Happy New Year / Week 26

I hope all of you had a safe and fun New Year!  Did you stay up ‘til midnight or crash and burn before the ball dropped?

For the first time in many years, Joe and I had a stay-home kind of night, and it was simply fabulous.  We typically head over to listen to my dad’s band play at various venues, but this year that didn’t seem like a feasible option since I’m knocked up and all.  Baby in my belleh + cigarette smoke + drunk people all over the place = recipe for disaster.  So, little Joe got to spend his first New Year’s Eve safely in my belly while safely at home. 

Earlier in the day, Joe’s parents, brother, and grandmother came over to grill and pop some fireworks.   It was a fun, relaxing day with good food and good company.  When the night finally came, it was just Joe, Anna, and me, and we spent the evening watching old movies (like Twins) and popping the remainder of the pretty fireworks, the ones that light up the sky! 

Anna had ZERO fear of the loud popping noises and even wanted to light some off herself.  Maybe in a few years kid.  Nah, never.  I’m way too paranoid about kids and fireworks.  Hell, I had mini-panic attacks just watching Joe light them off.  Then again, sometimes he is a big kid, so I’m not sure how much safer it was having him light the fireworks vs. Anna. 

Anna hit the hay around 10:30, and Joe and I stayed up ‘til about 1 a.m. which is no small task for this pregnant woman.  I’m usually sawing logs at 8:30 p.m. these days, so I was very proud of myself. 

All I can say is that 2011 is a year that I want to erase out of my book of life (with the exception of getting pregnant).  I was certainly happy to close that chapter and open up 2012.  I actually mooned the year at 11:59 p.m. and opened my arms to embrace the new year.  I’m hopeful that this year has some great things in store for my entire family – it’s much deserved after the crapfest that was 2011.  Onward and upward!

And just for funsies, here are two images that greatly sum up how I feel:


How was your 2011? 
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26 weeks and counting…
The network of nerves in your baby's ears is better developed and more sensitive than before. He may now be able to hear both your voice and your partner's as you chat with each other. He's inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, which is essential for the development of his lungs. These so-called breathing movements are also good practice for when he's born and takes that first gulp of air. And he's continuing to put on baby fat. He now weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. If you're having a boy, his testicles are beginning to descend into his scrotum — a trip that will take about two to three days.

(What the heck is an English hothouse cucumber?)



Images and content courtesy of babycenter.com

How far along: 26 weeks

Total weight gain: +19 total.  This is +1.5 from last week.  Based on the pregnancy weight gain calculator, I’m exactly on track, so I will pat myself on the back now.  If I can reach my back, that is. 

Sleep habits: I’ve had some horrible dreams lately.  Like so vivid that I actually wake up in a panic, and it takes me a while to fall back asleep – even when I watch a few episodes of Golden Girls.  I’m still peeing frequently and expect to continue this wonderful trend for the rest of my pregnancy, so I better just get used to it.  In fact, I know it will get worse.  I think it’s just God’s way of preparing you for the sleepless nights ahead.  I’m kind of terrified of them since I have a toddler who has very sporadic sleep habits lately – some nights she sleeps like a dream, others she’s all up in my business. 

Maternity clothes: Yeah, they’re getting tight.  I have a feeling that I’ll be splurging on some new maternity pants in the near future.  While they still fit comfortably, if I gain any more weight in my butt/thighs/belly, they will move from comfortable territory to “we should make people wear these jeans when we want to torture them to get them to share intelligence about their country” territory.  I told my friends that I was going to embrace my bump this time since I was always trying to cover it up with Anna, but I find myself sinking back into the same mindset where I feel not cute at all and wanting to mask it.  It’s really ridiculous to think that way since bumps are quite beautiful. 

Best moment of the week:  New Year’s Eve was pretty fabulous.  It was fun seeing Anna get so involved with the fireworks and getting to spend the day with family.

Food cravings: Tuna fish.  I know it’s a no-no in large amounts, so I’ve stayed under my weekly allowance.  I’m back on a salty kick this week.  Chips, carrots w/ dip, and the fabulous potato salad that my mother-in-law made for us!

Symptoms: Not many symptoms other than being a hormonal basket case.  My new motto this year is TTBN (think twice, be nice).  I have a tendency to spout off in anger, and I need to learn to reign it in now that my daughter is a perceptive little beast.  It’s hard to keep my hormones in check these days, but if I keep chanting this motto, hopefully I will react less and take a breather before saying anything. 

