Baby is now the size of a lemon at about 3-1/2 inches long. Crazy right?!? On top of that, I'm just starting to show as my belly keeps creeping out of my pants. Anywho, week 14, let's do this!
Promise to post photos as soon as D and I are home and awake at the same time so he can take one!
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Travel while Pregnant
This week I had to do my first bout of traveling. Of course, checked with the doc early on and found out it was "fine" for all intensive purposes. Well, while it might be "safe" there are SO many things I did not plan for!!!
1 - On my overnight trips you bring a carry-on only right? No big deal. How though are you supposed to get it into the overhead bin when you can't lift anything heavy? If I was showing significantly I have hope that some friendly flyer would jump up to help me but in the meantime, you have to plead woman in need of help and ask for it? Dislike.
2 - Metal detectors and scanners - Metal detectors MIGHT be okay but scanners, no way I'm not going through those. But in the heat of the moment what do you do and how do you know? On top of it, TSA is not known for being the most friendly of folks (to put it likely) so yeah, this is fun...pat downs!!!! It's a necessary evil you sort of accept and try not to think about how really invasive and almost personal they are. Just breathe and think of baby not having a third arm...
3 - Emotions/hormones - Yep. I cried. WHILE going through security and an evil TSA guy yelled at me. So what did I do? What any mature female business traveler would...I cried. Unbelievably embarrassing.
4 - Hunger! - Midnight munchies, hunger pains, first thing in the morning snacks....not so easy when your choices are a $10 bag of M&Ms from the mini bar or left over peanuts from the plane. So, looks like I'm going to be packing snacks moving forward.
5 - Clothes - yep, as I've mentioned before I'm in an awkward stage dressing wise (to say the least) so you have to decide beforehand on what fits, what can hide your growing belly, etc. so I guess more time has to go into packing and planning this next round.
Anyway, turns out travel is another area you don't really expect to change, but it does! And instantaneously! Additionally it's another set of unwritten rules and unspoken regulations you need to research and learn.
All in all, it was fine, but with baby eating my brain (pregnancy brain in full effect) there is just so much to learn on top of the things you do to get through the day and earn a paycheck. At least I have a place to blame my fatigue.
1 - On my overnight trips you bring a carry-on only right? No big deal. How though are you supposed to get it into the overhead bin when you can't lift anything heavy? If I was showing significantly I have hope that some friendly flyer would jump up to help me but in the meantime, you have to plead woman in need of help and ask for it? Dislike.
2 - Metal detectors and scanners - Metal detectors MIGHT be okay but scanners, no way I'm not going through those. But in the heat of the moment what do you do and how do you know? On top of it, TSA is not known for being the most friendly of folks (to put it likely) so yeah, this is fun...pat downs!!!! It's a necessary evil you sort of accept and try not to think about how really invasive and almost personal they are. Just breathe and think of baby not having a third arm...
3 - Emotions/hormones - Yep. I cried. WHILE going through security and an evil TSA guy yelled at me. So what did I do? What any mature female business traveler would...I cried. Unbelievably embarrassing.
4 - Hunger! - Midnight munchies, hunger pains, first thing in the morning snacks....not so easy when your choices are a $10 bag of M&Ms from the mini bar or left over peanuts from the plane. So, looks like I'm going to be packing snacks moving forward.
5 - Clothes - yep, as I've mentioned before I'm in an awkward stage dressing wise (to say the least) so you have to decide beforehand on what fits, what can hide your growing belly, etc. so I guess more time has to go into packing and planning this next round.
Anyway, turns out travel is another area you don't really expect to change, but it does! And instantaneously! Additionally it's another set of unwritten rules and unspoken regulations you need to research and learn.
All in all, it was fine, but with baby eating my brain (pregnancy brain in full effect) there is just so much to learn on top of the things you do to get through the day and earn a paycheck. At least I have a place to blame my fatigue.
Monday, January 21, 2013
Maternity Clothes
Yesterday I went shopping for the first time of maternity clothes. I'm amazed how literally within a moment, your entire life changes and you are expected to learn SO much SO quickly!!!! Right away you have to figure out what you can eat and what you can't, what you can do and what's forbidden, what's normal to feel and what's not, how in the world to dress for your rapidly changing shape, and of course that whole newborn thing, but at least we've got a little time on that :)
Anywho, so we went shopping and I bought one pair of jeans which I tried to wear today and they look ridiculous! They won't even stay up!!! I've ordered another sweater or two that I'm banking will fit when I'm farther down the line, but here's my question, what in the world do you wear in this awkward stage????
