The Adventures of the Baby Bump

A Norweigian Christmas Tradition

2011-12-26T13:06:00.000-08:00

Baby,

I can't wait to introduce you to the wonderful world of lefse. This is something Papeer, your great great grandpa taught your Auntie and I when we were just little kids and it is something that we have been doing ever since. When we were little, we would just stand by and watch intently as Papeer used his hands to create this magical food. As soon as we could reach the counter, he put us to work teaching us this wonderful tradition. At first it was just flipping the lefse on the griddle, but as we got older, he taught us more and more. In his last year, he finally taught me all the steps needed to make the lefse, which included the mixing and rolling. Since he died, your Auntie and I have carried on the tradition. One that one day you will carry on as well.

I was really hoping that you would have been here already to experience lefse and Christmas with us, but you just aren't ready to make your debut yet. That's okay...next year you will get to experience it all and every year as you grow you will learn more and more about our traditions.

I can't wait to teach them to you.

Love Always,
Your Mama

Shrinking, shrinking list

2011-12-26T12:34:00.000-08:00

The list is getting smaller and smaller, but I guess if you are still in the running, your chances are looking better and better!

Name	Date	Sex	Weight
~~Mark~~	~~12.13~~	F	~~9.0~~
~~Mike~~	~~12.16~~	M	~~10.0~~
~~Shasta~~	~~12.16~~	F	~~9.3~~
~~J.D.~~	~~12.18~~	M	~~8.12~~
~~Justin~~	~~12.19~~	F	~~9.8~~
~~Jim~~	~~12.19~~	M	~~9.4~~
~~Stephanie~~	~~12.20~~		~~9.6~~
~~Maria~~	~~12.21~~	M	~~7.10~~
~~Erik~~	~~12.21~~	?	~~7.8~~
~~Cathy~~	~~12.21~~	M	~~8.9~~
~~Christin~~	~~12.22~~	M	~~8.4~~
~~J.D.~~	~~12.22~~	M	~~8.3~~
~~Greg~~	~~12.22~~	F	~~7.9~~
~~Phithly~~	~~12.23~~	F	~~7.6~~
~~Charlene~~	~~12.23~~	M	~~8.2~~
~~Charlene~~	~~12.23~~	F	~~8.2~~
~~Jill~~	~~12.24~~	F	~~8.5~~
~~Melissa~~	~~12.24~~		~~9.1~~
~~Adam~~	~~12.25~~	F	~~8.2~~
~~Domingo~~	~~12.25~~	M	~~7.8~~
Domingo	12.26	M	7.7
Bobbi	12.26	F	8.6
Marlene	12.26	M	9.2
Domingo	12.27	M	7.5
Domingo	12.28	M	7.3
Domingo	12.28	M	7.2
Tony	12.29	M	8.9
Michelle	12.30	F	8.5

Shrinking Poll

2011-12-23T12:30:00.000-08:00

The list is getting smaller and smaller....

Name	Date	Sex	Weight
~~Mark~~	~~12.13~~	F	~~9.0~~
~~Mike~~	~~12.16~~	M	~~10.0~~
~~Shasta~~	~~12.16~~	F	~~9.3~~
~~J.D.~~	~~12.18~~	M	~~8.12~~
~~Justin~~	~~12.19~~	F	~~9.8~~
~~Jim~~	~~12.19~~	M	~~9.4~~
~~Stephanie~~	~~12.20~~		~~9.6~~
~~Maria~~	~~12.21~~	M	~~7.10~~
~~Erik~~	~~12.21~~	?	~~7.8~~
~~Cathy~~	~~12.21~~	M	~~8.9~~
~~Christin~~	~~12.22~~	M	~~8.4~~
~~J.D.~~	~~12.22~~	M	~~8.3~~
~~Greg~~	~~12.22~~	F	~~7.9~~
Phithly	12.23	F	7.6
Charlene	12.23	M	8.2
Charlene	12.23	F	8.2
Jill	12.24	F	8.5
Melissa	12.24		9.1
Adam	12.25	F	8.2
Domingo	12.25	M	7.8
Domingo	12.26	M	7.7
Bobbi	12.26	F	8.6
Marlene	12.26	M	9.2
Domingo	12.27	M	7.5
Domingo	12.28	M	7.3
Domingo	12.28	M	7.2
Tony	12.29	M	8.9
Michelle	12.30	F	8.5

40 weeks and 2 days doctor's appointment

2011-12-22T13:03:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I had yet another appointment. You know how I am always talking about how fast I am seen and I never have enough time to people watch in the waiting room...well this week, I got my wish. I had to wait 35 minutes before being called back, but just my luck there was no one very people watching worthy. There was a mom there with her four kids who was trying to sleep (I never see people with four plus kids looking happy) and then two other active duty people, but they were called back quickly. Thankfully I brought a book with me, so I happily read some Stephanie Plum while waiting for my turn.

Just before I was called back the carolers came by. It was super sweet to see them and cheered my heart. They were a little off key, but it was the fact that they were all coming together to sing that mattered the most.

Once I was called back, I got weighed (lost two pounds) and then was led back to a room to get my vitals taken. The doctor was super behind so a room wasn't even ready for me yet. I got my vitals taken (I had a temperature of 99.4, so I'm suppose to watch that - I've got a head cold right now) and then got to sit in the room for another half an hour before a room opened up for me.

By the time I finally got to see the doctor I had been waiting for an hour. She asked the usual questions, measured the fundal height (41, which is still a bit large) and listened to the baby's heartbeat. The baby's head is still down and everything is going good. She offered to strip my membranes, which means she would use her finger to loosen the bag of fluids away from the cervix. I declined as I strenuously believe that this is interfering with God's plan. God already knows when he wants my baby to come and I don't see any need or more importantly any right that I have to interfere with this. The baby will come when the baby will come, so it makes no sense to me to waste my energy or time trying to change that.

The doctor made an appointment for me for next Tuesday to have fetal monitoring done if I still haven't delivered. They will induce by the end of week 41, which I'm not too happy about. That is super interference.

My doctor and the back-up doctor both go on leave on the 25th (obviously they didn't plan that too well), so I'm hoping the baby will come before then. My gut has been telling me the 23rd to 25th this entire pregnancy, so hopefully Mama's intuition is right. I really don't want to have to deal with some unknown doctor, but baby will come when it wants too and I'm honestly fine with that. I wouldn't want it any other way.

And the list gets shorter and shorter...

2011-12-22T12:42:00.000-08:00

Name	Date	Sex	Weight
~~Mark~~	~~12.13~~	F	~~9.0~~
~~Mike~~	~~12.16~~	M	~~10.0~~
~~Shasta~~	~~12.16~~	F	~~9.3~~
~~J.D.~~	~~12.18~~	M	~~8.12~~
~~Justin~~	~~12.19~~	F	~~9.8~~
~~Jim~~	~~12.19~~	M	~~9.4~~
~~Stephanie~~	~~12.20~~		~~9.6~~
~~Maria~~	~~12.21~~	M	~~7.10~~
~~Erik~~	~~12.21~~	?	~~7.8~~
~~Cathy~~	~~12.21~~	M	~~8.9~~
Christin	12.22	M	8.4
J.D.	12.22	M	8.3
Greg	12.22	F	7.9
Phithly	12.23	F	7.6
Charlene	12.23	M	8.2
Charlene	12.23	F	8.2
Jill	12.24	F	8.5
Melissa	12.24		9.1
Adam	12.25	F	8.2
Domingo	12.25	M	7.8
Domingo	12.26	M	7.7
Bobbi	12.26	F	8.6
Marlene	12.26	M	9.2
Domingo	12.27	M	7.5
Domingo	12.28	M	7.3
Domingo	12.28	M	7.2
Tony	12.29	M	8.9
Michelle	12.30	F	8.5

The Good, the Bad and the Downright Ugly

2011-12-20T17:28:00.000-08:00

We all know that pregnancy is quite a beautiful thing. I mean I have a little human being growing inside of me right now and how can that not be beautiful? Soon this little baby that up till now I've been the only one to really know will enter this world. That in itself is a miracle.

However, in reality pregnancy just isn't as beautiful as it sounds. It's really not and I would be lying if I said otherwise. Yes, it is a necessary evil in order to get my baby and one that I think I have been more than willing to endure, but it just ain't pretty.

First there is the nauseous that has plagued me for all 10 months. That's right...10 months of feeling like I'm going to throw up, which 7 times out of 10 actually does find me visiting the proclein throne. Not a very attractive feeling.

Then there are the horrific leg cramps that overtake me at night, as well as the most awful heartburn. I've tried everything, from changing my diet, to eating little meals, but nothing prevents the heartburn from appearing in the midst of my sleep. Instead, I now wake up on a nightly basis to this burning sensation and nasty taste in my mouth. I pop two Tums and drink a glassful of water only to repeat the process in another two or three hours. I don't know how people are able to live with heartburn - it's just plain hell.

