Happy V-Day to Me

In today's modern medical world, a fetus is generally thought to be viable -- that is, it could survive outside the womb, although almost certainly only with great medical assistance -- at 24 weeks.

There's a whole 'nuther side to the viability debate (moral/ethical/religious) I don't want to get into, so let's just say yay for reaching another milestone, and Happy Viability Day to me!

At this point, baby is over a pound and about a foot long. His house (my uterus) is about the size of a soccer ball, and I can feel the fundus (top of the uterus) just above my belly button now. Belly button is still in tact, but I think its innie-ness has gotten just a wee bit more shallow. Mental note: stop at a local piercing shop this weekend to get a PTFE piercing holder, in case the belly button starts stretching.

My linea nigra ("dark line," although mine is still kind of faint at this point) also showed up below my belly button in the last week or so.

Baby boy is moving around regularly now, and Brian feels his kicks and summersaults every evening or so.

Anyone interested in a fixable Dutailier glider?

EDIT (3/31/09): Grandma (great-grandma to baby) claimed the glider first thing this morning.

A little over a week ago we opened the box to our new glider to find that one of the wooden "feet" had split and broken. So I called the company, and they assured me they'd send a new base.

The new parts arrived today, and Brian had everything assembled by the time I got home. It looks wonderful in the nursery, and it's really, REALLY comfy! Finally, all the big pieces are in place!

However, rather than just send a new base, the company sent a whole new glider. So now we have an extra, although slightly damaged Dutailier. These things are supposed to be top-of-the-line chairs (they retail for $400), so obviously we don't want to just put the extra one out at the curb. Brian thinks the base can be fixed with some strong wood glue and maybe a screw or two to strenghten the re-connection.

So, anyone interested in a free, most likely fixable, glider? Here are further product details. Comment, call or e-mail me if you want to pick it up.

Below are some pics of the broken part, the extra glider (in pieces) and the nursery, set up with everything in place!

The piece that will have to be fixed:
The extra glider, in pieces
Entering the nursery



Not yet washed, but you can see the summer onesies Shawn and Molly got for baby boy, hanging in the closet

Yippee!!!!!!!!!!

Confirmation came this morning that my maternity leave plans are approved by all parties!!

In a week we'll start getting a new member of our press office in the groove of things, and she'll have (hopefully) three to four months to get up to speed before I go missing.

Me, fully clothed

What my coworkers and 99 percent of the world see:

ME: If you passed me on the street as a stranger, would you think I was pregnant?

BRIAN: No. (sips coffee, musingly) I would think you had ginormous boobs. But that's just the way my mind goes.

That was our conversation this morning, just before I walked out the door for work. I love that he still surprises me and makes me laugh all the time with his candid humor.

In other news, Brian *thinks* he felt baby boy move when he had his hand on my tummy Monday night, at 22 weeks, 6 days.

Hmmm, I wonder if I can FIND the birds, instead of MAKE them...

How neat is this mobile idea? Yes, there's a mobile that goes with our bedding, but I don't want anyone spending $45 on something that has to come off the crib in a matter of months, anyway.

I could totally find the twigs, figure out how to balance everything and screw in the eye-hooks, but I'm not talented enough to make the birds. Maybe I'll just stay on the lookout for small stuffed animal birds over the next few weeks.

This might look neat hanging from the ceiling.

Quick nursery update

Brian tried to put the glider together last week, only to find that the base was split. Nothing to do with craftsmanship, rather it appears the box got pretty beat up in transit and the base of the chair was split down the one leg. The hardware kit was also missing a screw.

So the company is shipping us another base and hardware set. Hopefully they come soon. The boxes and the pieces of the glider are strewn about the nursery, until then.

But the ottoman is together, and it looks great!

This sounds crazy, but ...

... Watch one of the slide shows here and tell me this isn't one of the coolest things ever.

Probably waaaaay too expensive if it's even available in our area or allowed by Hershey Med, but I'm intrigued by the idea of professional phototgraphy for the birth experience, which I never knew before today was ever done.

