the past few weeks have been tiring, but we're starting to settle into a routine and get comfortable with taking care of a newborn. Isaac is doing great--he is back above birthweight now and has had no health problems other than an eye infection that was quickly cleared up with some antibiotic ointment.
We have been using disposable diapers for now, because the cloth ones we had were all WAY too big on him. However, we have been really unhappy with our disposables experience so far, so are working on transitioning to cloth as soon as possible. The Pampers we were using have been leaving gel crystals all over his skin, sometimes so many that we've had to give him a bath just to clean them all off. They are supposedly non-toxic, but something just seems unsettling about it.
Today I bought some Seventh Generation brand chlorine-free diapers to tide us over until we are doing cloth full-time. While chlorine-free is a nice concept, it makes for stiff, crinkly diapers that feel similar to wrapping his butt in a brown paper bag. Turns out, they're only about that absorbent too, because within 30 minutes he was soaked with pee that leaked out the waist and legs of the diaper.
So, I bought a bunch of Isaac-sized diapers -- both simple prefolds w/covers, and some all in one diapers, and we are finally using them pretty much full time. He seems to like them, too. They are very soft inside, and his butt doesnt get red like it does with disposables. Now I just need to make more cloth wipes, and we'll be all set.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
Surprise!
Baby Isaac surprised us by coming two and a half weeks early. He arrived on Saturday morning at 5:01am after a very quick labor. He was 7lbs, 18 1/2 inches long and a whole nest of brown hair. So far he is a very good baby. He only fusses when he's cold or hungry. He likes classical music (so far Bach's Cello Suite, and Erik Satie's Gnossienne), and boobs. After nursing he likes to take a nap with his mama.
We've already had some professional pictures done (thanks Jason). Here are a few from his second day of life:
We've already had some professional pictures done (thanks Jason). Here are a few from his second day of life:
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
sleepless nights
For Tim, not me. I'm sleeping great, but apparently have developed an annoying snoring habit which is keeping him up at night. I've tried the nasal strips, and they helped at first but now seem to have lost their effectiveness. I've also been sleeping propped up, but that isn't helping either. Apparently, women who start snoring while pregnant will stop snoring almost as soon as the baby is born. Of course, once baby is born, we will both be getting less sleep....but at least it won't be my fault ;)
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Baby Shower!
Today was the baby shower and it was so much fun! Gwyn and Aunt Jamie did such a great job organizing everything. My mom made the cake, and a really cute centerpiece made out of bibs, onesies, and baby socks designed to look like a pot of flowers. Unfortunately I don't have pictures of either of those, but I know there are some floating around, so I will post pics from the shower when I get my hands on some.
We got nearly everything we still needed for baby. Really just missing a changing pad for the top of the dresser, a diaper pail, and some cloth diaper covers, all of which we can easily purchase on our own. He has a bed (two of them actually! a crib and a pack n play), TONS of clothes, pacifiers, bibs, blankets, hooded towels, washclothes, bottles and even medicine. I was overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. Thank you!
I took tomorrow off to recover from the long day, and to organize his stuff as much as possible. Hopefully we will get the crib put together within the next few days as well, and I can start feeling like we have a real nursery and not just a room filled with baby clothes. That should also give Payton a chance to explore the room while it is still baby-free, so she will be less interested in hanging out in there later. She is already pretty interested in all the stuffed toys we got, so I know it will be a challenge to keep such a curious pup away from all the baby stuff.
In preggo news, I *think* my iron count has improved somewhat by drinking the molasses "tea" frequently. I can't be sure until I go to my prenatal appointment on Wednesday, but I am not quite as run-down lately, and my inner eyelids are not as pale. (Apparently pale inner eyelids are an indication of low iron. If they are brighter red, you have good iron levels).
And, taking longer lunch breaks this past week seemed to help reduce my swelling. I am still having some swelling, and I don't think I will get rid of it completely until after Isaac arrives, but being able to put my feet up for an hour or so each day has definitely helped.
We got nearly everything we still needed for baby. Really just missing a changing pad for the top of the dresser, a diaper pail, and some cloth diaper covers, all of which we can easily purchase on our own. He has a bed (two of them actually! a crib and a pack n play), TONS of clothes, pacifiers, bibs, blankets, hooded towels, washclothes, bottles and even medicine. I was overwhelmed by everyone's generosity. Thank you!
I took tomorrow off to recover from the long day, and to organize his stuff as much as possible. Hopefully we will get the crib put together within the next few days as well, and I can start feeling like we have a real nursery and not just a room filled with baby clothes. That should also give Payton a chance to explore the room while it is still baby-free, so she will be less interested in hanging out in there later. She is already pretty interested in all the stuffed toys we got, so I know it will be a challenge to keep such a curious pup away from all the baby stuff.
In preggo news, I *think* my iron count has improved somewhat by drinking the molasses "tea" frequently. I can't be sure until I go to my prenatal appointment on Wednesday, but I am not quite as run-down lately, and my inner eyelids are not as pale. (Apparently pale inner eyelids are an indication of low iron. If they are brighter red, you have good iron levels).
And, taking longer lunch breaks this past week seemed to help reduce my swelling. I am still having some swelling, and I don't think I will get rid of it completely until after Isaac arrives, but being able to put my feet up for an hour or so each day has definitely helped.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Complications
After so long with no real issues to speak of, I've had several different thigns pop up or get worse in the last week.
Despite my iron supplement, my iron levels appear to have dropped. I'm now trying something new...blackstrap molasses is a very good source of iron, and I found this drink recipe. I tried it tonight and its actually really good! Hopefully a serving or two daily will help raise my iron before my next prenatal appointment.
I have had a few random bouts of morning sickness this week too. On Tuesday, I got sick in the car on the way to work. I never got sick in the beginning, but I've been a bit queasy on several other occasions recently. My midwives recommended making sure I'm not only getting enough protein, but that I'm getting protein more often. I've now been making sure to get some protein first thing in the morning, and every few hours after that, which seems to be helping so far.
My biggest issue seems to be swelling at this point. On days that I work, my feet are often very swollen by the time I leave for the day. Unfortunately there isn't a couch anywhere in our building, so I don't have anywhere I can lie down and put my feet up. For the next week, I'm going to try arriving at work earlier and staying later, so that I can take a 2 hour lunch break. That should give me time to go somewhere and lie down, and hopefully help reduce this swelling, since paying close attention to my water and protein intake hasn't done the trick. Most likely I will end up at Tim's parents' house...although they don't know that yet ;) If my longer lunch breaks seem to help, it should allow me to keep working until closer to my due date.
Despite my iron supplement, my iron levels appear to have dropped. I'm now trying something new...blackstrap molasses is a very good source of iron, and I found this drink recipe. I tried it tonight and its actually really good! Hopefully a serving or two daily will help raise my iron before my next prenatal appointment.
I have had a few random bouts of morning sickness this week too. On Tuesday, I got sick in the car on the way to work. I never got sick in the beginning, but I've been a bit queasy on several other occasions recently. My midwives recommended making sure I'm not only getting enough protein, but that I'm getting protein more often. I've now been making sure to get some protein first thing in the morning, and every few hours after that, which seems to be helping so far.
