17 weeks! And it's a........

B O Y !!!!!!

I am over a week late in updating our blog, and that is for good reason. We had an ultrasound last Wednesday (16 1/2 weeks) and I was saving my 16 week post for that night or the following day, when I was sure we would know the gender. I was wrong. :( Very wrong. It was a very disappointing experience, but was quickly remedied on Saturday when we went to Vegas for a quick trip and a birthday celebration with my grandpa and my dad's side of the family. On Saturday, we had the best ultrasound ever!!! It was fun, it was clear, it was long, and we saw many views of our baby.....BOY!!!!!

We are still settling from the shock of seeing a penis attached to our baby, but are so thrilled to be able to assign a gender, and soon, a name to this beautiful little baby boy! We love him so much already, and are making many plans for his future, starting with his nursery.

In the above photo, the baby is sitting with his legs spread open, and our view is from underneath his butt. Like if he was sitting on a camera. That thing between his legs, that the arrow is pointing at, is what made our jaws drop.

 

 

In the above photo, you can see a side view of a leg... the foot goes off to the left, with a lower leg and then a knee and then a femur moving up towards the top of the image. His butt is the top round part, and his back curves down to the right. His belly is bottom, to the right of the arrow. The arrow is pointing at a side view of that dangly thing that is sticking out at his groin area.

*****LINK TO OUR BABY'S ULTRASOUND VIDEO*****

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o27_Cbhfk4


I have fallen in love with this guy. Especially when I see his spine, and hands, and feet, and legs, and big ol' head, and when he kicks me...

And now.... our 17 week update:

Here is a blurry photo of a very tired ME holding our owl sign that says 17 weeks, 5.1 inches. (THAT IS A LIE, THIS KID IS LONGER THAN THAT!) In one hand is an onion, in the other is Ellie....

because we needed a girl photo in a home full of boys.

How many weeks today:  17 weeks and 1 day.

Baby is the size of: an onion. Last week was an avocado at 16 weeks. I don't fully understand how a baby goes from a navel orange to an avocado. Maybe the person who designed these fruit size comparisons is getting some hefty Chilean avocados on the black market.

Total weight gain/loss: I am up about 2 1/2 pounds. Not bad, not bad.

Maternity clothes: Yes, I'm in 'em. I am a big fan of leggings and dresses and skirts still, and only have ONE pair of maternity pants (my lovely comfy jeans!). Since I can't wear jeans to work four days out of the week and leggings are banned, I need to buy some tights or something to wear with my dresses.

Cravings: Still eating plenty of fruit, I have upped the veggies and salads this week, I love salty hot foods like Mexican food, ANYTHING spicy. I don't think I have had anything bizarre, or specific to one category or craving.

Aversions:  I still gag when I brush my teeth, but nothing else gets to me.

Mood: Very very very happy and excited about our B-O-Y!

Physical symptoms: I started feeling tired again, but still nothing like the first trimester. I still get a little crampy, my back aches once in awhile, and the occasional headache shows up.... but overall, I'm feeling great still!

Miss anything: Looking at girl clothes and nursery ideas. That's okay though, because I have now started to fill my mind with the boy things!

Showing yet:  Yes.

Labor signs: Not for awhile!

Baby movement: Quite a bit of movement from our little man. He is most active in the morning and then it starts again in the evening while I'm at work and continues until bedtime. Nothing strong enough to feel from the outside yet, and nothing strong enough to keep me awake at night. It is absolutely a feeling that I enjoy every time and I can't wait for Conner to be able to feel it too.

Wedding rings on or off: On!

Items purchased for baby this week: A blue monster pajamas set. :-)

How is Daddy doing: Daddy is so excited that we can safely say "he" and "him" now. He would have been just as happy if Boobaloo was a girl, but the feeling of knowing is such a huge relief and another milestone that we've passed. He is happily contributing to name discussions and nursery theme ideas.... Daddy has some great ideas, without being too goofy or Game of Thrones or World of Warcraft about it all. :-)

Favorite moment this week: Seeing our baby at the ultrasound... seeing his long legs kick his humongous feet, seeing his arm reach a hand up to his mouth, seeing between his legs, seeing his heartbeat still over 150.