The things no one mentions, until it's too late

I've been thinking a lot lately about the little details of pregnancy no one shared with me, until after there was no turning back. Not that they would have changed our minds or plans, necessarily, but it would have been nice to know in advance, so we could evaluate all the pros and cons to this whole child birthing and rearing process.

Now of course I'd heard all about the potential unflattering weight gain, nausea, hormones, stretch marks, constipation, etc.

But what about the following, for example, all of which are apparently quite common and widely recognized, yet NEVER SHARED WITH ME BEFORE I GOT PREGNANT?

1. Foot growth. Hasn't happened to me, yet, but apparently my feet may grow a half-size to a size by the end of all this.

2. Hair loss. Thanks, ladies, for telling me in advance that my hair may likely start falling out in clumps, at just about the time I plan to return to work.

3. Boob shrinkage/deflation. So less than a decade is all I get with the full tatas of which I've grown so fond? Funny how no one shared that they may actually both SHRINK to a smaller size and DEFLATE to a funny shape, after breastfeeding. Note to self: incorporate a boob lift into the long-term financial plan for the future.

4. New hair, in places it shouldn't be. OK, over the past few years I've grown accustomed to and comfortable with plucking a random hair below my belly button every now and then. But come on, the quantity and courseness of the hairs of my happy trail are now grossing me out.

Those few examples, off the top of my head, are to lead into the most recent "normal" pregancy surprise for me:

Last night I snissed myself.

That is, I sneezed really hard, and when I did, I momentarily lost control of my pelvic floor and peed a little. In my pants, down my leg, while emptying the dryer. Yes, I pissed myself while sneezing.

I'll pause for the laughter, while you all get ahold of yourselves.

So how did it not come to my attention in all the years I've known women who are or who have been pregnant that temporary and random incontinence is a common "side effect" of pregnancy? In fact, it's so common, it's regularly joked about on national and regional message boards and there's ink dedicated to it in pregnancy books. But guess what - I didn't read pregnancy books or Web sites until AFTER I became "in a family way."

Thanks, ladies. Thanks for lookin' out.

For what it's worth, you bet your sweet ass I'm increasing the frequency and intensity of my kegel workouts, and I'm never again going to hold it just a few more minutes while I finish something up.

A few updated nursery pics

Of the bulletin board and the "nature" around the tree.

22 Weeks

At this point, baby is 11 inches long and weighs about a pound. That's about all I know, because I haven't read my pregnancy books in a while. Gotta catch up on that this week.

I can say that I'm now definitely feeling the baby move each day, however. It's been happening sporadically for probably two weeks now, but now it's consistent enough that I'm sure it's the little alien moving around in there, rather than digestive processes. Still waiting for baby boy to jump through his hoops when Brian is around or awake to try to feel it. I'm hoping maybe that will happen this week.

Guess what arrived last night ... Our glider!! Still in its original Dutailier packaging, straight from Quebec! I took the ottoman out of the box last night to see what the wood and upholstery looked like, but Brian and I were both too tired to put it together. Maybe Brian will have a chance to put it together before I get home from work, though... Too soon to make a final judgement, but it looks like this amazing deal is legit, so far.

Body Issues

First of all, I really never thought I'd need a bra with three hook-and-eye closures before I was 50, but I was wrong. At least they're still somewhat pretty and feminine, although super-duper elasticized and nearly two inches from top to bottom in the back.

Maybe my father-in-law was right. Maybe I should be on the look out for new shoes. You know, bigger, longer shoes, to expand my base, lower my center of gravity and keep me from tipping over. (Really, early on he did make a comment to Brian about me needing bigger shoes to balance things out; opportunity just hadn't arisen, yet, to share the comments that make me laugh every time I think of them.)

