14 Weeks: The Second Trimester

So far, I like this second trimester thing. About 4 days ago the nausea let up a bit. I had a little today, but not too much. I'm hoping it's not a fluke. My sinus infection is almost gone. There were a few days that sucked, I couldn't take much, I couldn't breath, and I had green gunk coming out of my head, but it could have been much worse. I slept horribly but I could stay in bed for 12 hours so I'd at least sleep for about 8. Thank God it didn't last too long and it was over the weekend so I didn't have to take time off work.

One thing I'm not liking is trying to fine clothes that I can exercise in. I have to order something because no where in town has anything, so I have to guess at sizes and I've got to have some things to take to Yosemite. It looks like I'll be wearing some of Jonathan's shirts to work out in because the one maternity shirt I found was $44, which seems insane for something I'll wear for a few months. I also can't find bras to work out in, what do people who are this big do? I've got no clue.

Last week I swear I felt the baby move. I was driving home and I felt one little thump, it was kind of like a kernel of popcorn popped in my belly. I haven't felt anything since then, and I want to start feeling it so that I know he's okay in there, but it will probably be a few more weeks until it happens. I have to wait another 2 weeks for the next sonogram, it seems like a really long time.

This week:

• Thyroid gland has matured and your baby begins producing hormones which will be used throughout his or her life.
• In boys, the prostate gland develops
• In girls, the ovaries move from the abdomen to the pelvis
• Your little one may have learned to suck his thumb by this point!
• Your child's bones are getting harder and stronger by the day!
• Your baby's skin is very transparent still
• Lanugo (very fine hair) covers the baby's body and will continue to grow until 26 weeks gestational age - Generally this will be shed prior to birth. Its purpose is to help protect baby's skin while in all that water!
• Your baby is 3.42 inches (8.7cm) long and weighs about 1.52 ounces (43 grams) - approximately the weight of a letter!

The first trimester: in retrospect

I'm very grateful that the first part of this is over with and we're 1/3 of the way there. Most of it seemed to drag by like it would never end but the last few weeks have flown. Here are the things I'd like to remember and forget about the first trimester.

Forget:

• The bleeding and blind panic of not knowing if the baby was ok. Also all the worry that came along with having the blood clot.
• Bed rest, restricted activity, and pelvic rest
• Nausea (although it hasn't gone away yet and knowing me, it probably won't)
• Throwing up
  
• The boobs hurting so much at first
• Looking fat
• The sinus infection I currently have
  

Remember:

• Knowing I was pregnant long before that positive test
• Taking 4 or 5 tests, because I was sure, and then finally going and getting the digital one just to be really sure
• Telling our families and friends and seeing/hearing how excited everyone was
  
• Seeing that little heart beat on the sonogram for the first time and the relief that came with it
  
• Getting to have 6 sonograms between week 6-12 and seeing how much he changed every week
  
• Seeing him move and squirm on the sonograms
• Finding out that it's a boy
• How great Jonathan has been and how excited he is

Things I'm looking forward to in the 2nd trimester:

• Feeling him move
• Being more active
• Going to Yosemite
• Going to Vegas
• Looking pregnant

I'll post the 14 week stuff in a few days. Right now I want to rest and get over this sinus infection, and think of middle names.

We need a middle name

We had 2 names picked out, Jack Asher, and Joseph Henry. I like both of them but am leaning more towards Jack, but then a friend pointed out to me that Jack Asher sounds too much like Jack Ass and Jonathan had someone at work point out the same thing. So, we need a middle name to go with Jack and I'm stumped. I'm thinking anything that starts with "A" is out. Any ideas?

I welcome all ideas, I just ask that no one be offended if I don't use them. I'm open to other first name ideas too. I kind of like Charlie. We want to have a few names picked out but we are definitely waiting until we meet the little man before we assign him a name.

House Poject List

We have several things that we'd like to do around the house before our little man arrives. We have to figure out how to pay for some of it but we plan on doing all the work ourselves.

• new (to us) washer and dryer. (We just moved these in yesterday!)
• spare bath: tile the floor, tile the counter and put in 1 sink (this is where the changing table will go), paint cabinets.
• recessed lighting in the living room (and maybe the dining room too).
  
• get study cleaned out, spare room organized, and baby room ready. (this is a work in progress but it seems never ending.) We need space for all the crap that comes with having a baby.
• new TV computer. Jonathan will build it but this is probably the most expensive one.
  
• master bath remodel: new tub, floors, and shower. (this probably won't happen before the baby comes, but one can hope.)
  

