You know you're pregnant when...

... your mood is 99% determined by how comfortable your pants are.

... the thought of having a newborn that "only" sleeps in 3 hour stretches actually sounds appealing, because right now you're up every 2 to pee.

...whenever you're out to eat you seriously consider ordering an extra portion to take home "just in case I'm hungry later."

...when you get totally winded/tired walking short distances.

...When you've done laundry every Sunday for YEARS, and last week you totally forgot until bedtime.

...When you look for a spoon in the junk drawer (more than once).

...you realize you actually DO have a lot of clothes now that you can't wear any of them!

...when deciding what to eat for dinner, everyone looks at you and says "what are YOU hungry for/craving?"

...your diet consists of raisin bran, fruit and marshmallows.

...you bought a bathing suit with more fabric than your wedding dress had.

...it's 8:30 A.M. and the only thing that sounds good for breakfast is the leftover tacos and party potatoes sitting in the fridge.

...when you decide that shaving is more of an exercise or chore and decide against it because you don't want to be out of breathe from reaching since you just caught your breathe from climbing the stairs.

......you find your areolas have doubled in size. Is it really necessary for your body to create a giant landing pad around your nipple for the baby to find?

Compiled by the girls on the August 2011 board of the Bump

The pee tally for April 25, 2011

I know I pee a lot now so I thought it might be funny to record the amount of times I went in one day...and I was bored on Monday morning!
5:40 - #1 wake up

6:10 - #2 after breakfast

7:15 - #3

8:05 - #4

9:00 - #5

10:15 - #6

11:20 - #7

12:05 - #8 at the gym

12:55 - #9 after the gym

2:35 - #10

3:20 - #11

4:55 - #12

5:15 - #13 before dinner

5:30 - #14 after dinner

5:55 - #15 still full after dinner

6:30 - #16

7:40 - #17

7:50 - #18

8:00 - #19

8:35 - #20

11:40 - #21

So 21 times in an average day...that's a lot of flushes!

Oh, morning sickness...

Looks like you're never going to go away, are you?

Almost 23 weeks and you're still going strong...

22 Week Update

Baby's the size of a spaghetti squash!
At 11 inches and almost 1 pound, your baby is starting to look like a miniature newborn. His lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and he's even developing tiny tooth buds beneath his gums. His eyes have formed, but his irises (the colored part of the eye) still lack pigment. If you could see inside your womb, you'd be able to spot the fine hair (lanugo) that covers his body and the deep wrinkles on his skin, which he'll sport until he adds a padding of fat to fill them in. Inside his belly, his pancreas — essential for the production of some important hormones — is developing steadily.

This week I finally got around to scheduling all our classes at the hospital. I decided on the 3 that I thought were the most important: labor & delivery workshop, breastfeeding basics, and the hospital tour. Hopefully, that should cover the most important information and the rest we'll figure out on our own...or Google!

I guess that brings up another thing that I never discussed on here before. I'm a little uncomfortable around babies right now because I don't know how to take care of them! I feel like I look awkward and don't know what I'm doing. I haven't been around a lot of babies in my life. Our nephew, Grady, has been a good teaching tool for me as I watch him grow and see how people take care of him. I'm sure I'll figure it all out eventually, but it scares me to take care of another life. I'm hoping it's just a mom instinct thing and I'll quickly just "know" how to do it!

On a happy note, it's starting to hit us how little time we have left, so we're on our way with planning and getting things ready. We narrowed it down to 2 beddings sets that were a decent price and ordered them to see how they look in person. I'm so excited to get them next week! I also started working on my registry. I figured I'd do some of it online to save Hubby from having a heart attack and then we'll do the rest in the store.

I've been putting it off, but we also started looking at the name list I made a couple months ago. I know it's going to be a huge argument, so I was really dreading this. It's such a big decision and I didn't want to make it in one day without thinking it through. We narrowed down my list and crossed off the ones Hubby hated. We'll come back to it later when we have some time.

