Obviously the big news this week was the revealing ultrasound. And just the enjoyment of watching him move around and learning that he looks fine and everything about the pregnancy looks good.
Weight update: Success? I'm down only 1 pound since week sixteen. And that's after almost 5 days of regular non-pregnancy-related illness that left me not eating much at all, so really, excluding that week where I had the what felt like the plague, I'm sure I would have gained weight.
Honestly, I have never once before in my life had any issue with gaining weight. This is beyond bizarre.
I've been feeling the baby move a LOT more this week which is completely awesome. And I feel like the last two weeks have definitely included a significant "pop" in the size of my stomach. There's no doubt now. Well, ok, there still is plenty of doubt when I'm wearing my winter coat, but as long as I'm not wrapped up in a big coat it's obvious.
As a joke I've been calling him Giuseppe. Because I think that name is great but would be an odd choice for us. So it's fun to use it for him until he arrives and we reveal the real name. We also have been tossing around completely ridiculous options to be silly, and telling them to L's brother just because his responses are so funny.
Saturday, February 14, 2009
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Introducing...
Yes, it's a boy! We are so excited. The first grandson & even great-grandson for L's family. We can't wait to meet him in June (or July or whenever he shows up!)
Still Not Telling
Because I'm waiting until I have get some pics ready to add. But as soon as I get them ready I'll be sharing the news.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
The Most Exciting Wednesday Ever
Well, maybe I exaggerate a tiny bit.
But still! Today! This afternoon! An ultrasound that will hopefully show us if I'm going to have to start randomly mentioning how much I hate pink in an effort to minimize the amount of that color that will be entering my life, or if it's blue all the way. Because yes, I fully expect most of the family at the very least to go full-out with traditional gender colors. Which is why I might have to figure out how to not very subtly emphasize that yellow and green and lavender sure are pretty and yet still feminine.
I'm still recovering from the year I spent in college in a PINK!!!! dorm. Everything was pink. EVERYTHING. Pepto pink no less. So hideous. It's left me scarred for life apparently.
Anyway, back to the baby stuff. As much as I'm looking forward to hopefully finding out, I'm also just looking forward to seeing the baby on the ultrasound. Last time, I hadn't realized just how amazing that would be - watching the baby wriggle around - we could have sat there for hours. This time, I know that we should see the baby move more and that thrills me.
So, as we prepare to go to the ultrasound, anyone want to make a guess as to what we'll be expecting in June?
But still! Today! This afternoon! An ultrasound that will hopefully show us if I'm going to have to start randomly mentioning how much I hate pink in an effort to minimize the amount of that color that will be entering my life, or if it's blue all the way. Because yes, I fully expect most of the family at the very least to go full-out with traditional gender colors. Which is why I might have to figure out how to not very subtly emphasize that yellow and green and lavender sure are pretty and yet still feminine.
I'm still recovering from the year I spent in college in a PINK!!!! dorm. Everything was pink. EVERYTHING. Pepto pink no less. So hideous. It's left me scarred for life apparently.
Anyway, back to the baby stuff. As much as I'm looking forward to hopefully finding out, I'm also just looking forward to seeing the baby on the ultrasound. Last time, I hadn't realized just how amazing that would be - watching the baby wriggle around - we could have sat there for hours. This time, I know that we should see the baby move more and that thrills me.
So, as we prepare to go to the ultrasound, anyone want to make a guess as to what we'll be expecting in June?
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Thankful Tuesday
- That we're over our dreadful colds. Being able to breathe is a good thing.
- That I'm doing so much better with the nausea and vomiting. Although it is still definitely not over yet, demonstrated by the fact that I threw up while driving home from work yesterday. Yes, in the car. While driving. No time to pull over. But! It was probably the best location of my whole commute (other than my neighborhood) for it to happen; not on the interstate, not on the other really busy road I drive most of the way. It was a small side street I take briefly to get to the busy road. It could have been so much worse than it was. That reminds me though that I need to restock the napkins I keep in the car for spills... I kinda used them all.
- That I'm finally getting some energy back so I can hopefully get my house back in some sort of order. Eventually anyway, it'll take a little while. Yesterday I opened all the backlog of mail and made a stack of the items I need to actually do something with. Today I'll work on doing something with that stack.
