No, I'm not contemplating smoking some illegal substance. I'm making a prediction.
See, stoners near and far are looking forward to this "national holiday" on April 20th for one reason.
I'm predicting it officially as Brett's birthday. Not that I desire for my child to get into illegal drugs. But, because a few things about it make sense.
1. I am measuring 2 weeks ahead... this means that on April 20th I am going to be exactly 38 weeks pregnant (hence 40 weeks if you do the math).
2. A crazy phenomenon happens on April 20th that seems to cause women to go into labor every month. Yes, it is a full moon.
So, I'm no Einstein, and Brett may very well have other plans.... but I want it to be known that I have made my prediction and I'm sticking to it!
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Okay, this is all beginning to make sense
So, I had my last doctor's appointment Tuesday morning. And, yes, this was the doctor's appointment where I had to take the dreaded glucose test (and for all who don't know what that means - they test you for gestational diabetes).
Now, I know I have a big baby. My mom even looked at me on Sunday and marvelled at how big the baby has to be right now. She even prompted me to make sure that my due date was actually right, according to my doctor.
My fears? Gestational diabetes causes large babies. I have never personally had diabetes, but it does run in my family so I was dreading the results.
Well, I went in Tuesday morning and drank the orange-fanta like substance that they required of me... and then waited an hour for them to draw blood. In between, I met with my doctor. She measured my belly and told me that I was measuring 2 weeks ahead! So, instead of measuring 29 weeks, I was measuring 31. And, in fact, they told me that anytime after April 5th, if I went into labor they wouldn't try to stop it... they would go ahead and deliver the baby. Wow, crazy huh? We have mentally prepared ourselves for May 5th, but I am sooo glad we have the nursery together now. Brett may make his appearance much sooner than we all thought!
Well, they did draw my blood after my appointment and I was nervously awaiting the test results all day yesterday. When they didn't call, I finally called them and they told me that I was fine. Whew! What a relief! I was honestly freaked out, but all is well.
So, it's just as my mom said. I just have a REALLY BIG baby. He is definitely taking after Steve's side already. If Brett grows up to be as tall as his daddy, he'll be 6'4" when he's fully grown. I'm already dreading labor....
Now, I know I have a big baby. My mom even looked at me on Sunday and marvelled at how big the baby has to be right now. She even prompted me to make sure that my due date was actually right, according to my doctor.
My fears? Gestational diabetes causes large babies. I have never personally had diabetes, but it does run in my family so I was dreading the results.
Well, I went in Tuesday morning and drank the orange-fanta like substance that they required of me... and then waited an hour for them to draw blood. In between, I met with my doctor. She measured my belly and told me that I was measuring 2 weeks ahead! So, instead of measuring 29 weeks, I was measuring 31. And, in fact, they told me that anytime after April 5th, if I went into labor they wouldn't try to stop it... they would go ahead and deliver the baby. Wow, crazy huh? We have mentally prepared ourselves for May 5th, but I am sooo glad we have the nursery together now. Brett may make his appearance much sooner than we all thought!
Well, they did draw my blood after my appointment and I was nervously awaiting the test results all day yesterday. When they didn't call, I finally called them and they told me that I was fine. Whew! What a relief! I was honestly freaked out, but all is well.
So, it's just as my mom said. I just have a REALLY BIG baby. He is definitely taking after Steve's side already. If Brett grows up to be as tall as his daddy, he'll be 6'4" when he's fully grown. I'm already dreading labor....
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Pregnancy. Weight Gain. Sucks./ 28 Week Picture
So, I decided to take some pregnant pictures before I changed into my pj's tonight. Here is my 28 week belly. I think that the fact that the shirt is black minimizes the size, but it's still pretty impressive. 
It's actually gotten to the point where people are asking me how soon I am due and expecting me to say "next week". When I tell them it's May 5th, they kind of give me an odd look and ask if I'm SURE that I don't have 2 cooking in there.
I have gained much more than I ever would have liked already. I won't say the number on the scale, but I decided to step on it today to prepare myself for my doctor's visit next week, and let me just say that the number actually horrified me. And, I still have 2 1/2 months to go!
And, one year ago today, we were on a cruise in the middle of the caribbean. I was proud of my size and weight at that time. See the pic below. It's almost hard to believe it's me.
Man, will I ever have to work my butt off come May!
Sunday, February 10, 2008
My $$$$$$ Bundle Of Joy
Baby Furniture/Accessories/Etc... 
