Half Cooked - 20 Weeks

Brian would be happy to tell you that I'm very, um, precise when it comes to numbers. So although everyone says I'm at the halfway mark, I can't help but point out that 21 weeks should really be the halfway point. Baby didn't even exist for the first two weeks of this pregnancy, so s/he's only 18 of 38 weeks right now. Oh well. I'll just go with it.

It was a lot of fun having my mom and stepdad in town. I love that my mom finally got to feel her grandbaby kick. We're already looking forward to Brian's parent's visit in a few weeks. I was discussing with Brian that it seems like a lot of people move away from home to get away from their crazy families. But we both really like ours. Perhaps Colorado won't be our permanent home after all. But I'll try not to get my mom's hopes up.

20 week update:

Current cravings: It's not really a craving, but I'm loving pumpkin pie right now.

Current energy level: Not bad

Current appetite: Ravenous

Current mood: Content

Baby movement: I think we have a future wild child on our hands!

Thankful

We had an excellent Thanksgiving, minus my brother being too sick to join us. I'm thankful for too many things to list, but at the very top would be my husband, our families, our baby, and Dr. Albrecht. I'm also very thankful to cyclesista for connecting me to so many amazing, deserving women. I hope it's back up and running normally soon!

As expected, I crashed and burned quite early. Gilbert discovered that he loves my body pillow even more than I do. (And look! We got him groomed!)

I See You!

This morning I discovered that not only can we feel baby move, we can see baby move. Whenever s/he gives me a good whack, you can see my tummy move. I think I must be growing a freakishly strong little thing! Brian had fun this morning poking the spot that was moving. Baby responded several times before getting irritated and changing positions.

I'm seriously looking forward to my mom and stepdad's arrival this evening. We decided to stay in Denver for all of the holidays, so everyone is coming to us at some point. The last time I saw my mom was the day I took my first HPT. I can't wait for her to see me now that I actually look pregnant!

19w0d - A Sigh of Relief

Today I was finally fed up with the waiting. I called the OB and asked if they knew anything about the AFP3 test results. They've been sitting in my chart for God knows how long. Apparently we should have been told that no news would be good news, but since we weren't I kept checking my test results online to no avail. And it is good news: a negative screen. Hurray!

We are two weeks away from finding out the sex of our little one. All of our family thinks it's a boy at this point. It seems like everyone I know that had an easy pregnancy had a boy, and everyone with a rough, morning sickness-laden pregnancy had a girl. Baby is also extremely active, which makes me think boy. I took a couple of cheesy online gender prediction quizzes with mixed results. And the needle over the tummy trick said girl, but we shall see!

19 week update:

Current cravings: Nada

Current energy level: I've become a morning person. I'm always in bed by 10pm.

Current appetite: Let's put it this way. I've been having Thanksgiving feast fantasies for a month, at least! And usually I don't care much about it.

Current mood: Relieved

Baby movement: Baby has become quite active. Brian is able to feel him/her move daily as well. It's so much fun to share that with him!

Finally, I want to send out some prayers and support to my fellow cyclesista Allison, who lost her precious son Wyatt last week at 18 weeks. It's just so unfair.

Guilty Conscience

Ever since the stimming process in July, I have put a lot of limits on the current "baby" of our household, the dog. Poor Gilbert hasn't been allowed to sit in my lap nearly as much as he used to. He tends to be a bit of a spazz, and whoever told us he would mellow with age was seriously mistaken. So it freaks me out to have him in my lap because he often jumps right on where I picture my uterus to be. Back when we were trying to conceive naturally, I often worried that maybe I had been pregnant, but one of the blows Gilbert gave me ended it before I ever knew. In hindsight, that probably never happened, but I think it's better to be safe than sorry. Lately, I've started to feel kind of guilty about it all. The poor guy so desperately wants my attention and affection, and I know it'll only get worse in 5 months. My dreams have started to reflect my guilt, too. I've started dreaming about giving him away, or losing him only to later find him injured. I wake up feeling relieved, but also sad for him. Poor doggie. (I'm sure part of my guilt also stems from how we've grossly neglected his grooming. He's not good with strangers and used to be sedated (for a hefty price) every time he got a haircut. We finally found a miracle worker that can groom him without sedation, but she's only available Tuesdays. Since we have to drop him off 20 miles to the north between 7:30-8:30am, it makes finding a good time difficult!)

In other news, baby is becoming a moving machine! I feel him/her constantly, which is so reassuring. We're still waiting for the results of the AFP3 testing. It's been 2 weeks... how long did other people have to wait??? Oh, and I've added a poll to see if people have any ideas on what might be in there. My guess is a boy. I don't know why, but I have a strong feeling.