- That I had so much PTO stockpiled and have been able to use it as needed. I didn't expect to use so much of it the first half of the pregnancy, but at least it was available. And I should still be ok for the rest of the pregnancy, barring anything major.
- That despite all of the above, the pregnancy itself seems to be doing fine and we're still anticipating a healthy baby in the summer. I don't take it for granted.
Monday, February 9, 2009
Weekly Menu Plan
Maybe, possibly, I'm going to be able to start planning menus again. At least I don't gag at the thought which is progress.
Monday - Sausage & lentil casserole. It's a new-to-me recipe.
Tuesday - Leftovers/sandwiches/scrounge.
Wednesday - Cheesy potato skillet with mixed vegetables. Another new-to-me recipe.
Thursday - Repeat Tuesday.
Friday - Black bean quesadillas. Our old standby.
I know, a seemingly ridiculously simple plan for the week. But considering that it's been months since I cooked 4 times in one week (yes, I'm counting this past Sunday night when I cooked beef stroganoff & mashed potatoes), this is definitely an improvement. And I'd rather start small and slowly get back into it than try too much and not succeed at all.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Week Nineteen
As I mentioned in my general update, I've still not been doing all that well. At my week 16 doctor's visit I found out that I'd lost another 10 pounds, putting me down 17 pounds in 8 weeks. Not so good. The doctor emphasized that she'd really like me to gain some weight before my next appointment. Me too doc, me too, because I think that would coincide with decreased vomiting and the ability to eat more than 4 or 5 bites at a time. Both of which would be very much appreciated.
Sometime around week 17 I did notice an overall improvement; I would go stretches of time without feeling queasy and managed to go 4 days in between vomiting sessions a couple of times. And, I no longer had to be QUITE so careful about getting breakfast within the first few minutes of getting out of bed.
I do have to be extremely careful about the amount I eat still; I can manage more than just the few bites it was earlier, but portion sizes are still much smaller than normal, and if I eat even a bite or two too much, it all comes back up. So basically I have to quit eating while I'm still a little bit hungry because I can't really tell for sure what will be too much and it's a risk I don't want to take. After an hour or so I'll feel safe enough to have a tiny snack if I think I can keep it down, so I've been doing a lot of grazing.
My week 20 doctor's visit is this week and I fully expect to hear that I've gained weight - I know that generally I'm doing much better and think I've managed to graze my way into enough calories to have moved the scale the other way. The doctor's visit this week includes a ultrasound where we hope the little one cooperates and has widely spread legs so we can see what we're having! I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much that we'll know for sure since I know that there's no guarantee that they'll be able to tell. I'll post pictures once I get them scanned (no promises on how quickly that will happen).
I am showing a bit now though, even having lost weight - it shifted from other areas and I've changed from my usual pear shape to an apple which just makes me laugh - I definitely don't recognize my body! I'm still wearing my regular clothes but they do fit differently. I'm pretty sure I'll need to buy some pants this week. I expected to need to last week, but with the bad cold, most of my week was all spent in pajamas/yoga pants/sweat pants which still fit. Once I go back to work this week I think I'll need something. I was hoping to feel well enough today to try and buy some things, but I think I'm better off resting some more. I'll probably be stopping somewhere on the way home from work tomorrow to see what's available.
I've been feeling the baby move (at least I'm assuming that's what I'm feeling) - I thought I felt something one day, then nothing for a week, and then then it started up again. So that's exciting. And if that really is what I'm feeling, then the baby is very active today - much more so than any other day so far. I think L is really looking forward to when he'll be able to feel the baby kick - it's definitely not to that point yet.
I'm also just starting to realize how much we'd like to get done before the baby arrives and how quickly that time will disappear. June is no longer sounding quite so far away! I still can't believe that I'm at the halfway point.
Sometime around week 17 I did notice an overall improvement; I would go stretches of time without feeling queasy and managed to go 4 days in between vomiting sessions a couple of times. And, I no longer had to be QUITE so careful about getting breakfast within the first few minutes of getting out of bed.
I do have to be extremely careful about the amount I eat still; I can manage more than just the few bites it was earlier, but portion sizes are still much smaller than normal, and if I eat even a bite or two too much, it all comes back up. So basically I have to quit eating while I'm still a little bit hungry because I can't really tell for sure what will be too much and it's a risk I don't want to take. After an hour or so I'll feel safe enough to have a tiny snack if I think I can keep it down, so I've been doing a lot of grazing.
