From the Peanut Gallery- Week 27: The Cauliflower

Ick...cauliflower.

HELLO, third trimester!  Yes, you read that right- third trimester.  Can you even believe how fast time is flying?

(Oh, and by the way- before anyone argues this point with me...every doctor, book, and website has a different idea about which week marks which trimester.  Well, I figured this the completely logical way.  Take 40 weeks, and divide by three.  First trimester ends at 13 1/3 weeks, 2nd trimester ends at 26 2/3 weeks, and third trimester ends at 40 weeks- or whenever baby decides to make his appearance.)

This week was a pregnant lady's dream come true.  Thanksgiving in stretchy-waisted pants.  Who isn't jealous of that?  Not only did I have the excuse that I'm eating for two, but I got to do it in pants that are meant to expand!  Good stuff.  (I was, however, seated at the side of the table meant for the "big people."  But it's okay- I guess I do take up more room now than I did on Thanksgivings past.)

HOWEVER, this may have been my last hurrah, and I treated it as such.  Turns out I didn't so much pass my gestational diabetes screening last week.  I did not receive the kiss of death official diagnosis yet, but I have to go back in this week for a more precise (i.e. longer and more painful) test.  Everyone keep your fingers crossed for me on Thursday, because mama loves some carbs, and I don't wanna have to give them up!

And speaking of eating- this week may have been the last week that I can sit in a booth when at a restaurant.  The belly buts right up to the table now, and without the ability to back my chair up, I have to hold still or move gingerly!  Will update on booth usage as pregnancy progresses.

I have heard rumor that morning sickness returns for some during the third trimester.  I have high hopes that this will not happen to me.  It's not looking good.  In preparation for our long drive home from Ohio, I attempted to make some sandwiches with that leftover Thanksgiving turkey.  Smells = bad...again.  I had to make a run for it to avoid tossing my cookies in the kitchen.  Luckily I made it to the bathroom in time.  And luckily I have a nice mom who finished making the sandwiches for me!  I sincerely hope this was some weird, random fluke.

This week, little man has just about reached the two pound mark!  Amazing how it took so long to reach a pound, and now he just puts on weight like nobody's business.  Baby should now be sleeping and waking at regular intervals (although I find this hard to believe, as he seems to always be awake) and opening and closing his eyes.  He may even suck his fingers or thumb at this point- how cute!  I also read that he may begin getting the hiccups now.  As much as having the hiccups sucks, I secretly can't wait to feel this happening.  There I go, being mean mommy again. 

And finally, here's what 27 weeks pregnant looks like!  More next week!

 

Game Day

GO BUCKS!  Enough said.

Thankful

So I know it's the day after Thanksgiving, but I was too busy reveling in the holiday to post yesterday!

I have so much to be thankful for this year: a loving husband who is truly my best friend, a healthy pregnancy and son on the way, a supportive, close-knit family to spend the holiday with, the best friends anyone could ever hope for, and an all-around happy house.

I hope that all of you, dear readers, had a wonderful holiday, and that you take a minute to count your blessings.

Happy Thanksgiving!

From the Peanut Gallery- Week 26: The English Cucumber

Also referred to as the Hothouse Cucumber, don't confuse this gem with a regular old cucumber, oh no.  Give credit where credit is due.  The English Cucumber is far superior- no seeds!  This week, baby is as long as one of these bad boys.

This was the week that when someone asked me how I was feeling, my first thought was "pregnant."  I am getting bigger.  I am waddling more frequently.  I am unable to find a comfortable position to sleep in.  And if you glance at my belly, chances are very good that you'll see it move.  When some of my friends who I hadn't seen in a few weeks laid eyes on me, even they wondered when I had suddenly become so very pregnant!  Yep, definitely a baby on board.

In good spirits, though!  I even ventured out to- GASP!- a bar!  It was fun to meet up with friends, be out in public, and feel like my normal self- just with a protruding abdomen and far less booze.

I am now not only able to feel kicks and jabs, but also what I can only guess are flips and rolls.  Sometimes I don't know what I'm feeling, I just know it feels weird.  There are also times when my belly looks a little lumpy, and when I feel around, I know I am feeling a body part of some sort sticking out.  J has been able to feel this, too- along with all kinds of regular movement, without even trying.  Baby is getting better at performing!  Good baby, just in time for a family Thanksgiving!

