Well, it's the beginning of the year again, which means that one of my children has to go under the knife…again. I can't say I'm glad that this seems to be becoming a trend in our household.
The first time was, thankfully, a minor noninvasive procedure when B was 2 to put tubes in his ears and have his adenoids out. He'd been relatively sickness free for the better part of his life; right up until November when he'd gotten his first ever ear infection. That damn thing just wouldn't go away. Things would be going great while he was on antibiotics, we'd finish the round and the next day he would be in pain again. It jumped from one ear to the other and then back so he had a double ear infection. After 2 months of pain we finally decided to do tubes in hopes that would help. At the insistence of B's speech therapist we also discussed having his adenoids removed to lower the chance that built up fluid was the cause of his not speaking. Rich worked that day so I was on my own, waiting nervously in the lobby while my baby was out cold. That was cake compared to being alone while handling post-op anesthesia wake up. That was a nightmare. My baby didn't know who I was and was crying uncontrollably for his Mommy, even though I was right there trying to comfort him. However, I can officially say this was one of the best decisions we've ever made. B hasn't had a single ear infection since and his speech drastically improved post-op.
Our second go around in the operating room was last January. B was 4, and I was halfway through my pregnancy with R when the situation arose. We discovered he had a hiatal hernia; a hole in his intestinal wall that was causing his intestines to be pushed through int his groin, which in turn caused his testicles to swell. I was assured that it was fairly common and that the procedure was easy and quick. But this was more invasive than the last procedure and the thought of someone cutting into my baby's stomach and fishing around his intestines was a little too much to bear. However, it was important we get it fixed before the hernia became strained and cause pain and permanent damage. I was lucky enough not to have to wait alone this time. Rich had been moved to the swing shift at work, and my mom took the day off to be there for support. Again, the waiting was cake compared to waking up from anesthesia. I don't know if he recognized me this time or not, if he didn't he didn't say anything to that effect. but he was pretty out of it, and upset that he had IVs and cords attached to him. It took everything we had to keep him from ripping off the monitors and tearing out the IV.
No, here we are again, the beginning of a New Year, and I'm facing the operating room again. Only this time, it's my youngest baby going under. Even weirder than adding to the OR trend, is that this case is also penis related. I imagine this is only the very beginning of penis related issues in my house. I'm outnumbered; penises 3, vaginas 1. Anyway, R was born with something called a penile torsion. Basically it means that his penis, or at least in his case the foreskin, is twisted. It was glossed over by every nurse and doctor that looked at him after birth, or if they saw it I wasn't informed. I noticed it a few days later and brought it up to his pediatrician at his newborn check-up. It went a little like, "So I noticed this thing," *points* "that's not normal is it?" The doctor took a closer look and said something along the lines of, "Oh, no, I guess it isn't. Remember that circumcision I told you to come back for in a week? Yeah, we can't do that." I was told R would have to be at least 6 months old before they even consider circumcising him and it would have to be done by a urologist so the torsion could be corrected. It was even mildly explained to me HOW they go about fixing one of these things and I'll spare you the gory details; it made my stomach churn.
We finally made a visit to the urologist today and got some good news. The torsion is not very severe and the doctor believes he can fix it with no problem. The bad news, or at least the bad news for Momma Bear, is that my poor little 8 month old baby boy has to go under. I was wary about putting my 2 year old under for his tube surgery, let alone my baby. Add to that the doctor suggests a form of anesthesia in addition to general anesthesia that is like an epidural. They want me to allow them to put medicine in my baby's spine. The doctor said this will give him pain relief for 24 hours, opposed to the 4 hours awarded by topical numbing agents. Supposedly the worst pain is in the first 24 hours, and he recommends it to all his patients who are not yet walking. Sigh. I'm not looking forward to this, but I know it must happen. If we choose not to do the surgery R could have issues with direction and painful erections when he's older. That's not something I want to strap him with.
No one wants to put their children through pain, even if it is necessary. In addition to the thought of my baby being in pain I have to worry about him waking up from anesthesia. He'll be starving, because he's not allowed to eat for a while before the procedure, and if he's anything like me or his brother he'll be disoriented and scared, and there won't be anything I can do except hold him and wait to his mind to clear. Being that I have vivid memories of waking up from anesthesia at the age of 4 with my entire body tinglingly with that fall-asleep-on-your-arm-funny asleep feeling. It's not that I was traumatized by it; I've been put under several times since then without any marked anxiety or bad wake-ups, but the very fact that I can remember it means something.
Monday, January 13, 2014
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
Excuse You!
