26 weeks

And now with pictures!
Hello 3rd trimester! And GOODBYE 2nd tri energy. 14 weeks to go. Yikes. What really put it into perspective for me was when yesterday Justin and I were discussing taking a Dave Ramsey workshop at church that we'd need to sign up for next week, would start Feb. 8 and last 13 weeks. Suddenly I was like "WAIT. We'll have a BABY before that's over! Would it really be worth it to spend the $$$ and have either one or both of us miss a session or two?"
WOW. Just WOW.
We had our first Lamaze class last night. It was pretty good. I love the instructor. She's so funny and REAL about how much birth will hurt (even with an epidural). But she explained that it's only one day and our bodies were made to do it. She said she can't teach us how to make it easier, but she can teach us how to not make it harder than it has to be. The only part I didn't like was the half hour relaxation exercise. I usually LOVE this after a hard yoga work out. But not being able to lie on my back just made me uncomfortable, fidgety, and BORED. Justin and half of the other dads fell asleep. I really hope we don't have to do that every time.
I ordered the monkey costume for Justin. I hope it gets here before our first shower next weekend. I am really having a hard time keeping it to myself and if I tease him and tell him he has a present coming he'll just get mad because he hates being made to wait for a surprise...

Evening update: I just got the first Monkey limb in my rib. THAT was a strange feeling. It wasn't a rib kick, I just hunched over and something (I'm assuming a foot) pushed against my right bottom rib. Wierd!
And I checked Amazon to see if that monkey costume had been shipped and I can't find it in my order history. I can hardley to get home and check my email. Now I'm afraid I didn't place the order correctly and it FOR SURE won't get here on time. ::pout::

24 weeks

VIABILITY!!!!!!! Hallelujah! I am just so thankful to have made it here. For all the non-preggos out there, viability means that if the monkey were born today it would have a 47% chance of survival as opposed to only 26% at 23 weeks. And out chances only improve from here!
Christmas was good. It was over so fast and I'm still pretty bummed about the lack of a holiday season we seemed to experience this year. We really got great gifts. We got our travel system of course, (which I am SO excited about I've already put it together and pushed it around the house. I'm so thrilled with it I would totally take it for a walk if I didn't think people would look at me like a moron.). And then there was the stuff dad found used for me. He said he keeps a print out of my baby registry in his car and checks the list whenever he goes garage saling. So sweet. We got the afore mentioned high chair, which has a lovely neutral animal print on it. I'm just beyond happy that it's not an uber-babyish print. We also scored a bottle warmer, jumper, training potty, bumbo, and activity gym. The last two we actually already had at home, but it will be nice to have duplicates at mom and dads...and you can't pass that up when you find it for just a couple of $$$. And my brother says he has something for us as well, but he left it at work by mistake.
For non-baby items, we each got $50 cash. And my sister sent us a BEAUTIFUL Japanese scroll with a painting of cranes on it. I love it. It reminds me of A Thousand Cranes, one of the books we read my junior year of high school. And it is the PERFECT piece of art for this one wall in my living room that has been just waiting for adornment for the last 2 years. It even matches my color palette. Great job Katie!!!! She also sent me a beautiful pendant that is the dried skeleton of a Japanese maple leaf dipped in gold. She says Japanese maple leaves are said to bring good luck.
I've got my last night shift for a while tonight. I'm so sad to not be able to work them anymore, but I would just hate to go into labor at work when I was the only person there. So for now I am stuck with days and/or evenings. I was off last night and I spent it nesting. I reorganized the storage closet/pantry and started on our bedroom. The shower in the master bath is just a tiny stall and we don't like using it. So I turned it into storage too. Best idea ever. I've got all Justin's packing and shipping supplies in there along with everything he still needs to put up on ebay. I'm so happy it have it out of my way now that we're begining to acumulate baby stuff.
We've also set dates for my baby showers. Jamie and Erin are throwing me a friends/couples shower on the 18th of January. And my sister will be home the last week in January and is hosting one for the family on the 31st! We will also be starting prepared child birth classes on the 8th and we have another ulrasound on te 2nd. January is going to be a whirlwind of a month. I'm excited and I'm really hoping all the activity makes it FLY by. I am anxious to get into my third trimester...which I just realized is only 2 weeks away! WOAH!
My belly is really feeling stretchy and itchy lately. I'm thinking I'm about to hit another popping point. So stay tuned for some pictures to compare!

