Welcome To 24 Weeks!

Way to go Peanut! You're growing up big and strong! I've even seen *slight* movements externally! Plus Momma is feeling better, we finally thought of breathe right strips, which improved my breathing tremendously. And the pollen levels are going down even without rain, my eyes/nose/throat all feel tingly/etc, but nothing debilitating. Yaaay!

Mmmm corn on the cob. Peanut general size food item this week looks delicious! Is it corn on the cob season yet? No? Damnit. There goooooooooes Peanut actually, doing something on the right side of my belly. Yesterday he was using my southern region as a trampoline, pain down there, then pain up by my ribs, back and forth. Just getting in his exercise at Momma's expense. Yay for him getting big enough to feel more!

Should be a busy week, it'll be another 4 day week for Boi, so he should have a little more energy to help out. There are a bunch of things that I want to do, but I shouldn't *pout* Boi did some work downstairs, I was really very impressed, but I went down there last night, hours after he finished, and even though it looked ok, it still irritated my throat *sigh* so I really should stay away. Don't want to inhale any particles that might harm Peanut. The windows are open though, so... I guess it'll just have to be a gut decision on when it's safe again and when it's not. If I could find our mask, I could at least head down there and work on cleaning up a lot of the surfaces. I'm also kind of on the edge about painting, we only have zero-voc paint and primer, so it ought to be safe. But there are so many other things to do, I might as well leave that stuff to the non-pregnant people anyways. Also the people who aren't sick, lol. But maybe nesting is settling in a bit? Hard to say, I could just be excited to do *anything* besides sit in a position that doesn't obstruct my breathing!

Eh... yeah... there are other things to do, gotta get back to working now that I no longer feel near death. And the house needs to get cleaned, kinda got it started a bit yesterday, but it's still a wreck from my bad week. My brother is stopping by this afternoon with the original Star Trek movies, Boi has been anxious to watch at least the Wrath of Khan for weeks now. And I'll sheepishly admit to never seeing them. I always was a TNG girl. Boi jokes that Patrick Stewart is the real baby daddy since I love to wear my Jean Luc Picard top (thanks bro!)

I've decided I need to come up with some pregnant woman rules. Boi's doing a good job, but hey, it's fun :

1. Remember, I'll be just as sweet and loving to you the next time you're pregnant.


2. Clean the bathroom for me, I can't stand any chemical smells


3. Kill any bugs you see, otherwise I'll see them later, they'll be on the ceiling, and I'll feel the need to somehow get to it to kill it.


4. Even if you don't really care about my crazy planning, pretend to listen. I get enough indifference from the cats.


5. Don't ask me why I'm crying or ask me to stop. I've already asked myself these things, I don't know, I just need a hug.


6. Yes, I can always use a hand getting up. It just hurts less.


7. I'll let you know if I DON'T want a foot or a back rub. You can assume I can use one at any other given time.


8. Don't eat what I'm craving unless I offer you a taste. Trust me, I NEED all of it.


9. If what I'm craving requires you/us to go out, get something too. Don't make me feel fat and wasteful!


10. Don't make jokes when I stop working before you. I don't want to get out of breath or get a nosebleed, and plus remember I do stuff around the house all day that you likely won't notice anyways!

10 rules are good. Got any of your own?

A week later

Called the nurseline this morning, I've been consistently in pain down where she was pressing for the head from the ultrasound. Rolling over in bed, sitting up on the couch to get some water from the table, standing up, moving around is all un-fun, taking a walk around just the block without breaks is just agony. The nurse thinks the ultrasound agitated my round ligaments, so I'm taking Tylenol for the next 24 hours and trying an icepack, and to watch for any other symptoms like fever. I also decided I'm just going to stay on the couch today, not to try any feats like doing the dishes, and see if I can keep it from getting really bad in the evening like it has been. Here's hoping that that's all it is, not that I can really do anything for it then, but at least it's not serious. And actually I usually feel pretty good laying down, but right now I can feel some pain just laying here. Boo!

Oooh, mom just stopped in while she was out doing errands. She agreed with my bedrest, and was a good distraction for me for a bit. Alas that was mostly because she's having issues with the roofers, but at least it got my mind off my belly. Still waiting for today's first real good kicks from Peanut too. I can deal with whatever pain, as long as I know he's still in there doing good.

Went through my dresser yesterday pulling out stuff that I was sure I wasn't going to be fitting into in the next year. A little sad, but it's nice to have more room in there. Fortunately I preferred my tops on the long side, so I'm hoping much of my wardrobe will last, but I'm already noticing my tendency to grab the two maternity tops I do have when they're clean. Just that much more comfy/flattering.

I must have been suuuuuper tired this morning, I didn't stir to Boi's alarm going off or anything until he came in to say goodbye (I'd be seriously mopey if he just left me). But then I fell back asleep and had some nightmares, something about losing Peanut in Mexico to baby stealers. So usually I have the rule of no getting out of bed before 8, as the earlier I wake up the harder time I have getting over my morning sickness. So that made this morning even more fun, I kind of wanted to be in a pretty good place when I called the clinic, but of course the nerves of the unknown kept me agitated, so I finally just called.

Baby picture time! This time, I present Peanut's hand/fist. Small and cute, looks like there's at least 5 fingers ;) He's all ready to sock it to my innards! I wish I had asked the nurse about the baby's size when on the phone. She got me a little nervous, she said something about me at 19 weeks and due 10/5, but then later on was like, oh, wait, here's your official due date. But it makes me wonder if perhaps Peanut was measuring behind. I wouldn't be too surprised, I guess, if my ovulation date was later then 'normal' but if you're reading this you likely know I HATE telephones and have mini-freak-outs when forced into using them, so I wasn't completely ready to start chatting up the nurse about anything I wasn't prepped to discuss. New information throws me for a loop and I need to absorb for awhile. So instead if I have to call back tomorrow I'll prep myself  to inquire about that, otherwise I guess I'll just wait till June 10th.

