A strange week

Monday morning when I got to work they told me that Cooper was sick and that we were going to take him to the doctor. The poor little guy did not feel good. He wanted to play but all he would do was crawl around and moan or cry. He was a little warm, had been throwing up, had diarrhea, and hadn't been eating. That morning he developed a rash. Turns out it was the stomach flu and the doctor said it was very contagious. I respectfully told them that I didn't want to work with him being that sick. If it was a runny nose, that's one thing but I've been sick 3 times during this pregnancy and it totally sucks. And all 3 times, Cooper was sick first. I'd rather not get paid and be healthy than get sick from Cooper and have to take un-paid time off because I'm sick. I hope he gets better soon though, I need the hours.

They are trying out another nanny this weekend. They didn't like the first one they tried out and this other one is the last one on the list so if she doesn't work I'll be staying past the end of January. I wouldn't mind the money, it would actually be really helpful, it's just getting harder to pick Cooper up and carry him around.

So this week I've been taking it easy. I've slept in when the baby has let me, he's woken me up by 5:00 AM 2 days. He clearly gets that from his father, that is in no way, shape, or form, any part of me! I took the dogs on a little hike yesterday, it was beautiful outside. and I've gotten a few little things done around the house. I hope to get all the Christmas stuff put away and the spare bathroom cleaned out and ready for renovations by the end of the weekend.

I've also been working on baby shower stuff. We were going to just throw our own out at the UT Golf Club but it was going to be a little too expensive. Thankfully we had 2 people offer to host showers so we're working on dates and guest lists.

I'm still working on that Vegas post. I promise it's coming soon.

Hope everyone has a happy new year!

27 Weeks

I can't believe we're at 27 weeks already and approaching the 3rd trimester. If you notice, the little counter on the side says how many more days we have and it's below 100!

Symptoms have been about the same. Heart burn and reflux have been the biggest annoyance and I'm always trying to stay on top of things so I don't get leg cramps at night. My feet were a little swollen before Vegas but they poofed up like an old Russian woman during the trip and have yet to return to normal, I may not see them again until after delivery. At least it's not summer. Someone mentioned swimming to help, but then I realized that I don't have a swim suit that I would fit into.

The baby is getting much stronger and he's flipping around constantly. Sometimes I have feet in my bladder and sometimes they are in my ribs. All of my internal organs have headed north so it's getting harder to breath. The cool think is sitting on the couch and watching him move. It's hard to imagine how big I'm going to be in 3 more months because I already feel like a beached whale.

This week:

• Your little one's brain continues its rapid growth. Don't forget to share music, conversation, and even books with your baby!
• Response to sound grows more consistent toward the end of the seventh month, when the network of nerves to the ear is complete. Your baby's hearing continues to develop, he or she may start to recognize your voice as well as your partner's.
• Lungs continue to grow and prepare for functioning outside of the womb. Each day in the womb greatly increases survival rates!
• He also continues to take small breaths and although he's only breathing in water and not air, it's still good practice for when he's born.
• Eyelids are now open more. Your baby can distinguish between light and dark.
• Retinas have formed.
• Your baby will grow over an inch this week alone! You may suspect this phenomenal growth rate repeats in the preteen years!
• Average size is now 14.4 inches (36.6cm) and 1.9 pound (875gm).

I'm working on a Vegas post, hopefully I'll get it up tomorrow.

Merry Christmas

We're going to spend the day with family. I hope everyone has a great and memorable Christmas.

Now I have to get back to wrapping presents because I'm so far behind on getting things done it's scary.


And Jonathan felt the baby move for the first time this morning!

We're home

The flight there was awful. We got delayed overnight and got there a day late. The baby didn't like the change in pressure on the way up and down in the plane. I'll write more about the whole trip later. The trip itself was good, but it's good to be home.

I also made the 26 week mark over the weekend. And I swear my belly is bigger since we left. My feet are killing me and are swollen but hopefully they'll recover in a day or so. We did a lot of walking.

For now I'm back to making Christmas presents... and hopefully I'll get some sleep at some point.

Happy Vega-Versary

Today Jonathan and I are going to Las Vegas for the weekend! Our 5th anniversary is on the 20th and this is actually the first year we've actually done anything. Usually we go to dinner, but that's it, no presents or anything because it's so close to Christmas. I didn't plan that very well.

Anyway, we are very excited, we have some friends who are coming too, and it should be a blast.

Jonathan,
I wanted to actually post a little note to you on our anniversary but I have a feeling we'll be too busy on our latest adventure. That and I'm not taking my computer and though the iphone is great for most everything else, blogging is challenging on that thing. I want you to know that the last 5 years have been the best time of my life. I've never been more happy or had more fun. I appreciate all that you do to make our lives possible and all that you do for me. I can't wait to start the next part of this adventure when our son is born. I don't know how it's possible, but since I've been pregnant I love you even more. You have been so amazing during this whole process and you even let me be right almost all the time, even when I'm not. You are going to be an amazing father and I am so grateful that I get to spend the rest of my life with you.

