Tag: baby

Merfbaby is 18 weeks today!

Merfbaby is 5 1/2 inches long and about the size of a bell pepper.

How I’m Feeling: Hungry. Ha! Overall I feel really good. I’m much more comfortable since I got some clothes that fit better. My appetite is normal, my energy is back and I’m sleeping pretty well. My bionic ankle was killing me last week! I know swollen feet and ankle’s are a symptom of pregnancy, but I was really starting to wonder if I had injured my ankle. I asked a few friends that I know have old injuries and they all said it was a painful week! Since breaking my ankle I was determined 9% permanently disabled with a high probability of early arthritis. Yay! I kept it elevated and I’m feeling much better now.

Belly/Weight:  I think I’ve officially “popped.” I’m still wearing a few of my regular pants with the Belly Bands and most of my tops are too snug. I went shopping on Sunday for Maternity Clothes at Macy’s with Momma-son. I took my gift cards and they were having a sale so I got 1 nice pair of jeans, 3 tops and 2 bras! Some of the clothes were so expensive, like $70 for ONE shirt?! Are you crazy!? Everything I got was buy one get one 50% off. I’m most happy with the bras :) TMI warning – my old bras weren’t cutting it anymore. It was not cute. The ones I got are also nursing bras so I know I’ll get a lot of use out of them in the coming months.

Life Changes: Maternity clothes are strange. They do fit better, but they are kind of awkward. But I guess everything is going to get awkward in the fit department in the coming months…I’m also finding it a little more difficult to bend over and pick things up. I’m also trying to appreciate putting on my socks and shoes since I know that’s also going to become more challenging.

Movement: I really thought I felt something one day, but I still can’t count it yet. I’m so ready to feel something!

Sleep: I love sleeping. I’m still going to be around 9:30pm and sleeping until 6:30am or 7:00am. I wake up a few times during the night to roll over and once every night at 2:30am to go potty. I’ve woken up several times in the last week with my hands asleep which I hate. Such and icky feeling. Kelly and I discussed pillow options…I think I may need a body pillow but I’m unsure if I’ll like it? I feel like having smaller pillows would be more comfy, but one lager pillow would make it easier to roll over.

Cravings: I had a serious pregnant lady moment this week…We were sitting in the office at work and I randomly said, “doesn’t a Wendy’s frosty and some french fries sound good?” Everyone agreed with me, and our office PA offered to make a run for me. I was like no, that is WAY too pregnant of me to ask you to do that. Eventually everyone else admitted that they wanted something from Wendy’s so a trip did happen :) And it was so tasty!

Exercise: It was a walking week for me. I wasn’t sure how my ankle would feel so I planned to take it easy and just do walking at the gym and around the office when I take Betsy out for her potty breaks.

Favorite Pregnancy Moment this week:  We went to Babies R Us on Saturday at 5:30pm. It was totally the witching hour for all the kids there since it was close to dinner and they were going nuts. It was intense. We looked at Car Seats and Strollers and a few other items. It’s overwhelming how much “stuff” you’re expected to get. I have a feeling we’re going to pass on a lot of the stuff just because I don’t see the immediate need. Obviously we need to cover the basics, but we both feel like there’s a ton of stuff that we won’t use. When I pushed my first trial stroller down the aisle I felt so funny, thinking “am I old enough to be doing this?” It was funny! We both felt better after seeing some things in person but I plan to register for most items online. After Babies R Us we went to Best Buy and got a new Fridge!!!! I’m calling this a pregnancy moment since it falls under our “nesting” plans of updating our kitchen :) Hooray for President’s weekend sales, open box specials and paying cash!

On My Mind:  I’ve been reading The Baby Whisperer and I get what everyone’s been telling me. I LOVE the book so far. It makes so much sense to me. Merfman and I have talked about it and I think we’ll have no problem using her E.A.S.Y plan. We talked a little about our work schedules and maternity leave. It’s hard to be in a freelance business since you never really know how work’s going to line up a few months down the road. My job is much more set and routine, but the cycle of Merfman’s work is much different…sort of you have to take work when it’s there since you don’t know if it’ll be there in a few weeks. I feel comfortable with the plan we have and I know it’ll work out when the time comes. It’s just one more thing I can’t force into a plan since there’s so much that can happen between now and when Merfbaby comes :)

Merfbaby is 17 weeks old!

