feeling the kicks soon :)

So, there are a couple more things that experienced moms don't tell you about pregnancy: 1) You have increased discharge...yes...down there. And a lot of times, you can feel it coming out, but you can't control it! So, unless you want to walk around with damp underwear for the next few months, I would begin purchasing some pantyliners. They also help with the little bit of pee that comes out when you cough or sneeze :) 2) Your ligaments loosen up. Apparently, in preparation for childbirth, your pelvis actually widens during pregnancy. There is a small bone that connects the right and left side of your pelvic bone together, and it becomes more fibrous (instead of solid bone) during pregnancy, in order to allow your hips to widen and let a baby's head through. Well, your hormones can't just tell that one bone to loosen up, so it tells your whole body the same thing! I had arthroscopic knee surgery about 7 years ago, and a few sprained ankles even before that (from volleyball), and everything has been more tender and achy lately. I have to really warm up and stretch, plus wear an ankle brace, when I play now. Yes, I'm still playing volleyball. It's great exercise and I just have to be careful not to dive for balls :) I will have to stop in probably a month or so, depending on how I feel. I'll have to start another form of exercising, then!

One thing I think about sometimes is what it must be like for my little baby inside me. All he's known is what he experiences from being inside me, but after seeing...OOOH, he just kicked again!! Haha..sorry...anyway, after I saw him on the ultrasound doing flips and playing with his umbilical cord...I just wonder what is going through his mind. When I'm jumping and running around while I play, is he being jostled uncomfortably, or is he kind of having fun, like it's a ride or something? Or, if I fart...is that SUPER loud to him, or is that just another sound he's used to? (At this point, I don't know how he couldn't be used to it...I'm pretty gassy!) Or, if I take a big dump, does that open up some room in me for him? I know I feel more relieved afterwards ;)

Today, Mike and I were wondering about who our baby is going to look like....it's actually a constant thing we wonder about. Mike seems to think the baby will look a lot like me, just because I'm carrying him. I really hope he has a lot of both of us, though. (He kicked again!) I've seen some babies who will look like the father in one picture and the mother in another. It doesn't matter, he'll be the cutest baby I've ever seen.

20 Week Ultrasound!

2005-09-30T09:44:00.000-05:00

September 30, 2005 - Over 20 Weeks

Good news! We had our 20-week check-up yesterday, including the big ultrasound!

So, the ultrasound technician was really nice and told us everything she was doing. It took about 20 minutes for just the ultrasound, and she measured parts of the brain, the head circumference, around the torso, and the length of bones in the arms and legs. She also looked at several of the baby's internal organs, watched the heart as it pumped and made sure all the valves and chambers looked good, and she checked the blood flow from the umbilical cord.

We also made certain what the sex of the baby was, and there is no doubt now that it's a boy!!

He's very active in there, he kept moving around and kicking his umbilical cord while we watched him. We also saw him completely flip over! When we started the ultrasound, he was on his stomach, and he flipped over to his back :) So cute!

Mike and I are so excited, and relieved that everything is normal and that the baby is healthy. He weighs 1 pound and is 10.5 inches long :)

20 Weeks

2005-09-27T15:45:00.000-05:00

September 27, 2005 - 20 Weeks

Whoa, today has been a bear to get through! Mike had to be in work an hour early this morning, so I came in early, too, and I am feeling it! Seriously, I went to the bathroom (I think the 5th or 6th time, I can't remember) and I almost fell asleep in the stall. Okay, I have some tea, that seems to help.

So, usually, in the mornings, you haven't been able tell that I'm pregnant. If I wear maternity tops, then it's a little more obvious, but otherwise I would just look a little thick around the waist. By the afternoons, I guess the muscles get tired and it's pretty obvious. Anyway, the same thing happened yesterday, but this morning, my tummy kind of just stayed out! Mike loves it in the afternoons when I'm showing more, he rubs my belly and gets really excited that other people can tell we're pregnant!

Oh, Mike got me the coolest gift...a microfleece robe and slippers! It's so soft, it feels like all the baby clothes that we've been buying. I always wonder why they don't make adult clothes as soft as all the baby clothes, but this robe IS that soft! He said he got it for me because he knew I would be uncomfortable later on, and I could also wear it in the hospital and while I'm at home on maternity leave. How sweet!! :) I love that he is so excited about our baby and even about me being pregnant.

