pregnancy [week 18]

taken 90 minutes before we learned baby's gender!

It seemed like such a long week leading up to the day when we would find out if we were having a boy or a girl.  Friends and coworkers asked daily what our predictions were, and as the day got closer I surprisingly became less and less nervous.  I had no gut feeling, but I was hoping for a girl.  Eric, of course, had his fingers crossed for a boy.

On the day of our ultrasound, I drank the required 24 ounces of water 60 minutes prior to our appointment.  I'd heard other womens' stories about having to pee so bad that they thought they might lose control, and while I knew it would be just as bad for me I still didn't know exactly what the experience would be like until that 60-minute countdown began.  It seemed like I was ready to go to the bathroom immediately after my first sip of water.  The bumpy ride down to Kaiser didn't help, either, and I got to a point where I decided I wouldn't be able to continue drinking until I got out of the car.  By the time we arrived, I had only 6 ounces to go.  I downed it in practically one gulp while sitting in the waiting room after checking in, and I nearly spilled the last few drops all over myself.  By this time, I had to pee SO BAD that I became a hysterical mess, laughing at my spill and unable to stop chattering and wiggling and bouncing in my chair.  Eric looked at me like I had completely lost it, but at least I hadn't lost my bladder control!

We were called back to the exam room right on time and when the ultrasound tech got the wand on my tummy, I was relieved to find that the 24-ounce water intake had been sufficient to fill my bladder and raise my uterus enough to enable the tech to do her job.  And surprisingly, the feeling of possible bladder eruption dissipated as I stretched out on the exam table.  The technician began by asking us if we wanted to know the sex of the baby, and when we said yes she explained that while the exam would take about 40 minutes, she would tell us the baby's gender as soon as she could see it.  10 seconds later, she announced, "Okay, I know the baby's sex..."

"It's a BOY." 

I was shocked!  And as the technician turned the monitor so I could see, sure enough there right in front of my eyes were the tiny private parts of our baby confirming that we are having a son.  Eric had the biggest smile on his face... and I did, too.

After many snapshots, lots of repositioning, and a few trips to the bathroom, the ultrasound tech confirmed that our baby boy is developing normally; his skull is fully formed and his brain position is centered, he has a strong heartbeat and a fully formed spine, he has two kidneys, two arms, two legs, and doesn't appear to have any physical abnormalities.  A healthy, baby boy is brewing inside of me.  The news couldn't have made Eric and me any happier.

Eric saw the potato and said, "Why does the baby have to look so ugly this week?"

The Bump says that at 18 weeks baby is the size of a sweet potato, averaging 5.6 inches long and 6.7 ounces in weight.  Our ultrasound measured baby at 11 ounces, which the tech said is a perfectly normal weight for our baby at his gestational age.  Speaking of gestation, her measurements also indicated that my estimated due date is now February 23, 2013... 3 days earlier than previously measured at my 8-week appointment.  While 3 days doesn't make a huge difference, it does change my weekly tracker.  More specifically: not only is my week 18 post coming to you quite late, but I am also at this point almost through my 19th week!  So I will be posting again in a couple days and will be (with luck) revising my posting schedule in order to stay on track with my updates.  Out of no where, I've almost reached the halfway point!

After letting the news of our boy sink in for a few days, I am so very happy to be giving Eric a son.  While I still hope that a daughter will be in store for us the next time around, I know that our boy is going to be such an amazing person with so many unique gifts from both his dad and me.  I smile at the thought of all the things Eric will teach our son, and the wonderful relationship I will have with our boy as his mother.  Our little devil is going to be extremely loved and tremendously spoiled by his grandfathers, aunts, and uncles.  I can't wait to meet him... he will be the coolest little boy ever!

pregnancy [week 17]

Check me out in my first pair of maternity pants!