My biggest issue seems to be swelling at this point. On days that I work, my feet are often very swollen by the time I leave for the day. Unfortunately there isn't a couch anywhere in our building, so I don't have anywhere I can lie down and put my feet up. For the next week, I'm going to try arriving at work earlier and staying later, so that I can take a 2 hour lunch break. That should give me time to go somewhere and lie down, and hopefully help reduce this swelling, since paying close attention to my water and protein intake hasn't done the trick. Most likely I will end up at Tim's parents' house...although they don't know that yet ;) If my longer lunch breaks seem to help, it should allow me to keep working until closer to my due date.
Monday, October 5, 2009
car seats and strollers and diapers, oh my!
It seems that I jumped the gun a little bit with my initial free and cheaply acquired items...While I thought we had carseats covered, it turns out carseats--even if they haven't been in an accident--expire after 5 years, and both of the ones I had are nearly expired.
I had also gotten a secondhand breast pump with the intention of buying new accessories and tubing, only to find out that it is defined as a "single-user" pump, which means that anything carried in the original owners milk could have contaminated the pump and then re-appear when I use it. So if the original owner happened to have HIV, or took some medication that shows up in milk, etc, then it could transfer to Isaac. Not good. So I'm now looking at a brand new pump for the bargain price of nearly $300. Another option is to rent a hospital-grade pump, but it may end up being more cost-effective to just purchase my own. I'll have to look into it and see how much the rental fees are.
Because of these discoveries, I spent several hours yesterday working on our registries and trying to sort out what will be useful, and what is extraneous, and adding things that I didn't think I needed to register for, but now do. I spent so much time walking around Babies R Us and Target that I think Isaac slept all day, because I hardly felt any kicks at all. He made up for it as soon as I woke up this morning though, by performing a little drum solo on my belly.
I've also been trying to research which brand/type of cloth diapers to get and I've finally decided to just register for a variety of things. It seems like every type I read about had reviews ranging from love it to hate it, depending on the baby. If little pal is long and lean, diapers will fit him differently than if he is chunky, so variety seems to be the way to go right now. I think we are going to do disposable for the first month or so though, because it seems silly to buy cloth diapers in newborn size, just to have him grow out of them right away. I never thought diapers could be so complicated...
I had also gotten a secondhand breast pump with the intention of buying new accessories and tubing, only to find out that it is defined as a "single-user" pump, which means that anything carried in the original owners milk could have contaminated the pump and then re-appear when I use it. So if the original owner happened to have HIV, or took some medication that shows up in milk, etc, then it could transfer to Isaac. Not good. So I'm now looking at a brand new pump for the bargain price of nearly $300. Another option is to rent a hospital-grade pump, but it may end up being more cost-effective to just purchase my own. I'll have to look into it and see how much the rental fees are.
Because of these discoveries, I spent several hours yesterday working on our registries and trying to sort out what will be useful, and what is extraneous, and adding things that I didn't think I needed to register for, but now do. I spent so much time walking around Babies R Us and Target that I think Isaac slept all day, because I hardly felt any kicks at all. He made up for it as soon as I woke up this morning though, by performing a little drum solo on my belly.
I've also been trying to research which brand/type of cloth diapers to get and I've finally decided to just register for a variety of things. It seems like every type I read about had reviews ranging from love it to hate it, depending on the baby. If little pal is long and lean, diapers will fit him differently than if he is chunky, so variety seems to be the way to go right now. I think we are going to do disposable for the first month or so though, because it seems silly to buy cloth diapers in newborn size, just to have him grow out of them right away. I never thought diapers could be so complicated...
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
31 weeks
I'm 31 weeks today, so if all goes as planned I have somewhere between 6 and 11 weeks left. Little pal is kicking a LOT, and I can feel him moving almost constantly when I am sitting or lying still. I think he must sleep when I'm up walking around, because I almost never feel kicks then. I am looking incredibly pregnant today, more so than usual. I think the shirt is adding to that effect.
side view (pardon the laundry basket)
front view
5 bucks to anyone who can tell me what show we were watching...
side view (pardon the laundry basket)
front view
5 bucks to anyone who can tell me what show we were watching...
Thursday, September 24, 2009
nursery part 2
The nursery is painted and has some furniture. We still need a crib, and then just to decorate the walls and put down a throw rug or two. Here are some pictures:
this is the corner across from the door. We left one wall the tan color that it already was, and the other three walls are green. The empty space there is where the crib will go.
to the left of the crib is our papasan rocker, and that dresser is what we'll be using as a changing table, with a contoured cushion. The top drawer is already housing the few cloth diapers we've accumulated so far.
This bookcase is directly across from the door. The door pictured is the closet. I didn't plan on having a giant bookcase in the nursery, but it was in this room when Tim's office was in here, and it won't fit in his upstairs office because of the sloped ceilings. We don't really have anywhere else to put it, so we'll be anchoring it to the wall and using colorful bins on the shelves to store books and toys.
This dresser belonged to my brother growing up. We have the matching chest of drawers in our bedroom closet right now. When he moves to a grown up bed, he can take the matching chest and the twin headboard as well. The lamp on top is his "tanning lamp"...a gooseneck lamp that we will get a UV bulb for. This was suggested to us by the midwives to have on hand in case he is born jaundiced.
this is the corner across from the door. We left one wall the tan color that it already was, and the other three walls are green. The empty space there is where the crib will go. 
to the left of the crib is our papasan rocker, and that dresser is what we'll be using as a changing table, with a contoured cushion. The top drawer is already housing the few cloth diapers we've accumulated so far. 
This bookcase is directly across from the door. The door pictured is the closet. I didn't plan on having a giant bookcase in the nursery, but it was in this room when Tim's office was in here, and it won't fit in his upstairs office because of the sloped ceilings. We don't really have anywhere else to put it, so we'll be anchoring it to the wall and using colorful bins on the shelves to store books and toys.
This dresser belonged to my brother growing up. We have the matching chest of drawers in our bedroom closet right now. When he moves to a grown up bed, he can take the matching chest and the twin headboard as well. The lamp on top is his "tanning lamp"...a gooseneck lamp that we will get a UV bulb for. This was suggested to us by the midwives to have on hand in case he is born jaundiced. Wednesday, September 16, 2009
nursery and such
The nursery is now painted and pretty much empty except for little pal's stuff. We're moving some dressers in on Saturday so I'll post pictures after that.
This past week or so has been interesting....I got the flu or something similar, and stayed home from work on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, and ended up going home early on Friday as well because I was still exhausted. We had a prenatal appointment on Wednesday night and I found out that I'm somewhat anemic, so that could have contributed to the run-down feeling. Babies start to store iron for later use during the last part of the pregnancy, so my intake needs to increase to keep up with the demand. I'm now taking a supplement to boost my iron levels, as well as just watching what I eat a little more.
Tim and I have been looking into refinancing our mortgage with a FHA rehab loan, to give us money to finish the basement and add a bathroom. We met with Michelle's dad tonight to look at design plans and get a cost estimate. So far everything is looking good....fingers crossed that it all works out as planned. It will be so nice if we are able to follow through on it! I think it will add a lot of resale potential as well, having a second full bathroom. The work would end up getting completed during November/December....right when little pal is due to make his appearance. So things will be a little hectic over here, but well worth it in the end.
We are still exploring daycare options. Most likely we will end up at Paige's Playhouse, which is across the street from my job so would be super convenient. However, an in-home provider could potentially offer us a better price, so I am looking into those as well. We found one woman who is nationally certified (which is rare), and pretty close to my work. She is full at the moment, but put me on a waitlist. We are first on the list, so hopefully something will open up before February. Otherwise, Paige's looks nice, just not as flexible and cost-effective as an individual might be.