My week 20 doctor's visit is this week and I fully expect to hear that I've gained weight - I know that generally I'm doing much better and think I've managed to graze my way into enough calories to have moved the scale the other way. The doctor's visit this week includes a ultrasound where we hope the little one cooperates and has widely spread legs so we can see what we're having! I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much that we'll know for sure since I know that there's no guarantee that they'll be able to tell. I'll post pictures once I get them scanned (no promises on how quickly that will happen).
I am showing a bit now though, even having lost weight - it shifted from other areas and I've changed from my usual pear shape to an apple which just makes me laugh - I definitely don't recognize my body! I'm still wearing my regular clothes but they do fit differently. I'm pretty sure I'll need to buy some pants this week. I expected to need to last week, but with the bad cold, most of my week was all spent in pajamas/yoga pants/sweat pants which still fit. Once I go back to work this week I think I'll need something. I was hoping to feel well enough today to try and buy some things, but I think I'm better off resting some more. I'll probably be stopping somewhere on the way home from work tomorrow to see what's available.
I've been feeling the baby move (at least I'm assuming that's what I'm feeling) - I thought I felt something one day, then nothing for a week, and then then it started up again. So that's exciting. And if that really is what I'm feeling, then the baby is very active today - much more so than any other day so far. I think L is really looking forward to when he'll be able to feel the baby kick - it's definitely not to that point yet.
I'm also just starting to realize how much we'd like to get done before the baby arrives and how quickly that time will disappear. June is no longer sounding quite so far away! I still can't believe that I'm at the halfway point.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Update
No, I haven't disappeared entirely or given up on blogging. I've just been sick/recovering from being sick/trying to accomplish more pressing things that got ignored when I was sick or recovering. January was a rough month. Lots of vomiting still and exhaustion and even pain which kind of freaked me out at times. Until I read about round ligament pain and realized that it was normal. Unpleasant, but normal.
I think maybe I'm finally feeling better.
Which is kind of funny in a way because I'm still recovering from a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad... cold. (even though I use the phrase I didn't really like the book. I still love the phrase). I missed 3 days of work last week, and have spent most of the weekend still crashed on the couch, although I did occasionally manage to switch rooms.
My diet has been bad since last Tuesday as both L & I have been ill so we've been scrounging whatever we can find easily and that doesn't require much effort other than opening or pouring. Fortunately we had plenty of milk since we've both had at least one bowl of cereal a day, and usually two. Vegetables have been pretty lacking, although I did have a little fruit most days. I managed to open a huge can of peaches and have been working my way through them. Poor baby, I hope it's getting enough nutrients from the fortified cereal and multivitamin.
In some ways the worst part of this sickness (besides worrying about how the baby was doing) was the fact that it quickly turned into a chest cold with all the coughing that usually includes. And unfortunately coughing usually led to me throwing up. Even if my stomach wasn't upset at all; the big coughs triggered enough of a gag reflex that almost immediately had me vomiting. So that was lots of fun.
We're both doing better today, and think that we'll both have recovered enough to get back to work on Monday.
I hope to get back to blogging regularly, and plan to resume pregnancy updates.
I think maybe I'm finally feeling better.
Which is kind of funny in a way because I'm still recovering from a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad... cold. (even though I use the phrase I didn't really like the book. I still love the phrase). I missed 3 days of work last week, and have spent most of the weekend still crashed on the couch, although I did occasionally manage to switch rooms.
My diet has been bad since last Tuesday as both L & I have been ill so we've been scrounging whatever we can find easily and that doesn't require much effort other than opening or pouring. Fortunately we had plenty of milk since we've both had at least one bowl of cereal a day, and usually two. Vegetables have been pretty lacking, although I did have a little fruit most days. I managed to open a huge can of peaches and have been working my way through them. Poor baby, I hope it's getting enough nutrients from the fortified cereal and multivitamin.
In some ways the worst part of this sickness (besides worrying about how the baby was doing) was the fact that it quickly turned into a chest cold with all the coughing that usually includes. And unfortunately coughing usually led to me throwing up. Even if my stomach wasn't upset at all; the big coughs triggered enough of a gag reflex that almost immediately had me vomiting. So that was lots of fun.