So food...still not really into much of anything except cantaloupe like the last few weeks. Nothing is really doing it for me, but I continue to try to eat and snack as much as I can. If I don't eat every few hours, I start to feel sick and get really tired.

My health is still pretty good. I'm getting a little pain on my lower right side of my stomach which makes it hard to move sometimes. I'm having trouble sleeping on that side and lifting my right leg. I'm sure it's nothing serious and it just comes and goes. Allergies are still an issue so I finally gave in and bought some Claritin for the bad days. About every 2 or 3 days, it gets really bad, I can't breathe, and my eyes are horribly itchy. This season is supposed to be the worst allergy season ever. Lucky me!

Looking forward to our next doctor appointment and ultrasound this week. I want to double-check that it's still a boy!

Expectant Mom Parking

22 weeks and I haven't used it yet. I figured I shouldn't be using it until I'm really showing because people might think I'm just lazy.

Until today.

It's raining and it's freezing. I don't have a warm jacket that fits so I'm walking around shivering in my spring one.

I parked in the spot. It was fabulous! : )

Is this how it's going to be?

I have to pee. BAD.

I go pee.

I get back to my desk.

30 seconds later, I have to pee again.

ARGGH!!

Nursery Updates

This room definitely needs some help before it's ready for a baby. I want it to be bright and modern and right now it's dark and dreary.

This started out as a very simple project. The closet currently has mirrored doors and I thought they looked a little outdated. Plus, I don't think they're very safe for young children. So we decided to go look at some 6-panel doors to replace them.

But if we're buying new 6-panel closet doors, shouldn't they match the bedroom doors? They already need to be painted white, so why not just replace them completely? And if we're going to replace one door, why not do all of them? So this one simple project turned into ordering 18 new doors! Plus, we'll have to paint all of them in our semi-gloss white paint, add new trim around the edges, and buy new door knobs to match the ones we added downstairs. This just became a huge ordeal.
And then we might as well get some new lighting in the baby's room also. This light fixture...I don't even know what it's for, but it's not right for this room. I found a pretty white fan that we'll install to replace it.
So here's the new doors we ordered...
I'm sure it will look amazing when it's done, but I'm stressed about not having that much time to finish!

21 Week Update

Baby's the size of a a banana!
Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch.

Well, 21 weeks was a big week for me because it was also my 29th birthday week! It's been a long, crazy week of stress at work and lots to do, but I tried to enjoy it as much as I could. My birthday was on a Thursday so I took Friday off of work. Hope Baby enjoyed the pre-natal massage and mani/pedi I got! The massage was a little different from a normal massage because you lay on your side and back instead of stomach. It felt great! I could have one every day!

It was also a week of lots of food for celebrations. I've been having trouble with my appetite lately and not really being very hungry. Going out helped because I was able to find things that sounded a little better. Thurs - Panera for lunch & Dairy Queen for dinner (yes, dinner), Fri - Cooper's Hawk for dinner, Sat - Wildfire for dinner, and Sun - Walker Bros for brunch. The eggrolls and potatoes at Cooper's Hawk never tasted so good!

Here's me after my huge meal at Cooper's Hawk. My stomach is a little bigger than normal from the food, so it's not really this big!
I'm very excited about my new spring maternity coat from my parents! I tried on every coat in the house and my fleece is the only one that fits. I'm so glad to have something else to wear that's a little nicer and more trendy. I love it!
I'm starting to feel the baby move around more often now. I'm pretty sure it can't all be gas so those little flutters must be him moving around. He moves a lot when I'm laying in bed resting. Hubby still hasn't really been able to feel it, but I keep trying to get him to hold his hand on my lower stomach and maybe he'll catch it. The more I feel it, the more real it seems. Wow!

Dear Non-Pregnant Person...

Dear Non-Pregnant Person,

I hope you find these guidelines helpful in your interactions with pregnant women, as failing to follow them may result in serious physical harm. If you are thinking, surely she doesn't mean me — then you should probably read this twice.