Looking forward to: Holding him. Now that I know he is a *HE* and we saw an even better idea of his body shape (long and lean so far, although he has so much time to start getting chunky), I just want to hold him and rock him and kiss him. My mom commented at the ultrasound, as Bill Murray Jr. was still crossing his legs at his ankles and still shying away from our view and curled up and sucking his hand, "He's going to be a cuddler!" I can't wait for that.


Our Gender Celebration:

I bought Ding-Dongs to take to work as my way of announcing my pregnancy to those who don't already know, and to announce the gender to my friends. Ding-Dongs, in case you did not make the connection, because....

Baby has a ding-dong.

Our "You Are Special Today" plate with an eclair and two Ding-Dongs.

 

 

 

Continuing with the inappropriate "boy" celebration: hot dogs for dinner, with champagne!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Quick almost-16-weeks update...

I had a routine check-up for me and baby yesterday morning. No ultrasound, just weight and blood pressure check, and then I got to hear our baby's heartbeat on the doppler and had any questions answered, discussed testing and what not, etc. It was quick and very painless.

In the back of my mind, I was sort of dreading the appointment because I have gained 2 pounds, and already being overweight and walking and TRYING to eat healthier, my goal is to gain ZERO. My doctor's goal is for me to gain no more than 12-15 pounds. I was expecting a lecture, but instead, my doctor was beaming and said he is really proud of me and happy with the 2 pound gain, and if I keep it up, he is going to continue to be just as thrilled.

We listened to the baby's heartbeat, which sounded nice and strong and still fast, but very healthy. He felt around on my belly and said everything looks, sounds, feels great and to keep it up.

We discussed the results of my NT scan (First Trimester Screening), which were negative, and now I need to go have more bloodwork done for my Second Trimester Screening. I was instructed to not make any travel plans after 34 weeks, and he will see me again on September 13th for my 19 1/2 week scan, during which he will be happy to show us the baby's gender. In the meantime, he wished me good luck at our early peek next week.


I love leaving his office happy and smiling. :-) Oh, and p.s. I already lost the 2 pounds! I am one pound under my starting weight today.

15 weeks

How many weeks today:  15 weeks

Baby is the size of: a navel orange. I went to the store to buy a navel orange, and they only had LARGE navel oranges. Seeing this navel orange next to the lemon from last week makes me question this fruit size comparison, but hey, I'll take it.

Total weight gain/loss: +1, or 2 depending on the day. I am going to lose it this week though. Watch me!

Maternity clothes: I went to a few stores in search of some maternity clothes.... Goodwill was a bust, Kohls has some blah boring clothes that make women look like they are wearing tents, and Ross only carries SHORT maternity jeans where the waist sits very low and allows butt cracks and belly guts to hang out. So I hit Old Navy..... oh happy dayyyy! Their jeans were on sale for $30 each so I picked up two pairs, tried them on, loved them both, went to buy them, and one rang up for $19! I was in a huge hurry that day, but I MUST go back and buy more $19 comfy-as-can-be maternity jeans. Their clearance section also provided some really cute brightly colored $6 dresses. I pride myself on a good bargain, and I was feelin' GREAT as I left Old Navy. When I go back, I will also stop by Burlington Coat Factory to see if they have improved their sections. :-)

Cravings: Mexican food and fruit. ALWAYS! I want a burrito right now.

Aversions: This past week, I have started hating the act of brushing my teeth.... or having a dry throat... so when I go for walks, or even just in the morning at all when my throat is dry, I gag. I gag so badly that I come really close to ending my streak of "no sickness". But haven't yet!

Mood: Always relieved and happy on Mondays as we count another week! I have had some moody days the past couple of days.

