Double digits!

Less than 100 days until my due date.  It is hard to believe.  And with family visiting, a vacation, and my shower I suspect January will fly by. 

I'm just too lazy to do a picture this week.  We had a lovely white Christmas in Vermont, then managed to miss the blizzard and drive back the next day.  It was nice to have a few days off and also great to see the family.

I love spending time with my nephews for many reasons, but one thing that is neat is that we get to do some "practice" parenting.  Holding, feeding, and entertaining the baby, and trying to figure out to get him to nap.  Redirecting 3-year old melt downs without giving in to demands.  Watching him decide Uncle Steve is really great and preferring him even to mormor (grandma) was so sweet.  Reliving the eternity that is Christmas Eve to a child before the presents are doled out.

Next week: a pic, and hopefully a post about nursery progress!

How far along? 24 weeks, 6 days.

Maternity clothes? Yep.  I even ordered some maternity pajamas because the pants I have been wearing under my belly are getting tight.


Stretch marks? Not yet!

Sleep? Still good, although I had an hour-long bout of insomnia last week.

Food cravings: Still pineapple.  I think I am not having a lot of cravings because I'm getting what I need nutritionally.


Gender: Convinced it's a girl again... Also, my office cleaning lady told me it's a girl because I'm carrying in my butt.  She's a charmer!

Belly button in or out? In.

Movement? Pretty sure - the tapping is getting more consistent and stronger.  I think even Steve felt one yesterday.

What I miss? Bending down to get something without grunting.


What I'm looking forward to: Christmas!


Milestones: V-Day, of course!  It's comforting to know that if the baby were born now, it may survive.

23 week belly pic & quiz

I took my own picture this week because who knows when Steve will be home and I wanted to put on my pajamas.  I am really liking my bump!

How far along? 23 weeks, 1 day.


Weight?  I am proud to report that I am only up 0.4 lbs in the last two weeks!  I have really been paying attention to my protein and I think it's helping.

Maternity clothes? Yes, although the top I wore today is non-maternity.

Stretch marks? Nope, but I have some small spider veins on my sides.  They are strange.

Sleep? Still awesome, knock on wood!

Food cravings: A little bit of apple juice, but not much.

Gender: I go back and forth.

Belly button in or out? In.

Movement? I think so...still just tapping tough.

What I miss? Not sweating like a pig all of the time.

What I'm looking forward to: V-day on Monday.

Milestones: Starting our childbirth classes.  Also, my baby shower is scheduled for January 29th!

22 weeks

So I'm a day late and there is no picture this week basically because I can't remember anything.  I think I look pretty much the same, though.



How far along? 22 weeks, 1 day.


Maternity clothes? I had to put one dress away.  I'm thinking I can wear it after baby, though.


Stretch marks? Nope.



Sleep? Still sleeping really well.  Everyone keeps asking me if I use the bathroom a lot at night, but I never do.


Food cravings: None, really.


Gender: I have pretty much convinced myself it's a girl!



Belly button in or out? In.



Movement? Maybe feeling some taps the last few days?  I hope so, this is getting ridiculous.


What I miss? My short-term memory.


What I'm looking forward to: V-day in a couple of weeks.


Milestones: Ordering the crib!  I cashed in a bunch of American Express points and got this one (Pottery Barn Kids Kendall Fixed Gate Crib, plus the conversion kit), for free:
 

Our colors are green and yellow as well and I think it will look really cute!

21 week appointment - scared straight!

So I gained 8 lbs in the last month.  Not so good.  I have also started getting some swelling and leg cramps at night.  Not pleasant, but normal, or so I thought.

My midwife had the following to offer: 

• Leg cramps can be a sign of calcium deficiency, especially combined with the little bit of muscle twitching I have had that I didn't think was a big deal.  I drink plenty of milk, but apparently some people don't absorb calcium well from dairy.  She recommended getting calcium from a variety of sources: leafy dark greens (spinach, kale, collards), other veggies like broccoli and brussels sprouts, and foods like almonds and white beans.  She recommended not relying on just one of these foods, either - there goes my idea for a daily spinach salad!

