I'm going to try my hardest to come up with some non baby news. I have a feeling this will be even more difficult once I have the baby. But anyways. Here we go.
1. We went to a TobyMac concert last night. It was awesome! He puts on great shows. What's funny is that it was a last-minute decision. I'm think we only bought the tickets four days ago. Art heard he was coming to Seattle, and he really wanted to go. (I didn't realize my husband was such a big TobyMac fan until quite recently.) He finally looked up the tickets, and realized that they were pretty cheap, so he asked me if we could go.
He's so funny. He's like a kid sometimes. I keep joking that we don't need to have a baby, because I already have one! Anyway, he asked me if we could go, and of course I said yes! I'm glad we went. I suppose I should feel a bit bad that Art didn't get to go right down to the stage. He told me that he's ALWAYS in the mosh pit. But he stayed in our seats for me, because there was no way I was going that close!
I was a tiny bit worried about the loud music, and if it would affect the baby, but it's all good. Many pregnant women have gone to rock concerts, and their babies didn't suffer hearing loss or anything.
2. I mentioned in my last post that I need to improve my eating habits. I've been eating perfect for over a week now, and I feel like myself again! (Perfect = no processed foods, no refined sugars, no grains. If it has a list of ingredients, and those ingredients are not real/recognizable foods, I don't go near it.)
I actually began to notice a difference within 24 hours of eating better, and in three days, everything was normal again. I did treat myself to some ice cream last night, but I haven't noticed any negative symptoms yet. But I'm going to keep up with the perfect eating, because I don't want to fool myself into thinking that it was just a temporary thing, and then start "treating" myself on a regular basis. Because I know what it does to me, and it's NOT a treat.
3. I was hoping to have a cloth diaper shower, but now I don't think it's going to happen. My friend (who is also going to be my doula) wants to host one for me. She is so very sweet and selfless, and her intentions bless my heart. But in this case, I think that perhaps, maybe, it's just not realistic.
She doesn't live in the same town as we do ("we" being Art and me, and all the people I might want at the shower). Plus she lives in an apartment, so she can't host it at her place. We live in an apartment, so she can't host it at my place. Also she doesn't know any of the people that I would want at the shower. My connection to her is completely separate from every other connection that I have. (Yes, believe it or not, she and I have no mutual friends.)
She doesn't go to our church, so she doesn't know the church ladies I might invite. She doesn't go to the gym, so she doesn't know the gym ladies I might invite. What I'm trying to get at is that if this shower is going to happen, it's up to me to figure out where the shower can take place, and it's up to me to invite everyone. I'm half planning my own shower.
And not only that, but the women that I would invite? I don't feel like I know them that well. Especially the church ladies. I've spoken to a few of them only a few times. I never see these people outside of church or the gym. I consider them my acquaintances, not my friends. (I would love it if they were my friends, but these things take time.)
Overall, it just seems awkward and tasteless. Am I overreacting? I know I have a tendency to focus on the negative. I call myself a "realist", which usually ends up being more "pessimist." But I seriously can't see a solution here. And my friend and I have been stuck at this point since she first suggested it, back in....October?
Also, I just shouldn't be planning my own shower. That just isn't done. So I love my friend for wanting to do this for me, but I'm thinking that it's just not going to go anywhere. And I hope I don't sound selfish, like I'm hoping more people buy me more things. It's that I feel bad for my friend. She's had her heart set on this for so long, and I don't know how to tell her that I don't want to have to work out the logistics. She's such a gentle person, and it's going to hurt her if I tell her to let it go.
I'm going to ask Art if we can use our tax return to purchase the remainder of the baby items (which include diapers, and also some bigger things like the playpen and stroller). I've only got a couple of months left, and no more showers.
(Actually that's not true. Art's mom wants to throw me a shower. Some of you might remember my talking about the Filipino wedding shower that she hosted. Everyone bought us crystal. Lots and lots of crystal things that we will never, ever use. Filipino's are warm and generous people, but they're not big on using registries. They have their own ideas as to what new brides or new moms should have. Needless to say, I'm really curious to see how the Filipino shower turns out.)
4. So that's a bit of...disappointing?...news. But I've also got good news: we're moving! (Again?!) Yes, again. The apartment suite right next to ours is a two-bedroom. When we moved into this one-bedroom, we realized that our next door neighbors were friends of ours! And they told us that they had been in that place for five years, and their lease was about to expire, and they wanted to get out of there.
So we talked to the landlords, and they said it would work. We're not breaking our lease, and we told them we could guarantee them three years. So they asked for a holding deposit, and now we officially have dibs on it! Our friends are done moving out (I think), so the landlords just need to go through and paint and clean the carpets, and make any repairs that need to be made, and close things up with the old tenants, and I don't think that will take too long. They're great landlords, and they get things done quick.
So in a couple of weeks, we (hopefully) get to move in! And it's going to be the easiest move ever. We just have to walk out our door, and walk across the connecting "balcony/walkway" and through the door of the new place. No stairs. No packing. I can literally pull a stack of dishes from one cupboard, walk over, and put them in a cupboard over there.
And did I mention it has two bedrooms? (AND two bathrooms?!) The baby will have his or her own room! No playpen in the living room! And more closet space! Yeah. I'm pretty stoked. The bedrooms are smaller, unfortunately, but we've done tiny squishy bedroom before. Plus, the master bedroom has its own bathroom. So Art and I get to have separate bathrooms. :)
My bathroom will be the "public bathroom", because my bathroom will always be clean. And my bathroom has a linen closet in it. And I get to say "my bathroom." (I just realized that this means we also have to buy another shower curtain, and more floor rugs, and another soap dispenser, and two sets of shampoo and conditioner, and two toothpastes....maybe I'll make it all pink and purple, just to be ridiculous.)
5. Things are going well at work. We just got some new programming put into place, which will make our jobs easier. We've been in our new database for over a year now, but I don't think our parent company really realized how inconvenient it was for us. The database wasn't really meant for the type of things our company does. But we had to transition to it, because our "parents" said so.
This year, the managers at our company finally got to sit down with some of the programmers, and they got to see, firsthand, just how difficult our lives were. They were astounded at how long each process took, and the insane work-arounds that we had to do just so that we could keep operating the way we had always done.
So they came up with a bunch of new programming that is specific to the type of things that our company does, so that we can work more efficiently, make fewer mistakes, and ultimately, have happier customers!
My supervisor made a joke that we're such cheap dates. As in, the littlest things make us all so happy and giddy, like how the current date auto-fills in certain screens, instead of us having to type it on ourselves. Or, when we have to choose something from a list, the list is now alphabetized. Stuff like that. But it really does make a difference! I think the biggest thing, for me, is seeing how the higher-ups are actually working WITH us on this. I think a lot of times we feel like they don't care about the little people.
So I'm happy that these things are improving. I won't be there much longer, but while I'm still there, I want to see these types of positive changes. (And hopefully positive changes keep happening long after I'm gone!)
And that's the latest news in my life! See, there ARE other things happening around me besides having a baby in my tummy. It's just that I'm mostly focused on the baby. (As if that wasn't obvious.)
Oh, I thought of one more thing:
6. I just bought a new deodorant/antiperspirant. I think the brand is called Sure. And I hate it. It doesn't work. So all week, I've felt as though I stink. My BO is just out there, for the world to enjoy. I've been trying to compensate by applying yummy lotions and perfume, but I can still smell my less-than-lovely pits, and I'm paranoid that others can as well.