Oh oh! Baby kick! :D Time to relax I guess :)

Happy 19 weeks to go!

Yeah yeah, it's been a few days, but it's rather difficult to top a gender post. It's been a busy week, helping my friend I move (who I also saw at my ultrasound briefly on her way out from work, she kept me company in the interior waiting room while I was separated from Boi). I did amazing things like drive, held hoses/cords while the non-pregnant people moved appliances, and packed my car with light items. Then I played with an 11-month old boy while his mom helped them move stuff back into the house. And I'm going to her bridal shower in... oh... an hour an a half. Maybe I should shower soon?

I never actually uploaded a picture of garage sale finds from weekend two. So here it is now. I've got most of the fabric stuff washed, still need to work on sterilizing though. Step by step though. Lot's of clothes, which I can say now, some of them did say boy on them. Kinda hidden, but now I don't have to re-gift those or save them for possible child 2, heh. Only a few toys, and a few books... which seem to be missing from the picture, and I can see them from my spot on the couch now :) But we were really looking for stuff that would work for the first year and that were in really good condition, and both books and toys do tend to get worn through.  We still have months and months and months.... but not much more than that!

Names I know are a big question from you guys, and while we do currently have a list of three names... I'm not going to release it. Not yet at least. None of them are names that we both love, and so either they'll grow on us more, or we'll come up with more. So it's still premature. I have no problem telling you that Boi is the problem with the names though! While he deferred to me on girl names, I'm deferring to him on boy names, and he is a hard man to please. I try to come up with at least one name a day that I think works with the last name and he might like. Other people have shot names at us too, but if I think it might be kind of iffy with the last name, there's no way he'll clear it, so make sure you say it out loud a few times, and again with any appropriate nickname before suggesting anything. You'll save yourself a lot of me having to just shake my head sadly.

So this was one of my favorite shots going through it, though we're missing some of the cuteness where she took the still. For the first hour he was facing down with his head out of view, but this meant he was orientated so his tush was floating in the air/fluid/whatever. None of the pictures properly show it, but you can imagine it maybe. you can see his arm/shoulders on the right, his ribs in the middle, and his pelvis and bent legs on the left... and to the left of his tush was just more blackness, floating there. Guess you'll just have to trust me.

So I'm pretty sure when he's in the position shown, I won't feel him too much. Or not yet at least while he's still just under a pound. This was highlighted when we saw him move during the during the first 2/3 of the ultrasound and I felt nothing.His legs are facing in twoards my body where I can't feel it yet. Also he doesn't ever seem to come up to the top of his home in there, because all his kicks (which I now feel several times a day) are all quite low.

Ok, now I REALLY should go shower. Before the... uh... shower. And even though it might be showering when I leave.

Seventeen Weeks

Peanut is -23 weeks old today, the size of a turnip. Yeah.... that's the problem with these food comparisons. Turnips can be fat, long, small... doesn't work so well. Obviously bigger than the poppy seed we started out at, and smaller than the pumpkin we'll end up with, but how much bigger than an avocado is that really? But approximately 5 inches from head to rump, and 5oz, easy to remember. And my book further elaborates to say about the size of my hand with my fingers outstretched... don't ask me what part of the baby is my palms and which part is fat like my outstretched fingers though :) 

Peanut and I are trying to stay calm. But our exhaustion streak seems to be continuing, I'm not confident that my deciphering of irs code really does mean I don't have to file quarterly estimates until after I file my first annual business taxes. Boi is 23 hours into his shift from yesterday, he decided there was so much to do he would work between shifts and come home sometime today. Could be as late as 6pm... but I'm hoping he gets out before that, since he worked all night... he's been working so many days, I couldn't relax last night, so I called him at 1am to confirm he was going to stay the night, then went and let the cats out. Sure I didn't sleep great with them in bed with me, but I would have slept worse alone.

My nose is constantly running today, more so than normal, could be partially from my hormones I guess, since I'm not being very calm, could be allergies, could be rhinitis of pregnancy. Yup, it has a name, the pregnant woman's runny nose. I'm enjoying educating my mom, all the symptoms have names, when I guess they didn't before or they just didn't bring it up? I don't know, but like when we went out for lunch, and I got a pain in my side, I was able to brush it off as round ligament pain, and mom was like, oh I didn't know they had a name for that. I guess it's the pros and cons of this day and age... there's a lot more information out there, information that can calm you and information that can stress you out.

Still no real definite 'hey that's a baby' feelings. There have been a few times now where I've felt weird things, but they've all felt different from  one another. I don't know if they're all just something else, some of them are from Peanut, or they're all just different movements from Peanut. Maybe next week I'll have a more definite idea. But even more than being excited to know for sure I'm feeling Peanut, is when Boi can start feeling Peanut. It can't be easy being the dad, just being the spectator. Dealing with my mood swings, my aches and pains, being ok one minute and gagging the next. It'll be a lot more fun for him once he can participate a little bit.

Ah great, PBS changed their lineup again. Well, it started on the right show, now it's doing some guy going to Morocco? Ok... and I hit the channel up button, and a new channel appeared? I was on 20-1 and hitting up takes me to the old pbs station... now on 80-32??? Hmmm maybe the old station lost it's signal and it tried to fix it and it fixed it weird.... oh well... 160 more days to go ^.^