22 weeks

What's new this week?
My skin seems to be clearing up...at least the skin on my face does. So that's a big plus. And I'm not needing as much sleep as I have been. I can get by on 8 hours instead of 10-14. Not quite as awesome as my usual "6 hours and I'm golden", but considering I wake up about every couple of hours to pee or because I'm getting my ass kicked from the inside, I guess it's a pretty good compromise.
My skin is becoming quite translucent, which is really strange. I'm fair skinned, so I've always been able to see the veins on the insides of my arms. But today I got out of the shower and I was a veritable road map of green veins! They are all over my chest, the sides of my belly, hips, and inner thighs. Of course I had to run to my computer to google pictures "varicose veins" and message my friend Jessica (who is also quite fair skinned and pregnant) to see if she was experiencing the same thing. She is, and it isn't varicose veins. But it still looks wierd.
Today my back hurt like CRAZY. I could barely even walk it hurt so badly on the left side. As soon as I sat down I felt better, so I don't think it was a pre-term labor symptom. I think I just tried to do too much (like go run errands all morning) and haven't been drinking enough water. If it happens again in the next week though, I'm calling the Dr.
And one more down, my usually iron stomach has become a total wuss. I'm not experiencing morning sickness, but anything that looks or smells gross and high heights send me running for the toilet. I literally almost threw up yesterday watching an episode of CSI:NY when Mac, Hawks, and Danny were on the top of the Empire State building. I had to close my eyes until the scene was over. Talk about vertigo.
I am finally learning how to tell what position "she" is in. At my ultrasound Monday "she" was head down. But I was thinking "she" was feet down because of all the taps I feel near my hips. Now I can feel the difference between punches and kicks. Punches are sharper and smaller, while kicks are more like resounding thumps. And sometimes I will feel a big hard bulge on one side of my belly...I though it was a head, turns out, it's a butt. It's pretty exciting.
The Florida Institute of Ultrasound needs patients for their students to practice on. So I'm going to go and be their pregnant guinea pig on January 22. Hopefully the kiddo will be much stronger by then so I can really get a good idea of what position "she" might be in beforehand. Then I can check test my theory.
And now for the belly from my point of view:

Whooah, we're halfway there...

Yeah, shut up. You know I've been waiting months to use Bon Jovi in my post title.

So yesterday was the halfway point. I can't even believe it.
Still having the morning sickness, and midday sickness if I go to long without eating, eat too much, or drink a bunch of water without food to go with it.
My belly is getting noticeably larger and all the maternity shirts I bought in my normal shirt size are becoming too short. But the next size up is too big in the chest. If my boobs would just cooperate I'd totally be set. But they stubbornly refuse to grow. Stupid boobs.
The Monkey's kicks are becoming much stronger and a lot of them are more like pushes...like when a cat kneads it's paws into you. I can also feel a lot of wiggling and squirming going on in there. It's so STRANGE! "Alien" really gets the imagry right, because it feels like it would look like that if you could see it.
I am pretty sure my hips spread last week. It felt like something was pushing them apart. Not the best thing I've ever experienced. I can't help but wonder if I am just super sensitive to these things or if a lot of other pregnant women feel them too. Because I never hear anyone talking about it. I did start feeling kicks much sooner than most. Maybe I have hyper-sensitive nerve endings. Perhaps that's also why I have a low pain threshold? Lucky me. I'm curious to know if there is any science behind it.
What else...We have our anatomy scan a week from Monday! I'm excited to see the little peanut again and make sure it's growing correctly. And of course, get more pictures to post!

And I guess that's it for now. I'll edit with pictures later tonight and add anything else I think of.

Yep. It's back.

