Week 24

 Week 24

How far along?  24 weeks
Maternity Clothes?  I did cave and buy a couple more things but mostly because I had to go out shopping for new bras.  All I'm going to say is that I sure hope I'm the damn Dairy Queen once this baby comes because this is my third bra shopping trip since finding out about baby.  But before I share way too much on the internets, back to the clothing. The inexpensive options are so limited.  The local Old Navy doesn't carry maternity clothes and I'm finding that my size varies wildly depending on brand/style (I'm talking everything from medium to x-large) so ordering online has been a challenge.  I also think I now own just about all of Target's maternity basics.  I really don't want to trek to the Destination Maternity store again because of the prices.  I may try to wait until I get a little bigger and the options are even more limited.  The local consignment shop was having a sale on dresses over the weekend and I was able to get into a non-maternity dress.  It's a little "young" for me but it was so soft and comfortable that I intend to wear it around the house this summer...and it was only $5.
Have you started to show yet?  I think that's a given at this point but I do have a work event this weekend and I'm sure I'll be getting some looks.  I'm curious to see how many people just come out and ask.   I feel like its some kind of social experiment.  It will also be a challenge for me because I'm supposed to wear a suit for 2 days.  We'll see what I squeeze into!
Symptoms:  Over the weekend I noticed that I really have more and more limits.  I think I did a little too much on Saturday and ended up feeling crappy all evening/night.  I was exhausted, all of my joints/muscles ached.  I even got some nausea that I haven't had since the first trimester.  I'm a little worried about the next 5 weeks.  We have non-stop stuff going on.  I think I'm just going to have to force myself to take more breaks...and learn to say no.  Boo.
Activity:  There was a 3-mile shuffle and then more pre-natal yoga.  Better than nothing...
Best moment this week:  The kicks are getting stronger and stronger.  We also hung up all of the "artwork" in the nursery.  And put together the crib.

The crib is a story in itself.  One that I will admit that I have cried over.  My brother and sister-in-law offered to give us their crib.  This was last summer...before baby Megatron came into the picture.  Since we had moved into the house and had plenty of space in the basement crawl space, we went ahead and took it.  So once we found out we were pregnant and the news sunk in a little, The Pilot went to the basement to bring up the crib.  He asked me where the parts (bolts, etc) were.  I figured they were right with the crib...but they weren't.  I didn't really help move the crib into the house other than hold the door so I don't really remember ever seeing a bag of parts.  There was a vague recollection of them sitting on the kitchen table at some point but nothing after that.  My brother was certain he brought them...it's just that no one knows where they went from there. 

I wasn't too worried yet.  I figured The Pilot and I would go through the basement and find them.  Nope.  Both of us separately tore apart the basement.  And when they didn't turn up, we tore apart the ENTIRE house.  I mean we were looking in places that made NO sense at all (the garage, under the bathroom sinks).  Still nothing.  We went to the internet only to find that the crib is no longer made (its 10 years old) and the company doesn't carry the spare parts anymore.

This is when I started to get really frustrated.  Especially since I rarely lose things.  Like never.  I might temporarily misplace something but for the most part, I'm pretty organized and have a decent memory when it comes to those types of things.  Except for this.  I was embarrassed to admit to my brother and sister-in-law that we couldn't find the parts!   It was sort of a joke that anytime someone asked someone else in the family for something, there was usually a comment that whatever it was was probably with the crib parts.  Funny...until it wasn't anymore.  I had visions having to spend hundreds of dollars on a new crib or have our baby sleep in a dresser drawer.