Here's the thing: I hate deodorant/antiperspirant for women. It's either a white stick, or a gel, or a powder. And they ALL say "Goes on clear!", except NONE of them do. If it's a white stick, it goes on white. If it's a powder, it goes on white. If it's a gel, you end up with sticky pits. No matter which way you slice it, your pits and clothes will carry the evidence of what you applied to your underarms that morning.
I don't understand why deodorant/antiperspirant companies don't make an ACTUAL clear stick for women. They do it for men. Why not women? (And no, I'm not going to start using my husband's clear stick. I don't want to smell like a man. I won't lie: I'm tempted. But I've resisted thus far. Although I may have to cave if this continues.)
So, I need advice. What do you use? Do your pits and clothes display it and you just put up with it? Or have you actually found a brand that "Goes on clear!" like they say it does, despite the fact that it's a white stick or powder? And where do you buy it?
I usually just go to Target or Wal-Mart for these things, but if I don't find something soon, I guess I might have to resort to buying online. Which irks me, because I would have to pay shipping for such a small, basic item that I SHOULD be able to find in stores.
Okay, I'm done for real this time. Have a great weekend!
January 29, 2011
January 21, 2011
Feelings. Or, If You Are Filipino: "Peelings"
So here I am. Not feeling that great. Again.
Today I posted on Facebook that I don't quite feel like I've fully recovered from the flu, and I got the flu almost a month ago! It hasn't been constant, but I'd say that, for the past few weeks, I've spent several afternoons and/or evenings feeling unwell, gross, or even nauseated. And there have been a couple of other symptoms as well, that I won't get into.
Remember how I said my New Year's Resolution was a continuation from last year: To be as healthy as possible? I thought I was doing a pretty good job, but now that I think about, I really haven't.
I've been so proud of myself, making healthy breakfasts and dinners, buying vegetables I wouldn't normally buy, and experimenting with new, healthy recipes. If I'm lucky, there's enough left over for lunch the next day.
But at work. At work it's a different story. Yes, I have my healthy lunch with me. And all these healthy meals have made me think that it's okay to partake in the various treats that are always present at the office, because "I'm only deviating a little. What harm can it do?"
Well, I'm finding out that there is no such thing as a "little cheat", even with an otherwise healthy diet. And yes, some of it might be pregnancy related. But let's face it: food that isn't good for you isn't good for you. (And by you, I mean me.) Pregnant or not, I should not be eating what I know I should not be eating. Logic, and experience, tells me that unhealthy food has unhealthy consequences.
So, starting today, no more junk. At all. Not even if it's just at work. Not even a teeny, tiny taste. Because it's not worth it. I hate feeling this way. I hate not going to the gym because I spent the afternoon feeling yucky. I hate not wanting to make dinner because I have no appetite. I hate pushing my husband away, when he gets home from work and wants to hug me, because my tummy is upset.
And I hate to think about what I might be doing my baby. Bottom line: I know better, but I won't feel better, unless I eat better.
Here's to a brand new week, and finally feeling good.
P.S. I mentioned in my last post that I might have caught a cold, but thankfully, I'm pretty sure I didn't. The sore throat has come and gone, and no other symptoms have popped up. So at least in that respect, I'm feeling good. But I know I can improve a whole lot more!
P.P.S. How do you like my blog's new look?
Today I posted on Facebook that I don't quite feel like I've fully recovered from the flu, and I got the flu almost a month ago! It hasn't been constant, but I'd say that, for the past few weeks, I've spent several afternoons and/or evenings feeling unwell, gross, or even nauseated. And there have been a couple of other symptoms as well, that I won't get into.
Remember how I said my New Year's Resolution was a continuation from last year: To be as healthy as possible? I thought I was doing a pretty good job, but now that I think about, I really haven't.
I've been so proud of myself, making healthy breakfasts and dinners, buying vegetables I wouldn't normally buy, and experimenting with new, healthy recipes. If I'm lucky, there's enough left over for lunch the next day.
But at work. At work it's a different story. Yes, I have my healthy lunch with me. And all these healthy meals have made me think that it's okay to partake in the various treats that are always present at the office, because "I'm only deviating a little. What harm can it do?"
Well, I'm finding out that there is no such thing as a "little cheat", even with an otherwise healthy diet. And yes, some of it might be pregnancy related. But let's face it: food that isn't good for you isn't good for you. (And by you, I mean me.) Pregnant or not, I should not be eating what I know I should not be eating. Logic, and experience, tells me that unhealthy food has unhealthy consequences.
So, starting today, no more junk. At all. Not even if it's just at work. Not even a teeny, tiny taste. Because it's not worth it. I hate feeling this way. I hate not going to the gym because I spent the afternoon feeling yucky. I hate not wanting to make dinner because I have no appetite. I hate pushing my husband away, when he gets home from work and wants to hug me, because my tummy is upset.
And I hate to think about what I might be doing my baby. Bottom line: I know better, but I won't feel better, unless I eat better.
Here's to a brand new week, and finally feeling good.
P.S. I mentioned in my last post that I might have caught a cold, but thankfully, I'm pretty sure I didn't. The sore throat has come and gone, and no other symptoms have popped up. So at least in that respect, I'm feeling good. But I know I can improve a whole lot more!
P.P.S. How do you like my blog's new look?
January 18, 2011
I'm Too Lazy To Give This A Proper Title
I am now 30 weeks pregnant. This is my 30 week belly.
Let's compare to my 27 week belly:
I swear I'm not any bigger than I was three weeks ago. Of course, I only just gained back the weight that I lost when I had the flu (plus a few pounds extra).
I can just hardly believe that I only have 10 weeks left. It seems so soon, and I'm so not ready! Also I'm very aware of how small I am for how far along I am. I hope this means I have a small (but healthy) baby. My mother-in-law just loves to remind me how big my husband was when he was born, and how many stitches she got because of his big head.
My mom told me both her babies were tiny and perfectly healthy. I know which advice I'm going with. (Advice is totally not the right word, but I can't think of a better one. Pregnancy brain.)
I'm experiencing plenty of breathlessness these days. I try to sit up straight at work, or put my arms over my head for a minute or two. And if anyone is watching me closely, they'll see me tug at my bra many times during the day. And I no longer care if someone sees me. I just need to breathe! My mom told me to get a tiny little fan. But I'm pretty sure they're hand held, and I need both my hands to enter orders.
So, just like heartburn, I will try and put up with it as best I can until this baby comes out. I've heard plenty of women say that they miss being pregnant, and right now, I do not understand. What I can understand is having a hard time getting used to not feeling someone move around inside of you. But miss being pregnant? Not possible.
I've been doing plenty of reading lately. It may not come as a surprise that it's all pregnancy and childbirth related, but I haven't read much of anything is SO LONG.
Also, I think we're finally going to take a childbirth class! We've been looking into different ones, and it just seems like none of them are working out. Well, there was an opening for one that just started recently, and it was highly recommended by my midwife. But after doing some research on the woman, the class, and the book she uses, I refused to go to that one.
I'm going to be completely honest: she and her methods weird me out to the max. I know she offers a lot of great information for natural childbirth, but she goes into a lot of other stuff that I'm not comfortable with. For example, on her blog, she featured artwork from her last birth class that she taught. She asks every woman to draw a picture of themselves in labor or giving birth, as a way to get in touch with their inner birth warrior goddess. I'm not even joking. This is a part of the class.
She's really into art, poetry, and feeling connected to "our earth mother." As someone who believes in one God who created the heavens and the earth, and His Son Jesus who died for our sins, I would not find her class helpful at all. I would rather take a class at the hospital (which would be geared more toward hospital births) than take her class. I'm not sure why my midwife recommended it.
