I was sucked into the Vortex

Today was the first day since I've been pregnant that I've actually really enjoyed being pregnant. First, Adam and I went to Famous Footwear to buy me a new pair of exercise/tennis shoes. I wouldn't have spent the money due to sticking to a tight budget, but we both agreed I really needed them. The pair of shoes I've been using literally tear apart my feet. I have a consistent blister on the back of my right heel and I have to wear a band aid every day I go walking. Also, sometimes if my heel bandage is too thick, my toes get pushed too far forward and I end up with bloody toes by the end of my walk. It makes exercise and just walking around in general difficult when I always have a blister or bloody toes. Anyway, we were able to get me shoes for 50% off, so at least we got a really good deal and I really do like my new shoes! I've been wearing them all day now and no blister or bloody toes! So, back to my original "I liked being pregnant" today thing, while I was at Famous Footwear I had to use the restroom (a VERY common occurrence these days). I asked the clerk if I could use their restroom and he said they didn't have one. I replied, "Well what do you do if you have to go to the bathroom?" He said, "Well we have one, it's just not for public use." Then I said back in an earnest plea, "But I'm pregnant, can I please use your restroom? I really don't want to have to run around trying to find a bathroom." He immediately agreed and I was escorted back to the private employee restroom. Thank you being pregnant!

Then this afternoon I went to Babies R Us to get myself a pregnancy pillow and a maternity support waistband recommended by my physical therapist (I have some serious hip issues). Now, I have never in my life been to Babies R Us before. Don't ask me how I've made it through a ton of baby showers and 20 weeks of pregnancy without stepping foot in this store, but somehow I managed. After today I know why, that place is a vortex that sneakily sucks you in! What was I thinking going there without Adam to hold me back? I thought I could just buy two boring pregnancy things and be on my way, yeah right!

It started with the clearance rack. After all it was all 50% off PLUS the second outfit was only $1. How could a pregnant woman with all kinds of warm, fuzzy, baby loving hormones pass that up? Then the Carter baby clothes brand was on sale all over the store, buy one get the second one 50% off. Have you ever seen Carter baby clothes? SO CUTE! I have to admit, my weepy pregnancy hormones kicked in while there and I actually got teary eyed looking at all the cute baby clothes. The tiny little baby hats and baby shoes and even adorable Halloween costumes. I almost bought a costume until I realized that my baby won't be here by Halloween and he'll be much bigger next Halloween. Anyway, it was also pretty funny to be in a store with so many other pregnant women or new moms with their little bundles of joy. Because I still don't really look pregnant yet, I have to admit I kind of tried to stick my belly out a little further to fit in. I was really glad I was wearing a maternity shirt today so even if I don't have the baby belly yet at least I looked like I belonged there.

Anyway, I actually did get out of there without spending too much since everything I bought was on sale. But I don't think I should go there again alone, it's too dangerous. And next time, I may need to bring some tissues just in case the weepy pregnancy hormones kick in again. So all you pregnant women out there, beware of the Vortex! Oh and just for fun, here are a few of the adorable, on sale, outfits I couldn't resist buying. There was one super cute little cowboy outfit I wanted to buy, complete with little baby boots, baby cowboy hat, and even a sewn on sheriff's badge, but I had to resist because it was way to expensive. Oh well, maybe I'll just register for that one. :)

Doctor appointment, good, bad, and pictures

Last night I had a doctor appointment. I had been looking forward to this appointment for two main reasons. Number one, because I was going to be able to get another ultrasound and see my baby again. I just can't get enough of seeing the little person growing inside of me! Number two, because I've been having this horrible stomach pain that has been on and off now for about a week. One time it was so bad I thought about going to the emergency room, but then I remembered I had a doctor appointment in a couple days so I decided to wait. I tend to be a worrier anyway so I didn't want to feel stupid if I went into the hospital and they told me it was gas or something dumb like that.

Anyway, first I got to see my little baby. He's gotten so much bigger in the last month! He doesn't even fit in one frame anymore. Although, I have to admit, my doctor's ultrasound machine is not as good as Fetal Studio's so the pictures aren't quite as clear, but you can still see him. Here are two from the ultrasound. And in case you were wondering, he's still a boy. :)


He was moving around a ton during the ultrasound. It was actually pretty funny because every time the doctor pushed a little harder on my belly and poked him, the baby would hit or kick at where he had just been poked. I guess he doesn't like being poked. The good thing with that is when I want to feel him kick when he's a bit further along, I'll just poke him to get him to hit or kick me. Who knows, that might work when he's out of me too. I know I hit or kick someone if they poke me, so why wouldn't he?