Morning sickness that is. Today was the 3 morning this week I've gotten sick about 2 hours into my day. It was SO not fun vomiting in the church bathroom...luckily I was able to hold it in until everyone in there had left. I can't figure out how to ward it off. I eat before getting out of bed, but that doesn't work. But as soon as I puke, I'm fine. I guess I'm going to have to try sticking my finger down my throat before I try to go anywhere.
My belly is SOOOOOO stretchy feeling today. I read in Your Pregnancy Week-by-Week (YPWBW) that this week my abdominal muscles will start to separate and pull apart to make room for my uterus. It definitely feels like someone is ripping my abs apart. Fun.
Monkey is kicking like CRAZY. I'm starting to feel "her" more and more when I'm standing up (rather than squishing "her" in an attempt to make her kick me). But "she" really needs to turn out of this transverse position because my right hip bone is really taking a beating.
I went to Old Navy today (Stuff n' Save time!!!) and totally scored. Not only did I have my 20% off entire purchase, but sweaters were all $15 each (I got some for Justin), and maternity shirts were all 2 for $15! I also got a maternity dress for $5 and 2 cute pairs of ballet flats for $3 each (and one of them matches the dress PERFECTLY)!!!! I'm going to go online and see if I can add a sweater for myself to my bounty as there were none available in the store. Happy Thanksgiving to me!

19 weeks!

YAY! Almost halfway!
I'm feeling the monkey move so much more now. "She" seems to be developing a pattern: Kick mommy in the morning, kick mommy at night, kick mommy about 20 minutes after she eats, kick mommy when she doesn't drink enough water, and KICK THE FREAKIN' SH!T out of mommy when she has to pee.
All that coke (and no water) I drank yesterday I believe started some Braxton Hicks contractions. After I downed 2 16oz glasses of water they went away, but geez that was scary. I guess monkey didn't like all the squishing because "she" really went nuts. I could feel "her" flipping around and pressing up against the front side of my uterus. Not painful, but pretty uncomfortable.
And then "she" kicked me in the bladder 3 times in rapid sucession. Which made me run for the bathroom. You've really got to stop that while I'm at work, kiddo...the bathroom is to dang far away.
My last progesterone injection is on Monday. I've been reading all about it being used to prevent PTL and I'm guessing (since she never explained) that's why Dr. Prafke wanted me to stay on it until at least 20 weeks. Dr. Lile says I can stop taking it. But I'm afraid to! I mean if there is even a .01% chance it will prevent PTL I don't mind paying $51/month and a weekly stick in the a$$. I'm going to call Monday and ask if I can just stay on it another month or so and if there are any risks I run by doing that. Argh. I hate being so paranoid. Everything has been fine and "she's" a little kicking monster. Maybe I shouldn't worry...but maybe that's all BECAUSE of the progesterone! ::SIGH:: What to do?
And I will leave you with one final picture, from the front...my new and MUCH needed haircut...well trim. So yeah, it doesn't really look any different, but it feels different and it looks so much healthier.

Morning sickness again!?!?!

I woke up this morning feeling my usual "I'm so freaking hungry". But instead of going back to sleep like I usually do I went downstairs and scarffed down some milk and cheese. MISTAKE! I pretty much projectile vomited it back up an hour or so later. And let me tell you, sharp cheddar cheese and milk are the absolute NASTIEST things I have ever regurgitated. I'm feeling better, but still nauseated. And I'm sorry baby monkey, but coca-cola is the only thing helping me keep food in my stomach right now (even if it is only cheeseburgers). I hope you can tolerate all the sugar and caffeine.

Needless to say I won't be eating cheese again for a while. ::shudder::

16 weeks!

Another week bites the dust. As does another year. I turned the big 2-5 on Tuesday. It's strange to think that I've been on earth for 1/4 of a century. I guess I'm getting old. Still no more tangible movement from our little monkey. I can hear it wiggling around on the doppler, but I can't feel anything. This weeks has just DRAGGED by. And I imagine next week will be even worse with all this waiting for my next appointment. I am excited to see the baby again, but I'm even MORE excited that Justin is finally excited to see it too. I am STILL down 1.5 pounds. I switched from skim to 2% milk in an attempt to bulk up a bit, but I'm still not gaining. And I suspect that what I have gained back is all baby, uterus, and fluids because my butt has definitely shrunk.