Movement:  He seems to have finally moved up.  Although I keep saying that, and then the next week he’s using my bladder as a trampoline.  Earlier today I felt movement right near my belly button.  I’ve also been feeling light little hiccups every now and then.  It’s such an odd sensation. 

The nursery:  I added this new category since it’s something I’ll be dealing with over the upcoming weeks/months.  I saw my countdown ticker today and nearly crapped my pants that I’m in double digits now (98 days ‘til my due date).  Two of my best friends on the planet, Beth over at Unskinny Boppy and Kent are coming for a visit mid-January to help me with the nursery and to hang out.  Beth has MAD decorating skills (just check out her blog), and Kent is an amazing seamstress, so I’m really excited to have the extra help in getting everything together for Baby J’s room.

This is what I’ve done thus far:

1) I purchased his bedding – woot!  I just love Craigslist.  Know why?  I got this entire bedding set – crib skirt, bumper, two sheets, pillow, comforter – for $45.  It’s in mint condition.  The retail price is usually $330 for the set, but it’s half off online – it’s still $160+.  I love, love, love deals – especially when I don’t feel like I’m settling.  I love this set and am so happy with my purchase.



Beth and Kent (and Joe) are going to help me paint the nursery and try to put it together as much as we can.  Kent is going to sew the curtains, so I need to finalize the fabric I want to use before they come.  I have less than two weeks – EEEK!

Here’s some of the fabric I’m considering for the curtains although I’m not 100% sold on any of them yet.  I haven’t priced the fabric yet, but I’m going to assume it’s probably pretty pricey and out of my price range.  It wouldn’t make much sense to spend $300 on curtains when I paid $45 for the bedding, so I may have to find a more economical option. 


We’re still throwing out paint color choices and how we want to do the walls, but here are some options I’m mulling over:

Light stripes (seems like the best option):
Image courtesy of projectnursery.com.

Solid color background with center stripes:
I’m not sure where this image is located, so if it’s yours, please let me know, and I’ll link to you.

Beth has some Dutch Boy: Half Moon Bay that she can bring.  I love, love, love the color, but I’m not sure how it will look with the off-white trim and beige ceilings (yes, our contractors painted our darn ceilings to match the walls). 

 
ETA:  Beth already designed an amazing board for the room!  What do you think?



2) I spent my last day of my holiday break cleaning out the baby room.  That room has worn many feathers since we moved into our house in 2007.  It was first a workout room, then it became a guest room once I got pregnant with Anna, then it was my Piggy’s Place craft room, and now it’s going to be Baby J’s nursery.  I left it a complete and utter mess with my Piggy’s Place stuff, so it took me forever to organize all of my crafts into boxes and put them away in storage.  Now the room is completely empty and just waiting to be painted. 

Still left to do:
1) Paint the nursery
2) Order a dresser for the nursery since Anna is using the one that matches the crib
3) Put the crib together
4) Add other decorative pieces

Some ideas I’m considering:

An alphabet wall

Image courtesy of projectnursery.com

An alphabet tree:
Image courtesy of AirlieCreations on Etsy

This fantastic artwork that my friend Allison said she can make for me (that’s the bedding, by the way):

Not sure where this image is from – please contact me if this is yours, and I’ll link to you. 

I’ll take that lamp, please!

What I’m looking forward to:  Beth and Kent visiting me!  We’re not only going to be doing nursery stuff, by the way.  We’ll head out to NOLA and have some fun (which is all we know how to do when we’re together).

I’m also looking forward to getting a 4D u/s of the baby.  I can’t wait to see him again.
 
What I miss: I keep forgetting that I’m limited while I’m pregnant.  I’m extremely impatient, and I’m married to a wonderful man, but he likes to do things at his own pace.  This is a recipe for disaster when I’m in a gung-ho mood and ready to get things done. So, I take it upon myself to lift things I shouldn’t and over-do it when I absolutely shouldn’t.  So, I miss having the strength and freedom to just get ‘er done. 

Next appointment: January 5th.  I never did get the orange drink for my gestational diabetes test, so I’ll ask for it at my appointment and probably have to go back within a few days for the 1 hour, boring ass test.

Merry Christmas / Week 25

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and got to spend lots of quality time with your family and friends.  Oh, and hopefully Santa was kind to you and yours, too!

