Bump Bound - Week 15

(Originally written 10/06/12)

My belly popped out!  I finally have a baby bump!  It happened over night….Literally!  (Pic to come week 16, I promise!) We had a wedding to attend so I grabbed the one and only dress that still zips (that I wore last week to the reunion) and it barely zipped this week.  I showed up at the wedding and my best friend was like “Is that the same dress that you wore last week?”  When I said yes, she was like “Whoa, I couldn’t tell last week but you’re totally showing now!”  Yay!!!!!

Sick?  Its been getting better but the occasional smell still triggers the nausea and gagging.  Mainly, cigarettes and perfume….And stinky bum pee on the sidewalks downtown but luckily I don’t have to smell that very often.

Cravings?  I still can’t get enough apples.  Aside from those, nothing I can think of.  I’m starting to get my appetite back though.  I even wanted chicken this week.  Dah, that reminds me.  I forgot my KFC in the fridge at home.  I was totally going to have that for lunch today.  I digress…..But yeah, I wanted chicken and mashed potatoes twice this week.  Once homemade and once from KFC.  They both count right?

Maternity Clothes?  Not yet, but its about time.  Unless I’m in stretchy pants and a sweatshirt I’m so uncomfortable in my clothes.  I’ve been rocking the BellaBands but those only do so much.  No one has ever mentioned this but they have a serious design flaw.  They work great….until.....you bend over!  Then the band slides up and the pants slide down.  I’ve mooned several unsuspecting people.  If anyone has some extra maternity clothes that you want to loan out I’d be very appreciative!  Oh I did break down and bought some new undies.  They’re a size bigger than I normally wear….SAD….and full-butts…Double SAD.  But they are SO comfortable so I don’t even care!

Movement?  I don't know.  I think I might have felt a little flutter but I can't be sure.  It only happened once so I'm guessing not yet.

You guys…..I totally scored a new pillow this week!  My migraines have been getting a little better but they are still hanging around.  I tried using one of those contoured neck pillows and it seemed to help.  The problem is that it was a knock-off of a Tempurpedic pillow and it was too big for my neck.  The other problem is that Tempurpedic pillows are like $100 dollars and I wasn’t about to spend that on a pillow that I wasn’t even sure would work for me……So, randomly I asked one of my brokers if he knew of a place to get discounted T-Pillows.  He knows weird/random things so I thought it was worth a shot.  Sure enough, he had one that he bought but didn’t like.   It was just collecting dust in his room so he gave it me!  He GAVE me a Tempurpedic neck pillow and saved me $100 dollars!   That totally made my week!

Bump Bound - Week 14

(Originally written 09/29/12)

Second Trimester!!!

Weight gain?  I thought I had gained a lot of weight up until this point.   My scale at home had put me at about 5 extra lbs since we found out.  I was just sure that at our appointment a few weeks ago the doctor was going to tell me to stop eating.  I mean, nothing fits!  And not just around my stomach.  However, I was pleasantly surprised when the doctor told me I’d only put on 1 pound.  Holler!!!!  Our scale at home is a lot meaner than the doctor’s scale.  I’m supposed to gain a pound a week from here on out though……Yikes!  Secretly, I'm looking forward to it because that means I 'm closer to having a bump!

Sleep?  When I first started typing I was going to say that I’ve been sleeping great, but then I remembered.  I sleep great until about 1:00 or 2:00 in the morning and then BAM!  I wake up with that stupid Chris Brown “Don’t Wake Me Up” song in my head.  WTH?!?! It happens EVERY night!  I haven’t even heard that song in over a month.  It’s totally annoying but I can’t help but laugh at the irony of the song lyrics as I sit there wide awake bee-bopping to the music in my head.   Once I finally fall back to sleep, I sleep great the rest of the night.  Until…..I wake up with daily migraines.   Its awful!  I’ve had three massages and two adjustments in the past three weeks and they help for about a day or so and then the headaches are back.  I sure hope these go away soon!  Maybe a new pillow will help?  Its worth a shot!

Stretch marks?  Not yet, thankfully!  I’m still actually waiting for my belly to pop out.  I’m still in that stage where I look thick and not pregnant.  That’s a fun stage! (insert sarcasm). But wow, talk about itching!  My stomach and chest itch so badly.  And of course, they itch the most when I’m out in public and can’t shouldn't scratch them.  I wish I could say that has stopped me from scratching.

We had our 10 year high school reunion this week. Where did the time go?  It was a lot of fun and we got some great pictures.  It turns out that I only have one dress that still zips.  Its almost time to go shopping.

Just as I thought, we hung out with the people we always hang out with!  Some of the best peeps around!

Someone's had some juice to get loose

Where was I when this was taken?  Oh yeah, I was going pee for the trillionth time. 

What's going on here?  I'll have to ask....

No. Words.

Eagles for Life!

Two VERY exciting things happened this week!  My husband got a great new job and got to tell the Richard  of a boss to shove it!  Bahahaha!  It was fantastic!  Then, since he didn’t start his new job until 10/8, he decided on a whim to book us a cruise to the Bahamas.  So he booked our cruise on Thursday and we headed out on Sunday.  What a great Babymoon!!! Pics and details to come in a separate post.

