Sunday, March 30, 2014

To My Baby Kangaroo 3.30.14

Here we are at week 18 already. I'm so ready to start your baby registry, but am holding off until we know your gender.

This week you are about 7 oz, 5-1/2" long, or about the size of a bell pepper. (A large bell pepper - most are not that size!)

No new symptoms this week. I was unable to work out for most of the week because of the nagging cough I had. I went back to the doctor on Thursday and as I expected, I have a sinus infection. (Maybe if the weather would make up its mind and stop changing so much I wouldn't have any issues!) The doctor put me on a Z-pack, a 5-day antibiotic. Tomorrow is my last pill. I'm feeling better, but still coughing. Last night was the first night in over a week that I didn't wake myself up coughing.

Friday I took a personal day from work and went shopping and ran some errands. I was tired of mail-ordering maternity clothes and the local selection is not very good. So I drove to St. Louis and found lots of goodies in an Old Navy Maternity and a Motherhood Maternity. I also stopped at a Babies R Us and bought some items off a friend's baby registry - their shower is mid-April. 

Saturday, March 22, 2014

To my Baby Kangaroo 3.23.14

Week 17. This week your cartilage is forming into bones, your sweat glands are developing, you're about 5" long and about 5 oz.

This week I didn't have any new symptoms, but I did come down with a rough cough and sore throat that started on Wednesday morning and I'm still suffering through. I've been sleeping on the couch so I can keep my head elevated.

I had a doctor's appointment yesterday. I heard your heartbeat again. At our next appointment, in four weeks, we'll have another ultrasound and hopefully find out your gender. (Woohoo!) And then I can start working on the baby registry and we can start thinking about names.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

To my Baby Kangaroo - 3.16.14

Where is time going? I am four months pregnant today (holy cow, we're almost halfway there!). This week you are the size of an avocado (4" long), and your ears are developing. (Speaking of avocadoes, for breakfast I had a bacon, egg, cheese, and avocado sandwich - delicious.) Soon you'll hear me talking to myself, and singing to myself in the car. You'll hear your dad, and you'll hear our favorite TV shows (NCIS, Intelligence, Blue Bloods - I sense a police/crime theme...).
This week there is a big consignment sale for baby and maternity stuff. We don't have your room started at all yet, but I'm hoping to find some furniture for your room soon. The list I have for the sale this week: a baby carrier (hopefully an Ergo), a nursing pillow, a dresser/changing table and some maternity clothes for me. I'm hoping for a couple skirts or dresses, workout clothes, shorts and casual shirts to wear in the garden and while doing housework. In about a month, I figure we'll start our baby registry - by that time we should know your gender. And hopefully by then we'll start working on your room. Right now it serves as a spare bedroom/storage/office.
I wonder if Freddy, our border collie, knows I am pregnant. Sometimes he stops and looks at me and I think he's asking me a question. My biggest fear is that you'll be allergic to dogs and cats like your dad is. I hope you don't inherit that from him; I want Freddy and the farm cats to be your friends.

My symptoms this week?
I still have days where I am so hungry and nothing seems to fill me up. Several days this week I had cravings for really salty potato chips.
Finally, maybe, starting to look pregnant instead of chubby - really depends on which clothes I am wearing though
Headaches - Friday afternoon and most of the day on Saturday. I've started taking Tylenol within the first sign of the headache instead of toughing it out for several hours, and it seems to help.
I think I've gained weight, but I haven't stepped on the scale this week. My workout pants are falling down below my belly when I work out
My buttcheek still hurts
Plantar fasciitis flared up again in my right foot. I've been icing it the last couple days and making a point to wear arch-supporting shoes. Not sure if this is pregancy related, but since my cardio consists mainly of fast walking and stationary biking, it may be the result of my fitness routine.

Saturday, March 15, 2014

We flung poo

Oh yes we did. Dad brought over the manure spreader, full of composted cow poo, and spread it on the garden.
Only other gardeners will understand how exciting this is. Here's to a successful, over the top, tomato harvest this year!