• For the swelling she recommends nettles, and more than I get from the tea mix.  She said that I can take a supplement and a large dose won't hurt me or the baby.  I am already walking and swimming so that part is covered!  She also recommended nightly foot massages, which I am all for...She also mentioned a chiropractic adjustment may relieve this issue, which is something I had not considered. 

• She also noted that pre-eclampsia is usually a result of poor nutrition and hydration.  If that's not motivation to drink my water, I don't know what is!

So, bottom line is I need to drink my water, eat my veggies, and take care of myself.  Hopefully that will slow down the weight gain as well as solve some of these other issues.

20 weeks!

It looks like my ankles are not the only thing that are puffy - nice elbow!

How far along? 20 weeks. I can't believe I'm halfway!

Maternity clothes? Oh yes.  Luckily my sister sent me home from Vermont with a suitcase full!

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? I'm embarassed about my apparent snoring but I'm sleeping just fine!

Food cravings: Still milk, and occasionally potato chips.

Gender: I'm thinking girl.

Belly button in or out? In.

Movement? Still waiting...

What I miss? Normal ankles.

What I'm looking forward to: Midwife appointment next week.

Milestones: Anatomy scan, of course.

Anatomy scan tonight

We really had a great scan.  The baby was moving all over and we got some great shots.  I thought it was especially neat to see the heart beating with all four chambers visible.  All the measurements were normal and I think the baby looks pretty cute!

We also got this cool shot of the foot:

We also found out that my placenta is anterior, meaning that it's attached in the front of the uterus instead of the back.  It's not a problem, but is probably why I haven't felt the baby kick yet.  So, I'm staying patient!

A pregnancy milestone...

My rings do not fit.  Somehow, I was hoping to escape this fate.  I have a ring I can wear but it's just not the same.  See you in the spring, rings!

18 weeks!

I think I look bigger than I feel!  My sway-backed posture isn't helping, either.

How far along? 18 weeks

Maternity clothes? Yep.  I can still squeeze into some regular clothes but they are tight and all my shirts are too short.

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Tossing and turning but still not getting up to use the bathroom, so that's good.

Food cravings: Still milk, and pineapple.

Gender: I'm back to undecided.

Belly button in or out? In

Movement? None, but I'm hoping it happens soon!

What I miss? Being able to eat sugar without feeling sick.

What I'm looking forward to: Movement, and the anatomy scan on the 9th.

Milestones: Announcing on Facebook.

More great stuff!

Yesterday we went over to Steve's brother and sister in law's new house.  They have an eight month old and she is already done with a lot of her baby items.  We came home with the following:

• Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper with a toy bar and three sets of pads and sheets.  This was going to go on the registry.
• My Little Lamb chair - this was also going on the registry.
• Play mat
• Bumbo with tray - and yes, if it is a boy we will make him sit in a purple Bumbo.  No one will have to know! 
• Ergo infant insert (another registy item!)
• 4 Swaddle Me's
• Various adorable gender neutral newborn outfits

We continue to feel very lucky to have such generous family and friends!  Our baby is going to be very well outfitted.

16 week appointment tonight!

Everything went well, I'm measuring right on track as is the baby.  The baby was moving all around and it took a couple of minutes to locate the heartbeat - but it was there :)

My midwife lent us some books and CDs with affirmations and relaxation exercises.  She also gave me a pregnancy tea recipe that I would like to share:

1 part red raspberry leaf
1 part nettles
1/2 part oatstraw
1/2 part horsetail  
1/2 part mint, lemon, or hibiscus for flavor

She said that I can drink up to a quart a day.  She also recommended a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses per day, taken with milk, for iron and other nutrients.

So, probably not much to report until the anatomy scan on November 11th.  I'll probably take a belly pic this weekend!

So my sister Caroline has been gracious enough offer to make a quilt for the baby.  She's coming to visit in early November, and I promised to have my fabric choices ready for her to take home.  I have no sense of color or style so picking these was HARD.  I started with the animal fabric and went from there.  I naturally went for the baby yellow and a woman working in the store suggested adding the bolder orange and gray colors (the gray will be the border and back.)  The green is an African fabric and has a subtle print.  I think it will turn out really nice!

My first belly pic and quiz!