My emails today told me Merbaby is the size and weight of a iPhone or a turnip.

How I’m Feeling:  Good! It was another busy week at work, so I was tuckered every night when I got home. Cooking dinner seems to be more effort than I’m capable of, and since it’s just me most nights I have a lot of egg dinners or leftovers. I’m starting to feel a little off balance, and I find myself waddle waking sometimes.

Belly/Weight: There’s for sure a baby bump! I have one pair of jeans I can still button and wear comfortably, and my trusty leggings  have a hole in them so I may need to upgrade. I have a few shirts that I feel comfortable wearing, but I’m having to get really creative with most of my wardrobe. I don’t have many clothes anyway, so it’s a challenge. I got two gift cards to Macy’s for my birthday so I’m thinking I’ll put those toward Maternity clothes. I’m also wondering if it would be worth looking at thrift shops? Since not many of my close friends have had babies there isn’t a floating pile of maternity clothing I can pull from. To all my furutre baby-having friends: I promise to start a pile for you!

Life Changes: I don’t often have to lift heavy things for work, but lately there have been a few situations where I’ve found myself helpless. I’ve NEVER been that girl, and I always changed the water jug in the office kitchen, or moved the desk with little to no help. I constantly want to jump in and help, but my co workers have been really great about reminding me that I’m preggers and to stand back.

Movement: I almost thought I felt something the other night, but I think it was just hunger? Soon I hope!

Sleep: We recently moved our big yellow lab downstairs at night to sleep since the stairs aren’t agreeing with his aging body. I’ve been sleeping really well this week because he doesn’t wake me up snoring! I did catch Merfman snoring a few times this week, he rarely snores so I know he’s really tired when he does. I need to purchase a few more pillows so help support my hips and tummy while I sleep, but overall I’ve been pretty comfortable. Minus the nightly potty break.

Cravings: Orange Juice and strawberries! I’ve eating so many strawberries in the past week! I’m happy I’m having healthy cravings though ;) For the past two weeks no matter what I bring for lunch with me to the office it just doesn’t sound as yummy as what the rest of the office orders. So I’ve been ordering in a few times. I still choose healthy options, but I know it’s not the best use of my food money. If I cook more dinners, I have more leftovers, which I need to start doing. I do love leftovers :) I think I get that from Momma-son.

Exercise: I did 1,400 yards at the pool on Sunday. I was so happy to be swimming! I brought my kick board and fins and did 600 yards of kicking. My legs were sore Monday and Tuesday! I’ve taken a few walks around the office building at work. When I bring Betsy with me I tend to be better about walking since I take her out for potty breaks throughout the day. We have these really steep stairs at the office, which I know I’m going to loathe during the later months of pregnancy, but even now they feel like a big work out!

Favorite Pregnancy Moment this week: On Saturday morning Merfman and I slept in, and made breakfast. Then, we sat on the couch and researched baby items! He looked at strollers and car seats while I checked out diaper bags and play pens. We’re planning to go to Babies R Us this weekend to look at a few things and maybe start working on a Registry. We were planning to register at Babies R Us, is there anywhere else? Target?  We also had a date night on Saturday. I’ve read a few places that it’s good to start a weekly date night before the baby comes. We also counted our date night as my Birthday dinner. We went to dinner at the Smokehouse in Burbank and it was so so good!  I’d never been before and since I’m not a red meat eater I didn’t know what to expect. I got the shrimp scampi and it was so good! I also ordered a baked potato, and they bring the toppings to your table and serve them to you! So cute. I also had the BEST green beans of my life!!! Seriously. Amazing. You know how green beans are always mushy and overcooked at restaurants? No.  These were perfect. Crisp. Bright green. Cooked with garlic. Ah, I want to go back and order them again.

On My Mind:  There’s all these different things you’re supposed to be worrying about. Baby development, weight gain, diet, glucose levels. I’m at the point where I know I have zero control on what’s happening inside my body. God’s taking care of that. All I can do it take care of me. Make sure I eat well, get enough rest and take care of my body. I’ve been pretty relaxed and laid back so far, there’s not much I can “control” so what’s the all the worry worth? And after the baby comes there’s nothing but non-stop worry for the rest of your life, right? Are they hitting their development stages? Are they happy? Healthy? Socially adjusted? Upstanding citizens?  So, no worry for now.