Bump Bound - Week 13

(Originally written 09/22/12)

The oddest side effect/symptom of pregnancy has to be……..Eye goobers!   At first I thought it was a fluke and that I was just having a few extra eye goobers here and there due to the weather changes.  Now I’ve come to realize that it’s got to be from the pregnancy.  I am an eye goober factory!  Literally, every time I look in the mirror I have eye goobers and mascara goop in the corner of my eyes.  SO. Weird!  It makes me think of that Friends episode where Chandler is dating Rachel’s boss and breaks up with her because she always has mascara goop in the corner of her eyes.  I’m totally that girl! LOL!

We told our dinner club friends this week!  Most everyone in the group has had a baby so they decided to line up all of the babies on the couch for a group picture.   We thought this would be the perfect opportunity to tell everyone.  My husband ran up and set our ultrasound picture in the midst of the babies and said “do you guys mind if our kid is in the picture too?”  Everyone was really caught off guard and it took a minute for people to realize what was happening.  It was great!  Like usual, I started crying. 

I made a big change this week.  I am now brunette again!  With the pregnancy I decided that I wanted something lower maintenance and I think overall, it was a good change.  If nothing else, it will be nice not to have to do my hair every two months. 

Highlight of the week?  (Actually everything has been a highlight this week.  This has been a great week) We received our first baby gifts!  It was SO exciting!  I love getting presents but its amazing how excited I am for presents that aren’t even for me.  Its actually better than getting presents for myself.

Auntie Meg sent the little grasshopper his/her first book – “Goodnight Moon” along with the stuffed bunny that is the star of the book.  So cute!  And Jessica gave him/her first PJ sleep sacks.  Again, so cute!  Hopefully the baby will like to sleep and get a lot of use out of them.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed since I’m a professional sleeper. 

Random thought of the week:  Don’t you hate opening yogurt?  Every time I pull the top off a yogurt, the pressure sends a yogurt bubble blurping out the side and onto my pants.  Ugh! I need to invent a new yogurt lid.  

A Weekend in San Fran & Sonoma

(Originally written 09/20/12)

Last weekend, my husband was in one of his best friends' weddings in Sonoma.  That meant a weekend trip to California for this couple.  Dang it!  Since the wedding wasn't until Sunday we decided to take an extra day and spend Friday tooling around San Francisco.  Neither of us had ever been there before so we were ready for an adventure.  Once we checked into our hotel our first stop was IN-N-OUT Burger.  As we sat in the restaurant enjoying our burgers and milkshakes (mmmm) a girl walked in and started dumpster diving right next to us.....IN THE RESTAURANT.  This was a first for us!  My husband had his back to her so he couldn't see what was going on.  Of course, this was something he must see so I urged him to turn around and gawk with me.  Right as he turns to look, the girl turns so her backside is facing us.  "GASP!!!"  His mouth drops to the floor and says "why'd you have me look at that?  That's disgusting!"  I sat there frozen, looking onward at the train wreck that was in front of me.  The girl had a giant hole in the ass of her pants and wasn't wearing underwear.  We thought we were just getting burgers.  Not burgers and a show.  It was hilarious!

We were both pleasantly surprised by San Francisco.  We didn't really know what to expect and we both thought it would be like a glorified Portland, but it sooo wasn't.  It was such a neat city!  Since we were only there for a day, we'd love to go back someday and do more exploring.

Oh and Sonoma was cool too but we were there for a wedding so we didn't do much exploring.  Plus, its all about wine and I couldn't drink so......We'll definitely have to go again! 

Although it looks like it was in a parking garage, it wasn't

We had to go to the store of giant candy! So exciting!

I was in heaven!

The Golden Gate Bridge in all its glory!

The view from Hyde Pier

Ghirardelli Square - Mmmm such great hot cocoa!

Alcatraz

He hates when I make him take solo pictures. Lol

When in San Fran, do as they do on Full House...You know you just started singing the theme song

Posing for the caricature I made him get - He's such a good sport!

My turn

It took the guy 10 minutes.  Pretty accurate depiction I'd say

Genius idea!

The creative sourdough store

Darci - They actually have an entire store for you!

More of the bridge

Headed to Sonoma

A beautiful winery in Sonoma..........But they were cooking ham in the gift shop that didn't smell so good........sooooo.....I may have left them a souvenir

Ian and the Groom

Deer at the rehearsal dinner

The groom and his groomsmen

Bump Bound - Week 12

(Originally written 09/19/12)

Baby is the size of a LIME!

Whoa, I need a tan!

12 week development - Courtesy of babycenter.com  

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.  Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce. 

You guys.  Its official.  I can no longer button my pants.  I’m sure its mainly still gas and a few extra LB’s but my pants are definitely not buttoning.  Its just such a weird feeling to be able to button your pants one week and then the next, nadda.  I couldn’t even button them if I wanted to.  My shirts are also getting tight.  The button down blouses I wear for work are popping open at my chest.  So I can’t wear those anymore.  Then my non-button cotton dress shirts are getting too tight around the chest and belly also.  I actually got stuck in one of my shirts this morning.  Really.  I was STUCK!  I got it on, but couldn’t breathe so I knew that wouldn’t do.  When I tried to take it off I found myself spinning in a circle in my closet with my shirt up around my head.  It took a good minute to get it off.  Sigh.  