Secondly, I don't know what's going on with my mid-section, but it's confusing. The maternity jeans I've worn one weekend so far seemed really big Friday night, so just for kicks I grabbed one of my old pairs of jeans. And they fit. Without a belly band. Snug, but completely wearable, which was not the case more than a month ago. So I don't know if I was particularly bloated and too quick to give up that weekend, or if this baby is shifting his house around in there, or what. But it's frustrating.

I keep seeing pictures of women who are first-time preggers and not as far along as me, but who are proudly sporting well-pronounced bumps. I mean bumps that look really big and really pregnant. And I'm jealous. I never thought I'd say it because I really do relish the idea of wearing my normal clothes as long as possible, but come on already - is this thing ever going to pop? And pop for real I mean, not come out, then go back into hiding?

I know I shouldn't be concerned because my doctor wasn't at all worried just one short week ago, but last night my somewhat inebriated and unconditionally loving and protective husband told me (and the baby) he's concerned I'm not showing more. He said he wants to call the doctor soon, if nothing is happening in a week or so.

Again, I'm not worried about the baby, because somehow he's making room in there to grow just as he's supposed to, according to the 19 week ulrasound. I'm just a little jealous.

And the completely irrational side of me is starting to worry that maybe some coworkers and acquaintances are beginning to think I'm making this all up. Like I said, it's the nutso part of me talking, but it's there in the back of my head. People are constantly giving me second glances, asking me to pose (you know, smooth the shirt down over the tummy) and telling me how not-pregnant I look. The polite smiles and thanks-I'm-flattered responses are getting old for me.

And now that crazy little no-one-really-believes-you're-knocked-up voice in my head combined with my husband's newly vocalized concerns and/or disappointment have me spun for a tizzy this week. And it's only Monday.

I'm sure once my big baby belly is making my back hurt and joints swell, and preventing me from tying my shoes and maintaining my personal shaving regimen, I'll want to kick myself for dedicating any concern to this, rather than just enjoying my prolongued comfort and mobility.

At least I really, really hope so.

Decoupage

Or, as Brian likes to call the paper-and-glue-craft, bag-o-douche. He'd never heard of it before last week, and he made up his own name for it. If only we're blessed with such a creative son.

Anyway, after seeing these decoupaged name letters, I decided I wanted to try my hand at the craft. But then I realized we may not pick a name until after the baby is born, so I started to think of other options for a different medium. Jess decoupaged a really cool beach/surfer bulletin board for Max's nursery, so I called her Saturday to get the details on the how, what and where of the process.

Two trips to Michaels, one trip to AC Moore, a few coats of paint and a few hours spent cutting, arranging and glueing pieces of paper, and we have what I think is a pretty cool piece of wall art that doubles as a bulletin board. Lots of vibrant colors and patterns, which is good for the look and feel of the room as well as stimulating baby's mind.

Hopefully we'll find time to hang this thing on the wall this week, although busy nights may keep me from taking new photos of the nursery in daylight. I also want to post a new pic of the tree, because I found some blue birds, dragonflies, ducks and turtles that work really well to add a little color to the wall.

From Guest Bedroom to Nursery

Still a little ways to go, but the big stuff is done!

Here was the room, a couple of short weeks ago.


And here it is in its current state.

The crib, where we think it fits best, even though it's not on the "warmest" wall against which we had intended it to be placed. Oh, and yay for great ebay and etsy sellers, who shipped the tree decal and bedding to us lightning fast!


The armoire, with the diaper stacker attached. Although I may decide to stack something other than diapers in that thing.


And the changing table/dresser combo, with a peg shelf above it. The shelf will move to another wall, because it won't be long before baby boy is big/strong/curious enough to start yanking on whatever is hanging from the pegs.


And a close up of the shelf, which I found at AC Moore last week and painted this past weekend. The green rectangle is an empty frame where photos, artwork or maybe baby boy's name will go. The jumper and hat hanging there are what we hope will fit him when he comes home from the hospital.


I'll be on the lookout over the next few months for two more neat ideas for wall decor. I want to put something above the crib, and something above the combo. Maybe big name letters above the crib (like this and this), although Brian isn't an immediate fan of that concept.