Physical symptoms: Crampy, achey in my abdomen, headaches (but nothing horrible or unbearable), and my ability to fall asleep at night has gone downhill. I can be exhausted from a long day, no sleep the night before, but I still lie in bed for hours trying to get comfortable (my back hurts, I'm hot, now I'm cold, etc.). Then around 2:30 am I wake up because my eyes hurt (I know, right? EYES HURT???). I think it's all due to increased congestion, which is also linked to my headaches and discomfort lying down.... my eyes get puffy and irritated and I rub them in my sleep now and then they sting and I wake up, which is good, because I also have to pee. And my throat is dry, so I sit there panting and chugging water before I get back in bed, fall asleep pretty quickly, then I'm up again around 5:30 to pee again. Then woken up at 6:15 to take Conner to the train station. Oddly enough, I do not feel tired throughout the day. My energy is nowhere near as bad as it was in the first trimester, when I felt like someone had given me Nyquil and drowsy allergy medicine and told me I was not allowed to nap.

Miss anything: This past Saturday, we celebrated Chiara's 3rd birthday with a pool party at my parents' house. As usual, I missed out on margaritas. I'm going to have the biggest, strongest margarita ever after this baby arrives. :-)

Showing yet: Yes. I feel like my belly is harder and popped out and maternity clothes do nothing to hide it, they flaunt it. So I'm done hiding.... belly is here, baby is showing itself, and I'm embracing it.

Labor signs: Not for awhile!

Baby movement: Allllllll day long. My favorite moments are still when I'm driving to or from work, and feeling the baby constantly at work, and when I'm in bed. I don't feel it much in the morning, or late at night (rarely), so maybe the baby is already a good sleeper. I know patterns will change and I barely feel the baby now....I am excited for full-on strong kicks.  

Wedding rings on or off: On!

Items purchased for baby this week: I haven't bought anything for baby this week, but am about to hit the "place order" button on a really cute GIRL outfit.... I had an easter dress in my shopping cart last week, and now I am trying not to buy this girly purple outfit. I feel like if I buy a gender-specific outfit before we find out Bill Murray's gender, it is going to be the opposite gender. I also have a little boy outfit saved but haven't bought it yet. Ahhhhhh the wait is so unbearable!! :-)

How is Daddy doing: Daddy is doing well. He is excited to find out the gender! While we swam on Saturday, he kept making comments about how great a swimmer our child will be, and how he can't wait for all of the things he is going to teach them. With the Olympics and now a kid birthday party, he has been doing some major thinking and planning for the future.

Favorite moment this week: I had a lot of fun at Chiara's party.... great food, fun times in the pool and mingling, and I got some compliments on my new bathing suit, which made me feel really great about myself. Now ordering the suit in more colors.

Looking forward to: Our ultrasound next Wednesday!! 9 Days!

Robin....and "natural" childbirth

I just got off the phone and had such a lengthy, amazing, comforting conversation with a woman that I have never met and I couldn't wait to write about her. Well, first I bombarded Conner's phone with how excited I am about speaking with Robin, what we talked about, what I am excited to learn in her class, and how great I feel right now!

Let me back up and explain...

Conner and I had no idea of a birth plan or our preferences in the delivery room (or birthing center, or our bathroom tub, or in the elevator at work, or wherever this baby decides to make an appearance)...up until recently, that is. Seeing Laura induced and having such a horribly traumatic and life-changing outcome for herself and for Baby Brynna and for the entire family opened my eyes to medical intervention when it comes to childbirth. I know tons of women who are induced, have always been scheduled to be induced, and the outcome is a healthy baby, healthy momma. It never occurred to me that it could go wrong, or lead to more dramatic twists and turns in the birthing process and end sometimes on a great note, or in this instance, in the worst outcome possible. I mentally decided that when I did eventually get pregnant someday, and we were discussing our birth plan with our doctor, I would be sure to write it in BIG BOLD LETTERS: "DO NOT INDUCE", completely unaware that the choice is not always a choice, and not always so black and white. In fact, I knew very little about the birthing process at all.

A few months ago, Conner and I decided, "Hell yeah I can do this without an epidural. My mom did. Women do it all the time, and have been doing it forever!" Still not fully understanding, I felt confident and strong that I vowed a non-medicated pain-managed birth.