People are rude. Let's just put it bluntly. The last time I checked it was not socially acceptable to walk up to an overweight person and proclaim, "Wow! You're huge!" So why does the fact that I have a tiny human inside my abdomen somehow give people the green light to make comments on how big I am? Somehow because I'm not actually fat gives perfect strangers permission to comment on my size?
I cannot tell you how many times per day I see customers at work, people I have never met before and don't know from Adam, who feel the need to comment on my swelling belly.
"When are you due?"
"May 20th"
"Oh wow! Are you sure you'll make it that long?" or "Are you having twins!?" or "That's going to be a BIG baby!"
Take your pick of responses, and I can promise you there are loads more. I swear to you I am not that big. I am 33 weeks pregnant, in the last trimester of pregnancy, and roughly 7 weeks away from delivering. That's 7 Saturdays from now if you really need a visual of how little time that is. I am technically 8 MONTHS PREGNANT, so yes, my belly is supposed to be quite round.
And it's not just strangers that feel the need to comment. Although the fact that they are strangers makes them stand out a bit more. My co-workers drive me crazy with their constant daily comments about the size of my belly. It's really not necessary to make a comment every single time I see you. If I just saw you yesterday I can almost guarantee you the belly did not get bigger, at least not in any way that you'd be able to detect with the naked eye. Yet I find I'm greeted with "Whoa you're huge!" or "Hey fatty" nearly every day.
Honestly, I know I'm round, I look in the mirror every day. But I'm also doing the most amazing thing ever imaginable, I'm growing a tiny perfect little human IN MY ABDOMEN. And if you really must know I'm measuring right on track with how far along I am, so as of right now I will not be having some Guinness record breaking baby.
I cannot tell you how many times per day I see customers at work, people I have never met before and don't know from Adam, who feel the need to comment on my swelling belly.
"When are you due?"
"May 20th"
"Oh wow! Are you sure you'll make it that long?" or "Are you having twins!?" or "That's going to be a BIG baby!"
Take your pick of responses, and I can promise you there are loads more. I swear to you I am not that big. I am 33 weeks pregnant, in the last trimester of pregnancy, and roughly 7 weeks away from delivering. That's 7 Saturdays from now if you really need a visual of how little time that is. I am technically 8 MONTHS PREGNANT, so yes, my belly is supposed to be quite round.
And it's not just strangers that feel the need to comment. Although the fact that they are strangers makes them stand out a bit more. My co-workers drive me crazy with their constant daily comments about the size of my belly. It's really not necessary to make a comment every single time I see you. If I just saw you yesterday I can almost guarantee you the belly did not get bigger, at least not in any way that you'd be able to detect with the naked eye. Yet I find I'm greeted with "Whoa you're huge!" or "Hey fatty" nearly every day.
Honestly, I know I'm round, I look in the mirror every day. But I'm also doing the most amazing thing ever imaginable, I'm growing a tiny perfect little human IN MY ABDOMEN. And if you really must know I'm measuring right on track with how far along I am, so as of right now I will not be having some Guinness record breaking baby.
Here I am the day before I delivered (or the day of delivery?) with Braedan. He was a whole 7 lbs 6.5 oz:
Now here I am at 32 weeks pregnant with #2:
I think I need to do some collaging of the two side by side, but I'm really not that big. I've got a ways to go so save your comments for 6 weeks from now.
Monday, February 25, 2013
One step for man...
...one giant leap for mankind.
That's the kind of night I'm having. I feel like I just embarked on an emotional adventure of a lifetime. No, I'm not talking about becoming a mother for the second time. That part of my life I'm good with, nervous of course, but good. This new adventure is in regards to my firstborn.
If it's not common knowledge already, Richard is not Braedan's biological father. I was 18, young, and to put it bluntly, stupid. Braedan's biological father, we'll call him "S", hasn't been in the picture. I left him when Braedan was 4 months old, and the last time he ever saw Braedan was on his first birthday. I officially got primary legal custody of Braedan shortly after his first birthday. All this means is that Braedan lived with me all the time, and S had no contact that I had sole legal guardianship and decision making. That process was an emotional roller coaster in itself.
The one thing that helped me through it all was Richard. Due to legal requirements I had to wait until Braedan was 8 months old to file for custody and coincidentally that happened to be the same time that Rich entered our lives. We hit it off pretty quick and I knew that he was a great guy. He understood what I had been through with S and he didn't push the issue, and was there for the times when I just had to cry. He was there for me when I had to face S in person at Braedan's first birthday, and he was the first to get the victory phone call when the judge officiated the custody arrangement. Three years, to the day, after we started dating we became husband and wife.