But we are taking a class, one that I think will be very helpful, and not weird. It's a private class, because her public class is at the same time as my husband's community college classes. She will be coming to our house for three two-hour sessions, and she will also give us DVD's to watch on our own time. Which means that my friend will (hopefully) get to watch them with us. I'm glad, because I want her to feel as ready as possible (as she is planning on being here for my labor).
I also bought two books that are geared specifically towards doulas (or birth coaches) and I gave one to her. I'm reading the other one, and then we will compare notes. I'm loving my book already (even though it's technically not for me). I'm finding it extremely informative and helpful. Since it's such a thick book, and my husband is already so busy, I've decided I'm going to highlight the parts that I feel are important for him to read, so that he doesn't have to go through the entire thing.
I think I will also use the information from both books to make cue cards for all of us, so that we'll having quick reference material when I'm in labor. I'm sure I'm not the only one who will forget everything I read when labor hits. We'll all be too excited and nervous.
I know I talk of nothing else these days, but it's kind of hard not to. I think about it 24/7. It's by far the biggest thing happening in my life right now. But there are other things happening too.
Like....my husband is taking a couple of classes to finish up his transfer degree. Then he will start classes as a Junior at the University. He's going for Kineisiology and Exercise Science, as he feels this will help him become a better CrossFit coach, and it will definitely help with his full time job in the fish oil industry. He hates being this busy, but he's really absorbing everything he's learning thus far, and after he gets home from his classes, he explains to me what he learned as he applies it to life. Most of the time it goes over my head, but it makes me happy to see that he really does understand it!
He also just got back from a business trip to California. Yeah, he's pretty much the luckiest guy in the world. His company paid for him to go to California for the weekend, plus paid him for working during the weekend. I won't get into the details, but needless to say, HE LOVED IT. He misses it already. Three days there and he's ruined for Washington, or any other place. He would seriously love to live there.
And I must be crazy for not wanting to live there. I think, for me, it's the fact that we don't know anyone there. I already left my all my family and friends once (in Manitoba). I don't want to leave my family and friends again. Also, it's so hot there! Sure, it can get kind of depressing with all the rain and lack of sun in the winter. But the temperatures are never too warm or too cold. And we have mountains. But if it's his dream, and God's will, of course I will go.
In other news, I think I caught a cold. I noticed this morning that my throat hurt, and I was kind of dragging all day. I actually left work an hour early, because I had pretty much stopped being useful. I've been resting (but not sleeping) all afternoon and evening, and I don't know if I feel a whole lot better, but I definitely don't feel worse. I'm just going to be careful that I don't push myself.
And yes, I'm drinking tea with lemon and honey. I feel like I've had more tea in the past couple of months than I have in the past 25 years. I'm almost sick of tea, but it helps, so I drink it.
Speaking of work, my job is going well. I received very high praises from my supervisor. She can't believe how well I'm doing, considering I haven't been doing order entry for that long. So that felt really good hear. Not that I doubted myself. But it's always nice to have someone appreciate your work.
We've been working hard at the backlog that builds up every year before Thanksgiving, and it finally feels like we're getting it under control. Just a couple of weeks ago, our bins were bulging with order forms, and now I can easily see us getting to the point where we'll have almost nothing to do for a while! And then it will pick up again, and then it will get really crazy, but by that time, I'll be at home with my new baby. I'm so glad I don't have to be there for another insane summer. It's just so stressful.
Oh, I forgot to write up there with all the other pregnancy symptoms that our Little One has really discovered my ribcage. It doesn't hurt really bad, but it's definitely uncomfortable. Also, the baby's movements feel different now that s/he is getting bigger and bigger. A lot of things feel kind of funny, or not nice. The baby can really put the pressure on in lots of different places, and it often doesn't feel good. I still can't decipher head from bum from feet from hands, but I like to think I have an idea.
And I'm trying to not be worried about my size or slow weight gain. I don't understand how women at this stage can just eat and eat and eat. My stomach doesn't have any room for tons of food! If anything, my appetite is smaller than ever. A combination of heartburn and lack of room often have me wishing that I didn't have to eat at all. But I do have to eat, so I try. Kind of reminds me of my first trimester...
But I find that I'm up at night more and more with heartburn or an upset stomach. Combined with need to pee all the time, and sleep is definitely not what it used to be. Even with my calcium-magnesium supplement. (Which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone and everyone. It helps with any muscle or joint pain, and it helps you sleep. If you don't have heartburn and a bladder the size of a walnut and a baby who loves to party at night.)
Speaking of Cal-Mag, I haven't taken mine yet, and bedtime is only an hour away. So I'll end with this: Art sent me flowers at work on Friday, because "I've been such a trooper, carrying our baby around for 30 weeks and I deserve them."
Let's compare to my 27 week belly:
I swear I'm not any bigger than I was three weeks ago. Of course, I only just gained back the weight that I lost when I had the flu (plus a few pounds extra).
I can just hardly believe that I only have 10 weeks left. It seems so soon, and I'm so not ready! Also I'm very aware of how small I am for how far along I am. I hope this means I have a small (but healthy) baby. My mother-in-law just loves to remind me how big my husband was when he was born, and how many stitches she got because of his big head.
My mom told me both her babies were tiny and perfectly healthy. I know which advice I'm going with. (Advice is totally not the right word, but I can't think of a better one. Pregnancy brain.)
I'm experiencing plenty of breathlessness these days. I try to sit up straight at work, or put my arms over my head for a minute or two. And if anyone is watching me closely, they'll see me tug at my bra many times during the day. And I no longer care if someone sees me. I just need to breathe! My mom told me to get a tiny little fan. But I'm pretty sure they're hand held, and I need both my hands to enter orders.
So, just like heartburn, I will try and put up with it as best I can until this baby comes out. I've heard plenty of women say that they miss being pregnant, and right now, I do not understand. What I can understand is having a hard time getting used to not feeling someone move around inside of you. But miss being pregnant? Not possible.
I've been doing plenty of reading lately. It may not come as a surprise that it's all pregnancy and childbirth related, but I haven't read much of anything is SO LONG.
Also, I think we're finally going to take a childbirth class! We've been looking into different ones, and it just seems like none of them are working out. Well, there was an opening for one that just started recently, and it was highly recommended by my midwife. But after doing some research on the woman, the class, and the book she uses, I refused to go to that one.
I'm going to be completely honest: she and her methods weird me out to the max. I know she offers a lot of great information for natural childbirth, but she goes into a lot of other stuff that I'm not comfortable with. For example, on her blog, she featured artwork from her last birth class that she taught. She asks every woman to draw a picture of themselves in labor or giving birth, as a way to get in touch with their inner birth warrior goddess. I'm not even joking. This is a part of the class.
She's really into art, poetry, and feeling connected to "our earth mother." As someone who believes in one God who created the heavens and the earth, and His Son Jesus who died for our sins, I would not find her class helpful at all. I would rather take a class at the hospital (which would be geared more toward hospital births) than take her class. I'm not sure why my midwife recommended it.
But we are taking a class, one that I think will be very helpful, and not weird. It's a private class, because her public class is at the same time as my husband's community college classes. She will be coming to our house for three two-hour sessions, and she will also give us DVD's to watch on our own time. Which means that my friend will (hopefully) get to watch them with us. I'm glad, because I want her to feel as ready as possible (as she is planning on being here for my labor).
I also bought two books that are geared specifically towards doulas (or birth coaches) and I gave one to her. I'm reading the other one, and then we will compare notes. I'm loving my book already (even though it's technically not for me). I'm finding it extremely informative and helpful. Since it's such a thick book, and my husband is already so busy, I've decided I'm going to highlight the parts that I feel are important for him to read, so that he doesn't have to go through the entire thing.