But, thanks to The Pilot's persistence and no fewer than 4 trips to various hardware stores, the crib is together correctly.  We are still waiting on a recall kit from the manufacturer (which they still carried) because it is a drop-side crib which I guess is a no-no these days but we do have a safe place for baby to sleep (once he moves out of our bedroom).
Miss anything? Sleep....Have I mentioned this before?  :)  It's getting worse again thanks to the fact that rolling myself over in bed is quite a production.  And not something I can do without waking up anymore.  There have been a few nights when The Pilot has been home that I've wanted to grab onto him for leverage.   I don't quite understand why rolling over has suddenly become so difficult!  I suppose this is just the slow preparation of things to come.
Movement:  He's definitely getting bigger and stronger because the kicks are getting more and more noticeable.  I could do without the dance party when I'm trying to fall asleep but it's still fun when I feel him moving.
Food cravings:   Two pounds of strawberries went missing sometime between Saturday morning and Tuesday at lunch....  I also get random cravings for french fries but luckily I've been able to push through those for the post part...by eating more strawberries.  Only about 5 more weeks until the local farmer's market opens...I wonder if they will have strawberries.  Or maybe I can diversify with the farmer's market nectarines that I swear the farmer sprinkles crack on right before I buy them...
Gender: Boy!  Still fussing over names.  The Pilot was ready to "shake on it" for one name in particular recently but I just wasn't ready.  I honestly didn't expect it to be this hard, especially since I'm usually pretty decisive. 
Looking forward to: Picking out a name...sharing nursery pictures!  I wanted to wait until we got at least one sheet to put on the crib before taking photos.  :)
What I'm not looking forward to:  It just occurred to me that I'll be the "most" pregnant over the summer months.  As in shorts weather.  And I'm already having trouble tying my shoes.  So you know what else is difficult?  Shaving my legs.  Yeah.

Milestones: Mr. Man is the size of a cantaloupe.  We ran to the grocery after Saturday's walk (and after a trip to the bathroom of course!) and happened to walk by the cantaloupe.  I've never been a huge fan of melon in general so when I picked one up, I was surprised at how heavy it was.  No wonder my lower back always hurts...I've got a cantaloupe pulling on my front.

And just for giggles...this little princess doesn't seem to mind too much that my lap is getting smaller, especially when she can use the belly as a pillow.  She hasn't been kicked in the head yet though so we'll see how long this lasts.

My boring workouts

Sorry folks, my workouts are not so exciting these days.  I'm not training for any long distances and given that I can't run/walk very far without having to pee, there isn't much opportunity for my many musings I have during a longer workout.  But in an effort for this to not turn into a pregnancy blog, here's the latest in the workouts.

Saturday was another group workout at a local running store.  I was planning to go and The Pilot agreed to tag along.  I was exhausted when I got up and really didn't want to go but The Pilot lured me out of bed with promises that I could sleep in on Sunday.  So I got up and we headed out the door.  

The only real goal was to run/walk/shuffle for as long as possible without peeing my pants.  For real.  Oh well, at least it was a goal.   We started running very slowly behind some of my crazy fast walker friends but my heart rate quickly went through the roof so we dropped to a walk.  We did a couple more bursts of running but right around 1.5 miles out, I knew I would need to go to the bathroom so we walked (Baby Boy must not like running and decides to put the smack down on my bladder...TMI??).  Not much further, I realized I probably shouldn't go all the way out (did I just type that?!?) to the 2 mile marker since there weren't any bathrooms along the route.  So we turned around.  I debated going into the hospital we walked past to use their restroom so I could walk a little further but by that point, my back was also starting to hurt.

And because there isn't much entertaining about a 3+ mile shuffle, we took this gem.

Is a pregnant lady out for a slow workout with a baby sitting on her bladder considered an emergency?  Probably not.

Sigh.  I keep telling myself that all that matters is that I'm still active.  Not as active as I had hoped to be but I'm still moving and I'll keep trying until the body and just say no more. 

Besides, any time I get to hang out with this guy is always a good thing.  It sure beats trying to catch up with each other while he's standing in a jetway and I'm yelling at my cell phone so he can hear me.

So there was that...and then there was a short prenatal yoga workout last night.  But I'm going to leave out all the details because I was probably doing all the moves wrong...especially since I had a cat who was trying to help.  And by help I mean shoving her tail in my face while I was attempting cat's pose.  Ironic much?

