38 weeks

Ahh...

On Tuesday I went in for my scheduled appointment with Dr. B to make sure that I was making the right decision to go ahead with my scheduled c-section.  He told me as my OB he felt that it was right for me; and that's all he really needed to say.  So I left the appointment knowing that I'd be meeting my little Bean Sprout in just a matter of hours.

Dave and I managed to remain absolutely calm that afternoon and evening.  I had several things to run around and get done Tuesday afternoon, so I came home to make sure that everything was packed and together. It rained the entire day, which was quite annoying, but sun was in the forecast for Wednesday.

The feeling of knowing the time that I'd be meeting my son was real surreal.  At first I sort of felt a bit of guilt that I was scheduling something that was suppose to happen naturally, but after talking with Dr. B and several people who had experienced c-sections I knew that Griffin and I would be fine.


The belly growing is done now (at least I hope so!).  So, here's the progression of Griffin growing from the inside.

37 Weeks

Whew...what a week!  So much has happened in the last week; and in the last 24 hours I feel like my head has been stuck in the spin cycle.  My mind is racing like crazy, but I am going to attempt to make a little sense with what I have to say.  Now I just need to figure out where to start.

In the last week I've experienced lots and lots of changes, some of which I could have lived without.  This swelling crap is for the birds.  I feel water logged--everything is so so so heavy.  I've adjusted my chacos to fit my growing ogre feet, but my feet continue to grow.  My ankles and knees feel like they could burst at any minute.  At certain times in the day it's a task just to use my hands.  One body part I didn't mind swelling was my lips.  A friend of mine asked if I had been using lip plumper, and I was super happy to tell him that they were completely natural.  I've even thought about sporting some lip stick, which I never do.  However it's harder to notice my poufy lips now because my nose has swelled too.  I've heard stories of pregnancy nose, and I've hoped that I wouldn't fall victim to it.  If you haven't ever payed much attention to my normal nose, I'll describe it for you.  It's wide and round.  Now, it's even wider and rounder.  Hopefully this won't stick around for every long.

This past Friday I was experiencing some mystery symptoms that landed me at the doctor.  I was having some cramps and contractions and intense back pain that I hadn't yet experienced.  Instead of seeing Dr. B, I saw someone else in the office.  She told me that I had dialated 1 1/2 cm.  Woohoo!  These feelings were actually something going on inside me.  She also explained that this didn't necessarily tell me when Griffin was coming, but did say that I was favorable to induce.  This got me a little giddy, to say the least.  BUT at yesterday's appointment Dr. B said that as of right then, he would not say that I was inducible.  Wah wah waaaahh....  But this didn't mean that I wouldn't be there at my following appointment.  Then he talked to me about C-sections.  Originally I had said that I did NOT want a C-section, but I realized that I had very little knowledge of the pros and cons.  After talking with a couple of people who experienced them, I realized that it wasn't what I was thinking.  I also realized that there was a chance of me needing a C-section existed regardless of if I was scheduled or not.  I thought and thought and thought and then called the doctor.  G-Day is now October the 28th!  I do have an appointment with Dr. B the Tuesday before where we will decided our final game plan.  Just at this point, all I can think about is meeting my Griffin.

36 Weeks

I. am. so. sleepy.

My head wants to get up and clean the house for this weekend, yet my body won't allow me to move for more than a few seconds at a time. 

Yesterday Dave took a day off to help me around the house.  We finished up the nursery (YAY!) and painted our bedroom.  We had been wanting to give our bedroom a little attention for a while, but somehow, it would always get pushed to the back burner.  Now, it's finally more like we have wanted it.  I really do not want to paint anything else for a very very very long time. 

Oh, but the nursery.  I really feel like a momma bird when I go in there.  It's the only room in our house that can literally change my mood.  I am planning on doing a separate post about the nursery, so I'll hold off saying too much about it.  

I had wanted to have the nursery finished by August, and I have been driven a little crazy that October had come around before we realized it and the nursery still needed this or that.  But now I smile when I walk in there and I am reminded how awesome Dave really is.

36 weeks brought me a present.  One day I had swollen feet, ankles, and hands; and since that day the swelling lets up a little but hasn't gone away.  Ugh.  Dr. B says that the swelling will linger until about ten days after G-day.  Oh boy!  Thankfully the swelling is not related to my blood pressure, instead just plain ol' fluid retention.  My hands feel tight and my feet feel sore and hot.  Just one more reason that I hope that G-day comes sooner than later.  However, I should point out that I am incredibly grateful that I am just getting this now and not any sooner. 