I think I will also use the information from both books to make cue cards for all of us, so that we'll having quick reference material when I'm in labor. I'm sure I'm not the only one who will forget everything I read when labor hits. We'll all be too excited and nervous.
I know I talk of nothing else these days, but it's kind of hard not to. I think about it 24/7. It's by far the biggest thing happening in my life right now. But there are other things happening too.
Like....my husband is taking a couple of classes to finish up his transfer degree. Then he will start classes as a Junior at the University. He's going for Kineisiology and Exercise Science, as he feels this will help him become a better CrossFit coach, and it will definitely help with his full time job in the fish oil industry. He hates being this busy, but he's really absorbing everything he's learning thus far, and after he gets home from his classes, he explains to me what he learned as he applies it to life. Most of the time it goes over my head, but it makes me happy to see that he really does understand it!
He also just got back from a business trip to California. Yeah, he's pretty much the luckiest guy in the world. His company paid for him to go to California for the weekend, plus paid him for working during the weekend. I won't get into the details, but needless to say, HE LOVED IT. He misses it already. Three days there and he's ruined for Washington, or any other place. He would seriously love to live there.
And I must be crazy for not wanting to live there. I think, for me, it's the fact that we don't know anyone there. I already left my all my family and friends once (in Manitoba). I don't want to leave my family and friends again. Also, it's so hot there! Sure, it can get kind of depressing with all the rain and lack of sun in the winter. But the temperatures are never too warm or too cold. And we have mountains. But if it's his dream, and God's will, of course I will go.
In other news, I think I caught a cold. I noticed this morning that my throat hurt, and I was kind of dragging all day. I actually left work an hour early, because I had pretty much stopped being useful. I've been resting (but not sleeping) all afternoon and evening, and I don't know if I feel a whole lot better, but I definitely don't feel worse. I'm just going to be careful that I don't push myself.
And yes, I'm drinking tea with lemon and honey. I feel like I've had more tea in the past couple of months than I have in the past 25 years. I'm almost sick of tea, but it helps, so I drink it.
Speaking of work, my job is going well. I received very high praises from my supervisor. She can't believe how well I'm doing, considering I haven't been doing order entry for that long. So that felt really good hear. Not that I doubted myself. But it's always nice to have someone appreciate your work.
We've been working hard at the backlog that builds up every year before Thanksgiving, and it finally feels like we're getting it under control. Just a couple of weeks ago, our bins were bulging with order forms, and now I can easily see us getting to the point where we'll have almost nothing to do for a while! And then it will pick up again, and then it will get really crazy, but by that time, I'll be at home with my new baby. I'm so glad I don't have to be there for another insane summer. It's just so stressful.
Oh, I forgot to write up there with all the other pregnancy symptoms that our Little One has really discovered my ribcage. It doesn't hurt really bad, but it's definitely uncomfortable. Also, the baby's movements feel different now that s/he is getting bigger and bigger. A lot of things feel kind of funny, or not nice. The baby can really put the pressure on in lots of different places, and it often doesn't feel good. I still can't decipher head from bum from feet from hands, but I like to think I have an idea.
And I'm trying to not be worried about my size or slow weight gain. I don't understand how women at this stage can just eat and eat and eat. My stomach doesn't have any room for tons of food! If anything, my appetite is smaller than ever. A combination of heartburn and lack of room often have me wishing that I didn't have to eat at all. But I do have to eat, so I try. Kind of reminds me of my first trimester...
But I find that I'm up at night more and more with heartburn or an upset stomach. Combined with need to pee all the time, and sleep is definitely not what it used to be. Even with my calcium-magnesium supplement. (Which I HIGHLY recommend to anyone and everyone. It helps with any muscle or joint pain, and it helps you sleep. If you don't have heartburn and a bladder the size of a walnut and a baby who loves to party at night.)
Speaking of Cal-Mag, I haven't taken mine yet, and bedtime is only an hour away. So I'll end with this: Art sent me flowers at work on Friday, because "I've been such a trooper, carrying our baby around for 30 weeks and I deserve them."
January 12, 2011
Won't You Help a Mother Out?
Her name is Dawn Meehan. She is (normally) a very funny woman, with a very popular, humorous blog. She recently published her second book, "You'll Lose the Baby Weight" (and Other Lies About Pregnancy and Childbirth).
If it's as good as her first book, then you can expect your face to hurt (from smiling and laughing) by the time you turn the last page.
Her blog has been lacking in the humor department lately, because she is going through some tough stuff. She recently got a divorce. Her husband has been...irresponsible and dishonest for quite some time now, so in her eyes, she's in a healthier place, emotionally, now that they are no longer married. Well, she would be in a healthier place emotionally if she didn't have her six children to worry about.
Yes, you read that correctly. She is now a single mother of six. The oldest is 16, the youngest is four. Three girls, three boys. Though her children seem to be doing somewhat okay with the divorce (it didn't escape them that their dad hasn't been a good dad for many years now), two of her sons are now struggling with depression. One of her sons "deals" with his depression by lashing out at her, breaking things, and slamming doors.
The other son has been hospitalized at a place that deals specifically with depressed and suicidal teens. Visiting hours are extremely limited, and he can't even see all five of his siblings at once. She can only bring them in one or two at a time, for one hour, a couple of times a week.
This is on top of her normal duties of feeding and clothing her kids, getting them to school and to their various activities, paying her mortgage and bills, all of which is challenging enough when you're a single mother of six. An unemployed single mother of six (she doesn't earn any money through blogging).
And today she learned that her ex was fired from his job, and when she inquired about unemployment, he told her that it was "none of her business." She has no income, no child support, and her kids no longer have insurance coverage, so she has no way of paying the medical bills (or paying for any of her other expenses, for that matter).
I honestly don't know how she keeps her head up every day. It takes an incredible amount of strength just to get up in the morning, and even more strength and vulnerability to share her struggles on her blog. She asks only for prayers. She says that helps more than anything else.
I'm going to take it one step further and ask that you not only pray for her and her family, but also consider buying her book. If you have $10.79 to spare, follow this link here to purchase it from Amazon.
You can follow this link here to read her blog. Thankfully, you won't have to dig very far into her archives before the laughter starts. Somehow, she still manages to find plenty of humor in her life, and few things make her happier than to be able to share it with the world.
If it's as good as her first book, then you can expect your face to hurt (from smiling and laughing) by the time you turn the last page.
Her blog has been lacking in the humor department lately, because she is going through some tough stuff. She recently got a divorce. Her husband has been...irresponsible and dishonest for quite some time now, so in her eyes, she's in a healthier place, emotionally, now that they are no longer married. Well, she would be in a healthier place emotionally if she didn't have her six children to worry about.
Yes, you read that correctly. She is now a single mother of six. The oldest is 16, the youngest is four. Three girls, three boys. Though her children seem to be doing somewhat okay with the divorce (it didn't escape them that their dad hasn't been a good dad for many years now), two of her sons are now struggling with depression. One of her sons "deals" with his depression by lashing out at her, breaking things, and slamming doors.
The other son has been hospitalized at a place that deals specifically with depressed and suicidal teens. Visiting hours are extremely limited, and he can't even see all five of his siblings at once. She can only bring them in one or two at a time, for one hour, a couple of times a week.
This is on top of her normal duties of feeding and clothing her kids, getting them to school and to their various activities, paying her mortgage and bills, all of which is challenging enough when you're a single mother of six. An unemployed single mother of six (she doesn't earn any money through blogging).