Because I have no shame

I woke up this morning dizzy because my sinuses were completely blocked. I felt like my head weighed 25 pounds and was being squeezed from every angle.

After a morning of rest didn't help alleviate the pressure, and knowing conventional over-the-counter cold medicines aren't good for the baby, I decided to explore some other options for relief.

This gem comes highly recommended as a natural alternative for fixing all things sinus. Not pretty, but the mini teapot of saline solution really does work. And it gave Brian great, great entertainment. In fact, I think he ran out and bought this for me, just so he could delight in watching me use it.

The cruel irony of the situaton? The guy behind the camera is the one who gave me this cold in the first place.

The start of our Enchanted Forest

It took about an hour and a half, but we got our tree up! We think it looks impressive on the wall, but now we're not sure how to arrange the nursery furniture to best accentuate the tree and maximize space in the room. Turns out the crib is a little higher than we thought, and the tree is just a smidge shorter than we thought.

I'll try to take some more pics tomorrow, since it was dark by the time we finished and I left my good camera at work.

But for now, here are a few (dark & grainy) pics of the progress.

Today's doctor's appointment

I met Dr. Carie D'Agata this morning, one of the 10 OBGYNs who may deliver this little sucker in July.

Looks like I'm up to a weight gain of about 8 pounds since pre-pregnancy, ultrasound results from a couple of weeks ago look good and baby's heartbeat was 120.

I asked about the variations in heartbeat over the past few appointments (160, 143, 120), and Dr. D'Agata said variatons are good, as they indicate the baby is progressing through different stages of neurologic development. Any heartbeat between 110 and 170 is perfectly normal.

Then the regular litany of questions: Bleeding? No. Swelling? No. Pain or discomfort? No.

And a new one: Have you started to feel the baby move, yet? To which I answered honestly, "I don't know." I have felt some things down there over the past week or so, but the gurgley bubbly feeling could be attributed either to digestion or the baby. Apparently that's normal, and she said just to be aware of movement down there, as I'll probably start to know the difference before my next appointment.

Dr. D'Agata said the Med Center starts measuring the belly with a tape measure around 20 weeks, but at just shy of 21 weeks today she could feel the top of my uterus right at my belly button, so there was no need to measure. Measuring tape will, however, come out next month.

She sent me home with the now standard pee cup and a new, one-time special treat: my ultra-sugary orange drink, which I have to down an hour before my next appointment so they can take some blood to see how my body processes sugar. Some women hate the gestatational diabetes test, some say it's not too bad. I'm just glad I can drink the stuff at home rather than wait around the hospital for an hour.

Minor Frustrations

1. I'm sick (not too bad, but enough to be annoying), and I can't use any conventional medicines to fight this sore throat and head/chest cold.

2. The Motherhood Maternity pants with which I was so impressed initially really let me down. Now that I'm getting closer to fitting into them, I decided to wash them over the weekend so they'd be ready for me to wear. Wouldn't you know the damn things shrunk four inches, even though I washed them (almost exactly) according to instruction. I'm going to try calling customer service tomorrow to see what, if anything, they can do for me. And for what it's worth, the pant shrinkage was the straw that broke the camel's back and initiated my second hormonal meltdown, to date. After a night of poker with the guys, Brian came upstairs at 11 p.m. Saturday to find me still in my bartending uniform, sitting on the floor in the nursery, having yet to eat dinner, staring at all the furniture boxes and packing styrofoam, and sporting a Gene Simmons look, with mascara and eyeliner running down my face via tears onto my tux shirt. I managed the Alfred Angelo experience earlier in the day, the low blood sugar and the overwhelming amount of work to do in the nursery alright, until I found that my pants had shrunken so much they became unwearable. Then I couldn't control the sobs, although my rational mind really, really wanted me to get a grip.