Making Christmas presents

I'm going crazy trying to get all the Christmas presents made. Jonathan is even helping out a bit. But here is one that I finished and it looks good. I made Cooper a little hat for his first ski trip, they're leaving Thursday.

He even left it on his head. Isn't he cute?

25 weeks & date night

Tonight Jonathan and I had a date! We won tickets to a comedy show at the Paramount and it was great. My favorite by far was a guy named Mike Reyburn. Here's a clip, one that he did. It's Led Zeppellin sings Dr. Seuss.



And I'm now 25 weeks pregnant. I'm getting bigger and baby is getting stronger. The reflux and heart burn are annoying. Even when I haven't eaten anything for 2 hours, I still have reflux. If I had money to put into the stock market, I'd invest in Tums.

Here is a rare shot of me wearing make up. It was for the big date. And it was taken in the baby's room so you can see the nice color of the walls.

This week:

• The structures of the spine begin to form -- joints, ligaments and rings. These will protect the all important spinal cord which serves as the information transmitter for your child's body.
• Blood vessels of the lungs develop.
• Your baby's nostrils begin to open. There is a study out of Belfast that suggests babies at this stage have the capability of scent preferences!
• The nerves around the mouth and lip area are showing more sensitivity now. When baby is rooting for food later on, these will be valuable!
• His swallowing reflexes are developing.
• Dexterity is improving. Your baby can make a fist and would clasp objects placed in palm.
• Your child has now obtained an approximate length of 13.6 inches (34.6cm) and weighs 1.46 pound (660gm).

And I'll leave you with a close up...

Homade House-hold Cleaners: Clean House, Clean Planet

I got this book (Clean House, Clean Planet by Karen Logan) on a recommendation and it got great reviews on Amazon. Given that we will soon have a little one crawling around and putting everything in his mouth I would prefer to not clean with a bunch of chemicals. At the same time, I want things to be clean. So I'm not really doing this for the planet (I suppose it's an added bonus) but I'm doing it for the kid.

According to the book you can basically stop buying all cleaners and just make your own. They tell you how to make everything from all-purpose cleaners, to disinfectants, to furniture polishes, to laundry detergents and dishwasher detergent.

I followed the guide lines in the book and started out getting my containers, then ingredients. I would actually suggest figuring out what cleaners you want to make first, then getting the container and ingredients you need for them. Getting everything at once was a little more expensive than I had anticipated, but on the plus side I don't have to buy anymore.

The containers: There is a list in the book of suggested containers, sizes, and quality guidelines, and it's too long to put it up here. I definitely see the point in buying the better containers. You want to be able to adjust the spray on your squirt bottle and you don't want something that's going to clog or break after a few uses. I think I paid about $3.50 for each of my big bottles here, sure I could have gotten them for $1 but I would have to replace them much sooner. I would also suggest collecting empty container from around the house. As you finish with something in a bottle (like shampoo) just wash the container and keep it to use for a cleaner.

Next are the ingredients. The most expensive thing was the essential oils, but that's also my favorite part. And those may be some tiny bottles, but they last forever. I ordered mine from Amazon and I think I paid about $17 for 8 different oils.

Shopping list:
baking soda (get the biggest box)
liquid soap: castile, vegetable-oil based, or glycerin (I got the non-scented castile soap at HEB)
white distilled vinegar
lemon juice
borax (this is the one thing I could not find at HEB, I guess I'll have to try walmart)
club soda
purified water: or you can use a home filtration system if you have one
There is also a list of things you should have around, like salt, petroleum jelly, and olive oil, but I'm not going to list them all because I have yet to need them.

Now for the fun part - mixing things!
I stared out with a basic all-purpose cleaner (mostly for the kitchen counters)

Ingredients: (for a 16 oz squirt bottle)
10 oz water, 4 oz vinegar, 1 tbsp liquid soap soap.

How to Make: Use warm water and stir in the soap, add the vinegar, dump into the squirt bottle.

Review: It worked fine. I wasn't too impressed until after the counter had dried and I came back to it. I think it looked the cleanest it ever has and I would have easily eaten off of it. This ones a keeper.

Next it was onto the bathrooms. One of my big concerns is the diaper pail(s). Given that we'll be using cloth diapers and they'll be sitting the the pails for a day or so, I can imagine the smell. Bleach is what I've always used to clean out these types of things and I haven't ruled it out yet but here are 2 ideas to try first. There are 2 things to keep the smell under control, one is simply putting some smelly essential oil on a paper towel and putting that at the bottom of the pail. The other is using this recipe and sprinkling it in the pail and using it to clean the pail while diapers are being washed.