This past week or so has been interesting....I got the flu or something similar, and stayed home from work on Tuesday and Wednesday last week, and ended up going home early on Friday as well because I was still exhausted. We had a prenatal appointment on Wednesday night and I found out that I'm somewhat anemic, so that could have contributed to the run-down feeling. Babies start to store iron for later use during the last part of the pregnancy, so my intake needs to increase to keep up with the demand. I'm now taking a supplement to boost my iron levels, as well as just watching what I eat a little more.
Tim and I have been looking into refinancing our mortgage with a FHA rehab loan, to give us money to finish the basement and add a bathroom. We met with Michelle's dad tonight to look at design plans and get a cost estimate. So far everything is looking good....fingers crossed that it all works out as planned. It will be so nice if we are able to follow through on it! I think it will add a lot of resale potential as well, having a second full bathroom. The work would end up getting completed during November/December....right when little pal is due to make his appearance. So things will be a little hectic over here, but well worth it in the end.
We are still exploring daycare options. Most likely we will end up at Paige's Playhouse, which is across the street from my job so would be super convenient. However, an in-home provider could potentially offer us a better price, so I am looking into those as well. We found one woman who is nationally certified (which is rare), and pretty close to my work. She is full at the moment, but put me on a waitlist. We are first on the list, so hopefully something will open up before February. Otherwise, Paige's looks nice, just not as flexible and cost-effective as an individual might be.
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Labor Day
(The holiday, that is)
This holiday weekend is always very busy for Tim and I. His dad's birthday is the 4th, and new nephew Sammy's birthday is the 6th. Also a close friend has a birthday right in between on the 5th. This year, Sammy is turning 1 and I was in charge of the cakes...a personal sized one for Sammy, and a 12x18 sheet cake for the guests.
I don't think I'm cut out to be a cake decorator, or at least not a pregnant one. It was so tiring working in the kitchen all day getting these cakes ready. My back hurts, my shoulders hurt, and I was so hot from being so close to the oven for so long. I think they turned out nice, but in the future I will probably stick to other types of cakes, or at the very least not such large decorated ones.
Little pal is moving around a ton now. Yesterday I actually felt him move in multiple places at once, so he must be getting pretty big. I can often feel what I think is his butt pushed right up under my rib cage. Especially when I've had a big meal....because the only thing worse than feeling really really full, is feeling really really full and having a baby pushing on your stomach.
Baby shower is now scheduled....October 25th (a Sunday) at 2 o'clock. Aunt Jamie has generously offered to host it at her house, so that we can have one giant shower instead of several smaller ones. So watch for your invitations in the mail in the next few weeks!
This holiday weekend is always very busy for Tim and I. His dad's birthday is the 4th, and new nephew Sammy's birthday is the 6th. Also a close friend has a birthday right in between on the 5th. This year, Sammy is turning 1 and I was in charge of the cakes...a personal sized one for Sammy, and a 12x18 sheet cake for the guests.
I don't think I'm cut out to be a cake decorator, or at least not a pregnant one. It was so tiring working in the kitchen all day getting these cakes ready. My back hurts, my shoulders hurt, and I was so hot from being so close to the oven for so long. I think they turned out nice, but in the future I will probably stick to other types of cakes, or at the very least not such large decorated ones.
Little pal is moving around a ton now. Yesterday I actually felt him move in multiple places at once, so he must be getting pretty big. I can often feel what I think is his butt pushed right up under my rib cage. Especially when I've had a big meal....because the only thing worse than feeling really really full, is feeling really really full and having a baby pushing on your stomach.
Baby shower is now scheduled....October 25th (a Sunday) at 2 o'clock. Aunt Jamie has generously offered to host it at her house, so that we can have one giant shower instead of several smaller ones. So watch for your invitations in the mail in the next few weeks!
Sunday, August 23, 2009
week 26
This week has been full of firsts...
my first pair of full-panel capris, because none of my other ones fit right anymore (and now, finally, a pair of full-panel jeans due to Old Navy's $19 jeans sale yesterday)
Tim felt the baby kick for the first time yesterday! Isaac always seems to do the most kicking when I'm at work and Tim isn't around, so I'm glad he finally got to experience it.
Today was the first time I felt like I will end up needing one of those devices that help old people put their socks on. As evidenced by the fact that I attempted to put on socks and tennis shoes, and almost fell off the bed because my belly kept getting in the way. LOL.
This weekend also marks the first time that we can easily walk in and out of the nursery, since Bob came and helped Timmy move the dresser and hutch back to Aunt Jamie's storage unit. (Thanks Bob!). I spent several hours in there last night sorting through everything, and moving out things that are leftover from the room's days as Tim's office. I also set up our papasan rocker--which I'm sitting in right now, and its quite comfy. It feels nice to be able to move around in here. Next step, painting.
And, long overdue I know, progress pics....(and yes, I really am only 6 months pregnant. Everyone keeps telling me I look further along than that. And no, its not twins. I'm positive.)
my first pair of full-panel capris, because none of my other ones fit right anymore (and now, finally, a pair of full-panel jeans due to Old Navy's $19 jeans sale yesterday)
Tim felt the baby kick for the first time yesterday! Isaac always seems to do the most kicking when I'm at work and Tim isn't around, so I'm glad he finally got to experience it.
Today was the first time I felt like I will end up needing one of those devices that help old people put their socks on. As evidenced by the fact that I attempted to put on socks and tennis shoes, and almost fell off the bed because my belly kept getting in the way. LOL.
This weekend also marks the first time that we can easily walk in and out of the nursery, since Bob came and helped Timmy move the dresser and hutch back to Aunt Jamie's storage unit. (Thanks Bob!). I spent several hours in there last night sorting through everything, and moving out things that are leftover from the room's days as Tim's office. I also set up our papasan rocker--which I'm sitting in right now, and its quite comfy. It feels nice to be able to move around in here. Next step, painting.
And, long overdue I know, progress pics....(and yes, I really am only 6 months pregnant. Everyone keeps telling me I look further along than that. And no, its not twins. I'm positive.)
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Thought for the day
You are worried about seeing him spend his early years in doing nothing. What! Is it nothing to be happy? Nothing to skip, play, and run around all day long? Never in his life will he be so busy again.
--- Jean-Jacques Rosseau
--- Jean-Jacques Rosseau
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Just for Kicks
Not much to say today except that I finally felt what was definitely a kick! Actually, quite a few of them. Once he got my attention with the first one, he kept kicking sporadically for an hour or so.
I came home around 6 today to what I thought was a Tim-less house. Payton's leash was here, and she didn't come to the door, so I assumed she was upstairs in her crate. I spent 15 minutes or so checking emails before I went to go retrieve her. Suddenly, I heard pup footsteps. It turns out that Tim and Payton had been sleeping on our bed--both so soundly that they didn't hear me come in. I went in and lay down with them to say hello, and next thing I know it was 8pm. So I guess we were all pretty sleepy. Now its time for bed again...
I came home around 6 today to what I thought was a Tim-less house. Payton's leash was here, and she didn't come to the door, so I assumed she was upstairs in her crate. I spent 15 minutes or so checking emails before I went to go retrieve her. Suddenly, I heard pup footsteps. It turns out that Tim and Payton had been sleeping on our bed--both so soundly that they didn't hear me come in. I went in and lay down with them to say hello, and next thing I know it was 8pm. So I guess we were all pretty sleepy. Now its time for bed again...
