Signs of Life

Filed Under Pregnancy, Symptoms, Thoughts | Leave a Comment

I just realized that I hadn’t mentioned that I have been feeling the baby move. At first it was like a little flutter or vibration. The first time I felt it was at about 14.5 weeks. It was very faint, and I was laying dead still in bed or wouldn’t have noticed. At first, I wasn’t convinced that was it until I felt it a few more times over the next week or so. Within the past few days, it has become more like a flick, flick.

Haven’t felt much today though… it is still very sporadic. I can go over a day or so without feeling anything and then the baby will be really active for a while. Still only noticeable when I am sitting still or laying down.

I would like to feel it more often. It is the most exciting thing ever to feel. Like proof that there is something in there, and it is growing and doing what it’s supposed to!

16 Weeks

Filed Under Pregnancy, Week by Week | 2 Comments

Well I am now officially 16 weeks pregnant. Some days I really feel like I have a belly and notice it more, and other days it seems like I just have a little extra pudge around the middle. I think it really depends on what I’m wearing, too.

Today at church I overheard my grandma say, “Her belly isn’t as big as she thinks it is.” Thanks, Gram. I guess later on I would take that as a compliment, but right now I just want to look pregnant and not fat. It’s such an in-between stage.

Here is my most recent belly picture. You’ll have to do without seeing my head again, because I really wasn’t having a good face day when this was taken.

Applebutter Festival in Kimmswick

Filed Under Family | Leave a Comment

SUCKED. My mom and I go to the Applebutter Festival every year. Hmmm, I don’t want to put a link because the website I tried to look at has some sort of spyware or virus thing on it.

This year was really disappointing. Every year, it seems like they have less and less “crafty” stuff and more flea market-type items. We took tons of cash, thinking we could do Christmas shopping. I bought one sweatshirt for my grandma. Even the food didn’t seem as good.

Plus, it was really muddy. They put straw down everywhere, so it just kind of squished on top of the mud. But there were lots of areas with no straw and it was a mess.

When we got there, we shared a bag of kettle corn. Then later, I got a funnel cake. Too much sweet stuff, I think. So around 3 this afternoon, we went to El Nopal. No wonder that I had the worst indigestion ever afterwards. Chased it with a bunch of Tums, bread and butter, and a Pibb Zero. And later an oatmeal cream pie. Great eating today. I will have to do better tomorrow.

We are planning to go to the Cardinals parade tomorrow afternoon with my dad. He was actually at game 5 and has all kinds of cool souvenirs and stuff. I will have to take pictures tomorrow at the parade and post them.

Baby Furniture

Filed Under Baby Gear, Home Sweet Home | 3 Comments

Jonathon and I accomplished the huge project of choosing and buying the furniture for the nursery. We didn’t realize it was going to be so complicated. We looked around online a little bit and talked about going shopping. Then we went outside to get the mail, and there was a check from my mom and dad for the crib- totally unexpected!

So we headed to Babies R Us for what we thought would be a fun thing to do. Over two hours later, we were still trying to figure out what to get. The nursery is the smallest bedroom in our house, okay except for Jonathon’s office… so we didn’t want to get a dresser AND a changing table. We wanted a combo/all-in-one. So many of the bedroom sets didn’t have those as an option. Then the ones that did, had a crib that the front didn’t lower to get the baby in and out. We also knew we didn’t want white. Then we found a mahogany set we liked, only to find that the glider that matched was over $400 and the only choice. Also, Jonathon was insisting on real wood, which drove the price up a lot, but I know it will last longer, so I am glad we ended up going with that. Good decision, sweetie!

We finally settled on a natural (real wood!) finish, side-lowering, changes to toddler bed and then to adult headboard and footboard, on wheels, bed. Everything we were looking for, and I think it’s pretty. It only took Jonathon about 20 minutes to assemble, and it feels really sturdy.

The dresser that we ended up getting wasn’t from the same set, but it matches perfectly. It’s longer than a traditional combo-changer thing, so we will have a little extra space. It’s mostly real wood instead of composite, so it should hold up for a long time. Lots of drawers.