At my appointment yesterday I asked Dr. B if I'd need to take my rings off.  I was crossing my fat little fingers that he'd say "no."  But he didn't.  He told me that we'd need to get them off so we wouldn't have to cut them off later.  Let's just say that I had been planning on taking them off for a little while now, wanting to leave them on as long as possible, but then I woke up with swollen hands that, as I explained above, has not gone away.  Yesterday I tried all day long to get them off, without any luck and just more swelling as a result.  Then later in the evening, with the help of Dave and a glob of conditioner, it came off.  Even though it never seemed like it was coming, and I thought for a moment that my finger from the knuckle up was going to fly off, they came off.  Whew!

I could write on, but my eyes keep trying to close and we have a breastfeeding class later on tonight.  Hopefully I can stay awake for it. 

35 Weeks

There is something that I am able to do this week that I was unable to do last week. I can now use one hand to count the number of weeks left till the big G-Day (that's what I'm calling it now). One hand, five weeks. Five is such a little bitty number, tiny, compared to forty.

I've had several people ask if I'm getting nervous or scared yet. And honestly, I'm not. What's the point? I am insanely anxious and curious, but in the best way possible. If you were to ask me nine months ago if I would be scared or nervous if I knew that I'd be having a baby in forty weeks, I would have shook my head and thought, "scared wouldn't even begin to describe how I'd feel." But now with the help of the natural hormones that are released to morph you into a mother, I am comfortable that Dave and I are going to be parents in just a few short weeks. I am excited at the potential of all the more fun that we'll be able to have with our Bean Sprout. It will be a different kind of fun than we're used to, but a fun that I am anxious to begin having. However I do not believe that labor will be fun, but I hear that the feeling that comes after all the pain makes everything more than worth it; so bring it on!

 I am excited about this weekend, which is going to be jam packed with tons of excitement. Saturday we have our eight hour birthing class that we are BOTH unbelievably excited about. I hear that we'll be watching some pretty entertaining videos and we have to both bring our pillows, so maybe we'll practice napping. (Please don't bust my bubble.) After the much anticipated class we are going to celebrate our cutest little neighbor's first birthday. And then Sunday we have more celebrating to do a bit north of home at Dave's Aunt Debbie's. Good thing that Monday happens to be Columbus Day, so I'll have the day to recoup instead of having to work. I know I'll need it. And then, before we know it, we'll be nine months along.

Our Lucy is a very cuddly dog.  Sometimes it a little annoying, but most of the time it's really cute.  The majority of the time she prefers Dave to cuddle with, but lately she's choosing me instead.  I really think she knows that something is going on with me.  She gets comfortable anywhere she can on you, and last night she was laying in between my legs with her head resting on my belly.  She made it seem awful comfortable, and Dave happened to take some pictures of this.  I like to think that she is bonding with Griffin.

34 Weeks

Something rather exciting happened this week that both Dave and myself were able to experience.  We felt Griffin hiccuping!  I had heard stories of people feeling this and had wondered how one could tell that's what the baby was, in fact, doing.  Now I get it.

Tuesday I hadn't been feeling well and I was laying on the couch praying that the fierce pain in my back would go away.  And all of a sudden I felt a little kick against my hand that was on my tummy.  I continued to feel it every couple of seconds, almost like there was a pattern to it.  I told Dave that Griffin had the hiccups and if he didn't believe me that he could come check it out for himself.  I lit up as I pictured little Griffin in there bobbing around with each little hiccup.  Oh, I can't wait for little newborn hiccups. Dave decided that Griffin needed a cure for his ailment, so he proceeded to scare him by yelling at my tummy.  Needless to say, it did not work.

At the baby visit with Dr. B this week I was told to focus on my due date.  Since the appointment was on my birthday I meant to ask him if I could have Griffin then for the special occassion, but like a pregnant woman, I forgot.  Everything is still going great: blood pressure is low and sugar is right where it needs to be.  I am beginning to think that I really don't have gestational diabetes as a result of how simple this stuff is to control.  I really didn't have to make any drastic changes to my diet.  I think I just rearranged what I was eating and, more importantly, when I was eating certain things.  However I must say that I have the highest gratitude that the diabetes hasn't even been the slightest problem whatsoever.