And today she learned that her ex was fired from his job, and when she inquired about unemployment, he told her that it was "none of her business." She has no income, no child support, and her kids no longer have insurance coverage, so she has no way of paying the medical bills (or paying for any of her other expenses, for that matter).
I honestly don't know how she keeps her head up every day. It takes an incredible amount of strength just to get up in the morning, and even more strength and vulnerability to share her struggles on her blog. She asks only for prayers. She says that helps more than anything else.
I'm going to take it one step further and ask that you not only pray for her and her family, but also consider buying her book. If you have $10.79 to spare, follow this link here to purchase it from Amazon.
You can follow this link here to read her blog. Thankfully, you won't have to dig very far into her archives before the laughter starts. Somehow, she still manages to find plenty of humor in her life, and few things make her happier than to be able to share it with the world.
January 11, 2011
Note To Self: No More Cajun Food For Dinner
It seems that late at night is the time for blogging! It is nearly 1am, and I woke up about an hour ago not feeling too great. So I made myself some tea, and decided to pass the time by writing a little blog post!
(I'm already feeling better, btw. I think it was the spicy food I made for dinner. I know I'm supposed to stay away from spicy foods, but it's so hard! I don't like anything REALLY spicy, but I love to add flavor to all my meals, so it borders on spicy, which tends to bother me later on. I may never learn my lesson.)
I'm at 29 weeks now, and I honestly don't feel any bigger than that picture of me at 27 weeks. I'm sure I'm growing, but I can't really see it. I'm crossing my fingers that this will mean a smaller baby (but still healthy!).
Today I felt like I couldn't quite breathe deeply enough. I remember when my sister was pregnant with her first, and she felt that way a lot during the end. My mom suggested having a tiny fan just for your face. I guess the cool air makes you feel like you can breathe easier. I'm not going to invest in one of these, but I will be fanning my face more with whatever I can find. I'm sure my coworkers will think I'm just too warm, and they might wonder why I don't just remove my heavy sweater!
I think I am warmer in general these days. I don't feel overheated, but Art has been making a lot of comments lately about how I keep the bedroom way too cold. Or when he hugs me, or spends time with my belly, he always says something like, "My warm wife." So I guess I'm a bit of a furnace now. Which isn't such a bad thing during these cold winter months. Or in our cold office.
I've been trying to track my Braxton Hicks contractions, but it's so hard to do, because they're so subtle! (Which is probably a good thing.) My belly kind of always feels a little tight, which is what a Braxton Hicks contraction feels like. I'm guessing that I have about two a day.
Baby movements haven't changed a whole lot, but I'm definitely noticing that the baby has "favorite" things he or she likes to do. My belly always bulges on the left side, but almost never on the right side (in fact, the baby is doing that as I'm typing this). Sometimes I push back, and I feel something hard, but I still can't tell if it's a foot or a bum or a head or what. Also, lately I feel tickles under my ribs on the right side, and tickles down by my left hip, at the same time. I guess the baby is stretching, because both movements feel kind of like hands and/or feet.
I was hoping that at some point I could record a video of my belly moving, but it's like Baby knows when I'm watching, because the movements always stop when I look down. Sneaky child. They're out-smarting me already. :)
Speaking of growing, I did have to buy a new winter coat today. That houndstooth-patterned coat that Art picked out is now too small. I knew when I bought it that it probably wouldn't fit me much past Christmas. I actually tore it before Christmas, along a seam in the back, but I just put off shopping for a new one. I hope I can fix it. It's a nice coat, and I want to be able to wear it post-pregnancy.
My new one is two sizes bigger, and I still need to move the buttons over to give myself a little more room! But this one should hold me over until the baby comes. It has a high waist, and there are only buttons above the waist. Below the waist, it just overlaps.
The store was having a clearance on coats, which is a good thing for a lot of people around here, because we just got some snow and are scheduled to get a whole lot more! It's been a rather warm, rainy Christmas (quite typical for the Northwest), and I thought it was going to be a cold, sunny January (like last year). But we're getting something right in between: snow!
I was overjoyed on Sunday morning when I got up and looked outside. However, I do understand why everyone over here freaks out when it snows. Being from the prairies, I used to make fun of everyone for how they reacted when we got a couple of inches. But now I get it.
See, it doesn't snow a whole lot out here, so there aren't any snowploughs. Well, there are snowploughs, but not for the city in general. They're pretty much just at airports. I'm used to having all the snow cleared from the streets after a snowfall, but cities and towns don't budget for that on the west coast, because they would only need them for maybe two weeks out of the whole year. Same thing with spreading salt or gravel. The city doesn't do that, because it's not in their budget, because they would only have to do it twice during the whole year.
Also, when it snows here, the temperatures hover right around freezing. So it melts, then freezes, then melts, then freezes, and actually becomes quite treacherous. Our parking lot is a particular bad spot. It becomes insta-ice rink as soon as we get a little snow. I thought that maybe our landlord would spread salt or gravel (since he lives on the property, so he surely understands how awful the parking lot is. Right?) Wrong. It's not even in his budget.
Well, he did spread a little salt on the sidewalk by the mail boxes, since that's a common area where everyone will be walking, but that's it.
Right now, driving has been alright (once we manage to get out of our parking lot). But that could change over the next three days, and of course, I'm going to continue to be super cautious. I actually wore my big, clunky, winter boots to work today, because I needed them to keep me safe while I made the short trip from apartment to car. I felt silly the whole day, because there's basically no snow or ice where I work (and I work 8 minutes from home!).
So I think I'm going to wear the boots just outside, and bring my regular shoes with me to wear inside. I'll be a lot less awkward, and a lot more comfortable.
Hm, what else is new? Art is doing quite well. That man knows how to keep a New Year's resolution! (Hint: don't make vague goals. Make specific goals, with time frames, and specific steps to achieving them. Have a detailed plan.) He's been recording every hour of sleep, every supplement he takes, every bit of food that he eats, every workout and every stretch.
His back is already feeling much better, and he's lost 6 pounds in one week. He's aiming to lose a total of 20 pounds, while gaining back some muscle, and of course, healing his back completely. I've been enjoying supporting him in this, because I get to cook healthy meals that we both eat (and both benefit from).
I've been trying new recipes left and right, and they're all good! (As long as I've made them correctly.) I've said it before, and I'll say it again: eating healthy doesn't have to be boring or gross! I get excited when I can make things like cauliflower and zucchini taste amazing. I never used to eat those things. Now, I don't shy away from them, because I know how to cook them and flavor them to make them delicious. Which is what I did today.
I pulled out a Cajun seasoning mix, added some olive oil, cut up cauliflower and chicken breasts, covered everything with the Cajun sauce, and roasted it in the oven for half an hour. Delicious. And a tad spicy. Which brings us back to the beginning of this post, and why I'm writing it in the first place. :)
Not all meals are like that, thankfully. I slow cooked a pork loin yesterday, I slow cooked a duck last week, and I threw together a "stuffing" recipe on the weekend, but instead of bread, I used leftover Christmas turkey. It was so good, I made it twice! I'm actually quite proud of that one, because I kind of followed a recipe, and kind of just made it up as I was going along, and I did it in real hurry. But it turned out great!
I've been working out again. My goal is to get to the gym twice a week, which for me, is about all my body can take. I have to scale back the workouts when I do go, but hey, it's better than nothing. It takes me longer to recover from a workout too, so it may not even be safe to go more than two times a week. I can normally handle the almost-constant soreness that comes with being a CrossFitter, but I have to be more careful about those things now that I've got a baby along for the ride.