Saturday, March 8, 2014

Baby Kangaroo 3.9.14

This week you are about 4" long or the size of a large apple or navel orange. Your lungs are developing and your arms and legs are continuing to grow.

My symptoms this week?
Increased hunger - I usually eat breakfast around 615 and a snack around 10, then lunch at 1130. Several days this week I had breakfast at regular time but by the time I got to work at 8, I was starving! So I packed a few extra pieces of fruit this week.
Insomnia - this has happened on and off for several weeks. I'll get up at midnight for my first pee and then won't be able to sleep until 2am. Sometimes I lay in bed and try to fall back asleep but other times I know it's hopeless and so I'll get up and read on the couch.
Stuffy nose, and my nose bleeds almost every time I blow it
Not sure if this is a pregnancy symptom but my buttcheek muscles hurt if I sit for a long time. It's whatever muscle runs vertical, typically just my right cheek (I know, weird)

Thursday, March 6, 2014

To my Little Kangaroo 3.1.2014

This week, week 14, you are the size of a lemon - a big lemon, about 3-1/2"long. You are able to suck your thumb and your systems are functioning - you're peeing, making bile, and making blood cells. Which may explain why I now get up twice a night to pee instead of once...

This week's symptoms? I was really thirsty. Friday this week I didn't drink as much water as I should have and I didn't have time for snacks. Around 3 pm a killer headache started. Tylenol never works for me, but I took 2 extra strength and my headache subsided. It came back Saturday afternoon, even though I paid attention to my water and food intake. But the weather was weird this weekend, so maybe that is part of why I had such intense headaches. 

I recently asked my Dad to take a look at the rocking chair that Grandma Betty has. She always had it in her kitchen when I was little and rocked all of us grandkids to sleep in it. Grandma said the chair belonged to my Great Grandma Bohnsack, and that it was from her house in Bugtown - a house that is no longer there. Anyway, Dad is hopefully going to repair and maybe refinish the rocking chair so I can put it in the nursery. That's really the only thought I've given to nursery furniture so far...

I had a craving for a beer this week. This is going to be a long 6 months, and a longggggg summer.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

Seedling Update

Almost all the pepper seeds have sprouted. Except for the poblanos. Brand new seed - the garden center even had to order them because they were out - and only 4 of the 12 seeds that I planted have sprouted. I was telling the Hubs this, and he said I say this every year - that the poblano seeds are always slower. So I guess next year I will start the poblano seeds a week before everything else.
Yesterday I transplanted the cauliflower and broccoli into larger containers. I left two per container, but I planted them deeper so they aren't so leggy. I've never had much luck with brassica transplants, so we'll see how it works this year. They may be one of those vegetables, like tomatillos, that I have to buy plants for.
Next weekend the garden calendar says to start tomatoes! I'm really excited because I got a package of heirloom blend seeds that has all different colors and sizes of tomatoes. I don't typically like "grab bag" style seeds, but I've never met a tomato I didn't like, and I figured this would give me a chance to sample several varieties to see if there are some I want to specifically grow in the future.
Yesterday I raked some of the straw in the garden to the edge, so that when we get manure from the farm we don't have as much prep to do here. The straw came from when the Hubs poured the concrete floor for his shop. It was getting cold at that time, so we insulated the curing concrete with tarps and straw. After the concrete cured, we had 6 or so bales of loose straw and I suggested we put it in the garden area to use as mulch this year. Genius idea! It wasn't even hard to move because the straw was on top of the tarps, so we pulled the tarps down the driveway and dumped the straw in the garden. Surprisingly the straw hasn't blown away, even though we've had a couple crazy winter storms that blew shingles off the roof.
Looking forward, I'm a little anxious about our baby kangaroo's arrival. I know, we have about another 6 months until the baby arrives. But I'm thinking about his/her arrival in the middle of garden harvest season; I'm going to need extra help weeding the garden, harvesting and processing the vegetables. I'm also making a list of meals I can put in the freezer ahead of time and meals I can have ready to put in the crockpot for the first several weeks. My ideas so far:
Lasagnas - both a bechamel sauce and a red sauce variety
Stuffed shells or manicotti or canelloni
Meatballs
Turkey burgers - mixed up, preformed and frozen
Enchilada casserole
For the crockpot - fixings for roasts, pulled pork, stroganoff, and chicken noodle soup

Also looking forward to fresh veggies from the garden!