Dr. B explained the signs of labor to Dave and me, and let us know when to call.  These Braxton Hicks contractions have been making me wonder how I will know the difference of the real ones.  I get BH all the time and they're pretty intense at times.  Dr. B told me that I would just know and then told me how real contractions typically move around and down the tummy, and tend to be painful.  I'm glad he described them a bit, since I thought I knew I was having a contraction the other day.  I have new and different feelings every single day, no--make that every single hour...a little guidance won't hurt at all.  We still have those child birthing classes coming up, where we plan on gaining an over-abundance of knowledge.  Pretty soon we may have an idea of what we've got ourselves into....hahaha, who am I kidding?

31 Weeks

 

31 weeks 3 days 

I have a million things in my head that I have been wanting to write about, yet nothing that I can settle on. I think I had mentioned before that this is how my little brain functions, at high volumes with low efficiency.

31 weeks brought a new emotion to this adventure. We now only have nine weeks left, that's a single digit! Things are starting to take on a new reality, a good yet somewhat overwhelming reality. My belly has clearly been inhabited by my own personal alien. However I've stopped belly watching, because he either is really shy or already a bit defiant. Anytime he's moving up a storm and I lift my shirt then look down to watch, he stops completely. Every single time. The other day I felt that he was doing one major baby dance in there, so I called Dave over to attempt to beat him at his own game. I slowly lifted my shirt and I didn't look down, I just had Dave watch to tell me what it looked like. Griffin carried on with his little dance and Dave relayed to me that he looks enormous. This wasn't the description that I thought he'd use. He put his hand to my belly and I think Griffin tried to poke his leg straight through, and Dave shivered with bewilderment. At least one of us got to see his moves.

This past weekend we attended a Baby Basics class. It was mostly common sense stuff, but I suppose you can't assume what should be common sense anymore. We saw a normal newborn should look like and not, what to be alarmed about and not. We were told that we needed to bathe the baby, and feed the baby, and stick our tongues out at the baby.     Some things I hadn't realized:

• It is better for a baby to be a little cold than hot. SIDS is more closely related to overheating babies. When Dave (the tightwad) heard this he looked at me and I read his mind, "We don't have to use the heat this winter either!"
  
• It is not condoned (at least by this class's standards) to use baby powder, cornstarch, or Chinese herbal powder ;) on babies because of some sort of inhalation risk. What am I going to do with all the Chinese herbal powder that I have stashed in Griffin's closet now?
  
• The only thermometers that were recommended were regular $12 (she was quite specific about the price) digital ones, not the in-ear ones and especially not the rectal ones. And they should be used under the arm. Good to know.
  
• When a baby is in "hard sleep" you can "fiddle" with the baby and not wake him up. You know, like pinch his nose, yank on his legs, shoot him with water guns….and he remains sound asleep. This is sounding like so much fun! However, under no circumstances whatsoever, you should EVER EVER SHAKE A BABY! (Back to the common sense thing, right?)
  
• I had no idea that the walkers of yesteryear are no longer recommended. Supposedly they tip over and fall down stairs. (My thought here is: most children don't need any help falling down stairs as it is. Danger lies all around us.) That's why the new excersaucers are gargantuan and tend not to be mobile devices. When I had been looking at baby toys and the like, I really didn't like the looks of these excersaucers. Our house is only around 1600 square feet; one of those things would literally take up an entire bathroom. Hmmm…..what to do? At least we have no stairs.
  
• [Dave's recommendation to this list] On the poster that was displayed for normal newborn appearances was a baby boy with swollen testicles. Now what was (extra) disturbing about this is that the lady running this class chose to skip over explaining this picture. There were like four posters each with 9 pictures, and each of the pictures were explained, exept this one. We now have no clue what to do if we find this, although I'm pretty sure that mommy instinct isn't going to allow me to think that this is normal. I'm not sure if ignorance is so blissful in this possible situation.
  
• I didn't know that a baby was a newborn for only 28 days, and then he morphs into an infant. Kind of like at eight weeks your once embryo transforms into a fetus, when most of his little organs begin to function. I think we may throw a party for the 28 day milestone.
  

I've been reading that starting next week (32 weeks), we may start experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, or practice contractions. WWOOOOAAAAHHHH! I'm not sure how excited I am about fake contractions, should be interesting. Oh, on Sunday we are doing something rather exciting to celebrate hitting the eight month mark and to celebrate this pregnancy in general. I can't wait to share what it is!

I have a growing fascination with my belly button.   Do you notice that my belly is casting it's own shadow?

 Updated belly growth.  Click to enlarge, if you'd like.