Last week, we finally watched the documentary "The Business of Being Born" and I know it's a little biased and it's not the most tastfully done informative documentary, but we did learn a lot about the money-driven side of all of the medical interventions, the convenience they bring to a doctor who would rather be scheduling his vacations, the quick move to a c-section because it delivers fast results even if it's major surgery that brings more risks than vaginal birth, and the vicious cycle of inducing and adding an epidural, only to slow labor down and needing more Pitocin, which causes harder and stronger contractions and needs an up in the epi. Not all black-or-white scenarios, and I realized that every birth really is different, every woman is different with preferances, pain threshold, insurance plays a big part, the hospital staff and personal obgyn play a big part, communication plays a HUGE part, and everyone eventually wants the same end result.... healthy happy baby, healthy happy momma. Seeing the film really did open our eyes, and had me glued to the computer doing hours of research on the different natural methods for pain management, the effects of certain drugs, spinal blocks, cervadil, pitocin, etc. Even c-sections and possible scenarios going incredibly wrong.

In the end (and we are nowhere near the end), we both decided that the best thing to do for our personal situation is to stick with what we know so far, form a plan, and then form a Plan B, Plan C, Plan D. Situations come up, emergencies happen. I am still going to attempt as natural a childbirth as possible in the comfort of Los Robles Hospital. The closest birthing center is too far away, and while I'm not exactly comfortable with our home bathtub or the dogs assisting in the delivery, our lease clearly states it's not allowed anyway. :-) We live only a few miles from Los Robles, and I have one of the best obgyn's (if not THE best) in the area. We are hoping that I can just go into labor naturally, without a breech baby, and quickly get our "happy healthy" end result without too much intervention. We have looked into some natural childbirth classes (which the hospital does not offer, ironically) *wink* and are educating ourselves as much as possible in the 6 months that we have left. Ehh 5 1/2 months, but who's counting?

In my searching and researching, I stumbled upon Robin Gruver's website:

www.birthingwithwisdom.com


...and decided to keep looking, but all of my searching still led me back to her. She has been in the business of pregnancy, childbirth, midwifery, doula services, hospital births, nursing, natural techniques, and yoga for yeeeeeaaars. I learned quite a bit about her from her website and learned even more from her by speaking with her on the phone for a half hour. Coincidentally, Robin offers Sunday evening classes (perfect for mine and Conner's schedules) at Los Robles hospital, where couples from Los Angeles all the way up to Santa Barbara scramble to sign up to hear what she has to say. We chatted for quite a bit, and I gave her a little bit of a backstory... I told her about Laura and Brynna, and she got teary and it led to more discussions about medical interventions. I even told her about the film we watched and how up until recently, I thought natural childbirth (especially at home) was such a "hippie" idea. She was such a great listener, and such warm words of advice and knowledge to spring back at me. We even discussed my doctor, whom she is a very big fan of. According to Robin, he is one of the FEW doctors affiliated with Los Robles who supports VBAC (which is amazing!) and he is the only doctor on staff who actually serves as a backup to a local midwife when she is unable to attend a birth. She claims he is a great and honest doctor who knows what he is doing and we can trust his medical opinion when a situation comes up that does call for an alternative plan to our original birth plan. I feel extremely comfortable with both Robin, and Dr. Poliakin. I'm EXCITED to give birth. Maybe the fears will come as February approaches, but for now, we have addressed so much, and I have learned a lot so far, and it excites me. I am viewing it as a challenge, a very personal challenge in strength and endurance and pain tolerance/management, and a test of communication for myself and Conner with the professionals who will be helping us along the way. I'm so excited!

Robin's class is an 8-week series that has two sessions remaining this year. The first one starts on the last Sunday in August and ends in November. The second one starts in November and has a few Sundays off for travel and holiday weekends, and will end mid-February..... so funds allowing, we are probably signing up this weekend.