I'm still waiting for the lauded second trimester energy to kick in. I'm still pretty tired and run down. I'm not sleeping very well though. My hips, neck, and shoulder are not too happy about me not being able to sleep on my back. I am up before the sun every morning, absolutely famished. I about ready to get a mini fridge to keep next to the bed so I can have a glass of milk without traipsing all the way down stairs. I'm also having nightmares. This morning I heard a loud and menacing growl that startled me awake. I made Justin get up and check outside to make sure there were no monsters on our balcony. The sound must have been in my dream...scary!
Now lets talk food. I still don't like the sound of most things and stick mostly to dairy and carbs to fill my tummy. I am loving citrus fruits (oranges, satsumas, and clementines) and apples with peanut butter. And then there are times I have these out of the blue cravings. Some of them have included mom's candied carrots (which I have had in probably 10 years), chicken terriyaki (from the place in the mall of course), guacamole, mom's spinach artichoke dip, hot dogs, and borscht. And then sometimes I really want something so badly I'm drooling over it then I get it and take a bite and can barely choke it down. Other times I think "hmm...I'm not sure I can eat that" and end up wolfing the whole thing down after the first tentative bite.
When I get too hungry I dry-heave like mad, so I try to eat every hour or so to stay ahead of the hunger...but that means I can only eat about a handful of food at one time. Which totally blows. I spend all my time eating and sleeping. I can't go out without eating first and taking snacks or planning to stop and get food. And I can't finish whole meals so a lot of the microwave meals I take to work are wasted.
This growing a human thing is some hard work.
Le Sigh. I am so ready for bed right now.

10 weeks!

Wow. Only 30 weeks left (if that). Only 10 more weeks until we find out the gender. Only 3 more weeks of the first trimester. Only 2 more weeks until I get to see my little peanut again. Only 1 more week until I am officially the most pregnant I have ever been (a milestone I have been quite anxious to get behind me).

I'm going to start listing ups and downs for the week (a la pregTASTIC). So here they are:

Downs:
-I have yet another yeast infection. The 2nd in 3 weeks. Which leads me to...
-I have to start taking the Prometrium by mouth again if I want to avoid more YI's (which I do). But taking it orally REALLY upsets my stomach, in the same way that antibiotics do. I really should ask if I can get it in injections. I think I'd much prefer a nightly needle stick to YI's and a perpetually upset stomach.
-I ate way to much sugary stuff today and now I feel like crap.

Ups:
-I am feeling better, for the most part. The Prevacid is really helping and I think the morning sickess is begining to subside (knock on wood). This is really expanding the limits on what I can eat.
-I ate loads of Pizza yesterday and it didn't make me feel bad!
-I should only have 2 or 3 more weeks of this Prometruim crap (or 'hell in a gel-cap' as I like to call it)
-Sleeping is less of a problem than it has been in the last few weeks (probably because baby is hitting a growth spurt).

I'll get around to taking a picture in a day or so. I'm to lazy right now.

Keep growing baby!

9 week belly pic

Not a lot of change since week 8. Still pretty bloated, but it goes up and down.
Have a Dr.'s appointment and ultrasound tomorrow morning. My morning sickness is easing up and my face is clearing up, so of course I am petrified that something will be wrong. But I know I can't control it. Sigh. Time to pray. If all is well tomorrow I am going to rent a doppler from babybeat.com so I can hear that precious heartbeat whenever I want to and be reassured.

9 weeks!

Well my reprieve was short lived. Yesterday was a terrible day just like I knew it would be. I tried to eat to ward off the nausea, then I brushed my teeth and it all came right back up. I was sick the rest of the day. I also had tons of cramping and some very sharp pain.

