Another blog I stumbled upon - Oh, Brooke. Her lists of musings at various stages of her pregnancy made me laugh. She also has some good tutorials.
Inspired by her "What I Know Now" lists, I am going to share (er, rip the idea off) and give you my own "What I Know Now: The 18 week Edition".
1. It is smart to stock up on toilet paper, kleenex and panty liners when you get that plus sign. However, do NOT...I REPEAT DO NOT...under any circumstances buy the Target Up & Up Brand of Panty liners (non-preggos, this means you too). Just trust me on this. When you read in the book that ALL of your mucous membranes will loosen, your nose will instantly start running...and never stop.
2. You don't just wake up one day and have a cute bump. There are MANY weeks of gross-ness in between. And then when you have the bump, you might still feel gross. Imagine my surprise when I learned this.
3. You should avoid getting too attached to your clothes. What fits you one day may not fit you the next, seriously. Example: I wore my trusty Uniqlo jeans to dinner on a Saturday night. I put them on for a basketball game on Wednesday (read, 4 days later) and I have never been so uncomfortable in my life. Every morning, I play the "What's going to fit me today" game. My wardrobe is getting smaller and smaller...
4. People say really REALLY dumb things to you when you are pregnant. Things that you probably have said to many pregnant women before and never thought twice about. To all my friends who went pregnant before me, I am really sorry for uttering these dumb things.
5. It pays to have an expansive shoe collection, because as I told my boss earlier this week, if you have to wear ugly clothes, you can still rock awesome shoes.
6. In reference to #5, I am getting annoyed when previously pregnant women respond to statements with "Oh just wait". Yes, I know I will get bigger, and yes i know my boobs will eventually hit my stomach and lie there, and yes I know my feet will swell making these awesome wedge espadrilles impossible to wear, but LET ME HAVE MY MOMENT. (Oh Brooke also references the "just wait" phenomnenon in one of her lists...if not her, I know I read this somewhere else.)
7. Cheese should be given free to pregnant women. Is this included in the new health care bill?
8. From my very first doctor appointment forward, my doctor has consistently told me that "from the moment of conception, you are physiologically a different person". HOLY CRAP. This is very true in my case. Can I add "mentally, physically, emotionally" to that list right after physiologically? I think I like my old self better.
9. It is bad news to start on the baby room early, early being defined as 14 weeks in our case. It will be SO fun that you won't want to stop and then you will finish before you're even halfway through pregnancy and visitors to your house will start to think you and your husband are freaks.
10. Why the HELL do they put celebrities on the covers of pregnancy magazines or feature stories about them in email newsletters? I for one LOVE celebrity gossip (I was a former subscriber to Life & Style magazine after all) but I do not care that Gisele is back to modeling six weeks after giving birth. This does not boost my self esteem. (Yes, I think her recent Vogue photo spread made me cry.) Nor do I care what maternity clothes Tiffani Amber Theissen can afford to buy.
11. After months of not missing alcohol one bit, I caught a whiff of my husband's beer at dinner two nights ago and my mouth started watering. Sigh.
12. My nails are f--ing awesome. Seriously. If OPI could bottle whatever is coursing through my veins right now, they would make every woman in America happy.
13. It may take you a while before you can read/listen/watch anything to do with labor. When I watched the Office episdoe where Pam gives birth, I may have had a nightmare. Two nights ago, I attempted to read about labor in the Girlfriends Guide book (read: sort of a funny, lighthearted version of things) and I think I may have boosted my blood pressure a few points. I am TERRIFIED of labor. I don't know if I am more TERRIFIED of getting a needle stuck in my back (epidural) or going through a natural birth. Meaning, I would be all about the drugs, but I think I am more afraid of the needle than I am of just giving birth. Ok, I have to stop talking because I noticed some light anxiety even thinking about this.
14. You might like belly rubs. Surprisingly, after all my b--ing and moaning about everything else, I do like this part of pregnancy.
Happy Weekend!
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
DIY Maternity Clothes
One of these days I'll stop talking about maternity clothes, but I just found this post which is a one-stop shop for making/altering your own maternity clothes! I don't know that I'll get that adventurous, given my long list of crafts to start for our baby room, but who knows!
Click here for the site.
Click here for the site.
Get in My Belly!
The belly grabbing madness has ensued. Over the weekend, dinner with the in-law family led to a lot of random belly grabbing. Yesterday, I had a focus group with my falls participants that I interviewed a few weeks ago. The older ladies who were all like, "Where's the baby" when they found out I was preggo. Yeah yesterday one of them came up to me and started rubbing all over the belly and getting all excited - "She's got a little belly!" Strangely enough, I like the belly rubbing. It's sort of fun. Now, maybe in a few weeks when it gets old, I will be singing a different tune, but if you see me, have at it. :)
My husband and I compared bellies in the mirror this morning. Although he has a wider shape than me, my belly definitely out protrudes his. Another historic day ;)
My husband and I compared bellies in the mirror this morning. Although he has a wider shape than me, my belly definitely out protrudes his. Another historic day ;)
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
BREAK OUT THE ELASTIC WAISTBAND!
18 weeks! I have come down with some sort of sinus congestion/ sore throat thing. Ick. As if I wasn't already tired enough! The neti pot plus vitamin C drops seem to be helping the congestion. Still having wackadoo sleep. Last night - 3 AM to 6 AM WIDE awake. I think I have maybe come to accept the fact that this is just not going to get any better. Hopefully I will get used to getting no sleep at some point!
Today is a historic day in the life of this pregnancy - the first time I am breaking out official maternity pants. Man these things are comfy! These are a pair of plain khaki pants from Gap. I did not buy them from Gap - I bought them from a local consignment store. They were definitely too short for me as regular pants, but they look very cute hemmed as cropped pants. Did I just call my maternity pants "cute"?! I guess I did. The band on these is the low band - I can't think of the technical name for it. But basically it does not go above your belly. A couple of previously preggo people have told me that this band is great for the second trimester but that it doesn't always work very well for the 3rd trimester because it feels like your pants are falling off at that point. Most people that I have talked to actually prefer the really crazy pants - the one with the belly pouch that basically goes up to your boobs. I bought a pair of pants with the huge pouch over the weekend. They seemed comfortable too. So I have one pair of each kind - the low rise and the high rise. I'll let you know what I think. I still think that skirts/dresses are the most comfortable option, but it is nice to break those up with some pants now and then.
Today is a historic day in the life of this pregnancy - the first time I am breaking out official maternity pants. Man these things are comfy! These are a pair of plain khaki pants from Gap. I did not buy them from Gap - I bought them from a local consignment store. They were definitely too short for me as regular pants, but they look very cute hemmed as cropped pants. Did I just call my maternity pants "cute"?! I guess I did. The band on these is the low band - I can't think of the technical name for it. But basically it does not go above your belly. A couple of previously preggo people have told me that this band is great for the second trimester but that it doesn't always work very well for the 3rd trimester because it feels like your pants are falling off at that point. Most people that I have talked to actually prefer the really crazy pants - the one with the belly pouch that basically goes up to your boobs. I bought a pair of pants with the huge pouch over the weekend. They seemed comfortable too. So I have one pair of each kind - the low rise and the high rise. I'll let you know what I think. I still think that skirts/dresses are the most comfortable option, but it is nice to break those up with some pants now and then.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Let's start with the Doctor and End with the Nursery
This is going to be a random post - the title was your first heads up. I love going to the ob/gyn now. I think it is fun to hear the heartbeat, I like that I can ask random questions, and it means that I am one step closer to having this baby. Today I had another routine visit. It was pretty standard - weight, blood pressure and pee in the cup to kick things off. I have officially gained 12 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight - so things have sort of tapered off in the weight gaining dept after my 9 lb debut in the first trimeseter. My blood pressure is normal and no problems with urine. I still get 'stage fright' when I have to pee in the cup.
After that, I had to climb up on the table and present the belly for the heartbeat. My doctor put the wand on my belly turned it on and there was the heartbeat! No searching at all. He commented that my baby is very cooperative. My response, "Let's hope he/she stays that way". This time the heartbeat was interrupted by little blips, which the doctor said were kicks or other movements. I thought that was awesome. He indulged me with a few more minutes of listening.
Then he asked me if we were going to find out the sex during our ultrasound in 2 1/2 weeks. I said no and then I asked him a zillion questions about how to guarantee that we won't accidentally find out. I wasn't so concerned with the actual ultrasound, but was worried that the sex would get recorded in the computer system and the next visit I would be greeted with, "So, you're having a {insert sex here}". He mentioned that the genitalia gets recorded as "normal" or "abnormal" and that's it so he doesn't even know the sex until I deliver. That way there is no possible way of a screw up. PHEW!
The only other question I had was how much the left side sleeping really matters because in terms of comfort right now it is stomach, back, right side, left side. He said that right now i don't have to worry about my sleep position and there will come a point when back and stomach sleeping will not be comfortable and then basically pick a side. The left side thing matters in 0.1% of pregnancies and even then the extra blood flow is neglible. PHEW again!
THEN THE KICKER. "So you're in the window for the spina bifida screen and that's a blood draw so you can head down to the lab after you leave". WHAT?! I was not prepared for this. Thus, I had NOTHING to eat or drink yet this morning. F*$*!
I went down to the lab. I asked the woman if I could lay down while she did the blood draw and she took me to a private room and the reclining chair. She was amazing and talked about fishing or something and literally I had no idea the blood draw was even over. (Granted the tube was TINY but still). I didn't even have the queasiness I usually do! PHEW x 1 BILLION!
So that's the 17 week 6 day checkup. I can see why people get the sonogram machines - it is so fun to hear the heartbeat!
In other news, my back has been pretty sore lately still and my husband gave me a really nice long massage last night. The baby was LOVING it - it was the most movement I have felt yet. I really felt like it was doing somersaults. I told my husband that he had to give me more back rubs because clearly even the baby loves it, ha ha ha.
In terms of the nursery, we also found a rug this weekend! At Lowe's of all places. I have taken to looking through the rug departments of all stores now and I happened upon this one, which was on CLEARANCE even and they only had one left. They didn't charge a restocking fee so we bought it to see how it would look. We love it! It was great to find a 8' x 10' rug for a reasonable price because at that size, rugs get pricey.
I also ordered fabric for curtains. There turned out to be drama with my original fabric selection - the Kokka pigs. Basically, the fabric was not going to be wide enough to do the cornices and then we decided that since the existing rods were already up and fine that it would just be more work to try to move those and re-hang cornices so we decided to go with regular curtains. At $16.95 a yard, the Kokka Pigs were going to be a bit much for curtains since the narrow width of the fabric would mean that I would need 8 yards at least of the fabric so we were back to square one. I was going through fabric online over the weekend and came up with several options that I had my mom, sister and husband weigh in on since they have all seen the paint. Thus, this is the fabric for the curtains:
It is Amy Butler's August Fields in Tangerine Home Decor Weight. Normally, this is $16/yard but fabric.com had it on clearance for $6.49/yard and THEN had an extra 30% off clearance fabric making it $4.54 a yard. WOOHOO! I love finding deals on Amy Butler fabric! Also, my husband also really liked it so bonus points for that.
I am going to use the pigs to make fabric bins for the bookshelves and nightstand like this:
Several tutorials exist for these, although the one pictured above is from etsy.
Then, I went to Juxt Home & Baby here, a store that I have always loved, because they were having their spring sale. The 50% off Dash & Albert rugs drew me in (this was pre-Lowe's, and all the remaining rugs were pink) but I ended up leaving with the CUTEST elephant bookend. I had to buy it. It is made of a light blue (similar to the wall color) seersucker fabric. I have a thing for elephants (and giraffes and penguins) so it called to me. The baby made me do it :)
After that, I had to climb up on the table and present the belly for the heartbeat. My doctor put the wand on my belly turned it on and there was the heartbeat! No searching at all. He commented that my baby is very cooperative. My response, "Let's hope he/she stays that way". This time the heartbeat was interrupted by little blips, which the doctor said were kicks or other movements. I thought that was awesome. He indulged me with a few more minutes of listening.
Then he asked me if we were going to find out the sex during our ultrasound in 2 1/2 weeks. I said no and then I asked him a zillion questions about how to guarantee that we won't accidentally find out. I wasn't so concerned with the actual ultrasound, but was worried that the sex would get recorded in the computer system and the next visit I would be greeted with, "So, you're having a {insert sex here}". He mentioned that the genitalia gets recorded as "normal" or "abnormal" and that's it so he doesn't even know the sex until I deliver. That way there is no possible way of a screw up. PHEW!
The only other question I had was how much the left side sleeping really matters because in terms of comfort right now it is stomach, back, right side, left side. He said that right now i don't have to worry about my sleep position and there will come a point when back and stomach sleeping will not be comfortable and then basically pick a side. The left side thing matters in 0.1% of pregnancies and even then the extra blood flow is neglible. PHEW again!