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
week 24
We had an appointment with the midwives last night, and little pal and I are doing well. His heart rate was 140, which is the low end of normal. I've gained about 20 lbs now, and its pretty much all belly. I'll have Tim take some pictures this weekend to post here.
We went over my earlier bloodwork from the OB's office, and I guess I have O+ blood, which I never knew. Audra helped Tim check his blood type since he didn't already know, and he is A+, so we won't have to worry about rh incompatibility. Little pal does have a slightly higher risk of jaundice though, due to ABO incompatibility. They recommended that we get a UV lamp before he arrives so that if he is jaundiced he can spend some time under it and recover faster.
Otherwise, things are going smoothly. It would be pretty unexpected for little pal to come prematurely. So far, I'm guessing that he will be on time or slightly late, so I don't forsee anything developing that would prevent us from having the homebirth.
We went over my earlier bloodwork from the OB's office, and I guess I have O+ blood, which I never knew. Audra helped Tim check his blood type since he didn't already know, and he is A+, so we won't have to worry about rh incompatibility. Little pal does have a slightly higher risk of jaundice though, due to ABO incompatibility. They recommended that we get a UV lamp before he arrives so that if he is jaundiced he can spend some time under it and recover faster.
Otherwise, things are going smoothly. It would be pretty unexpected for little pal to come prematurely. So far, I'm guessing that he will be on time or slightly late, so I don't forsee anything developing that would prevent us from having the homebirth.
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Did you know...
there is a university called Pittsburg State, in Kansas? One of the many things learned while working the library reference desk on a Sunday afternoon.
This is the last time I'll be working a Sunday, for at least 2 years. Closing on Sundays was one of the most cost-effective ways to reduce our costs due to the new state budget cuts. Although I'm certainly not happy about all the cost-cutting measures we'll have to do in order to stay afloat, I can't say I'm too disappointed that I won't be working Sundays anymore. The timing is great, since it normalizes my schedule a bit, and I'll need to get into as much of a routine as possible once little pal arrives.
I still haven't felt any distinct kicks, at least not while I'm sitting still and can identify them as such. It seems like he might be kicking when I'm moving around, and then it stops when I'm still. Its like we're playing a game of shadow. Even though many people are feeling kicks by now, I know several people who didn't feel any until 25 weeks or more, so no worries here.
Thursday, July 23, 2009
week 22
I think just in the past week or so my belly must have "popped". I have had several random patrons at work ask me when I was due, is this my first, etc. My friend Mindy told me on Monday--after not seeing me for 3 days--that it was the first she looked at me and thought "oh, she's pregnant"
Little pal is now big enough to be measured head to toe (instead of head to butt, lol). He should be about 10 1/2" long now, and weighs about 12 oz.
Little pal is now big enough to be measured head to toe (instead of head to butt, lol). He should be about 10 1/2" long now, and weighs about 12 oz.
He is so little though that he still has tons of room in there, so I'm not feeling definite kicks yet....just vague movements from time to time. During my prenatal appts, when we listen to the heartbeat, we hear him moving a lot! It's probably just as well that I'm not feeling kicks yet, because once I do I probably won't be getting much rest!
Friday, July 10, 2009
Miserable
I'm a sneezing, sniffling, stuffed-up mess...I even broke down and took some Sudafed (the only thing "safe" to take) but it didn't help much.
Chrissy and I went to the zoo this morning, and I could actually breathe while we were there. I guess the fresh air and the exercise helped with that. I did get some Dippin' Dots at the zoo too, which made me feel like an 8 year old at the state fair again. I always thought those were the coolest things when I was that age.
We didn't stay for too long because Kaiya was close to naptime. We visited Jeremy, who was working at the bird portion of Jungle Jack's landing. There was a teeny tiny owl that was absolutely adorable. He was probably no more than 8 inches tall. I was trying to remember the exact species, and I actually found a picture of Jeremy handling this owl during a show of some sort.
So the zoo was fun, but pretty much as soon as we got home, I went back to being miserable. I guess I should go back out and walk around again, but I can only do that for so long. It's not like I'm just going to walk around outside until bedtime--even if I did I still wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Sigh.
I'm just hoping I can shake this congestion this weekend, because I really don't want to go back to work on Monday feeling like this...
Chrissy and I went to the zoo this morning, and I could actually breathe while we were there. I guess the fresh air and the exercise helped with that. I did get some Dippin' Dots at the zoo too, which made me feel like an 8 year old at the state fair again. I always thought those were the coolest things when I was that age.
We didn't stay for too long because Kaiya was close to naptime. We visited Jeremy, who was working at the bird portion of Jungle Jack's landing. There was a teeny tiny owl that was absolutely adorable. He was probably no more than 8 inches tall. I was trying to remember the exact species, and I actually found a picture of Jeremy handling this owl during a show of some sort.
So the zoo was fun, but pretty much as soon as we got home, I went back to being miserable. I guess I should go back out and walk around again, but I can only do that for so long. It's not like I'm just going to walk around outside until bedtime--even if I did I still wouldn't be able to sleep tonight. Sigh.
I'm just hoping I can shake this congestion this weekend, because I really don't want to go back to work on Monday feeling like this...
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
progress pics!
Tim's mom came to the rescue! She took these on Sunday at dinner and I forgot to get copies of them for her. Please ignore the terrible hair. Not sure what was going on there....
week 19
Still no obvious kicks from little pal, I'm expecting them to start any day now. The midwives said I should be feeling kicks by 20 weeks or so.
I feel like I've been at work nonstop for the last week or more. Which I have, except for the 4th. I am very ready for my three-day weekend to start, and then I have another one next weekend too! I'm hoping to start getting little pal's room cleared out during those weekends, so then we can start painting.
(Oh, and if I don't remember to post progress pics by later tonight...someone call me and remind me! I just keep forgetting to have Tim take some....)
I feel like I've been at work nonstop for the last week or more. Which I have, except for the 4th. I am very ready for my three-day weekend to start, and then I have another one next weekend too! I'm hoping to start getting little pal's room cleared out during those weekends, so then we can start painting.
(Oh, and if I don't remember to post progress pics by later tonight...someone call me and remind me! I just keep forgetting to have Tim take some....)
Friday, June 26, 2009
week 18
wrapping up week 18. It was so incredibly hot out earlier this week that I spent about 5 days with a throbbing pain above one eye. Tylenol didn't do much, so I was also napping constantly, and drinking caffeinated Coke more often than I'd like. Never more than 1 or 2 per day, but pretty much every day for a week.
Wednesday night I took a 2 hour nap after work, and was really dizzy when I woke up. Tylenol, back to bed. Still really dizzy in the morning, to the point where I had to catch myself a few times to keep from falling over. I called work to tell them I wouldn't be in until 5 (I was scheduled to work night shift), made a giant fruit and juice smoothie, and took a 3 hour nap. Finally I could move around without feeling like I would pass out, so I went to work for the evening and also survived a long day there yesterday with no problems.
Luckily it has cooled down a little since then and my head has been fine. I am prone to dizziness anyhow, with my migraines, but I found out that dizziness is also a pregnancy symptom and one of the causes is lying/sleeping on your back. I try to sleep on my side, but I often end up on my back after I'm asleep. The past few nights, I've been forcing myself to stay on my side by putting a pillow behind me, and I seem to get a better nights sleep this way.