Well today I woke up to SPOTTING. My heart took a nose dive. I called the Dr. and they worked me in. I was just fighting tears and could barely tell the nurse what was going on, Dr. Prafke examined me and said my cervix was nice and closed. Then she did an ultrasound. I KNOW my uterus has grown and is not nearly as retroverted as it was b/c she didn't have to position that wand in such a way that it tortured me and made me squirm. She found the baby and the heartbeat right away. I couldn't see the heartbeat from where I was (and with all the shaking from my tears of relief), but I was relieved enough to take their word for it. They gave me a picture and the baby is definitely bigger. I think I can even see an arm. She said that I would probably have more stretching pain and possibly more bleeding because of the septum in my uterus (oh joy).

Justin would not look at the screen. He hasn't wanted to see any of the pictures or be involved at all so far. Just like me, he's afraid to let himself get excited and possibly be disappointed. But unlike him I need to see that baby. I wish I could see it every day. The nurse was pretty worried about him.

I am just so thankful to still be pregnant. And to be having another ultrasound on Tuesday. I'm constantly terrified that tomorrow I won't be. And I am incredibly emotional. All the time. I am probably going to rent a doppler so I can check on baby's heartbeat at home until (and if) I can feel movement.

Picture's later. Right now I'm sick again.

Reprieve!

Today has been a pretty good day. I wasn't feeling too well this morning, but since then I have actually been HUNGRY! Really hungry. I can't wait to get home and make a grilled cheese with tomato and mustard...I LOVE mustard right now. Not a whole lot of food sounds appetizing still, but at least I want to eat again. I can't wait for the day that I want something other than carnation instant breakfast, mashed potatos, and stuff smothered in sharp cheddar cheese.

I was able to sleep a good 7 hours last night AND take a nap before work. I think that must have helped with the nausea. I've been yawning all day so hopefully I can sleep well again tonight...after my grilled cheese ::drool::

2 months!

8 Weeks. Did I really make it this far? Is there really a heart beat inside that bloated belly? I still can't quite believe it. I feel remarkably blessed by every day i still FEEL pregnant. Nevermind that I have to spend the majority of my time in bed being boring, letting my house become even more of a disaster than it usually is.
I've missed a lot of work lately, which I hate to do. But some days I feel like I'm being stabbed in the chest (thank you heartburn). I go to puke and nothing but stomach acid comes back up...mostly in a gaseous state. It always makes me feel better, so about 6 seconds and then the pressure is back. Morning sickness hits me between 3-5pm most days...If it doesn't last ALL day. And I've been having a lot of trouble sleeping, despite how exhausted I really am.

And I feel like I should be walking with a cane. My hips must be loosening and it hurts. I've been hobbling around like an old lady.

This week, for the first time ever, I have noticed that my belly feels quite heavy and full. I know most of it is just bloating, but right near my pelvis and in between my hips I can definitely feel my uterus popping out a bit. I'm not really sure how something so low can make you belly pop out so roundly. I am going to assume it's because it pushes everything else in the abdominal cavity up and out. Hopefully in a few weeks I will actually see a baby belly start to pop out.

I broke down and bought some maternity clothes at Old Navy this weekend. They were having a great big sale and it's pretty tough to find cute maternity clothes at a decent price. I think (and hope) I got some peices that will last a good while, some even post pregnancy. I am really looking forward to comfortable clothing. Especially at work. I think with this bloat my regular jeans are a thing of the past. I haven't actually gained any weight though...yet.

I have more to say, but I have GOT to get my butt to bed. Hopefull I have exhausted myself enough to sleep into the late morning. And then I think I am going to have to get my hair cut off and thinned out. It has become so coarse and unmanageable in the last couple of weeks. I really hope that doesn't last.

Good night sweet baby of mine. Grow strong and healthy and stay put for at least 29 more weeks.

XOXO

PS: Ignore the cell phone. Justin wouldn't let me go long enough to take a picture

SUSHI!

A big fat no-no when youre expecting. So, OF COURSE, it's all I've wanted for weeks. I have been afraid to order vegetarian sushi from a restaurant because it might touch raw fish. So I thought to myself, why not make my own? And lo and behold, Wal-Mart has an idiot proof sushi kit in the "Asian Foods" section. It comes with ready to microwave sticky rice, seaweed wraps, and soy sauce. (And I bought a tube of wasabi too.)