Well, I read that the baby is now 10 inches and weighs 10 ounces. I held a ruler up to my belly the other day just to try and gauge how big it is...it's big! I can't believe it will only get bigger! Over 1/2 a pound and almost a foot long...I can't wait for our ultrasound on Thursday. Only two days to go!

19 Weeks

2005-09-20T18:34:00.000-05:00

September 20, 2005 - 19 Weeks Along

I woke up yesterday morning to what felt like a couple of muscle spasms in my abdomen. I realized it may have been the baby kicking or moving, so I lay still a little longer and felt one more! It is just the most exciting thing...kind of freaky, in a way...but still really exciting. I try to lay or sit still a few times a day to see if I can feel the baby move, but I find myself holding my breath when I do, which probably isn't the best thing! Anyway, as excited as I am about feeling the baby myself, I really can't wait until the movements are strong enough for Mike to feel.

We bought a book the other day so that Mike could start reading to the baby. It's a really sweet book called "God Gave Us You" by Lisa Bergren. I absolutely love it, I got a little choked up while I read it.

Well, I still have a bit of a cold right now. My doctor gave me a list of medicines I'm allowed to take, but as of now, I've only taken Tylenol for muscle and head aches. I did go to the store to try and find some of the stuff from the list, but they didn't even have anything I would be able to take. Ahh well, I'm trying the good old chicken soup, orange juice and tea for now.

Week 19

2005-09-14T13:22:00.000-05:00

September 14, 2005 - Beginning of Week 19

Okay, so week 19 has not begun with me in the best of moods. I've been feeling a little under the weather (sore throat, dull headache, nausea) for the past day and a half, although I’m feeling a little better right now. I am not someone who remembers my dreams (I only say that because I read somewhere that EVERYONE dreams every night, and it’s just a matter of remembering what you dream). Anyway, I’ve remembered two very vivid dreams in the past few weeks. The first one was about Mike cheating on me (I was pregnant in my dream, too). In my dream, he met someone at work and their relationship gradually flourished while ours fizzled. I was devastated and crying to my mom in my dream when I woke up, only to find that I was crying when I woke up, too. I had the second dream just a couple of days ago, where I started going into labor right NOW (4 ½ months along) and my baby died because it was so small.

I know that many women dream a lot about things like that during their pregnancies, maybe because those are things they worry about (getting bigger and their partner becoming unattracted to them, not being able to take care of their baby, etc.), but I didn’t think I was THAT worried about those things. The things most prevalent in my mind are worries about not being prepared to bring home the baby or not having enough money after the baby is born. Maybe I’m subconsciously worried about those other things?

Anyway, my mood lightened when we received a package from my very sweet sister and her husband. They sent us a bunch of cute baby clothes (not going to say what color!), and they had made a little onesy with “I love volleyball” printed on the front! So cute!

Our baby is now about 8 inches long (I’m guessing that’s head to foot, not head to rump anymore), and weighs about 7 ounces. The baby’s fingerprints and inner ear are developing…so he/she will start detecting sound! Now would probably be a good time to buy some baby books that Mike can start reading at night to our baby.

Week 18

2005-09-09T12:48:00.000-05:00

September 9, 2005 - Into Week 18

I think I felt the baby move for the first time yesterday! I was in the bathroom at work and I felt what I thought was gas, but I felt it again a few seconds later and it felt more like a muscle twitch from where my uterus is. So, I'm thinking that maybe it was the baby :) That's what I want to think, anyway!

Other than that, it has been a fairly uneventful. I bought a few more maternity clothes. If I get most of my clothes on sale, I don't feel so bad about buying new clothes. I don't think that pregnant women should feel that they have to wear so much fabric and cover up the fact that they're pregnant. From what I've seen in magazines and photos, it serves to make you look even bigger! I love the clothes they have out now, more form-fitting and very flattering! Besides, we're planning to have more kids, so I'll use these clothes again in a couple of years.

I've begun the "nesting" phase everyone talks about. It's not so much that I want to get the baby's room ready, but that I want to get the whole entire HOUSE ready. We don't have any real accessories up, so it's very stark and crisp inside. I want to make it more homey, but I realized last night that I have no idea what I want it to look like!

