Monthly Archives: July 2006

The Best Birthday Present Ever

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Ok, so the moment we have all been waiting for! The results of the big ultrasound! I am pleased to announce that everything appears to be normal and as perfect as we could have hoped. Seeing our baby, OUR BABY, moving around inside my stomach was the most surreal thing I have ever experienced.

Is that not the most adorable little profile? Look at the tiny nose. And those little lips! You can even see an outline of an ear.

Or this (slightly demonic) face. Is that not going to be a heartbreaker someday? When we were checking out the face and trying to get a nice picture Maybe Baby got camera shy and put an adorable little arm up to shield itself. Hiding from the camera already. I’m gonna have to nip that in the bud right away.

Oh and this tiny little foot. You can see all five toes. The ultrasound tech told us it is only 3.5 cm long. And when it kicked it was SO CUTE. (I still haven’t felt a single kick but the tech assured me it is because the placenta is right on top of the baby and I should feel things in a couple weeks.)

Oh and this is the moment you have all been waiting for….the gender. I you look at the picture, image the baby is sitting right above you with the legs slightly bent and pulled up to the chest and pointing to the left. The little arrow is pointing out the special area right between the legs. See anything? Nope. Well you wouldn’t, because our DAUGHTER keeps her genitalia internally. Yep, that’s right. We are having a girl. So just about every one of you who put your votes in the comments were right. We saw a much better and more obvious view, but my daughter (I just love the sound of that) realized we were looking between her legs and instantly pulled up her knees and crossed her legs. What a little lady, I tell ya.
Oh and in case you were curious, I have been keeping all the pictures here.

Week 20 Update

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So here we are, already half way to having this kid cooked. I can’t even believe I am 20 weeks pregnant (well 20 weeks and 2 days to be precise). I have been feeling great, staying awake until normal hours, eating regular food and even exercising pretty regularly again. I just have to remember to rest more than I used to because man-oh-man do I get tired easy. I think because I have been feeling so well, I kinda forget I have a baby on board and can’t do as much as I did before being pregnant. Sleeping has been pretty tricky, since I have reached that point where I am no longer recommended to sleep on my back (it puts the full weight of your uterus on your spine, back muscles, intestines, and the inferior vena cava-the vein that transports blood from your lower body to the heart), of course that is the only position that is comfortable. I have various pillows wedged around and under me which seems to have worked thus far. Plus as soon as I lay down in bed, I get heartburn. Thank God for Tums. They now live on my nightstand. And in my desk. And my purse. But other than that, things are going great.

Anyway, tomorrow is the big day. Simeon and I have our doctors appointment and the big ultrasound to check on the anatomical development of Maybe Baby, which will include (if we are lucky) finding out if we are having a boy or girl. So I wanna know what you guys think. To help you make your decision, here is my 20 week belly shot:

So, what do you think? Boy or girl? Leave your guess in the comments so we can have it documented and tomorrow we will see who is right. Thanks for playin’!

My Wizard Scar Burns For You

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Last night ROCKED. Simeon, Megan C, Aaron and I went to the Harry and the Potters concert and I have to say it was the most fun I have had in a looooong time. A bunch of us went last year but this concert was SO much better. I think the venue made a huge difference because it was outside on this nice patio area which really allowed for better acoustics and the weather was absolutely perfect.

Oh but the wonderfulness didn’t stop with the location. The bands that opened for HATP were AMAZING. First up there was this little girl (she could not have been more than 10 years old) that played guitar and sang some fabulous covers. Lots from the Garden State Soundtrack (which has never left the CD player in my car since we got it, if that tells you anything about how great it is). Up next was Draco and the Malfoys. Now I don’t want to betray my allegiance to HATP, but DATM were so freakin’ funny. I am totally kicking myself today for not buying their CD last night. I just may have to order it off their site. It was that funny. “I don’t want Weasley to eat his own turds/Don’t want Pansy Parkinson to let me get to third…If there’s one thing I want you to bring me for Christmas this year/It’s to make Harry Potter disappear.” Need I say more?

Oh but then it was time for the main act. And our boys did not disappoint. The place was rockin’! People were standing on the tables (hey, why are you looking at me?), singing at the top of their lungs and just having a great time. They had to cut the concert a little short because in Oregon minors aren’t allowed in bars after 9pm, but they closed with my new favorite song “Save Ginny Weasley from Dean Thomas.” You better believe I bought their newest CD and even a T-shirt. Megs bought their 7″ vinyl and had both Harrys sign it for her (and her 6th grade class). Aaron had them sign his “Voldemort Can’t Stop the Rock” shirt and Harry 4th Year wrote, “It’s never to loud to read.” Man, you gotta love those guys.

18 Week Update

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Well, technically 18 weeks and 4 days, but whose counting, right?

Yesterday Simeon and I had an appointment with my OB. We started the appointment with the obligatory weighing-of-the-pregnant-woman and the peeing in a cup. Both of which I just love. (Could you hear that sarcasm? If not, you need to listen a little more closely.) However, the dreaded doctor’s office scale–the scale that so many women come to loathe–has actually come to be my friend. In fact, yesterday it informed me that I have not gained a single pound. Nothing. Zero. Zip. Zilch. I actually had to check twice because I didn’t believe it myself. But it’s true. No weight gain so far. And to be perfectly honest, I don’t know how it’s physically possible (as I can no longer fit in any of my normal clothes), but they assure me it’s true. I even asked my doctor when I should worry that I haven’t gained any weight and she actually laughed at me. Apparently I don’t have to worry about that just yet.