Still haven't felt little pal moving around in there, or at least not for certain. A few times I felt something briefly that was like a little tickle in my stomach...which was probably him but it was so faint and so quick that its hard to say. Most people feel some kicks by 20 weeks, so I should start feeling something within the next week or two.
Wednesday night I took a 2 hour nap after work, and was really dizzy when I woke up. Tylenol, back to bed. Still really dizzy in the morning, to the point where I had to catch myself a few times to keep from falling over. I called work to tell them I wouldn't be in until 5 (I was scheduled to work night shift), made a giant fruit and juice smoothie, and took a 3 hour nap. Finally I could move around without feeling like I would pass out, so I went to work for the evening and also survived a long day there yesterday with no problems.
Luckily it has cooled down a little since then and my head has been fine. I am prone to dizziness anyhow, with my migraines, but I found out that dizziness is also a pregnancy symptom and one of the causes is lying/sleeping on your back. I try to sleep on my side, but I often end up on my back after I'm asleep. The past few nights, I've been forcing myself to stay on my side by putting a pillow behind me, and I seem to get a better nights sleep this way.
Still haven't felt little pal moving around in there, or at least not for certain. A few times I felt something briefly that was like a little tickle in my stomach...which was probably him but it was so faint and so quick that its hard to say. Most people feel some kicks by 20 weeks, so I should start feeling something within the next week or two.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
We take you now to Kermit the Frog with another fast-breaking news story!
I'm digressing from baby news for a moment to ask a favor of all of you that live in Ohio.
Governor Strickland, in an effort to balance the state budget, is proposing a 50% reduction in library funding. This 50% loss would be devastating to all of Ohio's libraries, forcing many of them to close, and many others to drastically reduce their services and hours. However, it would only serve to close 7% of the overall budget gap.
As a librarian, but also as a believer in libraries as a community resource, I'm concerned for the future of libraries in Ohio if this budget gets passed. Libraries are a valuable community resource in prosperous times, but are absolutely vital in times of economic trouble. They serve as community centers, havens for the unemployed and underemployed, homework help centers, computer labs, and much much more. A reduction in library funding, especially by this large an amount, would have a tremendous negative impact on many members of our communities, just when they need our services the most.
Please contact Governor Strickland and your state representatives to voice your concern over these cuts. The budget will be finalized by June 30th, so we only have 9 days to make our voices heard. For more information, please go to http://saveohiolibraries.com
(Thanks for listening. We now return to our regularly schedule programming...)
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Eating for Two
...even though one of us is only 6 inches long and weighs less than half a pound.
I'm having a hard time eating healthy, and instead find myself eating fast food and junk food...both because its readily available, and because I don't typically feel like cooking. As it is right now, little pal is most likely developing fond feelings for donuts and cheeseburgers.
I have to track my food intake for a week to show the midwives. My next appointment is 2 weeks from today, so I'm going to try tracking everything starting tomorrow. Maybe the shame of having to show it to them will inspire me to eat much healthier.
The hardest part for me in the cooking process is coming up with a menu and sticking with it. If someone would just tell me what to cook, I'd be set! I think I have this idea that every meal has to be fantastic, when really, it just needs to get nutritious food in our bellies. It doesn't need to be the best thing we've ever tasted.
So if anyone has some yummy recipes that are quick and easy (and healthy!) that you'd like to share, send 'em my way. Or even just ideas of easy brown bag lunches, snacks, etc. I could use some inspiration...
I'm having a hard time eating healthy, and instead find myself eating fast food and junk food...both because its readily available, and because I don't typically feel like cooking. As it is right now, little pal is most likely developing fond feelings for donuts and cheeseburgers.
I have to track my food intake for a week to show the midwives. My next appointment is 2 weeks from today, so I'm going to try tracking everything starting tomorrow. Maybe the shame of having to show it to them will inspire me to eat much healthier.
The hardest part for me in the cooking process is coming up with a menu and sticking with it. If someone would just tell me what to cook, I'd be set! I think I have this idea that every meal has to be fantastic, when really, it just needs to get nutritious food in our bellies. It doesn't need to be the best thing we've ever tasted.
So if anyone has some yummy recipes that are quick and easy (and healthy!) that you'd like to share, send 'em my way. Or even just ideas of easy brown bag lunches, snacks, etc. I could use some inspiration...
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Wedding weekend
Saturday was Amy & Bob's wedding. Everything was beautiful, and went really smoothly, but man it was such a long long day! Hair appointment at 10 am, straight to the church to get ready, and got back home and in bed sometime after midnight. Sleeping in would have been lovely, but as Tim and I both had family in town, we got an early start to our day and spent the day visiting. I am so glad that I had the foresight to take tomorrow off work so I can recover.
On that note, here is a picture of me from the wedding. But not a true progress picture post....my belly was not as visible in this dress as it is in other outfits.
On that note, here is a picture of me from the wedding. But not a true progress picture post....my belly was not as visible in this dress as it is in other outfits.
Friday, June 5, 2009
It's A....
(disclaimer: if you don't want to find out the sex of our baby, you shouldn't read this post. In fact, you should probably stop reading the blog in general because I'm sure I'll be mentioning it from now on.)
It's a BOY! He was not being very cooperative during the ultrasound at first, and had his legs crossed, but he finally let us see after 20 minutes or so. Isaac Henning will be here before we know it.
It's a BOY! He was not being very cooperative during the ultrasound at first, and had his legs crossed, but he finally let us see after 20 minutes or so. Isaac Henning will be here before we know it.
Monday, June 1, 2009
lack of sleep
I haven't been sleeping well the last few days, except for my random 2 and 3 hour naps on Saturday and Sunday. Tim and I switched sides of the bed since I was getting up so many times in the middle of the night, so now I am closer to the door.
We have since found out that Payton snuggles Tim to death not because she likes him, but rather because she likes that side of the bed. We have a king bed that is made by connecting two twins. There is a foam strip down the middle that connects the two mattresses, which also leaves a small ridge. She doesn't like sleeping on that ridge, so it ends up being Payton and one of us in one twin bed, and the other of us in the other twin bed. So I've been getting squashed and crowded out of the bed by a 100-lb bloodhound for the past few nights.
Our mattresses are pretty old anyhow, so that in itself could be contributing. If there was ever a time that I need a restful nights sleep, its now, so I think we're going to try to get a new mattress set soon. Hopefully if we get a real king mattress, Payton might sleep across the middle of the bed instead of in my lap.
More progress pics to come soon, hopefully tonight. And Friday is our ultrasound! Keep your fingers crossed that baby bird cooperates and hopefully we will find out if its a boy or a girl.
We have since found out that Payton snuggles Tim to death not because she likes him, but rather because she likes that side of the bed. We have a king bed that is made by connecting two twins. There is a foam strip down the middle that connects the two mattresses, which also leaves a small ridge. She doesn't like sleeping on that ridge, so it ends up being Payton and one of us in one twin bed, and the other of us in the other twin bed. So I've been getting squashed and crowded out of the bed by a 100-lb bloodhound for the past few nights.
Our mattresses are pretty old anyhow, so that in itself could be contributing. If there was ever a time that I need a restful nights sleep, its now, so I think we're going to try to get a new mattress set soon. Hopefully if we get a real king mattress, Payton might sleep across the middle of the bed instead of in my lap.