Free Pictures!

I've had a stream of people offering us free stuff lately, it's great. Yesterday I got an email through my nanny network of a nanny who does photography on the side and she's trying to build her portfolio. I emailed her and she's going to do pictures of Jonathan and I when I'm really big and then take some new born pictures too, all at no cost. I wanted pictures of us when my belly got big but wasn't willing to pay for them, now I don't have to. Jonathan also had another friend through landmark offer to take pictures of the baby (for free) too, maybe we'll wait until he's smiling to do those.

Death to country music

I usually channel surf in the car, listening to whatever station isn't playing commercials and I can no longer listen to country music, it makes me cry. I'm sure it's a hormone thing, and it's really kind of funny.

And speaking of hormones, my acne has gotten so bad now that I look like I did back in high school, it's awful.

13 Weeks

This is the last week of my first trimester! Overall the first 1/3 was okay, it could have been much worse, and thank God it's almost over. I'm feeling okay and in the last few weeks time seems to be moving at a more normal rate, it was very slow before. I'm not nearly so tired, I have some energy, and I haven't barfed in the last 3 days. I always thought I'd be a very crabby pregnant person, and I have my moments, but for the most part I've been pretty okay. It helps to have such a supportive husband who is willing to do a little extra around the house. I hope our boy turns out as great as he is.

It's weird to not have a doctor's appointment for 4 whole weeks. I'm looking forward to feeling the baby move so at least I'll know that he's okay in there. I didn't like the reason why I was watched so closely before, but I did really enjoy seeing my baby so often and checking in on him.

Here's a belly shot at 13 weeks. Pardon the fat, not all of that is baby, but most of it is. It's funny, it looks so much bigger to me when I look down on it than it does in the picture.


This Week:

• Your infant is about 2.91 inches (7.4cm) and weighs around 0.81 ounce (23gm)
• If you could peek in again you may spot your baby as he begins to practice inhaling and exhaling movements
• Eyes and ears continue to move and develop
• Baby's neck is getting longer, and the chin no longer is resting on his chest
• His hands are becoming more functional - Your baby may find it comforting to start playing with his fist.
• At this point all nourishment is received from the placenta

UT Football: Hook Em' Horns!

The end of August is one of my favorite times of year, for many reasons. It means a break in the heat is coming but more importantly it means it's time for UT football. I grew up being forced to watch UT play and also watch the Dallas Cowboys, at the time I hated it. The first game I enjoyed watching was on Thanksgiving when the field was covered in snow and ice so everyone was slipping all over the place, it was hysterical. And when I was a student I had season tickets, which I loved, and I've been hooked ever since. I still don't really care much for pro football but I go out of my way to catch every UT game.

I've been known to cuss a bit while watching football, I guess I'll have to watch that when the kid-o arrives. This season we didn't start out ranked very high, I think we started at 11 but now we're at 7. Unfortunately Ike scared off the team we were supposed to play last week and that game has been re-scheduled for next week which means that our 3rd game (today) is against yet another wimpy opponent (Rice), so it won't be much of a game... again. It does make the rest of our schedule jam packed and full of excitement.

Yesterday Jonathan got offered the "work tickets" to the game! Yay! We had figured we weren't going to a game this year, sometimes it's better to just watch it on TV, but at least we'll get to go to one game, and for free. I'm all about the free stuff. I've emailed some friends who tailgate so hopefully we'll stop by and chat for a bit and we have end-zone club passes too. This is the fancy place where they serve alochol and food. You can also hang out there and watch the game on the very big screens if you want to. However the weather looks to be so perfect today, that I think we'll stay in our seats. We may winde up there towards the end of the game after it's already a blow-out.

Hook Em' Horns!

Video: 12 Week Sonogram

The quality of the up-load isn't great, but you can hear his little heart beat and see him moving around. I love the end, when he's really squirming. I think it's hysterical that the song in the background is "Remember, I'm still a guy".

Sonogram & a pro-noun

Thanks to Starbucks our little one was awake and moving for the show today.

They measured the fluid on the back of the neck and it is way below the worry mark. Anything less than 3 mm is good and ours is at 1 mm. I also had some blood work done and they'll call in a few days if there is anything to be concerned about.

My mom went with us so she could see the action and we weren't disappointed. I also asked the technician if she could take a guess at the gender. And we're having a boy!!! She was pretty sure that it wasn't just a guess too, there was some strong evidence for it. We'll confirm it in 4 weeks but they've already put "male" on my chart. It's so nice to be able to say "he" now instead of "it". Everyone is very excited. We would have been excited either way, but I had a feeling it was a boy. He was stretching and moving all over the place.