Mike has been so great, though. He said that he hoped our child would inherit a lot of my qualities, but I hoped that he/she would inherit more of Mike's. Then, I just completely broke into a sobfest! I couldn't see one good quality of mine that I would want our child to inherit! I felt like a crazy person, but I couldn't stop crying and thinking of how great my husband is and that our baby would be so lucky if he or she were more like my husband than me! Well, Mike was really good, and hugged me and comforted me and got me some Kleenex when snot started running out my nose. And he didn't even look disgusted or annoyed...he's so great :) I need to remember that (all you difficult pregnant women, remember this, too) he's totally there to support me. He always offers to do anything he can to help, and he has really made things easier for me. So, if your husband/partner/significant other is busting their butt trying to make your life easier, let them drink an extra beer if they want or let them buy that video game, better yet...let them know how grateful you are :)

Week 17

2005-09-02T08:42:00.000-05:00

September 2, 2005 - Into Week 17

Over 4 months pregnant, and I think it's finally starting to become more real to me. The baby should be anywhere between 4.5 and 6 inches long and weigh 3.5 - 4 ounces. Toenails are formed, limbs are more developed, and hair is beginning to grow! At my 16-week check-up the other day, Mike and I begged our doctor to perform an ultrasound so we could see what the sex of the baby is. She is so cool and awesome, so she snuck us in and had a look. I'm not going to say what we think it is because it wasn't totally clear, but hopefully at my 20-week check-up, it will be more clear and we can start telling people if they want to know. Anyway, I was completely amazed when we saw the baby on the screen...we could see all the bones (skull, ribs, femur, pelvis, etc.) it is just an indescribable feeling! I'm thinking, "Keep growing strong, little baby!" and Mike and I love this baby so much now, I can't imagine loving it any more, but I know we will!

Other pregnancy-related issues for the women out there who want to know what to expect are constant runny noses, the never-ending feeling that you have to go to the bathroom (only to get there and have barely anything come out!), sudden hunger pangs, and also sudden emotional changes. The flooding of the New Orleans vicinity after Hurricane Katrina has really affected me emotionally. Especially hearing audio clips or seeing videos of the survivors talking about how they lost loved ones...I was taking a shower the other day and heard a man talking about how he lost his wife during the flooding, and I completely broke down and started sobbing in the shower. I think I tried to put myself in his shoes and thought about how devastated I would be if I lost Mike or our sweet little baby :( and now I'm about to start crying again, so I'd better go on to another topic...

Our house is so NOT ready for the baby! Currently, the baby's room is full of boxes and tools that need to be put either in the attic or in the shed. The room needs to be painted, and we have to start buying furniture and gear. It's overwhelming, all the things you "need" for a baby! I know my parents did just fine without a majority of the things they have today, but if it will make life easier...bring it on! :) There are also other things we still need to do with the house in general...since we know that we'll probably be receiving many visitors after the baby's arrival!

15 Weeks

2005-08-29T11:37:00.000-05:00

August 29, 2005 - 15 Weeks (Actually, almost 16 weeks)

We had a busy week last week! Mike and I went to the Outer Banks, NC and rented a beach house with two of his brothers and their families. Other family members dropped by and spent time with all of us at the house and on the beach, too. It was a fun and relaxing week, and we got a taste of what the future holds for us (Mike's brothers each have a daughter over 1-year- old). So good to get away for awhile!

Here are some pictures from the week...this first one is a huge family picture with us, both of Mike's brothers, their wives, two of his cousins, Mike's dad and stepmom, and three nieces...whew!

Here's just a cute one of Mike and I at the beach house:

So, I have my 16-week check-up on Wednesday. I've read that you can tell what gender the baby is by now, so I'm going to beg my doctor to do an ultrasound and see if we can tell what gender the baby is. I can wait until my 20-week appointment, but if we can find out now, why not?!

I'm feeling my uterus getting bigger now. I can really feel it (my uterus) shift inside me when I've been laying in one position for a while and then switch positions or get up. I also hear that around now is when you start feeling the baby move inside you. So far, nothing yet, but I probably could have felt it and just thought it was gas!