We had an enjoyable, low-key celebration at our house.  When I say low-key, I mean inexpensive.  Since Anna is at a wonderful age where she knows nothing about iPods, iPads, Mac computers or $200 shoes, we were able to cheaply satisfy her Christmas wishes.  She consistently asked for the following:

A blue slap watch
Lots of puzzles

We, er Santa, came through.  Thanks to a wonderful online toy store and their super low Melissa & Doug prices and fast shipping (we got our order the next day!), Anna had a very happy Christmas.  I got her other odds and ends things (crayons, markers, stickers – stuff like that) and made sure to wrap everything just to make it more fun for her to open it all up. 

I was lacking in one department, though – the BIG gift.  The WOW gift.  The one that instantly catches her eye when she walks into the room.  A blue slap watch and lots of puzzles wouldn’t do the trick, so I found an awesome little castle tent at CVS, of all places, to satisfy the big gift need.  Oh, and it was $20.  SCORE! 

          Cookies for Santa, carrots for the reindeer. 

Unfortunately, Joe got to the cookies before I could take a before picture of them.  Of course he didn’t eat the carrots, so I just put them back in the bag.   
  Santa left his mess.  Typical man.

Anna made it half the night in her bed before waking me up at 4 a.m.  She had a little accident, so the Santa pajamas that I so lovingly dressed her in that night were not able to be featured this year.  That’s OK, these were a good alternative.  

She was well aware that Ho Ho was coming that night, but when she came into our room, she made no mention of it at all.  In fact, we all kind of overslept until about 8:30ish before we finally dragged ourselves out of bed to start Christmas day. 

Anna begins slowly.  

  Then she decides she’d rather open gifts in her castle.     We weren’t passing her the gifts quickly enough. 
  So she decided to make fart sounds with her mouth to hurry us along. 

Daddy joins the fun. 

Making funny faces. 

Round II at Mimi’s house! 
  

Oh, and this photo has nothing to do with Christmas, but if you’ll kindly remember the Hell Girl post I posted last week, I found this gem when I was unloading the pictures from my card.

Joe’s face says it all!  This was right in the midst of the meth-like hysteria that Anna displayed most of the evening.  


Don’t let that sweet face of hers fool you.  That child was hell girl.
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25 weeks and counting…
Head to heels, your baby now measures about 13 1/2 inches. Her weight — a pound and a half — isn't much more than an average rutabaga, but she's beginning to exchange her long, lean look for some baby fat. As she does, her wrinkled skin will begin to smooth out and she'll start to look more and more like a newborn. She's also growing more hair — and if you could see it, you'd now be able to discern its color and texture.


Images and content courtesy of babycenter.com

How far along: 25 weeks

Total weight gain: +17.5 total.  This is +1 from last week.  I was scared to step on the scale this week and was pleasantly surprised to see only 1 lb. after the major feast-eating I’ve been doing over the past few days. 

Sleep habits: Still peeing every hour on the hour, but my sleep has been very peaceful, and I’m able to go back to sleep easily most nights.  The nights where my mind starts racing, I turn on Golden Girls and am able to fall back asleep rather quickly.  That show always makes me feel at peace. 

Maternity clothes: They still fit, but now they’re fitting more like maternity clothes and less like clothes you wear on bloated days and still have room in them.  I’m hoping that I’ll be able to use what I have for the remainder of my pregnancy without having to go out and buy anything new.  I can still fit in regular tops, but I have a feeling those days are limited since my bump is growing now that the baby has officially moved up a little.  

Since I love comparisons, here are side-by-side comparisons from week 25 with Anna and week 25 with Joseph.  I’m carrying almost identically which is so odd to me!  I may be a little rounder in the front with baby J.

I do apologize for lots of things: 1) My naked, white belly, 2) my pajamas and 3) my dirty mirror (in both sets).

I did spare you from my makeupless face, so be grateful! 


Best moment of the week:  Christmas was pretty cool. We got a few things for Joseph from my family, and it was so neat and precious to get little boy stuffs.  We got some bath gear from my cousins, and an adorable little outfit from my aunt and uncle.  I love, love, love it! 

Food cravings: Sweets have been my craving this week.  Mainly the cupcakes that I made for Joe’s 33rd birthday.  He’s a Christmas baby, you know! I think he got maybe 3.  Anna and I ate the other 21.  :-|

Symptoms: I’ve been a little weepy lately, but I’m not sure if it’s baby-related or life-related.  I’ve been having some mild cramping which I’m chalking up to growing pains with baby J.  I know he’s definitely moving up in the world as I don’t feel him playing trampoline on my bladder much anymore.  The heartburn I was having last week has subsided a bit, thankfully.
 