Dresses? Well yes, this could work, but I live in the frozen tundra, so you add tights...which then don't work. Regular ones cut into your waist and maternity ones fall down.
Pants? There are belly bands, and those are what I'm 100% relying on at this point, but even those move around and shift and really don't hold your pants up but just hide the fact you can't button them...in other words you can't go about your day without pulling, tugging and shifting to keep it comfortable.
Skirts? See above
So what I ask do you wear now? And if everyone else suffers from this problem, why in the world hasn't SOMEONE taken this up as a biz opportunity?
Uffdah. Anyway, I'm struggling getting dressed in the morning and even more so tonight as I need to pack for a business trip and none of my pants fit. I'm open to suggestions!
Anywho, so we went shopping and I bought one pair of jeans which I tried to wear today and they look ridiculous! They won't even stay up!!! I've ordered another sweater or two that I'm banking will fit when I'm farther down the line, but here's my question, what in the world do you wear in this awkward stage????
Dresses? Well yes, this could work, but I live in the frozen tundra, so you add tights...which then don't work. Regular ones cut into your waist and maternity ones fall down.
Pants? There are belly bands, and those are what I'm 100% relying on at this point, but even those move around and shift and really don't hold your pants up but just hide the fact you can't button them...in other words you can't go about your day without pulling, tugging and shifting to keep it comfortable.
Skirts? See above
So what I ask do you wear now? And if everyone else suffers from this problem, why in the world hasn't SOMEONE taken this up as a biz opportunity?
Uffdah. Anyway, I'm struggling getting dressed in the morning and even more so tonight as I need to pack for a business trip and none of my pants fit. I'm open to suggestions!
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Baby Books
So I assume everyone has their own approach to pregnancy and baby books when they get pregnant - buy armloads of them or maybe only a select one or two, read them all front to back within the first week or slowly make your way through them, etc.... Not that this is SUPER interesting, but I'm going to tell you how I've done it :)
After reading reviews on Amazon, it seems as though so many books don't give hard answers and often scare a lot of the readers, focusing on what can go wrong in your pregnancy. So I didn't buy "What to expect..." or any of the real classics I supposed. Instead I bought the Mayo Clinic's Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, borrowed a very scientific book from the Pershings (it's biology class all over again) and got one from my doc. I personally wouldn't do it any differently.
In these books specifically I'm not exposed to subjectivity or opinion much and definitely no scare tactics. Instead there's hard science, facts about what's going on with your body and baby, and REAL photos (sometimes too real!).
Also, I've decided to read them little by little so each week along I read about the week I'm in. What has made this so fun is that I almost find companionship and support from these books. Sometimes I don't even know a certain thing that's happening is a symptom and then I read it in the book and my mouth drops open, I almost end up pointing at the book and screaming "Exactly!".
It really is such a surreal experience, especially in this stage when you can't even feel the little peach that promises to rock my world as I know it, but you continue trudging on with eating well, not allowing yourself to drink that glorious liquid known as wine, trying to get sleep and stay relaxed. Onward!
After reading reviews on Amazon, it seems as though so many books don't give hard answers and often scare a lot of the readers, focusing on what can go wrong in your pregnancy. So I didn't buy "What to expect..." or any of the real classics I supposed. Instead I bought the Mayo Clinic's Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy, borrowed a very scientific book from the Pershings (it's biology class all over again) and got one from my doc. I personally wouldn't do it any differently.
In these books specifically I'm not exposed to subjectivity or opinion much and definitely no scare tactics. Instead there's hard science, facts about what's going on with your body and baby, and REAL photos (sometimes too real!).
Also, I've decided to read them little by little so each week along I read about the week I'm in. What has made this so fun is that I almost find companionship and support from these books. Sometimes I don't even know a certain thing that's happening is a symptom and then I read it in the book and my mouth drops open, I almost end up pointing at the book and screaming "Exactly!".
It really is such a surreal experience, especially in this stage when you can't even feel the little peach that promises to rock my world as I know it, but you continue trudging on with eating well, not allowing yourself to drink that glorious liquid known as wine, trying to get sleep and stay relaxed. Onward!
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Baby Peach!
Yep, baby is now the size of a peach. Almost three inches long! Ha, compared to other weeks that sounds enormous but it's not even as long as my coffee cup that I'm savoring (only one per day mind you <insert sarcastic tone and me swirling my finger in the air>) is tall.
So the big news this week...fingerprints.
Fingerprints! It's an identity! Our baby is now identifiable within government systems! lol. No but really, isn't that such a minute detail that somehow is just cool? And how do they know that happens this week???