Merfbaby is 16 weeks!

I signed up for a weekly pregnancy email from The Pregnant Chicken, and my email yesterday told me Merfbaby is the size of a grenade  Now we’re talking!

Merfbaby is 4 1/2 inches long and has started growing toenails! The heart is pumping 25 quarts a day.

How I’m Feeling:  Good, but this week was exhausting. It was a really busy week at work, with a very late night on Monday…I collapsed into bed at 1:00am. I was dragging all week and went to bed early whenever I could, so I finally feel caught up on sleep. I have a lot I want to get done this weekend, but I’ll see how I’m feeling. I’m trying to put rest and sleep over busy work, but it’s hard when I want to get so much done around the house!

Belly/Weight:  At my appointment yesterday I showed a 5 pound weight gain fro my last appointment. I asked the doctor if that’s ok and she said aiming for 1 pound a week is good. My tummy is sticking out a little more this week and it feels firm…creepy? Yea.

Life Changes:  Still wearing normal clothes, but I have to start choosing some longer tops since my shape is changing. I tried to get more sleep this week since I was so exhausted from work, I’m looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow :)

Movement:  Still not yet. It was funny at the appointment yesterday seeing the baby moving around on the ultrasound but not feeling any of it!

Sleep: I still have 1 – 2 potty breaks in the middle of the night, but this week I had a harder time falling back asleep after crawling into bed. Merfman’s back into his production schedule so between his odd hours and the potty breaks I’m not sleeping well.

Cravings:  Still OJ. Not lemonade so much this week. And protein. My appetite is back and I go from zero to hangry, fast. I’m trying to get more protein into my daily meals. Lots of dairy, beans, rice, some fish and peanut butter, and lots of eggs. I also asked my doctor about adding protein powder into my smoothies, I think that will help too.

Exercise: Monday I did a ton of running around and carrying various items back and forth for work. I was sore most of the week – arms and shoulders so I took it easy on the work outs. Don’t worry, I didn’t lift anything heavy. I ordered a new swim suit from Swim Outlet since my current stash doesn’t accommodate for the growing belly. PS Maternity Swim Suits are U.G.L.Y. I just ordered a regular suit 4 sizes larger than my normal. If toward the end I need to order up another size or two I will.

Favorite Pregnancy Moment this week:  Merfman got to come with me to my doctor appointment on Thursday! He’s never able to come, so it was fun having him see Merfbaby on the ultrasound. I had been wondering if this might be the week they tell us the gender. At 12 weeks the technician wanted to tell me, but I felt like it was too soon to tell, even though they said they were 95% sure what it was. Plus, I was alone so I asked them not too. So, this week we were looking forward to maybe finding out. We were put into a room at our appointment that didn’t have an ultrasound machine so we thought we wouldn’t get to find out. The doctor opened the door and asked if we’d like to find out the gender! She said she couldn’t make any promises, but she would give it a shot. We asked if she found the gender, that she write it down and slip it into and envelope so we could open it later. Well….Merfbaby was being shy and she couldn’t get a good look, plus the cord was in the way. Womp. I have another ultrasound at the end of this month, so maybe we’ll find out then!

On My Mind:  I’m halfway through reading “Baby Wise,” so I’ve been thinking a lot about the feed, wake, sleep pattern for the baby and I during the first few weeks. We want to get the baby into a rhythm soon after birth to help for our sanity, as well as Merfbaby’s. I’m a little nervous about the first week or two after birth. I can only imagine what to expect, so I’m trying not to over think it. I really want to breastfeed, and I know that can take a little while to get the hang of. Next up on my reading list is “Baby Whisperer.”  So many Mom’s have recommended it to me, so I’m excited to get reading! We also selected a Baby Class to take starting in mid-April. We’ve chosen the Bradley Method classes since they focus on natural birth. The instructor explained the classes in a way I completely related to. She said, you would’t run a marathon without practicing, or show up on game day never knowing what to expect. Duh. As an athlete that totally made sense to me. I know there’s not a lot you can do physically to prepare yourself for the crazy that it labor, but the more I can understand about the progression of labor the better for me.