Movement:  His kicks are much more intense and closer to the surface now.  I can also see him rolling around in there which is pretty darn freaky.

What I’m looking forward to:  I’m thinking about having a 3-d/4-d ultra-sound in January just to take a peek in on him again.  I know I won’t be getting another one at my OB’s office, and there’s no way I can wait to see him until April.  I did a 3-d u/s with Anna, but she didn’t cooperate the first time, so we had to go back.  The best time, according to the calendar on the website I went to, is mid-January for me. 

What I miss: I can’t think of anything that I miss right now.

Next appointment: January 5th.  I still have to get to the Dr. to get the orange drink for my Gestational Diabetes test.  Since Joe is off of work tomorrow, I may take a trip over there to get what I need.  I’m not looking forward to this test at all.

Blech.
 

Hell girl / Week 24

Joe and I always feel like we’ve won the lottery when it comes to the temperament of our child.  She’s sweet, mild-mannered, calm, loving, nurturing – basically any wonderful adjective you want to throw in there will work.  I know that most parents probably say this about their child, so you’re probably taking what I’m saying with a grain of salt, but I promise you that she’s a sweet little girl. 

With that said, take the antonym of every word I listed above, and that’s what we had a few nights ago when we took Anna to see the Christmas lights at a local park. 

The day started out fine, she was happy and pleasant.  She even made an art collage for her friend who was going to be there.  Here’s her artwork:



When we first got to the park, she was still well-behaved.  She listened to what we were telling her, and she was really excited about the lights.  Then all hell broke loose.  Hell girl replaced my angel girl, and we then became “those parents” – you know the parents that you pity because they have a demon spawn for a child? 

I’m not sure if the air was laced with meth, but our normally calm and quiet child was literally bounding away from us, running faster than we could run, hitting and kicking and pinching and scratching when we picked her up, laughing maniacally at us when we’d reprimand her, climbing rock walls that weren’t meant to be climbed.  The only thing that separated her from Satan at that point was that she didn’t have a tail or a pitchfork. 

It’s truly embarrassing when your child is the only one misbehaving.  All of the other kids were quietly enjoying the lights.  Ours was pulling on them and making them catch on fire (true story). 

After two hours of this nonsense, we finally decided it best that we leave.  As we were walking to the car, Joe put her down for a split second.  She took this as an out and actually ran away from us towards cement steps and traffic.  My fat, pregnant ass ran after her (in 4” boots, no less), but of course I move slower than molasses in January at this point.  Fortunately, I just made it before she had a mouthful of cement.  I was ENRAGED.  And embarrassed.

I vowed then and there to keep her locked in a cage for the rest of her toddler life.

Totally kidding about the cage, but damn if I wasn’t thinking about it at that point.  She was a wildebeest.  A wildebeest with a curly afro of hair and Spongebob Square Pants teeth. 

We’re still pretty traumatized about the night and are debating whether to bring her out in public again before she turns 18.  I’ll have to get back to you on that.

Now that things have returned to normal in her brain and the meth high has worn off, she’s back to her old sweet self (thankfully).  Today is her school Christmas party.  She got to wear pajamas today, so I put her in the Santa pajamas that I bought for her last year.  They still fit!  

I promise her hair looked cuter in person:
You see that look she’s giving the camera?  This is how she looked at the Christmas light display except she had fangs and was frothing at the mouth like a rabid dog.

So, I just realized this will be my last post before Christmas, so I hope all of you out there have a wonderful Christmas day with your family and friends!   

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24 weeks and counting…
Your baby's growing steadily, having gained about 4 ounces since last week. That puts him at just over a pound. Since he's almost a foot long (picture an ear of corn), he cuts a pretty lean figure at this point, but his body is filling out proportionally and he'll soon start to plump up. His brain is also growing quickly now, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" as well as cells that produce surfactant, a substance that will help his air sacs inflate once he hits the outside world. His skin is still thin and translucent, but that will start to change soon.

Images and content courtesy of babycenter.com

How far along: 24 weeks

Total weight gain: +16.5 total.  This is +3.5 from last week.  I’m feeling very…puffy.  It was kind of shocking to see a 3.5+ weight gain after two weeks of no gain, but it’s all necessary and to be expected.  I’m right where I need to be as far as the weight gain goes, so I’ll just keep focusing on that.  While it’s hard for me to see myself this way (just being honest here), I know the baby is healthy. 