The other great news is that the blood clot is completely gone! Yay! So I've been cleared for normal activity. Yay! I'm going to look on-line for some hiking pants and I'm planning on going for a walk in the morning.

My mom called to tell me that was the most fun she'd ever had at a doctor's office. And Jonathan took video of the whole thing and he's up-loading it now so hopefully I can post that soon. It's very cool. In the mean time, you have the pictures.

Travel Plans

I love to travel. I would much rather spend money on traveling than I would on just about anything else, like improving the house. Considering the arrival of a baby, we've decided to spend a little more of the money around the house getting things done than on traveling this year. It was a though decision to make. I'll post a list of house projects at some point.

When we found out we were pregnant we had 2 trips tentative planned. We were going to meet our friends Tom and Maury in Yellowstone, they have a trailer and are traveling across the country. And we had planned on going to New York City in October, our friend Marlene was going to show us around. When we found out about the blood clot, all travel plans got dropped. Neither one of those places would be much fun if I couldn't walk around.

I've been told that as long as I'm not having any bleeding, I can travel. Hopefully I'll get the all clear later today at my appointment so I can start hiking some. I just spoke with Maury and they are flying us out to meet them in Yosemite National Park Oct. 16th - 20th. It's not Yellowstone but I haven't been to California since I was 9, and Jonathan hasn't ever been. We are also planning a trip to Vegas with Marlene and Will. It will either be in November or December. None of us are huge gamblers but there is a lot to do in a small amount of space. Jonathan and I were planning on going by ourselves but Marlene got really excited about it and they are great to travel with so I think it will be a blast.

Neither vacation is anything like what we normally do, and both will be low budget, which isn't what we normally do either. But I'm really looking forward to both of them, I think it's going to be a blast. And good for both of us to get away before the baby comes. Post baby our first trip will be to Cabo with my family, probably in November. And we'll get to stay at the Grand Regina which is a Rits Carlton level resort. I hope the baby doesn't get too used to that or he/she will be sorly disapointed in the future.

I can't wait for my appointment and to see my baby! 3:00 today. I will drink some juice while I'm in the waiting room so hopefully it will be awake. Jonathan has the video camera with us too.

Morning Sickness

I was getting read to do a post on homemade baby food, that is until I started throwing-up.

I thought that at this point in the pregnancy all of these awful little symptoms were supposed to start going away, not just starting up. About 2 weeks ago this thing started happening. Every morning when I get up I have a little bit of mucus in the back of my throat and when I spit it out it triggers my gag reflex which makes me heave and throw-up water. I have a cup of water sitting next to my bed that I sip on all night. So every morning I "throw-up" water and mucus. I hadn't really considered it throwing-up because it doesn't taste like anything and it's not lumpy, but maybe I've just been in denial. It's much better to do this before I brush my teeth, rather than during.

This morning was no different... until I ate breakfast. I was fine, I went to the bathroom and took a bath and was getting dressed for the day when a little more mucus found the back of my throat and then my breakfast came back up and got flushed down the toilet. I hate throwing-up. It's just gross, and it doesn't feel good. This type of things is supposed to be stopping now, and it's not fair that it's all of a sudden starting. OK, I'm done whining.

On a brighter note, it was a beautiful day today, only 83. And tomorrow looks to be about the same!

12 Weeks

Yesterday we hit the 12 week mark. I'm still hoping to start feeling less nauseous soon. My boobs generally don't hurt as much. I still have to keep them supported but the last few weeks have been better... until yesterday when they reached a new level of hurt, thankfully today they're ok. My belly is growing but I still just look (and feel) fat. I've gained 2.5 pounds so it's not like I'm just stacking on the pounds or anything. We have our next sonogram on Wednesday! I can't wait!

This week:

• Vocal cords begin to form
  
• Eyes begin to move closer together
• Ears shift to their normal place on the side of the head
• Intestines move farther in to your child's body
• His or her liver begins to function - Responsible for cleansing the blood, storing nutrients, and providing needed chemicals, this is an important event!
• The pancreas begins to produce insulin
• Guess what? Your baby's average size is now at a whopping length: 2.13 inches (5.4cm) and weight: 0.49 ounce (14gm)

(from pregnancy.org)

Video: We're having a baby!

I absolutely love this video. The camera work isn't the best, it's hard to hug people and shoot video at the same time. But it does a great job capturing how excited everyone is about this baby. I can't wait to show it to him/her someday.