Now our only task left, furniture-wise, is to find a gliding rocking chair. The ones on Babies R Us online are only about $150-200, as opposed to $350 or more in the store. Also, the wood color of the nursery furniture is very plain and not really grainy, so it should be easy to find something to match.

We are holding off making our final decorating selection until we know whether Sam is a girl or a boy, but we have a few choices we’ve narrowed it down to.

Kind of Complainy Today

Filed Under Sleep, Symptoms | Leave a Comment

I found this in a post on my old blog and got a little laugh out of it. It was from after I got pregnant but before I knew.

Friday, August 04, 2006
Random Thoughts

I am still really tired. Do I have chronic fatigue syndrome?

I forgot how bad the exhaustion was until my friend Mae was telling me today how tired she is. I know we all have “off” days here and there… but I am NOT looking forward to the fatigue coming back in the third trimester.

And another thing: Everything I have read says that the “frequent urination” gets better in the second trimester. Well, it hasn’t. I peed five times today in the approximately four hours we were at a friend’s house today. What did I have to drink while we were there? One glass of water.

By the end of this pregnancy I am going to just get a catheter and leak all over, or I will never get to do anything other than run to the bathroom.

Baby Update- 15 weeks

Filed Under Pregnancy, Week by Week | Leave a Comment

www.pregnancy.org says:

* You may begin to feel some fluttering movements as baby kicks, flails, twists and turns (but don’t panic if you don’t yet). **I HAVE JUST STARTED TO FEEL THE FLUTTERING. AT FIRST I COULDN’T FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS, BUT IT’S DEFINITELY THE BABY!** She can also grasp, squint, frown, grimace and maybe suck her thumb!
* Your baby’s legs have grown longer than the arms and the body is now longer than the head.
* And you’ll be happy to note that he is moving those arms and legs often! **YES, LIKE LAST NIGHT WHEN I WAS TRYING TO GO TO SLEEP**
* His skin is very thin — so thin blood vessel are visible. It’s covered by a fine, soft layer of hair called lanugo. Lanugo comes from a Latin word meaning “down.” This hair is thought to help insulate your little boy.
* The three tiny bones in his middle ear have begun to harden. The auditory centers in your baby’s brain haven’t developed yet, so she might not really understand what you say but her hearing capacity is in the process of developing.
* Fingernails and toenails are growing.
* Eyebrows are beginning to grow and even the hair his head is sprouting. It will probably change color and texture after birth.
* All this and your little one is an amazing 3.98 inches (10.1cm) long and may weigh 2.47 ounces (70gm).

Disclaimer: This is not my baby pictured here. This is a 3d ultrasound of someone else’s baby that I found online!

Shootin Up

Filed Under Doctor Stuff | 1 Comment

I meant to post that I got a flu shot on Friday afternoon. I got it at Schnucks. It was very easy and much less painless than I expected. (Okay, edited: I don’t know if that makes sense. What I meant to say was that it didn’t hurt much at all.)

Here is their flu shot info. They do it certain days all day, and then days when a particular pharmacist is there, by appointment only.

I was in and out in about 45 minutes. It would have been faster except that once they find out you are pregnant, they have to get your doctor’s authorization, so we had to call Dr. K’s exchange. She called back within like two minutes- I was really impressed. So they did the shot, which was really quick compared to having needles stuck in me for a while drawing blood! Then I had to stay in the store 20 minutes to make sure I didn’t have any side effects or a reaction to it.

I went home after that, and the only thing I’ve had is that my arm has been slightly sore. So, this was my first flu shot ever and it wasn’t bad. I’d do it again.

World Series, Here We Come!

Filed Under Sports | 1 Comment

Way to go Cardinals! Last night’s game was very stressful for me. All the way up until the last pitch… wow, if I was stressed I can’t even imagine what Wainwright was going through.

Anyway, I am just glad we made it this far, since the odds were against us and all. What a great team!

This was fun to watch, but I also kind of enjoyed watching the sad faces of the Mets fans. And here are the stars of the game…

My dad gets to go to the game on Wednesday night. Darn season ticket holders. Hopefully the weather holds up and he has a good game. The last one he went to was the 12-5 loss to the Mets.