Week 23

Week 23

How far along? 23 weeks when the photo was taken...though technically today I am 24 weeks.  My photo editor was on a 4-day trip.  :)
Maternity clothes?  Oh yeah....and I'm already getting bored with my limited selections.  I only have a couple casual shirts and a couple work shirts.  I need choices!  My rational side is saying to make do but the bored part of me is saying to go shopping again.  Stay tuned for which side wins.
Have you started to show yet?  It's pretty darn obvious now that I didn't just gain weight.  Especially since the only place I appear larger is the belly and chest.  At least, this is what I'm telling myself.  I still have a waist (on the sides at least) and I haven't noticed anything else getting...ummm....larger.  If you know me and have noticed anything else getting larger, keep it to yourself.  ;)
Symptoms: Is losing the ability to tie my own shoes a symptom?  'Cause that's slowly becoming a reality.  While I can kinda sorta still bend over at the waist, it's not comfortable and I can't breathe while doing so.  It reminds me of being a kid and making my mom time how long I could hold my breath under water.  Hey mom, want to come over and time me to see if I can hold my breath while trying to tie my shoes?  (She's also a nurse so if I pass out I'll be in good hands.  No worries.)  It's a good thing the prenatal yoga I've been doing sporadically has some good squatting exercises because that might be the only way I'll be able to wear shoes with laces.
Activity:  I was chilling with the swan over the weekend and there was more prenatal yoga.  I would love to be getting in more workouts each week but I'm in my busy time at work so it's a challenge.  I hope that by early May I can at least get in 3 days a week of some kind of activity (or I'm going to start counting laundry because of the multiple trips up and down the stairs).
Best moment this week:  I *think* I felt the little man move...from the outside.  He was moving around so I grabbed my belly and sure enough, I felt something.  I'm pretty certain I didn't twitch and I wasn't feeling my own pulse.  I think. 

Also, The Pilot and I scored big time over the weekend with nursery decor.  Once it's all done I'll definitely post pictures.  All I'll say now is that I really hope this kid is born with a sense of humor because with parents like us, he's going to need it!
Miss anything?  I'm still missing my bike.  The weather keeps getting nicer and the cyclists are hitting the roads.  Other than that though, I'm good. 
Movement:  I have to say, this is becoming my favorite part of pregnancy (after seeing the ultrasounds).  It's still the most bizarre thing I've ever experienced but something about that movement that is a reminder of what's going on.  He is most active right after I've eaten and for some reason, during my commute home from work.  I'm not sure if its the vibration of the car that wakes him up or maybe he doesn't like that I serenade him with not-baby-appropriate music and he keeps punching me in the bladder to get me to stop.

Food cravings:  Not as many strawberries this week...I haven't been to the grocery.  Boo.  I did have some at my parents' house the other night and they were glorious!

But then this just happened at lunch today....at least I added a few other fruits for variety.

Gender:  Still trying it out by calling the baby "him" or "he" instead of "it" or "alien."  :)
Looking forward to:  We hope to put some of the final decorations up in the nursery this weekend.  I also just got the invite to a baby shower....honoring me!  :)

What I'm not looking forward to:  The doctor said I should be drinking 150 ounces of water every day.  Say what?!  I'm no where near that and I'm still peeing all the darn time.  I'm working on it but there are times when I feel like I'm floating and just give up.  I've always been a water drinker but some days I get bored.  Having juice or a Vitamin Water is nearly as good as dessert some days! 
Milestones:  Megatron is the size of a grapefruit this week...at least I am familiar with that fruit!  Also, I read to the little guy for the first time.  A dear friend sent me a copy of this book.  All the pregnancy books say its a good idea to start reading/talking to the baby and that babies will recognize their parents' voices right at birth but honestly, I just felt a little silly.  Basically I was just reading Dr. Seuss to myself.  It also brought up a repressed emotion for me.  I forgot how much I dislike reading out loud.  Even though I love to read, I have always hated having to read out loud in school.  For some reason my brain reads faster than my mouth can keep up.  Hopefully this kid doesn't mind!  Or maybe I should just keep practicing...or try something other than Dr. Seuss and his crazy made-up words.

Gym Class Dropout: Becoming A Mom

I did a post on The Pilot becoming a dad (AKA the story of how I told him I was pregnant).  I figured I'd write one about me becoming a mom as it is no doubt been a journey already.  With the excitement of the pregnancy itself, I sometimes forget that at the end of this 10 month journey, I'm going to be a mom.  With so much to do to prepare for pregnancy, delivery and baby, it's hard to even think about the mom aspect of it.  I wasn't one of those women who dreamed about being a mom someday.  Up until I met The Pilot, I was pretty sure I didn't want kids.  Fast forward a couple years and here we are.  Approaching our 2nd wedding anniversary and just 4 months away from becoming parents.

I hadn't thought much about the whole "mom" aspect of things until recently.  I was at a meeting preparing for a local American Cancer Society's Relay For Life event that I've been involved with.  A mom and daughter got up in front of everyone to share their story.  The mom shared a little but left the rest to this video:



Now, I've seen a lot of videos like this over the last 8+ years of volunteering with both the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and the American Cancer Society.  It's not that I've become immune to them but for some reason I can usually watch them without crying.  Especially if I'm with a group of people.  I'm not sure how I can lock that away but I can.  Until I saw this one.