In other good news, appetite seems to be back which is good. Energy is definitely coming back and am trying to get into a workout routine again (right now I'm heavily relying on prenatal dvds which are great mind you...and hysterical, just trust me, or feel free to borrow one). Another weird symptom? A stuffy nose. I read about this in the Mayo book the other night and apparently it's true, your body develops more mucus in your sinuses in the second trimester so I sound stuffy all the time and blow my nose repeatedly. These symptoms are all just so odd.
Anyway, onward. D is working on Crashed Ice again this long weekend so I'll be filling my schedule with sleep, cleaning, housework, and maybe starting to make moves for the nursery and bathroom (but no worries, I won't actually MOVE anything myself). Until then, I'm off to savor my glorious one cup of caffeine. Promise to write more this weekend and maybe post a pic or two :)
Cheers to the second trimester!
So the big news this week...fingerprints.
Fingerprints! It's an identity! Our baby is now identifiable within government systems! lol. No but really, isn't that such a minute detail that somehow is just cool? And how do they know that happens this week???
In other good news, appetite seems to be back which is good. Energy is definitely coming back and am trying to get into a workout routine again (right now I'm heavily relying on prenatal dvds which are great mind you...and hysterical, just trust me, or feel free to borrow one). Another weird symptom? A stuffy nose. I read about this in the Mayo book the other night and apparently it's true, your body develops more mucus in your sinuses in the second trimester so I sound stuffy all the time and blow my nose repeatedly. These symptoms are all just so odd.
Anyway, onward. D is working on Crashed Ice again this long weekend so I'll be filling my schedule with sleep, cleaning, housework, and maybe starting to make moves for the nursery and bathroom (but no worries, I won't actually MOVE anything myself). Until then, I'm off to savor my glorious one cup of caffeine. Promise to write more this weekend and maybe post a pic or two :)
Cheers to the second trimester!
Thursday, January 17, 2013
End of the First Trimester
So tomorrow will be officially 13 weeks...13 weeks! That means we can breathe somewhat a sigh of relief and know that the first trimester is coming to an end. Phew! Now I can just lay back and relax right?! WRONG! Ha!
I think I was talking to my dad the other day when he made the comment that it's almost the end of the first to which I replied with elation and, "isn't that great!" He then said, "In six months he she will be here - you're 1/3 of the way there." That's when it sank in. Okay, so in 6 months we'll have a baby. So in reality, we should be ready to have the baby in 4-1/2 to 5 months, meaning, the nursery, the clothes, the stroller, the car seat, the this, that and the other thing all need to be researched, investigated, chosen (oh lord, decisions? hate those!), bought and put together in some way shape or form. Suddenly I realized there is SO MUCH TO DO!
Really, there is a lot to do. I mean, A LOT, but I'm not going to let it get the better of me. Really, yes, you can take a kid out with 6 blankets, a bag of toys, 5 types of food, 3 changes of clothes, meds, diapers and everything in between for a quick trip to Target, but really, they can go for less. I'm not kidding myself, kids need a lot, but I do think we've been programmed to think they need everything under the sun. Yes, I'll probably still buy my kid everything under the sun, but this thought gives me some ease.
I remember when my wedding was coming and you start to stress about everything that's not done, and my mom said, "only you will know what's not done," and it turns out she speaks the truth. The kid isn't going to know and certainly won't care if I don't get the nursery done or baby book complete by the time he or she gets here. Yes, I'm sure I'll still stress about getting it all done in time, but this idea helped me.
Anyway, so yeah, apparently in 6 months our lives will turn upside down and a new screaming, crying, gurgling, cuddling, little mini-person will be here to rock our worlds and probably teach us more than we ever saw coming or thought possible. I can't wait to see who this little person becomes, their personality, their greatness, their sincerity, their smiles, their everything because no matter what he/she will be amazing. At least to us :) god I sound like an obnoxious parent already!
Well little one, we're almost there. 3 months of me incubating you in my belly and we've decided to stick things out and see this through. So, let's give it a few more months and see who you turn out to be, shall we? To trimester one (I'm cheersing with milk due to this notion I can't drink wine...oh bother.) CHEERS!
I think I was talking to my dad the other day when he made the comment that it's almost the end of the first to which I replied with elation and, "isn't that great!" He then said, "In six months he she will be here - you're 1/3 of the way there." That's when it sank in. Okay, so in 6 months we'll have a baby. So in reality, we should be ready to have the baby in 4-1/2 to 5 months, meaning, the nursery, the clothes, the stroller, the car seat, the this, that and the other thing all need to be researched, investigated, chosen (oh lord, decisions? hate those!), bought and put together in some way shape or form. Suddenly I realized there is SO MUCH TO DO!