Sleep habits: Sleep is still going well with the exception of a toddler kicking me all night.  Anna’s newest thing is that she’s scared to sleep in her room because there are worms and butterflies in there.  Last time I checked, her room was worm and butterfly free, so I am chalking it up to toddler hysteria.  Last night I tried a different approach (instead of caving and letting her sleep with us) and just held her hand until she fell asleep in her bed.  It worked!  She lasted in her bed ‘til 4 a.m. which is a record for these past few weeks.  So, once she moves into our bed, I can kiss my peaceful sleep goodbye.  Who would’ve thought that my toddler would be keeping me up at night!

Maternity clothes: I tried on my non-maternity bloated day jeans this morning.  HA.  DEAD.  YEAH RIGHT.  Yeah, they don’t fit.  Like at all.  Anywhere.  :sobs:  If I continue at this pace, I won’t even fit into my maternity jeans anymore.  I have no idea what’s going on with me, but every part of my body is puffy, not just my belly.  I should probably slow down on the carb-y stuff like loaves of bread and 2 lbs. of mashed potatoes.  I can’t keep using pregnancy as an excuse to eat everything I want because eventually I will have this baby, and who wants to deal with 20 lbs. of extra stuff that shouldn’t even be there to begin with?

Best moment of the week:  I’m honestly trying to think of something, but it’s been a hum dinger of a week for many reasons.  Let’s hope that things are better in 2012!
 
Food cravings: Food.

Symptoms: I haven’t had many symptoms this week.  I think Joseph is moving up, so I no longer have the sciatica.  He must’ve moved in a new position because the heartburn isn’t as bad either.  It’s been a pretty nice, symptomless week!  I’ve had a few hormone flare-ups, but I never know if it’s baby-related or just stress-of-life related.  Maybe a mixture of both.  I just have to say that Joe has been the most amazing husband ever, and I can’t thank him enough for being so wonderfully supportive through all of my pregnancy craziness! 

Movement:  As usual, Joseph picks and chooses times to be active.  The times he’s not, of course I worry.  Then he starts using my bladder as a trampoline, and I think, “Why the hell was I so worried?!” 

What I’m looking forward to:  Christmas in just a few days!  I’m looking forward to Anna’s face when she sees what Santa brought for her!

What I miss: I can’t think of anything that I miss right now.

Next appointment: January 5th.  I realized a few days ago that I will be 26w and some change at my next appointment.  At my last appointment I asked my OB when I’d have to take the Gestational Diabetes – drink that nasty crap drink – test.  She told me that we’d do it at the appointment after next.  At that point, I’ll be 30 weeks which is outside the 24 – 28 weeks window.  So, I called the office and told them, and I have to go pick up the drink next week.  On January 5th, I’ll have to guzzle flat tang drink and sit there for an hour while they tell me if I can continue eating like a carb-fanatic or if I have to start watching my diet more.  My fingers are crossed that I can continue eating mashed potatoes. 

A visit with Ho Ho / Week 23

There aren’t many days left before Christmas, so we’re trying to cram in every bit of holiday fun before the big day arrives.  Last year we took Anna to Bass Pro Shop for pictures with Santa, but after arriving and seeing a mile length line, we opted out.  So, yes, Virginia, I have no pictures of my child with Santa Claus for 2010.  Not wanting a FAIL repeat this year, we made plans to get there much earlier than last year and were expecting a long wait again.  Fortunately, Bass Pro got their act together and handed out time tickets for pictures.  So, our wait time was cut in half as we now had an appointed time for the big visit with Santa.

Anna behaved like an angel for most of the day.  That is, until 30 seconds prior to meeting Santa.  Core melt-down time began, and mommy stress was through the roof.  I can’t say as I blame my child.  I mean, we were there for two hours before we got to see Santa.  She had played on every toy, begged for every piece of candy in the store, ran around and had her fun.  Since she takes after me when she gets hungry, my sweet child turns into Sybil on speed. 

I’m so glad there’s a name for our disorder now. It’s called hangry.  Lots of people suffer from this disorder. 

The legal definition: When you are so hungry that your lack of food causes you to become angry, frustrated or both.


I should have this one tattooed on my forehead:


We were up next for our pictures, and Anna decided at that moment to pitch a fit when I told her to put back on her sweater.  Then she ran away and wanted to play with the stuffed animal fish that they stupidly displayed right where all the kids were standing.  She was absolutely frenetic, and I was absolutely panicked that we spent all this time, made all of this preparation for her to miss out once again. 