If the leg cramps or heartburn don't get me up, then having to pee does. I can easily pee 6 or 7 times a night, which is quite irritating especially in the cold winter. Thankfully I have the route to the bathroom memorized from a semi sleep state and can manage to get there with only barely waking up.

According to Mark I am now a lumberjack who cuts down several dozen trees a night with my loud snoring. Not exactly something that makes me feel gorgeous. I've also begun drooling while I sleep, which is yucky to say the least. I feel so bad for my husband. It's like he is sleeping with a ogre or something. I look pretty normal when I go to bed, but by the time I wake up, I've been a snoring, drooling, peeing, heartburn feeling creature with bad breath. No wonder he no longer kisses me on the mouth when he gets home from work (its now on my forehead). I wouldn't want to kiss him either.

And that is only the night time part. I'm not even going to go into the expanding waist line, the stretch marks, the increased ear wax production and the stuffy nose that just won't leave. Plus the swelling of my hands and feet. I swear they are like three times their original size. I can't even wear my wedding ring anymore, which is really upsetting for me. But, I'll stop there. I don't want to scare you all off. I mean I do hope to still have friends once I morph back into a human again.

Another One Bites the Dust

2011-12-20T17:05:00.000-08:00

So far Baby hasn't come yet, but I'm not really surprised by that. I always knew Baby wouldn't come till after the Due Date. I was 28 days late myself, so I wouldn't expect any child of mine to enter the world early. Sorry for all of you that are out of the running.

Name	Date	Sex	Weight
~~Mark~~	~~12.13~~	F	~~9.0~~
~~Mike~~	~~12.16~~	M	~~10.0~~
~~Shasta~~	~~12.16~~	F	~~9.3~~
~~J.D.~~	~~12.18~~	M	~~8.12~~
~~Justin~~	~~12.19~~	F	~~9.8~~
~~Jim~~	~~12.19~~	M	~~9.4~~
Stephanie	12.20		9.6
Maria	12.21	M	7.10
Erik	12.21	?	7.8
Cathy	12.21	M	8.9
Christin	12.22	M	8.4
J.D.	12.22	M	8.3
Greg	12.22	F	7.9
Phithly	12.23	F	7.6
Charlene	12.23	M	8.2
Charlene	12.23	F	8.2
Jill	12.24	F	8.5
Melissa	12.24		9.1
Adam	12.25	F	8.2
Domingo	12.25	M	7.8
Domingo	12.26	M	7.7
Bobbi	12.26	F	8.6
Marlene	12.26	M	9.2
Domingo	12.27	M	7.5
Domingo	12.28	M	7.3
Domingo	12.28	M	7.2
Tony	12.29	M	8.9
Michelle	12.30	F	8.5

Saying Good-Bye

2011-12-16T16:33:00.000-08:00

I hate saying good-bye. I really, really, really do.

I had to say good-bye today. Good-bye to some marvelous co-workers whom I've worked with for over three years now, good-bye to families I've known for anywhere from a year to three years, good-bye to a classroom of 2 and 3 year olds who have completely won over my heart and good-bye to a job that I thoroughly loved.

I am beyond thrilled to soon be embarking on a whole new career, but still a part of me is very sad about leaving behind such a big part of who I am. I have devoted my life thus far to teaching children, other people's children, and it makes me very sad to know that that is no longer going to be a huge part of who I am. I will now have my own child to teach and although that fills with me with great joy, I'm still sad for the loss of who I have been for so very long.

So, today I said good-bye to much more than the people and children I have grown to love. I said good-bye to a part of my identity that I have cherished, good-bye to a profession that I love and support more than any other and good-bye to my life as a working woman. I don't know what the future will hold - I don't know if I will be a stay at home mama forever, a few months or a year or two. But, I do know that for at least the next six months my job will take place at home and although that makes me so very happy, I can't help but be a little sad at the same time.

39 Weeks and 4 days Doctor Appointment

2011-12-16T16:14:00.000-08:00

Another day, another appointment. Mark was a trooper and got up to go with me even though he has to work tonight. I left work an hour early and swung by the house to pick him up before we headed over to DGMC.

I checked in and was called back rather quickly for the back-up doctor (remember he is the one who is usually running behind schedule). I was kind of irritated over this because it didn't give me a chance to people watch, although I know Mark was thankful because he wanted to get back home to sleep some more before going to work.

I was weighed in, and had my blood pressure and temperature taken by the tech. She left and the doctor came in five minutes later. He reviewed my chart (everything is fine and going as it should be) before checking my fundal height (its at 40 weeks) and listening to the baby's heartbeat (strong as always). He then left so I could undress for him to check my cervix.

He came back in and proceeded to check my cervix, which is the first time it has been checked for dilation, etc. It was quite uncomfortable, which surprised me as I wasn't quite expecting that. I'm not dilatated at all (but I really didn't think that I was), although my cervix has begun to soften. I knew that the baby wasn't going to come before my due date (take that all you nay sayers!!!). The doctor asked if I wanted to have my membranes stripped, but that just doesn't seem right to me. I'm not God and only he should decide when the baby comes, thus I don't want to do anything that might speed up or slow down the process.

We left the appointment and made it home an hour after we had left. Not too bad for an appointment. I have another doctor's appointment next Wednesday if the baby doesn't come before then.

A Little Wager Never Hurt Anyone

2011-12-16T15:49:00.000-08:00

At our Christmas Party on Saturday a little poll was created. A $1 buy in to guess the date, weight and sex of the baby. I wonder who the big winner is going to be.... (as you can see Daddy has already been knocked out cold). Anyone else wish to place a bet?

Name	Date	Sex	Weight
~~Mark~~	~~12.13~~	F	~~9.0~~
Mike	12.16	M	10.0
Shasta	12.16	F	9.3
J.D.	12.18	M	8.12
Justin	12.19	F	9.8
Jim	12.19	M	9.4
Stephanie	12.20		9.6
Maria	12.21	M	7.10
Erik	12.21	?	7.8
Cathy	12.21	M	8.9
Christin	12.22	M	8.4
J.D.	12.22	M	8.3
Greg	12.22	F	7.9
Phithly	12.23	F	7.6
Charlene	12.23	M	8.2
Charlene	12.23	F	8.2
Jill	12.24	F	8.5
Melissa	12.24		9.1
Adam	12.25	F	8.2
Domingo	12.25	M	7.8
Domingo	12.26	M	7.7
Bobbi	12.26	F	8.6
Marlene	12.26	M	9.2
Domingo	12.27	M	7.5
Domingo	12.28	M	7.3
Domingo	12.28	M	7.2
Tony	12.29	M	8.9
Michelle	12.30	F	8.5

I promise...

2011-12-15T14:30:00.000-08:00

Dear Baby,

I promise to be the best mama that I can possibly be. I know that I will make mistakes and fumble along the way, but I promise to always try my best.

I promise to let you fall and to not always catch you. I promise to let you learn how to do things yourself, but to always be there to help pull you back up.

I promise to spoil you with love, time and attention, but never with gifts or money. I want you to learn the value of love over the manipulation of money.

I promise to make you do house chores and not pay you to do them. I want you learn that being apart of a family and taking care of our home is something that you have to do because you are apart of the family, not something you do to earn an allowance.

I promise to teach you everything I know.

I promise to let you do things for yourself and won't fly in and try to do them for you. I want you to be independent and confident in your actions and decisions.

I promise to listen more than I talk.

I promise to always follow my heart while raising you instead of what others tell me I should be doing. I may not always be the most conventional mama, but know that my heart is always the guiding force behind my actions and my reasoning.

I promise to encourage your love of nature in any and every way that I possibly can. I want nothing more than you to love being outside as much as your daddy and I do.

I promise to keep my relationship with your Daddy strong. We will undoubtedly love you more than anything else in the world, but your Daddy and I will never let our love for you stop our love for each other.

I promise to make sure that school and education is a priority for you. I want you to learn to the best of your ability and I won't accept anything less.

I promise to take an interest in the things that you love, learning about them and supporting you as you do them.

I promise to be honest with you.

Above all else I promise to love you, through your faults, your quirks, your emotions and your life. I promise to tell you how much I love you everyday. I promise to make my actions reflect how much I love you.

I promise to always be your Mama.

A Man with a Heart as Big as Santa

2011-12-14T19:12:00.000-08:00

Dear Baby,

You have no idea what a wonderful Daddy you have. He is one of the kindest, realest, most genuine people I have ever met. I only wanted the best for you and trust me...he will be the most amazing Daddy ever. He is a little nervous about it and sometimes doubts his abilities, but I know that he will be perfect.

Of course I won't show this picture, nor the video, to you until much, much later, but here is a man who dresses up as Santa every year at our Christmas Party just to bring a few smiles to some kids and adult faces. He will do anything to make people smile and I know you won't be an exception to that rule.

I can't wait for you to come meet him because I know you will forever change his life in the most amazing way possible and I know he will do the same for you.