Baby Belly Pictures

Filed Under Belly Pictures, Pregnancy | 1 Comment

I just realized we haven’t taken any “pregnant” pictures yet, other than a few regular pictures I was in for my birthday. So I grabbed the camera and tried to get a few on my own… but I had to turn the flash off to use the mirror so they are pretty blurry. I am going to ask Jonathon to help me with a little modeling session when he gets home from work tonight and hopefully I can get some better ones. I also want to try to remember to take pictures once a month or so.

Getting a little bit of a belly- 14 weeks 5 days

How did that get in there?

Filed Under Nanny Job, Pregnancy | 2 Comments

Alison (my nanny-kid) was busy playing and just doing her own thing. Then she stops and looks at me with a wrinkled eyebrow face.

“Tara ate a baby!”

Then goes back to playing. Mystery solved. I guess that’s how that baby got in my tummy…

Opinion on Slings, please

Filed Under Baby Gear | 5 Comments

Okay, let me preface this by saying I have always been very skeptical about baby slings. Perhaps because a woman I know who is a little different and annoying uses one ALL THE TIME. It is also bright orange and in my opinion, tacky looking. Bright orange does not look good with everything….

But, my friend Mae wanted to go look at slings today. I didn’t have anything to do anyway, and I was kind of curious, so I went with her. We went to a store called Kangaroo Kids and I watched her try on a sling.

The sales lady was really nice. She showed her how to position the “baby” (she used a doll) in all different positions and tighten the sling. It actually looks kind of comfortable. So she tried it on me too because I was intrigued. She also told me that regular baby carriers can screw the baby’s hips up somehow from having something between their legs all the time. I don’t know if that’s true.

They are pretty easy to use. They are comfortable. I think the baby would like it better than a Baby Bjorn or typical baby carrier… but just on principle, I hate these things.

So here is my question: What did you use with your baby? Did you like it? Would you do it again? Or what do you plan on using with your baby when you have one? Opinions, please!

Obstetrical Questionnaire

Filed Under Pregnancy | 2 Comments

I got the paperwork in the mail yesterday for my big ultrasound. It came with a packet that I have to fill out and bring to my appointment. Some of the questions are kind of interesting, some are really sad, and others are flat out funny. So I thought I’d share some of them with you.

First it wants to know how many stillborn babies/misscarriages/abortions etc you have had. Those are the ones that I thought were sad and I am glad I can answer no to all of them.

How many tubal or ectopic pregnancies have you had? None, but I used to worry that my pregnancy was ectopic because I had funny pains now and then over to the sides. I later realized that this is from gas. Maybe a little embarassing.

Have you ever had a child who weight more than 9 pounds at birth? Please, God, don’t let this baby weigh that much. A woman in my Sunday School actually gave birth to a baby who was (I think) 10 lbs 4 oz.

What is the date you conceived, if known? How do you know your date of conception? (Choose from this list of answers: basal body temp chart, limited sexual exposure, artificial insem, ovulation induction drugs, IVF etc, predictor kit) Well, I would have to choose “limited sexual exposure” which makes it sound like we never have sex. I mean, we were specifically trying to conceive, so we were waiting for that day, but I just guessed about my ovulation based on a calendar and that isn’t one of the choices! So now I look like I have a boring sex life. Hmmm, do the ultrasound techs really care?

Have you used any street drugs such as marijuana, cocaine, or heroin during this pregnancy? No, but they left crack off the list.

What is the name of your baby’s father, if known? Do we want to go there? And what if I put a name other than my husband? Well, last night I did have a dream that the baby’s daddy was my high school boyfriend. But it really IS Jonathon!!! I swear.

And now for the kicker…

Are you related to your baby’s father in any way other than marriage? If yes, how are you related (first cousins, second cousins, siblings, etc) Um, he’s my daddy and my uncle. I think that’s it.