But, just like that, she went from a total psycho back to her cute and well-behaved little self.  It’s quite impressive how she can turn it on and off like that.  It’s also quite scary.  Is my child insane?  Perhaps so, but at least she got a good picture with Santa this year.

Here’s video of Anna’s big Santa meeting (I apologize for the shakiness of the video – FLIP camera kinda sucks):

Anna’s visit with Santa

And here’s a cell phone shot of the event (the original photo hasn’t been scanned in yet because I’m too lazy, but I actually like this version even better).  Anna tends to really cheese it up in photos, and while it’s cute, it’s not necessarily the most photogenic approach to take.  Her Christmas photos are no exception. 


My nephew’s Santa photos were taken at a local mall the next day.  When my sister posted them on Facebook, I must’ve laughed for a good minute at how ridiculously hilarious and adorable they turned out:



I’m still perplexed about Santa’s green Grinch hands.  What was he thinking?  No wonder Jackson was so scared!

I digress…

After the photos were finished, we high-tailed it out of that madhouse and went out to eat at Texas Roadhouse.  Anna had a few more melt-downs in the restaurant which always makes for a pleasant dining experience, but she finally got herself together and defeated the hangry disorder.

We left the restaurant and went to see our new baby cousin (Joe’s first cousin’s baby girl Ellie).  She’s 4 weeks old and is the most precious baby ever.  It was so fun watching Anna interact with her – especially since we’ll have our own little one soon!  Anna is going to be such an amazing big sister.  She’s gentle, quiet, and she’s totally willing to change poop diapers and feed the baby.  SCORE!  It’ll be like having my own little elf around to help me out!

Here’s the big sister in training – she’s a pro already:


The next day we spent the day at Anna’s grandmama’s house (Joe’s grandmother) watching the Saints beat some Titan tail while dining on chili and hot dogs – perfect cold weather/football game day food. 

It was a wonderful, non-stop weekend with lots of memories and fun.  I wish all of our weekends could be like that!

How’d your Santa photos turn out?  Link ‘em up in the comments section!

How’s Christmas shopping coming along for you?  I’m proud to say that since my child has such easy requests (a blue watch and puzzles), I managed to get way with spending $83 total on her gifts this year!  I’ll post next week what I got her since this post is getting to be ridiculously long. 

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23 weeks and counting…

Here’s where we are this week: Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.


Images and content courtesy of babycenter.com

How far along: 23 weeks

Total weight gain: +13.0 total.  This is –.5 from last week.  I am on a two week trend of no weight gain.  In fact, I lost .5 lb. this past week.  I have no idea how that happened considering the amount of chili and hot dogs I ate on Sunday (oh, and honey rolls from Texas Roadhouse on Saturday).  Pig, I am.  According to the pregnancy weight gain calculator, I am a bit below average, but I don’t think it’s any concern at this point.  The baby is shifting things around in there, so my stomach is getting pressed up.  I’m going to assume this means my appetite is a bit less or my fear of heartburn (which I’ve been getting a lot) surpasses my desire to eat as much.  

Sleep habits: Sleep is great.  Yes, I have multiple pee sessions/night, but I quickly fall back asleep after.  My stomach is starting to feel a bit heavier, so when I do wake up on my back, it feels…off.  I’m not really sure how to counter-act this back sleeping deal since we only have a queen bed with zero room for any other pillows other than what we currently use. 

Maternity clothes: Unfortunately, I have no belly shot to show you this week because I’ve had zero time to do anything creative like I wanted.  Or even to take a random photo.  My bump is starting to really pop, so most of my regular shirts that I was able to wear this whole time are starting to fit very snugly.  I thought that boy bumps were supposed to be rounder and more basketball like.  This isn’t the case with me.  Like with Anna, this bump is more wide-set and extends around my entire mid-section, so instead of looking pregnant, I just look like I’m wearing an innertube around my waist.  Not a flattering look, people.  Thankfully, it’s winter, so I can wear lots of bulky stuff to cover up this uncomfortable part of my pregnancy before the full bump is here.  I definitely want to embrace my bump and wear form-fitting stuff, but now is not the time.  Maybe in a few more weeks when things round out a bit (if they ever do).

Best moment of the week:  Taking Anna to get pictures with Santa (Ho Ho – as she calls him), spending the weekend with my in-laws and also getting to meet my new baby cousin Ellie. 

Food cravings: No real cravings this week.  I’m still on a baked potato kick.  Oh, I did crave some macaroni and cheese, so I made some last night, but it didn’t satisfy my craving at all because it was basically disgusting.  I know I’ll be eating some delicious baked macaroni on Christmas day with my family, so I can just wait!
 