Her class covers natural childbirth techniques, and while a few people who attend are planning a home birth or birthing center birth, she said almost all are planning a hospital birth and that is the focus of her class..... communicating and knowing our options in a hospital setting. She has one class with massage techniques, breathing techniques, using yoga as a way to focus and breathe, breastfeeding, etc. Everything we need. She even teaches about Cesarean Sections and the effects and benefits of certain drugs during labor.... because it's REAL. There are so many possibilities and going in with the attitude that this will just be a natural birth and that's that will not prepare a woman for a necessary c-section. At the end of her classes, Robin has a little get-together to welcome the couples and their babies for a reunion, and many go on to form mommy or daddy playgroups. Yayyyy we are socializing ourselves! :-)

How cool is this photo of Robin surrounded by the babies of her couples class?

I'm feeling soooo good about all of this!

14 Weeks

Nobody told me my hair looked this stupid tonight. Ah oh well.

How many weeks today:  14 weeks and 1 day

Baby is the size of: a lemon :-)

Photo above is from our wedding at Limoneira (lemon ranch) on May 5th.

Photo by Stephanie Gill Photography.

Total weight gain/loss: Currently rockin' ZERO!!! No weight gain, no weight loss.

Maternity clothes: I went to take five trash bags and two old duffel bags full of clothes to the Goodwill store and figured I'd browse because I heard they might have maternity clothes mixed in. Sure enough, I bought three pairs of pants for $13 total! Unfortunately, the two pairs of jeans I bought are too short and clearly designed for someone shorter than 5'9" because everything fit and went up and over all of my concerns, but left me with a webbed crotch. The leggings I bought will work for fall and winter. Conner has promised that we are going to shop at Old Navy and maybe a couple of other stores this coming weekend. I am proud to say that I cleaned my closet and dresser out and kept all long flowy shirts, layering tank tops, open cardigans and sweaters, and any stretchy pants that look like they will hold a large belly. I probably won't have to buy too many new pieces of maternity wear. :-)

Cravings: I still love avocados and nectarines, Mexican food, and anything sweet. I crave fruit daily... normally, I am not picky AT ALL and love veggies, but I have been leaning towards fruit for weeks now. I like all forms..... bags of cold grapes (mmm that's what I'm going for after I finish this entry), canned fruit cocktail, or fresh fruit that continues to fill our produce bowls.

My favorites: orange juice, nectarines, apples, avocados, plums!

Aversions: None.

Mood: Happy.. and anxious. I'm anxious to find out what Baby is.... dressing in pink and purple? Blue and green? Are we going to pursue that Star Wars nursery idea? Purple frilly flowery decor? I am also anxious to get our butts in a two-bedroom home soon. I NEED to paint a room, decorate, start storing baby things in an empty room and reduce our one-bedroom apartment clutter. I am generally happy all day long these days, as long as I'm feeling the "baby bubbles". If I have a headache though, stand far far far away.... Poor Conner has been on the receiving end of my wrath a few times now, but I try not to explode too much, and he is great about redirecting my frustration and pain and helping me remedy it with Tylenol and a backrub, or handing me a tall glass of ice water.

Physical symptoms: The headaches continue, but I think I have a better grasp on them now. I have also started feeling extra crampy this week. I no longer worry, the cramps are constant since I was 3 1/2 weeks pregnant and they are mixed in with feeling the baby moving. Our "soccer player" is active, and I still mostly notice it when I am sitting or laying very still. Backaches have begun this past week, in my lower back. All in all, still feeling great and walking and drinking LOTS of water.

Miss anything: Not at the moment...

Showing yet: Yes.

Labor signs: Not for awhile!

Baby movement: Yes... all the time now! I do believe the baby is a fan of the Rolling Stones and Rod Stewart, and long walks with the dogs. Oh yes, and orange juice.

Wedding rings on or off: On!

Items purchased for baby this week: Nothing for a few more weeks. :-)

How is Daddy doing: Daddy is great! He is very excited to start feeling kicks soon. He is also excited about the cute clothes that my parents have been buying, which got him reeeeally excited to start shopping for his styles too... like a Star Wars onesie, or Game of Thrones tee.