We're both doing better today, and think that we'll both have recovered enough to get back to work on Monday.
I hope to get back to blogging regularly, and plan to resume pregnancy updates.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
January Books
Yes, the post is back-dated to fit it into where it should have gone
Molly Caldwell Crosby - The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History
(Very interesting, and another one where I'm not necessarily that interested in the topic, but the writer gets me interested in it.*)
Sharon Shinn - Mystic and Rider
(I loved this series, as you can probably guess by seeing how I devoured all of them in only a few days)
Gina Kolata - Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss and the Myths and Realities of Dieting
Sharon Shinn - The Thirteenth House
Amy Grant - Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far
Sharon Shinn - Dark Moon Defender
Keri Wyatt Kent - Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity
(Reviewed here.)
Sharon Shinn - Reader and Raelynx
Eleanor Herman - Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge
(I wanted to like this one much more than I did. I loved the history, but really disliked her writing style and some of her organization of the material.)
Sharon Shinn - Fortune and Fate
Dawn Jackson Blatner - The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life
Jan Burke - Hocus
Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz - The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal
Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis - This Scepter’d Isle
Laura Shapiro - Something from the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America
Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis - Ill Met by Moonlight
Carolyn Mahaney - Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother
Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis - By Slanderous Tongues
Paula Uruburu - American Eve: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, The Birth of the “It” Girl and the Crime of the Century
(Another one that I thought was poorly written. Trimming about 50 pages would have helped too.)
Margaret McMullan - When I Crossed No-Bob
Jeff Sypeck - Becoming Charlemagne: Europe, Baghdad, and the Empires of A. D. 800
Sue Henry - Murder at Five Finger Light
Mary Anna Evans - Relics
Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
(Along with many many other people, I loved it. Admittedly, I am quite the sucker for epistolary novels so that didn't hurt.)
Edward Beauclerk Maurice - The Last Gentleman Adventurer: Coming of Age in the Arctic
(My only complaint was I would have like more of a wrap-up of what happened with the rest of his life, but considering that he died while still working on the book perhaps it was planned but impossible to provide.)
Gail Carson Levine - Fairest
Ben Macintyre - The Englishman’s Daughter: A True Story of Love and Betrayal in World War I
Margaret McMullan - How I Found the Strong: A Novel of the Civil War
(Probably should have read this before When I Crossed No-Bob (see above) but I didn't catch that they were related.)
Allison Winn Scotch - Time of My Life
Jane Bryant Quinn - Smart and Simple Financial Strategies for Busy People
Lois Lenski - Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison
Elizabeth Warren & Amelia Warren Tyagi - The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers & Fathers are Going Broke (With Surprising Solutions That Will Change Our Children’s Futures)
Sharon Shinn - Summers at Castle Auburn
Carolyn Burke - Lee Miller: A Life
(Another one I thought could probably have been a little more tightly edited. And I really wish some of the photos that were described in detail would have been included. )
Alison Weir - Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey
(I've read and enjoyed several of her non-fiction works but this was her first novel for me. I'm already looking for the second.)
Johanna Reiss - The Upstairs Room
* Other non-fiction books that I found fascinating even though I had no real interest in the topic include:
Molly Caldwell Crosby - The American Plague: The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, the Epidemic that Shaped Our History
(Very interesting, and another one where I'm not necessarily that interested in the topic, but the writer gets me interested in it.*)
Sharon Shinn - Mystic and Rider
(I loved this series, as you can probably guess by seeing how I devoured all of them in only a few days)
Gina Kolata - Rethinking Thin: The New Science of Weight Loss and the Myths and Realities of Dieting
Sharon Shinn - The Thirteenth House
Amy Grant - Mosaic: Pieces of My Life So Far
Sharon Shinn - Dark Moon Defender
Keri Wyatt Kent - Rest: Living in Sabbath Simplicity
(Reviewed here.)
Sharon Shinn - Reader and Raelynx
Eleanor Herman - Sex with Kings: 500 Years of Adultery, Power, Rivalry, and Revenge
(I wanted to like this one much more than I did. I loved the history, but really disliked her writing style and some of her organization of the material.)