This was a big week for the peanut!  The nerves in his ears have developed so fully that now he can hear not only me, but J and other noises outside the womb!  I told J to start watching his language now- we don't want baby's first words to be "Oh, goddammit!"  Baby has also been "practice breathing," inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic fluid, continuing his lungs' journey towards maturity.  And speaking of maturity- baby's man parts became significantly more manly this week, as his tiny testicles descended into his tiny scrotum.  (Sorry in advance, son, for referring to any of your man parts as "tiny."  I won't let it happen again!)

On to the picture...you know that lumpy belly I referred to earlier?  At the moment this picture was taken, baby was down low, causing a flat belly button and some other misshapenness in the bump.  Ah, well.  C'est la vie!

Happy Thanksgiving to all!  Ah, pregnancy- the best excuse to over stuff myself with turkey and the trimmings.

From the Peanut Gallery- Week 25: The Rutabaga

Yet again, a produce that I neither know or understand.  Anyone out there familiar with the rutabaga?  Is it a fruit or a vegetable?  With my finickiness (which I am praying baby doesn't inherit), I have no desire to try a rutabaga.  Even without knowing anything about it, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't like it.

We've reached a milestone, people!  As of yesterday, we have officially begun the 100 day countdown.  So that means that as of today, only 99 days until my due date!  That's kinda crazy, no?

Current Stats:
Weight gain: -5 lbs
Waist expansion: +7 inches
Baby appointments: 6 down, 8(ish) to go
Days until due date: 99

Q: How was this week's baby appointment?
A: Great!  Since my practice has seven doctors, they rotate me through all of them, so that when d-day comes, the on-call doc won't be a stranger to me!  So far I've liked all the docs, but the one this week was my fave so far.  She started off the appointment by sitting down, and asking us to hit her with all of our questions!  It was nice to know right off the bat that she wasn't in a hurry.  Especially since my husband is ever the worrier, and he always has questions.

The biggie this week?  Contractions.  I think I've started feeling the Braxton Hicks.  No worries, they're perfectly normal!  As long as they remain few and far between, there is no cause for concern.

Also, measurements show that my uterus (and therefore baby) are growing, growing, growing!  Growing 3 cm ahead of schedule, as a matter of fact.  Hoping that this doesn't mean that baby will be too big...fingers crossed!

Baby is not in position yet.  These doctors can feel things that I cannot!  She could feel around to find his head.  At that moment, he was just about sideways in my belly, at only a slight diagonal.  No worries here, though, either.  He still has lots of room to move- which he does, a lot!  Doctor says that she won't worry about baby "heading toward the light" (I loved this!) until 36 weeks.

Q: How are the emotions?  Still crying a lot?

A: Yep.  Just can't help it.  And every time something ridiculous makes me cry, I just say "Sorry.  I'm so pregnant!"  Lately, anything father/son related makes me bawl.  But that's understandable, right??  (Also, my epic failure at making cheese fondue...we ended up at The Melting Pot...maybe that one wasn't so understandable.)

This weekend, J and I went to the NC State football game (thanks, Richard!!).  There was a dad holding his son on his lap, making his little arms move along with the music in between plays.  There was also another father and baby son, wearing matching jerseys.  I was on emotional overload, seeing all these cutie things and imagining J and baby doing the same cutie things in the not-too-distant future.

On a side note here, baby LOVED being at the football game.  He was kicking up a storm!  Maybe I'm baking a future quarterback?  At the very least, he's definitely a future Wolfpack fan!  (At least he'd better be, since Mommy, Daddy, and Uncle Richard all have degrees from NC State, and Uncle Scott is currently working on his!  He doesn't have much choice in this matter.)

Q: What are you eating these days?

A: You know, I'm starting to get a little crazy about food.  I seem to think that I need more than I actually do.  I've been cooking as though I'm preparing to feed an army.  But there is no convincing me that I am making too much.  We'll just inevitably end up with lots of leftovers, after I get full about halfway through my first plate.

When my friend Cecie was pregnant, I recall a gathering of about 4 girls at her house.  I had heard stories about how she was highly irrational and a little crazy about food, so I didn't dare argue when she thought we needed to order 3 large pizzas for the four of us.  I giggled internally at the insane amount of leftover pizza that night.

Well, I am Cecie.  Giggle if you will.

Also, baby has a sweet tooth.  He just does.  Dessert is my favorite.  I may have sent J on a special run to the store for Swiss Cake Rolls this week.  And I may have purchased three boxes of Christmas Tree Cakes yesterday.  But hey- those are seasonal!  You never know when they'll run out.  