To my Baby Kangaroo - 2.23.14

This week you are 13 weeks old and we are entering the second trimester. Depending on which source I refer to, you are either the size of a peach or the length of a pea pod. So about 3" long. Which would explain why my pants are increasingly uncomfortable. I've been wearing a pair of black maternity pants from Target, and also my pre-pregnancy work pants with a Bella Band. It's like a tube top that allows a pregnant woman to keep her pants zipped, but not buttoned, and it keeps the pants from coming unzipped or falling down. Also prevents me from having to buy so many maternity clothes. Not to say I haven't though - the selection of maternity clothes in town is pretty slim, so I ordered several shirts and a pair of jean capris from Old Navy. I may make a trip to St. Louis later in pregnancy to check out maternity selection there. There is also a consignment sale coming to the Mall that will have baby stuff and maternity stuff; that will be about a month from now. I'm hoping to find some skirts and dresses, since I'll be pregnant in the peak of summer...
We had a prenatal visit this week. We heard your heartbeat. Your dad is already in love with you; when we got to the appointment he said he wouldn't be against having another ultrasound because he likes to see you. And he also said he wouldn't mind having a 3D ultrasound!
I really didn't have many symptoms this week (hallelujah). Other than my pants not fitting right anymore, I wouldn't even know. According to our scale here at home, I'm finally back to my pre-pregnancy weight. Up until last week's weigh-in, our scale said I was 4 pounds less than pre-pregnancy weight. Which didn't make any sense to me at all; I never had morning sickness that made me throw up, and I feel like I've been eating like a horse. I'm continuing my weight and cardio routine at the gym, and I can tell I'm more out of breath when I work out.
This week I told my supervisors and HR about you. They are all excited and very supportive. I don't have enough leave time to take off a full 12 weeks, so I'm proposing taking the first 8 weeks completely off and then working part time from 8 to 12 weeks. This way I'll ease back into work, but still be able to hold off on paying for childcare for another month. Speaking of childcare, I have no idea what we're doing. A daycare setting is fairly expensive, and I think we're leaning toward a home daycare. If we can find someone that provides childcare at their home that is easy for us both to get to.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

To my Baby Kangaroo 2.15.14

This week you are about the size of a lime, and you look like a miniature human. It is shocking to me that you are only 12 weeks old and no longer look "alien".
My symptoms subsided a lot this week. One day I had a bad headache in the afternoon/evening, but it went away when I slept. I experienced chapped nipples one day. Very strange. They hurt and when I looked at them, they looked like my lips when I forget to put on chapstick and spend the day outside in the sun and wind. I put lotion on them (big mistake - they burned and stung) and then did some research on the best treatment. Most women recommend lanolin, which is the same lotiony-type substance that women use after each breastfeeding session. It's almost waxy in consistency. I found some at Target - instant relief!
I'm continuing my same weight training and cardio workout at the gym. I can get through the routine, but am extremely tired when I finish. Used to, I would feel energized after a workout. Now I come home and make dinner and can barely keep my eyes open to watch a television show.
I have a meeting with HR on Monday to discuss maternity leave options. Our next prenatal appointment is Friday. I'm not sure when I'll tell my supervisors, but it probably needs to be fairly soon.