Week 30

This week is treating me much better than last week. The non-worrier in me wasn't used to all this worrying that the news of having gestational diabetes brought. I spent too much time feeling guilty that I had caused this to myself. I was really convinced that it was because of all the ramen noodles that I've been eating or because I haven't been exercising regularly since it got really really hot. However, yesterday I had my 30 week visit with Dr. B and he assured me that I had it all wrong. He told me that GD wasn't as preventable as I had thought. Since it's hormonal, it was bound to happen if it was going to. One of my biggest fears since finding out about GD was having a 14 pound baby. If you are unaware, GD can lead to macrosomia, or "fat baby." This happens because the sugar in your blood just hangs around since the insulin isn't working correctly to break it into energy, consequently turning into fat. Dr. B explained that the only way this would happen was if I ate Snickers for lunch every day and had no control over my diet at all. During the ultrasound he said that little Griffin is still the little baby that he's supposed to be. So this shows that my diet hasn't been out of control so far. He also told me that my case for GD was rare. During my three hour test, my fasting and one hour sugar levels were low but two and three hour were high. This means that my cells aren't immediately sucking all the sugar in, it's my insulin that's not kicking in and doing its job. I was assured that this would be easily controlled by my diet. Now I am a part of the population that considers sugar the enemy, now and probably the rest of my life.

I was surprised the other night when I woke up from my sleep feeling like my nose was running. Before going to bed that night I did feel a bit stuffy so I wasn't too worried. But it wouldn't stop and it felt like it was running down my face (TMI, right?), I tried to keep wiping it away and go back to my sleeping but something said to get up. I couldn't see much of anything so I told Dave to wake up to turn on the lamp. Dave was sleeping pretty hard and just made some noises at me, so I said a little more emphatically, "Dave, I think I'm bleeding. Turn on the light, please." This apparently got his attention as he rolled over and turned the lamp on then left the bedroom. My hand was covered in blood and I even found blood on Jack, who was sleeping at my head. I was too sleepy to worry much and it stopped pretty soon after finding it, so I decided it was no big deal and just related to my stuffiness from earlier. When I mentioned this to Dr. B he explained that nose bleeds are common in pregnant women and the reasons why. What I didn't realize until right then is how much I startled Dave in the night. Next time I'll know to specify that it's my nose that's bleeding when I wake him up.

I was asked if I was going to do a video with my weekly belly pictures to show the succession of its growth.  My plan is to do so, but in the meantime I made this college as a preview.
 

 click picture to enlarge

Also I wanted to share this video, which made me smile last week. Hopefully it will bring a little smile to your day too.

29 Weeks

Not much to say this week, you've already been informed of how exciting it has been. I do want to make sure I express how insanely grateful and truly blessed I am to be carrying around my little Bean Sprout. I don't care what I have to do; I am going to do it for him. So I hope that my whining doesn't out shine that.

There is something that I haven't shared on here yet, so I guess this is as good of a time as any.

Bean Sprout now has a first and middle name. It's Griffin Van. That has been the name that we have been "feeling" for a while now, just had to sit/sleep/eat on it and it has passed the test for us. The more I say it, the more I love it. Now, I am a little picky about the way it's said. Don't worry; I won't jump down your throat if you don't conform to my pickiness. This is mainly for me. After I tell most people that his name is Griffin Van, they immediately respond by saying GrffinVanJeffers, really fast and all together. I, however, don't like the sound of that. I prefer to say GriffinVan [short pause] Jeffers. Anal, I know. It's very nice that we now have a name for him; I was getting worried that we'd still be going back and forth while filling out his birth certificate.

Update: I did get the call back from my doctor this morning telling me that I do have gestational diabetes. The news was very disheartening and scary to say the least. I had got myself so worked up over diabetes of any kind; I should have known it would knock me down if I ended up with it. After being upset with it for a while, I decided that instead of worrying about it I am going to look at it as an opportunity to learn to eat a lot better. And if I didn't have a reason to keep an active lifestyle, here it is. I prefer eating healthy and being active, and maybe a little guidance on how to do so won't hurt in the least. Like I've said, I'll do whatever it takes to make sure Bean Sprout is taken care of in the best way possible.

28 Weeks

28 weeks 1 day

This week I felt a bit of refreshment in the midst of the belly aches and near fainting spells. This week marks the third and final trimester of Griffin's time in my tummy. Only a mere 12 weeks until we get to meet our little Bean Sprout-ONLY TWELVE WEEKS!!! We have already made it through 28 weeks, so hopefully the last 12 will be a breeze. At this point, I have enjoyed the summer and wrapped my head around transforming into a Mom, and I am more than ready for the transformation to happen. I have never ever, ever been so anxious to meet anyone in my life. On top of me meeting our little guy, I can't wait to watch Dave meet him and I can't wait to watch Dave turn into a Daddy. Hopefully I will be coherent enough during the big day to absorb all the changes as fast as I realize that they'll be happening.