I think the hardest part about working out (and just having pregnancy soreness in general) is that it's so hard to stretch! So many hip stretches are no longer feasible because my belly gets in the way, (or the nature of the stretch gives me a foot or leg cramp) so it's difficult to really stretch my hips in ways that will make them feel better. And I always need to make my hips feel better. Art showed me a couple of stretches that I can still do, so I spend several minutes in those positions every day, because it's the only thing works!
Well, I don't think I have much more to write about, and it's nearly 2am. I feel better now, so I should go back to bed and try to get as much sleep as I can. It's not like I need any help feeling tired these days!
(I'm already feeling better, btw. I think it was the spicy food I made for dinner. I know I'm supposed to stay away from spicy foods, but it's so hard! I don't like anything REALLY spicy, but I love to add flavor to all my meals, so it borders on spicy, which tends to bother me later on. I may never learn my lesson.)
I'm at 29 weeks now, and I honestly don't feel any bigger than that picture of me at 27 weeks. I'm sure I'm growing, but I can't really see it. I'm crossing my fingers that this will mean a smaller baby (but still healthy!).
Today I felt like I couldn't quite breathe deeply enough. I remember when my sister was pregnant with her first, and she felt that way a lot during the end. My mom suggested having a tiny fan just for your face. I guess the cool air makes you feel like you can breathe easier. I'm not going to invest in one of these, but I will be fanning my face more with whatever I can find. I'm sure my coworkers will think I'm just too warm, and they might wonder why I don't just remove my heavy sweater!
I think I am warmer in general these days. I don't feel overheated, but Art has been making a lot of comments lately about how I keep the bedroom way too cold. Or when he hugs me, or spends time with my belly, he always says something like, "My warm wife." So I guess I'm a bit of a furnace now. Which isn't such a bad thing during these cold winter months. Or in our cold office.
I've been trying to track my Braxton Hicks contractions, but it's so hard to do, because they're so subtle! (Which is probably a good thing.) My belly kind of always feels a little tight, which is what a Braxton Hicks contraction feels like. I'm guessing that I have about two a day.
Baby movements haven't changed a whole lot, but I'm definitely noticing that the baby has "favorite" things he or she likes to do. My belly always bulges on the left side, but almost never on the right side (in fact, the baby is doing that as I'm typing this). Sometimes I push back, and I feel something hard, but I still can't tell if it's a foot or a bum or a head or what. Also, lately I feel tickles under my ribs on the right side, and tickles down by my left hip, at the same time. I guess the baby is stretching, because both movements feel kind of like hands and/or feet.
I was hoping that at some point I could record a video of my belly moving, but it's like Baby knows when I'm watching, because the movements always stop when I look down. Sneaky child. They're out-smarting me already. :)
Speaking of growing, I did have to buy a new winter coat today. That houndstooth-patterned coat that Art picked out is now too small. I knew when I bought it that it probably wouldn't fit me much past Christmas. I actually tore it before Christmas, along a seam in the back, but I just put off shopping for a new one. I hope I can fix it. It's a nice coat, and I want to be able to wear it post-pregnancy.
My new one is two sizes bigger, and I still need to move the buttons over to give myself a little more room! But this one should hold me over until the baby comes. It has a high waist, and there are only buttons above the waist. Below the waist, it just overlaps.
The store was having a clearance on coats, which is a good thing for a lot of people around here, because we just got some snow and are scheduled to get a whole lot more! It's been a rather warm, rainy Christmas (quite typical for the Northwest), and I thought it was going to be a cold, sunny January (like last year). But we're getting something right in between: snow!
I was overjoyed on Sunday morning when I got up and looked outside. However, I do understand why everyone over here freaks out when it snows. Being from the prairies, I used to make fun of everyone for how they reacted when we got a couple of inches. But now I get it.
See, it doesn't snow a whole lot out here, so there aren't any snowploughs. Well, there are snowploughs, but not for the city in general. They're pretty much just at airports. I'm used to having all the snow cleared from the streets after a snowfall, but cities and towns don't budget for that on the west coast, because they would only need them for maybe two weeks out of the whole year. Same thing with spreading salt or gravel. The city doesn't do that, because it's not in their budget, because they would only have to do it twice during the whole year.
Also, when it snows here, the temperatures hover right around freezing. So it melts, then freezes, then melts, then freezes, and actually becomes quite treacherous. Our parking lot is a particular bad spot. It becomes insta-ice rink as soon as we get a little snow. I thought that maybe our landlord would spread salt or gravel (since he lives on the property, so he surely understands how awful the parking lot is. Right?) Wrong. It's not even in his budget.
Well, he did spread a little salt on the sidewalk by the mail boxes, since that's a common area where everyone will be walking, but that's it.
Right now, driving has been alright (once we manage to get out of our parking lot). But that could change over the next three days, and of course, I'm going to continue to be super cautious. I actually wore my big, clunky, winter boots to work today, because I needed them to keep me safe while I made the short trip from apartment to car. I felt silly the whole day, because there's basically no snow or ice where I work (and I work 8 minutes from home!).
So I think I'm going to wear the boots just outside, and bring my regular shoes with me to wear inside. I'll be a lot less awkward, and a lot more comfortable.
Hm, what else is new? Art is doing quite well. That man knows how to keep a New Year's resolution! (Hint: don't make vague goals. Make specific goals, with time frames, and specific steps to achieving them. Have a detailed plan.) He's been recording every hour of sleep, every supplement he takes, every bit of food that he eats, every workout and every stretch.
His back is already feeling much better, and he's lost 6 pounds in one week. He's aiming to lose a total of 20 pounds, while gaining back some muscle, and of course, healing his back completely. I've been enjoying supporting him in this, because I get to cook healthy meals that we both eat (and both benefit from).
I've been trying new recipes left and right, and they're all good! (As long as I've made them correctly.) I've said it before, and I'll say it again: eating healthy doesn't have to be boring or gross! I get excited when I can make things like cauliflower and zucchini taste amazing. I never used to eat those things. Now, I don't shy away from them, because I know how to cook them and flavor them to make them delicious. Which is what I did today.
I pulled out a Cajun seasoning mix, added some olive oil, cut up cauliflower and chicken breasts, covered everything with the Cajun sauce, and roasted it in the oven for half an hour. Delicious. And a tad spicy. Which brings us back to the beginning of this post, and why I'm writing it in the first place. :)
Not all meals are like that, thankfully. I slow cooked a pork loin yesterday, I slow cooked a duck last week, and I threw together a "stuffing" recipe on the weekend, but instead of bread, I used leftover Christmas turkey. It was so good, I made it twice! I'm actually quite proud of that one, because I kind of followed a recipe, and kind of just made it up as I was going along, and I did it in real hurry. But it turned out great!
I've been working out again. My goal is to get to the gym twice a week, which for me, is about all my body can take. I have to scale back the workouts when I do go, but hey, it's better than nothing. It takes me longer to recover from a workout too, so it may not even be safe to go more than two times a week. I can normally handle the almost-constant soreness that comes with being a CrossFitter, but I have to be more careful about those things now that I've got a baby along for the ride.
I think the hardest part about working out (and just having pregnancy soreness in general) is that it's so hard to stretch! So many hip stretches are no longer feasible because my belly gets in the way, (or the nature of the stretch gives me a foot or leg cramp) so it's difficult to really stretch my hips in ways that will make them feel better. And I always need to make my hips feel better. Art showed me a couple of stretches that I can still do, so I spend several minutes in those positions every day, because it's the only thing works!
Well, I don't think I have much more to write about, and it's nearly 2am. I feel better now, so I should go back to bed and try to get as much sleep as I can. It's not like I need any help feeling tired these days!