Week 15

2005-08-17T12:16:00.000-05:00

August 17, 2005 - Middle of Week 15

So, it's lunch time, and I was going to be perfectly happy with my cup of cream of chicken soup...until I ran into a co-worker who offered me a pickle from the sandwich he got. Ooooh, now I want a sandwich and this soup will not satisfy me one bit. So, I'm scarfing down my hot soup and typing this, so that I can go out to the grocery store and get a sandwich! Almost done with the soup....

Meanwhile, a baby update: our little one is almost 3-1/2 inches long, with arms about 1/2 an inch long, and weighs almost 1-1/2 ounces! I am almost showing, my pants don't fit very well, and I am much more comfortable in those maternity pants I bought. I do have some low-rise jeans and pants that still fit comfortably (but not for much longer, I bet!). And, I haven't gained any more weight...still holding at a 9/10-lb overall weight gain. Okay...off to get the sandwich!

A bit of news: Mike got laser eye surgery on Tuesday! He was very nervous (which, in turn, made me pretty nervous), but everything turned out really well! He went from 20/200 to 20/15!! I watched the whole thing (which took all of 8 minutes) on a tv monitor, and I can tell you that I never want to see Mike's eye in that much detail again! But I won't gross you out with the details...All I can say is that Mike's improved vision was apparent when we left the laser eye surgery office. He had to rest his eyes for the rest of the day, but he went to work the next day and was able to read things at a distance that he couldn't read before! I'm so excited for him, no more contacts or glasses! You go, babe :)

Oh, my cousin had her baby on August 10, 2005! I am so excited for her, it is her and her husband's first child (a girl!), but I haven't been up to visit them yet. Hopefully in a few weeks they will be ready to receive more guests.

So, that's about it for today. Nausea is pretty much gone, energy is up a bit (wink, wink), and I've luckily stopped craving sweets...although, when I'm hungry, I tend to get pretty grouchy until I've gotten some food. And, I know everyone will be happy to know that I am pooping on a daily basis. :) Poor Mike has to deal with me through all this, he's such a trooper!

End of Week 14

2005-08-15T12:25:00.000-05:00

August 15, 2005 - 14 Weeks

Well, tomorrow I will be 14 weeks along. Where has all the time gone? By tomorrow, our baby should be about 3-1/2 inches long (crown to rump) and weigh 1-1/2 ounces. I actually haven't weighed myself in a while, so I couldn't tell you if I've gained any weight, though I do feel much more comfortable in the maternity pants I bought before!

Over the weekend, Mike and I went to Camp Jeep in the Poconos (along with his brothers, his brothers' wives, and their daughters). It was a blast, let me tell you!! I was so excited to be back and taking our stock Jeep Grand Cherokee off-road. I'm always surprised at what it can do, even though Mike is probably going to take a look under the hood and beneath the body to make sure nothing horrible is wrong with it. Regardless, I think that Marty (the Jeep) did really well. Anyway, we weren't jostled around too much, all the pregnant women and babies are fine :)

This is a photo of the staging area for a trail ride.

Here I am getting ready for the trail ride to start:

There were a lot of activities to keep us busy (rock climbing, BMX bike courses, Jeep on and off-road courses, and all-terrain skateboarding), so here's Mike trying out the AT skateboarding course:

And here's his brother Jay on the same one:

Jay ended up falling inthe mud while he was trying out the BMX course...we had to capture the result for posterity!

Week 14

2005-08-10T12:07:00.000-05:00

August 10, 2005 - Beginning of Week 14

Wow, can't believe I'm in week 14 now. The baby is around 3 inches long and weighs over 1 ounce. My uterus, on the other hand, is the size of a softball. The baby has begun to urinate in the amniotic fluid that it's living in. How precious!

Well, I bought some maternity clothes over the weekend. Mike came shopping with me and was VERY patient and a really good sport about the whole thing. We went to two maternity stores in a row when we first got to the mall. But he did find me a pair of maternity jeans that are really nice and comfortable, and don't even look like maternity-wear. To make the trip fun for him, we also went to a video game store where Mike bought a game :) I have since worn two pairs of the pants I bought, and I bet they would make great "buffet-restaurant" pants!

Mike would also like everyone to know that I have apparently become very argumentative, as of late. I disagree! Okay....well, maybe I've been a smidge argumentative...but it's not on purpose. It's just that lots of little things bother me now that never did before. The constant need to poop is also not helping. Anyway, I will TRY to not be argumentative...maybe a foot massage would aid the process?