Price: $10,000 +
Price: PRICELESS??????
I hope you enjoyed my little illustration (and by the way, items featured are on my BRU registry :)). But seriously, this is a little overwhelming!
We did plan to get pregnant. This was no suprise. And, we knew that we'd have upcoming expenses, but man oh man, what we didn't know!
First of all, our insurance covers like 10% of our $450 ultrasounds (of which we've already had 2, and will have a third). Also, it barely covers blood work (I don't even want to get into that). So, we've had those preliminary expenses. And, we are pre-paying for the delivery, which doesn't even include drugs or hospital stay or anything else that we will incur until AFTER we are at home with baby. And, here's the kicker. We mulled over which insurance plan would be better for me to be on, mine or his, based on the fact that we were trying to get pregnant. This was the BETTER plan of the two. Seriously!
We've also been trying to buy nursery/ baby items here and there as we can to stretch our dollar further and not be overwhelmed all at once. We've bought the basics, but registered for the rest. This has been okay so far.
But the biggest problem is going to be maternity leave. Every other country in the civilized world seems to support women and maternity leave. The US, not so much. I am lucky to be allowed to take 12 weeks without being fired. And this is all, of course, unpaid leave. And, I'm not talking specifically about my company's FMLA plan. This is a pretty universal practice.
So, anyway, we've been trying to put $$ away for the last 6 months so I can stay home this summer. But with all of the doctor bills, we have not been able to put nearly as much away as we had originally hoped to do. This is where the tax man was supposed to come in and help us. Last year we brought home a pretty nice chunk of change and were expecting about the same this year. We had no reason not to think so. Well, Steve started our taxes yesterday, and it's not so pretty. Even though I did NOT fill out a new Federal form with my company (aka - everything should stay the same from last year), they decided to go ahead and take less taxes out anyway. Yeah, ouch. We OWE the government this year. To say I'm upset is putting it lightly.
So, short of selling blood or finding some valuable collector's item worth thousands, we are crossing our fingers that we can make this work. Things always work out...or so I've heard.
Price: $2,000 +
Ultrasounds/Dr. Visits/Tests/Baby Delivery:
Ultrasounds/Dr. Visits/Tests/Baby Delivery:
Price: $10,000 +
Taking a 12 week UNPAID maternity leave:
Price: Very Costly
Your Own Baby:
Price: PRICELESS??????I hope you enjoyed my little illustration (and by the way, items featured are on my BRU registry :)). But seriously, this is a little overwhelming!
We did plan to get pregnant. This was no suprise. And, we knew that we'd have upcoming expenses, but man oh man, what we didn't know!
First of all, our insurance covers like 10% of our $450 ultrasounds (of which we've already had 2, and will have a third). Also, it barely covers blood work (I don't even want to get into that). So, we've had those preliminary expenses. And, we are pre-paying for the delivery, which doesn't even include drugs or hospital stay or anything else that we will incur until AFTER we are at home with baby. And, here's the kicker. We mulled over which insurance plan would be better for me to be on, mine or his, based on the fact that we were trying to get pregnant. This was the BETTER plan of the two. Seriously!
We've also been trying to buy nursery/ baby items here and there as we can to stretch our dollar further and not be overwhelmed all at once. We've bought the basics, but registered for the rest. This has been okay so far.
But the biggest problem is going to be maternity leave. Every other country in the civilized world seems to support women and maternity leave. The US, not so much. I am lucky to be allowed to take 12 weeks without being fired. And this is all, of course, unpaid leave. And, I'm not talking specifically about my company's FMLA plan. This is a pretty universal practice.
So, anyway, we've been trying to put $$ away for the last 6 months so I can stay home this summer. But with all of the doctor bills, we have not been able to put nearly as much away as we had originally hoped to do. This is where the tax man was supposed to come in and help us. Last year we brought home a pretty nice chunk of change and were expecting about the same this year. We had no reason not to think so. Well, Steve started our taxes yesterday, and it's not so pretty. Even though I did NOT fill out a new Federal form with my company (aka - everything should stay the same from last year), they decided to go ahead and take less taxes out anyway. Yeah, ouch. We OWE the government this year. To say I'm upset is putting it lightly.
So, short of selling blood or finding some valuable collector's item worth thousands, we are crossing our fingers that we can make this work. Things always work out...or so I've heard.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Incredible Shrinking Rings, & I Think I Might Be Developing A Maternal Instinct
Yep, it finally happened. My fingers have finally swollen to the size of small sausages, and my wedding bands no longer fit. Therefore I must wear them around a chain on my neck. See illustration below...