There are a few others that we didn't get on video that I don't want to forget. We went to Allan's birthday party that same weekend and forgot to take the camera but had a blast spreading the news. When we got there Christoper came to me and said, "Aunt Sheryl, tell everyone the exciting news." Apparently he was talking about telling people but Karen explained to him that he had to let us do that. It was very cute.

Michelle Glaze screamed wildly. Her husband Gordy looked at Jonathan and said, "Well at least you know your pecker works." And Daniel, who I started babysitting 16 years ago when he was 3, came running across the driveway screaming. And every time he would see me he would use this high squeaky voice and say "your having a baby!"

Lisa was another screamer, and Allan was beside himself too. I called my nanny and told her over the phone, she was thrilled and said that she hopes she lives to meet the little one.

One step forward, Two steps back

This week I've noticed a slight improvement in how tired I am. I can now make it through the day without a nap. I'd still really like one, but it's not so vital anymore.

The bad news is that because I don't just fall into bed at night anymore, it's harder for me to get to sleep. Last night I went to bed at 10:30 and didn't get to sleep until after 1:00. I got up every 10 - 15 minutes to pee, and every time it was as if I hadn't just gone. It was very annoying and I would have just slept on the toilet if I could have gotten comfortable. I was tired enough to fall asleep, I just always had to pee.

I'm very cranky if I don't get enough sleep. Some people have said that this is preparation for getting up several times a night with the baby. That's total bull shit, it's like saying that dieting is preparation for starvation. Or the cure for lack-of-sleep is practicing lack-of-sleep. With all of the adventure vacations we've had I do think that having some experience with sleep deprivation is important and very helpful to get through an event, but you never practice that leading up to the event, that's just stupid.

Anyways, hopefully I'll adjust soon. I'm sure Jonathan is hoping so too, he slept on the couch last night simply so he could get some sleep.

Diapers: Cloth vs Disposable

There are 2 parenting decisions that I've really debated about. The first was circumcision, I've decided to wait on that one until we know the gender of the child, but I'm at least leaning more one way than the other. But when it comes to diapers, I'm completely torn.

I went to 2 different organic baby stores in town today, looking for Cooper's bottles, and took a look at the cloth diapers while I was there. I think I'm even more confused than I was before.

From what I've read, the cost isn't horribly different. For disposables it's about $50 - $80 per month. For cloth, once you add in the cost of extra water and detergent it's about $25 - $60 per month. Plus we'll have to get a new washer if we go with cloth. Eventually we'll need a new washer anyways, ours is fading, but we're hoping to make it last a bit longer.

It's clear that cloth is slightly better for the environment. I would say much better aside from the fact that you use more water and electricity cleaning them.

Pros for cloth:
less expensive, better for the environment, supposed to be better for skin but it really depends on the baby.
Cons for cloth:
cleaning poop is just gross, lots of extra laundry, can't use diaper creams, need a new washer, people seem to have more leaks with them, bulky, some babies have a harder time learning to roll over because of the bulk, people who use these all seem to be a bit arrogant - even if they don't think they are.

Pros for disposable:
easy, can use diaper creams, I know how to use these, fewer leaks.
Cons for disposable:
more costly...

If we do the cloth thing we would use disposables when we're not at home and probably at night too. If we go with disposables we'll order ones that are dye free, I've used them before and they work just as well as the big brands.

Luckily I have a while before I have to decide on this, but I'm much more stressed over this than I should be. I'm open to suggestions, any ideas?

Nose to the grindstone

I'm very excited because I'm off work for the week! And better yet, I still get paid. Cooper's mom is going out of town on business and taking him with her. Her mom is going too to take care of him. Most likely I'll only work 1/2 of Thursday and all of Friday of next week too. In the mean time, I have a few things to do for the little one.

• Get ice trays with lids and some fresh organic veggies and make some baby food.
• Find out about swim lessons.
• Order "Signing Time" DVD's
• Get a few bigger bottles
  

I also have some things that I want to do.

• Clean out my car.
• Find some water and float in it.
• Organize my closet (since all the non-fitting clothes are mixed in with the maternity clothes)
• Start on a painting for the nursery.
• Get some things listed on e-bay.
• Start on some Christmas presents.
  

I could keep going with that list but I'll start there. If I add too much more I'll just get overwhelmed and not do any of it.