THEN THE KICKER. "So you're in the window for the spina bifida screen and that's a blood draw so you can head down to the lab after you leave". WHAT?! I was not prepared for this. Thus, I had NOTHING to eat or drink yet this morning. F*$*!
I went down to the lab. I asked the woman if I could lay down while she did the blood draw and she took me to a private room and the reclining chair. She was amazing and talked about fishing or something and literally I had no idea the blood draw was even over. (Granted the tube was TINY but still). I didn't even have the queasiness I usually do! PHEW x 1 BILLION!
So that's the 17 week 6 day checkup. I can see why people get the sonogram machines - it is so fun to hear the heartbeat!
In other news, my back has been pretty sore lately still and my husband gave me a really nice long massage last night. The baby was LOVING it - it was the most movement I have felt yet. I really felt like it was doing somersaults. I told my husband that he had to give me more back rubs because clearly even the baby loves it, ha ha ha.
In terms of the nursery, we also found a rug this weekend! At Lowe's of all places. I have taken to looking through the rug departments of all stores now and I happened upon this one, which was on CLEARANCE even and they only had one left. They didn't charge a restocking fee so we bought it to see how it would look. We love it! It was great to find a 8' x 10' rug for a reasonable price because at that size, rugs get pricey.
I also ordered fabric for curtains. There turned out to be drama with my original fabric selection - the Kokka pigs. Basically, the fabric was not going to be wide enough to do the cornices and then we decided that since the existing rods were already up and fine that it would just be more work to try to move those and re-hang cornices so we decided to go with regular curtains. At $16.95 a yard, the Kokka Pigs were going to be a bit much for curtains since the narrow width of the fabric would mean that I would need 8 yards at least of the fabric so we were back to square one. I was going through fabric online over the weekend and came up with several options that I had my mom, sister and husband weigh in on since they have all seen the paint. Thus, this is the fabric for the curtains:
It is Amy Butler's August Fields in Tangerine Home Decor Weight. Normally, this is $16/yard but fabric.com had it on clearance for $6.49/yard and THEN had an extra 30% off clearance fabric making it $4.54 a yard. WOOHOO! I love finding deals on Amy Butler fabric! Also, my husband also really liked it so bonus points for that.
I am going to use the pigs to make fabric bins for the bookshelves and nightstand like this:
Several tutorials exist for these, although the one pictured above is from etsy.
Then, I went to Juxt Home & Baby here, a store that I have always loved, because they were having their spring sale. The 50% off Dash & Albert rugs drew me in (this was pre-Lowe's, and all the remaining rugs were pink) but I ended up leaving with the CUTEST elephant bookend. I had to buy it. It is made of a light blue (similar to the wall color) seersucker fabric. I have a thing for elephants (and giraffes and penguins) so it called to me. The baby made me do it :)
Friday, March 26, 2010
Some Online Shopping, Perusing...
One of my other favorite "baby" blogs is withTWOcats. Their nursery is unbelievable (love that paint color!) and GASP! She confesses to not really like pregnancy all that much either. I think I must make one of these elephant pillows.
I officially can't button any pair of pants I own and be comfortable. Hurrah! The belly is here! As I told my friend, JN, last night, I'm sort of ready to be visibly pregnant and have a perma-belly instead of the on-again off-again type. A coworker told me that it is really cute today - I wore a clingier shirt to show it off. It took me almost 10 minutes to find something to wear this morning because many of the shirts I tried on did not adequately do the job of covering me and my unbuttoned pants (yes...i left the house with unbuttoned pants - THIS is why you need maternity shirts, people!). I hope that the belly is here to stay!
So I guess I will need to be a bit more diligent in the quest for clothes now. I got a package from Old Navy and Gap yesterday with some cute (AND UBER COMFY) dresses for summer but it will have to warm up a bit yet to wear them...but wait! I could pair them with LEGGINGS! The pregnant woman's staple, ha ha ha. I also ordered this skirt, which I predict will be in the weekly rotation at least twice if not three times - it is very comfortable on the belly. It is interesting because I ordered the same sizes in everything (Medium) and the old navy Medium is MUCH bigger and longer than the GAP stuff. I don't think that the GAP shirts will fit me for too long. I find this interesting because I hate the fit of regular Old Navy clothes and rarely purchase anything from there but for some reason, the maternity line seems to favor taller women. YAY! The one bad part about ordering online is that you can't return it in store - even stores that carry the maternity clothes which stinks. I think they recently changed this policy unfortunately.
I also saw a cute dress from...dare I say it...WALMART. I saw it first here. Apparently it was also featured on the Today show. Unfortunately, you have to order it online. UGH. As long as we're going online, check out Polarn O.Pyret and Shabby Apple too.
I officially can't button any pair of pants I own and be comfortable. Hurrah! The belly is here! As I told my friend, JN, last night, I'm sort of ready to be visibly pregnant and have a perma-belly instead of the on-again off-again type. A coworker told me that it is really cute today - I wore a clingier shirt to show it off. It took me almost 10 minutes to find something to wear this morning because many of the shirts I tried on did not adequately do the job of covering me and my unbuttoned pants (yes...i left the house with unbuttoned pants - THIS is why you need maternity shirts, people!). I hope that the belly is here to stay!
So I guess I will need to be a bit more diligent in the quest for clothes now. I got a package from Old Navy and Gap yesterday with some cute (AND UBER COMFY) dresses for summer but it will have to warm up a bit yet to wear them...but wait! I could pair them with LEGGINGS! The pregnant woman's staple, ha ha ha. I also ordered this skirt, which I predict will be in the weekly rotation at least twice if not three times - it is very comfortable on the belly. It is interesting because I ordered the same sizes in everything (Medium) and the old navy Medium is MUCH bigger and longer than the GAP stuff. I don't think that the GAP shirts will fit me for too long. I find this interesting because I hate the fit of regular Old Navy clothes and rarely purchase anything from there but for some reason, the maternity line seems to favor taller women. YAY! The one bad part about ordering online is that you can't return it in store - even stores that carry the maternity clothes which stinks. I think they recently changed this policy unfortunately.
I also saw a cute dress from...dare I say it...WALMART. I saw it first here. Apparently it was also featured on the Today show. Unfortunately, you have to order it online. UGH. As long as we're going online, check out Polarn O.Pyret and Shabby Apple too.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
If you're lucky, you'll be pregnant with a friend
Last night, I think I wore my Uniqlo skinny jeans for the last time before the baby arrives. Those jeans were incredible - 17 weeks and 1 day. I could MAYBE squeeze another week out of them, but it would be an uncomfortable week. As my friend said last night, for your first pregnancy, you sort of are in denial about the fact that you will be needing maternity clothes so you try to get through as much as possible without them. Then, when you start wearing them, you're like, "Why didn't I do this a long time ago?". ha ha ha
But that's not what I'm going to wax on about today. I did enough of that yesterday.
Today I am going to give you the top 5 reasons to have a baby with a friend. I don't know if anyone actually PLANS to be pregnant the same time as friends, but we have hit the jackpot with pregnant friends lately. We have two friends that are having a baby in the same MONTH as us (August) and another couple that is due 3 weeks after us. Not to mention the people scattered about between now and then. It never fails that every few weeks, we get the news that someone else is expecting.
So, in no particular order, I give you the Top 5.
5: You will always have someone that knows what you are going through, at about the same time as you. I feel really lucky because my friend MB is 3 weeks ahead of me and my friend HC is 3 weeks after me. This way I can get the heads up from MB but also give some heads up to HC. These two women have been a godsend - never failing to make me feel normal through email or a quick phone call. I foresee this being helpful after giving birth as well - since some of my friends will have overlapping maternity leaves as me.
4: You have someone to whine to other than your husband. I think my husband is incredible and puts up with a lot of whining. But sometimes, I think it might be too much for him, so I know I can whine to someone else about it since they likely will be whining about the same thing. (One could argue that i do a fair share on whining on this blog!)
3: If your pregnant friend lives near you, your kids might be friends. You at least have play date potential with people you already know and like.
2: Again, if the pregnant friend(s) live near you, you can research childcare options together, or even contemplate nanny sharing.
1: This is like #5, but for the husbands. Most days, by the time I get home and do some sort of workout, I am on the couch for the rest of the night and in bed no later than 9. I can rally for special events, but there has been a lot of home time lately, something that my husband and I aren't that good at. Thankfully, HC's husband, A, is there to go out on dates with my husband. They recently went to a Vampire Weekend concert together and said they were one of the few 2-guy couples there. I joked last night that I might make them T-shirts that say, "Our Wives Are Pregnant".
But that's not what I'm going to wax on about today. I did enough of that yesterday.
Today I am going to give you the top 5 reasons to have a baby with a friend. I don't know if anyone actually PLANS to be pregnant the same time as friends, but we have hit the jackpot with pregnant friends lately. We have two friends that are having a baby in the same MONTH as us (August) and another couple that is due 3 weeks after us. Not to mention the people scattered about between now and then. It never fails that every few weeks, we get the news that someone else is expecting.
So, in no particular order, I give you the Top 5.
5: You will always have someone that knows what you are going through, at about the same time as you. I feel really lucky because my friend MB is 3 weeks ahead of me and my friend HC is 3 weeks after me. This way I can get the heads up from MB but also give some heads up to HC. These two women have been a godsend - never failing to make me feel normal through email or a quick phone call. I foresee this being helpful after giving birth as well - since some of my friends will have overlapping maternity leaves as me.
4: You have someone to whine to other than your husband. I think my husband is incredible and puts up with a lot of whining. But sometimes, I think it might be too much for him, so I know I can whine to someone else about it since they likely will be whining about the same thing. (One could argue that i do a fair share on whining on this blog!)
3: If your pregnant friend lives near you, your kids might be friends. You at least have play date potential with people you already know and like.
2: Again, if the pregnant friend(s) live near you, you can research childcare options together, or even contemplate nanny sharing.
1: This is like #5, but for the husbands. Most days, by the time I get home and do some sort of workout, I am on the couch for the rest of the night and in bed no later than 9. I can rally for special events, but there has been a lot of home time lately, something that my husband and I aren't that good at. Thankfully, HC's husband, A, is there to go out on dates with my husband. They recently went to a Vampire Weekend concert together and said they were one of the few 2-guy couples there. I joked last night that I might make them T-shirts that say, "Our Wives Are Pregnant".
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
Maternity Clothes 411: The Week 17 Update
I recently found the blog of G&D, who recently had their first daughter. The fun thing is that she is also from WI. Today she posted some helpful thoughts about maternity clothes, specifically jeans. I know some of you are currently pregnant or hoping to be soon so you might find this post helpful.
As with so much of the whole pregnancy thing, some advice will apply to you and others won't. There isn't one thing that usually works for everyone. For example - in the example of G&D, she is 5'4" and said she didn't need maternity shirts until trimester 3. In my case, I am 5'11" and have a long torso. I wish I had bought maternity shirts years ago! Ok, so not quite, but the basic long sleeve and short sleeve t-shirts fit me way better than any t-shirt really has. I have a problem finding shirts that are long enough for me on a regular basis, so the extra length in these types of maternity shirts, while isn't really necessary to cover a huge belly at this point, is much more comfortable and works well to cover any rubberbanded pants. As for the non-t-shirt type shirts, I haven't really found any yet that I like. Luckily, I haven't really needed these yet and my belly is just a small bump still.
I have the same issues with my belly band that she describes. I have found that the rubber band trick plus the belly band is the best option, though still not great. If I only have to wear the pants for a short period of time (aka jeans out for dinner), I love it. All day wear of the belly band is annoying though.
I still have not rocked any maternity pants, although I officially cannot button any of my pre-pregnancy pants. I wore my last holdout pair on Monday and by the end of the day, I was ready to rip them off. I am still wearing the two pairs of regular pants (AKA non-maternity) that I bought a size larger than my typical size. The one thing i would caution with this is to not spend a lot of money if you are going to pursue this option. As I mentioned, one of these pairs is from Goodwill and one is from a clearance rack at an outlet store. $20 bought me 3, maybe 4 extra weeks of pants but that's about it. I think that $20 was worth the extra month to get me through the colder months of WI.
Luckily for me, I will be "uber pregnant" during warmer months. While most people sort of give me the, "oh you'll be pregnant during summer, that won't be fun", I actually am excited about it because I plan on wearing dresses and skirts the entire time. Even now, dresses are the most comfortable thing to wear ever, also echoed by G&D. I still fit in most of my pre-pregnancy dresses and have two maternity dresses. It is funny though that when I wear my maternity dresses is when I get the most "oh you have a little bump comments". Do the makers of maternity dresses purposely make them to accentuate the bump?!
I also liked G&D's maternity fashion show pictures at the end. Why didn't I think of doing that?! I must say that even though you go through a feeling like a gross blob stage, pregnancy does force you to get creative with your clothes which I have enjoyed. So while you are still wearing your "old" clothes, reinventing them in some new ways or new combinations makes them feel "new".
Maternity Clothes I have bought to Date. The asterisk indicates what I have worn.