This is the first time in my life that I've not wanted to buy new clothes.  I think it's because I know any maternity purchases I make will only be worn for a short period of time and I don't feel right about making a financial investment in clothing that I will only use short-term.  In addition, anyone who knows me well knows that I'm pretty frugal when it comes to apparel and tend to hunt for bargains and browse clearance racks as much as possible.  Because maternity clothes can be so expensive, many friends and coworkers suggested searching consignment stores for used and gently worn maternity items.  After hitting a few different thrift stores I found these jeans at Goodwill for $6!  They're a little baggy on me (they're a size Small and are the smallest size Small I've found so far) but are super comfortable and have plenty of room for my belly to grow.  I'm excited to continue searching for more! 

The headaches got worse this last week... and I mean, worse.  It got so bad one day that I felt nauseous, was shaking, and even noticed myself moving very slowly as if my coordination was a little off.  Fearing that I was not only having a headache, but a migraine, I left work early to go home to rest.  At this point it had been about 2 weeks of headache hell, so I finally gave into taking Tylenol.  Everything I've read has said that Tylenol is safe during pregnancy (and is basically the only pain reliever considered to be safe for expectant mothers) but I don't like to succumb to medications unless absolutely necessary.  Extra Strength Tylenol was recommended to me by some women in a group I belong to for moms on Facebook and I decided it was time to give it a try.  I cut the dosage in half and took one pill when I got home and a second 4 hours later.  By the end of the evening I felt much better and haven't experienced such a debilitating headache/migraine since.  I am now carrying Tylenol with me everywhere I go, but only plan to use it if headache pain becomes unbearable. 

On to more exciting news: I've finally begun feeling the baby move!  It happened sporadically over the course of about 2 days before I could be sure of what I was feeling, but then there was no doubt in my mind that the rumble in my tummy is in fact my little one saying hello.  I've heard the feeling described as "butterflies" and "like gas bubbles," but I wouldn't really use either of those descriptions myself.  Honestly, it truly feels like a tiny life form is moving around inside of me!  Sometimes it's just pressure here and there; sometimes it's teeny kicks and punches; most of the time it feels like something the size of a hamster is doing flips under my shirt!  Baby's movement is still too faint to be felt from outside of my belly, but that hasn't stopped us from trying to get Eric to feel it.  I'll grab his hand and press it to my tummy as hard as I can, but every time he sadly feels nothing.  I know we won't have to wait too much longer to be able to feel some stuff from the exterior, but I just want so badly to be able to experience this new, amazing thing with Eric.  Come on, baby... kick your daddy!

Our tiny dancer is roughly the size of an onion at 17 weeks, weighing about 5.9 ounces and measuring around 5.1 inches long.  The video pretty much says it all, but each week Eric and I also read the Pregnancy Week-by-Week information on The Bump.  While I am normally the information-sharer, Eric decided he wanted to narrate the entire 17 Weeks Pregnant article.  And if you've ever heard my husband's 'DJ voice,' you can understand just how entertaining this was.  Eric's narrative was also a plus because since baby has been listening to my every vocal emission for the last couple weeks, little one was able to enjoy a show by Daddy for a change.  We'll be reading to my belly more and more, and maybe I'll let Eric take over our weekly belly-update sessions... for baby's benefit and for my own entertainment, too!

Be sure to check back next week: WE'LL KNOW BABY'S GENDER ON MONDAY!

the pesticide pickle

Last Wednesday my coworkers and I were notified that our school's campus would be treated with pesticide that Friday.  The spraying would be no biggie for the kids because Friday was scheduled as a non-school day for students.  It would, however, be a bigger biggie for us adults because Friday was scheduled as a staff development day for all employees.

Why would pesticides be sprayed on a day that staff are on campus and students aren't, rather than on a day when the school is vacant?  Long story short, as part of Special Ed. I am an employee of the county, not of the district in which the school our program is housed on belongs.  The pesticide spraying was scheduled by the district, to take place at all schools in the district, occurring on a staff development day when all district employees were scheduled to work offsite.  Meanwhile, my county colleagues and I were still scheduled to work on our campus site, spray or no spray. 

