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Monday, May 31, 2010

Itchy itchy ya ya da da...

Less than a week ago, I started using Bio-Oil and cocoa butter on my chest and abdomen to prevent stretch marks. Methinks I'm a bit late to the party. For the past couple of days, the skin on my abdomen, especially in the rib cage areas, has been itching like crazy. Although I don't see any signs of stretch marks yet, this itchiness cannot be a good omen. Oy...Proactivity fail.

Alas...It's all for a good cause, right?

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Mission(s) accomplished.

I began this Memorial Day weekend with a cloud of gloom enveloping me. I was disappointed in myself for not having done much, if anything, in the way of preparations for baby. What a terrific parent I am already, I thought to myself as I considered my intimidating To-Do List. After all, I'm halfway through this pregnancy, and all I have to show for it are a teddy bear and an Amazon wish list.

But yesterday, I crossed an item off my To-Do List--a huge, glaring item. I began our baby registry at Babies R Us. I took some items from my Amazon wish list and added them to this registry, thus gaining a sense of accomplishment. However, I noticed that many items on my wish list--items I had selected after hours and hours of research--were not available at Babies R Us or any other local store that sells baby gear. The perfect highchair, the sweetest swing, the most bad-ass convertible car seat...They evidently are enigmas that elude the brick-and-mortar store. Oh well, more stuff for us to buy online, I suppose...

And today, Joey and I struck another daunting task off the To-Do List: finding THE nursery furniture. Here's what we put a down payment on:
We didn't purchase the armoire, but the other 2 pieces will be in our home in a month or so. The crib converts to a toddler bed and then to a full-size bed. For that reason, I wanted a more grown-up look, something that will befit both a child and a teenager. After all, it is my hope that this furniture stays with our son through at least early adulthood.

So hooray for productivity in the household of Mr. and Mrs. T! I already celebrated with a vanilla shake from Keller's. Now the party will carry on with a nap or a Netflix break. Or both. Because that's how wild and crazy I am these days.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Halfway Day!

Weight: 135 pounds
Symptoms: rhinitis (not sure if it's allergies or if it's pregnancy related), some gas, insomnia, back pain
Mood: calm, happy, tired
Listening to: XMU (channel 43 on XM Radio)
Reading: Baby Bargains, 8th Edition by Denise and Alan Fields

Today marks the halfway point of my pregnancy: 20 weeks and 0 days!

As clichéd as it sounds, it seems at times like time has flown quickly, while other times, I feel like I'm stuck in slow motion. Either way, I cherish every day that I am pregnant, no matter how physically uncomfortable I might be or scared I might feel.

I'm celebrating with a second caffeinated beverage this evening--a Diet Dr Pepper, to be exact. That's some hard partyin' for me these days!

Here's to another 20 weeks (hopefully!) of milestones and smiles.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Okay, so I'm fickle.

I thought I had already chosen the bedding for our son's nursery. And I actually purchased it. Well...I think I found something I like even better:



The more I thought about it, the more I realized that the original bedding I had chosen was from, like, another lifetime ago. I had different taste back then. This new choice better suits my current frame of mind. And it doesn't have any pink in it. But let's face it, the baby probably won't care either way; however, his mommy will be happier in the long run with this nursery collection.

Even though I don't have any home-decor savvy, I am hopeful that this nursery will come together quite nicely. Now, I just need to start on it.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Alive and kicking.

For the first time, Joey felt our boy kicking last night. I've rarely seen him so overjoyed and overtaken with emotion.

"HEY, little buddy!" he exclaimed and kissed my belly where he felt his son's kicks.

It's these moments...They reassure me that things are going to be good. No--better than good.

We are a family.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Departures.

We said goodbye to my aunt tonight in a small memorial service.

I am exhausted, mentally and physically.

It has been an extraordinarily bad week.

I am ready to begin anew, with a fresh week and a chance to get back to enjoying my pregnancy and daydreaming about my son.

Photo: week 19

I seem to have "popped" between the time the last photo was taken and now. I'd say this bump is pretty much all baby--90% or more. I'm feeling fabulous, and Joey loves the way I'm looking these days.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

Week 19: Thursday, May 20, 2010

Weight: 134 pounds
Symptoms: fatigue, food aversions
Mood: anxious, preoccupied

He's kicking right now, as I type.

I am really hoping I can get pictures posted here soon. We've been good about taking the pictures. We have not been good, however, with uploading them.

This week has not been the best, clearly. With my aunt's passing on Monday and the overload of work in my office, I'm weary, to say the least. At least my part-time instructor gig at the university is over for the summer. Having only one job feels...strange.

He's still kick, kick, kicking away.

Joey took me to McDonald's on the way home from work (we're sharing a car right now) so I could get an ice cream cone. He ordered me a large one. Ice cream headache aside, it was satisfying. I think I deserved it after a long day at work. And I think my dear son likes it too, judging from his activity in the past hour.

I relish these moments, the ones in which I can feel him moving around. I can't quite wrap my brain around the fact that I have a little person inside me, a person who will be in my arms in 5 months. It's surreal. When he kicks, it makes it more real. The ways in which he has already affected me...

Sunday, May 16, 2010

A time to mourn.

My aunt Sharon, my mother's sister, passed away today. She was 62 years old.

She had been in the intensive care unit at Baylor since Friday. She had had myriad health problems over the years: Hodgkin lymphoma, two bouts of breast cancer, osteoporosis...I suppose all of these years of heavy medication and being semi-bedridden finally got the best of her. Joey and I visited her on Saturday. She was in and out of consciousness, but when she was awake, she recognized me and was alert.

Not knowing how to deal with the severely infirm or dying, I chose to make small talk, thinking I could (falsely) convey to her that I wasn't scared or overly concerned about her condition. I asked her if she knew I was having a boy. She nodded and tried to speak, but the breathing tube from the life-support machine made that impossible. Her eyes told me she was pleased, though.