Sharon Shinn - Fortune and Fate
Dawn Jackson Blatner - The Flexitarian Diet: The Mostly Vegetarian Way to Lose Weight, Be Healthier, Prevent Disease, and Add Years to Your Life
Jan Burke - Hocus
Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz - The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal
Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis - This Scepter’d Isle
Laura Shapiro - Something from the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America
Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis - Ill Met by Moonlight
Carolyn Mahaney - Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother
Mercedes Lackey and Roberta Gellis - By Slanderous Tongues
Paula Uruburu - American Eve: Evelyn Nesbit, Stanford White, The Birth of the “It” Girl and the Crime of the Century
(Another one that I thought was poorly written. Trimming about 50 pages would have helped too.)
Margaret McMullan - When I Crossed No-Bob
Jeff Sypeck - Becoming Charlemagne: Europe, Baghdad, and the Empires of A. D. 800
Sue Henry - Murder at Five Finger Light
Mary Anna Evans - Relics
Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows - The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
(Along with many many other people, I loved it. Admittedly, I am quite the sucker for epistolary novels so that didn't hurt.)
Edward Beauclerk Maurice - The Last Gentleman Adventurer: Coming of Age in the Arctic
(My only complaint was I would have like more of a wrap-up of what happened with the rest of his life, but considering that he died while still working on the book perhaps it was planned but impossible to provide.)
Gail Carson Levine - Fairest
Ben Macintyre - The Englishman’s Daughter: A True Story of Love and Betrayal in World War I
Margaret McMullan - How I Found the Strong: A Novel of the Civil War
(Probably should have read this before When I Crossed No-Bob (see above) but I didn't catch that they were related.)
Allison Winn Scotch - Time of My Life
Jane Bryant Quinn - Smart and Simple Financial Strategies for Busy People
Lois Lenski - Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison
Elizabeth Warren & Amelia Warren Tyagi - The Two-Income Trap: Why Middle-Class Mothers & Fathers are Going Broke (With Surprising Solutions That Will Change Our Children’s Futures)
Sharon Shinn - Summers at Castle Auburn
Carolyn Burke - Lee Miller: A Life
(Another one I thought could probably have been a little more tightly edited. And I really wish some of the photos that were described in detail would have been included. )
Alison Weir - Innocent Traitor: A Novel of Lady Jane Grey
(I've read and enjoyed several of her non-fiction works but this was her first novel for me. I'm already looking for the second.)
Johanna Reiss - The Upstairs Room
* Other non-fiction books that I found fascinating even though I had no real interest in the topic include:
- Jennifer 8 Lee's The Fortune Cookie Chronicles: Adventures in the World of Chinese Food. I mean, I don't like to eat Chinese food AT ALL (bad experience with the stomach flu after eating it years ago have left me still scarred & unable to face any of it). But I loved the book so much I've pressured a couple of people to give it a try, and they've enjoyed it too.
- Mary Roach's Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. Yeah, not all that interested in cadavers, human or otherwise. But this was so interesting, and funny even. Her other books, Spook and Bonk, I thought were ok, but didn't quite live up to Stiff.
- Tom Vanderbilt's Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us)
I mean, traffic? Snore. But no, I didn't want to finish it. - Liz Curtis Higg's My Heart’s in the Lowlands: Ten Days in Bonny Scotland. This one sorta feels like I'm coming close to not following my standards of books I wouldn't expect to like but did, except I'm including it anyway because I didn't expect to like it that much; I mean, a travelogue for places I don't realistically expect to ever visit, but could, so it' s not like it's all that exotic or anything.
But instead, it was so wonderful. I wished for a longer trip. I wished I really *could* travel to Scotland with Liz (after reading the book, she's definitely Liz, not Mrs. Higgs or anything). Suddenly spending 10 days in that part of Scotland seemed like a fantastic idea, and I found myself scheming how I could make it happen. Someday...
Thursday, January 1, 2009
Goals for 2009
I didn't do all that well at accomplishing my 2008 goals, but that's not going to stop me from trying again in 2009.
- Spiritual – Find a church to attend. And attend regularly. (yes, this is a repeat from last year.)
- Physical – Exercise as I'm able before delivery; after I've recovered, exercise 3 x a week for 30 minutes.
- Intellectual – Finish computer courses
- Family - I have no idea what sort of goal to set here; seems like it should be something baby-related, but what??
- Social – Have guests over once a quarter.
- Household – Prepare a nursery by June 1.
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