Doctor Diaper Pail: Disinfecting spray alternative (works to clean the bathroom too)

Ingredients: (in shaker)
1 cup baking soda, 50 drops tea tree oil; optional lemon and lavender oil too.

How to Make: Add the oil(s) to the baking soda and stir with a work to get all the lumps out.

Review: This was super easy to make. I added the lemon and lavender oils and it smells great. As a cleaner I was much more impressed with the next one. Obviously I haven't tried it out on a diaper pail, but I have hope.

Earth Scrub: Tub and Tile Cleaner

Ingredients: (for 16 oz. bottle)
1 & 2/3 cups baking soda, 1/2 cup liquid soap, 1/2 cup water, 2 tbsp. vinegar, Optional essential oil.

How to Make: In a bowl mix the baking soda, liquid soap, and water. Stir until the lumps are gone. Add the vinegar and oil, pour into container.

Review: I love this one! It was fun to make and reminded me of something I would have tried as a kid. Plus when I added the vinegar it bubbled and fizzed. I cleaned the bathroom counter with it and it worked great. Next time I'll use the combination of oils from the previous recipe (tea tree, lavender, lemon). But this is by far my favorite. It got all the gunk and stuff off the counter and out of the sinks very easily and it didn't take a lot of rinsing. After I scrubbed the counter top, I just rinsed the rag and wiped it once and it was gone. You can use it just about anywhere, the tub, sink, toilet bowl, garbage cans, any greasy, grimy job.


From left to right we have a floor cleaner (very similar to the all-purpose cleaner, just concentrated) I didn't put it up because I haven't tried it yet. The big bottle is the all-purpose cleaner, the one with the blue lid is the Earth Scrub, and the shaker is the Diaper Pail disinfectant. I need some labels!

Basically, I really like it so far. I don't know that I will ever completely give up my bleach and I don't plan on using only baking soda in the dishwasher (that is what's recommended) but I do like that I'm using far fewer chemical. And who knows, I may get adventurous one day and try making my own laundry detergent. I must admit that I'm curious...

Rule #1: Don't scare mommy!

I feel the baby move on a very regular basis and have since about week 19. Every 2 or 3 hours I feel something. Sometimes it's just a little kick but most of the time it's several. Last night I was sitting on the couch and I even told Jonathan, "wow, he's getting stronger" because I got some big movements.

Then today I didn't feel anything. At all. All day. At first I was thinking that maybe he was having a lazy day but even on lazy days I feel something. So I called the doctors office and they told me to come in.

The nurse put a monitor on me, at first she couldn't find the heart beat which just about made my heart stop, but she did find it. Thank God. The nurse tracked it for about 5 min and it was fine. The doc came in and did a sonogram and baby was moving.

So, my placenta is at the front and it always has been. Until last night, his feet had been down and his head by the placenta. Last night all those big movements I was feeling was him turning head down and now his feet are kicking the placenta, which is why I haven't felt anything.

Anyways, everything is fine. I have felt a few little movements since I left the dr's office but not much. The doc was glad that I came in and told me that I did the right thing and that that's what they're there for. I love my doc.

24 weeks - Viability!

This is the best picture we got at the sonogram the other day. He was wiggly and stubborn at the same time. The other clear picture we got was of his boy parts. There is no doubt about his gender. The white blob in front of (above) his face is his placenta. The placenta is high and in the front so his head is right around my belly button and his feet are down. He seems to like that position right now. Sometimes I'll feel him kick towards my left side, which I prefer to him kicking straight down, but it's always one of the two.

We are now officially at 24 weeks which is considered viability. What that means is that if the baby were born now they would do everything possible to keep him alive. The chances aren't great and the risk of having long term problems are high so we wan't to keep him cooking for a while longer but it is a big milestone.

I have a runny nose and a headache. Everyone seems to have something right now so I guess it was just a matter of time before I picked something up. Hopefully this is as bad as it gets. This is the down side of being pregnant during the winter instead of the summer, there are so many more germs and the chances of getting sick are much higher. And when you are sick, all you can take is Tylenol, Sudafed, or Benadryl.

The child birth preparation class yesterday was okay. It was good to find out what happens in the hospital and what the standard procedures are. It just re-confirmed that I love my doctor. All of his staff has been with him for a long time, and as long as everything is ok medically he lets the patient call the shots. He's very big into making this my day and even though things don't always go as planned he does everything he can to help the plan happen. He also delivers 90% of his own patients. All during the week, even in the middle of the night, he's the one there. If I have the baby on a weekend it's whom ever is on-call, so we're shooting for a week day.