I love you little one,

Mama

38 Week Appointment - December 6, 2011

2011-12-14T17:55:00.000-08:00

Doctor's office once again.

Again I went solo.

Again I went through the same routine of getting weighed, getting my blood pressure taken, temperature taken, and asked the same 3 standard questions.

Again I got to hear the baby's heartbeat (it never ceases to amaze me).

The fundal height was measured again and again it was measuring larger than it should.

Again the baby's position was checked and it's still head down, although curved sideways, hugging the outskirts of my stomach.

The only new thing that occurred was I have now gained 15 pounds in the last three weeks. 15 pounds ?!? I have gained back everything that I had lost. I'm not quite sure how that has happened since my eating habits haven't really changed and I'm still sick quite often. I am swelling quite a lot though. My wedding ring no longer fits and my feet look like huge coconuts, but the doctor thinks it is just excess water weight (since my blood pressure is fine preeclampsia has been ruled out). So somehow after doing nothing but losing weight for the last nine months, I'm now gaining it all back in the last month. Urrrgghhhh. Just my luck.

I left the appointment and went to make my next two appointments with the appointment lady. Thankfully she was in her office since its a pain in the rear to connect with her over the phone. So, I now have appointments for weeks 39 and 40.

Childbirth Class - December 2, 2011

2011-12-14T16:06:00.000-08:00

Today was going to be a long day spent at DGMC. Two different childbirth classes are offered: one is over three Wednesday nights and the other takes place all day on a Friday. I really wanted the Wednesday night class as I felt more information would be covered over three classes as opposed to just one full day. However, the Wednesday night classes were full and with Mark's work schedule, which rotates every week, the Friday class would be a better bet. Thus, we found ourselves making our way to David Grant at 9am.

We found the conference room and found two seats next to each other at the front of the room (only place left). They had a whole bunch of brochures out for us to take so I took a few that spoke to me. I flipped through them while Mark laid his head against the wall and tried to get a few extra zzzz.

The class soon started with us going around the room and introducing ourselves, saying our due date and what we were having. I was due the earliest. Only one other woman was due in December, after that the closest due date was February. I guess we were taking this class a wee bit late :/ I was stoked to find out that three other couples didn't know the sex of their baby either. I LOVED that because I often feel as though we are completely alone in our decision to be surprised. I know without a shadow of a doubt that we made the right decision, but when you are constantly bombarded with the opposite mind frame it can be quite hard to stand firm in your convictions. It was nice to be surrounded by a few other people who chose the surprise.

The two women running the class went on to show us a video on a live birth and all the coping mechanisms the couple did during labor. The video was alright, pretty standard. I guess as a human development major I've seen more birth videos than the average joe. I wasn't stunned by anything in it, but from Mark's expression it was something he wasn't exactly expecting. When they showed the placenta coming out, he threw his head down on the table and began making some moaning sounds. If the fact that I would soon have to push that out wasn't so real, I would have laughed at him.

After the videos we talked about the different stages of labor, what defined them, what to do during them, etc. All stuff I knew, but all stuff that was new to Mark. When he heard how long labor could take (up to 24 hours), he leaned over with this look of absolute shock on his face and asked, "Are you serious?" After talking for a bit, we got into two groups and they showed us how to enter the building after hours and where to go to get to labor and delivery.

We took a tour of the labor and delivery room and then the mother/baby ward. This was the most interesting part of the day for me as I really wanted to see where my baby would be born at. I was very happy to find out that they had showers in the laboring room. Although I really wanted a bathtub, I was happy that I would at least have some access to water. I wasn't too thrilled with the idea of having to move to another room after delivery, but it is what it is. At least it is one couple per room, which is nice to know. They have fridges for us to put food in, which Mark was really curious about since he has to have his cold Diet Pepsi. They also put a tag on the baby, which will go off if the baby is taken past all of these yellow lines on the floor. Mark is now insistent that he is going to try this out and see if the alarm really does go off if he crosses the line. I'm trying my hardest to deter him from this as all I need is my husband being tackled and arrested for attempted kidnapping.

When we were done with the tour, we broke for an hour lunch. Mark rushed us out of the hospital and drove like a mad man to Burger King for lunch. He rushed us through eating all so we could get at least 25 minutes in at the thrift store on base. It was 5 onesies for a $1 though, so I'm kinda glad for his rushing.

When we got back to the hospital, we watched another video on C-sections and pain medicines. I think Mark almost fainted when they showed the C-section. I almost fainted when they showed the epidural. One of my biggest fears in life is having something poked in my spine. I hope beyond hope that I will be able to get through labor drug free. We then watched a video on infant care and practiced swaddling a baby doll. I didn't learn anything new, but I think it was a good exposure for Mark. We then concluded the class.

After class, we went to admissions to pre-register. Mark now has a plan in his mind that my mom is going to be his wingman because the class made him realize that he doesn't think he can do this on his own. He needs someone to be there to get him a fresh Big Gulp or something to eat, so he asked the admissions person about how my Mom would be able to get on base if the visitor's center was closed. This led to a 15 minute exploration as one person asked another and then another and then another. Finally, the answer came back to call labor and delivery and have them call the front gate to notify them that we were coming. Only my husband can ask a question that leads to so much uncertainty.

I was super disappointed that we didn't do any breathing practice or natural pain management techniques. I'm planning on having a natural childbirth, so I really want to know about these things. When they weren't covered, I got a little panicky. Will I be able to do this without meds? Will I know how to breathe right? Will Mark know how to help me? Worries flooded my mind like crazy and I cried the whole way home. Mark was very reassuring and kept telling me that it would all be okay, that we would get through it and I was stronger than I thought I was. It was good to hear him being so supportive because that is what I really needed.

37 Week Appointment

2011-12-14T15:06:00.000-08:00

Hi ho, hi ho, its back to the doctor's I go.

I can't seem to get away from this place. Mark wasn't able to go with me as he was working and I had to see my backup doctor since my primary doctor didn't have any openings.

I arrived at DGMC, checked in and then sat in the waiting room people watching until the tech called me back. I'm always amazed at the variety of people at the doctor's office and find it some of the primest ground for good people watching. Thankfully the back-up doctor is always running later than my primary doctor so I had a good fifteen minutes of entertainment before being called back. Some people might find this an irritant, but I kind of enjoy just sitting in the waiting room. It sure beats sitting in the doctor's office and getting poked and prodded.

I didn't really like the tech this time around. She was one of those whiny complainy people who want to tell you all the reasons why they don't like their job. Not really something I want to hear when your job is looking me over. She complained as she took my blood pressure, moaned while she took my temperature and gossiped while she asked me the standard 3 questions. I was suppose to get my GBS test done today as had been discussed at my last appointment, but she wanted to get the doctor to postpone it a week more as she didn't want to have "to go through the trouble of going to the lab." I was very thankful when she finally left the room.

The doctor came in and asked me some questions about how I was doing, etc. I had gained 8 pounds in two weeks. I almost choked when I heard that. I mean I did eat really well while camping the week before, but 8 pounds worth?!? Holy freakin' moly. I am still under my pre-pregnancy weight, but dang.

The doctor went on to say that we would be doing the GBS screen today and that he wanted to do an ultrasound to check the position of the baby. He went and got the portable ultrasound machine, gelled me up (kinda messily I might add) and proceeded to locate the baby. I gasped when I saw the baby. I still can't believe that a baby is growing inside me and seeing the photo made it real. I got teary eyed as he moved the wand over my tummy showing me more of the baby's head. The baby's head was down (YEAH!!). He then went on to do some measurements to check the space between the baby and the placenta. He was a little concerned about this since the biggest gap was only 2 centimeters, but from how I understand it, this is a good thing. As the baby runs out of space, labor is caused. He told me to have my primary doctor look at it next week.

The doctor then left to have me undress from the waist down to do the GBS test. When I found out that I had to do the GBS test at my last appointment, I researched it like I do everything else. I have to say that Goggle is one of my best friends. I knew that I would be swabbed inside the vagina and then my rectum swabbed as well, but the Internet was very unclear if that meant the outside or the inside. Turns out it means the inside. I wasn't entirely looking forward to this and just wanted to get it over with. I undressed and sat down on the table underneath a drape to wait for the doctor to come back. Well, Miss Unhappy Nurse came back in to make sure everything was ready for the exam. She had left out the swab earlier, but got super upset because she thought the doctor had changed the swab for another one (the doctor never touched it). She stormed out of the room and confronted the doctor right outside the door in the hallway. I could hear her laying into him because he changed the swab, which he hadn't. It was totally a scene straight out of a tv show. I seriously wanted to get up and press my ear to the door in order to hear more!

After a bit more yelling, they both came back into the room. They quickly did the test (which although was unpleasant, wasn't painful) and then the tech stormed out of the room. The doctor told me I could get dressed and reminded me to make an appointment for next week (thankfully I already had as I was ready to leave).

