Saturday, April 30, 2011

It's a...Surprise!


So we aren't finding out whether we are having a boy or girl.  Sometimes I feel like we are odd ones out for waiting until it's born.  A lot of people seem surprised by the decision.  Oh well, I'm happy with waiting.

That being said, there are a RIDICULOUS amount of adorable gender specific clothes.  Especially little dresses.  I finally couldn't take it anymore and broke down and bought this one.  It was on sale after all, and soooo adorable! I decided even if I have a boy it can wear this for just one day.  No one can tell the difference at that age anyway right?

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Daily Gifts

Today my baby gave me another pimple. I feel like a 15 year old boy who works as a fry cook.

But I can't be too mad. We felt it kick for the first time today. It somehow makes all the annoyances and difficulties ok :)



Monday, April 18, 2011

Photos!




Our sonogram at 12 weeks.

Baby Blues 5 Months Early?

So ladies, you know how around that time of the month (Surfing the Crimson Wave, Aunt Flo, TOM, whatever you like to call it) your emotions seem to punch you in the face for no particular reason?  Pregnancy is like 9 months of that except you never know when it's going to hit you.

It doesn't happen all the time, but when it does woo boy watch out.

In the first trimester my emotional dragon liked to roar its ugly head in the form of anger.  Boy did I ever get cross.  Mostly at our poor dog.  It was like something I never felt before, genuine, deep down anger.  And at things that really weren't THAT big of a deal.  Well...the poop smeared all over the carpet would put anyone in a bad mood.

Now that I'm in my second it seems the emotional trend is downward.  Oh I just get so sad.  Sometimes it's a commercial.  Sometimes it's because my husband does something really nice and sweet for me.  Sometimes, and this is probably the most common reason, it's because of a dream I had.

When you are pregnant your dreams are more vivid.  I've always had pretty vivid dreams anyway so basically now every night, I live my dreams (imagining Inception here).  I really think they are reality.  And it won't be just one a night; it's always several.  Once woken up, of course I know it was a dream, but the emotions felt in the dream still linger.  Last night I had a dream my dog got hit by a truck.  I spent the rest of the dream crying and depressed.  Guess how I woke up feeling this morning?  The other tricky thing is once you get in a certain mood, it takes a lot of cute Youtube videos of kittens to get you out of it.

So, by matter of deduction, I can only assume that having gone through phases of extreme anger, and sadness, the next one could either be dopey, happy, bashful, sleepy, sneezy, or doc.  I'm rooting for happy.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Being Pregnant Means You Can't Even Lift Your Cat

There is a list the size of China of things you're not supposed to do when you are pregnant.  And the funny thing to me is, it varies from culture to culture.

Here's a fun experiment.  Take an 8 month pregnant woman, stick a glass of wine in her hand and force her to walk through a room of young new mothers (young is key, the older generations don't mind as much).  The glaring eyes of judgment alone will be enough to send that pregnant woman running.

Now fly that poor mom-to-be over to Italy and do the same thing.  The women in the room would be pouring more wine into her glass as she walks by.  "It's good for the baby!"

Personally, I'd rather be in Italy.

So which culture is right?  Which doctor is right?  Which opinion is right?  You get them thrown at you left and right.  From the internet, from doctors, from other women.  And I appreciate most of them, yes most of them, but how are you really to know exactly what is ok?  My Ob-Gyn might say something completely different from another.

Yes there are hard fast rules and facts to being pregnant.  For example, heroine is bad for a growing fetus: fact.  But I'm talking about the things that have a little wiggle room.  Like sleeping on your back, having a glass of wine once in awhile, drinking beverages with caffeine, etc.  Some women will tell you flat out you aren't a good mother and don't love your baby if you do any of those things.  Of course, the majority indulge from time to time.

Here's the latest one for me, "you can't lift heavy things."  Ok, easy enough.  Except that we are moving this week.  Do you know how difficult it is to pack up an entire house with out lifting a single heavy thing?  And at what point is it too heavy?