Favorite moment this week: When I received my new bathing suit and tried it on and it fit and was flattering.... ahhh happy.

Looking forward to: August 22nd ultrasound, and Vegas on August 25th. :-)

Flutters...Popcorn...Bubbles....whatever works!

There are two things I want to document today....the first is this headache. The second is much more exciting!

Pillow aside, I have determined that it's not my new exciting maternity support that is making my head hurt. I have no idea what it is. The pain in the front of my face, near my eyes, in my forehead...oh yeah, SINUS PAIN, is daily now. We have two air purifiers in our tiny apartment, I'm constantly full of allergy medicine, and I drink plenty of water. My next move is to go get my eyes checked because it's long overdue, get a new prescription in my glasses (reading/computer glasses for years now, but it might be time to have some all-the-time eyeglasses), and start being more comfortable when I'm on our home computer, staring at two monitors at work every night, and when I'm not working, using my iPhone or iPad. Technology is making me go blind. Or pregnancy is. Or my eyes are just getting.... older.

**EDIT: I did a little research on this, and found that many women suffer from the "wakeup headache" due to congestion and sinus issues that come about during the night. Possible remedies include sleeping with no pillow, taking allergy medicine before bed instead of in the morning, humidifier (we are avoiding that one if possible), and just dealing with it as it come and letting it fade away once the day gets goin'. I'll opt for the allergy meds at night and hopefully these headaches will STOP. This morning I actually woke up at 2:30am with the headache and there was so much sinus pressure, I felt like my eyes were going to pop out of my head. When I went to the bathroom and looked in the mirror, one eye even had a popped blood vessel. Siiiiiiiiiiiiick. One of the main causes of this pressure and pain is from increased bloodflow during pregnancy. Dumb. :-(

I am 13 weeks plus 4 days today, and since Tuesday, I have felt a new feeling right where Bill Murray Jr. is situated. I know that I ovulated on my right side, and I felt it happen, and I know that good ol' Bill implanted on that side... not just because that's how it usually works, but because I felt it happen too. On the night of Conner's birthday (May 24th), I was at work and suddenly felt a slight pinch or cramp or tiny little itty bitty tugging sensation exactly where I now feel this new feeling. It showed up that night, and it didn't go away. I still have cramps on that side. I told some people, and was told I'm crazy, but I have known all along that it's just me being very in tune with my body. Yes, I'm crazy, I never argued that... but I'm right. I feel the baby. But anyway, so these past few days, I started feeling little tiny bubbles. I have heard that it feels like "butterflies" and "popcorn", but to me it feels like there are teeny tiny bubbles in one location, staying still for the most part except to occasionally float around a little bit in that pinpoint little area, and it's surrounded by a cramping feeling. It's subtle, and for the first two days I only felt it when I was in a sitting position, and only when I am still, usually while I'm driving or sitting at my desk at work. Starting last night before going to sleep, I started to feel it when I lay down, or it's becoming more recognizable, or stronger. I know it's not gas, because I'm 27 and well aware of what gas feels like by now. Gas moves, sometimes in waves, and usually hurts or is a quick moving rumbly feeling. This feels like........ummmm... well, a tiny baby dancing in my uterus. BUBBLES. FLUTTERING BUTTERFLIES. POPCORN POPPING. It's so light and such a delicate feeling that if I eat a full meal, I can't feel it as well. It's very sensitive, and I absolutely love it! I can't wait for the baby to be bigger and stronger and give me some good solid kicks like the soccer player its daddy says it will be. I can't wait for Conner to feel what I'm feeling when he puts his hand on my belly. And I feel like all worries and concerns that come up in between appointments just went out the door because now I can feel how well the baby is doing, and feel it dance and move and wiggle around. I will still look forward to ultrasounds and seeing our baby on screen, but my mind will definitely be more at ease.

Yesterday, I was telling our friend Mary about these new wiggly feelings, and she was so excited for me, and said she misses those feelings and remembers them well, and that pretty soon those "bubbles" will feel like ROCKS, and then eventually will be a whole elbow moving across my entire stomach. Crazy little baby!!