Oh, a food aversion I forgot to talk about...my brother-in-law reminded me about it when he mentioned Taco Bell. Mike and I were driving around a few weeks ago, too lazy to make ourselves a meal, but not really able to agree on a place to go. He suggested Taco Bell, and I thought I would be able to find something there to eat. When we walked in, the smell hit me! Then I saw the pictures of the food on the menu and I felt the saliva building up in my mouth the way it does before you vomit. I tried to shake it off, and breathe through my mouth, but there were 5 people in front of us and I couldn't stay in there that long. I told Mike I felt sick, and he took one look at me and ushered me out. We drove to Applebee's where I had some garlic bread and soup. Well, I could have made that meal pretty easily at home instead of paying $10 for it. I guess hindsight is always 20/20!

Week 13

2005-08-05T11:27:00.000-05:00

August 5, 2005 - Into Week 13 (Finished the first trimester!)

Well, I started the day off with us leaving a little late for work, because I couldn't find any pants in my closet that fit me! I finally decided on a pair that I bought 1 size larger than I normally wear just for this reason, but it's still too big right now. My sister-in-law was gracious enough to loan me a couple of smaller maternity pants to help get me by until I can go shopping this weekend :) It was getting really frustrating! One reason is that you're a little constipated all the time. I poop every day, but just not a whole lot (where I used to have a really nice, decent-sized big poop every morning at around 10 am, after my coffee had it's chance to get through my system). So there's always a stash of poo in you. I never feel completely cleared out! Maybe one day I'll eat a lot of fiber and drink tons of water and hope that will clear me out again ;)

So, we had our 12-week checkup at the obstetrician yesterday afternoon...we heard the baby's heart beating and our doctor (who is very sweet and friendly!) said that everything looked great! I've gained 2 pounds since our last checkup (4 weeks ago), which I think is right. We have to decide whether or not to get a cystic fibrosis test in the next couple of months. Since I'm Filipino, I have a low probability of being a carrier (all asians have a low carrier probability), but Mike is caucasian and has a higher probability of being a carrier. We're going to check with our insurance to see if they'll cover the testing, and if they do we'll get the test performed. If not, I don't know. We may still get it performed...

Oh, I have stopped eating so many lemons, by the way, because the enamel on my teeth was wearing down! As great as they tasted and made me feel, my teeth started becoming really sensitive, so I had to stop :( Oh well!

12 Weeks

2005-08-02T12:21:00.000-05:00

August 2, 2005 - 12 full weeks

So, I'm 12 weeks today! Done with my first trimester, beginning the second...the baby is between 2 and 3 inches long and still less than 1 ounce. I'm still holding at a 9-pound weight gain.

Several weeks ago, I made a big issue to Mike about how it wasn't just me who was pregnant, I told him WE'RE pregnant together. So, why is it that he's losing weight while I gain it?! I told him that he better start gaining some, so that at my heaviest, he'll still weigh more than me (before I was pregnant, there was about a 30-lb difference between us, and since then I've gained 9 lbs and he's lost 5!). I CANNOT weigh more than my husband!

So, cravings...hmm...nothing major again, but it seems that I've eaten macaroni and cheese for the past two days. My sister-in-law sent out pictures of her daughter's birthday party, in which there were some cupcakes...so all of a sudden I was craving cupcakes and had to go out during my lunch hour and pick up some :) I only ate one, though!

My parents came down to visit us over the weekend. I think they're really excited about their first grandchild. I showed them all the baby's presents we've received already. I want my mom to come with me to look for maternity clothes. She probably won't believe how different the clothes are now compared to when she was pregnant!

Our 12-week check-up is this Thursday, where I assume we'll be able to hear the heartbeat again and give the doctor an update on the pregnancy. I tried to prepare Mike for the possibility of a miscarriage. It's hard to think about, but I also don't want to get so excited about the baby that letdown will be difficult to accept. So, if you're sort of prepared, I think that getting over it might be a little easier.

So as not to end on a sad note, we did decide on the theme for the nursery! It's Noah's Ark, and specifically this wonderful crib bedding set I found called Noah's Patch. Check it out: http://www.babydreams.com/noah.html. It seems like a cute set that can be either for a boy or a girl, depending on the colors that are accentuated.