Belly Band*: $16.95 @ Target
4 Short Sleeve T-shirts*: $15.90 total at Target (check those clearance racks!)
2 Long Sleeve T-shirts*: $13.96 total at Target
1 pair of maternity jeans: $50 (Damn you Heidi Klum)
2 Dresses*: 1 wrap dress from Gap ($27) and 1 short sleeve from Motherhood ($19.99)
1 pair of khakis: $10 from a consignment store - these teeter the edge of being too short so I'm planning on fixing them to be cropped pants.
1 tunic: $4.17 at Boston Store
I have bought a few more tunic type dresses (non-maternity) from Goodwill and a variety of second hand stores that have helped me avoid dress pants and rock leggings most days of the week. I'm so happy I embraced the leggings trend before getting pregnant - they are a godsend for days when I don't have to be really dressed up for work!
As with so much of the whole pregnancy thing, some advice will apply to you and others won't. There isn't one thing that usually works for everyone. For example - in the example of G&D, she is 5'4" and said she didn't need maternity shirts until trimester 3. In my case, I am 5'11" and have a long torso. I wish I had bought maternity shirts years ago! Ok, so not quite, but the basic long sleeve and short sleeve t-shirts fit me way better than any t-shirt really has. I have a problem finding shirts that are long enough for me on a regular basis, so the extra length in these types of maternity shirts, while isn't really necessary to cover a huge belly at this point, is much more comfortable and works well to cover any rubberbanded pants. As for the non-t-shirt type shirts, I haven't really found any yet that I like. Luckily, I haven't really needed these yet and my belly is just a small bump still.
I have the same issues with my belly band that she describes. I have found that the rubber band trick plus the belly band is the best option, though still not great. If I only have to wear the pants for a short period of time (aka jeans out for dinner), I love it. All day wear of the belly band is annoying though.
I still have not rocked any maternity pants, although I officially cannot button any of my pre-pregnancy pants. I wore my last holdout pair on Monday and by the end of the day, I was ready to rip them off. I am still wearing the two pairs of regular pants (AKA non-maternity) that I bought a size larger than my typical size. The one thing i would caution with this is to not spend a lot of money if you are going to pursue this option. As I mentioned, one of these pairs is from Goodwill and one is from a clearance rack at an outlet store. $20 bought me 3, maybe 4 extra weeks of pants but that's about it. I think that $20 was worth the extra month to get me through the colder months of WI.
Luckily for me, I will be "uber pregnant" during warmer months. While most people sort of give me the, "oh you'll be pregnant during summer, that won't be fun", I actually am excited about it because I plan on wearing dresses and skirts the entire time. Even now, dresses are the most comfortable thing to wear ever, also echoed by G&D. I still fit in most of my pre-pregnancy dresses and have two maternity dresses. It is funny though that when I wear my maternity dresses is when I get the most "oh you have a little bump comments". Do the makers of maternity dresses purposely make them to accentuate the bump?!
I also liked G&D's maternity fashion show pictures at the end. Why didn't I think of doing that?! I must say that even though you go through a feeling like a gross blob stage, pregnancy does force you to get creative with your clothes which I have enjoyed. So while you are still wearing your "old" clothes, reinventing them in some new ways or new combinations makes them feel "new".
Maternity Clothes I have bought to Date. The asterisk indicates what I have worn.
Belly Band*: $16.95 @ Target
4 Short Sleeve T-shirts*: $15.90 total at Target (check those clearance racks!)
2 Long Sleeve T-shirts*: $13.96 total at Target
1 pair of maternity jeans: $50 (Damn you Heidi Klum)
2 Dresses*: 1 wrap dress from Gap ($27) and 1 short sleeve from Motherhood ($19.99)
1 pair of khakis: $10 from a consignment store - these teeter the edge of being too short so I'm planning on fixing them to be cropped pants.
1 tunic: $4.17 at Boston Store
I have bought a few more tunic type dresses (non-maternity) from Goodwill and a variety of second hand stores that have helped me avoid dress pants and rock leggings most days of the week. I'm so happy I embraced the leggings trend before getting pregnant - they are a godsend for days when I don't have to be really dressed up for work!
Monday, March 22, 2010
I'm BAAAAAAACK
Evil Insomnia. The week before last, I had the audacity to think that things were improving in the sleep department. Week 15 was the best sleep I had had since Week 7. I should have known it was going to be short lived. Daylight savings time brought a nice little treat (heavy sarcasm) back to my life - the restless nights. Sigh. Saturday evening was the worst night of sleep I have had yet. 2 AM - 6 AM awake. I'm not sure what time I actually fell back asleep - 6 AM is just the time I crawled back in bed after reading a lot of back issues of Southern Living and finishing Baby Bargains. After that, I started researching cloth diapers. Holy toledo. If there is one thing I have realized is that people like to make things more complicated than they could be. Maybe cloth diaper research at 5 AM isn't the best idea!
Last night I slept in a giant king sized bed at a hotel since we took a nice little getaway. I was looking forward to getting a really good night's sleep in the luxury linens. It was only ok. Our getaway included a gift certificate for dinner which came with a bottle of wine. I asked the waiter not to pour me a glass. He sort of refused to not pour me a glass so I told him I was pregnant. That didn't really change things, "Well, you can still have a glass", he replied. Hmmm. Interesting. I put enough wine on my tongue to taste it but barely had enough to swallow. That was it. Alcohol and pregnancy makes me nervous. Therefore my husband got an entire bottle to himself. He slept like a rock :)
Last night I slept in a giant king sized bed at a hotel since we took a nice little getaway. I was looking forward to getting a really good night's sleep in the luxury linens. It was only ok. Our getaway included a gift certificate for dinner which came with a bottle of wine. I asked the waiter not to pour me a glass. He sort of refused to not pour me a glass so I told him I was pregnant. That didn't really change things, "Well, you can still have a glass", he replied. Hmmm. Interesting. I put enough wine on my tongue to taste it but barely had enough to swallow. That was it. Alcohol and pregnancy makes me nervous. Therefore my husband got an entire bottle to himself. He slept like a rock :)
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Fun With Names: The Rocker Girls
Girls of Song. This came to my mind recently because NPR featured a story about THE Sharona of "My Sharona" with the passing of The Knack's lead singer. There was a time in my life that I wanted to name my girls after songs. That is, assuming I have at least one girl in my lifetime. My friends and I would try to think of songs that featured our names. I like "my song" which is by Pure Prarie League (granted that girl spells her name differently than I). So now I will recap what I used to think would be GREAT names for girls. "Oh how lucky they would be". ha ha ha
Layla: Ok, what woman wouldn't want a song like this to be written about them? If I were Pattie Boyd, I would have run off with Eric Clapton too. (Although George had some contenders too).
Rhiannon: I used to think (and still do) that Stevie Nicks was awesome. Loved this song and I think that my friend CP also wanted to name her daughter this. I'll leave this one for her.
Mary: I love this name. There's "Proud Mary" one of my favorite karokee songs EVER and A lot of Bruce Springsteen songs are about a "Mary". Every time I see Bruce in concert, I mention (to the aforementioned CP) that I wish my name was Mary so he sorta kinda would be singing to me. (Ok, I also wear a puffy paint I HEART BRUCE shirt to these shows so you can see that I'm not all there mentally when it comes to Bruce). I do not feel the same about "Candy", "Rosalita" or any of the other Springsteen women.
Angie: Something about Mick Jagger crooning ANNNNGGGIE made me think this would be a good name back in the day. "Oh Angie don't you weep, all your kisses still taste sweet". Yikes! I don't want to think about my daughter making out quite yet!
Roxanne: Ok, never wanted to name my daughter after a stripper but good song none the less.
Jane: Another name I like. However, I have an aunt named Jane so that probably will make the "family name" list that will be coming in the future. Recently this name struck a chord in my heart because of the Dan Jansen VISA commercials during the Olympics. His sister, Jane, died and he named his daughter Jane after her. I can't get too much more into it because i will start crying. ANYWAY back to songs. There's Sweet Jane from the Velvet Underground and Jane Says from Jane's Addiction. A whole lotta "Jane" going on.
Susie: You're right. I would never name my daughter this, really. But I really love Susie Q. LOVE IT.
Cecilia: I will admit that this was on my name list for real. Not one of my most favorites, but on the list just the same. My husband vetoed it. Then, after Jim & Pam named their baby this on The Office, it definitely left my mind. As my brother-in-law said, "Remember when everyone named their baby Emma after Rachel & Friends?". Touche. But Cecilia by Simon & Garfunkel was/is a great song.
G-L-O-R-I-A: GLORIA! Go Van Morrison. Or what about GLORIA! I THINK THEY GOT YOUR NUMBER! GLORIA! (Laura Branigan). Yep. That one made my bachelorette party mix. Two great songs, but admittedly not my favorite name. There was a woman in our 'hood growing up named Gloria and she and her husband are totally gross. My family still makes fun of them. (See how fun this name association thing is?!)
Michelle: Ma Belle. A great Beatles song. An okay name. I have a cousin named Michelle though so again, this name is cross-referenced with the family name list to come.
What about boys of rock? I never really had the same thing for boys and songs. As a girl, I think I liked having a song about me so I wanted one for my daughter. But who knows WHAT I was thinking? I also wore a Led Zeppelin t-shirt during my Math Club year book picture so that should give you some idea of the weirdo I was in high school, and still am. My husband has already vetoed "Bruce" for boys names - I didn't bring it up (nor would I want to name my son Bruce) but he knows how deep my love goes so he immediately threw it out there.
By the time this name association thing gets done, you ALL are going to think I'm crazy!
Layla: Ok, what woman wouldn't want a song like this to be written about them? If I were Pattie Boyd, I would have run off with Eric Clapton too. (Although George had some contenders too).
Rhiannon: I used to think (and still do) that Stevie Nicks was awesome. Loved this song and I think that my friend CP also wanted to name her daughter this. I'll leave this one for her.
Mary: I love this name. There's "Proud Mary" one of my favorite karokee songs EVER and A lot of Bruce Springsteen songs are about a "Mary". Every time I see Bruce in concert, I mention (to the aforementioned CP) that I wish my name was Mary so he sorta kinda would be singing to me. (Ok, I also wear a puffy paint I HEART BRUCE shirt to these shows so you can see that I'm not all there mentally when it comes to Bruce). I do not feel the same about "Candy", "Rosalita" or any of the other Springsteen women.
Angie: Something about Mick Jagger crooning ANNNNGGGIE made me think this would be a good name back in the day. "Oh Angie don't you weep, all your kisses still taste sweet". Yikes! I don't want to think about my daughter making out quite yet!
Roxanne: Ok, never wanted to name my daughter after a stripper but good song none the less.
Jane: Another name I like. However, I have an aunt named Jane so that probably will make the "family name" list that will be coming in the future. Recently this name struck a chord in my heart because of the Dan Jansen VISA commercials during the Olympics. His sister, Jane, died and he named his daughter Jane after her. I can't get too much more into it because i will start crying. ANYWAY back to songs. There's Sweet Jane from the Velvet Underground and Jane Says from Jane's Addiction. A whole lotta "Jane" going on.
Susie: You're right. I would never name my daughter this, really. But I really love Susie Q. LOVE IT.
Cecilia: I will admit that this was on my name list for real. Not one of my most favorites, but on the list just the same. My husband vetoed it. Then, after Jim & Pam named their baby this on The Office, it definitely left my mind. As my brother-in-law said, "Remember when everyone named their baby Emma after Rachel & Friends?". Touche. But Cecilia by Simon & Garfunkel was/is a great song.
G-L-O-R-I-A: GLORIA! Go Van Morrison. Or what about GLORIA! I THINK THEY GOT YOUR NUMBER! GLORIA! (Laura Branigan). Yep. That one made my bachelorette party mix. Two great songs, but admittedly not my favorite name. There was a woman in our 'hood growing up named Gloria and she and her husband are totally gross. My family still makes fun of them. (See how fun this name association thing is?!)
Michelle: Ma Belle. A great Beatles song. An okay name. I have a cousin named Michelle though so again, this name is cross-referenced with the family name list to come.
What about boys of rock? I never really had the same thing for boys and songs. As a girl, I think I liked having a song about me so I wanted one for my daughter. But who knows WHAT I was thinking? I also wore a Led Zeppelin t-shirt during my Math Club year book picture so that should give you some idea of the weirdo I was in high school, and still am. My husband has already vetoed "Bruce" for boys names - I didn't bring it up (nor would I want to name my son Bruce) but he knows how deep my love goes so he immediately threw it out there.
By the time this name association thing gets done, you ALL are going to think I'm crazy!