I had previously mentioned that I felt like my growing belly was a bit intimidating. Well…It still is, but I have realized that it does come in handy. First I'll explain how it's on the intimidating side. I sometimes forget that it has grown several inches over night, resulting in me unknowingly bumping into everything. Also its growing size has become a hindrance for the largest joint in the body to properly work, the waist joint. At least I now have a growing appreciation for the normal human body. But there was something that I am able to do now that I could not do while not pregnant, and it's something that excites me. For years I have been envious of people that could read books while taking a bath. I remember exactly when this jealousy started; it was while living with my first roommate, Heather. I remember her going to take baths with a book and a glass of red wine after work. I also remember myself trying to take books or magazines into the bath with me and inevitably ruining said reading material. I tried for years, and just couldn't get it right. The other night a friend loaned me a new book to start, and I felt like taking a bath. Yet again I was going to attempt this daunting task. Well guess what this belly did? It worked like a dream to keep the book away from the water and I managed to actually get some of it read, FINALLY I found a solution! So I'd like to now thank my friend Heather for planting this seed in my head several years ago. Granted I have to sacrifice the glass of wine, but that's fine because the amount of relaxation that my new talent yields is quite enough.

Today I am going to the doctor for my gestational diabetes test and to see my Griffin. I actually got to see him yesterday too. I had to leave work because I felt, once again, like I was about to pass out. I went into the doctor and he confirmed what I already that thought was the cause, which is low blood sugar. I have dealt with low blood sugar for several years, so I am quite accustom to it; yet I didn't realize that my metabolism which has been sped up from the pregnancy would make it much more intense than normal. Dr. Brody also reassured me that these spells do not harm the baby or even me, besides making me feel terrible. In the ultrasound yesterday we finally saw what appeared more like a baby face rather than just seeing his skull, which is more scary than it is cute. We saw him moving his little mouth almost like he was trying to tell us something. We'll get more pictures of him today, so I should post them soon.

Week 27

So it took a little while for Bean Sprout to show his bump, but now there's no stopping him. My belly is growing in epic proportions, and its size is beginning to be a little intimidating.

This is the last week of my second trimester. Where has the last 7 months gone? In no time, Griffin will be on the other side of my belly, and Dave and I couldn't be more excited. The second trimester was indeed much friendlier than the first. I had a decent amount of energy, even though I tire quickly. My appetite hasn't been that of a trucker (I don't really understand this analogy) YET….It's definitely getting there. I haven't been too nauseas, which was a nice change from the first trimester where I was constantly nauseas. I haven't been an emotional wreck. I had heard stories of women's emotions going through a whirlwind in their second trimester; but thankfully, I have remained emotionally myself. I have had time to appreciate the miracle that's taking place inside me without being overcome with pain and tiredness. I needed this time.

Next week I go back to the doctor for my gestational diabetes test, and I do hope that there are no signs of this. If there is anything I learned in all my physiology classes, it is that I do NOT want diabetes of any kind. I am not much of a sweet eater, but I do have low blood sugar and I know that that can have an effect on a person as far as the diabetes stuff goes. Keep your fingers crossed.

I had mentioned that we found the crib that I was wanting on Craig's List back when we first found out that we were expecting. It needed to be cleaned and touched up with a little paint, and now it looks brand new. That's another thing to check off the to-do list. The room is taking shape and I can't wait for it all to come together.

It's a little too hot to think of something clever....

Happy August. It's not my favorite month or anything, so on with it. I knew that I would dread the heat that August had in store...I was right. It has been HOT, and we're just 4 days in. I am not sure if maybe it has seemed so hot since July was somewhat pleasant, or if it's just plain hot no matter what last month was. I have always looked at August as a gateway to September, one of my favorite months. This is possibly because my birthday is in September, or because chilly fall nights make me feel warm inside. Just like every year in the past, I do look forward to this fall, although this one more so than ever before.