12th Week

2005-07-27T09:11:00.000-05:00

July 27, 2005 - Beginning of my 12th week

Okay, so I was wrong...NOW my baby is 0.5 ounces, but at least I haven't gained anymore weight! Holding steady at 9 pounds...The baby is around 2 inches long (the size of a lime, I've read) and almost all of the internal organs are completely formed!

So, I'm almost finished with my first trimester, and my pants are all beginning to feel tight. I bought a pair of pants 1 size larger than I normally wear, but it's still too big, so I also bought some belts :) I did buy a couple of new bras in a larger cup size the other day, too. Mike was excited about that! He actually even picked out a not-so-practical bra in the larger cup size...though he'll have to work on making me feel sexy enough to actually wear it!

Mike has been a great father-to-be! He's been cleaning a lot (at least once a week), and he cleans up after the cats every day since I can't change the cat litter anymore. Every night when we're relaxing and winding down from the day, he says hi to our baby and talks to him/her. It's very sweet to watch, and I just sit quietly and listen to him talk :)

So, I bet some of you out there are wondering if we've picked out any names yet. Well, we have a few of each. If we have a girl, we like the names: Madeline, Abigail, Olivia, Rachel, Emma, Taylor, and Penelope. If we have a boy, we like: Tyler, Brian, Joshua, Daniel, Andrew, and Christopher.

11th Week

2005-07-22T07:42:00.000-05:00

July 22, 2005 - Well into my 11th week

I wanted to make sure that I recorded all of the strange cravings and aversions I've been having. I always ask moms what theirs were, and most of the time (unless they're a new mom) they can't really remember. So, here goes: Currently, I cannot STAND the smell of the coffee in my office break room...and there is always coffee in the coffee pot. I have cut myself back to 1 cup of coffee per day, and now I have to make my own at home and bring it to work. Not a big deal since the coffee I have at home is much better, anyway! :)

I have been trying (sometimes to no avail) to stay away from foods that aren't as healthy, but sometimes those are the only kinds of foods that I can stand eating at the time. Ramen noodles are a staple, as well as corn on the cob, I think I eat an entire lemon every day, and lately chocolote pudding!I guess it's good that I'm almost done with my first trimester, because although my baby is only 0.5 ounces, I've gained 9 pounds already! Grrrr....

10 Full Weeks

2005-07-19T19:07:00.000-05:00

July 19, 2005 - End of Week 10

Warning, this might be TMI (Too Much Information) for any of the wonderful fathers-to-be out there reading this, so you guys might want to just go ahead and close down this window and check back another time for my next post...but I'm going to talk about constipation.

I sort of knew about it already (I did, after all, read Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy...a great book, by the way). But I had yet to experience it...until about 2 or 3 weeks ago. OH MY. I never had to go so badly, and my friends and I always (ALWAYS) talk about our bowel movements and how regular we are. Being pregnant messes all that up (sorry girls!). I used to have a BM every morning, no fail. If I didn't, then I felt really weird, like I was too full or something. Well, one hot day a few weeks ago, I thought I was feeling that urge, so I went to the bathroom and....NOTHING! I was probably on the toilet pushing and trying different positions for about 15 minutes and nothing came out. Something WANTED to come out, very much, but nothing actually did. I was sweating and holding on to the walls and everything!! I was actually thinking to myself, "Maybe this is some sort of preparation for childbirth!" Finally, I just had to give up and leave the bathroom, in hopes that something would clear me out later.

On a good note, that was really the worst of it (so far!). I'm not as regular as I would like to be, but eating fiber and drinking lots of water does actually help! If you get tired of drinking so much water, try adding a couple of slices of lemon or drinking sparkling water (that with lemon is really great, you don't even think you're drinking water!).

Anyway, so I'm officially 10 full weeks pregnant, and I'm feeling MUCH better. No more real morning sickness, and my energy is on the upswing! I think I'm getting into the stage of pregnancy that most people think of when they talk about a glowing pregnant woman. Woohoo!!!