I really wish Mark had made it to this appointment as he didn't believe me over all the craziness that went on.

The Beach for Thanksgiving

2011-12-13T18:33:00.000-08:00

Pismo is one of the most wonderfulest places in the world. I love going there and sitting out on the beach, watching the waves roll in and the lifted Chevy's roll by. You can hear the quads in the background as they tear through the dunes, competing with the seagulls squawking on the beach. It is pleasantly warm in November and the sunsets can make you cry with their beauty. This is where we love to spend our Thanksgivings.

This year it was up for debate on whether or not we would be able to make it since I would 36 weeks pregnant. However, Mark ensured our trip by getting us a toyhauler. This is something that we had been saving up for the last three years, so it wasn't by any means a quick or unthoughout purchase. Since my ready access to the bathroom was now guarenteed, we were off for five days of bliss.

I have to admit this trip was a bit hard for me. I feel so selfish for even saying so since I have been blessed with the greatest gift of all, but having to stay at camp 24-7, watching everyone else drive off on their quads was a bit hard to deal with. I wanted to join in on the fun, but there is no way I would ever in a million years risk anything happening to my baby. Thus, I was stuck at camp working on my DRDPs (icky, icky, icky work stuff).

Although this trip brought forth my jealous streak, it also reminded me of what a wonderful life I want my child to have. Pismo is where they will get to spend their Thanksgiving, where they will have a chance to play in the sand and soak up the sun, where they will get to experience eating deep fried turkey in a lawn chair and where they will be exposed to our love of riding. It is a place where they will be exposed to our family traditions.

35 week appointment

2011-12-13T17:45:00.000-08:00

Baby, don't get me wrong. I love you more than anything, but I'm not so fond of all of these doctor appointments. Thankfully, I like my doctor a lot, but I'm still quite leery of all of this medical intervention/examination.

Mark was able to go with me this time and I always find the visits that much more pleasant when he is able to come along. I think its because he engages the doctor in a lively banter of back and forth questioning. He gets to ask a question and then she gets to ask a question, back and forth they go through the entire appointment. Half the time I think they forget I'm even there, which is fine with me.

Today their conversation went something like this:

Doctor: Have you though anymore about giving up smoking? (This of course is directed toward your Daddy, since I don't smoke and would never put you in that sort of danger).

Mark: Yeah, I'll get around to it before the baby is born. What does it mean with her keep measuring larger with the tape measure thingy (yes he said thingy and he is referring to the fundal height)?

Doctor: That just means that her uterus is a bit larger than it should be, but since its been larger this entire pregnancy, it's not something to worry about.

Mark: So does that mean...

Doctor: Hold up...its my turn for a question first.

It's actually quite entertaining. You are doing great though and the doctor says everything is going as it should be. Your heart rate is still nice and strong and you are already in a head down position. It looks like you are getting ready to make your grand entrance to this world, which I can't wait for!

Oh and before I forget Mark said the most craziest thing today. Before the doctor came in, the tech was asking me some questions. She asked me if I felt safe at home. Mind you, I know that a lot of doctor's make this a routine question for pregnant women, but this is the first time I had ever been asked. Before I could answer her, Mark said, "I don't see why not. We have two big ass dogs." I laughed so hard, I fell off my seat. The tech was even chuckling. After she left, I had to explain to Mark that she meant did I feel safe with him or was he abusing me. I think he was actually a bit embarrassed.

Maternity Photos with Ashlee Gadd

2011-12-13T17:17:00.000-08:00

Dear Baby,

Today your daddy and I got some pictures taken with a photographer. Your daddy thought I was silly for wanting to do this, but when I really really want something, he rarely tells me no. Plus your daddy and I have never had our photos professionally taken since our wedding photographer was a total flake (I'm sure you'll hear about this one day).

I wanted to capture you before you were even born. Even though I'm the only one (well sometimes your daddy too when you let him) who can feel you, I know without a shadow of a doubt that you are extremely loved already. I wanted some pictures to capture that love because every time I look down at your expanding baby bump, I'm filled with nothing but extreme love for you. I love to watch you move and dance on my stomach and your movements make me know that you are really there and not just a figment of my imagination.

I'm sure you'll see all of these photos. Don't be scared by your daddy. The photographer had to tell him to stop looking so angry, but don't be alarmed, that's just his look. Your daddy has a huge heart and I know that he will love you with all of it. His face has nothing to do with how he feels about you.

Love you more than anything,

Your Mama

Baby Shower - November 5, 2011

2011-12-13T16:39:00.000-08:00

{Sift Cupcakery is the greatest! They made little owls to imitate the shower invites! }

{33 weeks pregnant and some change}

{3 generations (4 if you count baby)}

{Me and my grandmas <3}

It was a great day full of fun, laughter and love. It's exciting to know that our child is not only already adored by Mark and I, but also by our friends and family.

When I Knew Our Family Was Ready for Three

2011-11-02T17:58:00.000-07:00

It took eight months for it to happen, but in one gesture and five words, Mark showed me that he was as committed to our new family as I was.

I was lying in bed getting ready to go asleep (mind you my bedtime is now somewhere around 8:30 or 9pm), when Mark knelt by the edge of the bed. He kissed me good night and then bent over and kissed my tummy. "I love both of you," he said as he tucked us in.

My heart melted in that second. With that I knew without a shadow of a doubt that our family was ready to increase by one. Isn't it amazing how the simplest gestures, the simplest words are the ones that turn your heart upside down?

One Last "Two's Only" Trip

2011-11-02T17:52:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, Mark and I had our final weekend getaway with just the two of us. This was something that was extremely important to me because although I am beyond escatic about increasing our family size, I am also extremely in love with my husband. I love spending time with him and am quite selfish about it. Its hard to face the fact that in seven weeks, Mark and I won't have anymore just us time.

I know that moms and dads are able to have their own time even with children, but it's not the same. There will always be someone else that will have our hearts, someone else that we will long to spend time with, someone else to dictate our conversations. The carefree years of just Mark and Heather are about to be closed. And that makes a little part of me very sad.

So, we had one last weekend of just us. We went to Reno for the weekend (not my first or second choice, but the choice we could best afford). It was great to get away with Mark and just enjoy each other's company. I love talking with him, as our conversations just seem to flow. You would think that after six years together we would have run out of stuff to talk about, but nope, not yet. Hopefully, we will never have that problem as my grandparents, who have been married 51 years now still have plenty to talk about, so there is hope!

We spent the weekend talking, relaxing and eating! After having almost no appetite for the last eight months, there is something about Reno that always brings it back for me.

{The most delicious, mouth watering, finger licking wings created on this planet (or at least that I've tried). A trip to Reno is not complete without visiting the Little Waldorf}

{Mark getting him some raw oysters on the half shell}

{The way to my heart...ciopinno <3 }

{The search is over! After looking high and low, I finally found a pumpkin cheesecake muffin from Starbucks on our way home....yummy}

So, that was our last hurrah of just the two of us. While my heart still aches that the alone chapter of our lives is ending, my heart is extremely open and ready for the next chapter that is just waiting to be written.

32 Weeks or Shall I Say 8 Months?

2011-10-24T16:30:00.000-07:00

So today I am eight months pregnant...32 weeks. Baby will be here hopefully sometime in the next 6 to 10 weeks. That's really not that far away. In fact it's pretty close, it's awfully close, it's frighteningly close.

To mark the big milestone I had a doctor's appointment today with my backup doctor. He's nice enough, but I'm very happy with my primary doctor. Plus my primary doctor is typically punctual, which is something I highly value. Today's doctor was about 20 minutes behind schedule, which really isn't that bad for a doctor, but I've been spoiled the last eight months with never having to wait longer than 10 minutes.

The appointment was basically the same as all the others. I got weighed (lost weight again, so now I've basically been the same weight since May), got my temperature and blood pressure taken, asked the same three questions that I'm always asked and then waited for the doctor to come. Once the doctor came in we reviewed my pregnancy thus far and then he measured the fundal height (Still measuring larger than I should, but not as much as I was last appointment) and then listened to the baby's heartbeat (a strong 150). He advised me to get a flu shot, which I politely declined (no one is going to change my mind on this. If you want to know why I feel this way, do some research) and my tetanus shot, which I said I would get after the baby is born.

So, all in all, it was a pretty normal check-up except for these closing remarks from the doctor. "You 're the most unpregnant looking lady I've ever seen in here. If you want to go eat a gallon of ice cream, do so. Indulge yourself in whatever you want these last few weeks." He sky rocketed to the top of my list after that.

I think I'll have Mark bring me home a milkshake on his way home from work. I mean I do have the doctor's permission.

29 and 4/7 appointment

2011-10-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

I had yet another doctor's appointment on Friday. The appointment was at 9:40, so I went into work for an hour and a half before coming home and picking Mark up since he had the day off. We made it to DGMC and checked in. Ten minutes later we were called back where I weighed in. I had gained 4 pounds since the last appointment. YAHOO, but I'm still under my starting weight. I got my blood pressure and temperature checked and then was asked the standard three questions, all of which were no. The tech updated my medical records and then left.