I finally feel like I have something that shows!  The dress makes it more noticeable, though.  You can't tell in my jeans.  Kitty, of course, must sneak in the the picture.

How far along? 14 weeks

Maternity clothes? Some, but mostly because they are comfy!

Stretch marks? Nope.

Sleep? Pretty good, I usually wake up a few times but only briefly.  I'm using the body pillow my friend gave me but it winds up on the floor most nights.

Food cravings: Milk, and lots of it!

Gender: I think boy, no reason to it, just a hunch.  My office mate thinks it's a girl since I haven't been very sick.

Belly button in or out? In

Movement? Nope.

What I miss?  Sleeping on my belly.

What I'm looking forward to: Feeling some flutters, but I'm probably a few weeks away.

Milestones: Feeling my bump when I lie on my belly.

NT scan went great!

So I was in a bit of a rush this morning, with one hour to spare for the appointment before I had to go catch my train, and it was a close call.  First, we waited for about 20 minutes.  Then, the baby refused to cooperate.  It seemed sound asleep, lying on its back flat against the uterine wall - not so easy to get a look at the back of the neck that way!  The tech had me cough, then pushed against my belly to jostle it a bit - nothing.  I said that the baby was taking after me, as a ridiculously sound sleeper.  Steve said it was taking after him, and does not like being told what to do.

See the arms to the left, covering the face?  You can also see the spine pretty well.

Finally the tech gave up and gave me a piece of candy to give the baby a sugar rush.  She came back after about 10 minutes and the baby had flipped completely over!  She was finally able to get the measurements but the whole process took close to 30 minutes.  Luckily we got the results fairly quickly and I was on my way.  The risk for Down Syndrome was 1 in 617, better than average for my age, and the risk of Trisomy 13/18 was 1 in 10,000 which sounded pretty good to me!  I still have to go back at 16 weeks for bloodwork for the Spina Bifida risk.

Overall, a good appointment - I'm guessing this is not the last time the baby will come close to making me late for work...

Heartbeat (and, I heart my midwife)

So my first official midwife appointment (aside from the interview) was last night and we had a great time.  Chatted, took vitals and checked my urine for protein, sugar, and other bad things, and then for the grand finale we got to listen to the heartbeat on the doppler.  The assistant needed to practice on women not that far along, and she found it pretty quickly, kind of over on the left.  I have to say it was pretty cool.  And the fact that I was lying back on my own couch and could go watch Glee immediately after the appointment made it that much better!

NT scan is tomorrow, and I feel less nervous after having heard the heartbeat.  My first inquiry about Bradley classes went out today.  Looks like we are really going to do this thing!

Huge major, score yesterday!

So my former co-worker is done having kids, and hates clutter.  She gave me a call in a panic about a week ago because she HAD to get this dresser with a changing table top out of her apartment and the building would only store it for two weeks.  I said we would be right out.  We loaded the car full and  This is what it looked liked when we got home:

Our haul included:

-Dresser
-Crib mattress
-Full bedding set (jungle animals, our theme!)
-Ergo carrier
-Babyhawk carrier
-Pregnancy pillow
-Boppy
-Bundle Me
-Car seat neck wings
-Sleep positioner
-Maternity coat
-Aden & Anais swaddling blankets (new)
-Bibs, burp cloths, and receiving blankets
-Swim diapers and disposable bibs
-Avent bottles and breast milk storage bottles
-A few toys and books

And this was just round one...apparently round two includes a stroller, higher chair, activity mat, and exersaucer.  What a generous friend!  We are so thankful!

First ultrasound today...

and it was amazing!  My doc found the baby right away, and the heart was beating at 160 beats per minute.  We could see the little hand paddles.  I measured right on track, 8 weeks 2 days.   1.8 cm.  The look on Steve's face was priceless, and I teared up just a little.  I feel like it is waving "Hi!" to us...

Midwife interview #1...