More progress pics to come soon, hopefully tonight. And Friday is our ultrasound! Keep your fingers crossed that baby bird cooperates and hopefully we will find out if its a boy or a girl.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
week 14
Doctor's appointment yesterday. Baby bird and I are growing right on schedule....baby bird is about 3 1/2 inches long now, and has developed all its body parts...even unique fingerprints! Baby's heart rate is 162 bpm, which is normal, but seems so fast. I'm now in my second trimester, so I should (hopefully) start to feel less tired in the next few weeks.
We are mostly done with rearranging our rooms and clearing out a room for the nursery. I'm hoping to get the nursery all cleaned out within the next few weeks so we can start decorating. We're planning to paint the crib wall brown, and the other three walls pink if its a girl, and blue if it is a boy.
I scheduled an ultrasound with Ultrasona at Polaris--we will find out the gender on June 5th! Appointment is at 4:30 that day. Apparently they have a 50" plasma screen to view the ultrasound on, and seating for up to 18 people! So if you'd like to attend, let me know :)
We are mostly done with rearranging our rooms and clearing out a room for the nursery. I'm hoping to get the nursery all cleaned out within the next few weeks so we can start decorating. We're planning to paint the crib wall brown, and the other three walls pink if its a girl, and blue if it is a boy.
I scheduled an ultrasound with Ultrasona at Polaris--we will find out the gender on June 5th! Appointment is at 4:30 that day. Apparently they have a 50" plasma screen to view the ultrasound on, and seating for up to 18 people! So if you'd like to attend, let me know :)
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
week 13
Not much to report this week. Baby bird is supposedly the size of a plum, about 2 1/2 inches long. I'm almost out of the first trimester, so hopefully sometime soon I won't be nearly as tired as I have been lately.
In other news, our new washer and dryer arrive on Thursday morning and I can't wait! It's been almost 3 weeks since our basement flooded and we haven't done laundry at home since. We got this washer and dryer, using the insurance money plus some....and taking advantage of a great sale at Best Buy combined with Lowes price match guarantee. We're going to be doing a LOT more laundry soon, especially with using cloth diapers----since we needed to replace our set anyway, we though we might as well upgrade a bit.
In other news, our new washer and dryer arrive on Thursday morning and I can't wait! It's been almost 3 weeks since our basement flooded and we haven't done laundry at home since. We got this washer and dryer, using the insurance money plus some....and taking advantage of a great sale at Best Buy combined with Lowes price match guarantee. We're going to be doing a LOT more laundry soon, especially with using cloth diapers----since we needed to replace our set anyway, we though we might as well upgrade a bit.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Happy Mothers Day!
Despite being away from home for 12 hours, 5 of those being at work, and getting wine spilled all over my pretty dress, it was a nice day.
We had brunch for my mom at Jason's house...egg casserole, fresh fruit, baked french toast--yum! Jason even somehow knew that I loooove pomegranate lemonade, and had that as a drink selection :)
Work was slow, which makes it feel longer, but it was a nice change for a Sunday. After work, dinner at Polaris Grill which was tasty as always.
Camera batteries are charged, so here are some pictures of the "baby bump". Sometimes I think that I am showing a bit, and sometimes I don't. I think it depends on the angle and what I'm wearing.
We had brunch for my mom at Jason's house...egg casserole, fresh fruit, baked french toast--yum! Jason even somehow knew that I loooove pomegranate lemonade, and had that as a drink selection :)
Work was slow, which makes it feel longer, but it was a nice change for a Sunday. After work, dinner at Polaris Grill which was tasty as always.
Camera batteries are charged, so here are some pictures of the "baby bump". Sometimes I think that I am showing a bit, and sometimes I don't. I think it depends on the angle and what I'm wearing.
Friday, May 8, 2009
first meeting with the midwives
We had our first consultation with the midwives at CHOICE on Wednesday night. They are able to refer us for an ultrasound, which my only reason to keep seeing my OB for now, so I think I am going to switch to seeing the midwives exclusively. I still have an appointment at my OB's on May 26, so I may just keep that appointment and explain the situation to him at my visit.
Our midwives are Abby and Audra. Audra lives about 2 blocks from us, which will be really convenient when it comes time to have the baby. Abby is one of the founders of the organization, and has been practicing for nearly 40 years! As it turns out, she is the midwife who attended the births of 3 of the 5 Curtis girls (my friend Anna, and her sisters Lauren and Jessica), as well as the birth of their older sister's daughter. Between Audra and Abby, they have seen over 1000 births!
More good news--I called my insurance company today, and midwife-attended homebirth is covered! If the office accepts Anthem, it will be covered at the in-network rate. If they don't, it will still be covered at the out of network rate. That is good enough for me, as we were bracing ourselves for paying it all out of pocket.
I found my battery charger, and the camera batteries are charging now, so I will post some progress pics tomorrow night after work. A patron at the library asked me "Is this your first?" last night, so I must be starting to show a bit. I can't really tell, but of course, I see me every day....
Our midwives are Abby and Audra. Audra lives about 2 blocks from us, which will be really convenient when it comes time to have the baby. Abby is one of the founders of the organization, and has been practicing for nearly 40 years! As it turns out, she is the midwife who attended the births of 3 of the 5 Curtis girls (my friend Anna, and her sisters Lauren and Jessica), as well as the birth of their older sister's daughter. Between Audra and Abby, they have seen over 1000 births!
More good news--I called my insurance company today, and midwife-attended homebirth is covered! If the office accepts Anthem, it will be covered at the in-network rate. If they don't, it will still be covered at the out of network rate. That is good enough for me, as we were bracing ourselves for paying it all out of pocket.
I found my battery charger, and the camera batteries are charging now, so I will post some progress pics tomorrow night after work. A patron at the library asked me "Is this your first?" last night, so I must be starting to show a bit. I can't really tell, but of course, I see me every day....
Monday, May 4, 2009
I need a weekend off to recover from my weekend off...
Here's how my weekend went....
Friday night: home from work around 6:30. Big headache, super tired, and it was storming all night, so just vegged out on the couch and went to bed around 11:30.
Saturday morning: got up around 8:30 to get ready for a shopping trip with my mom. Went downstairs to get clothes out of dryer, found standing water in entire basement up to 3" deep depending on location. Spent an hour on the phone with Mom, insurance company, water extraction company, etc.
Servpro (Water extraction company) people came and installed 6 industrial sized fans in basement. Roto Rooter came to replace faulty sump pump.
Saturday evening: intermission from chaos; fun hanging out with our friend Brian and yummy dinner at Villa Nova
Sunday morning: Tim goes into garage for something and sees that garage door has a broken extension spring and can no longer be opened, so will now need to be repaired.
Sunday afternoon: spent well over an hour at David's Bridal in what should have been a 20 minute trip to exchange my dress for Amy and Bob's wedding. Was told by David's Bridal employees that they only allow exchanges within 90 days of the items leaving the store. Since they told us to order by late September, the items had been picked up 6 months ago. I told them that if I had known in October that I would be 16 weeks pregnant in mid-June, I would have exchanged the dress then.
They finally let me exchange the dress for a new one, but the new one was less money. Great, a refund! Nope. They don't do store credit, so in order to exchange the dress, I had to buy something else to make it equal or greater. So I went ahead and bought my shoes. Great to get that out of the way, but I was in a hurry and not planning on doing that yesterday.
