number 2 [week 32]

Symptoms: The magic from the chiropractor started to wear off this week. The familiar weakness in my lower back began to slowly make its return. I've also battled what seems like a small cold with a heavier running nose and scratchy throat than what's typical with my allergies. Trying to keep tissue close and imbibe hot tea is about all that can be done without the ability to take cold meds. On the positive side, I've had much worse colds than this little one.

Cravings: Chips sound good. I miss chips.

Aversions: Still not ready for any zucchini. I also think I'm done with strawberries for the season, even though I see them selling for cheap in grocery stores.

Missing: Sushi never leaves my mind for too long.

Mood: Everything is still really great. I'm feeling a little stressed about having to continue to wait for the carpet install in Wesley's room, worrying that we won't get everything done in time. I don't care so much about my Halloween deadline anymore; I just want to be ready when Wesley gets here, because I think this kid is coming early!

Sleep: There are good nights and not-so-good nights. I've been falling asleep early, really taking advantage of the opportunities while I still have them.

Dreams: My schedule's been so chaotic, I can't remember any!

Movement: Wesley's hiccups now vibrate my entire belly. I remember when Eric couldn't feel the hiccups from the outside, and now my whole stomach leaps with the repetitive hiccuping motion. Wesley feels huge, again making me think we're not going all the way to 40 weeks.

Best Moment: This was an exciting week with Eric's 31st birthday and our 6th wedding anniversary! On the night of his birthday, Simon and I surprised Eric with delicious Ciro's Pizza for dinner. That Friday night, we were able to have an adults-only date night with dinner at Sammy's inside Stones Gambling Hall and a round of arcade games at Dave and Buster's. Our meal was absolutely fabulous, and we really enjoyed sitting outside at the end of what was a gorgeous evening, chatting and just taking some time for ourselves. On our anniversary, Eric brought home a bouquet of beautiful flowers for me, and we took Simon out to eat with us for a casual meal at Applebee's. Our real celebration will be at the end of the month when we plan to spend a night away in Tahoe. This will be a first for us since becoming parents!

Pregnancy Purchases: My friend, Briana, from work just recently announced her first pregnancy and invited me to try out a prenatal yoga class with her. She found a studio called Herself Moms, which offers health and fitness and educational classes that support the prenatal and postpartum journey. The workout felt really great on my slowly, re-tightening back, and it felt really good to stretch out certain joints that I've been slacking on doing on my own. My favorite part was learning a pose called the frog, which is a really comfortable labor pose used with labor breathing. Briana and I really enjoyed the class, and I'd like to commit to going once a week until Wesley graces us with his presence.

Other News: We attended the first of 3 (that's right, I said three) weddings we've been invited to during the month of October. My friend, Cristin, from high school had a lovely wedding ceremony at Monte Verde Inn in Foresthill where we were able to visit with many close friends as well as some I don't see often. Simon was a little bit of a handful having not taken a proper nap that afternoon, but he received many compliments on how handsome he looked and was whisked away to dance by some of our helpful friends.We surprisingly stayed until the end of the wedding and were so grateful to be included in this lovely affair.

Looking Forward To: More October events to come, stay tuned!

the birthday boy with his COMPLIMENTARY dessert

our family at Cristin's wedding

photo booth fun

pregnancy [week 16]

At 16 weeks we had my 3rd prenatal appointment and unfortunately it wasn't too exciting.  I met my new obstetrician who was nice and knowledgeable.  She spoke to me at great length about making sure I keep my weight gain in check; I'm up 7 lbs. since my last appointment 5 weeks ago, when I was only at a 1 lb. increase.  My doctor wasn't concerned and understands that weight fluctuates day to day, and I explained that I've been keeping track of the scale and was within the recommended weight gain at the end of my first trimester.  So I'm not in trouble (or too fat, haha) and we're making sure I don't gain more than a pound a week.  We ended things with listening to baby's heartbeat and we got to hear a few kicks!  I'm not feeling those kicks yet, but it was exciting to know that they're happening.