I had to practice a bit (or a whole heck of a lot) of self-control today. I stopped by Target today and (obviously) glanced at the baby stuff. It appeared as though they are getting their fall stuff in and boy, was it calling my name! I have already mentioned that I am doing a woodland themed nursery with owls, squirrels, and hedgehogs. Mainly I wanted to do this kind of nursery because it was stuff that I liked. Pre-pregnancy I was drawn to this same sort of stuff and also I have wanted a pet hedgehog for years now. I can’t really tell you why I am obsessed with them, besides that I think that they’re incredibly adorable. Well to my delight, and my detriment, Target’s Dwell Studio brand has an entire collection of hedgehog baby attire. I stood there with my mouth hanging open just wanting to buy it all up. My intention to calm my baby clothes craving was to rush home to write about it. I was hoping to find the stuff on Target’s website, but sadly it’s not there. I did happen to snap a picture of the blanket in the collection, so I’ll share it. Enough about that, the writing didn’t calm my craving any.

When I asked my doctor when I would start showing, he told me that Dave could see the bump around 20 weeks and then the world would see at 26 weeks. I thought he was crazy...26 weeks is six and a half months! Well turns out, he was basically right. Last week I think some clothes didn’t quite accentuate the bump, but this week nothing is hiding it. It’s beginning to look like there is sporting equipment being stored in my belly, and it’s kind of feeling like it too. Before now it seemed like I could tell a difference in my size week to week, but now it seems like there are noticeable little changes day to day. And to think, we’re not even to the third trimester.

26 weeks 2 days

Chiropractor update: I went and I didn’t really like the guy. That, and I am not sure if it’s really worth the cost and the hassle. I am a little bitter over my short experience with him, so I think I have officially quit going. Instead I plan on getting a soothing pregnancy massage from Natural Body. I hear they’re to die for.

25 Weeks

25 weeks 1 day

Another week down, 15 more on the way. As always, I get more anxious every single day to meet him. Based on his movements I think he's getting ready to come out and meet me too. Everyday I am able to feel more and more. I think I may have felt an elbow or knee pressing against my insides. Dave thought it was his cone head poking around, and I assured him that hopefully he wouldn't have a cone head until he made his way out.

I am making a trip to the chiropractor this Thursday. Hopefully (I have my fingers and toes crossed) this will lessen the pain that has been living in my back. I have come to the conclusion that my 5'1" frame is not ideal for baby bearing. When sitting, my feet never touch the floor and usually I sit toward the front of chairs so my back isn't up against anything. So when I sit for more than 3o seconds I can feel the ache coming on. Boo! I really didn't intend on this being an outlet for my whining....so hopefully after Thursday I'll feel like I am floating on clouds. (Am I a little too optimistic?)

This week I am watching my niece, Lain. She has been at house for almost an hour and a half, and I already realize that I need to find a new source of energy. My kid-like energy lasts only 5 minutes at a time, and then I am in need a break to recharge. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love having her here. It's nice to have conversations with a human, instead of just my one-sided convos with the dogs. A minute ago I asked her why I was so tired, and she responded with, "because the baby is sleepy." The dogs never would have said anything that cute.

23 Weeks

23 weeks 1 day

Oh how close the six month mark is (less than a week away)....oh how crazy it is that I have been pregnant for nearly six months. Adding the unbelievableness for me is that I will be in the second trimester for only four more weeks. I say it a lot, but time is really speeding by and in no time Bean Sprout will be laying in my arms instead of kicking around in my tummy. And right now, that excites me more than anything.

Just to warn you, I am about to vent for a minute. Hello uncomfortable me. Up to now any discomfort I was having seemed temporary, and I now feel guilty complaining about it. Now, I realize that I have no clue what’s coming next and maybe I shouldn’t complain about this new lingering discomfort—but Ouch! For an entire week I have had a constant dull pain in my middle back along my spine. I can’t do anything to get rid of it, no stretching, no Tylenol, no sitting or lying still—nothing. Last night I finally broke out the heating pad and it helped enough to help me to sleep. I won’t complain about how I felt like I was about to catch on fire, and I’ll just be grateful for the fact that the heat did actually help. I think I can see the cause of this pain; of course, the baby’s a culprit. The curve in my lumbar region pre-pregnancy had too much of an inward curve and would cause pain around that area or lower. Now the curve continues to move inward as my belly pushes me out. My arm hides the problem area in the picture but it’s there, and it hurts. Speaking of my growing tummy, most of the time it feels too big for my skin. The tightness, especially after eating, adds to the uncomfortableness. My perfect world thought has been that I hope that he is a little baby up until age 5 or so, and then he can grow to be really tall. I say that but his size is really the least of my concerns, I just hope he is healthy happy smiling baby. I also realize that the worst is yet to come in regards of pain and discomfort; however, in the end seeing and holding our little Bean Sprout will make me forget about all the things that I need to vent about now.