And I think it's because within the 7 minute video, it hit me like a ton of bricks that I'm about to become a mom.  There was something about seeing that mom trying to comfort her child through the most unimaginable crisis.  All that mom wanted to do was take away her daughter's pain and make her better.  And all that little girl wanted was her mom.  I barely kept it together while I watched but for the day following that meeting, I realized just what is about to happen to my life. The Pilot and I are about to become someone's everything.   This little person will depend on us for everything, including comfort.  Hell, I'm 32 and I still go to my own mom for comfort.  That's heavy stuff!

I recently shared with The Pilot that I'm not scared of labor and delivery.  I'm scared of the lifetime after.  I'm still scared that I'll suck as a mom, though I know in my heart that's probably not going to be a reality.  I know it's completely normal to be afraid and I still have 4 months to adjust to the concept.  And I know enough about babies/kids to know that that our lives will never be the same.  I will probably miss our pre-baby lives but that's ok.  There will be a million new experiences to look forward to and treasure. So while I might be terrified, I'm also so so excited to welcome a little guy into this world.  I'm super excited to see The Pilot as a dad.  I'm excited to see how I evolve as a mom.  And besides, how can I completely suck at being a mom when I had one of THE best role models growing up (and when I say growing up, I mean the last 32 years)??  My mom is the best! If I have only a fraction of the relationship I have with my mom with my own child, both baby and I will be just fine!

And on another note about that video. it made me so badly want to go out and donate blood.  Unfortunately my doctor said no donating while pregnant.  I guess me and little man need it all right now.  As soon as I get the ok from the doctor though, I'll be back at it.  Who wants to go donate in my place?!

No Leaves...just swans

After getting rained out on Monday, I finally was able to get some fresh air.  My 4 miler on Saturday morning was just what I needed.  It was cold but the sun was out and I spent much of the 4 miles on my own...or at least just me and Megatron/Baby but he doesn't say much. 

I met up with a "new" group this time though there were some familiar faces in the crowd.  Including these lovely ladies who just happened to roll up wearing the same shirts.  :)  Nerds.

I did a run/walk combo almost all the way until mile 3 when I swear that baby must have had a foot pushing on my bladder.  Still a mile from my starting point, wearing a bright yellow shirt in a suburban area, in the spring with hardly much tree cover.  Peeing in the bushes was not an option...though one I probably would have taken had there been more leaves on the trees to hide me.  I just know Lisa is smiling about that because she still can't believe as long as I've been marathoning, that I've never had to pee outside.  :P

Anyways...I was forced to walk the rest of the way back but it was still a great workout.  It was nice to have some quiet time to myself.  And because all I could think about was how badly I needed to pee, my brain didn't even wander.  Sometimes its nice to empty the brain!  It's like a reset button.

I did have a brief startle when I passed a pond and a swan was trying to fly away.  From the noise, I thought it was coming at me.  It wasn't.  Though I did snap it's picture when I circled back around.  Because that's what you do when you are slow.  You stop and take pictures of swans during workouts.

Week 22

Week 22

How far along? 21 weeks
Maternity Clothes?  I mentioned I went swimming on Sunday.  While my normal lap swim suit doesn't fit, I did still have a tankini that I managed to squeeze into.  I have a long torso to begin with so one-piece suits are hard for me to find.  Even tankinis are too short sometimes so when I found a really long one right before our honeymoon last year,  I was super excited.  While not ideal to swim laps in, I was covered.  I think in another month though it will be too tight so I may try to buy just a maternity swim top since the bottoms still seem to fit. 
Have You started to show yet?  Someone recently exclaimed "woah, you've really popped" while reaching toward my belly.  I kept walking to avert the belly rub.  WHY on earth would anyone touch someone else's stomach without permission??  A friend did ask to touch the belly, and I was ok with that, but not asking??  NOT ok! 