January 2, 2011
I Just Started Typing and This Is What Came Out
Happy 2011 everyone! I hope you all had a joyous, safe, and nausea-free New Year's. Because I did. But I was worried that I wouldn't. Last week was such a bad week. I was sick off and on from Monday to Thursday. It was annoying. Also, I never want to taste chamomile tea or ginger ale ever again. I drank SO MUCH of both for four days, and sometimes it helped, and sometimes it didn't, and I'm just so glad I'm feeling better.
So yeah. Don't get the flu. It's a bad idea, and you WILL regret it. Especially if you're pregnant. Did you know that I lost five pounds? I weighed myself on Monday (mere hours before the flu hit me), and the scale (which is perfectly accurate) told me that I had gained 20 pounds. I weighed myself on that same scale on Friday, and it told me that I had only gained 15 pounds. Oops. I understand now why my midwife told me at my last appointment that I could stand to gain more weight than I have. I didn't think I was THAT sick, but when your body, well, you know, when you have the flu, and then you barely eat for four days, it's pretty easy to lose five pounds!
Thankfully, the baby is fine. S/he never noticed that I was sick (although sometimes I wished they had noticed. When you're already nauseated, and they're happily twisting and turning in there, it does not feel good). I think it's amazing how my body puts Baby first. It will throw my immune system under the bus, but will do everything it can to make sure that the baby has a strong immune system. Any cold or flu that I get won't be passed on to him or her, but the antibodies will be.
Something else I found out at my appointment last week is that I have an anterior placenta. When I casually mentioned this on Facebook, it generated a huge discussion, so this time, I'm going to explain myself so ya'll aren't worried.
Anterior placenta means that the placenta is sitting on the front of my uterus (behind my belly button) instead on the back of the uterus (close to my spine). Anterior placentas aren't as common, but it's NOT A PROBLEM. I want to make that very clear. There is nothing wrong. It doesn't make one little bit of difference for the health and development of Baby. It's not dangerous, it won't cause any complications for this pregnancy, or for labor, or for future pregnancies. It's just not as common, but that's it.
I was just surprised to hear about the anterior placenta, because I wasn't told at my 20 week ultrasound, or my 24 week appointment. She only told me at this last appointment. And I know that mothers with anterior placentas tend to not feel fetal movement as early as other mothers, but this wasn't a problem for me. I felt Baby move at 18 weeks, and we've been going strong ever since.
I'm at 28 weeks now (officially in my third trimester!), and after talking with my midwife, I realized that I've been feeling baby hiccups! I assumed they would be strong, and that my whole belly would jump with every hiccup (like when I hiccup), but it doesn't feel like that at all. It almost feels like a slow, steady heartbeat. It can't be felt from the outside at all.
Also, my midwife told me that I will probably start experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions. I was really surprised when I heard that. I just assumed they didn't start until a few weeks before labor begins. But you know what? She's right. I think I have been feeling Braxton Hicks contractions!
It just feels like a tightening, usually quite low on my belly. It doesn't hurt at all. I just can't believe that they start this early. I guess the uterus needs a lot of practice for the real thing.
Know what else? I've been rambling. I totally meant to write about New Year's, but I've gone and done a baby update instead. Switching topics now!
New Year's was wonderful (and I have zero pictures to show you because I was too busy enjoying it and completely forgot about my camera). The past couple of years have been kind of disappointing as far as plans are concerned. Two years in a row I tried to plan a party, and invite our usual friends, and I made food, and I planned to play games, and both years, it kind of flopped. People showed up really late, or not at all, and we didn't really play games, and it was just kind of a let down.
This year we got to spend one night and one day with friends of ours who came up from California to see their family. I love how their family considers us family as well, and they didn't mind at all that we basically crashed their family gathering. It was at our friends' grandparents house. Lots of aunts and uncles and cousins were around (most of the cousins are our age), and most of them stayed the night. I couldn't believe that they had room for all of us!! We had a casual dinner on Friday night, rang in the New Year all together, and then everybody who didn't stay the night came back for a big breakfast on New Year's Day.
The family hadn't celebrated Christmas yet, so Art and I sat back and got to watch them all open their presents. It sounds like it would be awkward, but it wasn't at all. Then we all bundled up and headed out to see a porpoise necropsy! (An autopsy on an animal.) Yeah. I guess a bunch of the family found a dead porpoise washed up on the beach earlier in the day on the 31st, so they called up a marine biologist friend who lived close by, and he said he would perform the necropsy on the 1st, and we could come in and watch.
I'm not particularly grossed out by that stuff, so I found it fascinating. The smell wasn't great, but it could have been a lot worse. She (the porpoise) had only been dead about 48 hours.
They found out that the cause of death was a fungal infection in her lungs, which can actually be passed on to humans, so we all had to wear masks, and not stand too close. It probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done (being pregnant and all), but they assured us that as long as our bare skin didn't come into contact with porpoise blood or tissue, that we'd be fine. If it was truly that dangerous, we would not have been allowed in there at all.
This porpoise was also pregnant (about three months along), but we didn't stick around long enough to see them open up the uterus. Other people did, and took pictures, so I still got to see a porpoise fetus at three months. It's so tiny (about six inches in length), yet fully developed (complete with a blow hole). Porpoise gestation is 12 months long, so it still had a lot of growth left.
Everybody was surprised that I would have wanted to see that, (being pregnant and all), but again, that stuff doesn't bother me. Maybe it's because I've seen so many fish gutted in my life, and to me, this was just a really big fish. I mean, it's still sad, but....I don't know. I just find it interesting! I just think it's funny that we were all eager to spend part of New Year's Day watching a porpoise necropsy.
Anyway, after that was over, Art and I and our couple friend who came up from California went for a long walk on the beach. (The grandparents live mere blocks from the beach.) The guys smoked their pipes, and we girls talked about babies and weddings and all that girly stuff. It was cold, but thankfully, it wasn't windy.
When we got back, it was time to curl up by the fireplace, take a nap, and wait for dinner. The grandparents went all out. There must have been at least 20 of us around that huge long table in their dining room (like a royal banquet or something), and grandma got out her fine china and crystal, and we had goose and prime rib, and mashed potatoes, and all sorts of other things that I didn't eat because I wasn't that hungry! But I did try a tiny piece of goose. The meat is quite dark, and I don't know that it's amazing all by itself, but someone made a cranberry and blackberry sauce to go with it, and the combination was amazing.
After that, Art and I decided it had been a wonderful 24 hours, and it was time to head home. But then we stopped by his parents' place to see his dad before his dad left for work (he works nights). So we ended up only getting home at midnight anyway! We slept in this morning, had breakfast for lunch, and that brings us to right now.
I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow, but it's been a good, full two weeks off. Busy, but not too busy. And other than being sick, I really enjoyed it. I'm kind of nervous as well. Up until now, my due date has seemed so far away, but now these last three months are going to fly by, and before we know it, we're going to have a little baby! And then you all get to look forward to blog post after blog post about pooping and crying and sleepless nights...... :)
Before I end this incredibly lengthy post that most of you have long since abandoned (except for my mom), I should talk about New Year's resolutions. I don't have any. Well, I guess I do, but they're not new. They're just a continuation of last year. I want to be as healthy and fit as possible.
These past couple of months I've barely been to the gym, so I want to try and go at least twice a week before the baby is born. And we've got a fridge full of good food, and recipes and meal plans for the next month, so we can get back to eating healthy. I'm going to spend some time today doing as many preparations as possible for the week, so that on the days that I go to the gym, I can still serve a healthy dinner that doesn't take forever to put together, and we can actually eat before 8pm.