I've got no weight gain and no swelling, but by God, I will before the end of this pregnancy!

Q: What's new with baby this week?
A: Just putting on the baby fat!  (And hey- I'll bet those Little Debbies are totally helping!).  His weight should be up to about a pound and a half now.  And I think it shows in my belly.  (Either that, or maybe it's the Christmas Tree cakes :) )

I realize that I have a seemingly extreme number of striped maternity shirts, but what can I say- the maternity apparel industry likes to emphasize the bump.  My choices are limited.

Inappropriate Things Kids Say, Vol. 3

"Mrs. Anderson, what are you gonna name your baby?" a student asks.

"We don't know yet."  I reply.

"Well, you should tell Mr. Anderson that YOU should get to pick, since it's YOUR baby."

"Well, it's his baby, too," I say.  "I'm the mommy, and he's the daddy."

"Well if I were a woman and I was having a baby, and my husband wouldn't let me choose the name, I would slap him right in the face," student says, in all seriousness.

Well said, my little friend.

Hear that, J?  Apparently you're in for a slap in the face.  Unless, of course, you're willing to give a little on that whole "no last names for first names" rule.  ;)

From the Peanut Galery- Week 24: The Ear of Corn

Baby is as big as an ear of corn!  I love corn, and I love the baby!  What a coincidence!

Q: How are you getting around?
A: With increasing difficulty!  It's so bizarre losing all use of my abdominal muscles.  Now I certainly did not have rock hard abs of steel to begin with.  However, I think people have absolutely NO IDEA how much we rely on these core muscles on a daily basis!  I sure didn't, until I lost the ability to use them.  Sitting up from a lying position is nearly impossible.  As funny as I'm sure it looks while I'm doing it, I just find it much easier to roll out of bed, rather than sit up before putting my feet on the ground.  J is a good hubby...he doesn't laugh at this (too much).

Q: Still avoiding the "Parking for Expectant Mothers?"
A: YES!  Even with the increasingly present waddle.  However, at one visit to the grocery store this week, the cashier and bagger straight up REFUSED to let me load the groceries into my trunk by myself.  The bagger escorted me to my car and handled it.

Q: Have you made any baby purchases?
A: Finally, a yes!  All of his bedding came in this week, and it's just adorable.  I also made my first official diaper purchase.  What can I say, I like a good deal!  Pampers Swaddlers and wipes were on sale this week, AND I had a coupon, AND it was SUPER DOUBLE COUPON WEEK!  So basically, it was a steal that I simply couldn't pass up.  P.S.- I think it was the diaper purchase that pushed the grocers over the edge.  As much as I tried to tell them that I could handle my own grocery loading, there was no convincing them.

Q: And the movement?
A: Bigger and stronger by the day.  I can't tell you how much time I've spent just staring at my stomach this week, watching for it to JUMP. I also experienced for the first time movement in two different places at one time.  I guess I was getting kicked in one spot and punched in another.  I'm telling ya', this baby thinks he's a ninja.  I'm constantly reminded of that SNL skit with Molly Shannon...you know, the one where she's 50?  Fifty years old?  This guy also likes to kick, stretch, and kick...but he's more fetus than fifty.

Q: Gaining weight yet?
A: Nope.  And I'm still finding it to be awesome.  No worries here.

Q: What's new with the babe?
A: His taste buds are developing more and more.  By this point, he should be able to "taste" the foods that I eat.  And by taste I mean that the "flavor" of the amniotic fluid may change slightly depending on my diet.  Gross.  Also, his little lungs are developing branches of the proverbial respiratory tree.  Keep up that lung development, baby!  He's also busy plumping up.  He'll be doing a lot of that from here on out!  (I'm just hoping the plumping stops at somewhere around 7 lbs as opposed to 10.  Mommy would appreciate it- K?-thanks.)

And since I was told it was unacceptable that I didn't include a picture last week, here ya' go.  Me in all my end-of-week-24 glory!

Things I Heart: Celebrity News

Oh, People.  How do I love thee?  You are such an amazingly fantastic celebrity gossip monger.  And your crossword puzzles?  Yep, I can finish them.  In their entirety.  Without the use of a dictionary.  You make me happy.

 I do so love to keep up with the goings-on of celebrities.  Why I care so much about Katie taking Suri for some fro-yo (while wearing their matching stilettos, of course), or Brangelina globetrotting the world, adopting children willy-nilly as they go, I'm really not sure.  But I like to read about this crap!  Maybe it's just a nice, completely mindless distraction from reality.  Because let's face it, we ALL need a mindless break from reality from time to time. 