I am thankful for that last bit of communication with her, especially because it was the last such communication from her at all.

Adding to the tragedy here is the fact that her only child, my cousin Scott, is in jail--which is where he has spent most of his adult life. Yes, he is that proverbial Black Sheep of our family. Anyway, apparently one cannot call an inmate in the jail or even visit the inmate unless he or she is on the inmate's approved guest list. With my limited dealings in correctional-facility etiquette, I figured that the only way to let Scott know about his mother was to write him a letter. So that's what I did; the letter went out on Saturday. I haven't heard from him yet; I am dreading telling him the some worst news a person could ever hear.

Sharon had a difficult life, and it saddens me all the more that it had to end this way. At least she is no longer suffering.

Week 18: Sunday, May 16, 2010

Symptoms: fatigue (but it's less bothersome now), food aversions
Mood: tired, stressed
Listening to: These Hopeful Machines by BT

Well, I managed to finish grading papers and final exams this weekend, and I've submitted almost all of my students' final grades for the semester. That means I'm now back to having only one job! However, this one job, which is my full-time editing job, is about to require some extensive overtime from me, so it will be like I'm still working two jobs. Can't a pregnant lady get some rest?!

Physically, I look about the same as I have for the past 2 or 3 weeks. The baby bump doesn't seem to have "popped out" any more; I'm just waiting patiently for the next growth spurt. In the meantime, I'm enjoying my voracious appetite and all that it entails, even the odd--and often disgusting--cravings:

I should be ashamed of myself. But I'm not.

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

What is it they say about a picture?



Yeah, a picture is worth--in this case--three life-changing words: It's a boy.

We got the surprise today during the anatomy ultrasound, performed by our maternal-fetal specialist. I can't begin to imagine the ways in which this boy will steal my heart, make it swell, break it occasionally, but make it beat proudly.

I love you, my little buddy.

Monday, May 10, 2010

Mom Noms.

You know, the foods this mother-to-be is craving? Mom noms, I call them. Anyway, right now it's the soft-serve vanilla ice cream cones at McDonald's. Just had one on the way home from the doctor's office today, as a matter of fact. And it. was. nummy.

And what about the doctor's appointment, you ask? It was a routine monthly visit. Joey was with me this time. We got to hear the heartbeat, which is always the highlight of the visit. Everything is, in my doctor's words, "perfect--we couldn't ask for anything better!"

Tomorrow, we go back to the maternal-fetal specialist for the second round of the sequential screening blood tests. They might do an ultrasound tomorrow. If they do, do you know what that means? Yep, we'll find out whether to begin calling the baby a "he" or a "she"!

Until then, what to eat, what to eat?

Sunday, May 9, 2010

Speaking of Mother's Day...

I wasn't sure whether I should observe Mother's Day this year. I mean, I'm not technically a mother yet, and the sacrifices I am now making cannot compare to the sacrifices I will be making once the child is in my arms.

However, I did get some nice surprises (including the one in the post below). My mom sent me a Mother's Day card for moms-to-be. Also, Andrew, Shane, and Christina sent me Happy Mother's Day text messages.

I've changed so much over the past four months as I try to transition into the role of a parent. I can't imagine how different I'll be next Mother's Day.

This time, I'm pretty sure it wasn't gas bubbles.

For the first time during this pregnancy, the rumblings I'm feeling inside me are not gas bubbles or digestive processes. He or she is kicking.

This is a Mother's Day I will not forget.

Friday, May 7, 2010

Week 17: Friday, May 7, 2010

Weight: 133 pounds
Symptoms: extreme fatigue, some food aversions

Any time now, I should start to feel the baby kicking and moving around. I've been told it feels like popcorn popping inside the belly. So far, I think what I've been feeling is just gas bubbles!

My appetite is on a continued upswing. Although I still have some food aversions, they're starting to go away a little bit. According to my scale here at home, I've gained only 2 pounds, so I hope my appetite picks up even more soon. My doctor might become concerned about my nonexistent weight gain, otherwise.

This week, I've been consumed with researching nursery furniture and baby names. No real progress on either front, but I'm trying!

Saturday, May 1, 2010

Let the (shopping) games begin!

Well, I've gone and done it. I've made our first nursery-related purchase: the crib bedding.

I've had my heart set on the John Lennon "Real Love" baby collection ever since I can remember, but unfortunately, this line is no longer in production. Therefore, I had to find acceptable used items on eBay, and I did so this afternoon. Here's what the comforter looks like:



Of course, I'll probably use the comforter as a wall hanging. The set I bought also includes 2 fitted crib sheets, a dust ruffle, a receiving blanket, and a crib bumper.

There are tons of accessories out there for this collection, such as lamps, pictures, photo albums, rugs, birth announcements and so on...I see plenty of eBay shopping in my future!

Week 16: Saturday, May 1, 2010

Mood: calm, content
Symptoms: extreme fatigue
Cravings: I'm still pretty much stuck on bland foods such as potatoes; I also crave seafood such as salmon and crab (no shrimp, please). I have to watch my seafood intake, though, because of mercury.

Later today, Joey and I are meeting friends to go see the new remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street. We'll be seeing Andrew and Jennifer, Stacy and Shawn, Sarah and Russell, Sarah C., and probably some other people I haven't met yet. Afterward, we're all going to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings. I'm looking forward to it!

Week 16 has seen many of my most unpleasant symptoms subside, such as sensitivity to smells, nausea, indigestion, bloating, and sore breasts. The food aversions are sticking around, but they're not as severe as they used to be. I was actually able to eat Mexican food last night, thank goodness! It had been waaay too long!