This is all at once unsettling to me. You see, I have been wearing at least an engagment ring on my finger since February of 2001. So, for 7 years there is no questioning the fact that I am "taken". Removing rings from my fingers leaves me with a slight sense of vulnerability. Not that I am afraid of being hit on by strange men (although, it would seriously make me laugh if I was to be hit on as a very obviously "showing" pregnant woman). Rather, it makes me feel like I must explain myself to everyone. I know there are plenty of fabulous single mothers out there who don't "need a man" to raise their child, but I guess I grew up in an uber-conservative household where it was looked upon as shameful for a non-married woman to be pregnant. Again, I don't personally subscribe to this theory, but it's something that's been instilled in me and I in a sense feel guilty without my rings on ESPECIALLY while toting this massive belly.
Side note: I tried to take a belly picture to post here, however, I am having a rather lazy Saturday and am going sans makeup. From the pics on my computer I have just now learned that a pregnant woman without makeup is a scary scary thing. I will try to get one up soon, though since it's been about a month since I last posted one.
Now, on to the second part of my post. It has finally hit me.... I think I am developing a maternal instinct. And, the way it happened wasn't all that pleasant.
I usually have an issue with discussing my workplace environment in my blogs, and I can count on one hand the people who will scold me for even mentioning it (although I will NOT mention the company who I work for, and I highly doubt anyone who works for them even reads my blog, and even so, they all know about this incident). But, it's an integral part of this story.
So, anyway, I was at work last Thursday. (I am the property manager of an apartment complex, by the way.) A really irate resident calls up over a small balance they have ($9.00) and has a heated discussion with myself and the bookkeeper. We try to explain as calmly as we can that it is his responsiblity to pay it. Now, background on this resident. We have good reason to believe that he was beating his girlfriend, and maintenance even witnessed him kick a huge dent in his dishwasher when he wasn't happy with the job they had done. Yeah, massive anger managment problems.
So, we got off the phone with him, knowing that this was unresolved. 5 minutes later he comes irately charging to the office. Normally, I wouldn't be afraid of residents (and yes, I have had a girl right in my face about to punch me once last fall), but I suddenly panicked. I thought about what might happen if he physically harmed me. He would not only be harming ME, he would be harming and possibly even killing my baby. I choked and closed my door and told people to let him know I was on a conference call. Looking back, I feel absolutely horrible about this. I mean, what if he had harmed one of my employees because I wouldn't talk to him? But I couldn't. I mean I just COULDN'T, you know? At this point I'm afraid of just falling, let alone being physically abused. Luckily he left, but I was shaken. I had trouble even sleeping that night.
Yeah, I am beginning to be MORE than ready for maternity leave.
Sunday, February 3, 2008
27 Down - 13 to Go
Welcome to the third trimester of my pregnancy.
But, before I delve into the latest updates, I have to share that I am currently watching The Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. Has anyone else seen this? It's frickin' hilarious. What it boils down to is watching dogs play on a makeshift "football field" with a lame comentator that breaks in from time to time. Otherwise it's puppies wrestling and playing with toys to upbeat music in the background. Kind of like walking into a pet store. Except this is on for THREE HOURS. Seriously. It's the most hilariously cute thing I've ever seen. And, I find it MUCH more entertaining than the stupid football game that will be on my television in just about an hour. (And I've never seen my dogs more mesmorized by the television. Seriously!)
Okay, back to pregnancy. So, my body never ceases to amaze me. I'm thrown new curve balls every day. The biggest noticable change is that my belly, which was up until last week a little bit soft, is now completely hard. This makes for some serious challenges in my movement. The best way I described it to Steve is this.... have you ever seen people don those ridiculous sumo wrestling costumes that are inflatable and then watch them try manuever? Yeah, it's like that. I do everything in my power not to have to reach down to the floor or sit on the floor because it's such a chore just to get back up! And, I have started to sleep with a fully body pillow just to get more comfortable in bed, and I swear that there is no more room left for Steve. I pity my poor husband.
But beyond that, again within the last week, my fingers have started tingling like they are going numb all the time. It freaked me out a little bit at first, but then I read I just have carpel tunnel syndrome, and it's common in pregnancy. Lovely. Wonderful. And, I'm starting to get to the point where I have days where my wedding rings are too tight. Soon I'll have to stop wearing them and I'm not looking forward to any unapproving looks that I might get from random people.