And that's the latest! 2010 didn't start off being really great, but it got better and better as the months went by. And now I'm looking forward to 2011. I think this is going to be the best year yet. And I pray it is the same for each and every one of you!
So yeah. Don't get the flu. It's a bad idea, and you WILL regret it. Especially if you're pregnant. Did you know that I lost five pounds? I weighed myself on Monday (mere hours before the flu hit me), and the scale (which is perfectly accurate) told me that I had gained 20 pounds. I weighed myself on that same scale on Friday, and it told me that I had only gained 15 pounds. Oops. I understand now why my midwife told me at my last appointment that I could stand to gain more weight than I have. I didn't think I was THAT sick, but when your body, well, you know, when you have the flu, and then you barely eat for four days, it's pretty easy to lose five pounds!
Thankfully, the baby is fine. S/he never noticed that I was sick (although sometimes I wished they had noticed. When you're already nauseated, and they're happily twisting and turning in there, it does not feel good). I think it's amazing how my body puts Baby first. It will throw my immune system under the bus, but will do everything it can to make sure that the baby has a strong immune system. Any cold or flu that I get won't be passed on to him or her, but the antibodies will be.
Something else I found out at my appointment last week is that I have an anterior placenta. When I casually mentioned this on Facebook, it generated a huge discussion, so this time, I'm going to explain myself so ya'll aren't worried.
Anterior placenta means that the placenta is sitting on the front of my uterus (behind my belly button) instead on the back of the uterus (close to my spine). Anterior placentas aren't as common, but it's NOT A PROBLEM. I want to make that very clear. There is nothing wrong. It doesn't make one little bit of difference for the health and development of Baby. It's not dangerous, it won't cause any complications for this pregnancy, or for labor, or for future pregnancies. It's just not as common, but that's it.
I was just surprised to hear about the anterior placenta, because I wasn't told at my 20 week ultrasound, or my 24 week appointment. She only told me at this last appointment. And I know that mothers with anterior placentas tend to not feel fetal movement as early as other mothers, but this wasn't a problem for me. I felt Baby move at 18 weeks, and we've been going strong ever since.
I'm at 28 weeks now (officially in my third trimester!), and after talking with my midwife, I realized that I've been feeling baby hiccups! I assumed they would be strong, and that my whole belly would jump with every hiccup (like when I hiccup), but it doesn't feel like that at all. It almost feels like a slow, steady heartbeat. It can't be felt from the outside at all.
Also, my midwife told me that I will probably start experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions. I was really surprised when I heard that. I just assumed they didn't start until a few weeks before labor begins. But you know what? She's right. I think I have been feeling Braxton Hicks contractions!
It just feels like a tightening, usually quite low on my belly. It doesn't hurt at all. I just can't believe that they start this early. I guess the uterus needs a lot of practice for the real thing.
Know what else? I've been rambling. I totally meant to write about New Year's, but I've gone and done a baby update instead. Switching topics now!
New Year's was wonderful (and I have zero pictures to show you because I was too busy enjoying it and completely forgot about my camera). The past couple of years have been kind of disappointing as far as plans are concerned. Two years in a row I tried to plan a party, and invite our usual friends, and I made food, and I planned to play games, and both years, it kind of flopped. People showed up really late, or not at all, and we didn't really play games, and it was just kind of a let down.
This year we got to spend one night and one day with friends of ours who came up from California to see their family. I love how their family considers us family as well, and they didn't mind at all that we basically crashed their family gathering. It was at our friends' grandparents house. Lots of aunts and uncles and cousins were around (most of the cousins are our age), and most of them stayed the night. I couldn't believe that they had room for all of us!! We had a casual dinner on Friday night, rang in the New Year all together, and then everybody who didn't stay the night came back for a big breakfast on New Year's Day.
The family hadn't celebrated Christmas yet, so Art and I sat back and got to watch them all open their presents. It sounds like it would be awkward, but it wasn't at all. Then we all bundled up and headed out to see a porpoise necropsy! (An autopsy on an animal.) Yeah. I guess a bunch of the family found a dead porpoise washed up on the beach earlier in the day on the 31st, so they called up a marine biologist friend who lived close by, and he said he would perform the necropsy on the 1st, and we could come in and watch.
I'm not particularly grossed out by that stuff, so I found it fascinating. The smell wasn't great, but it could have been a lot worse. She (the porpoise) had only been dead about 48 hours.
They found out that the cause of death was a fungal infection in her lungs, which can actually be passed on to humans, so we all had to wear masks, and not stand too close. It probably wasn't the smartest thing I've ever done (being pregnant and all), but they assured us that as long as our bare skin didn't come into contact with porpoise blood or tissue, that we'd be fine. If it was truly that dangerous, we would not have been allowed in there at all.
This porpoise was also pregnant (about three months along), but we didn't stick around long enough to see them open up the uterus. Other people did, and took pictures, so I still got to see a porpoise fetus at three months. It's so tiny (about six inches in length), yet fully developed (complete with a blow hole). Porpoise gestation is 12 months long, so it still had a lot of growth left.
Everybody was surprised that I would have wanted to see that, (being pregnant and all), but again, that stuff doesn't bother me. Maybe it's because I've seen so many fish gutted in my life, and to me, this was just a really big fish. I mean, it's still sad, but....I don't know. I just find it interesting! I just think it's funny that we were all eager to spend part of New Year's Day watching a porpoise necropsy.
Anyway, after that was over, Art and I and our couple friend who came up from California went for a long walk on the beach. (The grandparents live mere blocks from the beach.) The guys smoked their pipes, and we girls talked about babies and weddings and all that girly stuff. It was cold, but thankfully, it wasn't windy.
When we got back, it was time to curl up by the fireplace, take a nap, and wait for dinner. The grandparents went all out. There must have been at least 20 of us around that huge long table in their dining room (like a royal banquet or something), and grandma got out her fine china and crystal, and we had goose and prime rib, and mashed potatoes, and all sorts of other things that I didn't eat because I wasn't that hungry! But I did try a tiny piece of goose. The meat is quite dark, and I don't know that it's amazing all by itself, but someone made a cranberry and blackberry sauce to go with it, and the combination was amazing.
After that, Art and I decided it had been a wonderful 24 hours, and it was time to head home. But then we stopped by his parents' place to see his dad before his dad left for work (he works nights). So we ended up only getting home at midnight anyway! We slept in this morning, had breakfast for lunch, and that brings us to right now.
I'm not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow, but it's been a good, full two weeks off. Busy, but not too busy. And other than being sick, I really enjoyed it. I'm kind of nervous as well. Up until now, my due date has seemed so far away, but now these last three months are going to fly by, and before we know it, we're going to have a little baby! And then you all get to look forward to blog post after blog post about pooping and crying and sleepless nights...... :)
Before I end this incredibly lengthy post that most of you have long since abandoned (except for my mom), I should talk about New Year's resolutions. I don't have any. Well, I guess I do, but they're not new. They're just a continuation of last year. I want to be as healthy and fit as possible.
These past couple of months I've barely been to the gym, so I want to try and go at least twice a week before the baby is born. And we've got a fridge full of good food, and recipes and meal plans for the next month, so we can get back to eating healthy. I'm going to spend some time today doing as many preparations as possible for the week, so that on the days that I go to the gym, I can still serve a healthy dinner that doesn't take forever to put together, and we can actually eat before 8pm.
And that's the latest! 2010 didn't start off being really great, but it got better and better as the months went by. And now I'm looking forward to 2011. I think this is going to be the best year yet. And I pray it is the same for each and every one of you!
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