Quickie

I found more letters today!  So check out my ABC Challenge tab at the top of this post. I'm super excited about my T.  It is exactly what I wanted!!

I've had a lot on my mind about being a working mom that I want to get off my chest, so be on the look out for that later this week.

I also have a post brewing about the control freak that I am.

I hope I am still feeling perky enough tomorrow night to take my 24 week (6 month!!!) photo and update on my progress.  My mom saw me today and said, "Wow, you got big this week!"  I really didn't think I had grown all that much!

Happy to see the days getting longer and that spring is in the air!  Looking forward to a beautiful week here in New England!!!

BabyMoon!

I just booked our last getaway as non-parents.  I have been given a lot of thought to how much our lives will change in just a few months, and I want a few days for the two of us to be "just the two of us."  

I am looking forward to just quality time together.  We don't have to do much of anything, but I am trying to book a couples massage.  Shhhhhh!   He doesn't know it!   I tried to do it at the hotel, but I couldn't have my prenatal needs met during the couples massage.  My guess is that they have two therapists one man and one woman and the woman knows how to give prenatal massages and the man can't.  I don't think Kiel would appreciate a guy rubbing his back!  They offered to allow us to have back to back massages, but what's the point of that???  My search will continue!  

I hope we can have a couple of days away to forget about work and all the stressful things that are happening in our lives right now.  All I want to do is think about us and all the good that will happen this summer!  

Happy Babymoon to us! 

More Good News

I went to see the doctor today and of course everything is perfectly fine.  I have gained a total of 9 pounds so far during this pregnancy, my quick diabetes and protein tests (both via urine) came back negative, and baby's heartbeat was stronger than ever!

While the doctor was checking for his heart rate with the Doppler machine, my little monster was moving all over the place.  I didn't realize how much movement could interfere with hearing his heart rate.  All we could hear was this static sound and she couldn't help but laugh since he was making her job so tough.  Trust me, I didn't mind "hearing" him move, it was pretty awesome!  Once she was able to measure his heart rate, she said it was 150.  I think that is pretty much where it has been for the past few months.

I also got to experience something new at this appointment.  She measured my fundal height for the first time.  That is the distance from my pubic bone to the top of my uterus.  It measured 24 cm which is just one centimeter larger than I should be right now.  The measurement should match the number of the week I am in right now - 23.  No big deal though, just another indication that baby boy is growing a tad big quicker than expected.  He is still very much in the normal range of development.  Maybe he will just be a few days early.

Will we have a July baby or a June baby?

23 Weeks

The weeks keep plugging along and I keep feeling better and better.  Today, I would have forgotten I was pregnant if . . .
      a. I wasn't up at 3:30 feeling little boy squirming.
      b. Debbie wasn't talking about planning my shower nonstop.
      c. I hadn't eaten two lunches.
      d. People hadn't asked to touch my belly.

So basically, I am in a really good stretch.  My body is feeling GREAT.  And I'm learning how to function better on less and inconsistent sleep.

All the things that are coming up are really making me realize that these 17 weeks are going to fly by.
       Next week we turn the clocks ahead, that is a sure sign that spring is near.
       April vacation is just 6 weeks away.
       We only have 9 weeks of school after April vacation.
        Baby boy will be here just one week after school gets out.

Eeek...although it does seem like I've been pregnant forever, this school year really has flown by!

-The Weekly List -

How far along? 23 Weeks

Total weight gain/loss: Okay, so people may have been cursing me out before because I lost all that weight during the first part of my pregnancy.  Well, let's just say I am MORE than making up for it now.  I am not gaining the recommended one pound per week.  Instead, it is more like 2-3 pounds.  I am currently about +7 or +8 on the scale.  I go to the doctor on Wednesday so we will get the official number then.  

Maternity clothes? Yeah and I think I look pregnant and not fat any more so that is a positive!

Stretch marks? Not yet, but with this rapid weight gain I'm beginning to worry!

Sleep: I am getting into these weird sleep patterns.  I am usually up around midnight or 1 every night for about an hour.  And I wake up everyday around 3:30 am.  On work days this is such a bummer cuz I have  a hard time falling back to sleep before my alarm goes off at 4:30 (I can't do the 4:15 thing anymore unless I have planning to do at school in the morning).  There is no apparent reason for the wake ups.  I am comfortable and the baby isn't usually up at the midnight time.  However, he has been up with me at 3:30 for about 5 days now.  Could we be getting into a pattern already?  Doubtful!