1. The appropriate response to a couple telling you they are having a baby is 'Congratulations!' with enthusiasm. Any other response makes you a jerk.

2. Through the wonders of science, we now know that babies are made ONLY by the mother and father — not grandparents. Unless the baby is in your uterus or you are the man that helped put it there, you may not ever use the phrase 'my baby'.

3. On the same note, unless you made the baby as defined in 2, the pregnancy, birth, and raising of the child are not about you. You do not have input. No one wants to hear your opinion unless they ask for it…

4. The body of a pregnant woman should be treated the same as any other body. You would not randomly touch someone's stomach if they were not pregnant, nor would you inquire into the condition of their uterus, cervix, or how they plan to use their breasts. Pregnancy does not remove all traces of privacy from a woman.

5. Likewise, no woman wants to hear comments on her weight…ever. A pregnant woman does not find it flattering that you think she is about is pop, must be having twins, looks swollen or has gained weight in her face. Telling her she looks too small only makes her worry that she is somehow starving her baby. Making such comments invite her to critique your physical appearance and you may not act offended. The only acceptable comment on appearance is 'You look fabulous!'.

6. By the time we are 20-30 years old, most of us have picked up on the fact that the summer is hot. We are hot every summer when we are not pregnant. We don't need you to point out that we will be miserably hot before the baby comes. Nor do we need to know how badly you will feel for us because we will be pregnant during the summer and how glad you are that YOU will not be pregnant this coming summer.

7. There is a reason that tickets to Labor & Delivery are not yet sold on Ticketmaster. Childbirth is actually not a public event. It may sound crazy, but some women really do not relish the idea of their mother, MIL, or a host of other family members seeing their bare butt and genitals. Also, some people simply feel like the birth of their child is a private and emotional moment to be shared only by the parents. You weren't invited to be there when the baby was created, you probably won't be invited to be there when it comes out either.

8. Like everything else in life, unless you receive an invitation, you are NOT invited. This includes doctor appointments, ultrasounds, labor, delivery, the hospital, and the parent's home. You do not decide if you will be there for the birth or if you will move in with the new parents to 'help out'. If your assistance is desired, rest assured that you will be asked for it.

9. If you are asked to help after the birth, this means you should clean up the house, help with cooking meals, and generally stay out of the way. Holding the baby more than the parents, interfering with breastfeeding and sleeping schedules, and making a woman who is still leaking fluid from multiple locations lift a finger in housework is not helping.

10. The only people entitled to time with the baby are the parents. Whether they choose to have you at the hospital for the birth or ask for you to wait three weeks to visit, appreciate that you are being given the privilege of seeing their child. Complaining or showing disappointment only encourages the parents to include you less.

Sincerely,

All the Pregnant Women in the World

My 29th Birthday

Turning 29 might have been a little harder, but having the baby is making it much easier. If I was still doing the fertility treatments, I think I would have been kinda depressed and sad. But this birthday is probably one of the happiest I've had in awhile!

When I think back to my 28th birthday last year, it was a very hard time. I was getting very overwhelmed with treatments and stress at work and was breaking down just about every day. That week, I remember having panic attacks and crying for hours with all the built-up stress and emotions. On my actual birthday, Hubby did an amazing job of surprising me and cheering me up with a giant cupcake and my first ever Jewish Easter egg hunt that he designed for me. I cried from happiness and sadness mixed together. It was a beautiful day so I went for a run at the lake and then went over to my parents' house. Of all the days to confess this, I picked my birthday to tell them the news about the fertility treatments and, of course, cried again. They were very supportive and I felt a lot better after sharing the details with them.

That week was when I decided that I had enough. I decided to go back to the psychiatrist for some much-needed meds and I had to make a change in my life. The meds started helping and I found the awesome fertility support group that helped me get through the hard & sad times in the months ahead. So a year later, it's amazing to see the change! I'm happier than I've been in probably 10 years. I've cried one time since December and I think that's a new record for me!