So, now to the second reason I went to the doctor, my awful stomach pains. The funny thing is, the morning before I went I was having these lovely pains and I text messaged my sister-in-law Amber, who is an expert at being pregnant (she's pregnant right now with her fourth), and asked her if the pain was normal and what it was. Her first response was it might be my gallbladder. She had problems with her gallbladder in her last pregnancy and even got it removed after her last baby. So as you might guess now, after I explained my pain to my doctor he said he thinks it's probably my gallbladder. Apparently it's pretty common for pregnancy to aggravate one's gallbladder. And yes, Amber is pretty awesome to be able to diagnose me over the phone!

Anyway, the bad news is that the only thing the doctors can do for a gallbladder problem is surgery, which is not advisable during pregnancy. The doctor continued to explain that this means I have to wait until 6 weeks after the baby is born and then have the surgery. So I'll get to become really familiar with the hospital. First major procedure to have the baby, second another fun procedure to take care of my gallbladder. I didn't think about this until I got home, but I'm thinking that I won't be able to breastfeed after the surgery for a few days until the anesthesia from the surgery is out of my system. So, that means a fun few days for Adam when he has a newborn and a wife recovering from two major medical procedures. Good thing Adam is a patient man! And it's probably also a good thing we'll be very close to a lot of family who can help out (hint, hint family, we'll need your help!).

So, the good news, baby is doing perfectly. The bad news, I am not doing so hot, but for the sake of baby, I get to suffer for the next four and a half months (although I'm voting only 4 months because I'm going to push to be enduced early). Honestly though, I'm okay with it. At least the baby is doing fine and the gallbladder will basically only bother me and not him. I'll just really need that prenatal yoga now to help me manage my stress and pain. Oh well, what's 4 months to the rest of my life anyway?

A few fun things...

On Friday Adam and I went to the Living Aquarium. Adam would really like to get an aquarium of our own, this gave us some fun ideas. Here are just a few pictures. I don't know how Adam can go in like this to pet the sting ray and not fall in. I totally would have fallen in! By the way, has anyone else who's gone to an aquarium noticed that sting rays are like the dogs of the sea? They always swim over to us to be petted.

Look, I found Nemo! I totally want one of these fish if we ever get a big salt water aquarium.

On a different note, I still get to watch my friend's baby twice a week. She really is a good baby and it's been good practice for both me and the dogs. It's amazing how many times a day while I watch her that I have to literally juggle multiple things at once. Like it's actually pretty hard to make a bottle while holding a crying baby. Or trying to leave to go run a few errands takes a while because I want to make sure she's fed, burped, and diaper changed before I go anywhere. Then trying to carry the diaper bag, my purse, the car seat, and whatever else I have, like a package to mail off at the post office. Not to mention making sure our Rolo puppy doesn't run out of the front door while I'm trying to get out (since she's not 100% trained on that point yet). Although, Rolo is getting used to having a baby around and she likes to lay right by the baby sometimes. Here's a cute picture of one of those times when Rolo just couldn't get close enough to the baby. So cute!

Anyway, it's fun watching this cute little girl, but every day I watch her I think of my own little baby and how much I'm looking forward to having him and being home with him. And even though it's a bit of struggle to adjust from two incomes to one income, and it means sacrificing a lot, I'm glad we're doing it. Before being pregnant, I never thought I wanted to be a full time stay at home mom and quit my day job, but now I really can't imagine going back to work and my baby isn't even here yet. Now I just need to make sure I engage myself with other stay at home moms so I don't get lonely or desperate to talk to another adult. I've been staying super busy with a few work loose ends I need to tie up, but those should be taken care of in about a month and then I can focus more on everything else. Like maybe I should start looking at baby stuff. I haven't even started looking and all we have right now are some onesies, baby shampoo, a few toys, a cute newborn outfit, and a cute blanket. So, at least he'll be bathed and clothed with a few toys to keep him interested...

Ok fine, here's 18 weeks

Well, after talking to a few more people and being reminded that "getting fat" doesn't count when you're pregnant, here's a picture of me Adam took tonight. This is my week 18 picture. Man, am I fickle or what! Anyway, see, I told you I don't really look pregnant yet, just more chubby.

And here's another one. The reason I'm posting this second one is because you can see my cute dog sitting at my feet. It's not the best picture though because I wasn't holding my shirt tight enough so you can't really see my belly, but at least Rolo looks cute.

By the way, these were taken on our phones, so not the best quality. The top one was on my phone the bottom one on Adam's phone. Maybe someday we'll have a digital camera besides our phone to take pictures with. We're not really picture takers anyway, so this will do for now.