Really, there is a lot to do. I mean, A LOT, but I'm not going to let it get the better of me. Really, yes, you can take a kid out with 6 blankets, a bag of toys, 5 types of food, 3 changes of clothes, meds, diapers and everything in between for a quick trip to Target, but really, they can go for less. I'm not kidding myself, kids need a lot, but I do think we've been programmed to think they need everything under the sun. Yes, I'll probably still buy my kid everything under the sun, but this thought gives me some ease.
I remember when my wedding was coming and you start to stress about everything that's not done, and my mom said, "only you will know what's not done," and it turns out she speaks the truth. The kid isn't going to know and certainly won't care if I don't get the nursery done or baby book complete by the time he or she gets here. Yes, I'm sure I'll still stress about getting it all done in time, but this idea helped me.
Anyway, so yeah, apparently in 6 months our lives will turn upside down and a new screaming, crying, gurgling, cuddling, little mini-person will be here to rock our worlds and probably teach us more than we ever saw coming or thought possible. I can't wait to see who this little person becomes, their personality, their greatness, their sincerity, their smiles, their everything because no matter what he/she will be amazing. At least to us :) god I sound like an obnoxious parent already!
Well little one, we're almost there. 3 months of me incubating you in my belly and we've decided to stick things out and see this through. So, let's give it a few more months and see who you turn out to be, shall we? To trimester one (I'm cheersing with milk due to this notion I can't drink wine...oh bother.) CHEERS!
Monday, January 7, 2013
Meeting Baby Taylor
Today might have been the most amazing day of my life so far. Today Derrick and I saw our baby for the first time :)
Something I've found out is that there is an inordinate amount of information about pregnancy and babies on the internet, in books, from friends, family, etc... but no matter how much you read, there are still pieces you don't know. Additionally, while doctors tell you a lot, they don't tell you everything - I don't know if this is because they assume you've probably read too much about it already or they see so many of us crazy pregnant women a day they just go through the basics. Anyhow, I digress...
Warning, I won't get too graphic here but I'm going to cover some basics. You've been warned.
So I follow the instructions for an ultrasound, which, who knew, include emptying, or "voiding", your bladder 1-1/2 hours before the appointment then drinking 3, 8oz glasses of water and holding it til your appointment. If you've never been pregnant or around a pregnant woman frequently, this is absolute torture, fyi.
Anywho, Derrick and I get there and go in expecting a vaginal ultrasound. Nope. She just says fold down your pants some and lay down. I'm still sick mind you and am trying to hide my god awful cough and stuffy nose by speaking as little as possible and just following directions. She explains what we're testing for (Downs and Trisomy), puts the gel on my slightly-more-pudgy-than-usual belly, and almost immediately we see it...her...him...BABY! No joke right away. My mouth hit the floor as I stared at the screen in disbelief and Derrick sort of stumbled through questions, "is that...", "I mean...", "Is..." THAT'S OUR BABY!!!!!!
Well, turns out my bladder is TOO full. So thank god I get to run out quick, use the bathroom and come back. We go again and there he/she is, kicking his/her legs, moving his/her arms, and then she pointed out the heartbeat. There is was. This little fluttering butterfly looking thing on the screen. I will always remember what she said, "160 beats per minute. It's perfect." PERFECT! All arms and legs, the right size for 11-1/2 weeks (yep, due date is still July 26, 2013), all the organs are there, and the heartbeat is...perfect.
I know this is getting a little long but indulge me. I've been sick for days and didn't know what would happen today. What if they look for the baby and it's not there and I was never pregnant? Or something's wrong? What if there wasn't a heartbeat or arm or something else weird? Again, you're told you're pregnant by doctor's, tests, your ever-tightening jeans, but you never actually feel the baby. Today it became real. WE SAW HIM/HER!
Anyway, turns out this baby really does have some Applen genes and is already showing his/her stubbron side. After an external ultrasound they did a vaginal one to see if we could get the right angle/profile to complete the downs test, but nope. Turns out baby wouldn't look away from the "camera". Hamming it up already. I like to think he/she was almost looking out at us :) So, we go back this Friday to try again, but I'm no confident that this baby is happy, healthy, and REAL! Oh yeah, he/she also has my nose :) See the pics below.
EEEEEEKKKKKKKK!!!!! Yep, turns out I'm a girl and become more and more girly as we go through this process. That was a girly scream of excitement. Expect more.