My favorite People headline of the day: Emma Watson proclaiming that "American Bagels Are The Best Thing Ever!"

While I wholeheartedly agree that bagels are indeed the best thing ever (what can I say?- I'm a bread lover), I find it utterly who-larious that this is a newsworthy event!  But did that stop me from reading this article in its entirety?  Absolutely not.

Again, mindless distraction from reality.  People, you have perfected this art form.

On a side note, what do we all think of Emma's new do?  I believe her face to be lovely, but I've never been a big fan of the pixie.

From the Peanut Gallery- Week 23: The Mango

Mmmmm, a delicious tropical fruit...oh, no, wait- a baby.

I'm the type of person who always likes the bad news first, followed by the good news to leave me on a high note.  SO, in that spirit, we'll begin this week with a rundown of the not-so-pleasant pregnancy stuff.

1. The belly.  For multiple reasons.  First of all, stretch marks are creeping up all over the place.  Now, I knew I'd get these, so they didn't come as a shock.  (By the by, did you know that stretch marks are hereditary?  So don't waste your money on expensive creams and oils that claim to prevent these atrocities, 'cause they ain't gonna work.)  But still, not the prettiest thing to look at!

Also, I am feeling a little like an animal, or at the very least a man, with the fur that is officially growing there.  There is a new covering of fine hair all over my belly, and it's totally bizarre.  Not really sure what to do about it, so I just let it be.  I am most certainly not going to get into the habit of shaving my stomach, so I guess I'll just live with it and hope that it goes away after the baby is born?  

2. The restless legs.  I also knew to expect these, as I was already a sufferer of Restless Leg Syndrome before I got pregnant.  But I had it under control with regular visits to the chiropractor.  Now it's making its way back into my life.  Grrr...  Time to up the frequency of my chiro visits, I guess...which incidentally will probably help my always.aching.back.

3. The anxiety.  Yes, still just stressing about things to buy, things to clean, things to organize, things to do.  It's officially NOVEMBER.  That means the holiday season is here.  That means time will fly.  That means the next time I blink it will be 2011...the year our baby is born...WHOA.  

And now onto the awesomeness that is pregnancy.

1. The movement.  And what a difference a week makes.  J no longer has to push down into baby's space to feel his ninja kicks.  They can just be felt now.  Easily.  And all over the place.  It's funny to think about how much room he must still have in there, when I feel like my entire abdomen must be full of baby.  Case in point: in the span of 10 minutes last night, J felt kicks waayyy over on my right side, then down low in the center of my belly, then right above my belly button.  Little man is a mover and a shaker!

And another awesome/creepy thing: this movement can not only be felt, be seen.  Yes, that's right.  This week was the first week I was actually able to see my belly move along with baby's kicks.  I get this little jump on my tummy when baby kicks hard.  I am absolutely fascinated by this, and sometimes just lay down on the couch and stare.  Then I relentlessly ask J, "Did you see that?  How about THAT?  And that one?  That was a BIG one!"

2. The bump.  Yep, I am still loving it.  And everyone notices it now.  Strangers ask me when I'm due, and people are extra nice at the grocery store.  Never have people been so insistent that I need help loading my goods into my car.  One day they even told me to pull my car right up front so I wouldn't have to get wet in the rain whilst unloading my wares.  (For the record, while I think it is so very kind that people offer to help in this way, I have never taken anyone up on it.  I'm pregnant, not an invalid.  I can't even bring myself to park in the "Expectant Mothers" spot in the parking lot.  Of course, give me a couple more months and we'll see how eager I am to load the car up myself.) 

3. The connection.  It's there.  I have some serious love for this baby.  Instead of imagining all of the things that pregnancy will bring, I am now imagining all of the things that motherhood will bring.  I am starting to dream about what baby boy will look like, hoping that he gets his daddy's eyes.  I am looking at the cutie clothes we have, and picturing dressing my son in these outfits.  I am imagining J changing a diaper (hee hee).  I am imagining falling asleep on the couch with the baby on my chest (my absolute FAVORITE).  I can't wait for all of these magical moments.

This week, the peanut has been busy working on those lungs.  Blood vessels are making their way here and there, ensuring that baby will be able to breathe on his own when he is born.  His senses of hearing and movement have become increasingly keen this week, as well.  So when I dance around the house and sing at the top of my lungs while cleaning house, he knows it.  I guess I should be more careful!  :)