We are also back to not knowing which hospital we're going to be at. The nurses have all been talking like it's going to be up north. We now need to take a tour and pre-register at that one just in case.

This week:

• Bring on the bulk! Baby gains about 6 ounces this week. The weight is in muscle, bone mass and organs.
• His body begins to fill out with his appearance increasingly becoming more like a newborn.
• Taste buds begin to form. If mom drinks something strange or bitter, baby may be observed showing his distaste.
• Little creases have appeared on his palms. The muscular coordination of his hands has improved as he sucks his thumb.
• Over the next seven days the sweat glands will be forming in the skin.
• His lungs are developing "branches" of the respiratory "tree" and cells that produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily.
• This week your baby is officially considered viable.
• Baby weighs 1.3 pound (600gm) and is 11.8 inches (30cm) long -- almost the length of a ruler! (ours is 1.4 lbs, according to the sonogram)
  

Longhorns got screwed

No one really understands the BCS rankings, even the people who claim to have no idea what they're talking about. It's a computer that spits out numbers that everyone goes by. That being said, 2 teams played for the Big 12 championship, the winner of that games generally goes to the national championship (if the computer deam them worthy). Both the teams that went to the Big 12 game were beaten by the Longhorns earlier this season.

To be fair, their was a 3 way tie for one of the spots. I just don't get how it makes sense for a team that has 5 loses gets to play in the game when two other teams only have 1 loss.

I saw a sign around town this week that said, "To us OU will always be #2, and we're not talking about rankings" All I can say is that I'm going to be so pissed if OU wins the national title after we beat them.

And then my dad sent me this. It totally explains how the BCS works in terms that anyone can understand:

BCS DECLARES GERMANY WINNER OF WORLD WAR II US Ranked 4th!!!!

After determining the Big-12 championship game participants the BCS computers were put to work on other major contests and today the BCS declared Germany to be the winner of World War II.

"Germany put together an incredible number of victories beginning with the annexation of Austria and the Sudetenland and continuing on into conference play with defeats of Poland, France, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Belgium and the Netherlands. Their only losses came against the US and Russia; however considering their entire body of work--including an incredibly tough Strength of Schedule--our computers deemed them worthy of the #1 ranking."

Questioned about the #4 ranking of the United States the BCS commissioner stated "The US only had two major victories--Japan and Germany. The computer models, unlike humans, aren't influenced by head-to-head contests--they consider each contest to be only a single, equally-weighted
event."

German Chancellor Adolph Hitler said "Yes, we lost to the US; but we defeated #2 ranked France in only 6 weeks." Herr Hitler has been criticized for seeking dramatic victories to earn 'style points' to enhance Germany's rankings. Hitler protested "Our contest with Poland was in doubt until the final day and the conditions in Norway were incredibly challenging and demanded the application of additional forces."

The French ranking has also come under scrutiny. The BCS commented " France had a single loss against Germany and following a preseason #1 ranking they only fell to #2."

Japan was ranked #3 with victories including Manchuria, Borneo and the Philippines.

Sonogram

I haven't put the pictures on my computer yet but the sonogram went really well. Our little guy looks perfect! He's measuring about 3 days behind but they said that was perfect. All of his organs looked great and his body parts are all there. We saw him swallowing and sucking on his hands. He was also a bit stubborn, the sonographer was trying to get a cross section of his spine and he wouldn't move. I have no idea where he gets the stubbornness from...

After the appointment we walked over to the hospital and took a tour of labor and delivery. We also signed up for a child birth preparation class that's tomorrow from 9 to 4, so it's going to be a long day.

My belly is really sore now from having it poked, prodded, and shaken around for so long. I don't think the baby liked it either, he sure did kick a lot during the process. Hopefully it will be better in the morning.

spray-n-wash STAT!

I was re-painting a wall in the baby's room because it needed an extra layer. I couldn't locate my painting clothes so I just did it in my underwear. No problem right, just keep everything clean.

So I got it painted and was cleaning up. Given that it's a bit chilly today I was getting cold so I put my clothes back on. Now you have to understand that I have 3 pairs of pants that I can wear. I have 1 pair of jeans, 1 pair of stretchy pants that I can only wear with long shirts, and 1 pair of sweat pants that I love.

I was wearing the sweat pants and carrying the can of paint, I'm sure you can see where this is going. After I put the paint in the garage I noticed that the side of my pants were covered in paint! AHHHH. I immediately stripped them off and put spray-n-wash on them and stuck them in the washer. I'm praying for the best. I did happen to notice that they also had a small hole in the back of the leg near the butt. I may be down to 2 pairs of pants. :-(

And Baxter has bad gas today.

Tomorrow is our big sonogram where they measure all his body parts and organs. Keep your fingers crossed that we have 10 fingers and 10 toes.