And, the fatigue has once again returned (sigh). I was doing so well for a few weeks, but now I'm in bed by like 8:30-9:00 every single night. The good news is that I sleep like the dead. The bad news is that Brett sometimes decides to sit on my bladder which wakes me up almost every night now. And, half the time, once I'm up, I'm UP. I guess I'd better just get used to it... before you know it I'll be feeding a crying baby at 3:00 a.m. every night.
The only really cool thing that I've actually enjoyed has been the fact that Brett is getting big enough that his kicks are pretty palpable. Steve is able to feel him move now, and you can actually on occassion see my belly shake when he's really active. He's also big enough now (they estimate between 2 1/2- 3 lbs) that I am starting to be able to tell where he is in the womb at any given time. Steve likes to talk to him now and he tries to play (unsuccessfully) games with him, where he pokes my belly and tries to get Brett to poke back. I just think that Brett is smart and doesn't feel like playing.
Soon, I'll post another picture. I'm a little afraid to see what the camera thinks of me these days. While cleaning out my closet today I found a bunch of our candid wedding photos and was marvelling about how skinny I looked in them. I'll have to keep them around for inspiration when I'm trying to lose the baby weight!
But, before I delve into the latest updates, I have to share that I am currently watching The Puppy Bowl on Animal Planet. Has anyone else seen this? It's frickin' hilarious. What it boils down to is watching dogs play on a makeshift "football field" with a lame comentator that breaks in from time to time. Otherwise it's puppies wrestling and playing with toys to upbeat music in the background. Kind of like walking into a pet store. Except this is on for THREE HOURS. Seriously. It's the most hilariously cute thing I've ever seen. And, I find it MUCH more entertaining than the stupid football game that will be on my television in just about an hour. (And I've never seen my dogs more mesmorized by the television. Seriously!)
Okay, back to pregnancy. So, my body never ceases to amaze me. I'm thrown new curve balls every day. The biggest noticable change is that my belly, which was up until last week a little bit soft, is now completely hard. This makes for some serious challenges in my movement. The best way I described it to Steve is this.... have you ever seen people don those ridiculous sumo wrestling costumes that are inflatable and then watch them try manuever? Yeah, it's like that. I do everything in my power not to have to reach down to the floor or sit on the floor because it's such a chore just to get back up! And, I have started to sleep with a fully body pillow just to get more comfortable in bed, and I swear that there is no more room left for Steve. I pity my poor husband.
But beyond that, again within the last week, my fingers have started tingling like they are going numb all the time. It freaked me out a little bit at first, but then I read I just have carpel tunnel syndrome, and it's common in pregnancy. Lovely. Wonderful. And, I'm starting to get to the point where I have days where my wedding rings are too tight. Soon I'll have to stop wearing them and I'm not looking forward to any unapproving looks that I might get from random people.
And, the fatigue has once again returned (sigh). I was doing so well for a few weeks, but now I'm in bed by like 8:30-9:00 every single night. The good news is that I sleep like the dead. The bad news is that Brett sometimes decides to sit on my bladder which wakes me up almost every night now. And, half the time, once I'm up, I'm UP. I guess I'd better just get used to it... before you know it I'll be feeding a crying baby at 3:00 a.m. every night.
The only really cool thing that I've actually enjoyed has been the fact that Brett is getting big enough that his kicks are pretty palpable. Steve is able to feel him move now, and you can actually on occassion see my belly shake when he's really active. He's also big enough now (they estimate between 2 1/2- 3 lbs) that I am starting to be able to tell where he is in the womb at any given time. Steve likes to talk to him now and he tries to play (unsuccessfully) games with him, where he pokes my belly and tries to get Brett to poke back. I just think that Brett is smart and doesn't feel like playing.
Soon, I'll post another picture. I'm a little afraid to see what the camera thinks of me these days. While cleaning out my closet today I found a bunch of our candid wedding photos and was marvelling about how skinny I looked in them. I'll have to keep them around for inspiration when I'm trying to lose the baby weight!
Saturday, February 2, 2008
Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House
So, I was looking back at some of my old blogs that I had posted on myspace and this one made me laugh. I originally wrote this on August 3rd, and I guess I got pregnant around 10 days later - give or take.
It's funny to think about how far we've come in just 6 months time. Now we've got a nursery, we've registered for stuff, we're reading everything we can about having a baby, and my belly is getting so big that it's a challenge to even cross my legs anymore.