18w0d - The Discomfort Begins

Yesterday I was on my feet a lot. By the evening, my back and stomach were both killing me. I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to make it to April! How can I be so sore and uncomfortable already? I'm not complaining. I would rather be in my current state than frustrated and not pregnant. But still. As they would say in my native Minnesota, Uff Da!

18 week update:

Current cravings: Nothing really

Current energy level: Still not adjusted to the early darkness. Crazy.

Current appetite: Voracious

Current mood: Good I guess

Baby movement: I'm definitely feeling little kicks, punches, and what I think are body rolls. Twice now I've been able to feel it with my hand. It's amazing!

The progress from 16 weeks to 18 weeks is insane!!!

Brian's First Kick!

It may sound hard to believe, but at 17w5d, baby kicked (or punched) hard enough that Brian was able to feel it last night. It has become quite clear to me that I'm feeling movement, and I can definitely separate it from normal digestion, gas, and hunger pangs. It's been happening daily for about a week and a half, but extremely sporadically. I love it!!!!

17w0d

Since the OB appointment there isn't a lot new to report. I've been feeling really frustrated about my current wardrobe. Although I have some maternity clothing, it feels like I'm playing dress-up with it on. It's all a little big still at this point. But all of my regular clothing seems to be shrinking and becoming much less comfortable. I feel like a frump no matter what I do. I'm also incredibly bipolar about my size. In the morning I wake up and think, "I'm not big enough" and then at the end of the day, I worry that I'm too big. Does anyone else notice a huge change throughout the day? I swear I double in size after dinner.

I called to make the appointment for the 20 week u/s, but I had to push it back to 21 weeks. I'm a little disappointed (I was hoping to do it at 19 weeks), but apparently they have one full schedule. So we'll know if baby is a boy or girl on December 8. Can't wait!

17 week update:

Current cravings: Nothing really

Current energy level: Daylight savings ended and I'm all messed up, which usually doesn't effect me.

Current appetite: Same as last week

Current mood: Happy

Current weight: According to the OB last week, 115.5

Baby movement: I have no idea what I feel!!

17 weeks

Bad Blood

I found out today that I'm Rh-, so I'm going to get a shot at 28 weeks to prevent my body from developing antibodies against a potentially Rh+ baby's cells. If baby turns out to be Rh+, then I get another shot after delivery. Yay! More shots! ;)

My appointment was a little uneventful otherwise. I like the OB. He reminds me of a grad school professor that we all adored. We got to listen to the heartbeat. He told us that sometimes you can hear baby move, and it sounds kind of like a record scratch. Then, right on cue, baby started squirming around and we heard his/her DJ skills. Pretty cute! No ultrasound today. I have to call tomorrow and set one up for 20 weeks. So 4 weeks til we know if it's snakes and snails, or sugar and spice. I'm dying to know, but I will be ecstatic either way.

Is That You?

I've found myself extremely distracted lately. All the books I've been reading say that baby movement is often first noticed sometime between 16-18 weeks, with many women not really realizing it until 20 weeks or so. So every time I feel a little rumble or bubble burst sensation, or sometimes what feels like something somersaulting, I can't help but wonder... is that you in there?? In a meeting today I realized I was totally in another world wondering if my tummy sensations were kicks or digestion. And after I walked Gilbert I felt a few very noticeable twitches in my lower abdomen. I can't wait until it's obvious to me!

Tomorrow is my 16 week check-up, and the first time I'll meet my actual OB and not just a nurse practitioner. I think it's also the first time I'm excited for an appointment instead of nervous and worried. Now that my belly is popping out more and more, it's very reassuring to me that baby MUST be growing! And today I even had my first, "Um... are you...???" She looked very relieved that she wasn't mistaken when I told her yes. (I should have said no and acted offended, just for a second, but maybe that would have been mean.) I hope I get an ultrasound tomorrow. I can't imagine how much different s/he looks now!

16 Weeks

16 weeks

Maternity clothing shopping turned out to be more fun than I expected. It helped that my dad gave me a very generous gift card to Hot Mama. If you can afford it, I would say it's worth the money. The sales associate picked out everything for me so I didn't have to wander around like an idiot not knowing what to grab. (Have I mentioned how much I hate shopping?) She had me try on a fake belly to see how things would fit as I get bigger. Once it was strapped on, I stared in disbelief into the mirror. "Am I really going to get that big?!" The sales associate and my friend just laughed and said, "Bigger." I think I'll just tip over. Yikes. I am so glad I got some new pants for work. It felt like I was wearing pajamas all day. The Be Band can suck it!

16 week update:

Current cravings: Nothing really

Current energy level: Much improved

Current appetite: Constantly hungry, but once I start eating I fill up fast!

Current mood: Content

Current weight: 116-118, depending on the time of day

Baby movement: Not yet