To be honest, when I read the email with the pesticide warning I didn't think much of it.  It was when I went to lunch in the staff room that day that I heard the concerns of my colleagues who weren't sure if working on campus during the spray would be a good idea.  While the notice only warned caution and did not state that it would be unsafe for staff to be present, some of my coworkers with allergies and autoimmune systems were concerned with the possibility of exposure.  And then there was me; with a bun in the oven and an obviously dense pregnant brain... could I be at risk, too?  

It was a near unanimous opinion among my coworkers that I shouldn't be at school the day of the spray.  When I filled Eric in on the debacle, he also felt very strongly about me not being around the pesticide on Friday.  So I called Kaiser, who forwarded me to the advice nurse, who forwarded me to my doctor's office, who forwarded me to CTIS Pregnancy Health Information Line, where I was unable to reach a live representative.  I left a message and went to their website to try connecting to their chat counseling service, but it was offline.  I submitted an email query instead and began playing the waiting game.

CTIS returned my call the next day and I spent nearly an hour on the phone with a counselor listening to her read from medical studies and reports and MSDS about the affects of the active ingredient in the pesticide that would be used.  All the research summed up to inconclusive results as the toxicological properties of the chemical have not been thoroughly tested on humans, let alone pregnant women and unborn human fetuses.  In the end, it was pretty much my decision to make based on my comfort level whether I would choose to err on the side of caution or take the chance that there would be no assumed risk.  Because Eric had so clearly spoken his mind on the issue, I decided to support his feelings on the subject.

When I called Kaiser back to report my 'findings' from CTIS to my doctor's office, they agreed to write me a doctor's note requesting that I work at a different location during the day of the pesticide spray.  I then called my offsite manager to explain the situation and she was more than generous about the issue and agreed that I had an "understandable concern."  Without hesitation, she scheduled me to work at her office for the day and asked my on-site supervisor to send projects over for me to work on.  Needless to say, I was extremely thankful for the manner in which everyone took care in my (and Eric's) worry and made the necessary arrangements to accommodate my safety, as well as my child's, without the slightest debate or disapproval.

Spray day came and went and I enjoyed the time spent working in my boss' office.  Baby and I are very grateful to be surrounded by so many fabulous people in my workplace and appreciate everyone who voiced their concerns in my favor.  And Eric is satisfied that he didn't have to open up a can of whoopass on anyone threatening to not let him get his way!

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 15]

So despite the daily headaches, nights of interrupted sleep, back pain, and coming down with a cold, it's kind of been a good week!

The intensity of my headaches has subsided, but the frequency has remained.  Their duration is shorter and I have them fewer times a day now.  Many times this week I experienced near sleepless nights, waking up every time I turned.  A few mornings I woke up with back pain and have noticed over the last couple of days easy discomfort when sitting for too long.  The worst was yesterday morning when I woke up with a cold and learned that I am not allowed to take any kind of decongestant.  My sore throat seems to already be gone for the most part, but my nose remains a leaky faucet.

I found out a few days ago that the fabulous wives of Eric's awesome hockey team wish to throw us a baby shower in January.  I was blown away by their generosity and was immediately excited at the idea.  The plan is to have a "co-ed" party including Eric, his teammates, and their significant others.  We always have a great time when we all get together outside of hockey and Eric is really looking forward to participating in the shower.  The team is almost like our extended family, so it will be so much fun celebrating with them.

Speaking of Eric, I haven't really said much--or enough--about the daddy-to-be.  To be honest, the moment I saw the plus sign appear on my home pregnancy test I was worried how Eric would react.  To my surprise, he has been nothing short of absolutely excited about having this baby.  There's never been a doubt in my mind that he would be an amazing father, and he started practicing from the minute we found out about my pregnancy by taking wonderful care of me.  He doesn't hesitate to get me something I may need from the next room (or the store, hehe!), he rubs my back and feet, and he also started helping more around the house before I even had the chance to ask.  Baby and I are so very lucky and grateful for Eric and I really do not know how I would survive without him!         