Best moment this week: Getting the crib set up!  Starting my ABC wall challenge with Lauren over the weekend (check out our finds by clicking on the tab above)!  A stranger asking if I was having a boy or a girl!  Yay, I look preggo enough to ask now!  (but I was also perusing a rack of baby clothes. . . )  

Miss Anything? There were yummy Panera sandwiches at work today and I had to have to stupid veggie one.  Booo 

Movement: Yeah, and Kiel can really feel him now.  It is weird, he feels him better with his arm.  When he puts his hand on my belly he feels my pulse and my stomach gurgling, but with his arm he can't feel those things and can only feel the baby moving.  I love seeing him get excited when he feels our boy! 

Food cravings: No strong cravings, I just want to eat so much!  Still eating lots of fruit and oreos.  I hate OREOS! They are causing this weight gain, aren't they??

Food aversions: Nothing!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Nope

Ailments: So I've started with some pretty intense heartburn.  But I think I know the cause.  I bought soda last week because I had a coupon and that's when the heartburn began.  Not sure if that is the link, but it is very likely.  No soda for me this week!  I'll let you know if it gets better.   

Have you started to show yet: Yeah.  It is very apparent I'm pregnant now.  

Gender prediction: Boy

Labor Signs: No.   Braxton Hicks contractions could start soon, at least that is what all the online resources are saying.  

Belly Button in or out? In, but it just looks different.   

Wedding rings on or off? Back on and my burn is doing a lot better.  

Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!  Although I snapped at Kiel for something yesterday.  He called me out on it and I laughed at myself.  I guess that is a sign I'm not a totally bitchy pregnant lady!

Looking forward to: Hearing baby boy on Wednesday. Seeing his face.  Seeing my belly move.  

We have a crib!

The beginning.  Good thing he was building it.  There weren't nearly enough words for me to figure it out.  Pictures just don't do it for me!

 Kiel working hard.  Notice the mirror in the background is prepped and ready to be sanded and stained to match the crib. I can't wait to do that!

Starting to look like crib!

Sorry it is a bit blurry.  Stupid iPhone!  We have the mattress on the lowest setting so we don't have to adjust it once he begins to climb.  I practiced reaching down and lifting up a baby and I could even manage with my current bump, so all should be good by the time he is ready to transition from the Co-Sleeper to the crib.  Oh and notice the antique rocking chair.  That has been passed down in Kiel's family for many, many years!

Baby Pesky loves the crib. 

Transformation

I was recently teaching my students a test taking lesson and we used a nonfiction text about the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a butterfly.  After teaching about this I could help but notice the similarities between the caterpillar and my baby.

It is hard to believe that just six months ago he was just an idea.  A hope. A wish. A dream that two people hoped and prayed would come true.

Shortly thereafter he was just two cells, one from mommy and one from daddy.  Those cells multiplied and divided over and over again creating a random, mushy bundle of cells.

Before long he was looking like a little tadpole.  Days and weeks went by and he soon began to look like a mini human.

Today he is most likely a little more than a pound and about one foot long.  He looks like a skinny, tiny little newborn.  His proportions are finally all correct and all he needs to focus on is gaining weight (about 1/4 of a pound each week!) and continue developing his organs-especially his lungs.

It is crazy how a caterpillar transforms from an ugly worm like creature into a beautiful butterfly.  But it is even crazier how two cells from two people can create something as simply amazingly beautiful as a baby.

Belly Laughs-Things I Learned from Jenny McCarthy

I have been a horrible pregnant lady.  Before I got pregnant I vowed that I would go to the gym at least 3 days a week.  Since the little purple line, I think I ran once and went to the gym once.  Ooops.  Once I got pregnant I also vowed to read all the books people had given me.  Oooops.  I have been reading What to Expect When you are Expecting, and a began A Bun in the Oven.  I also tried rereading Breaking Dawn and made it about 10 pages.  I am just sooooo exhausted!  It feels so much better to just veg on the couch after work and on the weekends and just watch TV or play games on my phone.  Pathetic, I know!

Well, after having a minor issue last weekend I texted my nurse friend to see if everything was okay.  Of course it was, and come to find out what I was experiencing was perfectly normal.  She recommend I pick up Belly Laughs by Jenny McCarthy.  Well, wouldn't ya know, someone had already let me borrow that one and it has just been sitting on a bookshelf in the baby's room.  Instead of reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle for school I grabbed Jenny's book and read it cover to cover in about 2 hours. 

I love the way she writes.  I feel like we are sitting down for lunch and she is just retelling the ups and downs of pregnancy.  I loved reading about things we both experienced and I love being prepared for what may come.  Here are some of the naked truths I learned from this pregnancy guru!

Niagara in My Pants-Do not get alarmed if and when the discharge begins.  She went through 3, yes, 3 pairs of panties in a day.  Really???   Not looking forward to anything like this!