To my banana-sized baby growing inside me: thank you for bringing me more happiness than I can ever remember. My 29th year is going to be wonderful!

20 Week Update

Baby's the size of a cantaloupe!
Baby's digestive system is busy creating meconium (a tarry black substance made of swallowed amniotic fluid, digestive secretion and dead cells), which will fill the first diaper after birth. And, speaking of the diaper situation... baby's genitals are now fully formed!

20 weeks! Halfway there!

Preparations are really starting to happen as we now only have a few months left! Saturday we went to look at baby furniture. It was a little overwhelming with all the choices, but once we narrowed it down to the best quality pieces, there were only 2 left to pick from. We decided to order an extra dresser to use it as a nightstand next to the chair also. I'm waiting to order and hoping the pieces will go on sale soon. The chair is still a mystery though...they're really expensive and the comfy ones are just ridiculously priced, so we'll keep looking.

I had a little time this week to start cleaning out the baby's room and moving things around. I emptied the closet and then we rearranged the shelves and bars to work better for clothes and toys. Thanks to Elfa that was already installed in the house when we moved in!

Still having the usual nausea and tiredness and I even threw up for the first time this weekend. 20 weeks and puking for the first time is a little strange, but my body is a mystery. Overall, I'm still feeling pretty good and trying really hard to keep the stress levels low.

As the preparations and planning continues, it's feeling more and more real. The fact that we'll have another life to be responsible for is freaking me out, but I'm so excited!

"My son."

Today I was commenting on a blog and realized I typed out the words, "My son." Wow, that sounds SO weird! It reminds me of after I got married and had a hard time saying, "My husband."

I can't believe I really have a son! Well, he's still in there, but he's a son...

19 Week Update

Baby's the size of a mango!
Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

I started to get comments this week that I "popped" so here's a look at the bump...

I'm starting to get impatient to feel the baby kicking. I read somewhere that thin girls will feel it more easily, so I'm kinda wondering what Baby T has been up to in there. The other night, I *thought* I felt something, but it was so light that I thought it might be my heart beat. (Sometimes I can feel my heartbeat if I put my hand on my lower stomach.) I poked around to try to wake him up, but nothing...I think he's a sleepyhead like me! So I'm still waiting to be sure!

I found my new addiction...looking at baby clothes! I went for the first time this week and it's just so easy to walk from outfit to outfit and go "Awww!" for every single thing! The little preppy outfits and shirts with cute sayings are my favorite. I couldn't resist buying a few things from Target because they were so cheap. I got a pair of jeans for $2, two long-sleeve onesies with cute sayings, and a matching pair of pants for super cheap. Then we went to Macy's over the weekend and drooled over all the adorable little clothes. SO freaking cute!

At Target this weekend, I went to take a look at the play yard I've been thinking about. The color is perfect with our family room and it got great reviews online. This is the only one I've ever seen that would match, so Hubby suggested we just buy it now in case they run out. That store was out of them so we went home and I started freaking out when they were out online too. I was furiously Googling to find one and then stupidly remembered you can search on the website to see what stores still have one in stock. A sigh of relief! I found a bunch nearby so I ran to buy it on Sunday. And then I remembered Target's horrible return policy so we realized we better make sure it works before it's too late to return. So we had fun and put the whole thing together! I love it! Kitty seemed to think the teddy bear mobile was for him so we'll have to work on that.

I'm up about 9 pounds since the BFP. I'm not too worried about it because the doctor hasn't said a thing. Some people have asked me about it and start freaking me out when they say I'm too small. Really? Do you think that's appropriate to tell someone that's PG? Don't tell me my baby is too small! Healthwise, I've had a cold and the usual migraines are continuing. Morning sickness is still here, but not AS bad as before.

My food cravings have died down a little. I'm not really into anything lately. I still don't want certain foods, but I'm not having things I really want either. Cantaloupe is probably my favorite this week and pineapple is a close second.

I think that's about it for week 19. Looking forward to week 20 and halfway there!