3. Speaking of Alfred Angelo, they're ordering me a new dress. No, the non-maternity dress they sold me and assured me would work in June with free alterations did not cut it. It fit almost perfectly now (OK, the boob area was a *bit* snug; helloooo new VS bras, now you're coming in handy), and although it was a beautiful dress, it simply did not have the "give" or extra room to accommodate an eight-month pregnant woman. The girl helping us calmed me by informing me they switch dresses out for pregnant women all the time. She looked up the notes from the file and told me that they'll make the call when I come in for alterations: if the seamstress couldn't alter the dress to make it work, then they'd order me a new one. Then I clarified for this young woman ("Merry" was her name, believe it or not) that I would not seek alterations or a fitting until about two weeks before the wedding, as I will likely be gaining a pound or more a week at that point. Yeah, she didn't think that far ahead, and I was right in assuming two weeks was not enough time to get a new dress. A different young sales clerk gave us all a laugh a bit later, when she said "well, if this is all the bigger you are at five months, maybe you just won't get big, and this dress will fit perfectly for the June wedding." Really, that's what she said. My dear mother-in-law quickly assured the early-20-something sales person that no, she was sure I would get big, and this dress simply wouldn't do. Now I don't at all mean to sound discriminatory against young adults, as I'm sure my comments here and about the staff at Bar Bleu may make me seem. No, I'm not judgemental toward young people; I'm judgemental toward effing idiots (who jut happen to be young) who are supposed to know what they're doing better than you, the paying customer. So Alfred Angelo is sending the old dress back, and they ordered me the maternity dress, big-belly-darts and all. Oh, and for the cherry on top of the situation, the new store manager (the manager who promised me free alterations to make the dress work has since departed or been fired - all that was clear was that she's gone) had NO IDEA what maternity darts were or that the store offered a maternity dress. Gotta love it.

Nursery Theme

We've decided. The nursery theme is "enchanted forest." Perfect for a couple of rural Pennsylvanians who enjoy hiking, biking, boating and nature. Just ordered the bedding set yesterday, and I'm hoping the tree comes in this week. No, we're not using any of the goofy wall decals from the picture.

All the nursery furniture is now in place and ready for dressing and filling.

The Name Game

We're making progress, although the original plan has been modified. Neither of us was a big fan of five names on the other's list, so we decided last night to pick just our top three. And then, since each of our favorite names didn't make the other's top three, we decided to add them back into the mix for consideration. So in total, we're looking at eight possible names. We are literally going to post them on the fridge and keep thinking about them over the next few weeks, maybe months.

The good news: neither of us outright hates any of the names on the list of eight.

Yes, there was one name that we both picked for our original lists (Barrett), but that name isn't a front-runner for either of us. And the most ironic part of this process is that each of our favorite names is actually the same name: Brian's is the traditional English version (Nicholas), and mine is the traditional Scottish version (Caelan). Unfortunately, they're too far apart to use one as a formal first name and the other as a nickname.

Further, a couple of disclaimers on the final list. There are a couple of names on there we both really, really like, but that unfortunately just may not work. Caleb is a favorite of both of ours, but we're concerned the "b" at the end of the first name and the "b" at the beginning of the last name may be too cumbersome to pronounce. And as for Colin, it's another top pick for both of us, but we recently found out it's also a favorite of my brother and sister-in-law, should they have a son down the road. So it's possible names may come off or go on this list of eight, but I think we have narrowed it down pretty well so far.

Personally, I'd like to narrow the list of eight down to two or three by July, so we have some options when we first meet the little guy. It sounds funny, but I have heard from a couple of moms who, after spending the first few hours with their newborns, absolutely knew what names were perfect and what names just wouldn't do.

So here are the lists, as refined last night (click the chart to enlarge):

Random News of Note

1. Pregnancy Portraits: I know how impressive our snapshots every two weeks are, but for something a little more sophisticated, I scheduled a session for Sunday, June 7 with Scott Church. I'll be between 33 and 34 weeks then, which I understand is a perfect time for pictures. I'll be big, round and glowing, but not yet swollen, uncomfortable and desperate to avoid a camera. Sooo excited, and I hope we'll be able to make some images as pretty as this, this and this (warning: there's a tastefully exposed boob in the last one).