Weekend recap

Filed Under Friends, Home Sweet Home | 1 Comment

Wow. We meant for this weekend to be really low-key (okay, I guess compared to our life even a year or two ago it was) but I feel like a lot happened.

On Friday night I went to dinner with Faith and Renee at The Elephant Bar. I had some really good fettucini alfredo and garlic bread. Which was a weird choice, because I wanted to go there for Asian food. Anyway, the best part of the dinner was the cheesecake I shared with Faith. Oh, and of course the company of my good friends Then we went over to the mall and shopped for a while. With all the junior high kids who had been dropped off. It wasn’t really a late night– in fact, as soon as I went home I went straight to bed.

Saturday I got up and did a little shopping. I wanted to go to Burlington Coat Factory just to look around at baby furniture. You know, they have that new return policy now where you can ACTUALLY RETURN STUFF and get your money back. Big change. I haven’t bought anything there in years since their policy sucked so much. And yes, I return a lot of stuff. They have a lot of baby furniture. But unless the stuff was on sale, the regular prices weren’t that great. And the sale stuff was mostly dinged up or floor models or something. Not impressed. I guess next we will look at Babies (again) and maybe Target or something.

Jonathon finally finished staining the deck on Saturday. This has been quite a big project for him. And if you have seen our deck, you know how big and multi-level it is. I was so glad just for him to get done with it. Then for dinner I made sloppy joes and we watched our new reality show “Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders-Making the Team” (yes, we will watch ANYTHING).

Yesterday, we got up and went to church. Then, in an effort to spend more time together, we went bowling. It was actually kind of fun. I bowled over 100 for like the first time ever, maybe. Two games- my arm was killing me after that. We also played air hockey and he totally beat me at that too.

Then we went over to my grandparents house and Jonathon put together their grill. I couldn’t ask for a better guy who is actually willing to spend time with my family. As we left, I thanked him for going there with me and apologized for staying so long. His response? “We should go over there more often. I don’t mind.” Awwwwwwwww

Big Ultrasound

Filed Under Gender, Pregnancy | 2 Comments

Got a phone call from the doctors office… they scheduled my “big” 19-week ultrasound for me. Apparently my doctor always does them during week 19.

So……. It will be the week before Thanksgiving! In about one month, we will know what we are having. How fun.

I was really hoping it would be before Thanksgiving. That way, we can share the news with Jonathon’s parents when we go to visit them. And also, that’s a week or two less that I have to wait. I am not the most patient person.

Second Doctors Visit

Filed Under Family, Pregnancy | 2 Comments

Today was my second OB appointment. Everything went great. I was in and out of the office in about twenty minutes- I couldn’t believe it went so fast!

I brought my mom with me so she could hear Sam’s heartbeat. She thought it was pretty cool. The doctor used a Doppler machine similar to the one I used at my friend’s house last week. Only this one automatically showed the beats per minute on a little digital screen. The heartbeat was between 151 and 153 BPM. Dr. K said that was in normal range, that at this point they want it to be between 120 and 160.

I joked again that it was probably a girl, because the heartbeat was toward the higher end of that range. The doctor reminded me that it was just a wives tale, and only accurate about 50% of the time. We’ll see.

I also peed in a cup again. I have learned that they will let me do the urine sample as soon as I arrive, even if the doctor isn’t ready for me yet. That’s nice after I’ve been saving it up just for them!

Today the nurse weighed me and then took me in a room to do my blood pressure, which is still normal (despite my dream that I was put on bedrest this week for blood pressure). Then Dr. K came in and did the heartbeat, and mom got tears in her eyes, I think. Then she informed me that I would have a Pap today! Oh joy! So mom left the room for that part

The appointment ended with her asking if I had any questions, and also telling me about a blood screening thing we can do for Downs Syndrome, and a few other things. She said that it really didn’t show anything, just told you the likeliness of the baby having an “abnormality.” I told her we weren’t interested. Sounded like just another thing to do.

As I left, I set up my next appointment and they also asked me what day of the week I would like to have them schedule my 19-week ultrasound on! Yeaaaaaaaaaaa! (Apparently that’s not done in the office–it’s at some womens health center thing in the hospital).