I've noticed I'm quickly becoming uncomfortable after sitting for short and long periods of time.  Two Fridays in a row we've gone to comedy shows (at different venues with different seats) where I've found myself having to change sitting positions every few minutes.  I think it's related to my posture--which has never been great--and pregnancy is making it worse.  I get uncomfortable sitting at work, too, in front of the computer or in my "comfy teacher's chair" at my table.  The one place, surprisingly, where I don't find myself in pain is in the car.  I only commute 25 minutes each way, but I'm thankful that the ride is pain-free.  I'm usually pretty comfortable while sleeping as well, which is my most precious time.  I guess my body is telling me that I need to do less sitting and more lying back with my feet up!

Finally, I had my first dream about the baby post-delivery.  We had a girl (yay!) and she was beautiful.  The only way I can describe her is that she had my dark features with Eric's big, contagious smile that I love.  We had baby girl dressed in a trendy, colorful outfit complete with a little cardigan.  She looked stylish, healthy, and happy!  I was sprawled out on the couch bouncing her on my tummy and Eric was sitting on the floor smiling and laughing with us.  The funniest part was that all 3 of us were completely covered in baby spit up and yet couldn't have seemed more content with life.  I like to think that this dream was a glimpse of our future; a family of 3 as happy as can be!            

Our little one is about the size of an avocado at the 16 week mark.  Babe measures roughly 4.6 inches long and weighs about 3.5 ounces.  While I'm not feeling any movement yet, the flutters should begin anytime now.  I'm very happy to learn that the love bug is starting to hear my voice.  I've started talking to my belly... mostly asking to start being able to feel some kicks and movement.  When I'm not telling the bean about where we're going and what we're doing, I'm experiencing a pretty normal dose of pregnancy brain, forgetting small things like what I was typing if a student interrupts me and bigger things like calling HR to get information about maternity leave.  But I can't complain too much about my reduced brain power; with all my body's energy going toward growing a tiny baby, I think I can give myself a break here and there.  Like when I almost forgot to feed the animals... oops!     
     

P.S. Less than two weeks until we find out baby's gender!

pregnancy [week 7]

This last week has been a difficult one with all my pregnancy symptoms in high gear.  Nausea has been frequent, bathroom trips have been frequent, exhaustion has been frequent, and hormonal crabbiness has been WAY too frequent.  I feel queasy several times a day, whether I'm just relaxing or keeping myself busy.  I have to run to the little girl's room more often that what seems possible with the amount of fluids I'm drinking.  I take one, if not two, naps everyday after work.  I get very impatient, and very irritated, very quickly.  Taking all this into consideration, though, it seems like I'm progressing through this pregnancy the perfect shade of normal.

 Eric caught me during one of my mid-afternoon snoozes

Tomorrow is our first doctor appointment and we'll hopefully get to find out exactly how far along I am, as well as confirm that everything is progressing as expected inside my belly.  I am supposed to have my first ultrasound to determine my estimated due date, fill out a bunch of oh-so-fun paperwork, and get blood and urine tests done.  I have a huge phobia of getting my blood drawn so Eric will be with me to offer his arm to squeeze.  I am trying to focus less on the scary-needle part and more on the I-might-get-to-see-and-hear-my-baby's-heartbeat part.  That's the exciting part.

I've made it my goal this week to focus more on my eating habits and activity level.  Ever since the morning sickness hit, I've only craved the most unhealthiest of foods.  I seriously had a hamburger 3 times and pizza 4 times last week.  Yes, I can blame the 4th of July holiday and the mass amount of birthday parties we've attended as of late, but I really need to take responsibility for my nutrition.  No more "only a burrito sounds good right now!" and no more laziness.  In addition to recommitting to my pre-pregnancy healthy eating habits, my fitness needs to get back in gear as well.  I put the kibosh on my Insanity workout once I found out we were expecting and was diligently walking the dog every evening during that first week.  In the week since, the weather has been in the triple digits and doggy and I have barricaded ourselves inside the air-conditioned house.  Now that the heat has cooled for the time being, we will be getting back outside and I plan to ask about some pregnancy-safe exercises at my appointment tomorrow.    

This little baby, the size of a blueberry, has already changed our lives so much in such a small amount of time.  I'm so excited to hopefully see our little nugget tomorrow and be able to rest assured that it is developing totally normally.  This little bugger has been quite active thus far, and I know its early affects are just the beginning of this crazy, exhausting, bloated journey!