Rich is, for all intents and purposes, Braedan's father. Though they don't share DNA it is ridiculously uncanny how much they seem to look and act alike. We never pushed Braedan to call Rich "dad", but he's figured out now what a dad is and who that person is for him. And now...we're taking the step to make that official. I'm getting emotional just writing about it. Chalk it up to pregnancy hormones if you want! But the thought that my husband could officially be Braedan's father, that Braedan's birth certificate would show Rich's name as the father, and that we would all have the same last name, is something that means so much to me.
I'm not going to lie. I am terrified. Absolutely terrified of this process. It scares me that I will be forced to contact S. I'm afraid that "reaching out" to him will make him fight back, fight for something that he obviously doesn't care for. Even before I found out I was pregnant control was a huge thing for S. After we split up he continued to try and control and manipulate and it's been a comfy existence not having to deal with it. But the fact remains that he still has rights, and I'm afraid that bringing it up (and asking [or threatening] to take that away) will make him exercise those rights just to control the situation. That he'll say no just because he can. I don't want this to be a long drawn out process. Everyone involved in our lives, including S's parents (who are involved in Braedan's life) know that S doesn't care about his son. I'm hoping and praying that he sees what's best for Braedan and agrees to sign over his rights. But I think I know him too well to put too much hope into that scenario.
We will need all the prayers we can get in the next few months.
That's the kind of night I'm having. I feel like I just embarked on an emotional adventure of a lifetime. No, I'm not talking about becoming a mother for the second time. That part of my life I'm good with, nervous of course, but good. This new adventure is in regards to my firstborn.
If it's not common knowledge already, Richard is not Braedan's biological father. I was 18, young, and to put it bluntly, stupid. Braedan's biological father, we'll call him "S", hasn't been in the picture. I left him when Braedan was 4 months old, and the last time he ever saw Braedan was on his first birthday. I officially got primary legal custody of Braedan shortly after his first birthday. All this means is that Braedan lived with me all the time, and S had no contact that I had sole legal guardianship and decision making. That process was an emotional roller coaster in itself.
The one thing that helped me through it all was Richard. Due to legal requirements I had to wait until Braedan was 8 months old to file for custody and coincidentally that happened to be the same time that Rich entered our lives. We hit it off pretty quick and I knew that he was a great guy. He understood what I had been through with S and he didn't push the issue, and was there for the times when I just had to cry. He was there for me when I had to face S in person at Braedan's first birthday, and he was the first to get the victory phone call when the judge officiated the custody arrangement. Three years, to the day, after we started dating we became husband and wife.
Rich is, for all intents and purposes, Braedan's father. Though they don't share DNA it is ridiculously uncanny how much they seem to look and act alike. We never pushed Braedan to call Rich "dad", but he's figured out now what a dad is and who that person is for him. And now...we're taking the step to make that official. I'm getting emotional just writing about it. Chalk it up to pregnancy hormones if you want! But the thought that my husband could officially be Braedan's father, that Braedan's birth certificate would show Rich's name as the father, and that we would all have the same last name, is something that means so much to me.
I'm not going to lie. I am terrified. Absolutely terrified of this process. It scares me that I will be forced to contact S. I'm afraid that "reaching out" to him will make him fight back, fight for something that he obviously doesn't care for. Even before I found out I was pregnant control was a huge thing for S. After we split up he continued to try and control and manipulate and it's been a comfy existence not having to deal with it. But the fact remains that he still has rights, and I'm afraid that bringing it up (and asking [or threatening] to take that away) will make him exercise those rights just to control the situation. That he'll say no just because he can. I don't want this to be a long drawn out process. Everyone involved in our lives, including S's parents (who are involved in Braedan's life) know that S doesn't care about his son. I'm hoping and praying that he sees what's best for Braedan and agrees to sign over his rights. But I think I know him too well to put too much hope into that scenario.
We will need all the prayers we can get in the next few months.
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
What have you done with myself?
Is there an influx of hormones in the 23rd week or something? I feel like I'm off my rocker.
Want to know what I've been doing all day? Scrubbing my floors. Like on my hands and knees with a bristle brush and toothbrush scrubbing. Ok so maybe people actually do that but I HATE cleaning. I seriously get more cleaning done when someone is coming over than I do just regular cleaning.
The other night Rich came home from work at midnight to find me scrubbing the oven.
WTF!?