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Something I've found out is that there is an inordinate amount of information about pregnancy and babies on the internet, in books, from friends, family, etc... but no matter how much you read, there are still pieces you don't know. Additionally, while doctors tell you a lot, they don't tell you everything - I don't know if this is because they assume you've probably read too much about it already or they see so many of us crazy pregnant women a day they just go through the basics. Anyhow, I digress...
Warning, I won't get too graphic here but I'm going to cover some basics. You've been warned.
So I follow the instructions for an ultrasound, which, who knew, include emptying, or "voiding", your bladder 1-1/2 hours before the appointment then drinking 3, 8oz glasses of water and holding it til your appointment. If you've never been pregnant or around a pregnant woman frequently, this is absolute torture, fyi.
Anywho, Derrick and I get there and go in expecting a vaginal ultrasound. Nope. She just says fold down your pants some and lay down. I'm still sick mind you and am trying to hide my god awful cough and stuffy nose by speaking as little as possible and just following directions. She explains what we're testing for (Downs and Trisomy), puts the gel on my slightly-more-pudgy-than-usual belly, and almost immediately we see it...her...him...BABY! No joke right away. My mouth hit the floor as I stared at the screen in disbelief and Derrick sort of stumbled through questions, "is that...", "I mean...", "Is..." THAT'S OUR BABY!!!!!!
Well, turns out my bladder is TOO full. So thank god I get to run out quick, use the bathroom and come back. We go again and there he/she is, kicking his/her legs, moving his/her arms, and then she pointed out the heartbeat. There is was. This little fluttering butterfly looking thing on the screen. I will always remember what she said, "160 beats per minute. It's perfect." PERFECT! All arms and legs, the right size for 11-1/2 weeks (yep, due date is still July 26, 2013), all the organs are there, and the heartbeat is...perfect.
I know this is getting a little long but indulge me. I've been sick for days and didn't know what would happen today. What if they look for the baby and it's not there and I was never pregnant? Or something's wrong? What if there wasn't a heartbeat or arm or something else weird? Again, you're told you're pregnant by doctor's, tests, your ever-tightening jeans, but you never actually feel the baby. Today it became real. WE SAW HIM/HER!
Anyway, turns out this baby really does have some Applen genes and is already showing his/her stubbron side. After an external ultrasound they did a vaginal one to see if we could get the right angle/profile to complete the downs test, but nope. Turns out baby wouldn't look away from the "camera". Hamming it up already. I like to think he/she was almost looking out at us :) So, we go back this Friday to try again, but I'm no confident that this baby is happy, healthy, and REAL! Oh yeah, he/she also has my nose :) See the pics below.
EEEEEEKKKKKKKK!!!!! Yep, turns out I'm a girl and become more and more girly as we go through this process. That was a girly scream of excitement. Expect more.
.JPG)
.JPG)
Saturday, January 5, 2013
I'm Pregnant?
So it's official - I'm pregnant! Baby is now the size of a lime and we're past the 11 week mark. The first ultrasound is this coming Monday, January 7, 2013, at which point we'll hear the heartbeat for the first time and have the genetic testing done. I seriously can't wait.What makes me even a little more anxious is I've been in bed for 3 days now sick as a dog. What was originally bronchitis (productive cough and sore chest, plus headache) is now including full/stuffy sinuses - I've already gone through one box of kleenex in less than 24 hours! And of course, since I'm pregnant, I can't take any meds for it...ugh...
It's such a weird thing to know you're pregnant but not feel it per say. I mean, I can't feel the baby moving and, and I'm not saying I WANT this, but I haven't had morning sickness or one of those awful first trimesters you often hear about. So am I really pregnant? That might be a ridiculous question as I know I am - despite no morning sickness I have had massive fatigue, dizziness, and many of the other wonderful symptoms :) - but I've changed so much of my life (no drinking, lots of sleeping, taking it easy, etc...) without having ever heard the baby's heartbeat, feel it move, etc... Hence, I'm very excited for Monday when it all becomes "real".
I have had my first doctor's appointment though which went well. Love my OB (been going to her for a while so didn't have to hunt for one). They drew 6 vials of blood - yes, 6 - and everything came back great! However, as Derrick pointed out, they didn't say "yes, you're pregnant", so is it just assumed since my at home tests came back positive? Or because I'm there and have symptoms? It's just sort of funny they didn't confirm it.
Nonetheless I proceed believing I'm pregnant. Can't. Wait. For. Monday.
Okay, enough rambling for now. Back to bed.
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