Our little one is the size of a navel orange this week and I could not believe the size of this guy when I bought it!  It's one thing to imagine or see a photo of something this size; it's another to hold something this big in your hands and think of it as the baby inside of your belly.  Supposedly, the little bug is moving around a bunch but I have yet to feel anything that I am sure of from the outside.  We have our 3rd prenatal appointment tomorrow and while I believe it isn't planned that I'll have an ultrasound, I may just beg and plead for just a quick glimpse at our lovey.  I am pretty sure that we'll get to hear the heartbeat again, which I am looking forward to for sure.  Either way, I am definitely keeping my fingers crossed for another green light confirmation of a healthy baby!   

be maternity beband

About 3 weeks ago I purchased the Be Maternity BeBand in black from Target.  My pants were beginning to feel uncomfortable while buttoned and the hair tie trick (looping a hair tie or rubber band around the button, through the button hole and back around the button) gave me the extra space I needed but no flexibility when bending or sitting.  Because my pants still fit everywhere except for in the waist, I decided to try a belly band before jumping the gun to maternity pants.

I have been VERY happy with this purchase.  The elasticity of the band is perfect and keeps my pants in place when unbuttoned.  I also found relief in the comfort of the band's flexibility, which is similar to that of maternity pants.  During my first week with the band, just leaving my pants unbuttoned did the trick.  During the second week, I felt the need to leave the zipper down a bit.  This last week I have been leaving the zipper completely down and the band fully covers my indecent exposure.  It's so much fun (and comfy) walking around with your pants undone!

beband at week 13

I know I won't be able to rely on the belly band forever; after 3 weeks of growth I have already noticed that it becomes a little uncomfortable after wearing it all day at work and into the evening.  Maternity pants will be gracing my closet space sooner rather than later, and the band has been the perfect addition during this in-between stage of weight and belly gain.  I know it's going to be hard to get out of maternity pants, especially after having the baby... but that doesn't mean I'm in any particular rush to get into them!

pregnancy [week 14]

Eric and I spent the end of my 14th week of pregnancy enjoying a wonderful little babymoon in Santa Cruz.  It was the perfect 2-day getaway to celebrate the holiday weekend and escape from life.  Because I worked during my first 4 weeks of summer; and Eric spent the following 2 1/2 weeks working 12 hour days, 6 days a week; and then I wasted away my remaining 2 1/2 weeks balled up on the couch with morning sickness; there were not many opportunities for us to do anything special during our summer.  Spending quality time together (away at the beautiful beach!) was exactly what we needed after a very long 2 months.

Finally entering the 2nd trimester has been very happy and exciting!  While I've still had moments of not feeling so well, those feelings have remained only moments and are no longer multiple hours of the day.  My nausea has nearly completely faded away and I've only experienced queasiness here and there.  In its place, headaches have come and have really been bothering me over the last couple of days.  I'm pretty sure I prefer the headaches over gagging and fighting the urge to vomit, but of course in a perfect world I'd prefer neither.  I also feel like I've got a good portion of my energy back, but I'm not quite back to 100%.  Kicking the habit (and fighting the urge) of my afternoon naps still remains to be a tough one.

Our loved one is the size of a lemon this week, measuring about 3.4 inches and weighing about 1.5 ounces.  According to The Bump, baby has almost doubled in size since last week, which hopefully accounts for the magical +3 lbs. that showed up on the scale a few days ago and have continued to stick around.  An increased appetite is one of the common symptoms experienced during week 14, and I definitely do feel like I'm now eating more out of hunger rather than eating just to keep the nausea at bay.  With that, I'm making sure I'm drinking plentiful amounts of water and even attempting to get outside to walk again in the cooler evenings.  I've also noticed some light cramping here and there--occasionally in my lower abdominal area and recently in the back of my left thigh--but neither are anything I'm too concerned about.  I know everything is moving and stretching and preparing for baby's growth... as well as for my own!

Check out the week 14 video:

Yes, I know... PEEING INSIDE OF ME!  I could have gone without knowing that.