Ten minutes later the doctor came in. She asked me some questions about how I was feeling and I was super happy to report that my nauseous had pretty much disappeared in the last two weeks. In fact this last week, I ate everything in sight. I don't think I have ever been so hungry before in my life and I made that clear by becoming a human vacuum cleaner. Food once again was my friend. The doctor was super happy about this seeing as I had been sick for almost 7 months, but she reminded me that I did need to pay attention to what I was eating and to make good food choices. Kinda a bummer since I was enjoying eating to my heart's content, but I understood her reasoning.

She then reminded me yet again about exercising. I think she is addicted to exercise because she has mentioned this at every single one of my appointments. I average 10 miles of walking a day at work alone, but this isn't quite enough exercise for her. I really should increase my exercise regimen, but I am completely exhausted by the end of the day.

After the exercise talk, she listened to the baby's heartbeat and then measured the fundal height. The fundal height is measuring two inches more than it should be, which is of concern because that means the baby is measuring a lot larger than it should be. The due date has been confirmed twice with ultrasound, so she is pretty positive that that is not the reason why the baby is so large. She is having me come in again in two weeks to measure the baby again. If the baby is still measuring large she is going to order yet another glucose test (the first and second tests both came back negative) and if that comes back negative, she is going to order another ultrasound to get a better idea of how big baby is. I always knew we would have a large baby since I was a big baby and so was Mark, but I didn't think our baby would be this big. Hopefully, the next appointment will give us a better idea of what is going on with the baby.

After the appointment, Mark and I went to drop my car off to get the oil changed and then went out to lunch. Mark then surprised me by taking me to get pedicures (yep, he got one with me!). It was a sweet surprise and one that I greatly appreciated since my body has been aching all over. Having my feet massaged and soaked, while getting my back rubbed by the chair, was super nice and just what I needed.

We then went to see my mom in the hospital, who had just had knee surgery the day before. She was doing good and it was nice to see her so well right after having surgery. After this we went over to the factory outlets and found a maternity store. Although I still don't look pregnant to strangers, my clothes are finally starting to not fit. For example, my shirts are starting to gap at the bottom and my pants no longer fit on my hips. We went in and were warmly greeted by two saleswomen. When asked how far along I was, both women's jaws dropped to find out I was almost 30 weeks along. "Seriously?" one of the women said as she stared at my midsection. "You're not showing at all." I know and I'm a little disappointed about that. I just look extra fat.

Mark and the women quickly got to finding some clothes for me (I'm not a shopper at all) and filled up a room for me. Mark helped me try on all the clothes as he handed them to me and then put them away after I either okayed or vetoed them. After a half hour, I had a pile of clothes to buy (two pairs of jeans, two pairs of sweat pants, 2 tanktops, and 3 long sleeve shirts). Although I hate spending money and feel bad about spending money on clothes I'm only going to be wearing for a few months, I really do need them.

We finished our day off by picking my car back up and going grocery shopping. We then spent the rest of the night cuddling on the couch together.

And this is the question my husband decides to ask

2011-10-08T10:53:00.000-07:00

"So how does the baby poop right now?"

Right in the middle of dinner this is what comes out of my husband's mouth. Although my nauseousness has pretty much subsided in the last two weeks, it was brought right back up with that comment. As I pushed my up to that point yummy avocado, cheese, mushroom and tomato burger away, I looked at Mark to see if he was kidding or serious. I was hoping for the former, but found him in the latter mood.

I decided to give him a real answer since this was obviously a real question for him. I went into an explanation of the blood system and the umbilical cord and meconium and all of that technical stuff. I think I did an awesome job explaining the whole process and was quite proud of my knowledge of the baby's digestive tract. Mark didn't think I did such a great job explaining because his next question was, "So what the poop is just swimming around with it in your tummy?"

AHHHHH did he not hear what I had spent the last five minutes explaining! At this point I just said, "No, they haven't pooped yet. They don't poop in the way you think of poop." That seemed to satisfy him as he went back to eating, my dinner on the other hand was done.

I have a real hunch that Mark is going to love the book "Everyone Poops." Maybe I should go out and buy it now so he has time to process it before the baby gets here.

The Final Third

2011-10-08T10:37:00.000-07:00

On Monday, September 26th, I hit 28 weeks, which official marks the beginning of the third trimester. I'm in the final third of the adventure and I have to admit, I was quite escatic about it. There is something finalizing, overjoying, calming in fact that in ten to fourteen weeks, our baby will be here.

I even carried that joy with me to the lab where I had to do my second one hour glucose test. Even though my first glucose test came back negative, the doctor still wanted me to do another one to make sure that I don't have gestational diabetes. I only took work off till 9:30am, so I got to the lab at 8am (this let me sleep in an extra half hour than I normally get too). I got the nasty, vile drink from the lab lady and then I sat down to face my doom. An elder gentleman (Early 80s) was sitting next to me and as I began to chug down my drink, he cheered me on with a "Go girl, go. That's the way to do it." It was quite nice to have a cheering section and I managed to get this one done even faster than my first test. Once I consumed the toxic orange substance, I now had to sit and wait an hour for my blood to be drawn.

Thankfully the lab at Travis is always busy, so I had lots of people watching to do. A huge class got let out and around forty airman invaded the lab area to get their blood drawn. This would have pissed me off if I had checked in after them as active duty get jumped to the front of the line, which would have increased my waiting time, but since I had already drank the ickiness and thus was guaranteed a spot in an hour, I enjoyed the people watching opportunity. They provided enough entertainment that the hour went by quickly and I was able to get my blood drawn by a super efficient gentleman who hit the vein on the first try (this is a rarity). I then made my way to work, still feeling quite joyful about the fact that my baby would be here before I knew it.

Once the joy subsided, the panic began to set in. I went from only 12 more weeks, to omg only 12 more weeks!?! There is still so much to get done and my perfectionist self began to take over. The baby's room still needs to be finished, the crib put together, we still need to buy tons of stuff, stuff in the house needs to be completed, etc. The list goes on and on and on. Some of this stuff doesn't need to be completed before the baby comes, but I would feel a while lot better if it was.

Hence, I am now in overdrive mode. My 100 plus item to do list will be accomplished by the time I hit 37 weeks. I better get my booty moving.

My New Worst Enemy

2011-10-05T18:58:00.000-07:00

is a lovely thing called leg cramps that decide to attack me in the middle of the night causing me to wake up in horrific screams of pain. You would think I was being stabbed to death or at least that is what Mark thought the first time he experienced my sudden painful wails.

There I am peacefully sound asleep when suddenly I feel as though my entire calf is being eaten alive by a gigantic crocodile. It hurts, it hurts real bad. And there's nothing I can do it stop the pain. If Mark is home (he was working nights, so he missed quite a few of these painful episodes), I thrust my leg out at him, usually kicking him, screaming, "Rub it, rub it." He will groggily obey, but I think more so out of a desire to go back to sleep than out of a real empathy of what I am going through. The rubbing hurts like h e double hockey sticks, but the cramp usually dissipates. When Mark isn't home, I curl up in a ball and cry until it goes away.

Always the researcher, I've read about some exercises you can do and that pointing your toes downward can help alleviate the pain, but frankly that's crap. Nothing really works and so at least twice a week, I wake up from the dead of sleep in a full spasm of pain.

25 week appointment

2011-09-08T17:18:00.000-07:00

So yesterday I had my monthly appointment. I have never been to the doctors so much before in my life, but I guess when you're pregnant it becomes like a second home for you of sorts. I now can recognize almost everyone in there and feel a sort of camaraderie with them. This of course is just how I feel because I know most of them can't tell me from David. Oh well, I secretly enjoy my now found familiarity with them and the doctor's office in general.

This was like all the appointments before, except I flew solo. Mark was working nights, so he stayed home to go to bed and I woke up to go to the doctor's before heading off to work. I checked in with the friendly receptionist (its the same one every time) and then waited about five minutes for the tech to call my name. Then I got weighed before being led down the labyrinth of hallways to an open room (this is never the same because I am never in the same room twice. I'm really getting a feel for what all the rooms look like). There she took my blood pressure, temperature and pulse. All normal. She now asked me the infamous three questions of which I responded, "No, no, no" before she even had the first question out of her mouth. By the way if you don't remember, the three questions are: Are you having any pain? Any sudden loss of fluids? Any bleeding? After inputting the info on the paper chart and then in the computer (I love the double back up system of having it in two places because all I need is the day I give birth for the computer system to crash and them not being able to access any of my records), she left and the doctor came in five minutes later.