Anyway, in case you haven't already read it on myspace, enjoy this old blog.....
No, I am not pregnant. Well, not yet, anyway (and frankly, I have to tell you that I am a bit surprised that I'm not… considering that I've been deathly afraid of pregnancy most of my life, I'd always just assumed it was just as easy as going off the pill). But enough of the TMI...
Recently we've reached a crossroads. One between our greedy, ambitious twentys and our "adult" thirtys. We've kind of realized that we don't HAVE to go out all the time, and staying in and watching a movie can be the best form of an evening. Basically, we are at a point where we are ready to settle down and start our own family.
This is a big step for me. I was never a "kid person". In fact, I was never a huge fan of babysitting. I would do it because I was a responsible and trusted person and it was a good way to make some extra money, but I never liked to play with kids. I'd prefer to park them in front of a movie, and prayed they'd be content. That is until recently. I'm not exactly sure when or how I changed my mindset, but I've realized that having kids does not exactly constitute the "ending of your life" as I had previously been lead to believe.
So now I am faced with the reality that hopefully (God-willing) children are in our future. This is all at once exciting and SCARY! You see, Steve and I have carved out the perfect life for two. We both have two door cars (and mine is a VW Bug, a very small car), and we have a house with a loft and two bedrooms (one that doubles as our home office no less). So, where would baby go? Yeah, exactly.
Our friends came and visited with their new baby a couple of months ago and it was a huge wakeup call for me. The amount of "stuff" that comes with baby is overwhelming. They pretty much brought a whole bedroom set for their little one in their car. I mean, I go to Babies R Us occasionally to shop for shower gifts and am constantly educated by all of the items that you need for a baby. Things I'd never heard of. Things I'd never even thought of. Things I'd never even IMAGINE existed.
So, now I'm teetering between the excitement of what my future may hold, and the sheer terror of it all. Is it worth it? I see my friends with their new babies and can see the happiness and contentment that has been brought to their lives and realize that they know something I don't know. I think, and hope I'm ready for this. But, it really is all a bit overwhelming.
If and when I have news, I'm sure that many many more blogs like this shall follow .
It's funny to think about how far we've come in just 6 months time. Now we've got a nursery, we've registered for stuff, we're reading everything we can about having a baby, and my belly is getting so big that it's a challenge to even cross my legs anymore.
Anyway, in case you haven't already read it on myspace, enjoy this old blog.....
No, I am not pregnant. Well, not yet, anyway (and frankly, I have to tell you that I am a bit surprised that I'm not… considering that I've been deathly afraid of pregnancy most of my life, I'd always just assumed it was just as easy as going off the pill). But enough of the TMI...
Recently we've reached a crossroads. One between our greedy, ambitious twentys and our "adult" thirtys. We've kind of realized that we don't HAVE to go out all the time, and staying in and watching a movie can be the best form of an evening. Basically, we are at a point where we are ready to settle down and start our own family.
This is a big step for me. I was never a "kid person". In fact, I was never a huge fan of babysitting. I would do it because I was a responsible and trusted person and it was a good way to make some extra money, but I never liked to play with kids. I'd prefer to park them in front of a movie, and prayed they'd be content. That is until recently. I'm not exactly sure when or how I changed my mindset, but I've realized that having kids does not exactly constitute the "ending of your life" as I had previously been lead to believe.
So now I am faced with the reality that hopefully (God-willing) children are in our future. This is all at once exciting and SCARY! You see, Steve and I have carved out the perfect life for two. We both have two door cars (and mine is a VW Bug, a very small car), and we have a house with a loft and two bedrooms (one that doubles as our home office no less). So, where would baby go? Yeah, exactly.
Our friends came and visited with their new baby a couple of months ago and it was a huge wakeup call for me. The amount of "stuff" that comes with baby is overwhelming. They pretty much brought a whole bedroom set for their little one in their car. I mean, I go to Babies R Us occasionally to shop for shower gifts and am constantly educated by all of the items that you need for a baby. Things I'd never heard of. Things I'd never even thought of. Things I'd never even IMAGINE existed.
So, now I'm teetering between the excitement of what my future may hold, and the sheer terror of it all. Is it worth it? I see my friends with their new babies and can see the happiness and contentment that has been brought to their lives and realize that they know something I don't know. I think, and hope I'm ready for this. But, it really is all a bit overwhelming.
If and when I have news, I'm sure that many many more blogs like this shall follow .
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