We told a few friends and some more family this week!  It was so great to see people’s reactions. I even got flowers at work from one of my closest friends!  It was very special!

I experienced some pretty intense cramping this week.   Like, to the point where I almost doubled-over in agony.  I’ve never experienced pain like this.  It was in my abdomen, creeped into my side and into my lower back.  It didn’t feel like typical female cramping or bloating cramping, but it also didn’t feel like something was wrong so it didn’t worry me too much.  Do you want to know what it was from? TMI Alert!!!  Apparently it was because I needed to poop!  Even though I had already gone twice that day!  I’ve always been a very “regular” person.  The two days prior to that, I didn’t go at all.  I’ve never gone more than a day without “going” so my stomach was pissed! After two more poops that day which would make a total of FOUR times, I was feeling great! LOL.  I’m screwed when it comes to the pain of child birth.

Our first official, official doctor’s appointment was this week.  I finally got to meet my new doctor.  He was alright.  I mean, he was fine, but I can’t help but compare him to my last doctor.  She was amazing and I’m so sad that she’s no longer my doctor.  I’ll have to get over that I guess.  We got to hear the heartbeat again and got another ultrasound!  The sound of the baby’s heart is seriously the best sound in the world.  We both get teary-eyed every time!  It was also crazy to see how much bigger the baby is this week compared to the ultrasound last week.  Its amazing how fast they grow from week to week. 

This one kind of looks like a crab

We may have a bit of a drama queen/king on our hands

I also had to give blood at this appointment.  Although, it wasn’t your typical blood-giving experience.  She took the blood from my finger and I had to produce enough of it to fill in 6 big circles on a sheet of paper.  It was like paint-by-numbers, but with blood.  So weird!  And, my fingers weren’t cooperating.  She had to stick me THREE times!  Ouch.  One of my fingers didn’t appreciate it and now I have a bruise to show for it.  Who gets bruises on their fingers? I guess there’s a first time for everything. 

Ouch!

Bump Bound - Week 11

(Originally written 09/08/12)

Let’s get real personal for a minute.  Pregnancy farts.  Why has no one ever mentioned these butt assassinations before?  They are so bad that instead of calling them SBD’s I am taking it upon myself to rename them SBB’s (Sudden Butt Bombs) because no one see’s them coming and they have the power to take down an army.  PeeeeeUUUUU.  The bloating has been bad, but up until this point the farts have just exploded inside my tummy and haven’t escaped.  So as you can imagine, when I actually had one knocking to come out I eagerly proceeded and breathed a big sigh of relief.  OH. MY. GOSH.  That was amazing!  The relief only lasted for about five seconds and BAM!  What the?  What is that smell?!?!  Its not possible that I just produced that smell.  Not. Possible!  Right as my eyes started to water from the burning smell my husband walked into the kitchen to give me a kiss.  I started laughing so hard, and hung my head.  “I’m sorry.  I couldn’t help it”. 

“Oh my gosh!  That was you?!?!  I thought that was the dog!  That is the grossest thing I’ve ever smelt.  The air is just thick in here!”  

A few days later, again in the kitchen, I let another one.  My husband has impeccable timing.  Poor guy.  The second after my relief he walked into the hazy air.  He gets a puzzled look on his face and I kid you not, says “Are you cooking eggs?  It stinks in here!”  BAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHA  Sorry babe.  You’ve fallen victim to another SBB!

We had a minor scare this week and as a result had an impromptu ultrasound.  Our first appointment with the doctor isn’t until 9/19 so it was pretty exciting to see our little grasshopper earlier than we had anticipated.  The baby is healthy and on track with a heartbeat of 157 beats per minute.  This was the first time my husband was able to see and hear the baby.  It was amazing to watch his face light up when he heard the heart beating for the first time.  That’s something I will never forget.

My clothes are starting to get uncomfortable this week.  I never had much room to expand in them to begin with so with all of the bloating they are really tight.  At the beginning of the pregnancy I scored a good sale at Sophia and Isabel and got two BellaBands for $6 each!  Holler!!!  They are normally $22 each.  Until this week, I haven’t felt justified in wearing them.  I mean, c’mon, I shouldn’t need a pant extender for gas!  I finally broke one out and wore it with some shorts last weekend.  It. Was. Splendid!   I also scored a new bra at the Motherhood Maternity outlet.  It was $10!  Normally $35.  Again, SCORE!!!  My bra has been leaving giant divots in my skin.  And this new bra is 2, yes TWO cup sizes bigger than my normal bras.  Can we say AWESOME!?!?!  Truthfully, I still have a little room to grow into it, but its quite comfortable. 

AND…….As if being pregnant isn't already a gift in itself, you get a ton of FREE stuff when pregnant.  Just for shopping at Motherhood, I got coupons for a ton of free items.  Like cool items.  I was able to redeem a baby sling as well as a hooter-hider!  ALL. FOR. FREE!  I still need to redeem my car seat cover.