She was an adorable, tiny little thing.  Not too many people are shorter than I am!  She seemed warm and I liked her immediately.  She spent an hour going through her materials, which answered most of my questions.  I only had a few left.  The things that impressed me the most were:

-6% hospital transfer rate for first time moms, 3% C-section rate.
-100% success rate in turning breeches.
-Super knowledgeable about nutrition and herbs - she believes nutrition can make a huge difference in preparing for delivery and avoiding complications.
-Takes on only 3-5 clients per month, so the likelihood of missing my birth is low.
-Works with a local OB who sounds really birth friendly - he delivers twins and breeches naturally!
-Has a great relationship with my insurance company, and can get in-network approval.  This means that instead of her $5,500 fee we could pay nothing or just a little bit.

So I am keeping the appointment with midwife #2 next week, just for comparison purposes.  I feel like I want to make a fully informed decision and not be able to second-guess myself.

Told the family last night...

It was an elaborate set up.  My parents and sister were here from Sweden, Steve's sister was here from North Carolina, and we invited Steve's parents and brother and sister-in-law (with baby niece) under the guise that it would be nice to get everyone together.  My father in law said that he might be too busy with work, so he had to be strong-armed.  John was too busy working on the house, so Steve had to put some pressure on him.  Luckily everyone made it! 

We had dinner and then had a slide show of our vacation pictures from Sweden.  Towards the end the slide show started freezing and Angela said that she had to take Sara home.  I freaked and begged for 5 more minutes.  After probably 10 attempts, we got the slide show back up and raced through the last pictures to the picture of the digital test.  Angela jumped up and screamed, "I knew it, I knew it!"  My mom cried.  I cried.  Everyone congratulated and hugged us.  It turned out great!

I'm making blood...

Apparently that is why I'm starving, thirsty, and sleep 9+ hours a night.  I didn't think I would feel anything so soon, but I definitely do.  It's strange.  Normally I have a hard time drinking enough water but now I really crave it.

I am meeting with a midwife in 2 1/2 weeks!  She was SO nice on the phone and I can't wait to meet her.  She will be coming to our house and I'm already figuring out what to bake...I want to make a good impression!  I hope we like each other and want to work together.

Pregnant!

I have known for five days but it still does not seem real.  We are cautiously excited, after a year of trying it just seems too good to be true!  I don't really have any symptoms yet, maybe when they kick in it will feel real.  I will keep updating as things really start to happen!

I'm due for an update...

Nothing to report on the baby front, except I started cycle 12 and we are gearing up to see a specialist if this cycle is a bust as well.  At this point I am just kind of assuming that it will be.  Neither one of us wants to wait any longer.  It feels good to be on the same page.  Found out that my insurance covers everything except IVF (once I meet my ridiculous deductible) so that's good news.

Our 1-year wedding anniversary was on Sunday.  In commemoration I bring you this, one of our favorite shots:

We went away for the weekend and had a nice, romantic time.  Got home on Sunday in time to enjoy our year-old cake, which was surprisingly tasty.  I think the fondant acted like some kind of barrier.

I suspect the summer will be over before we know it, and I'm not exactly sad...

Housaversary!

Three years ago today, we moved into our house. I still remember that first night, lying in bed and thinking, "Is all this really ours???" And the sweet, sweet silence, offset by morning bird song. We are always working to make our house more of a home than it already is. I can't imagine living anywhere else!

My very talented brother-in-law made this for our wedding.  Is is both flattering and accurate!

Fertility Yoga

I have been taking Fertility Yoga for a few weeks now. The teacher is a lovely woman, Leslie Daly. She is very supportive instructor, sprinkling compliments around and always correcting in a gentle way.

We start class by focusing and centering our attention, and making the sound of Ohm, which is one of my favorites. I really like the vibration it creates. Then, we warm up with some traditional asanas, like sun salutations with different variations. We might do some twists and hip openers before getting into some nice long poses that seem to be more about the "reproductive area" as she calls it. We do a deep child's pose, one that massages the abdomen, last night we did a deep supported back bend. I really like these poses. They are intense and relaxing at the same time, and I have mostly taken Vinyasa-style classes in the past which move fairly rapidly throughout.

My favorite part of any yoga class is the Savasana, or deep relaxation, at the end. Leslie goes around and puts eye bags on us and presses our shoulders into the ground. I think she puts on some sort of oil before she does it, too. It is so relaxing. We close with three "ooohs" and one Ohm.

I don't know if it does anything for my fertility but it sure helps with my stress levels!

More diapers!