Holy $h!t I think I Hard-Boiled My Baby-This was in reference to someone telling her hot tubs are an absolute No No.  This chapter was about all the unwanted, unwarranted advice us preggo chicks get on a daily basis.  Yes, I realize soda and chocolate are bad, I shouldn't dye my hair, hot baths are off limits, blah blah blah!   When it comes down to it, if my doc says I can do it, I'm gunna do it!

Granny Panties-I don't want granny panties!!!  She went from G-strings to huge cotton granny panties.   I hope that if and when my rear does decide to expand, I will still be able to find cute undies at Vickie's that will cover and keep everything in place.  Undies that don't belong in a nursing home!

Passing Stonehenge-She was severely constipated.  So much so that she didn't go for 13 days!  What the what?!?!   She went to a specialist, and I'm just going to leave it at that.  Let me say it was a laugh out loud chapter and I vow that I will never see a poop specialist.  Never ever!  

Is That an Apple on Your Rectum, Or Are You Just Happy to See Me?- Hemorrhoids.  Hemorrhoids. Hemorrhoids.  These bad boys pop up on every pregnancy email or website I check.  Really?  Are Hemorrhoids that big of a pregnancy issue??  Folks say the first and last trimesters are the ones when these little fellas crop up most frequently.  I avoided one trimester, let's hope I avoid the last one too!  Eeeesh!

Hands, Off Dude-Strangers have not asked to touch the belly yet.  Actually strangers still haven't had the balls to ask if I'm pregnant yet.  I don't think I am quite out of the might be a college beer belly stage and into the definitely baby bump stage yet.  Although, since I work in a school, kids sometimes don't understand boundaries so I have little germy hands on my belly about 7 hours a day!  What do I do if some random person comes and rubs my belly when shopping???

www.ihavetostopbuyingbabyshit.com- Yes, me too Jenny, me too.  It is just too easy to charge all these cute necessities to my credit cards.  I wonder if the UPS man has put two and two together yet.  He went from making maybe one delivery a month to about 2 deliveries a week.  Oooops!

Is it Hot in Here or Is it Just Me?. . . It's Just Me-I had my first hot flash about 3 weeks ago.  I never ever had one before and I will never snort or giggle at someone going through menopause again.   Holy mother of god, it was like I was radiating heat from my core.  Where did it come from?  It was so overwhelming, I couldn't even focus on teaching.  Nothing cooled me down.  Apparently hot flashes have to run their course.  I hope I never have to experience one of those again! 

The Crying Game- In general I am an emotional person, but during the first trimester I noticed I was a little less of a sap.  Not the case anymore, I cry at the most random stuff and Jenny did too.  What is up with the crying during a comedy or a random air freshener commercial?  Do hormones really have that much of a control over our bodies?

No, Not Yet! I'm Not Ready for this Yet!- Jenny experienced premature labor at 25 weeks.  Initially she ignored the signs her body was giving her, but eventually got to the hospital and got everything under control.  This chapter scared the crap out of me.  It never occurred to me that I could go into labor before July 2nd.  And it really never occurred to me that I could happen a two weeks from now!  Craziness!  I have been, and will continue to listen to all my body has to "say" to me! 

Poopin' on the Table- Ugh!  Another thing to worry about during the delivery.  Does this really happen often.  According to Jenny it does!  Yuck, as if having my lady parts blown up aren't bad enough, I have to worry about this now too???

The Blue Twinkies-Another interesting chapter.  Yes, down there could and probably will resemble blue twinkies.  That is, if I make the effort to pull out a mirror and check that area out.  Really, Jenny?  You had to tell me this because. . . ?

Die, Model Bitch, Die- I HATE looking so swollen.  I really hate looking at little skinny bitches even more.  On the bright side, I haven't caught Kiel watching playboy bunny TV shows like Jenny had to fight with her husband to stop watching.  

Organizing Freak-Jenny reassured me that even though my nesting instinct hasn't kicked in yet, don't worry.  I could be just like her and not have that instinct until 36 weeks.  That sounds about right, Jenny. 

I Need to Lie Down for, like, 5 Minutes. . . Okay, Maybe 3 Months- YES YES YES!  I really feel like I'm the only preggo chick who never overcame the dreaded fatigue.  Jenny even claims she overcame it, but also said she had an unusual schedule and could take a daily afternoon nap.  Umm yeah, maybe the fact that most of my work days are 13-15 hours and not 4 like Jenny's mean that I will want to nap for 9 months instead of 3. 

The Moment of Truth- The final chapter was so real and so wonderful.  I loved how she worded what happened during her labor and delivery.  After laughing chapter after chapter, it was nice to bawl my eyes out as she recounted the good, the bad, and the really scary happenings of the birth of her baby boy. 

Thank you Jenny for sharing ALL in this memoir.  It was quite entertaining, reassuring, and a little scary at parts!  I highly recommend every preggo chick, take 2 hours of their life and read this amusing book.