Monday, March 3, 2014

To my Baby Kangaroo 2.8.14

This week, at 11 weeks, you are about the size of a fig, or about 1-1/2" long. (I should say that all these food comparisons on the pregnancy websites make me hungry for those foods. I haven't had a good fig since the end of summer...) Your fingers and toes are forming, and you are starting to grow fingernails and develop teeth under your gums. And you are only the size of a fig!! This is so crazy to me...
This week, my pregnancy symptoms have reduced. My boobs do not hurt as much; I do not have as many food aversions. Hunger comes in waves still. Sometimes I won't be very hungry and then I'll want to eat three bowls of cereal (I don't, of course, but I want to!) This week we had another round of winter weather, so I only made it to the gym twice. The other days this week I was trying to get home before the sun went down and the melted ice/snow had a chance to refreeze on the roads. I also haven't been over to play with Freddy this week except for once. But he was inside several days due to the cold anyway.
I had my six month dental check up on Friday. My dentist said it is normal for my gums to bleed during pregnancy, and they do on occasion. Especially when I floss. Sometimes I look like a vampire. My next checkup is when I am 9 months pregnant, so he said to hold off until after you are born. Unless I have some dental issues in the meantime, but he said my mouth looks very healthy.
I am almost ready to tell my supervisor. We are starting a new software later this year and I am the lead on the conversion and implementation process. We will go live with the program during my maternity leave, so I am trying to come up with another person to get involved now. Everytime I think I am ready to tell my boss, then I get a little scared and chicken out. I don't want to be treated differently because I'm pregnant.

Sunday, March 2, 2014

To my Baby Kangaroo 2/2/14

This week, you scared me a little bit. I had some spotting on Monday. I called the doctor's office on Tuesday and they said to call back if it started again. It did. So I called back on Tueday afternoon and set an appointment for first thing on Wednesday morning. I told your dad about the appointment, and tried to be strong and tell him I didn't need him there. But he saw through my "tough" facade and surprised me by coming to the appointment. Turns out everything was OK, and  we even got to see our first glimpse of you.
You are about an inch long in the ultrasound. You waved at us during the ultrasound. Your heart was beating about 160 beats per minute. We didn't get to hear your heartbeat but we could see it. According to your length, your due date is still August 31. This week you'll grow about 1/4", and be about the size of a kumquat. According the the scale here at home, I've lost 4 pounds since I found out I was pregnant, but according to the scale at the doctor's office, I've gained 2 pounds. 

This week I had a cold for the first half of the week. Cough, congestion, drainage, gunk. Luckily, Robitussin and Mucinex are on the approved medication list. I'm pretty done with cough drops, too. I forget how gross they make my mouth feel until I've gone through a bag of them. Other items that helped this week: running a humidifer at night, and using saline mist in my nose multiple times a day. Because of the cold, I was unable to go to the gym until Wednesday evening. 

Symptoms this week? Still experiencing food aversions, but they could also be blamed on the cold and lack of appetite. My boobs are no longer sore, but frequently there are stabbing pains in them. The uterus area of my body feels like it is stretching. 


Saturday, March 1, 2014

To My Baby Kangaroo 1/26/14

This week, the food aversions continued. I made homemade pizza earlier this week and it smelled so good, but one look at it and I wasn't sure I could eat it. I choked it down. Then made the mistake of taking the leftovers for lunch at work. They're still in the work fridge. Cheesy foods, chicken and seafood are still major turnoffs. I am loving carbs, PB&J sandwiches and fresh fruit. I had some issues with nausea earlier this week, but as long as I snacked the nausea subsided. With all this snacking, I expected to be gaining weight. Not so. I stepped on the scale yesterday morning expecting at least a 5 pound weight gain i the last 2 weeks. Not the case. I've lost 4 pounds. But I feel like I'm eating like a horse. I'll eat seconds at dinner. I snack all day. One thing I've noticed is that I think my water intake has reduced. If I drink too much water, my stomach gets wiggly feeling. I used to be able to chug a 16 oz glass and now I'm taking small sips.
I talked with my personal trainer at the gym about my strength training routine. She said to keep going with my current routine. Once I gain weight, I'll probably need to switch out a couple of the items. I doubt I'll be able to continue pull ups throughout my pregnancy, even if they are on the assisted machine... She said to switch out to the vertical traction machine or lat pulldown machine. They both have similar shoulder movement as pull ups.
Today is the Christmas get-together with mom's side of the family. Somehow we're announcing to the family. I was thinking right before the dinner prayer. We'll have to see how it goes.
This week (week 9) you are the size of a green olive and you actually look like a baby human.
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