rough week

It's been a doozy of a week. I'm starting to feel pretty uncomfortable, hard to bend over, hard to roll over, hard to get up, hard to lay down. I've managed to walk a bit more and made it to a few Zumba classes this week. The midwives gave me a hard time about weight gain (total 18# so far). They said each pound I gain brings me closer and closer to a C-section. That dragged me down a good bit...nothing a little bit of bacon couldn't cheer up!
I was sick earlier in the week, some kind of stomach bug. Not much of an appetite, and nothing made it better but a few days in bed. Then I've been wild crazy working woman for about 48 hours. Doesn't look like it will amount to anything, which just sucks beyond belief. Easy come and easy go in this business! Have to practice unattachment!
Baby girl is moving up a storm. I can finally start to feel kicks on my hand when my hand is on my belly. Brian felt very definite movements and said he heard her swimming around and yodeling when his ear was to my belly. Not sure why, but I love it when he rests his face on my belly to feel movement.
I've bawled randomly a few times this week. I've yelled curses a few times. It's been difficult, and I've been upset. I'm not feeling terribly understood and I'm very hard on myself.
Something idiotic possessed me to host a dinner party for 10 on New Years Eve. Why on Earth would I do that?
I've been researching baby joggers and cribs this week. I'm excited about pending showers!!!! Dad and Sue come to visit in a couple weeks and will get to meet little baby girl via ultrasound. I can't wait for that. I hope that experience baffles them as it does me, and they feel bonded and giddy as I do each time I watch her in utero.
We had a foot of snow in Asheville last week. I was scared to death to slip on the ice, and hardly made it out of my drive way for 4 days. I am much more careful (and a little paranoid) in general these days.
What a year this has been. I think I'll write more about that when I'm in a better mood so to end the year on a positive note.
Can't wait to meet this little girl!

hanging with the preggos!

This week I hung out with three fabulous future-mamas!
First I met Beth, Eva Hartman's friend who is having a baby girl a couple weeks after me. The restaurant told two 6-month pregnant women that they were out of eggplant....NOT OK! We had all sorts of laughs and she and her hubby Marc will take the birthing class with Brian and I. Looking so forward to hanging with them.
Then Brian and I hung with Sam and Sarah, due in 6 weeks....still not sure if it's a boy or girl. Fun to hang out with another couple....I'm psyched to go through this at the same time as them.
Finally I met Alicia, mom's new friend, Pat's daughter. She too is due the same week as me, but due to a liver condition, they will induce her by 37 weeks at the latest. She told me that she's been having Reece's peanut butter cups FOR THE PROTEIN! smart girl! I'm feeling supported and lucky.

HICCUPS!!!

Just amazing! As usual, a restless night sleeping, waking every hour to pee. It must have been around 3am (typical wake time!) and I felt these ODD sporadic "tics" deep down in the belly. Every few seconds, then it would stop for a bit, then start up again. Did sweet baby girl have the hiccups???? So incredible! My heart has been warm all day just thinking about it. I text messaged Brian about it this morning and his response was that he thinks Hailey (his beagle) has had them before....apparently he thought I was referring to the puppy getting the hiccups, not the baby! teehee!
Big baby planning day today. I interviewed a "nanny"/assistant. Met with Rowan and Cheryl, amazing doulas, registered for Child Birth Classes....every Sunday pm starting in January (except Brian boycotted Superbowl Sunday....I accept that.) and signed up for "safe baby" classes! exhausting!!! worth it!

mama is nesting....

Little girl, today I washed and sorted all of your donated clothes....such ADORABLE duds that I can't wait to see on you!!! Soooo much PINK! I put all the 12 months + clothes away in boxes, and made room for the rest in my closet. I'm pretty spoiled with the closet space in this house. We'll have to readjust when we settle in to our "permanent" and "normal" home! I can picture you in some of these outfits!!! Little monkey onesie....bright purple fleece....lady bug tank top... denim overalls! OH MY! You are the most precious thing EVER!!!

20 year highschool reunion

Brian and I had a good time at the reunion. It was odd not to be drinking. We kept it pretty early both nights, and it was fun telling people OVER AND OVER that we are expecting! Lot's of joy!!! We visited Natalie and her sweet family after she gave birth to Lucia Beatriz on Thanksgiving Day! She's a BEAUTIFUL baby! It was surreal holding her and watching her move, realizing that those are the types of movements I've been feeling and will continue to feel! And that our little peanut will keep growing and growing and end up to be a big girl like Lucia! I imagine that I will have to stare at our baby for hours on end.

evil and hormonal

It was quite a roller coaster weekend for Pregnant Rachel. Thanksgiving, 20 year highschool reunion, bigger than ever. In fact, Brian commented that my belly stuck out farther than my chest....first time since puberty! I felt a bit sick on the way down to Greensboro, just kind of bloated and crampy. We arrived and I half-heartedly ate dinner with the family, then needed to lay down, and felt crappy for the rest of the night. Jane questioned about Braxton Hicks contractions....not sure.

Couldn't eat my regular two heaping plate fulls on Thanksgiving, and for that I am MOST grateful! Dinner was awesome!

We had a pre-reunion party at a wine bar. It was a bit claustrophobic and crowded for me, especially not drinking, and protruding belly trying to squeeze through the crowd. The raging hormones began after the reunion on Saturday....

The Red Roof Inn told me they could get me no more pillows, and I thought I was going to lunge across the desk and shred the lady! I called her boss's boss's boss....(well, just kidding, I called the 800 customer service desk) and ranted a bit more. Shortly thereafter housekeeping showed up at our door with one extra pillow.

The next morning, I was CRANKY and hungry! We made the mistake of going to ye Olde Waffle house in downtown Chapel Hill. I asked for my hashbrowns to be well done, and the teenage waiter said he couldn't guarantee that. Not a good start to breakfast. When he brought them out practically frozen, I sent them back, and got into an argument with him as to WHY THEY NEED TO PUT THESE BACK ON THE GRIDDLE! Had Brian not been with me i would have thrown them at him and stormed out. Good thing Brian was with me. I'm wondering just how mortified he is by now after the Red Roof fiasco. Management finally brought me some better hash browns.

Next stop was Trader Joe's, where I had a sweet tooth and just wanted ONE COOKIE not a whole box. Young grocer dude asked if we were finding everything OK, and when I told him what I had hoped to find, he offered to open the box and give me one to try! I cried tears of joy and ended up writing his boss's boss's boss.

Finally, pharmacy (CVS-note to self, boycott CVS) in Statesville on the way home. Poor sick mama, miserable. Took the box of OTC drugs to the pharmacy to check on pregnancy contra-indicators, where the pharmacists advice was to check with my doctor. Oh, Gee THANKS ALOT, on this Sunday afternoon. Why bother having a pharmacist available for consultation. It's a good thing i didn't have those hash browns in my purse, b/c I would have wailed them across the counter!

DON'T MESS WITH MAMA!

Daddy, meet baby!!!

Brian felt the baby move for the first time today. We woke up in Chapel Hill for the 20 year reunion. I was still snoozing, and baby was ACTIVE!!! Before we even spoke I put Brian's hand on my belly, and held it where she was moving. A few minutes went by, and he JUMPED UP! He felt her twice, though first time he wasn't sure. 2nd time he was all excited and shouted out! Mama felt tears running down her cheeks. It was very special!!!

first REMEMBERED baby dream

I'm holding this sweet beautiful chub chub. She's about 2 years old. A man walks up and gives her a sweet pinch on the nose. And I ask her...."who just got your nose?" and she yells, "UNCLE ALAN!!!".....and I said, "tell Uncle Alan where we just had lunch", and she thought for a second and then yells, "EARTH FARE!!!". That's about it! It was adorable though!

alive and KICKIN!!!

i always pictured feeling a baby kick from the inside going OUT....like a jab in the side. but this kiddo is kicking and dancing from the inside going IN. like she's stomping on my internal organs. at first i thought maybe it's just gas (sorry...TMI?) but it just continues on and on, and i DIG IT!!! little girl, I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET YOU AND SMOOCH ON YOUR NECK!!! kiss that little foot that is dancing on my bladder!
i love you!

Autumn beach trip

Brian and I had a beautiful long weekend at Folly Beach. We took all three pups and agreed that it wasn't likely we'd be doing that when little peanut arrives. Sorry pups...hope you enjoyed this one!

I am peeing CONSTANTLY and we couldn't walk too far on the beach between poor Gracy's arthritis and my itty bitty bladder!

I'm crankier and moodier than usual. Sorry, Brian.

baby's first AUTUMN!

OH BABY! Your daddy took your mama out for a beautiful drive in the country! What a gorgeous place we're going to raise you!!!! Mama could feel her lungs max out walking up a not so steep hill to the top of Roan Mountain. You sure make it harder to go uphill, little girl! But I took it slowly (Daddy could have raced up and back ten times in the amount of time it took mama to go 0.4 miles!).

Next we went to see a waterfall on the Elk River....I was scared to go down the steep, damp downhill to get to the waterfall, but Daddy held my hand and walked in front of me, (so if we fell he'd cushion our fall!). Rudy pulled and tugged, wanting to go faster, faster, faster!

Then lunch in Boone. Daddy and I agreed that Appalachian or the other fine universities of NC would be wonderful, affordable options. What we haven't really figured out is how to start saving for it....but baby, we will!

Thanks to you, I can honestly say that I peed NINE TIMES on our day trip (from 11 am - 8pm). Enough is enough, Baby!!!! I fed you a Philly Cheese Steak....you were happy and hula dancing the whole ride home!

lil skunky girl is signed up for DAYCARE!!!

our little peanut is about the size of a skunk. today i went to AB tech daycare and got her on the waitlist (#70!!! only 4 spots!). I went in during nap time and it was the sweetest scene....dimmed lights, soft music, teachers feeding babies, other teachers petting toddlers on the head to soothe them to sleep. I cried. (lame!)

2nd trimester ultrasound

There is no better feeling than seeing that heart beating on the ultrasound. Such a relief! Brian and Granny accompanied me to this fun MAHEC visit where ultrasound tech, Vicki, measured little girls parts, heart, bones, kidneys, bladder, brain (big ole brain!), etc.... She now weighs 11 oz (up from 5 oz only 3 weeks ago!). We couldn't tell how long she was b/c she was curled up and wiggling. It looked like she was Hula dancing, though Brian thought it looked more like Boxing! Her little hands are just as precious as can be!

We got in a quick peak of 3D where we could really make out her little nose and cheeks. She's going to be such a special little girl! I am crazy about this kid already! Ann, our midwife, says that all those times I pressed down on my belly insisting that I feel a baby in there, well....she said I AIN'T FEELING NO BABY!!! She explained that there are several inches of muscle (thank you pilates!) several inches of fat (thank you bacon cravings!) placenta, and fluid, that baby is buried way too deep to feel her from the outside!!! Ah well.

Everyone at MAHEC congratulated me for "normal" amnio results. That was odd! I got my H1N1 flu shot (swine flu) today. Now I'm REALLY craving bacon!!!

Little girl, I can't wait to nuzzle on that sweet face of yours! I love you already!!!

HARD LOX CAFE....I got to eat for TWO!

Granny, Baby Daddy and I went to the Jewish Food Festival in downtown Asheville today. Next year we'll have a 7 month old bundled up with us! How SWEET!!!!

155 days to go!

THANKS, GRANNY!

It's been a rough week.....I'm emotional as hell, tearful, cranky, sleeping terribly, uncomfortable, and HUGE! Granny came over today with home made soup (she makes the best healthy soups!) and hung out with me and the pups, made me fruit salad, brought pretty flowers, and just all around cheered me up. Again, that is one lucky little girl in there, to be born into such love!!!

thanks, Mama. it really helped!

was that a baby i felt????

i think i just felt movement!!!! i was laying flat on the bed, with the laptop on my belly, when I started feeling something kinda "bubbly" LOW in my belly. Hunger? yes, that too. But certainly something different.

i'm feeling it again now, in the same place. hmmmmmm.......not sure???

happy either way!

nana and grandpa!

i think they're getting excited......

(GOD!!! i look HUGE! i was sticking my belly out hoping to look pregnant....mission accomplished!)

week 17

i had a stranger ask me if I was pregnant this week! what a trip! what a rush! he didn't actually ask if i was pregnant, but he patted my tummy and said, "so what's going on here???" he was a fairly flamboyant 60-something, new york, italian gay guy. i was just so thrilled that someone thought i was safe to ask about pregnancy (boy it would have sucked if i weren't pregnant!). tears came to my eyes and i thanked him! i've had a few people rub my belly, clients, friends, granny, and of course, brian. i don't mind it one bit....i just feel the love from their heart and hands to my belly and baby....such positive energy. i just watched "the business of being born" a documentary by ricki lake about birth being treated like a potential catastrophic medical emergency as opposed to the natural life process that it is. i have much to learn about my options, though i don't think mahec will support the option of home birth.....

all i know is every time a baby popped out in the movie, and these women REACHED DOWN and pulled out their babies, i BAWLED!

brian is in virginia. i wish he were here.

a movie we watched this week said baby is almost the size of a squirrel!!! (next week). in my pre-natal yoga class i watched two squirrels running around outside. little itty bitties! i wonder if the description of a squirrel included its tail, which is about the same size as the squirrel itself.

a funny memory

I just recalled something that is blogworthy....

 

In Martha's Vineyard, Brian and i are walking around Felix Neck nature preserve when we come across a family with a kid sitting on the ground, kicking and screaming, red faced, and truly pitching a FIT!  I took this moment to compare future parenting style notes and asked Brian how he'd handle this situation with our kid.  He stared at the kid for a bit, then said, "well I don't know....how would YOU handle it?".  I stared at the kid for a bit and replied, "well I don't know!!"  Then he looked at me and smiled and said, "oh Rachel, our kid won't ever act like that!". 

and more importantly.....

She's healthy as far as we can tell. Amniocentesis is over and we have results for Down Syndrome and the Trisomy disorders, and both are not an issue. I swear they scare the shit out of older moms with their statistics. Why can't they say that 98.5 % of mom's like me give birth to healthy babies instead of having a 1 out of 67 chance of having a baby with Down Syndrome. The latter is so much scarier!!! Fortunately she is one of the 66 out of 67, and all looks great!

I can't wait for my next ultrasound!!! (october 21!).

The stress that this has caused has been a little excessive. I am so grateful that is over with! I suspect my days of worrying as a mama are now in the past.....right????

it's a SHE!!!!!!! (little she-apple!)

OMG! OMG! OMG!!! We're having a little baby girl!!!! I am so incredibly filled with JOY!!!

We went in for the amniocentesis today. I was filled with anxiety, and not expecting to find out the baby's gender. Frankly, I had myself convinced over the past couple of weeks that I'd learn it was a BOY (which I would have LOVED LOVED LOVED!), and hearing that it was a baby girl was such a joyful surprise!!!!

The test itself was uncomfortable and scary and not something I'd sign up to do again, it was over after four rounds of:

"breathing in I calm my mind,
breathing out i smile,
dwelling in the present moment,
there is no other moment".

Brian held my hand throughout the whole thing, I kept my eyes closed. Dr. Cohlson (rhymes with Molson, which she did not drink before the procedure!), a maternal fetal medicine specialist, was wonderful and brilliant. She said all measurements on ultrasound looked great "this kid read the book" was actually what she said, meaning she measured just as she was supposed to for her age! (she's so smart!).

In this ultrasound we actually saw the umbilical cord pulsing (amazing!), knees and elbows, again, a big ole brain, and I think she has Brian's eyes! We saw cute little fingers, kicking feet (though I have yet to feel them!), kidneys, and a heart beat of 154 (goodness!). Dr. Sullivan a 3rd year OBGYN resident played around with the ultrasound after the technician did her measurements and BEFORE the amnio was done (aint no way a resident was going to do this amnio on me!!!). But she was cool and calming.

Oh little girl, you are soooo LOVED!!!! I can't wait to meet you! (170 more days or so!)

can't sleep.....

My amniocentesis is in a few hours. I can't sleep. I wish Brian were here now. I'm glad he'll be taking me to this appointment. I'm scared.

fat or pregnant????

Something popped in the last week, and I felt like I started looking pregnant. I realized that I've spent the last 30 years trying to hide, minimize, and flatten my belly, and hanging out downtown in my new maternity wear, I just let it hang out!

I go back and forth from feeling totally glowy and beautiful, to just bloated and fat! My boobs are ENORMOUS and I'm starting to fear what will become of them over the next few months. Brian doesn't seem to mind any of these changes, bless his heart!

NAMASTE

I was in my 2nd pre-natal yoga class (thanks for that present Nana and Grandpa!) breathing, being....truly in the moment...just what I needed! As I feel like the powerful Amazon MAMA that I am, holding still in warrior two......what do I notice.....A NEW FUZZY PATCH OF DARK HAIR ON MY LOWER ARM! (moment LOST!) It was all I could do to bust out loud to ask the other moms-to-be in the class...."whatsup with that???". Made me laugh at myself (also, just what I needed!).

for my little apple

i carry your heart with me by E. E. Cummings

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)
i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear; and whatever is done by only me is your doing,my darling)
i fear no fate(for you are my fate,my sweet)
i want no world(for beautiful you are my world,my true)
and it's you are whatever a moon has always meant and whatever a sun will always sing is you
here is the deepest secret nobody knows(here is the root of the root and the bud of the bud and the sky of the sky of a tree called life;which grows higher than the soul can hope or mind can hide)
and this is the wonder that's keeping the stars apart
i carry your heart(i carry it in my heart)

VERY SILLY!!!

http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/1iz7WUqNd8k6MyYZ

crock-o-shit???

Congratulations!

You have a 45% chance of having a boy. And you have a 54% chance of having a girl.

And Here's Why...
You are carrying the extra weight out front, so it's a boy.
The hair on your legs is not growing any faster during your preganacy, so it's a girl.
Girls are carried high. You are going to have a girl.
Sleeping in a bed with your pillow to the north indicates that you will be having a boy.
Your feet are not colder than they were before pregnancy. You are having a girl.
You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread. You are having a girl.
Dad-to-be is gaining weight right along with Mom-to-be, which means that you'll have a boy.
The maternal grandmother has gray hair, so a boy will be born.
You had morning sickness early in pregnancy, so you are expecting a girl.
You are looking particularly good during pregnancy. Therefore, it must be a boy, because girls steal their mother's looks.
Your chest development has been quite dramatic during pregnancy. You should expect a girl.
Since the sum of the mother's age at conception and the number of the month of conception is an odd number, it will be a girl.
Your urine is a bright neon yellow color, so you will have a boy.
You have a craving for salty or sour foods, which means that it is a boy.
Your nose hasn't changed during pregnancy, which indicates a girl.
You have been craving meats or cheeses, so it is a boy.
Your baby's heart rate is 140 or more beats per minute, so it's a girl.
You must have orange juice every day, so it's a girl.
You are having headaches, so it's a boy.
Your belly looks like a watermelon, so it's a girl.
You show them the palm of your hand (when asked to show your hands), so it's a girl.
You use the handle of a mug, so it's a boy.

countdown

vineyard trip with babydaddy

What a lovely time getting to know each other! Brian and I were great travel companions and we had fun, relaxed, reflected, and just felt lucky to be alive and together!!!

We actually got news just before our trip that our odds for Down Syndrome actually INCREASED after that blood work. It was frightening and stressful, and gave us much to think about. Odds are still quite LOW (less than 2%) but when they say 1 in 67 chance, it feels scary. I've decided that I don't want the stress of wondering and worrying for the next 6 months, so I scheduled an amniocentesis. I think Brian could take that or leave it, but as usual, he's supportive of my decision. Day two of our MV trip we were grocery shopping when we saw a mama and her little baby boy in the grocery cart. Baby obviously had down syndrome, and was just as cute and sweet as he could be...but in my state, I burst out in tears in the produce section. I remember Brian holding me as I stared at the lemons (the size of our little baby!). After composing myself, I went to chat with the mama (as I do with most mama's with new babies these days). It was a sweet and simple interaction, as I saw her loading 30+ jars of baby food in the cart, I asked if that was all for him? She started cooing at him saying, "who's a little pork chop??" and he just smiled and giggled and was as adorable as they can be. It helped me calm down tremendously and was a reminder that love comes in all different forms and varieties.

After a beautiful week in MV, we spent the weekend in Boston. We LOVED it and joked that I walked more in 36 hours in Boston that I did my entire first trimester combined!

Baby's first Vineyard trip

Baby-mama, Baby-daddy, and little lemon-sized baby are off to Martha's Vineyard. There we'll have MUCH to celebrate! Mama's 38th birthday (they call me the "AMA"-mama. ...advanced maternal age) is on the 15th. We've rented some kayaks and plan to cruise the sound as the sun sets to ring in the new year. Speaking of New Years, we'll also celebrate Rosh Hashana (ohhhh, baby's first Rosh Hashana!!!), the Jewish New Year, and my favorite Jewish Holiday.... a time for reflection and gratitude. My birthday marks the official beginning of the SECOND TRIMESTER! A big sigh of relief from me! Everyone says 2nd trimester is the "golden age" of pregnancy....feeling better physically, and not yet feeling like a beached whale, though I'll admit my belly is starting to poke out of my shirt!!! We'll also celebrate the news from my latest blood test, which combined with this weeks Nuchal Test, will tell us how wonderful and healthy our little lemon is!

Let me take a moment to post what INCREDIBLY SUPPORTIVE, LOVING, POSITIVE, and GENEROUS family I have. This is one little lucky baby!!!!

Brian's Bday

We had a GREAT nuchal translucency screening, showing only 1mm of fluid behind baby's neck... NOT indicitive of genetic disorders. I left feeling releived and more excited than ever. We got a glimse of a little 4D image of baby Acker....oh what a sweetie! It was amazing to have my mama present for this visit, and to have Brian's hand on my leg throughout the exam reminded me how fortunate I am.

nuchal translucency screening

http://www.babycenter.com/0_nuchal-translucency-screening_118.bc

nervous and excited about tomorrow's ultrasound. so glad my honey and my mama will be with me....

i will try to capture that dancing kid on video!!!

i can't think of a better birthday present for baby-daddy than to hear that the probability for risk of genetic disorders is substantially decreased!!!

praying hard tonight, and thinking positively!!!

AN AMAZING ULTRASOUND 9-3-09

Went for part two of my physical today. This time I met with Dolly, another one of the four nurse mid-wives at MAHEC. She was just as wonderful as Ann. I've been coughing up a lung and cramping a bit, and once I got into the appointment, for whatever reason I became teary and moody (?). I told Dolly that I wanted to see a heartbeat again, and though I wasn't supposed to get an ultrasound today, she "snuck me in" to the ultrasound room and obliged.

It was unbelievable! This little kid was moving, and waving, kicking....I could have sat there for an hour and watched this little Lime-sized baby dance!

In the picture below, her head is at the bottom, little white dot half way up on the right is her hand, and then you can see her meaty little bottom/hip/and foot towards the top! I actually saw her FLIP from side view to HEAD ON, where I then saw TWO HAND and TWO FEET! (that's good!). I was able to easily see her spine, a little white line going from brain to bottom, and actually, saw her big brain too! I hope she gets her papa's ability to retain totally useless information so someday she can win big at trivia night!

Anyway, it was a beautiful sight! AND I was right, she's hanging out in the lower left corner of my abdomen. While I can't feel obvious kicks and movements, I do feel like there's a little lime baby hanging out there.

I'm getting hooked WAY up with some baby clothes! Susan's best friend works with "MOTHERHOOD MATERNITY" clothing and is able to score me some cheap stretchy pants, and then some! I'm thinking that I'm just going to grow a sweet little basketball in front, and stay exactly the same everywhere else....like my buddy, Kim. Right??? I told my mom and stepmom this plan, and they both seem to think that I'm crazy. I did buy some cute little maternity overalls (not terribly flattering, but oh so cute!). Mom said NO WAY would they fit me for the whole pregnancy. Nooooo!!!! Fortunately for everyone, I'm starting to feel a bit more energetic and I see more consistent workouts in my near future, once this crazy head cold/cough clears up!!! I'd like to swim, yoga, zumba....and get out with lil kumquat (who, by the way is no longer a Kumquat, but a LIME) and breathe the air in the woods!!!

BTW, I parked here today! AND i stuck out my gut as far as it would go and waddled into the store! LOL! Making myself laugh!

Amy came to visit and showered me with Baby's Breath, Baby Ruth, Baby Pickles, and more..... very sweet (and I had forgotten how yummy Baby Ruth was!) We talked about her recent experience with granddaughter Olivia (almost a year!) and how amazing the experience has been for her. I can't wait to have my parents be my baby's grandparents!!! What a lucky kid!

daddy ROCKS!

Brian has been a trooper! We've been watching scientific movies about fetal development together (thanks Grandpa!!!) and he's been supportive and helpful, thoughtful and loving! Thanks, Bubbah!

WEEK 12

How your baby's growing:The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

rounding the corner on the first trimester. ohhh, it's been a doozy. I've been EXHAUSTED, though I'm sure a screwy thyroid hasn't helped matters along. Fortunately I'm starting to feel less nauseous, though I've learned the hard lesson that I really need to keep some snacks on hand....just crackers or something.

I shared the wonderful news to a huge support of loving friends last week. Brian was by my side, and while i wasn't aware of my word choice, I announced that "Brian and I were going to have a baby", and that was meaningful for him.

Slowly, I've been letting the world in on this joyous secret. Everyone is so excited (but not as excited as me!). Despite feeling miserable physically and wrecked emotionally, I have never been happier about anything in my life! I am in awe as to what's going on in there! I've been calling her a "she" but know that should I find out otherwise, I'll be thrilled.

little kumquat!!!

http://www.babycenter.com/6_your-pregnancy-10-weeks_1099.bc?responsys_count=0&scid=mbtw_preg10:486&pe=2Uyqki5

who is this baby daddy anyway???

Meet Brian Beduhn...

AKA : BUBBAH DUNE

FIRST ULTRASOUND!!!

August 17, 2009

Here's a picture of lil peanut Acker!!! Brian, Ann (my nurse mid-wife) and I all shrieked in unison....LOOK AT THE LITTLE HAND, as peanut looked at the camera and waved ('hi mama!'). Very strong heartbeat, and all is well!!!

MAMA NEEDS SOME CALAMARI

August 15, 2009

Had an awful craving for some Carabbas calamari. Brian and I went and I had my calamari fill. At the end of the meal the waitress brought out a tray of SIX mini desserts, all looked FABULOUS! I was too full for dessert, but jokingly asked if she'd cut me a deal if I took all six off her hands. She chuckled and said, "actually, some pregnant woman did that once!". Brian and I lost it. I suspect sometime in the coming 7 months, mama's gonna need SIX mini desserts!

First maternity outfit

August 15, 2009

Went to the gym...though had a crapola work out. Left after 20 minutes to meet clients, but my 'street clothes' DIDN'T ZIP!!! D'oh! Had a bit of extra time and had to return a shirt to Kohls (that puppy Rudy bit a hole in!). I bought my first maternity outfit. I felt WAY too cute for words and proceed to call my parents to tell them how adorable I was, and texted Brian, "your GF is WAY too cute!" Feeling sassy all day, when Brian came over late in the day, I was eager to show him my fun stretchy pants, but when he saw the skin colored stretchy stuff pulled all the way to my bra line, he GASPED outloud and said, "WHAT IS THAT!!??!!". Suddenly I didn't feel so cute after all!

The day YO MAMAS BIG FAT BOOTY BAND got blown off!

JULY 25th, 2009

Bele Chere in AVL

I was planning on seeing Yo mama's big fat booty band at Bele Chere, but thought, "hey! why not take that pee test in the office before I head downtown. THREE positive tests later, I decided to skip the crowds downtown, and took myself to Zen Sushi (where I avoided the raw tuna for the first time) and journaled about this crazy adventure I'm about to begin.