Friday, March 19, 2010
Random pregnancy thoughts
My friend CD sent me the Shiva Rae Gaiam Prenatal Yoga DVD. I did it for the first time last night. Boy did it feel good. I felt like it loosened up every tight little knot in my back. One thing I am NOT good at is the kegel exercise portion of the dvd. You are suppossed to pretend you are in an elevator and stopping at the first second third floor going up and then stopping at each floor on the way back down with them. Try it - it is difficult! The video at first made me laugh because there is Skinny Shiva leading the workout and then behind her is Brita, in her second trimeseter, and then Poppy, in her third trimester. All three women are wearing these full length spandex unitard things. Overall I thought it was a great DVD. Someone else recommended the Jennifer Wolfe Prenatal Yoga DVD. I am picking that one up from the library tonight to try out. Just based on last night, I highly recommend yoga if you are pregnant! Wowsa.
I also was excited to get a 30% off reward code for Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, etc. I ordered a bunch of maternity dresses and shirts. (Still staying away from pants!). My impression of maternity clothes so far is that you are stuck with basically the same style of shirt - sure they change some ruching areas but basically there are not many options. My favorite shirts so far have been from target - the basic long sleeve T shirts (which are currently on clearance) and I also got this t shirt with cute ruching on the bodice and sleeves for 96 cents. I wish there had been a variety of colors with it because I love it so much. But for 96 cents, you can't really complain too much.
I haven't returned to wearing my belly band after Monday. I basically wore skirts or leggings for the rest of the week and today I'm still rocking my Uniqlo skinny jeans. I keep praying that these things will fit me for a few more weeks as they are basically what I wear Friday - Sunday. I suppose eventually they will get replaced by the Heidi Klum skinny jeans.
When we moved our extra bed downstairs for the guestroom, I took the down duvet into our room and made a makeshift pregnancy "pillow" out of it to sleep on. It has greatly improved my comfort at night.
I spoke with my friend CP last night on the phone. She asked me if I am always aware of the fact that I am pregnant or if I sometimes forget. I responded that I am aware of it 100% of the time at this point. I thought that might go away - like I was aware of it all the time in the beginning because it was so new and exciting, but nope - I am pretty much in the zone.
I also was excited to get a 30% off reward code for Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, etc. I ordered a bunch of maternity dresses and shirts. (Still staying away from pants!). My impression of maternity clothes so far is that you are stuck with basically the same style of shirt - sure they change some ruching areas but basically there are not many options. My favorite shirts so far have been from target - the basic long sleeve T shirts (which are currently on clearance) and I also got this t shirt with cute ruching on the bodice and sleeves for 96 cents. I wish there had been a variety of colors with it because I love it so much. But for 96 cents, you can't really complain too much.
I haven't returned to wearing my belly band after Monday. I basically wore skirts or leggings for the rest of the week and today I'm still rocking my Uniqlo skinny jeans. I keep praying that these things will fit me for a few more weeks as they are basically what I wear Friday - Sunday. I suppose eventually they will get replaced by the Heidi Klum skinny jeans.
When we moved our extra bed downstairs for the guestroom, I took the down duvet into our room and made a makeshift pregnancy "pillow" out of it to sleep on. It has greatly improved my comfort at night.
I spoke with my friend CP last night on the phone. She asked me if I am always aware of the fact that I am pregnant or if I sometimes forget. I responded that I am aware of it 100% of the time at this point. I thought that might go away - like I was aware of it all the time in the beginning because it was so new and exciting, but nope - I am pretty much in the zone.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Paint? CHECK Furniture? CHECK
My friend BCM is an OB/GYN resident in Chicago. We met her for brunch on my birthday and she had one of her OB/GYN friends with her. They both were really nice about answering lots of questions and also commented that most first time preggos have the nursery done at 20 weeks. I laughed and thought, that's totally going to be us.
First, we have wanted to re-paint our guest room/nursery since the day we first painted it. We wanted a dark blue and got more of a periwinkle. At that time we were so sick of painting that we just left it. Fast forward over 2 1/2 years later and we finally have an excuse to repaint. So the hubs finished the painting last weekend. He just couldn't wait to get it done. We are very happy with the color - a soft grey/blue.
Once he got the paint done, he was anxious to get all the furniture in there. WHAT?! You have furniture?! Yes - we have had furniture for a few weeks. Once word got out that we were expecting, we got an amazing email from some friends that they were trying to get rid of their entire room of baby furniture ASAP. Their baby is 2 and they are done having kids they want the stuff out of there. Are we interested?
They emailed us pictures of it and then my husband went to look at it on his lunch hour. It definitely fits the style of our house and would be the style of something we would pick out - not fussy, clean lines. The one thing that we would not pick out is the color of the wood which is the light colored wood. Most of the time we gravitate towards darker wood. However, the furniture was all very well made and in great condition. My frugal side was screaming - who cares if it is light colored wood - TAKE IT!
After some thought, our frugal sides got the best of us. A huge money saver indeed. We now had our crib, changing table, dresser, glider & ottoman. It was scattered throughout rooms of our house, which was driving my husband nuts. So we moved everything out of the guest room and moved the baby furniture up there. Once we got the furniture in the room (the crib is still not set up), I actually LOVE it with the paint.
While we were deciding what to do, I was very hesitant about the crib. Especially since I work in injury prevention and one of my projects is child death review. Especially after reading the crib section of the baby bargains book saying that you shouldn't go with a second hand crib. From that chapter it seems that this applies to cribs made before 1999 and cribs that have ever had recalls on them or parts that do not work. The family we got it from never had any issues with it but I checked into the recalls just to be on the safe side (and checked, and checked, and checked). It also was manufactured after 1999. We were safe - I could find nothing in the way of recalls, defects, problems about this crib. I even double checked the measurements between the slats. I have to say I was shocked by how long the list of crib recalls was!! Craziness indeed. My new best friend might be the Consumer Product and Safety Commission Website.
I think we might switch up the hardware on the dresser and changing table to make it more unique looking, and if I get really motivated, even decoupage some wall paper onto the drawer faces sort of like this:
(Not that pattern, but to give you the general idea). This would be if I get really motivated though. It doesn't NEED to happen but might be a fun touch if the room looks too plain after we get done with it.
As I said, everything was in excellent condition except for the glider and ottoman cushions which were a little worn. It is one of those like this:
In fact, that gross blue is almost the exact color of the current cushions. I am planning on reupholstering the cushions on both the chair and ottoman which will also introduce a little pizzazz. ha ha ha My mother is serving as assistant in this project.
So yeah. Basically, it needs some decoration, but we could have the baby now and be set. We are way too neurotic for our own good.
First, we have wanted to re-paint our guest room/nursery since the day we first painted it. We wanted a dark blue and got more of a periwinkle. At that time we were so sick of painting that we just left it. Fast forward over 2 1/2 years later and we finally have an excuse to repaint. So the hubs finished the painting last weekend. He just couldn't wait to get it done. We are very happy with the color - a soft grey/blue.
Once he got the paint done, he was anxious to get all the furniture in there. WHAT?! You have furniture?! Yes - we have had furniture for a few weeks. Once word got out that we were expecting, we got an amazing email from some friends that they were trying to get rid of their entire room of baby furniture ASAP. Their baby is 2 and they are done having kids they want the stuff out of there. Are we interested?
They emailed us pictures of it and then my husband went to look at it on his lunch hour. It definitely fits the style of our house and would be the style of something we would pick out - not fussy, clean lines. The one thing that we would not pick out is the color of the wood which is the light colored wood. Most of the time we gravitate towards darker wood. However, the furniture was all very well made and in great condition. My frugal side was screaming - who cares if it is light colored wood - TAKE IT!
After some thought, our frugal sides got the best of us. A huge money saver indeed. We now had our crib, changing table, dresser, glider & ottoman. It was scattered throughout rooms of our house, which was driving my husband nuts. So we moved everything out of the guest room and moved the baby furniture up there. Once we got the furniture in the room (the crib is still not set up), I actually LOVE it with the paint.
While we were deciding what to do, I was very hesitant about the crib. Especially since I work in injury prevention and one of my projects is child death review. Especially after reading the crib section of the baby bargains book saying that you shouldn't go with a second hand crib. From that chapter it seems that this applies to cribs made before 1999 and cribs that have ever had recalls on them or parts that do not work. The family we got it from never had any issues with it but I checked into the recalls just to be on the safe side (and checked, and checked, and checked). It also was manufactured after 1999. We were safe - I could find nothing in the way of recalls, defects, problems about this crib. I even double checked the measurements between the slats. I have to say I was shocked by how long the list of crib recalls was!! Craziness indeed. My new best friend might be the Consumer Product and Safety Commission Website.
I think we might switch up the hardware on the dresser and changing table to make it more unique looking, and if I get really motivated, even decoupage some wall paper onto the drawer faces sort of like this:
(Not that pattern, but to give you the general idea). This would be if I get really motivated though. It doesn't NEED to happen but might be a fun touch if the room looks too plain after we get done with it.
As I said, everything was in excellent condition except for the glider and ottoman cushions which were a little worn. It is one of those like this:
In fact, that gross blue is almost the exact color of the current cushions. I am planning on reupholstering the cushions on both the chair and ottoman which will also introduce a little pizzazz. ha ha ha My mother is serving as assistant in this project.
So yeah. Basically, it needs some decoration, but we could have the baby now and be set. We are way too neurotic for our own good.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
The On Again Off Again Belly
One of the funny things about pregnancy is how huge you (as in the pregnant woman) think you are and how you really aren't all that big. Last post I mentioned that I have a small bump. The type of bump that is totally unnoticeable depending on what I am wearing. More form fitting clothes make me look more obviously pregnant. Yesterday must have been one of those unnoticeable type of days because I was out of the office doing follow-up interviews with some older adult women that took part in one of our fall prevention classes. During several of the interviews, I mentioned that I was pregnant. After telling them that I was due in August, several of them responded, "Well where is the baby?!?! You should be showing!". Um, maybe they didn't hear me correctly that I said AUGUST...not APRIL.
One of them went so far as to ask me to turn around b/c "maybe you're showing from the back". Um, lady if I'm showing from the back, I DON'T want to know about it. It was pretty funny. I was in a good mood so these things made me laugh instead of cry.
I also determined that the belly band should come with a warning: do not wear more than 8 hours. I wore my belly band from 7:45 AM to 9:00 PM on Monday and wanted to fling it across the room by the time I could take it off. I think I may only be able to handle 1 or 2 days a week max of that thing. Today's maternity dress is oh so much more comfortable!
In more exciting news, I think I can feel the baby move! It started the night before last - at 1:30 AM none the less. I was laying on my stomach in bed, trying to fall back asleep. I must have been tossing and turning for a while because my husband was also awake. At first, I wasn't sure but when the fluttery feeling kept happening, I whispered, "I think I can feel the baby". It was pretty cool. It happened again last night - at a more reasonable hour. I haven't noticed anything during the day but I am pretty all over the place and not really paying as close attention. Books, my doctor and friends have described the feeling as bubbles in your uterus, butterflies, or a fish swimming around in there. I can't really think of any other ways to describe it but that is about it. My husband put his ear on my belly last night to determine if he could hear anything but couldn't. I think he is very excited for when you can actually feel movement from the outside. Last night's flutters occurred after he made me the most delicious homemade hot cocoa so I think the baby is already developing a taste for chocolate...maybe it's a girl! ha ha ha
One of them went so far as to ask me to turn around b/c "maybe you're showing from the back". Um, lady if I'm showing from the back, I DON'T want to know about it. It was pretty funny. I was in a good mood so these things made me laugh instead of cry.
I also determined that the belly band should come with a warning: do not wear more than 8 hours. I wore my belly band from 7:45 AM to 9:00 PM on Monday and wanted to fling it across the room by the time I could take it off. I think I may only be able to handle 1 or 2 days a week max of that thing. Today's maternity dress is oh so much more comfortable!
In more exciting news, I think I can feel the baby move! It started the night before last - at 1:30 AM none the less. I was laying on my stomach in bed, trying to fall back asleep. I must have been tossing and turning for a while because my husband was also awake. At first, I wasn't sure but when the fluttery feeling kept happening, I whispered, "I think I can feel the baby". It was pretty cool. It happened again last night - at a more reasonable hour. I haven't noticed anything during the day but I am pretty all over the place and not really paying as close attention. Books, my doctor and friends have described the feeling as bubbles in your uterus, butterflies, or a fish swimming around in there. I can't really think of any other ways to describe it but that is about it. My husband put his ear on my belly last night to determine if he could hear anything but couldn't. I think he is very excited for when you can actually feel movement from the outside. Last night's flutters occurred after he made me the most delicious homemade hot cocoa so I think the baby is already developing a taste for chocolate...maybe it's a girl! ha ha ha
Monday, March 15, 2010
Adventures in Belly Rubbing and Maternity Clothes Shopping
Guess what? I'm pregnant.
You may be thinking that I have truly lost my mind. But after a few weeks of fighting/whining/flat out bitching about gaining weight, I have come to accept the belly and the fact that I'm going to get bigger before I get smaller.