I really like my doctor a lot. She is a three year resident, funny, nice, sensitive, punctual and a great listener. I am sincerely glad to have her as my guide throughout this entire experience. She had a first year resident with her today, who just so happens to be due three days before me. I know some people freak all out about residents examining them, but frankly they have to learn somewhere. I'm all for helping someone learn and I actually feel safer because everything they do has to be ran by someone else first, thus there is a fail safe in case they screw up. You don't get that with regular doctors. If they screw up, you're done for. If a resident screws up, you hope the supervising doctor will catch it. At least that's my viewpoint on it.

My doctor introduced me to my backup doctor, who basically is just there in case she can't make it to the delivery. I'm really hoping that doesn't happen. He seems nice (yes it is a man). I'm suppose to make my next appointment with him, so I can get to know him a bit better in case he so happens is the one who gets to make himself familiar with my private parts. Again hoping that doesn't happen. She had the intern find the baby's heartbeat (a healthy 130) and then did the tape measure thing again to measure the height of the uterus (right where it should be). She ended the appointment by telling me that my glucose test was fine (remember that hellish experience from a month ago? I do), but that she wants me to do one again at 28 weeks (when most people have theirs done - I had my first one early since diabetes runs in my family and I'm overweight). I think my jaw almost hit the floor. I don't want to drink that nastiness again, but she wants to make sure that my metabolism hasn't changed. Honestly, I think she doesn't believe that I'm not a sugar fine. I know I'm fat, but I actually eat pretty healthy. I'm not surprised that I don't have diabetes, but I think she was. Thus, I have to face the horror of the nasty flat orange soda concoction again in three weeks. Joy to me!

"You're Starting to Show"

2011-08-24T16:59:00.000-07:00

Today I got my very first, "You're starting to show" comments from someone besides my hubby (and for the record he's only made that comment once after I grilled him on whether I looked any fatter or not). It left me glowing for the rest of the day because it was said by a co-worker I consider to be a friend and not by some random stranger (that would freak me out).

I know a lot of pregnant women who love to have people comment on their bellies and take great satisfaction out of random store clerks and waiters commenting on their impending bundle of joy, but frankly I'm not one of them. If I don't know you or if I know you, but not your last name, then don't even think about making a comment about my tummy. It ain't any of your business and it's kinda creepy (unless the other person is pregnant because all pregnant women get cut some slack in my book and we're all in the same club together).

I like my privacy. I like people not knowing everything about me, which is why I have enjoyed not looking pregnant for so long. As that is changing because my belly obviously doesn't feel the same sacred need for amenity as I do, I'm dreading the future comments. Let's just hope that store clerks, acquaintances and waiters keep their mouths shut because I'm more than willing to say the hormones made me do it if I happen to be found strangling some mouthy stranger.

I Finally Feel Pregnant

2011-08-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

I am 23 weeks along today and let me tell you, I finally feel pregnant. I'm not so sure if that is good thing.

Although I am overjoyed at being pregnant, I could do without the sickness, the heartburn, the inability to sleep due to the constant kicking of the baby and the feeling of being fat. I have never once before had heartburn. I freaked out the first time I experienced it, telling Mark that I thought I was dying because my heart felt so funny. Being a pro at heartburn, Mark informed me that I was in fact not dying, but simply had a case of heartburn. Simply my butt - that stuff hurts! Although the sickness has diminished in intensity (in fact I have stopped losing weight and gained a pound and a half at my last appointment), I still have a few days a week where I'm just wiped out by nauseous. And yes I know that I wasn't the thinnest before I got pregnant, but I feel extra fat now. I just feel larger as my stomach is expanding (Mark commented yesterday, "You actually kinda are starting to look pregnant").

As if all of that isn't enough, my now already exhausted being is being kept up all night by my little whippersnapper. I know they say that babies are more active at night because the constant movement during the day rocks the baby to sleep, but I think our baby is just a night owl. It seems like our child is turning out more and more like Mark with every passing day. I guess God figures that if I could handle one of him, I should be able to handle another one like him. I think God puts too much faith in me.

Despite all of these minor annoyances, I can't express enough how happy I am to be pregnant. Whenever I am feeling especially bad I just think back to how awful I felt after a miscarriage. There is nothing that can compare to that, so bring on the sleepless nights, the heartburn, the sickness, as all of that is better than having none of it.

The Explosion of the Hormones

2011-08-22T20:40:00.000-07:00

Everyone always talks about the out of whack hormones that pregnant women experience. I thought this was limited to the random bouts of crying that I had been experiencing. I mean honestly who breaks into full out sobbing when the song "Knee Deep" by the Zac Brown Band comes on? http://youtu.be/9n5G0qFBsHM But, then again this is coming from the girl who breaks into full on sobs when even mentioning the movie Menace to Society. I mean honestly the guy was just trying to save the little boy who was riding his Big Wheels and he gets killed anyways. And yes, I am bawling like a baby right now. Damn Mark for making me watch that movie!

Besides these random crying spells, I haven't been too haunted by the rage of the hormones or at least that is what I thought until Mark made the big mistake of questioning my choice of crib bedding.

On Saturday, we went to Babies R Us because I have been begging him to go for quite some time now. We need to get the nursery painted soon and in order to do that we need to choose a bedding set, so we can coordinate the colors accordingly. I had been diligently searching the web for the last three months looking for the perfect bedding set. Let me tell you, that was quite a chore as it seems they don't really make neutral bedding choices. But, after spending over forty hours looking for the perfect set, I had finally found the one that I liked the best at Babies R Us. I wanted Mark to see it in person, (I had shown it to him before three times on the website), before buying it because I wanted him to be involved in this process.

Well, we get to the bedding section and I proudly show him the bed set that I had spent grueling hours searching for. His response, "What the hell is that? Can you get anymore dull and boring?" Although the steam was building up inside of me, I tried to keep it at bay and asked him which bed set he liked better. He pointed to a dark blue set with a huge giraffe on it. "That one is nice. I mean shouldn't it have animals on it or something cool to look at?" For the record, the set I choose had a super cute giraffe mobile set that went with it. I told him that I thought his choice was a little too boy. Mark's response, "Well that could help increase our chances right?" I was done. The steam was exploding out my head and I'm sure I looked just like one of those cartoon characters with their heads half way off their body and steam poring out of the deficit.

I turned on my heels and hightailed it out of that store faster than you can say, "Pissed off Mama." Mark, who has a quick fuse and is a yeller, followed me, yelling at me for being overly sensitive and unable to take his suggestions. I kept on marching out of that store, tears blurring my way, sunglasses lowered over my eyes and an angry pep to my step. Mark followed like a puppy dog, yapping away. The ride home was not a PG-13 event, so I will bypass that. Let's just say that I now understood what hormones people were talking about and I'm sure Mark did too.

You may wonder what bed set we ended up going with. The answer is mine of course. I went out Sunday morning and bought it first thing. I also found the paint color that coordinates perfectly with it. Although I normally would never get something that Mark didn't agree with, let's just say the hormones made me do it.

You Seriously Have to Drink This?

2011-08-22T19:56:00.000-07:00

Those were my exact words to the poor little male tech sitting behind the lab counter. I don't think he was quite ready for that remark at 8am, but honestly I wasn't ready to down that glass of nasty looking orange stuff. It looked like a poison concoction created on a mad scientist show with its unnatural orange color, sickly sweet scent and granules of sugar just floating around. Honestly, they could have put it in a colored cup instead of a clear one, but I guess they wanted to make sure you knew how disgusting the drink looked before consuming it. Thanks for the concern (can you hear the sarcasm?).

The tech quickly told me to just gulp the drink down as fast as I could and do so within five minutes. As my face began to turn green from the churning of my stomach at the mere thought of ingesting that goo, he smartly added in, "If you throw it up, you'll have to come back and take the test all over again another day." Although I didn't want to hear that, I'm glad that he told me because I'm pretty sure I would have tossed my cookies otherwise.

I gave him my best version of a half-way smile, grudgingly grabbed the cup and made my way over to some seats across from the counter. I sat down, took a deep breath and chugged that thing faster than I have ever chugged anything before. If I had been in a beer shotgun contest, I would have smoked my competition (For the record, I have never shotgunned a beer although that is on my bucket list). The sugar evaded my taste buds and I began dry heaving right there in the waiting room. The person sitting a seat away from me backed up to the farthest regions of their chair and several people gave me that "Oh my God - don't let her puke" look. I took several deep breathes and as the people around me relaxed their worried expressions, I knew that my puking reflex had begun to subside. I leaned back in the chair, closed my eyes and chanted, "Don't let me puke, don't let me puke" over and over again for the next hour until they called my number to go get my blood drawn.

As soon as my number was called, I hurried back to the lab. Thankfully, I got an experienced blood sucker as he took one look at my veins and immediately got the little butterfly needle thing (I usually have to endure several pokes before they resort to using this). I'm not sure if my veins gave this away or my queasy looking face and labored breathing did, but either way, he took my blood and sent me on my merry way. I made it to the parking lot before I threw up the nastiness, but I held out till after the test. I think I deserve a cookie for that one.