The peeing in a cup was fairly uneventful. As I can pee at any given moment with my new “pregnant bladder” I don’t have to worry about having to go on command. I do, however, worry about the amount I can pee. Usually it’s about a tablespoon. I swear. So that little cup can be quite intimidating when I can’t even fill it to the first line. But alas, I have always provided enough for them to run the necessary tests, so I figure I am good to go.

Then came the actual fun part: listening to the baby’s heartbeat. My doctor was having a little trouble getting the gel out of the bottle, so she shook it and of course it took that moment to loosen up and squirt not only across my tummy but also down my leg. Then I was laughing so hard my doctor had trouble finding the heartbeat under my bouncing belly. Finally she found it and I made sure to ask what the beats per minute were (I was in trouble with my sister for not asking last time) and she informed me it was in the 130s. So take from that what
you
will.

Then my doctor handed Sim and I the magical little slip of paper to go and schedule our ultrasound. THE ultrasound. This was the entire reason I was looking forward to this appointment. So we walked up to the scheduling desk only to be informed that she needed to check someone’s schedule before setting my appointment and of course that person wasn’t in, so she would call me later. At this point, I couldn’t really argue, but I was still crestfallen. No ultrasound scheduled. *Sigh* So freakin’ lame.

Ah well, at least my baby has a good heartbeat. And I haven’t gained any weight. I got those things going for me, right?

**Updated: I just got off the phone with my doctor’s office (I finally had to call them myself!) and have my ultrasound appointment scheduled! My appointment is set for Monday July 31st. That’s right, on my birthday! What a happy birthday present for me!

Buuuuuurp

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I just now reached that point in my pregnancy where the All-You-Can-Eat buffet is no longer wasted on me. Food (finally!) tastes good again and I can’t seem to get enough. Watch out!

Early Morning Scare

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There is nothing, NOTHING, more terrifying than a pregnant lady taking a shower and opening her eyes after washing her face to see the shower floor splattered with blood.

There is also nothing more relieving than while searching for the source of the blood catching a glimpse of her face in the mirror and realizing it was just a bloody nose.

God Lord was that scary! But what a way to really wake yourself up in the morning, eh?

Oh happy day!

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A list of things that are making me very happy today:

    • I am currently having a mid-morning snack of the best fresh cubed watermelon. It is sooooo yummy. Fruit makes Maybe Baby (and me) very happy.

 

    • I called over to Advance Camera this morning to check on the status of my Nikon (since it has been six LONG weeks since I have seen my dear camera). I was expecting a call from them telling me the problem, what it was gonna cost, and get my ok to fix it. They informed me I hadn’t heard from them because they didn’t need my ok to fix it since Nikon was going to do it FREE. OF. CHARGE. Score!

 

    • It has been 12 whole days since I last threw up. Count ’em: TWELEVE DAYS!

 

    • I think I am finally starting to get some of my energy back. I have gone to bed at the semi-decent hour of 9:30-10:00 pm for the last several nights in a row…and not been a complete zombie the following day.

 

    • It is cool and cloudy today. That makes this hot, pregnant lady VERY happy.

 

    • And it is suppose to stay that way for a couple more days. Total bonus.

 

  • Simeon and I have started taking the steps to Make Room For a Baby: we cleaned out the closet in our office so we could paint the interior and install a walk in closet designer allowing us to shuffle all of the things in the nursery (wow, it is weird to say/type that) into the office. Now we just need to sell all the furniture in that room, not only so we have room for baby stuff, but so we can afford to buy things the baby will require. You know, like a crib.

Pointing out the Obvious

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When my husband, very gently I might add, asked me when pregnant women “start showing” I took it to mean that I have finally reached that point in my pregnancy when it is starting to become obvious. (More so to those who know I am in the family way, whereas others may just think I have taken to eating my own body weight in cookies.) The only thing that keeps me comfortable with my new shape (beyond knowing that I get a cuddly baby out of the deal) is the fact that I have kept my actual weight in check. This morning as I prepared to take a shower I was startled by my own reflection. Suddenly there was a stomach where there wasn’t one (well, as big of one, anyway) before. I promptly pulled out my scale, climbed on and braced myself for the numbers to stop climbing. I peered over my burgeoning belly to breathe a sigh of relief: I have only gained three pounds since I found out I was pregnant. Whew!

Not to mention that I have personally become very aware of my stomach these days. Whether I am leaning against a counter or trying to bend over, suddenly things feel very…different. I notice every single bump or graze against my skin as if it were a mortal attack. And don’t even get me started on trying to keep my clothes looking presentable over the thing. I am pulling my pants up and my shirt down with every move I make. Going to the bathroom is torture. You mean I have to re-adjust everything all over again?!

So in coming to grips with the Stomach-That-Won’t-Stop, my next step in acceptance is providing photographic evidence. Since I am without any proper camera at the moment (my Nikon has been sent back to the factory and my dad borrowed my old digital camera), I am reliant on Simeon’s camera phone (his is better than mine). But here you are, my first belly shots at 17 weeks: