Mural

IT'S FINISHED!

Finally it is done. Now I can get to work on assembling the rest of the nursery. I hope you all enjoy.

Time Flies

Sorry its been so long since the last update. Life has kept us on our toes. We are almost done with the main part of the mural. Just one bird left then we move onto the rainbow and water.

So I will be 28 weeks next Friday. I am very excited. We see the Dr. Thursday for a check up and repeat ultrasound to see if my placenta has moved. We also find out if we get to go on our MN trip if I am cleared to fly. So I counted and as of today I only have 90 days left until my due date. I can't believe how fast time has gone by. I will be posting a belly shot of the bump after our trip because I want it to be a surprise for my family.

I think life is getting even more busy in the time to come. Next up is the MN trip and shower. Then we come back, I work that weekend, then the next weekend is a shower in STL. Then I work again. One weekend off then Thanksgiving. Then a KY shower the first weekend in Dec.

So I have been moved to outpatient for work. They did this to make it easier on me with my lifting restriction and to not have to call others in for the more difficult patients. I survived my first week and have learned how easy outpatient is. I enjoyed it because I got to practice some skills I haven't done in awhile. Its a nice change of pace to not have to be the answer person for all things rehab. I am totally an island.

So we experienced something very weird on 10/10/10. There was an earthquake in my tummy. I was resting on the couch watching TV eating pineapple. My stomach went nuts. Don got to see it move and feel it. I guess she really likes pineapple. It was really neat to experience but I am still surprised at how hard she can kick.

Food is still kinda weird for me. My main craving is meat/protein. I also have been enjoying Chocolate milk. Foods I can't eat are eggs and green beans. Which is not great because I like them both.

Nothing else to report right now. I should have more to share after we return from MN.

Mural Update

So we are back working on the mural. Here are some photos. The kitties are helping as you can see.

Kicking the crap out of me

My pattens of feeling the baby have changed. I used to rarely feel her during my work day. Now I swear she rarely sleeps and kicks constantly. It feels like she is lying sideways. Like she can hang onto my spine and swing and drag her legs left to right and right to left over the front of my stomach. This week Don and friends at work have gotten to feel her more. Don wasn't super impressed and asked first if I was squeezing my stomach. When I said no, he said well at least they are light. I replied by informing him when he can feel them and they happen on the inside they are not super light.

Movement

So Don got to feel the baby move. He said thats weird when he realized what I was showing him. I told him to try feeling it from the inside out. Mac is getting much more active. Its fun except when it wakes me up from sleeping.

Womb name

So we have been struggling to find a good womb name. Mom picked Thumper and I was fine with it but Don hated it and refused to acknowledge it. I thought it was cute and we like bunnies. So Don started referring to the baby as Nibbler from Futurama. I didn't think this was a good fit. So we finally found a name we could agree on. So we are going with baby Mac. This could be Mackenzie or Macguyver. We picked it being I've been eating a lot of mac & cheese. Mom thinks it fine so I guess thats what were going with.

Vote for sex

So we go Friday the 20th for an ultrasound and we may get to find out the sex. So please leave me a reply if your guess is pink or blue. I'm just curious how things will turn out. I mean you have a 50/50 shot. So far pink is in the lead but we are still very early in the voting process.

Don and I really don't have a preference. We are just hoping for healthy. However I do think Don wants a boy first to protect the little sister. Of course we will love either, so we will be happy as long as we get a good report.

Books to read?

So we are reading an awesome book called Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters by Dr. Meg Meeker. It is fascinating. We have Boys will be Boys by the same author on deck. I am also keeping an eye on What to Expect, The Everything Pregnancy Book and 2 books that show the growth changes.

What books do you recommend for new parents to be?

Weight

So we are 15 wks into this pregnancy and I have gained less than 5 lbs the whole time! This is awesome. Its hard to know how much weight I've actually gained due to my fluctuating water retention. But I am thrilled with less than 5 lbs. I know now that I'm into the second trimester I need to watch my weight more carefully. I've started being more hungry so I'm sure this is the time where I could add weight too quickly.

Whats next?

So now that we have entered the second trimester, what happens next? This is new to us so this is a new adventure. We are going to the dr for a check up on Tuesday. I think its just a doppler and basics. I know we will schedule our 20 wk anatomy scan for the end of August (right before Don's birthday). Some women on my message board have already started registering for stuff. I'm not quite ready for that step but I'm looking for the ideas of products that have been helpful for you or friends in the past.

Here are some things I know I'm gonna want/need:
Bumbo seat, boppy pillow, waterproof mattress protector, sling for carrying the baby, still
researching cloth diapers, stroller, Maybe looking into infant sign language info.

Things I know I don't want/need:
Wipe warmer, baby Einstein

Doppler

So I broke down and ordered a heart beat Doppler for my birthday. Its finally here! Don has to help because I have to lay down to find it well. Plus it was lower than I thought it would be. At the doctors office he had one with a bigger probe and got it just lateral to my belly button. With our smaller probe we have to look almost at my panty line. It is one of the best sounds to listen too. My family was able to hear it over the phone which was fun to share with them. So now anytime I have some worries I can have a listen to give me some peace of mind. I'm actually starting to think of this pregnancy in terms of what happens in January. I really think this one could make it now. I'm still trying not to get too excited because I know a lot will happen between now and January but some optimism is nice.

Cats

So most of you know we have 2 cats. My cat Kenshin a male orange tabby and Don's cat a female black barn cat named Snirt. So Kenshin is quite a cuddler. He would sleep with me most nights either by my head or on my side with the pillow under it. Now that I'm pregnant he wants NOTHING to do with me! I think my cat hates me or maybe hates the new baby. Kinda freaked out by that thought. The weird thing is that Snirt the shy kitty has become my new friend. She won't cuddle when I'm sleeping but comes for some attention when I'm up out of bed. She's gotten more protective too, she sleeps by my feet and checks on me each time I get up at night to pee. So weird how her woman's intuition is up when my cat is just being a jerk and keeping his distance. I like my attention from Snirt because I know it will end as soon as the screaming kid is attached to me but I miss my kitty lovings too.

Boobs

So this may be TMI, so if you don't want to know, stop reading now. I have a feeling that will be hard because the curiosity will win. When I called mom about all of this I had her in stitches and she encouraged me to share.

So we all know I was not small chested before pregnancy. So within the first trimester my breasts hurt so bad that I had to start sleeping in a sports bra. Don would laugh when I changed clothes because I would groan in discomfort having to remove my bra. Not only did they grow larger but they are heavier as in denser as well. I could still fit in my pre-pregnancy bras because of all the weight I lost prior to conceiving but now my breasts were back to the size they were when I was 50 pounds heavier and maybe a bit bigger. I can look down and scare myself because I'm surprised at how large they have actually gotten. My bras have started to rip because I got so big. Not fun when bras are $40 a shot. So I was looking into bra replacement at Walmart as a quick and cheap fix. Some of the nurses at work advised I get the nursing bra now and that it will have extra support. So I tried one on at Walmart. I have had no prior experience with nursing bras and broke out laughing in the dressing room. I put it on like a normal bra and let down the front panel to see how this thing works. Literally my breast was in a holster. I just about died laughing. I did like the extra support.

So I called my mom to thank her for the curse. When I was younger I was told, "One day you'll have a daughter just like you and then you'll understand". So I think her curse is already starting. I mean who rips bras they get so big? If I get any bigger I will have to go to the specialty store because I have run out of traditional letters in sizes that fit. Its a good thing I'm still seeing the acupuncture doctor or my back would be killing me. But now for the really scary thought. They still will get bigger. I mean my milk hasn't come in so they have to. I am gonna cry when my breasts make me tip over from being so top heavy.

2nd Trimester

So we are officially out of the 1st trimester any way you count it. We are 14 weeks and 2 days along. We took the definition of 1/3 of the total 40 weeks of pregnancy (13 weeks & 3 days). So I am feeling fine and other than tired I am not having any traditional symptoms. Some days I don't even feel pregnant, just tired. I do have hyper-mobile joints to begin with and pregnancy is just making it worse. So on a routine basis I manage to dislocate a rib or my pelvis. I woke up Saturday morning in excruciating pain in my butt because my pelvis went out of place as I slept. Don was a big help and got me back in alignment and allowed me to sit in the chair all day with an ice pack because I hurt so bad. I'm so lucky to have him.

Study US

So I participated in a study of pregnancy health while trying to conceive. After we found out we were pregnant, I had to go to Nashville for an US. Here are the photos. We were pleasantly surprised with the 3D photo. Our little one was shy and had the legs crossed. I even drank caffeine before we went to get him to dance but he just slept away. (He is gender neutral at this point in our house).

telling mom

So we had a lot of discussions on how and when to break the news to my parents. We decided to share the news after the ultrasound on 5/24. So Wednesday 5/26 I made a crossword puzzle and sent it to moms email at 5 pm. I called her and told her to look at it that night. Then the waiting began. I called again at 8 and asked when she thought she would get to it and got no answer. So at 9:30 that night (past my bedtime) I called my sister and told her to light a fire under mom. I was tired and then my sister tried to give me the 3rd degree on why this was so important. I told her I would explain soon but could she just do this for me and trust me on this for the night. So she called mom and found out mom was working on the puzzle. She reported she got the message but was stuck on 2 words still. My sister was obviously confused so mom explained that the message was we were pregnant. Then Robin got why I was in such a mood. So mom called and said congratulations. I told her I was too tired to talk and we would talk another time. Here is the puzzle, see how you do.

End of an era

So for those of you who don't know. Last year we lost our first pregnancy to miscarriage. I started having some symptoms, went in for a checkup and the baby had stopped growing. I had to go through a D&C, I spent a week on bed rest and mom came to visit. That was the end of this blog UNTIL...............We announce again that we are pregnant again!

To be on the safe side we waited until after the first trimester to share the news. So the current plan is for a new addition to the Delp family about January 14th, 2011. Keep watching the blog for more updates and news.