We were at the doctor recently and on the bright side, I'm only up 8 pounds.  So while I have days when I feel very large, I really haven't put on all that much weight.  Luckily baby was kind and "borrowed" some resources from the few extra pounds I was carrying pre-baby.  Let's hope it stays that way.  The doctor pointed out that the less I gain, the less I have to lose post-baby.  I'm not stressing over numbers and doing my best to "feed the beast" with as many healthy options as possible (but caving to the baby's NEED for cookies).  As long as the doctor is happy, baby and I are happy.
Symptoms:  Only new thing new I've noticed is that sometimes the sides of my belly will get hard.  I was thinking it was possibly Braxton-Hicks contractions but the doctor said it was probably my round ligaments (part of the abs I guess) stretching.  Good to know.  It's still weird though!
Activity:  Getting my swim on and then a short treadmill/yoga workout the other night.
Best moments this week:  Hands down, the ultrasound.  And also hearing from the doctor that I can take more heart burn medication as needed.  Don't knock the little things!
Miss anything?  Nothing that I noticed this week.  Maybe I'm slowly adapting to this parasite that has taken over my body. ;)  I think another member of our household misses something though.  One of our cats LOVES to knead.  She's long past the kitten stage but still loves to knead you...your belly, chest, leg...anything she can get to while you are sitting still.  And yes, sometimes we feel violated.  (Don't worry, she won't do it to a stranger so you don't have to be worried about getting molested by a cat at our house.) Anyways, she keeps trying to knead my growing belly.  I keep picturing the baby getting poked in the head by a cat paw and it kinda freaks me out.  Plus, the bigger the baby gets, the more tight my belly becomes (less squishy) and it's not comfortable to have a 10 pound cat poking me so I don't let her anymore.  She always looks so rejected when I push her away or try to redirect her to my leg.  It's still plenty squishy but she doesn't look quite as satisfied.
Movement:  I've noticed he gets really active for about an hour after I eat and then he must take a little food nap.
Food cravings:  Still downing the strawberries like its my job.  The Pilot got some strawberry plants from his dad and planted them in the backyard a couple weekends ago.  They cannot grow fast enough because at this rate, a obscenely high amount of our grocery budget is going towards cartons of strawberries.
Anything making you queasy or sick? Nope.
Gender:  So we were at 85%...now I'm saying 99% that it's a boy.   :) 
Looking forward to: Still anxious for The Pilot to get to feel the crazy kicking, nudging, poking.  Also, putting the finishing touches on the nursery.  Furniture is in (though not all assembled), walls are painted and the curtains are made (more on that craziness for another time) and are up on the windows.  We just have some DIY art projects to get started on.
What I'm not looking forward to: I'm nervous that it's going to be a hot summer.  I've already noticed that I'm feeling a lot warmer than usual.  There have been several occasions when every one else in a room seems comfortable and I feel like it's stifling.  The Pilot and my dad installed ceiling fans in the master bedroom and the nursery over the last couple weeks and I'm so excited to have some airflow in both rooms!  Fingers crossed that it isn't as hot as it was last summer or I foresee being locked up in the house with an extra high electric bill as I sit on the air conditioning vents.
Milestones: He's a boy...and he's the size of a papaya.  Again with the odd fruits.  I'm just thankful that I'm not yet to the pumpkins and watermelons.

99%?

The Pilot and I went to my OB appointment on Monday for the official ultrasound.  I have to say, the best part of pregnancy so far is getting to see the little creature.  Seeing it move independent of me is the most bizarre, yet amazing thing I have ever experienced.

And we got something even better at this visit.  We got a much better view of the "goods."  While no percentages were thrown around, my doctor was pretty darn confident that....

It's A Boy!

And I'm feeling much more confident than I was with the 85% we got a couple weeks ago.  Mostly because I saw something.  We are either having a boy...or a girl with an extra extremity.  So now I can let myself get excited.  I can let myself plan a little more.  I felt like I've been in a holding pattern since that other ultrasound.  I didn't really have a preference on the gender but I did feel better when The Pilot put into words what I couldn't...  The part of us that wanted a girl is disappointed.  But the part of us that wanted a boy is so thrilled!

Now the pressure is on though.  We had a girl name pretty much picked out before we got married but for some reason, a boy name eludes us.  We have a couple at the top of the list that we keep coming back to but neither is jumping out more than the other.  Either way, we won't be sharing the name with anyone until his birthday.  And sorry folks but most likely, we will not be sharing the name on the blog.  For similar reasons why I don't use The Pilot's real name, we will be coming up with an internet alias.  The Pilot is still thinking Megatron is a good name.  We'll see about that.

For now though, we are super excited to think about a boy joining our family.  I've already tried to break it to our female cat that we are about to be outnumbered.  The males will have numbers but the females will always run the show. ;)