P.S., I'm confident a session with baby will follow shortly after his birth, to get gorgeous shots like this, this and this.

2. Yay for GREAT deals! Yesterday I ordered this glider/ottoman combo for HUNDREDS less than MSRP. I thought the deal was too good to be true until a few girls assured me the company from which I ordered was reputable and legit. Not sure how they can offer this Dutailier -- kind of the Mercedes Benz of gliders -- for 40 plus percent off the standard price, but I'll take it. It should arrive within the month.

3. New Pregnancy symtoms. One normal, one I've never heard of happening to anyone else. The normal one is round ligament pain, or sharp stabbing pains and aching cramps around my lower abdomen. The round ligaments surrounding my uterus are stretching and thickening to accommodate and support the growing womb. Not too, too painful, but they let you know they're there. The one that is perhaps not-so-normal is the sudden presence of pimples in my hairline. Just as my backne disappears completely, I start feeling new little bumps every time I wash my hair. Oh well, at least I'm not breaking out where people can see it.

4. A fall. This morning I took a tumble that scared me and reminded me that I have to be more aware of my movements at all times. I got out of bed, threw on my sweats and headed downstairs to release Hercules for breakfast. (yes, we lock the little bastard up at night, so he doesn't wake us and destroy things by knocking every single item on a surface above the floor, off onto the floor) As soon as my bare foot hit the first carpeted step down into the lower level, I slipped and bounced down the staircase on my butt. I didn't hurt anything other than my ass and my shoulder breaking my fall, but the fall shocked me enough to make me sprout tears. Oh, and it TERRIFIED Hercules, who I found cowering in the corner when I opened the door to his lair. My balance still seems to be in tact otherwise, so I think this may have been a random fluke where I was moving too fast and not paying attention. I promise to be more careful in the future.

Halfway -- Woohoo!

20 weeks.

It's amazing how fast the first half of a pregnancy can go when you don't know you're pregnant until two months in!

How cool is this?

So I stumbled upon this picture last week (This is the nursery us+1 from The Bump is planning for baby lullabelle), and I fell in love with the concept. Since most of the bedding sets and themes we're considering are nature-related in some way, I think we're going to build our nursery around a tree!

Just ordered this decal online, and I can't wait to get it, get the furniture and set it all in the room! The tree is 78 inches tall, so it will reach almost all the way to the ceiling. And since it's a little off-center, I want to have the tree kind of hanging over the crib on the one big solid wall in the nursery.

LOVE this.

A weekend full of baby

Diaper consultation, creating the baby registry and clearing the furniture out of the nursery all went smoothly. Exhausting, but smooth.

Only major news from the weekend's activities is a lesson I was none-too-pleased to learn: baby clothes are really, really, outrageously expensive. Granted, I'm cheap, but there's no way I can justify spending $35 to $40 per outfit, especially when each outfit may fit the kid for three months. The little man clothes are undeniably cute, but if I won't pay more than $20 for a pair of jeans for myself (which I will wear year after year), there's no way in hell I'm going to spend $25 on a polo shirt and cargo shorts that might be worn four times.

My mom was generous and splurged on an outfit we hope to use as a homecoming jumper(it's really, really adorable, and the blue Nike booties Lauren and Jeff got us coordinate with it perfectly), but I don't envision many similar splurges in the future.

Special thanks to Lynn and Jess, who pointed out the baby clothes outlets in Hershey, where cute clothes can be found for MUCH cheaper.

And after all, this baby is going to be born in the dead of summer, right? Am I a horrible mother for thinking a 99-cent onesie and a blanket will suffice in the summer heat? Sure he'll need a cute outfit every now and then, but simple basics aren't beneath me for the everyday.

In other news, this week we hope to have my brother over to wire an overhead light/ceiling fan in the nursery, then steam clean the carpets before we pick up the furniture this coming weekend.