Our next doctor’s visit is next Tuesday and like usual I can’t wait to see how Bean Sprout is growing in there. It seems like it’s been a really long time since our last visit, although it’s only been a month, but I always get really anxious for the doctor’s visits.

This is going to be an exciting two weeks and then the end of the month will be upon us and we’ll be that much closer to meeting our little boy ☺

21 Weeks

21 weeks 4 days

We're past the half way point and every day I am more and more ready to meet our little boy. It won't be much longer till I hit the third trimester, and I am hoping that it's all down hill from there. Bean Sprout is a wiggler. I feel him all the time now. He still feels rather low, but I am starting to feel him a little above my belly button too. The other day I was laying in the bathtub and felt a pressure move across the top of my belly, as I looked down my whole belly moved to the left. He must be getting stronger. Dave still hasn't been able to feel him yet. I believe that Dave calms him down, because even if BS is moving around Dave will put his hand on my belly, then BS is still. Dave has a calming affect on me too. All the kicks and movement make this experience all the more real, and draws me closer and closer to my little boy.

The name debacle is still on going. I think I have something in mind, but Dave is still sitting on it. I swear, he is much more picky than I would have ever imagined. I am still trying not to rush the process, but I have some projects that I would like to work on for the nursery that involve his name. I guess they will wait.

My appetite is noticeably increasing. Even with my grazing technique, I am feeling hungry right after I eat. I am trying to keep lots of good foods around to munch on, but we eat them up faster than we can buy them. It would be nice for our garden to be flourishing, and to have the ability to run outside to grab whatever I am wanting. Too bad we're amateur gardeners. It's our first gardening experience and we're doing so-so. In the beginning we had 3 tomato plants, a cucumber, a couple of banana peppers, a jalapeno, and 3 bell peppers. So far we have been defeated by only one tomato plant. We have havested 2 banana peppers and we're waiting on everything else. It looks as though we will have an abundance of tomatoes, unless they're planning on kicking the bucket too. Next year I am hoping to expand our little garden to include a larger variety of veggies. I have read that the baby can now taste what you're eating via the amniotic fluid that he swallows, and that eating a variety of foods will accustom him to different tastes. This hopefully will make him less of a picky eater.

19 Weeks

19 weeks 2 days

19 weeks is most exciting because next week means that we're half way to meeting our little Bean Sprout. He has been growing and sticking out a little more every day. I normally rest my laptop against my tummy and it doesn't fit in it's usual place. I also noticed just today that my belly button isn't as deep as it used to be, not much but a little different. It's uncomfortable to sleep on my belly now. This reminds me of the Princess and the Pea, except my pea is a baby filled uterus and directly attached to me.

Actually I lied about the most exciting part of 19 weeks. The most exciting part happened Sunday night while I was lying in bed. For two weeks now I have been concentrating on the movements in my tummy. I haven't really felt anything out of the norm, just the occasional muscle twitch or tummy rumbling. Dave and I have both been poking at my belly (we're already awful parents) trying to get Bean Sprout to play with us, but with no such luck. However, Sunday night Dave had his arm across my tummy and when he moved it I thought I felt something. A few seconds later I felt a little "pop" against my tummy. This was unlike anything I have felt before and it instantly made me grin from ear to ear. Since Sunday I have felt the fluttering that I have been hearing about, but only felt the kick once I am anxious to feel him again. I didn't realize that getting kicked would ever make me so happy.

My emotional state is changing; as much as I didn't want it to, there have been little changes here and there that make me less predictable than before. For example, I RARELY (if ever) cry during movies and I RARELY want to watch "chick flicks," but Sunday night I just had to watch He's Just Not That Into You and I finished it today and ended up crying at the end. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME?!?! I understand the necessity of the physical changes, but why my emotions too? Hormones...ugh... Sometimes for "fun" I fake cry for stupid reasons, pre-pregnancy it was too obvious that it was fake, but today I made tears fall from my eyes. It was very convincing. I suppose I could use that to my benefit; but then again, I am not that conniving. (Dave says that I should add that he didn't like this very much and also says that I am not allowed to do again ;)