Symptoms: I can actually feel things shifting around in my belleh, so I know it’s only a matter of time before there’s no doubt to anyone who sees me that I’m indeed knocked up. I officially popped around 24 weeks with Anna, and I think the same will happen this time.  I lovingly refer to this feeling as “innard shifting” which is exactly what’s happening.  This is a really cool representation of what happens to your organs during a pregnancy:

Click here

With innard shifting comes lots of weird cramps and jolts.  Some are miserable, most are tolerable.  I find myself having a hard time standing up quickly or getting out of bed quickly – there’s lots of pulling and stretching going on in the inside when I make quick movements.  It’s kind of unsettling.

Other than the innard shifting, I’ve been having some serious heartburn.  I don’t remember having this issue with Anna, but it makes sense since my stomach is behind my boobs now.  If I lie down after eating – even a few hours after eating – I pay for it dearly.  I haven’t caved and eaten any Tums yet, but now I think it’s time.  They’re just so disgusting that I’ve avoided them thus far. 

Movement:  Some days little Joe moves most of the day, other days he’s not as active (which always makes me worry).  I realized in the middle of the night that I hadn’t felt him move in quite some time, so I touched my stomach and felt a firm area.  Once I pressed on it, he moved away and then woke up and kicked me the rest of the night.  Never wake a sleeping baby, yo.   

What I’m looking forward to:  Christmas at my mom’s house and a nice, relaxing NYE at our house with the in-laws. 

What I miss: I want to say that I miss feeling thin, but I’m scared that will come across the wrong way.  I love growing a child, but I do admit that it’s hard to see your body gain weight in such weird places and not really be able to do anything about it.  It’s totally worth it, but I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard sometimes. 

Next appointment: January 5th

 

Oh, Christmas Tree! / Week 22

With Christmas quickly approaching, I realized I needed to get my butt into gear putting up the few decorations we have.  I waited too long to nag Joe to get the fall decorations from the attic (since I’m in such a delicate state and can no longer do it myself), so our house was barren for fall.  I didn’t want to make that mistake for Christmas as well.

So, I nagged.  A lot.  And Joe, being the great man he is, finally succumbed to my nagging and pulled out the 2,000 bins of Christmas crap that we store annually in our attic. 

What’s unfortunate is that even with my impatience, the decorations sat in our garage untouched for about a week until I got off of my lazy butt and started unpacking everything. 

I’m going to be honest and tell you that decorating for Christmas is a chore.  Every single year this is how it plays out in my mind prior to the decorations going up…

<<soft Christmas music is playing in the background, the fireplace is warm with fire, the house is filled with the fragrance of cinnamon candles and a pot roast cooking in the crock pot, the cats are snuggled near the fire, Joe is wearing a turtleneck sweater while holding a mug of hot chocolate, Anna is prancing around in angel wings and singing White Christmas>>

My reality…

<<Superman is playing in the background, this is the 25th time we’ve watched it for the day, the fireplace is over-flowing with soot and embers from fires that we had days before, but it’s cold and dark tonight, the house smells like cat box and garbage that hasn’t been taken out in three days, the cats are puking on the carpet – never the wood or tile floors, Joe is sitting on the sofa playing Angry Birds while wearing a hole-y t-shirt, Anna is eating Velveeta cheese and crying because she wants to ride her bike outside even though it’s dark and rainy>>

Add in 2,000 white lights that no longer work, all of them tightly wrapped into the garland I need to hang on the mantle, and what was supposed to be a wonderfully charming Christmas experience has turned into my own Clark W. Griswold nightmare.

Except take Joe out of the equation this year because he was actually at work.  And Anna wasn’t really eating Velveeta - she was eating Kraft. 

The one bright spot about this year’s decorating adventure was that Anna was actually able to participate for the first time, and she actually enjoyed doing it.  So, while I sat untangling 2,000 broken white lights, she started decorating the tree for me.  Granted, most of the ornaments are in the same 2 inch spot, but her efforts were greatly appreciated, and I left everything exactly where she put it just to let her know that I’m proud!

Next year I’ll need to buy a Christmas phrase with five letters!

Now we just need some presents beneath this tree!  Santa?

I’m not sure if you’ve heard of this adorable FREE service, but you can have Santa Claus send a personalized message to your little one HERE.  Anna’s video turned out so cute – I can’t wait for her to watch it.  I think she’s going to freak out because I was able to personalize it just for her.  I may play it all year so she’ll continue being a good girl.  This Santa thing really does work.