Today: Servpro wanted to come back to do a dry check of the basement, and was hassling me into doing it mid-day even though I told them I was at work. Wanted to come at 2:30--right in the middle of our monthly department meeting. I finally arranged for them to come at noon so I took a 2 hour lunch break and went home to let them in. They determined basement was dry, and removed all the fans.
20 minutes later: on the way back to work, Allstate rep calls to get an idea of our damaged items. When I mention the down comforter, he says Servpro was supposed to take any linens and have them dry cleaned for us. He calls Servpro to have them come pick up items.
10 minutes later: just got back to work, Servpro calls to see if I can go back home to let them pick up the wet linens. I explain that I've already left work once today and it needs to wait at least a few hours. They counter by saying that those things really need cleaned as soon as possible. Which of course makes sense---which is why I was surprised they hadn't already taken them for cleaning. I finally arrange to leave work at 4 so they can come at 4:30. Time gets pushed back, so I leave work at the normal time. Time gets pushed back again, so he will now be here at 7:15. (After they pitched a mini-fit that I couldn't drop everything and come back home at 2:30.)
Tomorrow: back up sump pump gets installed
Thursday: garage door gets fixed, automatic opener installed.
Also happening this week: washer and dryer get inspected for water damage, furnace gets inspected for water damage, and meet with Choice midwives Wednesday night at 8.
I would be exhausted from all this if I wasn't pregnant, but since I am, I feel like I could go to bed and not wake up until Friday.
(In addition to all this mess, I got the camera out last night for Tim to take progress pics of my belly, and the batteries are dead. Not to mention I can't find either of the battery chargers. So once I find one and charge the batteries, there will be pictures up, but it might be a day or two....)
Servpro (Water extraction company) people came and installed 6 industrial sized fans in basement. Roto Rooter came to replace faulty sump pump.
Saturday evening: intermission from chaos; fun hanging out with our friend Brian and yummy dinner at Villa Nova
Sunday morning: Tim goes into garage for something and sees that garage door has a broken extension spring and can no longer be opened, so will now need to be repaired.
Sunday afternoon: spent well over an hour at David's Bridal in what should have been a 20 minute trip to exchange my dress for Amy and Bob's wedding. Was told by David's Bridal employees that they only allow exchanges within 90 days of the items leaving the store. Since they told us to order by late September, the items had been picked up 6 months ago. I told them that if I had known in October that I would be 16 weeks pregnant in mid-June, I would have exchanged the dress then.
They finally let me exchange the dress for a new one, but the new one was less money. Great, a refund! Nope. They don't do store credit, so in order to exchange the dress, I had to buy something else to make it equal or greater. So I went ahead and bought my shoes. Great to get that out of the way, but I was in a hurry and not planning on doing that yesterday.
Today: Servpro wanted to come back to do a dry check of the basement, and was hassling me into doing it mid-day even though I told them I was at work. Wanted to come at 2:30--right in the middle of our monthly department meeting. I finally arranged for them to come at noon so I took a 2 hour lunch break and went home to let them in. They determined basement was dry, and removed all the fans.
20 minutes later: on the way back to work, Allstate rep calls to get an idea of our damaged items. When I mention the down comforter, he says Servpro was supposed to take any linens and have them dry cleaned for us. He calls Servpro to have them come pick up items.
10 minutes later: just got back to work, Servpro calls to see if I can go back home to let them pick up the wet linens. I explain that I've already left work once today and it needs to wait at least a few hours. They counter by saying that those things really need cleaned as soon as possible. Which of course makes sense---which is why I was surprised they hadn't already taken them for cleaning. I finally arrange to leave work at 4 so they can come at 4:30. Time gets pushed back, so I leave work at the normal time. Time gets pushed back again, so he will now be here at 7:15. (After they pitched a mini-fit that I couldn't drop everything and come back home at 2:30.)
Tomorrow: back up sump pump gets installed
Thursday: garage door gets fixed, automatic opener installed.
Also happening this week: washer and dryer get inspected for water damage, furnace gets inspected for water damage, and meet with Choice midwives Wednesday night at 8.
I would be exhausted from all this if I wasn't pregnant, but since I am, I feel like I could go to bed and not wake up until Friday.
(In addition to all this mess, I got the camera out last night for Tim to take progress pics of my belly, and the batteries are dead. Not to mention I can't find either of the battery chargers. So once I find one and charge the batteries, there will be pictures up, but it might be a day or two....)
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
First ultrasound
We just got back from our first ultrasound appointment. We got to see the heartbeat, but couldn't hear it yet. The doctor said that once the baby's heartbeat is confirmed, the risk of miscarriage is minimal so that was good to hear.
Baby bird is 2cm long and is growing at the expected rate. Here are some pictures:
Baby bird is 2cm long and is growing at the expected rate. Here are some pictures:
Friday, April 24, 2009
It's ice cold sir
I really should watch this Jim Gaffigan bit every time I think that eating a Hot Pocket is a good idea. I just ate a pepperoni pizza Lean Pocket (i.e. Hot Pockets masquerading as healthy food) and the temperature alternated between ice cold middle, and burning-my-tongue-off hot outside edges.
I am in a near-constant state of hunger, and I'm already wearing maternity pants nearly every day...real ones or improvised. At this point, I really wouldn't be surprised if there is more than one baby in there...I guess we'll know after Tuesday! Lets keep our fingers crossed for only one (very hungry!) baby....
Sunday, April 19, 2009
so many things to think about...
Probably the two biggest decisions right now are:
*how to rearrange the rooms in our house to accommodate baby, because what is now Tim's office needs to be moved elsewhere to make a nursery. Our house has one bedroom upstairs and two downstairs, heating & cooling issues, and only one bathroom, so all of these things need to be considered in our plans.
*girl's names. We thought of several the other night as we were going to sleep, but then didn't remember them in the morning, so they must not have been that great after all.
Entering week 9 tomorrow. Baby is "the size of a strawberry" according to WebMD. I guess they mean a baby strawberry because baby is only about an inch long. Baby bird will also start moving its arms and legs this week, but I won't be able to feel it for quite some time still.
*how to rearrange the rooms in our house to accommodate baby, because what is now Tim's office needs to be moved elsewhere to make a nursery. Our house has one bedroom upstairs and two downstairs, heating & cooling issues, and only one bathroom, so all of these things need to be considered in our plans.
*girl's names. We thought of several the other night as we were going to sleep, but then didn't remember them in the morning, so they must not have been that great after all.
Entering week 9 tomorrow. Baby is "the size of a strawberry" according to WebMD. I guess they mean a baby strawberry because baby is only about an inch long. Baby bird will also start moving its arms and legs this week, but I won't be able to feel it for quite some time still.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
week 8
not much to report. I've had some moments of extremely mild nausea, but it's always passed pretty quickly and 98% of the time, I feel fine.
Baby bird is just over 1/2 inch long now, and will develop webbed fingers and toes this week, as well as eyelids. Baby is no longer considered an embryo, and is now a fetus. And, the tail has disappeared! So baby looks less like a lizard, and more like a human being.