I wouldn't say that I'm obviously pregnant yet, but I do have a small bump that if you know me/see me on a regular basis, you would see me and say, "She's pregnant". I think the non-husband person who is most excited to see some belly action is my father in law. We saw them for brunch when I was 11-1/2 weeks along and I saw that he was going right for the belly. I sort of out manuevered him and said in sort of a snotty tone that I did not have anything yet. This was in the middle of my crisis with gaining weight so I was not about to have anyone start asking to see my belly.
Fast forward a few weeks to 15-1/2 weeks when we again were out to dinner with my in-laws. My father in law asked how the belly was coming along and I said that usually by the end of the day with a big meal, there will be a little something. He asked if he could feel it. I was sort of shocked b/c he's not the most touchy-feely guy in the whole world. Imagine my additional shock when my mother-in-law sort of yelled at him and said, "Some people don't like when people touch their stomachs!" But I think I was kind of excited to have people feel it. So the in-laws, the aunt & uncle in law all felt the belly. The excitement was kind of catching. After dinner, when I really did have some protrusion, i even lifted up my shirt (once we were back at our house) to show them. There was some squealing. I brought everyone back down to earth by saying that the belly would likely be smaller in the morning and it probably is a result of food/bloating.
Well imagine my surprise when I woke up and it was still there. I think the belly might be here to stay.
I was feeling so good about the belly that I thought I might be able to handle some maternity clothes shopping. I did not anticipate that my husband would want to do this with me, but after church yesterday he suggested we hit up the mall. We went to the BS mall, which was right by church. Well, there are no maternity sections at the BS mall - they maternity sections of dept stores are only at the M mall which is by our house. I tried just putting on larger sizes than what I usually am, but taht did not work for me for shirts and dresses, etc. They just looked like ill-fitting clothes. (I do have to say that I have 2 pairs of pants that are a size larger than I usually am and those have fit pretty well. One pair I bought at the Banana Republic Outlet last summer anticipating I could maybe wear them while pregnant...and they were $13 for fully lined dress pants! The other pair I bought this fall at Goodwill for a few dollars with the same thought. I admit that this could be risky but it worked for me). After feeling totally gross trying on lots of clothes, I figured my husband would be ready to go home. I think he sensed that I was a little down and he suggested heading to the M mall.
First we went to Boston Store. The maternity section consisted of 3 racks. I am not kidding you. Two were 85% off clearance racks. The clothes were pretty bad and I started noticing a trend: All maternity shirts (or 9 out of 10 maternity shirts) are those V-neck shirts where one piece of fabric goes over one boob and the other piece goes over the other. The type of shirts that Stacy and Clinton are ALWAYS telling people to wear. I hate these shirts. I did not like them pre-pregnancy and was dismayed to find that these are popping up all over the maternity section. I did find kind of this cool (for a maternity shirt) bohemian print tunic type thing in that section for $4.17. SUH-WEET! The checkout lady was like, "Ooh I would wear this even if I wasn't expecting". Uh, ok sister (checking out her outfit). Yes you probably would. (bitchy, i know)
Next we headed to Gap. The selection at Gap was also slim - it seems that Gap online offers way more of a selection than the store in terms of maternity. However, I did find a cute navy plain 3/4 sleeve knit wrapdress that I actually really do love. This was on sale too - score! The hubs was surprised as well - "Wow, I actually really do like that". Clearly, Our expectations were set pretty low by Boston Store.
Next we headed to Macy's. This is where a several people told me to go as they have the Motherhood line and the Pea in the Pod line there and you can return them. (Apparently these maternity stores have a no returns policy). It was like the maternity jackpot - lots of racks of clothes. The maternity section was in the basement level all scrunched together in between luggage and children's. I commented that pregnant women already feel disgusting enough - couldn't they put SOME effort into the presentation of the maternity section?!?!?
The woman working this section was so extremely helpful. She works for the Motherhood store, has had 2 children, and clearly knew the ins and outs of maternity clothes. I wanted to hug her. I think my husband did to b/c prior to visiting this section he actually offered to buy me a pair of shoes to lift my spirits! (For those of you that know my husband, you will know how big of a deal this is!) She said she really liked the Heidi Klum leggings and jeans so I took those in the room with me. I guess by this comment I assumed she was pregnant but my husband, chatty Kathy that he is, found out that she is not pregnant - she just sometimes wears maternity clothes because she likes the fit. Ok - I'm glad I found this out after we left because it took me a while to stop laughing. Anyhoo, she examined everything I tried on and helped me see how the clothes modify themselves as you get bigger. She put a few of those fake bellies in the dressing room for me to try on but I couldn't do it. They looked too weird to me. I kind of felt like I was on What Not to Wear: Maternity Edition. She also gave us some tips for other stores in the area to visit.
I ended up leaving with the Heidi Klum skinny jeans, a short sleeve knit dress and a denim top. I might be taking the top back but she was so complimentary of it that I felt like I had to buy it.
And today, I am wearing the belly band for the first time since I only have my one pair of dress pants that still fit. It isn't as bad as I thought it would be and actually is pretty comfy. It does get awkward when you have to go to the bathroom though!! Lots of rearranging! I gave a demonstration of the belly band to my in-laws and aunt&uncle-in-law after the belly show. They were cracking up but admitted that it was a pretty good invention.
You may be thinking that I have truly lost my mind. But after a few weeks of fighting/whining/flat out bitching about gaining weight, I have come to accept the belly and the fact that I'm going to get bigger before I get smaller.
I wouldn't say that I'm obviously pregnant yet, but I do have a small bump that if you know me/see me on a regular basis, you would see me and say, "She's pregnant". I think the non-husband person who is most excited to see some belly action is my father in law. We saw them for brunch when I was 11-1/2 weeks along and I saw that he was going right for the belly. I sort of out manuevered him and said in sort of a snotty tone that I did not have anything yet. This was in the middle of my crisis with gaining weight so I was not about to have anyone start asking to see my belly.
Fast forward a few weeks to 15-1/2 weeks when we again were out to dinner with my in-laws. My father in law asked how the belly was coming along and I said that usually by the end of the day with a big meal, there will be a little something. He asked if he could feel it. I was sort of shocked b/c he's not the most touchy-feely guy in the whole world. Imagine my additional shock when my mother-in-law sort of yelled at him and said, "Some people don't like when people touch their stomachs!" But I think I was kind of excited to have people feel it. So the in-laws, the aunt & uncle in law all felt the belly. The excitement was kind of catching. After dinner, when I really did have some protrusion, i even lifted up my shirt (once we were back at our house) to show them. There was some squealing. I brought everyone back down to earth by saying that the belly would likely be smaller in the morning and it probably is a result of food/bloating.
Well imagine my surprise when I woke up and it was still there. I think the belly might be here to stay.
I was feeling so good about the belly that I thought I might be able to handle some maternity clothes shopping. I did not anticipate that my husband would want to do this with me, but after church yesterday he suggested we hit up the mall. We went to the BS mall, which was right by church. Well, there are no maternity sections at the BS mall - they maternity sections of dept stores are only at the M mall which is by our house. I tried just putting on larger sizes than what I usually am, but taht did not work for me for shirts and dresses, etc. They just looked like ill-fitting clothes. (I do have to say that I have 2 pairs of pants that are a size larger than I usually am and those have fit pretty well. One pair I bought at the Banana Republic Outlet last summer anticipating I could maybe wear them while pregnant...and they were $13 for fully lined dress pants! The other pair I bought this fall at Goodwill for a few dollars with the same thought. I admit that this could be risky but it worked for me). After feeling totally gross trying on lots of clothes, I figured my husband would be ready to go home. I think he sensed that I was a little down and he suggested heading to the M mall.
First we went to Boston Store. The maternity section consisted of 3 racks. I am not kidding you. Two were 85% off clearance racks. The clothes were pretty bad and I started noticing a trend: All maternity shirts (or 9 out of 10 maternity shirts) are those V-neck shirts where one piece of fabric goes over one boob and the other piece goes over the other. The type of shirts that Stacy and Clinton are ALWAYS telling people to wear. I hate these shirts. I did not like them pre-pregnancy and was dismayed to find that these are popping up all over the maternity section. I did find kind of this cool (for a maternity shirt) bohemian print tunic type thing in that section for $4.17. SUH-WEET! The checkout lady was like, "Ooh I would wear this even if I wasn't expecting". Uh, ok sister (checking out her outfit). Yes you probably would. (bitchy, i know)
Next we headed to Gap. The selection at Gap was also slim - it seems that Gap online offers way more of a selection than the store in terms of maternity. However, I did find a cute navy plain 3/4 sleeve knit wrapdress that I actually really do love. This was on sale too - score! The hubs was surprised as well - "Wow, I actually really do like that". Clearly, Our expectations were set pretty low by Boston Store.
Next we headed to Macy's. This is where a several people told me to go as they have the Motherhood line and the Pea in the Pod line there and you can return them. (Apparently these maternity stores have a no returns policy). It was like the maternity jackpot - lots of racks of clothes. The maternity section was in the basement level all scrunched together in between luggage and children's. I commented that pregnant women already feel disgusting enough - couldn't they put SOME effort into the presentation of the maternity section?!?!?
The woman working this section was so extremely helpful. She works for the Motherhood store, has had 2 children, and clearly knew the ins and outs of maternity clothes. I wanted to hug her. I think my husband did to b/c prior to visiting this section he actually offered to buy me a pair of shoes to lift my spirits! (For those of you that know my husband, you will know how big of a deal this is!) She said she really liked the Heidi Klum leggings and jeans so I took those in the room with me. I guess by this comment I assumed she was pregnant but my husband, chatty Kathy that he is, found out that she is not pregnant - she just sometimes wears maternity clothes because she likes the fit. Ok - I'm glad I found this out after we left because it took me a while to stop laughing. Anyhoo, she examined everything I tried on and helped me see how the clothes modify themselves as you get bigger. She put a few of those fake bellies in the dressing room for me to try on but I couldn't do it. They looked too weird to me. I kind of felt like I was on What Not to Wear: Maternity Edition. She also gave us some tips for other stores in the area to visit.
I ended up leaving with the Heidi Klum skinny jeans, a short sleeve knit dress and a denim top. I might be taking the top back but she was so complimentary of it that I felt like I had to buy it.
And today, I am wearing the belly band for the first time since I only have my one pair of dress pants that still fit. It isn't as bad as I thought it would be and actually is pretty comfy. It does get awkward when you have to go to the bathroom though!! Lots of rearranging! I gave a demonstration of the belly band to my in-laws and aunt&uncle-in-law after the belly show. They were cracking up but admitted that it was a pretty good invention.
Friday, March 12, 2010
The Itchy & Scratchy SHOW!
My belly and boobs have been ITCH-Y lately. Especially at night. I start a stratch fest and can't stop. There is a reason people give you things like belly balm and belly oil when you tell them you're pregnant! Two products that I like are the Burts Bees Mama Bee Belly Balm and the Earth Mama Natural Stretch Oil . I used to rotate using one or the other after my shower in the morning since about week 10. Since the scratchiness began, I am up to 2x a day - once after my shower and then once before I go to bed. Since adding the night shift, the itchy and scratchy show has been on hiatus. Typically the burts bees stuff takes the day shift and the earth mama is the night shift. I have pretty dry skin normally so I can't comment on the grease factor of either of these because my skin drinks both products up. I do not have problems with shirts sticking to me or anything. I am also hoping that all this hydration will prevent stretch marks!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Panic Attack!
My mom is off to France and Italy with her BF for two weeks. I usually email with my mom every day and that has not changed with being pregnant. However, I do call and talk (whine) with her on the phone a lot more now that I'm knocked up. (BTW, the hubs HATES when I say that. I think it's sorta funny though.) So I'm a little in panic mode that I won't be able to contact her for two weeks. Here's hoping she brings me something fabulous back from Paris. Yes, I am insanely jealous of her, but then again this is her first trip to Europe. I hope my first trip to Europe happens before I am 48. 19 more years to get planning...
One thing that has me LESS panicky is that my sleep pattern is getting somewhat better. I can at least get a solid 6 hours in a row now. The "witching hour" has moved to 4 AM. A few weeks ago it was 2 AM, then 3 AM and now 4 AM. I hope this trend continues because a few weeks more and I might actually just be able to sleep until 7 AM! Yes, my sleep cycle has sort of mimicked an infant's. Intentional? Maybe God knew how good of a sleeper I was pre-pregnancy and thought that I needed a little training to get in the groove. ha ha ha.
And while this isn't making me panicky, it is sort of a pain (pun intended): My back has been very sore this week - particularly my mid to lower back. My husband thought it was a ploy to get more massages, but even massages haven't really helped. This also has hindered falling asleep. I also feel more gushed together in my abdomen region. I have discovered that laying with my head off the side of the couch helps stretch this out a bit. Additionally, I have been doing a few yoga poses during the day to stretch out both my back and abdomen. The cat, the cow, and child's pose have been wonderful. Perhaps it is time to get into a yoga class again or get some sort of DVD. Any suggestions on yoga DVDs?