Speaking of videos, I was able to capture a short video of Anna singing and decorating the tree.  As I said before, her little singing debut really made my night – even though she only knows two phrases to two different songs (Oh, Christmas Tree and All the Way) and meshed them into one song.  At least you can see how excited she is about decorating the tree and actually taking part in Christmas this year.

Anna’s singing debut!

Since Anna is a bit older and more into the spirit of things, we’ve introduced the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon into our house.  The only difference is the elf we’re using was a free one that someone gave us last year, and we don’t have the book.  I made up poem in place of the actual story.  I think it explains it well enough.

Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
You better be good this year,
The freaky ass elf is watching you.

I leave ass off when I say it to Anna because that’s what responsible parents do. 

Anyway, Anna has lovingly named her elf JoAnn (my mother-in-law’s name).  My daughter has a slight obsession with the name JoAnn and also with her maw maw.  I think it’s pretty cute!

Here’s JoAnn the elf:
We were a few days behind with this whole thing, so JoAnn has only appeared in different spots twice – the first morning we found her riding Anna’s bike, but I forgot to take pictures because I fail.

This morning JoAnn was taking a dip in her own little elf bubble bath made of cotton balls.  I’ve seen pictures of entire sinks filled with cotton balls, but I only had about 10 cotton balls left, so I improvised.  Either way, Anna missed it because she was in a really bad mood this morning and didn’t care.  At least I have a photo!

_____________________________________________________
 
22 weeks and counting…

Here’s where we are this week:
At 11 inches (the length of a spaghetti squash) and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.


Images and content courtesy of babycenter.com


How far along: 22 weeks

Total weight gain: +13.5 total.  This is +/-0 from last week.  I think the baby has moved up just a bit, which, in turn curbs my insatiable appetite a bit.  Which, in turns, curbs my weight gain.  It’s so weird how I can gain 3 lbs. in one week and 0 the next.  According to the weight gain calculator, I’m smack dab in the middle of below average and average gain, so I think I’m doing just fine. 

Sleep habits: Sleep has been pretty great this past week.  I’ve gotten a break from the sciatica and the bladder pressure, so I’ve been very comfortable.  I still have random bouts of pregnancy insomnia where I’ll wake up in the early hours and stay up an hour or two, but it’s nothing the Golden Girls can’t cure.  I actually enjoy the quiet time where I can jump on my phone and catch up on things without having a toddler asking me to wipe her butt or fix her a snack.  My dreams have quieted down a bit, too.  The baby seems pretty active at night – especially when I’m on my back.  No matter how hard I try to sleep on my side, I always wake up on my back. 

Maternity clothes: No updates here – I’m still wearing them. I haven’t really bought anything else as I feel like I have enough staples to get me through for now.  The baby hasn’t moved up very much, so my bump is still in the same spot – maybe a bit higher some days than others.  It’s starting to round out more and look less fat-like, so I’m glad about that.  Next week I promise to have an updated belly shot picture.  I want to do something cool like my friend Liz over at Bon Temps Beignet. She has showcased her beautiful bump in a very artistic way.  Isn’t she adorable?!

Best moment of the week:  Hearing my sweet child singing Christmas music while decorating our Christmas tree.  She’s such an angel on earth, truly.

Food cravings: My appetite hasn’t been as strong, so I haven’t had many cravings other than just normal stuff like pizza and red sauce.  Which, thanks to Dominos, was satisfied!

Symptoms: I kind of over-did it this past Sunday when I spent the entire day cleaning my house and putting up the Christmas decorations.  By the end of the day, after walking around for hours, I had the pregnancy waddle down, and my hips/butt/legs felt like I weighed 2,000 lbs.  Even though I don’t pull out the pregnancy card often, I have to understand my limitations while I’m pregnant.  Hours of hard-core organizing and cleaning are just not possible right now since this baby likes to hang out so low.  The constant pressure really takes its toll after a while. 

Other than that, I can’t complain.  Little Joe has been a wonderful little guy so far (knocks on wood). 

Movement:  He’s a wiggler.  He’s super strong when he kicks/punches.  You can easily see all of his movement from the outside now – Joe even got a glimpse the other day.  He tends to move most when he hears my voice or Anna’s voice. 

What I’m looking forward to:  Christmas!

What I miss: There’s nothing I miss at the moment. 

Next appointment: January 5th (moved from January 3rd)