I also feel a little manic the past few days. Like I could burst into tears at any moment, and I'm normally not like that, even while pregnant. Last night I drowned my sorrows in a tall glass of ice cold milk...and there were casualties. In the form of an entire bag of Lindt truffles. My Sees candy almost didn't make it but I've been holding on to that treasure for as long as I can, because I've been craving Sees this whole time and we don't have any near us. I kid you not, Rich found me passed out on the bed surrounded by Lindt wrappers. It was probably a sad sight.
I guess it doesn't help that the insurance company is stressing me out, and Braedan's surgery for his hernia is tomorrow morning.
Want to know what I've been doing all day? Scrubbing my floors. Like on my hands and knees with a bristle brush and toothbrush scrubbing. Ok so maybe people actually do that but I HATE cleaning. I seriously get more cleaning done when someone is coming over than I do just regular cleaning.
The other night Rich came home from work at midnight to find me scrubbing the oven.
WTF!?
I also feel a little manic the past few days. Like I could burst into tears at any moment, and I'm normally not like that, even while pregnant. Last night I drowned my sorrows in a tall glass of ice cold milk...and there were casualties. In the form of an entire bag of Lindt truffles. My Sees candy almost didn't make it but I've been holding on to that treasure for as long as I can, because I've been craving Sees this whole time and we don't have any near us. I kid you not, Rich found me passed out on the bed surrounded by Lindt wrappers. It was probably a sad sight.
I guess it doesn't help that the insurance company is stressing me out, and Braedan's surgery for his hernia is tomorrow morning.
Wednesday, January 16, 2013
I'm back!
I promise I have not forgotten about the blog! In my effort to stay off social media I sort of just lumped the internet in general in there and neglected the blog for a while. Then as I was making my way back into the etherverse my New Year got really interesting.
On New Years day I got a call from my mom to say that Braedan was having some unusual swelling of his testicles. They were going to wait until my aunt, who is an RN, could look at it the next day but to be prepared because she might be taking him to the ER. At this point they were still in California and I was sitting at home in Colorado 1000 miles away from my baby who needed his momma! I stressed for a whole day before hearing from my aunt that she thought he might have a hernia and to get him checked out by the doctor as soon as they returned home. A hernia? How in the world does a 4 year old get a hernia!?
We saw his pediatrician the Monday after he got back from vacation and she couldn't say whether or not he had a hernia for sure, but that he definitely had a hole in his abdominal lining that was causing fluid to build up in his scrotum. Both circumstances involve a hole in the abdominal lining but a hernia means that intestines are pushing through the hole, where the other problem called a hydrocele is just fluid. We were referred to a pediatric surgeon for further analysis. Oh boy...here we go...
We saw the surgeon a week later and he confirmed that Bam does in fact have a hernia, and it needs to be repaired sooner rather than later to avoid the hole getting bigger and/or developing a problem. So, how does a 4 year old get a hernia? Well apparently it's fairly common. About 2-5% of boys will have this type of problem. For most children the problem fixes itself by 12 months, but for others it sticks around and requires surgical intervention. We're in the latter group. Oh joy! So my poor precious baby boy is scheduled for surgery next week.
Although I am glad that we caught the problem before it was really a problem (he's not in any pain now), I really hate putting him under. Braedan has only been put under once and that was to get tubes put in his ears at age 2. Ironically, it has been almost exactly 2 years since he had his first surgery. He was so disoriented when he came out of anesthesia that he was crying for his mommy and I was sitting right next to him telling him I was right there! He just didn't comprehend. That was the hardest part. I also had to go it alone as both my mom and Rich had to work that day. Luckily for me, Rich works evenings now and my mom is taking the day off to be here. So, I will get to have my awesome support rocks to keep me sane.
My resolution this year was to focus on the positive. I can not be more glad that my son has been amazingly healthy since birth. It's a blessing that this is our biggest problem.
On New Years day I got a call from my mom to say that Braedan was having some unusual swelling of his testicles. They were going to wait until my aunt, who is an RN, could look at it the next day but to be prepared because she might be taking him to the ER. At this point they were still in California and I was sitting at home in Colorado 1000 miles away from my baby who needed his momma! I stressed for a whole day before hearing from my aunt that she thought he might have a hernia and to get him checked out by the doctor as soon as they returned home. A hernia? How in the world does a 4 year old get a hernia!?
We saw his pediatrician the Monday after he got back from vacation and she couldn't say whether or not he had a hernia for sure, but that he definitely had a hole in his abdominal lining that was causing fluid to build up in his scrotum. Both circumstances involve a hole in the abdominal lining but a hernia means that intestines are pushing through the hole, where the other problem called a hydrocele is just fluid. We were referred to a pediatric surgeon for further analysis. Oh boy...here we go...