Baby bird is just over 1/2 inch long now, and will develop webbed fingers and toes this week, as well as eyelids. Baby is no longer considered an embryo, and is now a fetus. And, the tail has disappeared! So baby looks less like a lizard, and more like a human being.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
first prenatal appointment
I had my first prenatal appointment on Thursday at my doctor's office. Just bloodwork, and talking to the nurse practitioner. I tentatively approached the homebirth subject and got the idea that they are not supportive. My alternative idea, if we didn't/couldn't have a homebirth, was a waterbirth at Grant. However, none of the office's six doctors deliver at Grant or do waterbirth. Sigh. We're meeting with CHOICE on May 6th about our options with a midwife so I'll know more after that.
In the meantime I am continuing to schedule with my OB, so I scheduled an ultrasound for April 28th at 8:30. I'll be just over 9 weeks by then, so we should be able to hear the baby's heartbeat. Right now I think Tim and I and our moms are going. If anyone else is dying to go though, let me know! I can find out from the doctor if there is a limit on how many can attend.
I'm at that really awkward point where maternity clothes would be too big, but my regular pants are getting too tight. I have a select few that I can wear, and they happen to all be brown or tan, so I'm a little tired of brown this week. Old Navy makes early maternity pants that have adjustable belts on the inside, so I can probably find some things there that will get me through the next few months.
In the meantime I am continuing to schedule with my OB, so I scheduled an ultrasound for April 28th at 8:30. I'll be just over 9 weeks by then, so we should be able to hear the baby's heartbeat. Right now I think Tim and I and our moms are going. If anyone else is dying to go though, let me know! I can find out from the doctor if there is a limit on how many can attend.
I'm at that really awkward point where maternity clothes would be too big, but my regular pants are getting too tight. I have a select few that I can wear, and they happen to all be brown or tan, so I'm a little tired of brown this week. Old Navy makes early maternity pants that have adjustable belts on the inside, so I can probably find some things there that will get me through the next few months.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
week 7
Still no nausea (yay!) and my congestion has pretty much cleared up, with only 2 Sudafed on Monday. Yesterday marked 9 years of Tim and I being together, so we went out to Olive Garden to celebrate. Baby bird seems to really like their salad and breadsticks, lol.
I saw Miki--a long time family friend--at the library this morning. She said my dad told them about the baby in Fred's b-day card. We ran through a quick timeline and decided that he must have gone out and bought the birthday card and sent it out within 24 hours of hearing my news. So Dad, if you're reading this...I take it you're excited! I'm glad :)
First doctor's appointment tomorrow morning and I will likely schedule my first ultrasound while I'm there. They usually do it after 8 to 10 weeks, so we should have our first pictures by the end of April!
I saw Miki--a long time family friend--at the library this morning. She said my dad told them about the baby in Fred's b-day card. We ran through a quick timeline and decided that he must have gone out and bought the birthday card and sent it out within 24 hours of hearing my news. So Dad, if you're reading this...I take it you're excited! I'm glad :)
First doctor's appointment tomorrow morning and I will likely schedule my first ultrasound while I'm there. They usually do it after 8 to 10 weeks, so we should have our first pictures by the end of April!
Monday, April 6, 2009
Stuffed
as in, stuffy nose. This is the 4th day that I haven't been able to breathe due to sinus congestion. I'm supposed to be avoiding medication as much as possible right now since I'm only in my first trimester. After suffering through 3 days of this though, I broke down and called my doctor this morning.
They told me I can take Sudafed, which I don't like the effects of normally, but its pretty much my only option. I can also take Benedryl if I want but it will likely knock me out. Since I'm having trouble making it through the day without a nap as it is, I don't think the Benedryl would be a wise choice.
So far the Sudafed does seem to help. I am taking a half dose, at the largest intervals possible, so I'm basically bringing my congestion to a tolerable level instead of clearing it up completely. I did have a moment of guilt when I took my first dose, like I'm choosing my comfort over baby bird's potential development and health. However, not being able to breathe well--which means I don't sleep well--is probably not good for the baby either.
I haven't gained any weight yet, but I'm going to go ahead and start posting belly pics anyhow. Today marks the beginning of my 7th week, so I'll try to post pictures every few weeks on Mondays from here on out.
They told me I can take Sudafed, which I don't like the effects of normally, but its pretty much my only option. I can also take Benedryl if I want but it will likely knock me out. Since I'm having trouble making it through the day without a nap as it is, I don't think the Benedryl would be a wise choice.
So far the Sudafed does seem to help. I am taking a half dose, at the largest intervals possible, so I'm basically bringing my congestion to a tolerable level instead of clearing it up completely. I did have a moment of guilt when I took my first dose, like I'm choosing my comfort over baby bird's potential development and health. However, not being able to breathe well--which means I don't sleep well--is probably not good for the baby either.
I haven't gained any weight yet, but I'm going to go ahead and start posting belly pics anyhow. Today marks the beginning of my 7th week, so I'll try to post pictures every few weeks on Mondays from here on out.
Saturday, April 4, 2009
Garage Sale Finds!
I'm so glad that we found out about baby bird right as garage sale season is starting...I stopped by a sale near Tim's parents house today and got a TON of stuff:
Infant car seat/stroller combo, only 2 years old. Space saving highchair, two carriers, a diaper bag, several newborn sleepers and bibs, and a nice breastpump....all for only $72! We would have paid twice that just for the stroller/car seat combo in a store.
(And yes, before anyone gets grossed out, I will get my own attachments for the breastpump....)
Infant car seat/stroller combo, only 2 years old. Space saving highchair, two carriers, a diaper bag, several newborn sleepers and bibs, and a nice breastpump....all for only $72! We would have paid twice that just for the stroller/car seat combo in a store.
(And yes, before anyone gets grossed out, I will get my own attachments for the breastpump....)
Friday, April 3, 2009
week 6
not much to report so far. Little pal (or gal) is about 1/8 of an inch long and weighs about a gram. He or she should have a heart with a steady beat by the end of the weekend.
Provided the pregnancy goes well, we're aiming for a homebirth assisted by CHOICE midwives. The only complication is that the insurance may or may not cover it. It is quite a bit cheaper than a hospital birth though, so we can pay out of pocket if it comes to that. Apparently, the midwives are willing to arrange payment plans, and are even willing to barter! I'm not sure what I could offer them, but its an interesting thought...
We're sort of hoping for a boy, if only because we already have a boy's name picked out that we really love: Isaac Henning. Isaac was my grandfather's name (my mom's dad) and Henning was Tim's great-grandfather's name (his mom's grandpa). Girls names seem to be a lot harder to come up with, so we'll table that discussion until we find out what we're having.
Other than that, pregnancy has been pretty uneventful. No nausea, just really tired. Hopefully things stay that way.
Provided the pregnancy goes well, we're aiming for a homebirth assisted by CHOICE midwives. The only complication is that the insurance may or may not cover it. It is quite a bit cheaper than a hospital birth though, so we can pay out of pocket if it comes to that. Apparently, the midwives are willing to arrange payment plans, and are even willing to barter! I'm not sure what I could offer them, but its an interesting thought...
We're sort of hoping for a boy, if only because we already have a boy's name picked out that we really love: Isaac Henning. Isaac was my grandfather's name (my mom's dad) and Henning was Tim's great-grandfather's name (his mom's grandpa). Girls names seem to be a lot harder to come up with, so we'll table that discussion until we find out what we're having.
Other than that, pregnancy has been pretty uneventful. No nausea, just really tired. Hopefully things stay that way.
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