A Day from H - E - Double Hockey Sticks

2011-08-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

On Thursday, August 11th, we had our 21 week appointment. This also so happened to be a day from hell.

It was my first day back to work for preservice. On my way to work, I was involved in a hit and run accident. Some jerk behind me wasn't paying attention to what they were doing, so when I stopped at a red light, they didn't. It seems they missed the two big red lights in front of them. Thankfully, they didn't hit me hard as it already slow moving traffic, but I definitely felt the car get tapped. Next thing I know the car swerves around me and runs the red light. I didn't want to get out to inspect the damage at a busy intersection, so I waited till the light turned green and then pulled off onto a side street. There was a little dent on my bumper - nothing big, but definitely a ding in my otherwise dent less vehicle. Since I was now running late to my first day of work, I quickly jumped back into my car and continued on my merry way. My nerves however did not follow suit and I spent the rest of the day with a knot in my stomach (you know the kind where you can literally feel the anxiety and anxiousness twisting itself up into a thousands little knots?). All I can say is thank God the baby was okay (I made the doctor check me out real good at my appointment later in the day).

On a positive note, I told my coworkers about my pregnancy. Up until this point I had only told the director, assistant director and administrative assistant. I really did not want to tell everyone else as I firmly believe in the power of keeping home and work separate, but I also felt as though the kids in my group and their parents had the right to know that their teacher would not be there for the entire year. So, I told the fellow staff of my room and by the end of the day a majority of the entire center knew (things spread like wildfire in a workplace comprised of only women). Although it was nice to hear everyone's congratulations and well wishes, it is also made me a little sad because pretty soon the career that I love would be coming to an end. Mark and I had talked about enrolling the baby in the program, so I could keep working and also be right next door to the baby. However, the school is not bending on the six units of Solano classes required for employment. I had thought they had changed this, but I found out the day before from a frantic call from the director that they had indeed not changed this rule and I needed to enroll myself in classes ASAP. Thus, I think my working days at the Children's Programs are coming to an end unless they offer me full time employment. While staying at home with the baby sounds like a magnificent idea, a part of me feels guilty for leaving behind the work I was doing with children who desperately needed extra help. I know my child will grow up just fine, but I'm not so sure of that about a lot of children in my class. How do you justify putting the needs of one over the needs of many? I guess that is where my dilemma of being a stay at home mama comes from.

By 1:30pm, I was done for the day and rushed home to pick up Mark. He was still sleeping as he was coming off of a night shift, but he woke up and we drove over the doctors. (I can't tell you how convenient it is to have the doctor's office and hospital less than five minutes away. If it wasn't, we would be late quite a few times). I went through all of the usual stuff - check-in, weigh in, blood pressure, pulse, temperature and the usual questions (have I had any pain? any bleeding? any sudden loss of fluids?). The doctor came in, asked a few more questions and had me sit down on the exam table. She then proceeded to hear the baby's heartbeat (She checked it twice since I wanted to make sure nothing was wrong due to the hit and run earlier). The heartbeat was a steady 147 to 150. She then used a paper measuring tape to get the fundal height. I had been waiting for her to do this since all the pregnancy books say that the doctor does this every visit, but this was the first time. (The military doesn't do a lot of extra stuff, which I'm thankful for because I don't have to pee in a cup every visit. They only do stuff when it is important to do so.) My uterus was measuring a little larger than it should be and with the 85% percentile the baby measured at with the ultrasound, she told me to get my glucose test done in the next week to test for gestiantional diabetes. I said I would go on Monday since that was my last day off before work officially started.

A View of Our Little Spitfire

2011-08-01T21:04:00.000-07:00

Baby's Face

Today was our 20 week ultrasound. For a lot of parents this is the big moment when they find out whether they are having a boy or a girl, but since we are opting to wait till birth to find out our baby's sex, this was just a great opportunity for us to see our beautiful baby and to make sure it was healthy. I do have to say that we got mad props from the second ultrasound tech for deciding to wait to find out the sex. It really made me feel good because so many people have responded negatively to our decision, whether it's just a simple questioning of our intentions to a full on lecture, so it was really nice to have a bit of positive reinforcement.

Once again I had to go through the torture of drinking water and then holding it. You would think that with all of the millions of women who have been pregnant, that by now we would have all banded together to come up with a different approach to the ultrasound - one that didn't include torture of the mother. But, we haven't and so I had to endure the torture.

Mark had worked the night shift, so I woke him up after three hours of sleep to go to the appointment with me. Also our niece came with us, although there is only one other person allowed in the exam room at a time, so she had to wait in the waiting room. We got to the appointment just in time and were quickly called into the exam room. The tech got right to business and after he took the shots he needed to with the full bladder, he let me go use the restroom. All I can say is thank God. If he had made me wait any longer with all that pushing on my stomach with the probe thing, I was going to pee all over the exam table.

For the next hour, I laid on the table while he jabbed, poked and prodded my stomach with the probe thing. Occasionally, I would have an idea of what I was looking at, but most of the time, I had no idea. I was able to pick up the head, spine and hands, but the rest was foreign to me. Mark had an even harder time figuring out what he was looking at, but at least he was brave enough to ask what he was looking at. I really enjoyed hearing the baby's heartbeat, which is so unique and distinct. It was beating at 145 beats per minute and had a "nice, even rhythm." The baby is in the 87th percentile for growth - holy mole! We are going to have one BIG baby. Mark's response to this, "Good thing you have childbearing hips." Gosh I hope I've got good hips because I'm going to need all the help I can get.

After an hour, the tech printed out some pictures for us and went to run the images by the doctor. He came back with a few images he needed to recapture for better clarity. Just as he was getting started, another tech came in to call him away to another procedure. She took his spot and I spent the next hour and 15 minutes getting poked, prodded and pinched some more, as well as having to contort my body in weird positions to get the baby to move. For example, I had to lay on my side with my legs drawn to my chest or had to lay on my back with my knees pushed against my chest to cramp the baby's space, so it would be forced to move.

However, the baby didn't move. No matter how much she made me move around or no matter how many times she poked my stomach, the baby stayed in the same spot. I have bruises forming on my stomach from how hard she was poking it, but it didn't seem to phase the baby one bit. All I can say is our child is going to be a spitfire.

Thus, our original 45 minute appointment turned into a 2 hour and 15 minute ordeal that taught me two things. One, we have a healthy, normal developing baby. Two, our child is going to be an awful lot like Mark. God help me.

I Just Want to be Surprised

2011-07-29T21:46:00.000-07:00

After people find out that I am pregnant, their next question is always, "Do you know what you are having?" When I inform them that we aren't finding out the baby's sex, they either want to know why or lecture me on why I should change my mind. Since I haven't gone around to people who have found out the baby's sex and lectured them on why I find that wrong, I find it very irritating and rude that people are constantly doing this to me.

When did finding out the sex of the baby become so important? I don't know if it because I have lost so many pregnancies or because I am just so traditional, but I honestly feel as though the life of the child should be celebrated over the sex of the child. I could care less if we have a boy or a girl, just as long as we have a baby that is alive, healthy and well. I want to concentrate all of my energy on that, not something as superficial as the baby's sex. Plus this is the only surprise that I will ever get in my entire life. I can't wait to push the baby out and find out then what the sex of the baby is. Now that will be a surprise.

People are concerned about how we are going to get the room ready if we don't know the baby's sex. In my mind, it's pretty easy. You get neutrals. Our house is already full of earth tones, which are primarily neutral colors. Thus, we will pull off of these colors to get the nursery ready. Besides, I'm not that worried about material things. Again I want to focus on the life of the baby, not on materialistic things. I'm okay with boys wearing pink and girls wearing blue. For me, the color of the clothes means nothing and I find it kinda funny on how concerned some parents get on making sure that people know the sex of their child. I guess I see it as I know what the sex of my child is, so really what does it matter what other people think. But, everyone has different opinions on this, which is fine. I'm just asking for people to respect my decision to be surprised by the baby's sex at the birth.

I mean who doesn't like a good surprise?

18 Week Appointment

2011-07-29T21:31:00.000-07:00

My eighteen week appointment took place on July 18th. It was pretty much the same as all the other appointments up to this point. Mark was able to come after missing the last appointment as he had the day off.

I lost another three pounds, bringing the weight loss total up to around fifteen pounds. Mark was super concerned about this and the doctor's concern is growing as well. Her biggest concern is that I need to stay hydrated enough as dehydration while pregnant is super bad. I drink a lot of water, as I have completely given up caffeine and soda (although I still do drink Ginger Ale), but I obviously need to make more of an effort to drink water. Mark is concerned that the baby's health is being affected since I'm not eating. The doctor wants me to keep trying to get down small amounts of food and is hoping that I won't lose anymore weight between now and my next appointment. Depending on the amount of weight lost, she may want to try other options.