So I have been broadening my horizons a bit and venturing out from the household names. Diaperpin.com has reviews of every brand out there, so it's easy to see what other users think. This is what I have ordered:

Bububebe - these seem to be a favorite for a lot of people, so I decided to give them a try. I went a little crazy and got 5! Two are multi-color striped, one is rainbow striped, one has pastel dots and one has adorable horses and carrots. It's hard to find gender-neutral dipes!

Wee Ones - solidly good reviews, I found these as seconds and ordered one each of cream, red, green, and yellow. With added optional snaps they were $12 each with shipping. Normally they would be about $20.

NRSS Sticky Peas - I had to Google to find out what this meant! NRSS stands for "No roll, simply stick." They are $28 new (if you can get them) and I got these for $12 each. I got one with jungle animals and one with giraffes. They are so cute! These need pins or a snappi but I decided to give them a try anyways.

I have been looking at reviews of covers and am realizing more and more that wool seems to be the way to go, at least for nighttime. The wool absorbs any overflow from the diaper and keeps the bed dry. It's also softer and not crinkly like a lot of synthetic covers. They have the cutest little shorts and pants available. They are horribly expensive, so I think when the time is right I will ask my mom to knit me some. So far I have onyl bought one wool cover, a Loveybums. It's pretty plain but I think it would be good for daytime use.

I also found out that a lot of people use the adorable Goodmamas without a cover during the day because they are so absorbent. I love this idea!

My total stash is now 15 fitteds and 5 AIOs. Getting there fast!

Let's talk cloth diapers

So, we all know that I am not pregnant. But I will be. And I like to be prepared.

I decided to cloth diaper some time ago, after plenty of research. The benefits are huge. Much cheaper, better for the environment, better for baby's skin, and so cute! The options are overwhelming, but I decided on a combination of fitteds with covers and all-in-ones.

Fitteds look a lot like disposable diapers. They come in different sizes, or one size that is adjustable. They can be made from many materials, including cotton, hemp, poly blends (no thanks!) and bamboo. They absorb, but are not waterproof. They have to be covered with a waterproof cover. You can make them more versatile by adding inserts for overnight use or heavy wetters.

A typical stash is at least 24 diapers and 6 covers, since you don't need to change the cover each time.

All-in-ones are covers that are pre-stuffed with the absorbent materials. They are easy to use because the whole diaper comes off and is replaced with a new one. The only downside is that they are whole lot more expensive and they take a long time to dry.

Washing is not that big of a deal in my opinion. You do laundry every 2 days or so, and drying them in the sun bleaches out stains naturally. Breast milk poo is water soluble so there is no pre-rinsing required. Later on, you can use flushable liners to contain the mess.

I have started to build my stash of cloth diapers. There are great used diapers available out there for way cheaper than they are when new. Most have only been used for a short period and are very clean. Sellers display the insides as well as outsides when listing them for sale. I am buying only gender-neutral colors because I hope to use them for two children.

So far I have ordered the following:

6 small Swaddlebees covers, 2 each in white, blue, and orange/blue circles. These are normally $15.95 each, I got them all for $26. This should be enough for the newborn stage; they fit 8-16 lbs.

3 Goodmama fitteds in a horse print, rainbow stripes, and green and white stripes. I'm not sure why these are always in prints since they need covers, but they are darned cute! $37 for the three, they are normally $35 each, if you can get them. Which is insane for a fitted diaper, you can get brand new organic cotton for about $16 each. They fit 10 lbs and up.

5 BumGenius organic all-in-ones in green and yellow. These are the highest-end diapers out there, and are normally $24.95 each and I got all five for $89.50. Not a huge savings, but a good deal. I won't buy any more of these until I know that they work for my baby. Supposed to fit 7-35 lbs, but it's hard to imagine a tiny baby in these.

I also bought two regular BumGenius all-in-ones new, on sale for $15.95 for both plus $5 shipping. I plan to give them to my sister-in-law to try on my niece. I think she will like them, if not, I will take them back! They are medium (15-22 lbs) and Butternut.

So there you have it! I am well on my way and learning more all the time.

Still nothing...

We have now been trying for an ironic 9 months. Still hopeful, and learning some important lessons about patience on the way!