One thing that has me LESS panicky is that my sleep pattern is getting somewhat better. I can at least get a solid 6 hours in a row now. The "witching hour" has moved to 4 AM. A few weeks ago it was 2 AM, then 3 AM and now 4 AM. I hope this trend continues because a few weeks more and I might actually just be able to sleep until 7 AM! Yes, my sleep cycle has sort of mimicked an infant's. Intentional? Maybe God knew how good of a sleeper I was pre-pregnancy and thought that I needed a little training to get in the groove. ha ha ha.
And while this isn't making me panicky, it is sort of a pain (pun intended): My back has been very sore this week - particularly my mid to lower back. My husband thought it was a ploy to get more massages, but even massages haven't really helped. This also has hindered falling asleep. I also feel more gushed together in my abdomen region. I have discovered that laying with my head off the side of the couch helps stretch this out a bit. Additionally, I have been doing a few yoga poses during the day to stretch out both my back and abdomen. The cat, the cow, and child's pose have been wonderful. Perhaps it is time to get into a yoga class again or get some sort of DVD. Any suggestions on yoga DVDs?
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Fun With Names
I don't know that I was ever really cognizant of names. Obviously one thinks of names when there are new babies born to friends, family, etc. I think about names a lot now and whenever I hear a new one that I sorta like, I write it down. Once I have a good list going, I quiz my husband for his thoughts. I was surprised to learn that we don't really similar preferences when it comes to names. I think his names are boring and he thinks mine belong to nerds. We're probably both right.
I have noticed that when you think of names for your baby, many names have strong meaning for you. "Oh I like that name, but I went to school with a girl with that name and she was a pain" or "That boy was mean to mean in school". We have had many a good laugh over name lists so I'm going to try to share some of our name associations with you over the next few months.
First, let's start with me and my favorite names as a child. As a kid, for a time i wanted my name to be Jessica. Why oh why didn't my parents name me Jessica?! If I was Jessica, I wouldn't look like a skinny boy with glasses and braces. I would have long beautiful hair. Then there was my Stacy phase. Avid readers like myself might recognize those names as one of the Wakefield Twins of Sweet Valley and the Babysitter Club Member from NYC. Stacy was so cool because she had a poster of Manhattan up in her bedroom. Granted, I probably was more like Elizabeth Wakefield than Jessica, but Jessica seemed like the glamourous fun twin. Sometimes when I am at Goodwill, I want to buy one of the Sweet Valley High books or the Babysitter Club books just to read them and laugh. Classic literature they were not.
Some other names from my childhood include my cabbage patch kid doll, Evey Kelsey. This is the name she came with, not one I bestowed upon her. Oh Evey. I loved you so much I rubbed chapstick all over you and caused you to have permanent dark grey spots all over your body. (Next time you are at our house, I'll show you Evey and her grey spot ailment).
Then there was Baby Jelly. So named because her body was in fact made of some sort of gelatinous goo. Baby Jelly suffered a horrible death after she was left in a hot car. I did not know this until years later.
Then there was Samantha. Oh how I loved that name. It went to our dog, who was really just called Sammy.
What about Jem. "Jem she's truly outrageous. Truly truly truly outrageous". Jem was a Barbie wannabe. She had a band called the Rockstars. I didn't like her as much as Barbie but I still was a fan and thought she had a cool name.
And Miko! I for the life of me cannot remember if I came up with this name or if it was manufactured by the Barbie empire. The Hawaiian Barbie was named Miko in my house. Pronounced MEE-Ko. She was like the Angelina Jolie of my Barbie collection. Alwasy stealing Ken away from the Blondes. (A quick google search confirmed that I was not that creative. Miko was the name given by Mattel.)
So that rules out Jessica, Stacey, Evey, Kelsey, Baby Jelly, Samantha, Jem, and Miko for the girls. Back to that baby name book we go!
I have noticed that when you think of names for your baby, many names have strong meaning for you. "Oh I like that name, but I went to school with a girl with that name and she was a pain" or "That boy was mean to mean in school". We have had many a good laugh over name lists so I'm going to try to share some of our name associations with you over the next few months.
First, let's start with me and my favorite names as a child. As a kid, for a time i wanted my name to be Jessica. Why oh why didn't my parents name me Jessica?! If I was Jessica, I wouldn't look like a skinny boy with glasses and braces. I would have long beautiful hair. Then there was my Stacy phase. Avid readers like myself might recognize those names as one of the Wakefield Twins of Sweet Valley and the Babysitter Club Member from NYC. Stacy was so cool because she had a poster of Manhattan up in her bedroom. Granted, I probably was more like Elizabeth Wakefield than Jessica, but Jessica seemed like the glamourous fun twin. Sometimes when I am at Goodwill, I want to buy one of the Sweet Valley High books or the Babysitter Club books just to read them and laugh. Classic literature they were not.
Some other names from my childhood include my cabbage patch kid doll, Evey Kelsey. This is the name she came with, not one I bestowed upon her. Oh Evey. I loved you so much I rubbed chapstick all over you and caused you to have permanent dark grey spots all over your body. (Next time you are at our house, I'll show you Evey and her grey spot ailment).
Then there was Baby Jelly. So named because her body was in fact made of some sort of gelatinous goo. Baby Jelly suffered a horrible death after she was left in a hot car. I did not know this until years later.
Then there was Samantha. Oh how I loved that name. It went to our dog, who was really just called Sammy.
What about Jem. "Jem she's truly outrageous. Truly truly truly outrageous". Jem was a Barbie wannabe. She had a band called the Rockstars. I didn't like her as much as Barbie but I still was a fan and thought she had a cool name.
And Miko! I for the life of me cannot remember if I came up with this name or if it was manufactured by the Barbie empire. The Hawaiian Barbie was named Miko in my house. Pronounced MEE-Ko. She was like the Angelina Jolie of my Barbie collection. Alwasy stealing Ken away from the Blondes. (A quick google search confirmed that I was not that creative. Miko was the name given by Mattel.)
So that rules out Jessica, Stacey, Evey, Kelsey, Baby Jelly, Samantha, Jem, and Miko for the girls. Back to that baby name book we go!
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
How'd It Go?
Friday afternoon I toured the day care that was the number one pick on our list. To be fair, it was also the only pick on our list.
"How'd It Go," is the question you may be wondering.
I don't exactly know how to give an update about this. I want to say that I don't want to, nor do I mean to, offend anyone who uses daycare, particularly if you use the daycare or are interested in using the daycare that I will be speaking about. I went into the daycare thing with some biases. Growing up, my mother worked full time. We did not ever go to daycare. We went to an in-home place with a few other kids which we have fantastic memories of and where we had the most amazing adventures. Building tree forts, pea-picking, swimming at the pool, bike riding. It was great. My mom often comments on how lucky she was to have Karen, our sitter. Then when I was deemed "old enough", I stayed home with my baby sister (8 years younger) and began babysitting outside the home. I was several kids summer babysitter, was a babysitter/nanny during college (undergrad) and in-between my undergraduate and graduate degree, I was a full-time nanny for a 4 year old boy and an infant. We had a lot of fun and I sort of became a member of their family. When I was in grad school, I occassionally sat for a baby whose mom worked out of the home. I kind of always thought that these kids had it made with me as their sitter. (Yes, I am full of myself. I was a damn good nanny).
My husband's mom did not work so he was never in day care either.
SO. My expectations going into this daycare thing were two fold. On one hand, I had high expectations because everyone I work with raved about it (I'm big on personal recommendations). It's nationally accredited, it is convenient to where I work, all teachers have early education degrees, it has a low infant to teacher ratio, it is safe, etc. On paper, this place shines. It looks cute from the outside. On the other hand, I didn't know how I would like daycare because I didn't have it and I always thought that having a nanny would be more fun for my kids.
I went to my appointment and they were not prepared for me at all. The tours are scheduled through the national organization that the daycare falls under. Apparently they never got the memo that I was coming. They still were able to do the tour though, even though I was warned that the woman conducting the tour would be constantly interrupted since she was on security detail. At this time, the director of the day care was sitting at her desk doing work. Why she couldn't do the tour for me or at least take over for the woman I was with so that she wouldn't keep losing her train of thought while talking to me. The atmosphere was super chaotic. Part of this may have been due to the time I was there - 4:30 PM. A time when a lot of kids were getting picked up.
After some initial information sharing, we went to the infant rooms. They smelled very sterile - like Lysol. The room was pretty small and some soft music was playing. Even with the music and door shut, the chaos from the older kid rooms could still be heard. I got the run down on labeling breast feeding bottles, the daily schedule sheets, etc. One plus - I could come whenever I wanted to feed the baby. One HUGE minus - the daycare does not accept/use cloth diapers. I am a pretty big advocate of cloth diapers and want to try using them so that was a major blow.
The other thing I noticed is that all four infants in this room were in their bouncy chairs and the teacher was sitting on the floor looking at them. One thing my tour leader told me is that the transition from being home with baby to dropping them off at daycare would be hard on my and the baby and that I should not try to hold the baby that much at home because they can't be held all the time at daycare. Now, I realize that I won't be able to hold the baby all the time and nor would the daycare teacher, but that comment rubbed me the wrong way. Combined with seeing the teacher just watching babies in bouncy chairs didn't really help ease my mind.
After touring each of the infant rooms, we moved to the 8-12 month rooms which they move to when they become more mobile. This room was a little bigger.
After a lot of chaos, noise and countless interruptions, the tour was over. Of course you have to fill out an application with a $115 non-refundable deposit to secure your spot. I left without doing either. I just was not okay with it. I felt that if this was one the best daycares, I really don't want to see the worst, or the middle-of the road daycares. I think I may have started crying a bit because it was not at all what I was expecting. I couldn't imagine dropping my baby off to sit in that little room all day long and not go outside. (They rarely take the infants outside I guess). I stopped myself from calling my college-age sister and offering her tons of money to quit school and come be my nanny. I was instantly jealous of my brother who was able to piece together various family members to take care of my niece to this day. We don't really have this option given that we live a good hour from my family and the hubs does not have a very big family or anyone to really take this on on a regular basis. (We will be able to take advantage of our family members for once in a while types of things like vacations, nights out etc though, for which I am thankful.)
So I don't think we will be pursuing daycare, which is nice on one hand because I don't have to worry about lining something up right now and getting on any lists. But it's also something that I can't cross off the list at this time. I will have to pursue some in-home places and do some nanny interviews further down the road, which will be a lot of work but that's where we are at.
I was talking with my friend CD last night and was reminded that parenting will be a unique experience for everyone. What works for one family will not work for every family. Obviously this daycare was the perfect choice for a lot of families and it would be a great option for some people. I think that I probably will have some reservations about the nanny/in-home thing too once I start going down that road. Lesson learned: You have to find what works for you. Here's hoping we do!
"How'd It Go," is the question you may be wondering.
I don't exactly know how to give an update about this. I want to say that I don't want to, nor do I mean to, offend anyone who uses daycare, particularly if you use the daycare or are interested in using the daycare that I will be speaking about. I went into the daycare thing with some biases. Growing up, my mother worked full time. We did not ever go to daycare. We went to an in-home place with a few other kids which we have fantastic memories of and where we had the most amazing adventures. Building tree forts, pea-picking, swimming at the pool, bike riding. It was great. My mom often comments on how lucky she was to have Karen, our sitter. Then when I was deemed "old enough", I stayed home with my baby sister (8 years younger) and began babysitting outside the home. I was several kids summer babysitter, was a babysitter/nanny during college (undergrad) and in-between my undergraduate and graduate degree, I was a full-time nanny for a 4 year old boy and an infant. We had a lot of fun and I sort of became a member of their family. When I was in grad school, I occassionally sat for a baby whose mom worked out of the home. I kind of always thought that these kids had it made with me as their sitter. (Yes, I am full of myself. I was a damn good nanny).
My husband's mom did not work so he was never in day care either.
SO. My expectations going into this daycare thing were two fold. On one hand, I had high expectations because everyone I work with raved about it (I'm big on personal recommendations). It's nationally accredited, it is convenient to where I work, all teachers have early education degrees, it has a low infant to teacher ratio, it is safe, etc. On paper, this place shines. It looks cute from the outside. On the other hand, I didn't know how I would like daycare because I didn't have it and I always thought that having a nanny would be more fun for my kids.
I went to my appointment and they were not prepared for me at all. The tours are scheduled through the national organization that the daycare falls under. Apparently they never got the memo that I was coming. They still were able to do the tour though, even though I was warned that the woman conducting the tour would be constantly interrupted since she was on security detail. At this time, the director of the day care was sitting at her desk doing work. Why she couldn't do the tour for me or at least take over for the woman I was with so that she wouldn't keep losing her train of thought while talking to me. The atmosphere was super chaotic. Part of this may have been due to the time I was there - 4:30 PM. A time when a lot of kids were getting picked up.