I picked up one box, "No you can't do that your pregnant!"

I slid another one across the carpet, "That's too much weight, don't do that!"

Frustrated, I leaned against the wall and picked up my cat.  She's gained some mass lately, and weighs a ton so I immediately put her down.  "Sorry Lily, I'm pregnant now, your too fat for me to pick up."


Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Do You Smell That?

Ever wanted to have a superpower?  Get Pregnant.

Any sort of superpower seems awesome.  And there aren't exactly many ways to enhance one of your senses; save for losing one which heightens the others.  So having the ability to smell the world?  Sure, sounds like fun.

No, not fun.  People smell.  In general, they stink.  I don't know if they aren't as clean as I thought, or I'm getting the underlying odor that's usually masked by deodorant and perfume?  Either way, I don't look forward to an elevator ride these days.  It's not the people who are around me on a regular basis either (don't worry family), except for one.

I absolutely adore my husband.  But, has your's ever been working all day and he is sweaty and dirty and comes home and gives you a big hug and tells you he loves you and your the greatest thing that ever happened to him, and the whole time your wiggling out of his embrace because you can't stand the smell?  It's kind of like that, only without reason.  It's not that he is dirty, it's just that your nose has changed.  And it's not all the time.  Just sometimes that the mere scent of your man wants to make you run away and dunk your head in a bucket of Febreze. (sorry sweetie)

There are nice aspects to my superpower, though.  I can always tell what's cooking.  Spring is here and the flowers smell lovely.  Then there are those girls that use body splash that smells like Skittles.  Boy do I need to find some of that.

So like a young Clark Kent, yes I am comparing myself to Superman, I realized I need to hone my new found skill for good.  For as the great Jor-El once said, "You have great powers, only some of which you have as yet discovered."

Monday, April 4, 2011

No One REALLY Tells You

"It's the most wonderful time in your life."

"Your going to be glowing!  Just bursting with energy and vigor!"

"It's all worth it in the end, you'll see."

That last one is the one I wished I payed more attention to.  If I had looked at it closely I would have seen the giant red WARNING splashed across the front of that seemingly comforting comment.

I want to start this blog by saying I couldn't be happier that I am pregnant.  I am thrilled to meet my baby and determined to conquer any physical and emotional hurdles along the way.  That being said...pregnancy kind of sucks.  It's not the morning sickness (which wasn't so bad for me, sorry moms!), or the soreness, or the emotional up and downs, or the dry eyes, itchy stretching skin, stretch marks, or the fact you lose your balance and topple like a 14 year old boy.  It's the fact that at any moment, any day, there is some new crazy pregnancy symptom that you never experienced before and never even knew could exist!

Countless times I run to the computer thinking, 'uh oh I'm probably dying', only to find out the weird spots I've been seeing are a totally harmless side effects of blood pressure ups and downs associated with carrying your bundle of joy.

Headaches?  Ya, that's totally normal.

A never ending runny nose?  Your making more mucus now.  Also it's allergy season, but don't take any medication for it.  Or for your headaches.  Except Tylenol, which does nothing.

Tired all the time?  Go for a walk!  Cause that is for sure the first thing you want to do when your exhausted.

My back is so sore!  Ya...it happens.

I can't seem to get full enough?  Oh that's because your eating for two silly!  But you will want to be sure to avoid all your favorite foods, only organic celery and whole grain oats for you now!  Also don't eat everything in sight, your only supposed to take in a few hundred more calories per day.

I cried 2 times for no reason today.  Call me when it's 5.

Yet somehow, when you really sit down and think about it, the only thing that matters is the tiny growing baby inside your belly.  And the overwhelming sense of joy at the thought of holding that child you carried for 9 months.  It doesn't make all the aches and pains go away mind you.  But it helps you realize that in the end, it will all be worth it.