I filled my rolls with blanched asparagus, scallions, avacado, and cream cheese. And OH MY LORD! It was the best thing EVER! I could not be more satisfied right now. I got full and so the rest is in the fridge for tomorrow.

As far as morning sickness goes, mine usually hits about 4pm. It must have something to do with the position of the sun or moon. Because no matter how early or late I wake up it always rears it's head in the late afternoon/early evening. But I'm not complaning. It's a nice reminder that YES, I am indeed still pregnant.

As always, thank you God for this little miracle. Keep it safe and growing strong!

Spoke too soon...

Because the nausea turned into vomitting today! TGIF! I am going to sleep ALL weekend...

6 Weeks!

One more week down! Such a small milestone, but at the same time a monumental victory. As you can see I am a little less bloated than I was this time last week, but it's still there. It comes and goes. Ignore the messy hair and PJs. I'm so lucky I can look like this at work for the next two weeks. Because I really don't have the energy to make myself pretty.

I am still very tired. Not that I expected anything different, infact I imagine it will probably get worse. The morning sickness has gotten worse, but I still can't complain. I feel pretty queasy upon waking and then again about half way thru my day (but that might be heartburn...I can't tell). And the number of foods that sound appetizing has decreased again. Today all I have been able to eat is a few french fries, honey dew melon, and toast. Luckily, I have developed a taste for Spicy Hot V8 and hence have a way to get my veggies. And in addition to not being able to open the fridge, I can no longer watch the Food Network. But no puking yet. I hope it stays that way. I am really looking forward to eating again.

My hip bones feel like they are loosening. I keep having this wierd arthritic kind of pain in my joints. I didn't think that was supposed to happen for a while though. I'll have to remember to ask the doctor about it.

And now I am going to sign off because I need some more toast and I really have to pee!

Keep growing baby! I can't wait to meet you in 34 weeks!
Love you!
Mommy

OH YEAH...I'm Pregnant

The only 2 things I can even THINK about eating right now are toast and pot stickers from TGIFridays. I can't even open the refridgerator without gagging. That goes double for anything sweet. I usually LOVE sweets. Today I caught a glimpse of some chocolate chip cookies in the break room at work and almost threw up.
So thank you Lord for pot stickers or I would not be getting ANY nutrients right now (not like pot stickers are all that healthy, but at least they contain chicken and some veggies). I have lost 2 pounds in the last 2 days! NOT GOOD.

Almost 6 weeks now baby cakes. Grow strong for mommy.

The Morning Sickness Parade Begins!

I believe the M/S is starting to set in. I felt pretty blah leaving work this morning (I'm on nights this month) and it was all I could do to force down some oatmeal so that I could take my Prometrium before bed. I woke up several times throughout the day, queasy each time. I haven't needed to vomit, just a general queasy and hungover feeling. And the thought of food (other than toast, eggs, oatmeal, or crackers) make me gag. But I only say this to document it, not to complain. If it gets me a healthy baby it's a welcome symptom.

The Prometrium makes my mouth taste like I ate sunscreen (don't look at me like that, you KNOW you've accidentally gotten sunscreen in your mouth once or twice). I'm sipping on a Cranberry Limeade hoping it will mask the taste, but more of it just keeps coming up from my stomach. Ick.

I slept ALL day today and I am still exhausted. I feel like I could sleep until Saturday if I didn't have to go to work. My eyes are so heavy. But that might have a little to do with the Prometrium as well. I am really looking forward to going back to bed. My house is a total disaster. The most I can manage is tossing a load of laundry in before dragging myself upstairs.

And lastly, the preggo nose has kicked in. I can smell everything. Even things that only exist in my head. That is seriously strange.

Thank God for sore boobs!

I am absolutely thrilled to have sore boobs today. They started to hurt as I was leaving work yesterday morning. Why am I thankful for this? Because it's one symptom of pregnancy that can't be misconstrued. I don't have to wonder if it's just in my head or related to something else. Today I am pregnant and I have the sore boobs to prove it!