10th Week

2005-07-14T08:06:00.000-05:00

July 14, 2005 - Beginning of my 10th week

Okay, sorry I missed the 9th week...but it was jam-packed with excitement, that's for sure! We're reveling in the joys of new homeownership when the remnants of Tropical Storm Cindy blow past us. Very, VERY early Friday morning (June 7), Mike hears a dripping noise in the hallway. Hmmm....so we go check it out and our light fixture is dripping water onto the floor! We're pretty freaked out and Mike goes up into the attic while I tap on the ceiling near the fixture so he can figure out where it is. To our dismay, he finds a large area of sopping wet drywall and insulation! The next two days were spent clearing out the attic of the wet insulation, clearing the wet drywall area so that it could dry, and cleaning out all the gutters. We figured the clogged gutters were probably the cause of the leak into the attic. Mike had also found what he thought was a leak in the roof of our attached shed. The water heater is kept in there and there was a large puddle of water below it, and what looked like water damage in the rafters above. So, Mike put some roofing paper and roofing cement up on the roof. But, when his dad came down to visit and they took a look at the attached shed...they discovered that the water heater was leaking, too! The homeowner's version of Murphy's Law: if something looks too good to be true, it probably is! Luckily, the water heater was covered under our warranty! Don't even ask me about the roof, yet...we will have to get it repaired, and maybe even replaced!
On a lighter note, we had our first ultrasound on Tuesday, July 12. It was a little nerve-wrecking, only because I thought I would have to go through with the INTERNAL ultrasound (some of my friends and family had warned me about it already). The technician wanted to try the "regular" ultrasound first, and only if that didn't work, would we then try the internal. Luckily, it DID work! So, I didn't have to stick the LARGE wand up THERE. All that aside, seeing our baby for the first time on that monitor was probably the most amazing thing I've ever seen. Our little baby was wiggling around and putting on a show! We could see the heart beating, and then the tech let us listen to it! It was wild, I tell you! To know that little guy (or girl) is working so hard and growing inside of me. I'm tearing up as I type this. :)

So, check out the ultrasound pictures we got. Look how sweet my baby is! They're so great, I could look at those pictures all day!

Last week, my sister and her husband finally had their housewarming party. They've been in their house for months, but finally felt settled in and decided to have a bunch of people over.

Below is a photo taken at my sister's house with my cousins and their significant others. Mike and I are in the back corner.

This is a cute picture of my sister in her (and her husband's) garden in their back yard. They had grapes, zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes! I was really impressed...I can barely grow basil!

8th Week

2005-06-30T10:57:00.000-05:00

June 30, 2005 - Middle of Week 8

My baby is the size of a raspberry or a grape!

Almost threw up again this morning....fought it off with a bagel (thank goodness for carbs)!

So, I have had a busy end-of-7th-beginning-of-8th-week! Over the weekend (June 23-27), I went up to Long Island for a college girlfriend get-together. I hadn't told any of them about my pregnancy, and I was trying to figure out a fun way to do it. Anyway, we usually drink once we are all together, so when we got to Laurie's house (she lives in L.I. and was hosting our get-together), they all started pulling out some beer from the fridge and one of the girls was asking everyone what kind of beer we wanted. Well, I just said,"I probably shouldn't have any beer, since I'm pregnant." Silence...for about 2 seconds, then "What?!" "Are you serious?!" "Are you joking?!" All at the same time! I said,"Yes! No! I mean, yes, I'm pregnant!" They all hugged me and congratulated me and asked all the usual questions.

It was so great...I love them all. The whole weekend was a blast, I drank soda at the bar and had sparkling apple cider at the winery. They were all very excited and couldn't wait to see ultrasound pictures!

Over the past month, my husband (Mike) and I have been slowly moving into our new house and out of our rental. Last night was the final Get-all-the-random-stuff-we-left-behind effort before our lease was up. We did a great job upstairs, but then a terrible job downstairs. I think we just lost steam as the day turned to evening, which turned to nighttime. I do feel bad for the maintenance staff who will open the door to our old place (well air-conditioned as it may be, since Mike cranked the sucker down to almost 60 while we were working, and then forgot to turn it back up after we left and had already turned in the keys). Anyway, the maintenance staff will find some dining furniture, empty boxes, and other random things....but all on the first floor, near the doorway. I'm sure we'll be receiving a bill soon, but we are done with renting, and I am rejoicing!!

Week 7

2005-06-21T08:28:00.000-05:00

June 21, 2005

Wow, I'm so hungry. This is crazy, I just ate about 5 minutes ago. It's so weird how it just hits. I guess I don't have cravings so much as aversions...scratch that...I have cravings, they're all for carbs! I wanted a croissant yesterday so badly, then this morning only a bagel would do. Right now I could use a baked potato! But I do have some aversions...like: this very second I don't want any soda, coffee, anything creamy, or cheese. I guarantee that will all change in about half an hour!