Besides that everything else was fine. We got to hear the baby's heartbeat again and were told to make our ultrasound appointment for the 20th week. (She had told me to make the appointment at my last appointment, but the last three times I have called the August schedule has been unavailable. After the appointment, we went to try to make the appointment again, but still the schedule is not available.) The doctor also wants me to do the glucose test either before or right after my next appointment as diabetes runs in my family and I'm overweight. She really wanted me to do it now, but was afraid I would throw it all up since I am still so sick. I kinda think she was right about that.

My next appointment is on August 11th and the ultrasound is scheduled for August 1st.

14 Week Appointment

2011-07-29T21:19:00.000-07:00

On June 21st, I had my 14 week appointment. Although they try to schedule your appointments on the month marks (12, 16, 20, etc), that isn't always possible. Thus you usually just get an appointment every four weeks, which for me has turned out to be in the midpoint of the months.

Like all the appointments before this, I checked in at the front desk, waited about five minutes and then was called back by a tech (nurse). I then get weighed (my most unfavorite part as the scale is usually showing more and more weight loss - if I wasn't pregnant I would be juiced by this) and taken to the exam room. There the tech takes my temp and my blood pressure. They usually ask a few questions, like if I have had any pain, any sudden loss of fluid, any bleeding. Then they leave and I wait about five minutes for the doctor to come.

Once the doctor comes, she looks over the records and makes a comment about the weight loss. I had lost another 2 pounds at this appointment. She is super kind and very empathic, which makes me feel very at ease. She usually reminds me to keep doing all the things I have been doing to stop the nausea. She prescribed me Zoflan to try and counteract the nausea since I had now begun throwing up a few times a day. Unfortunately, Zoflan only makes me sicker, so after trying it four times, I gave up on it.

After asking some more questions, she has me lie down on the exam table and pull up my shirt. She uses a portable Doppler to listen to the baby's heartbeat. I get butterflies every time I am able to hear it. After this, I'm free to go.

The Never Ending Sickness

2011-07-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

I'm only going to make a few posts on this topic because I am really torn on it. When you're not pregnant and trying to get pregnant, it is one of the most irritating things in the world to listen to people talk about being sick, or sore boobs, or peeing all the time, or any of pregnancy's other discomforts. When you're trying to conceive, you would give anything in the world to be sicker than a dog if it meant that you were carrying a child. I still have this belief and thus am trying really hard to not make a big deal out of being sick. I am beyond thankful of this pregnancy and don't in any way want to give off the idea or perception that I am unhappy about it.

With that being said, being sick has been a huge part of my pregnancy. Thus, I have decided to do a post on it because it has gotten to the point where the doctor is beginning to become concerned.

Since my sixth week of pregnancy I have been plagued by being sick for a large majority of the day. I'm fine in the morning, but around 11 am or noon, the tides begin to change. Nausea then takes over and I am beyond sick for the remainder of the day. Most days I don't throw up although I feel that if I did, I would feel so much better. Instead, I am just so nauseous and motion sick that walking causes me pain. It is a trial to get through the work day. As soon as I get home, I find myself lying down on the bed or couch and that is where I remain until bedtime. Let's just say this has made doing school work a major problem.

Since I have been so sick, I rarely if ever eat. I have lost around ten pounds. The doctor put me on vitamin B6 to try and counteract the nauseous. It does very little for me. I have tried everything known to man to help with the nausea, but nothing works. I've tried teas, ginger, peppermint, sea sickness bands, Saltines, small snacks, Prego Pops, fresh ginger, etc. Mark is freaked out beyond words and is constantly trying to force food down my throat. Although I appreciate his concern and love for me, it just makes it worse.

The smells of almost all foods make me sick, especially meat. I haven't had any real cravings, so nothing sounds yummy, except for juice. I have developed a real love for juice and drink quite a bit of it everyday. It is one of the only things I am able to get down that doesn't make me feel even worse.

In addition to the all day sickness, let me just say that my boobs are killing me. I mean I literally cry some days because they are so sore and tender. Plus they are already growing in size! Already?!? I thought they wouldn't start growing till the end of the pregnancy, but nope, I think I am already a cup size bigger. I know many girls who would be escatic about that, but I am already extremely large breasted. I don't want my boobs getting any bigger. Mark is excited to see how big they will really get, but I am scared out of my mind. God please don't let them get too much bigger.

Some days I am so sick that I spend the entire day in bed, rolled up in ball, crying my eyes out. However, when this happens I feel so guilty and ungrateful for the gift I have been given. This has been very hard for me to deal with as my emotions are so conflicted over expressing how awful I really feel and still keeping my gratitude for pregnancy, sickness and all.

Spilling the Beans: Part II

2011-07-29T20:15:00.000-07:00

I decided that letting the rest of the world in our baby news would take place on Father's Day. I didn't want to make a huge deal out of it, so I decided that making a simple post on Facebook would be the simplest and easiest way to let everyone know at the same time our secret.

I was overwhelmed by the amount of well wishes and support we received. I spent the entire day crying, which has definitely increased since my pregnancy, although I've always been quite a crier. It was just such a warm feeling to know how excited people were for us.

It was also a hard moment for me to share this news because I have been on the other side of the fence so many times that I didn't want to hurt any of my friend's feelings who have been trying to conceive. I know about a dozen women who are having fertility problems and the last thing I wanted to do was make them feel saddened by their own pregnancy status. When you are trying to get pregnant, but are unable to do so, it can be heartbreaking to hear of other people's success. I didn't want to be the cause of their heartbreak, but at the same time, I wanted to share our happy news with all of our friends and family.

Time to Spill the Beans

2011-07-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

Mark and I had decided that we would keep the baby our little secret until the end of the first trimester. In the past we had told people about the pregnancy only to have to go back and tell them that I had ended up losing the baby. That is not a fun experience at all, so we were going to keep our mouths shut until we had made it to safer territory.

I decided that telling our families together would be the best bet. Since Father's Day was approaching, we decided that having dinner in celebration of Father's Day would be a great way to let everyone in on our secret. Mark had to work on Father's Day, so we scheduled dinner for Friday, June 17th at Chili's and invited both sets of our parents.

We waited till the end of dinner when I passed out a gift bag to each set of parents. Inside they found a picture frame with the baby's first sonogram prominently displayed. A lot of "Ohhhs" and "Ahhhs" escaped from their lips as they looked at the picture, immediately followed by a litany of congrats. I seriously think my father almost broke his face from smiling so hard and Mark's dad looked as though he was going to cry. It was a great family moment full of love. They proceeded to ask lots of questions and I'm sure we would have been there all night, if I hadn't eventually ushered us out of the restaurant.

I'm very happy the unveiling went so well.

We've Made It!!!

2011-07-29T19:52:00.000-07:00

June 13th marked the beginning of my 13th week. I had made it through the first trimester (although the little pregnancy book says the first trimester lasts through the 13th week, I'm going by the 4 weeks per month route - plus I was really anxious to make it this far!)

Mark and I were both escatic about this. We both expressed how making it this far really solidified that this pregnancy had a real chance of making it. We finally gave ourselves permission to talk about the future and the fact that we are well on our way to being parents. We had refrained from having these conversations before this point because we did not want to get ourselves too happy and then lose the pregnancy. This had happened in the past and it made getting over the grief that much more difficult.

But, now we were in full celebratory mode! We have not stopped talking since about how happy and blessed we are. We have had discussions about everything and anything related to the baby, from diapers, to when they will be allowed to ride a dirt bike, to what we would do if we ever caught them smoking, to the expectations of their school years and yadda yadda yadda. I am so blessed to have a husband who is so excited and willing to be a father. It has made me love him all that much more.

I'm Starting to Hate This Place

2011-07-29T19:33:00.000-07:00

Over the next few weeks, I had two more appointments at DGMC. I was beginning to grow a real hatred to that place, especially the lab. Unlike what I have heard most pregnant women say, my doctor does not require a monthly urine sample. However, they do a clean catch urine sample at the beginning of your pregnancy. Being my luck, it seems I am incapable of doing this. Each time I have seen the doctor or nurse I have been told that my sample was contaminated and needed to go give another sample. I have yet to give a good sample in the four samples I have given. I won't go into the details, but let's just say I have trouble peeing in a cup.

I met my doctor, who I genuinely like. Mark likes her because she is a lieutenant, continuing on his obsession with qualifications. The rank means nothing to me, but her kindness, humor and ability to listen to me and my concerns have left me happy that she will be overseeing my entire pregnancy. (It was a huge deal at our first appointment with the nurse if we wanted to stay with family medicine or transfer to OB/GYN. The benefit of staying with family medicine was that I would have the same doctor for my entire pregnancy. I like consistency, so this was the route we choose). She went over all the paperwork that we went over at the last appointment with the nurse. She also weighed me and took my blood pressure and temperature.

At my next appointment I had my pap smear....ugghhh. I have yet to meet a woman who looks forward to these things, but in comparsion with ones I have had in the past, it was a fairly nice one. When I told the doctor that, she said, "Thanks I guess. I've never had anyone say that to me before." I was glad to be the first.