Next Tuesday should be quite an exciting day. In the afternoon I have my 20 week doctor's appointment and like usual I am excited about seeing how much Bean Sprout has grown in the ultrasound. I am very grateful that we have ultrasounds with every visit. Before having an OB I didn't realize the fortuity of getting to see our baby every few weeks, but now it's the most exciting part. I can't get the image of his little fingers out of my head from the last visit, and can't wait to see what new developments he's made. Tuesday evening we are grilling out with some new potential friends. I say potential because they may decide that we're too sarcastic or not funny or terrible cooks or any other possibility. "They" happen to live two houses down from us and we met briefly for the first time on Saturday. "They" also happen to be a young (I'm assuming around our age) couple with a baby daughter who will be one in October. We have seen them out and have meant to go out and introduce ourselves before now, but we're terrible neighbors and didn't ever do it. Our neighborhood is mainly older folks who have lived here for the last 20-40 years, so having a younger couple and built-in playmate for Bean Sprout is quite a blessing. I do hope that they like us.

I apologize for never adding pictures to my 17 week post, my photographer is slacking. I prefer taking the belly shots pre-dinner, so I am not showing off what I had to eat and just showing Bean Sprout. But I always "blog" after dinner while Dave does homework, so we haven't worked out a schedule for this yet. This said, I will make sure to get the picture taken and added tomorrow. UPDATE: I kept my word.

Dave trying out the baby carrier with Lucy, surprisingly she enjoyed it.

15 weeks

The four month mark is soon approaching, and 4.5 months will mean that we're half way to meeting Bean Sprout (and no longer being pregnant!). The doctor's appointment that I have been not so patiently awaiting is in one week! We're almost there. Hopefully my blood pressure hasn't risen from stress that I have caused myself over this. I have never wanted to go the doctor so badly in my life, it's funny what pregnancy does to a person.

Bean Sprout is starting to make my belly poke out a little more every day. Thankfully I still fit in my regular clothes. In some ways I am excited about maternity clothes, in other ways I am not the least bit excited about them. However, even though I fit in my regular clothes, I now do not need a belt. This is great because recently I developed a nickel allergy, in other words, I have become allergic to my belt. I had a little red rash below my belly button, where my belt would touch me when I bent at the waist. The solutions were few for tackling this allergy. I could either buy a belt with a sterling silver, gold, or platinum buckle, or use a rope. Or I could get a bigger waist, it's crazy how that worked out.

I think I stayed hot for 3 weeks straight...ewww. And the temperature was only in the 70s or low 80s. Can I hibernate through July and August this year? God showed me that he is looking out for me by sending chilly mornings and evenings this week. Thank you, I needed that. Now I just need 5 more months of chilly. Have I mentioned that I am normally hot natured? Now hot natured is way too under stated.

I can't get enough chicken flavored ramen noodles. I want them all the time, and that is all I have been wanting for lunch. If I eat something else for lunch, I'm dissatisfied with whatever I have had and still want ramen noodles. I don't want any other flavor, just plain ol' chicken. Normally I get very tired of eating the same thing all the time, now I would be happy with only eating ramen noodles and sweet tea. Weird.

Dave and I still have not decided on any boy names. This is becoming painful. He doesn't seem to like anything. Something in me, I am guessing hormones, is forcing me to pick out something quick. I am tired of thinking of names, but it's still a priority. To Dave, it is not a priority in the least, in his words, "it is the absolute lowest possible priority." This makes my hormones make me sad. I know that we have plenty of time, and forcing it will only cause Mr. Bean Sprout to have a name that I don't actually end up liking. Ugh...Ironically I have come up with several dog names that I would love to use with our future dogs, this helps me with nothing.

All this writing has worked up my appetite (for ramen noodles, or course).

13 weeks

That is me and Bean Sprout at 13 weeks and 2 days. Jack was properly posing for the picture too. I plan on making these a series to make my growing belly less painful and more memorable. On other sites I have enjoyed the belly pictures so I decided to do them for myself and I will add a little of what I have been experiencing.

At 13 weeks:

• I have had one craving: Bojangles sweet tea, this is something that I should be avoiding but instead I feel as though I can't live without it.

• I am doing ridiculous things: I have ran into several door frames. The other day when meaning to turn my windshield wipers off, I turned the whole car off. I forgot an entire 5 minute conversation at work about balancing my drawer and after balancing my drawer, I asked the lady how I was going to get this done. She got a good laugh out of my amnesia.
  

• I have the energy that I have been wishing for the last however many weeks. I still like naps but my survival doesn't depend on them.
  

• I have stopped taking those hormones which felt like they were sucking the life out of me and I now know that the baby is fine and developing normally.
  

• My point of view is becoming more motherly and lounge pants and baggy tee shirts have never felt so comfortable.