June 20, 2005 - Beginning of my 7th week

I looked up my progress on line, and the baby is now the size of a lentil bean! A little bean! I still can't believe it. I feel a little sick almost every morning, but I just have to make sure I eat something neutral (lately it's been cereal bars), and I'm usually fine within a half hour or so.

I saw my parents and my sister over the weekend, it was the first time I saw them since I told them I was pregnant. They are all so excited...my sister is so cute, I think she's really excited about being an aunt. My parents are excited too. They want the baby to call them Lolo and Lola (what Filipinos call their grandparents).

So far, I'm still fitting in my "normal" clothes, and I haven't gained any weight. I fluctuate a pound or two up and down, depending on the time of day. I'm excited also because I get to see my college girlfriends this weekend! They don't know about my pregnancy yet, so I'm trying to come up with a fun way of telling them. We usually drink almost the whole time we're together, so they'll notice that I'm not drinking pretty soon!

Week 6

2005-06-17T10:05:00.000-05:00

June 17, 2005

Okay, so I fended off what I think was about to become morning sickness, and it was actually in the morning! I was starving when I came into work and had a few things to do before I was able to grab part of my breakfast. Not smart! I seriously felt like I was going to throw up if I didn't get anything in my stomach! So, I scarfed down a cereal bar, some Cheerios, and a trail mix bar. And half a cup of coffee. Ahhh...much better! I guess I just have to eat every couple of hours now.

June 15, 2005 - 1st day of my 6th week

I'm getting more and more excited! I can't wait for the doctor's appointment, but it's not for almost 4 weeks! I felt great playing volleyball this week...I think I even performed better than usual :) I'm excited, but I don't want to get too excited, because it's still so early in the pregnancy. My clothes still fit fine, and the only thing I've really experienced is that my boobs hurt...but only sometimes (like when I lay on my stomach). Can't believe I've begun my 6th week!

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This is my very first weblog post...ever! I think that pregnancy is an exciting and crazy experience, and I want to make sure I remember it. I'm sure there will be lots of things I write here that I may not want to remember....those posts are meant to be more helpful to anyone out there who is trying to get or already is pregnant and wants to know what to expect or just wants to see if anyone else is going through what they're going through.

Here's a bit of history:We (my husband Mike and I) planned on getting pregnant this year, and were sort of started "trying" in April. I had been doing the whole basal body temperature monitoring thing for a couple of months and also getting my cycle back to normal from the pill (I went off the pill in January). Well, suffice it to say, I forgot to take my temperature several times, which turned into taking my temperature once a week (not regularly, just when I remembered to)...so, the thermometer began collecting dust and eventually got lost under some magazines or something. I went in for a regular checkup to my OB/GYN and talked with her about preparing for pregnancy. She suggested getting an ovulation kit...never thought of it, but I went out and bought one. For those of you out there who don't know what an ovulation predictor kit is: the one I bought was just a generic brand from Walgreens, it had 7 urine testers in it. Each test looks like a pregnancy test. You start testing (preferably first thing in the morning) about 14 - 18 days before your next predicted period. The test will indicate whether a certain hormone is present (it usually peaks around the time of ovulation). You're supposed to be "sexually active" about every other day during the time you're ovulating. Typically, you've got about a 48-hour window for fertilization.

So, we did that whole thing, and a couple of days before I was expecting my period, I took an early pregnancy test (it advertised that you could take it up to 5 days before your missed period). Well, it turned out negative. So, my husband and I were pretty sad, but it was our first try after all. Well, a few days later, I still hadn't gotten my period so I decided to try another pregnancy test. The second pink line faintly appeared...but it was there! Oh my gosh! I ran into the bedroom and woke up my husband to show him the test. It took him a minute to wake up and realize what was going on. But he got really excited and hugged me. Then it kind of grossed me out that I was holding this stick I peed on anywhere outside of the bathroom. We decided not to get too worked up until we took another test, just to make sure.I ended up taking two more tests, both showed the second pink line much darker. We did it! We're pregnant! I should have started this journal earlier, but here we go...