After some initial information sharing, we went to the infant rooms. They smelled very sterile - like Lysol. The room was pretty small and some soft music was playing. Even with the music and door shut, the chaos from the older kid rooms could still be heard. I got the run down on labeling breast feeding bottles, the daily schedule sheets, etc. One plus - I could come whenever I wanted to feed the baby. One HUGE minus - the daycare does not accept/use cloth diapers. I am a pretty big advocate of cloth diapers and want to try using them so that was a major blow.
The other thing I noticed is that all four infants in this room were in their bouncy chairs and the teacher was sitting on the floor looking at them. One thing my tour leader told me is that the transition from being home with baby to dropping them off at daycare would be hard on my and the baby and that I should not try to hold the baby that much at home because they can't be held all the time at daycare. Now, I realize that I won't be able to hold the baby all the time and nor would the daycare teacher, but that comment rubbed me the wrong way. Combined with seeing the teacher just watching babies in bouncy chairs didn't really help ease my mind.
After touring each of the infant rooms, we moved to the 8-12 month rooms which they move to when they become more mobile. This room was a little bigger.
After a lot of chaos, noise and countless interruptions, the tour was over. Of course you have to fill out an application with a $115 non-refundable deposit to secure your spot. I left without doing either. I just was not okay with it. I felt that if this was one the best daycares, I really don't want to see the worst, or the middle-of the road daycares. I think I may have started crying a bit because it was not at all what I was expecting. I couldn't imagine dropping my baby off to sit in that little room all day long and not go outside. (They rarely take the infants outside I guess). I stopped myself from calling my college-age sister and offering her tons of money to quit school and come be my nanny. I was instantly jealous of my brother who was able to piece together various family members to take care of my niece to this day. We don't really have this option given that we live a good hour from my family and the hubs does not have a very big family or anyone to really take this on on a regular basis. (We will be able to take advantage of our family members for once in a while types of things like vacations, nights out etc though, for which I am thankful.)
So I don't think we will be pursuing daycare, which is nice on one hand because I don't have to worry about lining something up right now and getting on any lists. But it's also something that I can't cross off the list at this time. I will have to pursue some in-home places and do some nanny interviews further down the road, which will be a lot of work but that's where we are at.
I was talking with my friend CD last night and was reminded that parenting will be a unique experience for everyone. What works for one family will not work for every family. Obviously this daycare was the perfect choice for a lot of families and it would be a great option for some people. I think that I probably will have some reservations about the nanny/in-home thing too once I start going down that road. Lesson learned: You have to find what works for you. Here's hoping we do!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Painting begins
We started painting the baby's room. After examining the sample walls in at all different times of day, we decided to go for it. One gallon of Low-VOC Olympic paint in April Sky, please.
I hate painting. Luckily being pregnant gives me a very good excuse to not paint. My husband loves it though so he started doing some trim work. He is someone that needs a constant project so this will be a good one for him to go up and work on when he gets bored. And since we're starting early, he has plenty of time to do it.
Speaking of starting early, I think we both want to get a chunk of stuff done now because come summertime, we are rarely home and don't want to be stuck inside. If you lived in a place where you had 7 months of winter, you'd be the same.
I'm not entirely sure if the color is "perfect" but the hubs has said he would be willing to re-paint if necessary. Ok then. Hard to argue with that!
I am very impressed with the low-VOC paint. We did not use this the last time we painted because we weren't living in our house at the time so there was plenty of time to air out. The paint does not smell AT ALL. Nothing. I painted my nails last night and he commented that my nail polish smelled worse than the paint. I don't know about the wall color, but I'm completely sold on my nail polish color - Sally Hansen Commander in Chic. he he he
I hate painting. Luckily being pregnant gives me a very good excuse to not paint. My husband loves it though so he started doing some trim work. He is someone that needs a constant project so this will be a good one for him to go up and work on when he gets bored. And since we're starting early, he has plenty of time to do it.
Speaking of starting early, I think we both want to get a chunk of stuff done now because come summertime, we are rarely home and don't want to be stuck inside. If you lived in a place where you had 7 months of winter, you'd be the same.
I'm not entirely sure if the color is "perfect" but the hubs has said he would be willing to re-paint if necessary. Ok then. Hard to argue with that!
I am very impressed with the low-VOC paint. We did not use this the last time we painted because we weren't living in our house at the time so there was plenty of time to air out. The paint does not smell AT ALL. Nothing. I painted my nails last night and he commented that my nail polish smelled worse than the paint. I don't know about the wall color, but I'm completely sold on my nail polish color - Sally Hansen Commander in Chic. he he he
Sunday, March 7, 2010
Long Live the Brown Leather Pants
I started a pile of clothes that don't fit anymore. Luckily, I have a lot of clothes so I haven't been too limited in finding stuff to wear yet. Thankfully I have a lot of skirts so I have mostly turned to wearing skirts to work and wearing jeans on Friday. I decided it would be easier if I just cleared my closet of stuff that will definitely not be worn until after baby.
In this pile of clothes is my pair of brown leather pants. Most of my clothes from college got the boot because well, they were pretty slutty. Part of me wishes I would have saved some of the stuff just to laugh at but at least I have pictures of me in the orange spandex strapless minidress. Man, I'm glad I rocked it then.
Back to the pants. I found them for $19.99 at Gap one day after class. They are trouser cut and real leather - so on the classy side of leather pants :). I don't know if you remember when Gap went through their leather phase. This was a close out of that. One pair left, in my size, $20. I snatched them up. I celebrated turning 21 in these pants - and managed not to puke on them. A couple of Friday nights at The Pub were spent in these pants. (I know - The Pub WAS NOT a place to be wearing leather pants but when you have leather pants, you wear them). I feel like I will keep these pants until I am a grandmother or at least until my kids ask me to borrow them for dress-up day for school or something.
My husband saw the leather pants and asked, "Are you really ever going to wear those again? Maybe you should just donate them."
Donate them my ass. I'm saving this bit of nostalgia for a while.
In this pile of clothes is my pair of brown leather pants. Most of my clothes from college got the boot because well, they were pretty slutty. Part of me wishes I would have saved some of the stuff just to laugh at but at least I have pictures of me in the orange spandex strapless minidress. Man, I'm glad I rocked it then.
Back to the pants. I found them for $19.99 at Gap one day after class. They are trouser cut and real leather - so on the classy side of leather pants :). I don't know if you remember when Gap went through their leather phase. This was a close out of that. One pair left, in my size, $20. I snatched them up. I celebrated turning 21 in these pants - and managed not to puke on them. A couple of Friday nights at The Pub were spent in these pants. (I know - The Pub WAS NOT a place to be wearing leather pants but when you have leather pants, you wear them). I feel like I will keep these pants until I am a grandmother or at least until my kids ask me to borrow them for dress-up day for school or something.
My husband saw the leather pants and asked, "Are you really ever going to wear those again? Maybe you should just donate them."
Donate them my ass. I'm saving this bit of nostalgia for a while.
Friday, March 5, 2010
Picking out Paint
My husband has been wanting to paint the room that will become the nursery since about Week 5. Finally last night I agreed to go with him to look at paint colors.
I am all over the map with colors. Since I am leaning towards bright accessories with my Kokka Pigs and all, I am leaning towards a softer wall color. Originally we had leaned towards the tans. BORING. A lot of our house is tan. I will be the first to admit that some of my favorite nurseries have tan as a wall color:
But since tan is everywhere in our house, we decided to jazz it up a bit for the nursery. While staring at the paint wall for a while, my husband said, "Maybe we should just find out what we are having." Oh boy. I unleashed my "you can have a gender neutral nursery" tirade on him. Or maybe just a few sentences of it since he quickly recanted the statement.
Then we moved towards the blue-greys. At first, the hubs was doubtful about this color section. "What if we have a girl?". I calmly (I think) pointed out that we could still have a girly room that had blue-grey paint. I don't know if he bought it. We bought a sample and painted a few spots on the walls. The problem is that the existing room color is VERY blue so any paint next to it looks really blue. Here is my collection of rooms (nursery and non) with bluish/grey walls.
My new strategy is to email pictures of nurserys that I like to my husband. While we generally are on the same page, I am sort of worried that if left up to him, we would end up with a pastel green nursery full of duck and lamb puffy wall hangings. Again - this is fine for some people, it is just not my preference. I do have hope since he liked the Kokka Pigs though.
It's a good thing we still have 25.5 weeks. It may take us that long to pick out a paint color!
I am all over the map with colors. Since I am leaning towards bright accessories with my Kokka Pigs and all, I am leaning towards a softer wall color. Originally we had leaned towards the tans. BORING. A lot of our house is tan. I will be the first to admit that some of my favorite nurseries have tan as a wall color:
But since tan is everywhere in our house, we decided to jazz it up a bit for the nursery. While staring at the paint wall for a while, my husband said, "Maybe we should just find out what we are having." Oh boy. I unleashed my "you can have a gender neutral nursery" tirade on him. Or maybe just a few sentences of it since he quickly recanted the statement.
Then we moved towards the blue-greys. At first, the hubs was doubtful about this color section. "What if we have a girl?". I calmly (I think) pointed out that we could still have a girly room that had blue-grey paint. I don't know if he bought it. We bought a sample and painted a few spots on the walls. The problem is that the existing room color is VERY blue so any paint next to it looks really blue. Here is my collection of rooms (nursery and non) with bluish/grey walls.
My new strategy is to email pictures of nurserys that I like to my husband. While we generally are on the same page, I am sort of worried that if left up to him, we would end up with a pastel green nursery full of duck and lamb puffy wall hangings. Again - this is fine for some people, it is just not my preference. I do have hope since he liked the Kokka Pigs though.
It's a good thing we still have 25.5 weeks. It may take us that long to pick out a paint color!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Status Update: 14 weeks, 2 days
It's the beginning of trimester two so I thought I would recap how things are going at this point. Re-reading some of my early pregnancy posts made me laugh - some things are very different, but some things are still the same (e.g. I still love cheese).
Body
So my first trimester weight gain was 9 lbs. I am fairly certain that a good 5 lbs went directly to my boobs. Yesterday I learned a hard lesson - I probably shouldn't be wearing my pre-pregnancy button up shirts anymore. Oh they button fine. It's the spaces between the buttons that are the problem - gaping wide open access to my cleavage. Thank goodness I also wore a cardigan that I could wrap around myself anytime I left my office! Today's flowy t-shirt was a much better selection.
Sleep
Speaking of my office, yesterday I started to fall asleep at my desk around 1 PM. I felt kind of dizzy so I decided to lay down on the floor (on my jacket of course). Forty-five minutes later I woke up in a pile of drool, smudged eyeliner and crease marks on my face. YIKES! I just waited in my office until the marks had dissipated.
Thankfully, I slept for 10.5 hours last night so I hope to not have a repeat performance today! I am still waiting for that second trimester "burst of energy" that's suppossed to occur.
Food/Cravings
I haven't written about food for a while so here's an update with that. Cheese and Eggs are still my best friends in the world. I have taken to buying the 18-pack of eggs per week. I can't explain to you how magical eggs taste. Most mornings, I don't care how late I am running to work, but I make eggs with cheese and put them between an english muffin. I might have to start making two of these because I can polish one off in 30 seconds. I would eat eggs for every meal if it were possible. I used to stop in at our cafeteria and buy and egg sandwich every day for $2.17. Then I think the checkout man started to recognize me so I took to making my own. :)
I have also learned to carry snacks with me wherever I go. These tend to be in the form of Quaker Chewy granola bars since we got a gigantor box of them at Costco. These have saved me a couple of times, most recently in line waiting to eat at Xoco. Yes, I pulled out a granola bar in Rick Bayless' restaurant. I was about to scream "Throw the pregnant lady some chips and guacamole, would ya?!" but I had my stash of granola bars. I also have an extra large stash of food in my desk at work.
The stash of food comes in very handy as I have noticed lately that I will go from feeling fine (akak full) to needing food STAT in a matter of 1 second. Complete, ravenous hunger that if not fed, transforms into a headache and lightheadedness. For example, last night. I got home from work and wasn't really that hungry so I didn't start dinner. I started to feel hungry so we started cooking. Well dinner took about 45 minutes to prepare and by the time it was ready I wasn't feeling that great. Lesson learned - just start cooking! he he he
Other things I have been enjoying are bananas, grapes, eggs (oh wait, i mentioned those already!) and soups, particularly if they have beans in them. I have been loving this ice cream dessert that JN made for me for my birthday that sadly is almost gone.
Other Stuff that's Probably TMI
Those of you that know me well know my problems with poo. Mainly that I just don't. Or rather can't. My doctor warned me that these issues would likely only get worse with pregnancy. Oh was that true in the first trimester. I felt at times that I was practicing giving birth when trying to go to the bathroom. Thank god for handicap railings in bathroom stalls! (I warned you!) For the past week though there has been some relief with this. And maybe this is what the honeymoon trimester will mean for me. I won't have the burst of energy but I can poop everyday. And you know, I might just be ok with that ;)
Body
So my first trimester weight gain was 9 lbs. I am fairly certain that a good 5 lbs went directly to my boobs. Yesterday I learned a hard lesson - I probably shouldn't be wearing my pre-pregnancy button up shirts anymore. Oh they button fine. It's the spaces between the buttons that are the problem - gaping wide open access to my cleavage. Thank goodness I also wore a cardigan that I could wrap around myself anytime I left my office! Today's flowy t-shirt was a much better selection.