A problem with being overweight and pregnant

Ever since I entered my second trimester about a month ago, pregnancy has honestly been mostly easy. Sure I still get a little sick now and again, and I have some other not so fun side affects, but for the most part, if you didn't know I was pregnant, it would be hard to tell. I am mostly back to normal eating and I'm also back to exercising 5 or 6 days a week, so that's nice. I have gained some weight, but nothing huge or out of the “normal” range. Maybe this is my pregnancy emotions about to come out, but I have noticed one new problem in my second trimester that is a bit of a struggle for me. The problem is that my belly is starting to get bigger and my capris I've been wearing through my whole pregnancy, are a little too tight around the belly (although still lose everywhere else).

Now, I know you're thinking, you're pregnant, duh, of course your belly is getting bigger. Right, I get that, but here's the catch. Because I'm already a bit overweight, the extra belly growth really does just look like I'm getting chubbier, not pregnant. I have two cute skinny sister-in-laws that are also pregnant, and they are cute pregnant ladies with the “it's obvious it's a baby bump and not fat” thing going on. In fact, it seems like everywhere I go I see a cute little pregnant lady or find out another one of my friends is pregnant (must be that spring lovin' or something!). And don't get me wrong, I think it's great there are so many of us pregos out there. More kids for my baby to play with. I just wish I had the cute pregnant lady thing going on. I, however, have people tell me that I'm still not showing. I know that's supposed to be a compliment, but I would rather have a cute “baby bump” that's clear it's a baby and not a fat deposit, then just look like I'm getting fatter.

So, in answer to all of the people that have been asking for “baby bump” pictures, you're going to have to wait. Right now I mostly just look fat, not pregnant. Maybe in a month or so it'll be more obvious my big belly is carrying a baby, and not just last nights dinner. When that's the case, then I'll post my baby bulge pictures (because by then he'll be more of a bulge than a bump).

In the meantime, I've started wearing maternity shirts, just because they don't have a shirt that says, “Yes, I'm pregnant.” Seriously, someone should make those, I'm sure that would make a lot of people's lives easier. Especially for those of us with some extra fat that would prefer people think everything is baby, even though I know there's obviously fat there helping to hide the baby. Oh well, I'll just live with looking extra chubby right now and I'll just be consoled by the fact that it's all for a good cause.

Good Dental Assistants are Hard to Find

I had a dentist appointment today at which I was to get one old filling fixed, a new cavity filled, and a good old fashioned cleaning. I had no pain whatsoever when I went to the dentist this afternoon, and now I'm honestly in a ton of pain. Why do you ask, well, I must admit, I kind of blame the dental assistant that helped my dentist today. I made her mad, and that was apparently the thing to do if I wanted her to be rough on me.

Here's what happened. Nice Mr. Grandpa Dentist (don't know his name, but he was an older gentleman, and very nice) was working on the left side of my mouth giving me all kinds of numbing shots and then his other dental work. As you all know, laying upside down with your mouth wide open and your teeth being worked on creates a build up of saliva in the mouth. Hence, the lovely sucky thing the dental assistants get to use (I'm sure there's some kind of fancy name for it, but I call it the spit suker, or sucky thing). Well, Mr. Dentist was working for a while and I was getting so much saliva and dental water backup I was actually starting to choke on it. I was starting to panic because I was having a hard time breathing and choking, but since the dentist was in my mouth I couldn't say, “Please miss kind and lovely dental assistant, can you give me the sucky thing?” So, in a panic, I tried to reach over and pat her leg to indicate I really needed the sucky thing. Wow, you would have thought I called her all kinds of bad names, because her response was awful.

She started to yell at me to breath through my nose and I had better get used to it because they were going to be using a lot of water on me today and I couldn't just swallow or get vacuumed any time I wanted. I then quickly apologized (because by now Mr. Dentist was out of my mouth and had made her vacuum up my spit) and asked her to please use the sucky thing as much as possible as I was having a hard time not choking. She actually rolled her eyes at me and made a sneer remark!

The rest of the dental work went okay, until it got to the cleaning part, which nice Mr. Dentist had Ms. Dental Assistant do. Since she pretty much hated me, she was totally rough on the scraper and the polisher. I actually got tears my eyes a couple times from the pain.
So, next time I have a good dental assistant (which honestly, all of the ones I've had in the last couple of years were really good) I will make sure to go out of my way to really lay on the praise and thanks for a job well done. All of you good dental assistants out there, thank you! And please, will you be my dental assistant next time?

Ultrasound pictures

Here are 3 Ultrasound pictures from 7.24.09.

It's still crazy to think this little guy is in my belly!

And here's a picture from the bottom looking up. Definitely a boy!

Was it gas, a bug, or a baby?

Last night I felt something a little weird in my belly. It kind of felt like a little bug fluttering across a little part of my belly. Or maybe it was a little gas bubbling. But, what I'd really like to think it was, is the baby kicking, or flipping over, or something. Either way, I'm going to go with the idea that I felt my baby moving! :)