And because this post isn't that interesting I'll tell you about the dream I had last night. This was the 2nd baby related dream I've had. In the first one, I dreamed that the baby was a boy. In this one I dreamed that we went in for the sonogram and they found 3 babies in there. Then when we went back to confirm, they found 4. No wonder I woke up with a headache.

And a quick knee up-date. It still hurts, but is better today than it has been since I hurt it. And a hurt knee is much easier to deal with than a hurt elbow, no question.

11 Weeks

I'm still feeling hung-over but am hopeful that it will go away in the next few weeks. I did something to my right knee, I'm not sure what's going on. If it doesn't get better soon I'll have to see a doctor. My belly keeps growing. I can't wear any of my regular clothes anymore, only maternity from here on out. I might have gained 2 pounds or so but that's about it.

This week:

• Nearly all structures and organs are formed and beginning to function.
• Fingers and toes have separated
  
• Hair and nails begin to grow
• The genitals begin to take on the proper gender characteristics
• Amniotic fluid begins to accumulate as the kidneys begin to function
  
• The muscles in the intestinal walls begin to practice contractions that digest food.
• Your baby is about 1.61 inches (4.1 cm) long and weighs 0.25 ounce (7gm).

Summertime and crack cones

Most people around here complain about the hot summer weather. It's not so much the heat, but how long it lasts. Sometimes we're wearing shorts at Christmas around here. The heat doesn't bother me much really. The days that it hits 112 are rough, and on occasion I get tired of it, but the heat in general is ok. I suppose I'm just used to it.

As a kid we spent almost every summer weekend at Lake Travis. It's my favorite place around here and wonderful when it's hot out. Lets face it, when it's around 100 every day, being in and around the water is the place to be. I hope our kids can spend tons of weekends at the lake too.

Today we had a "break" in the heat. It was in the low 90's and the humidity was way down, a perfect day to be outside. My first choice would have been a day on the lake, but that couldn't happen. My second choice would have been riding my mountain bike on the greenbelt and then jumping in Barton Springs. But I settled for blowing off my cleaning plans to spend some time outside and Jonathan played hooky for a while. We had lunch on the patio of the Old Alligator Grill which is where part of the movie Office Space was filmed. They have great food and it was the perfect day for it.

After I went by Sno-Beach to get what we call a "crack cone". It's a snow cone but with cream added. I always get root beer and with the cream it tastes like a root beer float. Thank God we have to drive across town to the nearest one.


All-in-all it was a great day. And days like this are why we are staying in Texas. I actually really like the weather here year round. I couldn't handle snow every year, and I really like it when we have an "ice day" and the whole city shuts down. It's quite funny. Spring and Fall around here are both amazing, even if they can be rather short.

still restricted

I spoke with a nurse today and was told that I'm still on restriction until the clot is completely gone. I go back in 2 weeks so hopefully I'll get cleared for normal life then.

And when we go in 6 weeks from now we can find out if we're having a boy or a girl!

Dr's Visit and Sonogram

Todays sonogram was by far the neatest thing so far. On our way to the office we stopped at Thundercloud and got sandwiches to eat while we waited. Luckily we were there right around lunch time so the wait wasn't long. I hadn't even considered eating right before a sonogram would make it more interesting. The baby was awake and moving around, it was SO cool. He/she was flexing its finger and looked like it was waving at us. From one angle we could see all 4 limbs moving at the same time, it's a very active little squirt.

And what's really great is that the subchorionic hemorrhage is almost gone! It's half the size that it was 2 weeks ago and only 1.2 cm big now. So it's 1/4 of the size as it started out and a little less than 1/3 the size of the baby. The doctor said, "the chance of miscarriage is next to nothing now." Needles to say it was the best news we've heard all year.

I completely forgot to ask if I can be off of "restricted activity", we were just too mesmerized by watching the baby move to think of anything else. I'll call tomorrow and ask the nurse and if I can, I'm headed to the pool. I'm so out-of-shape it's pathetic, it would be nice to just be able to do a little.

The picture doesn't do what we got to see justice. The babies head is down and the body is above it. The little bitty thing to the right of the baby is its right hand waving. The baby is now 3.32 cm big, about the size of a prune. And the blood clot is so small you can't even see it in this picture. In 2 weeks we go back for our level 1 sonogram which measures fluid at the base of the babies neck and is an indicator of downs syndrome and a few other genetic deformations. While we were there the doc measured it today, he said we are looking for a number that's 3 or less and right now my baby is a 1. Yay! We have to wait until it's officially time to measure to double check and confirm that everything looks good but I'm not worried, this baby is doing great... and is kind of a show off too :-)