Sleep
Speaking of my office, yesterday I started to fall asleep at my desk around 1 PM. I felt kind of dizzy so I decided to lay down on the floor (on my jacket of course). Forty-five minutes later I woke up in a pile of drool, smudged eyeliner and crease marks on my face. YIKES! I just waited in my office until the marks had dissipated.
Thankfully, I slept for 10.5 hours last night so I hope to not have a repeat performance today! I am still waiting for that second trimester "burst of energy" that's suppossed to occur.
Food/Cravings
I haven't written about food for a while so here's an update with that. Cheese and Eggs are still my best friends in the world. I have taken to buying the 18-pack of eggs per week. I can't explain to you how magical eggs taste. Most mornings, I don't care how late I am running to work, but I make eggs with cheese and put them between an english muffin. I might have to start making two of these because I can polish one off in 30 seconds. I would eat eggs for every meal if it were possible. I used to stop in at our cafeteria and buy and egg sandwich every day for $2.17. Then I think the checkout man started to recognize me so I took to making my own. :)
I have also learned to carry snacks with me wherever I go. These tend to be in the form of Quaker Chewy granola bars since we got a gigantor box of them at Costco. These have saved me a couple of times, most recently in line waiting to eat at Xoco. Yes, I pulled out a granola bar in Rick Bayless' restaurant. I was about to scream "Throw the pregnant lady some chips and guacamole, would ya?!" but I had my stash of granola bars. I also have an extra large stash of food in my desk at work.
The stash of food comes in very handy as I have noticed lately that I will go from feeling fine (akak full) to needing food STAT in a matter of 1 second. Complete, ravenous hunger that if not fed, transforms into a headache and lightheadedness. For example, last night. I got home from work and wasn't really that hungry so I didn't start dinner. I started to feel hungry so we started cooking. Well dinner took about 45 minutes to prepare and by the time it was ready I wasn't feeling that great. Lesson learned - just start cooking! he he he
Other things I have been enjoying are bananas, grapes, eggs (oh wait, i mentioned those already!) and soups, particularly if they have beans in them. I have been loving this ice cream dessert that JN made for me for my birthday that sadly is almost gone.
Other Stuff that's Probably TMI
Those of you that know me well know my problems with poo. Mainly that I just don't. Or rather can't. My doctor warned me that these issues would likely only get worse with pregnancy. Oh was that true in the first trimester. I felt at times that I was practicing giving birth when trying to go to the bathroom. Thank god for handicap railings in bathroom stalls! (I warned you!) For the past week though there has been some relief with this. And maybe this is what the honeymoon trimester will mean for me. I won't have the burst of energy but I can poop everyday. And you know, I might just be ok with that ;)
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Day Care ALREADY?!
I barely can believe that there is a human inside me but I have to start touring day cares. WTF.
I'm not really 100% sure what the work situation will be for me once baby arrives. This is what we have discussed so far - I will take off work for the rest of 2010 and resume my job in January 2011 either working 3 or 4 days/week (vs my current 5). Much of this depends on the status of some grants we have yet to hear about but that is our general idea. I probably should start firming this up since a lot of my grant partners do not yet know and my boss suggested that they will respond better if I give them an actual plan rather than the blase "we'll see".
Of course, like any city, here you have to basically decide on your daycare before your child is even 4 inches long. It's sort of like wedding planning - some places get booked up years in advance. This is all a bit crazy to me, but I guess you have to play the game.
My work has a daycare affiliated with it. Several people in my office have used it and have commented favorably, particularly for infants. In all honesty, this would be the easiest option for us. It is across the street from my office. I could walk over and feed the baby during my lunch break, and I would be close by in case of sickness or something. I also have a more flexible schedule than my husband and would likely be the one leaving work to go pick up the baby. I called the info number and right away they wanted to set up a tour. I just wanted some basic facts but no - tour first. So I'm touring a daycare on Friday afternoon. They won't even tell me how long the wait list is until I tour. CRAZY. People at work told me to get on the list ASAP though. If we have to wait past January, my husband will likely wait to take some of his paternity leave until then.
I have a rough idea of the types of things we are looking for on the tour but if anyone has any comments or suggestions, I am open to them. For people who have used daycare already, is there anything you wish you would have thought to ask at this stage?
I'm not really 100% sure what the work situation will be for me once baby arrives. This is what we have discussed so far - I will take off work for the rest of 2010 and resume my job in January 2011 either working 3 or 4 days/week (vs my current 5). Much of this depends on the status of some grants we have yet to hear about but that is our general idea. I probably should start firming this up since a lot of my grant partners do not yet know and my boss suggested that they will respond better if I give them an actual plan rather than the blase "we'll see".
Of course, like any city, here you have to basically decide on your daycare before your child is even 4 inches long. It's sort of like wedding planning - some places get booked up years in advance. This is all a bit crazy to me, but I guess you have to play the game.
My work has a daycare affiliated with it. Several people in my office have used it and have commented favorably, particularly for infants. In all honesty, this would be the easiest option for us. It is across the street from my office. I could walk over and feed the baby during my lunch break, and I would be close by in case of sickness or something. I also have a more flexible schedule than my husband and would likely be the one leaving work to go pick up the baby. I called the info number and right away they wanted to set up a tour. I just wanted some basic facts but no - tour first. So I'm touring a daycare on Friday afternoon. They won't even tell me how long the wait list is until I tour. CRAZY. People at work told me to get on the list ASAP though. If we have to wait past January, my husband will likely wait to take some of his paternity leave until then.
I have a rough idea of the types of things we are looking for on the tour but if anyone has any comments or suggestions, I am open to them. For people who have used daycare already, is there anything you wish you would have thought to ask at this stage?
Monday, March 1, 2010
Doctor Visit #2 and some Preliminary Nursery Stuff!
This morning I had my second pre-natal appointment at 13 weeks and 6 days. The second appointment is quick and simple. Get in, get on the scale, sit and get your blood pressure, pee in a cup, hear the heartbeat, any questions, see you in 4 weeks. I have gained 2 pounds since my last appt 4 weeks ago - now up to 149. I wore big boots today and I asked the nurse if I could take them off before I got on the scale. "Do what you gotta do," she replied. I told her I was looking for all the help I could get.
It took a little while to find the heartbeat - "You're more long-waisted than I gave you credit for," said the doc. The heartbeat was finally found VERY low, almost on top of my pubic bone.
After that was time for the Q&A portion. Of course I brought up my sleeping issues. (SIDENOTE - This past weekend I probably got more sleep than a couple of weeks combined. Friday night I fell asleep on the couch from 8 - 9:30 and then went to bed and actually slept until 7 AM! Saturday I went to Chicago with BCK and took the train back home and fell asleep on the train from 8-9:30 again and then went to bed around 10:30 and woke up at 9! Last night I went to bed at 10 and woke up with my alarm at 6:50. Keep your fingers crossed!)
Even though I had a great couple nights of sleep, I wanted to ask about it in case the doctor had any reccomendations. Unfortunately, I do not have trouble falling asleep initially. If I did, he said that Benedryl or Tylenol PM would be fine to take every once in a while and would be helpful. However, because I CAN fall asleep and just not STAY sleeping, he doesn't think that these will help much, but that trying them might not hurt, unless I am in the group of people that actually gets stimulated by Benedryl. He also said that since everyone is different, he can't say if Trimester 2 will bring better sleep. "It might just be a long 30 weeks". Sigh. On the bright side, by the time this kid comes, I will be so used to sleepless nights that it won't faze me. :)
Onto the nursery and some clothes shopping:
While in Chicago, we shopped at Second-Time Around in Lincoln Park and I got a sweet red jacket and a brown tunic thing. I will rock the tunic & leggings look as long as possible. I also tried my Belly Band on. It isn't as bad as I thought it would be but I'm interested to see how it holds up through the day. When I tried it on, I actually had it on inside out so that BE BAND was written across my ass. The hubs was laughing at it and I also laughed and said, "That is pretty much a walking admission that, Yes, My pants ARE Unbuttoned."
Yesterday we took a huge donation of stuff to Goodwill and I made the mistake of looking through the maternity clothes section. Holy Schnikey. Those clothes were from 1974 or something and SCARY. I think even my husband was horrified by them. I DID find the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy Purple book in tip top condition for 89 cents though! I guess our library can finally have their copy back.
Probably my most exciting purchase of the weekend was fabric for cornices for the nursery that my husband actually likes too. I found it at The Needle Shop in Bucktown, Chicago. It is by Kokka, a Japanese company.
I just love the little pigs!! I think we might be going towards bright primary colors in the nursery, although we haven't made any final decisions.
I also crossed something off my list. I was interested in the Shiny Happy Stripe Flor tiles for a rug in the nursery because in the catalog, they looked like a nice bright yellow.
So I dragged BCK to the Flor Store to look at them. Unfortunately, they are more gold and metallic than yellow and in my opinion, ugly. Maybe in the right room, but I was not interested in them. I also couldn't find anything that I liked that much save for the Flora Rug Kit.
Unfortunately these are not sold by tile as the other tiles are - these are sold in 6tile packages. We would need probably at least 4 of these packages meaning the rug would be $640. Yeah - sorry baby, but that is not happening. Back to square 1 with the rug, but the hubs and I are hoping Ikea has a few options. I have also been searching Overstock.
Overall, a fun weekend and a good appointment.
Photo Sources: Pigs: The Needle Shop; Other photos by Flor.
It took a little while to find the heartbeat - "You're more long-waisted than I gave you credit for," said the doc. The heartbeat was finally found VERY low, almost on top of my pubic bone.
After that was time for the Q&A portion. Of course I brought up my sleeping issues. (SIDENOTE - This past weekend I probably got more sleep than a couple of weeks combined. Friday night I fell asleep on the couch from 8 - 9:30 and then went to bed and actually slept until 7 AM! Saturday I went to Chicago with BCK and took the train back home and fell asleep on the train from 8-9:30 again and then went to bed around 10:30 and woke up at 9! Last night I went to bed at 10 and woke up with my alarm at 6:50. Keep your fingers crossed!)
Even though I had a great couple nights of sleep, I wanted to ask about it in case the doctor had any reccomendations. Unfortunately, I do not have trouble falling asleep initially. If I did, he said that Benedryl or Tylenol PM would be fine to take every once in a while and would be helpful. However, because I CAN fall asleep and just not STAY sleeping, he doesn't think that these will help much, but that trying them might not hurt, unless I am in the group of people that actually gets stimulated by Benedryl. He also said that since everyone is different, he can't say if Trimester 2 will bring better sleep. "It might just be a long 30 weeks". Sigh. On the bright side, by the time this kid comes, I will be so used to sleepless nights that it won't faze me. :)
Onto the nursery and some clothes shopping:
While in Chicago, we shopped at Second-Time Around in Lincoln Park and I got a sweet red jacket and a brown tunic thing. I will rock the tunic & leggings look as long as possible. I also tried my Belly Band on. It isn't as bad as I thought it would be but I'm interested to see how it holds up through the day. When I tried it on, I actually had it on inside out so that BE BAND was written across my ass. The hubs was laughing at it and I also laughed and said, "That is pretty much a walking admission that, Yes, My pants ARE Unbuttoned."
Yesterday we took a huge donation of stuff to Goodwill and I made the mistake of looking through the maternity clothes section. Holy Schnikey. Those clothes were from 1974 or something and SCARY. I think even my husband was horrified by them. I DID find the Mayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy Purple book in tip top condition for 89 cents though! I guess our library can finally have their copy back.
Probably my most exciting purchase of the weekend was fabric for cornices for the nursery that my husband actually likes too. I found it at The Needle Shop in Bucktown, Chicago. It is by Kokka, a Japanese company.
I just love the little pigs!! I think we might be going towards bright primary colors in the nursery, although we haven't made any final decisions.
I also crossed something off my list. I was interested in the Shiny Happy Stripe Flor tiles for a rug in the nursery because in the catalog, they looked like a nice bright yellow.
So I dragged BCK to the Flor Store to look at them. Unfortunately, they are more gold and metallic than yellow and in my opinion, ugly. Maybe in the right room, but I was not interested in them. I also couldn't find anything that I liked that much save for the Flora Rug Kit.
Unfortunately these are not sold by tile as the other tiles are - these are sold in 6tile packages. We would need probably at least 4 of these packages meaning the rug would be $640. Yeah - sorry baby, but that is not happening. Back to square 1 with the rug, but the hubs and I are hoping Ikea has a few options. I have also been searching Overstock.
Overall, a fun weekend and a good appointment.
Photo Sources: Pigs: The Needle Shop; Other photos by Flor.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)