We saw the surgeon a week later and he confirmed that Bam does in fact have a hernia, and it needs to be repaired sooner rather than later to avoid the hole getting bigger and/or developing a problem. So, how does a 4 year old get a hernia? Well apparently it's fairly common. About 2-5% of boys will have this type of problem. For most children the problem fixes itself by 12 months, but for others it sticks around and requires surgical intervention. We're in the latter group. Oh joy! So my poor precious baby boy is scheduled for surgery next week.
Although I am glad that we caught the problem before it was really a problem (he's not in any pain now), I really hate putting him under. Braedan has only been put under once and that was to get tubes put in his ears at age 2. Ironically, it has been almost exactly 2 years since he had his first surgery. He was so disoriented when he came out of anesthesia that he was crying for his mommy and I was sitting right next to him telling him I was right there! He just didn't comprehend. That was the hardest part. I also had to go it alone as both my mom and Rich had to work that day. Luckily for me, Rich works evenings now and my mom is taking the day off to be here. So, I will get to have my awesome support rocks to keep me sane.
My resolution this year was to focus on the positive. I can not be more glad that my son has been amazingly healthy since birth. It's a blessing that this is our biggest problem.
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Slugs, snails, and puppy dog tails...
That's right folks, it's a boy and we are just as shocked as you are!
We certainly were thinking it was going to be a girl, and I'm honestly thinking about buying a lottery ticket because the odds were against a boy. All of the wives tales (and not to mention the fact that Rich is the only boy in his family and the youngest) suggested we should be having a girl but they were wrong!
I'm still a little shocked, but excited for Braedan to have a little brother. I am glad I can finally look at baby stuff and know what I'm looking for!
We don't have names yet as we decided to wait to discuss names until we knew the sex of the baby. We started talking names this morning after finding out, but haven't come to an agreement. To keep a little element of surprise we've discussed keeping the name quiet until the baby is born. So have fun guessing until then!
We certainly were thinking it was going to be a girl, and I'm honestly thinking about buying a lottery ticket because the odds were against a boy. All of the wives tales (and not to mention the fact that Rich is the only boy in his family and the youngest) suggested we should be having a girl but they were wrong!
I'm still a little shocked, but excited for Braedan to have a little brother. I am glad I can finally look at baby stuff and know what I'm looking for!
We don't have names yet as we decided to wait to discuss names until we knew the sex of the baby. We started talking names this morning after finding out, but haven't come to an agreement. To keep a little element of surprise we've discussed keeping the name quiet until the baby is born. So have fun guessing until then!
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Ch-ch-ch-changes
Happy New Year! Rich and I rang in the New Year with some very good friends and had a great time. I still miss my baby boy, but he probably had more fun than me! I'm a little jealous he got to spend new years with our family in California setting off illegal fireworks. :)
Tomorrow brings lots of changes for this blog and for the Liggett family. We have our anatomy ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow morning and hopefully we'll be able to find out the sex of the baby! I plan to change the look of the blog to reflect what we find out, after we tell everyone else of course.
I'm very anxious for tomorrow. For so long I've tried not to get my hopes up for one gender over the other, and so the baby is just that, a baby. Ambiguous for now. To think about knowing the gender, of giving the baby a name, seems very surreal. So look tomorrow for an update on what we find out!
Tomorrow brings lots of changes for this blog and for the Liggett family. We have our anatomy ultrasound scheduled for tomorrow morning and hopefully we'll be able to find out the sex of the baby! I plan to change the look of the blog to reflect what we find out, after we tell everyone else of course.
I'm very anxious for tomorrow. For so long I've tried not to get my hopes up for one gender over the other, and so the baby is just that, a baby. Ambiguous for now. To think about knowing the gender, of giving the baby a name, seems very surreal. So look tomorrow for an update on what we find out!
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Merry Christmas!
A day late but we were having a great Christmas with family and the blog could wait. Braedan was so excited for all his presents (more so for unwrapping them!). I got the sewing machine I wanted so this momma is happy camper! I can't wait to find out the sex of the baby and get started on making some cute stuff! I also got a new coffee maker and I almost cried when I brewed my first cup. I haven't had a decent cup of coffee since my old Keurig broke a few months ago. I thank my amazing hubby for bringing that cup of sanity back into my life.
Braedan has left with my mom to visit California for a week and a half. He is going to have a blast seeing all of his cousins and aunts and uncles, but his mommy misses him so much! He's only been away from me since last night and yet it feels like he's been gone for weeks! Rich is at work and I'm sitting here in my too quiet house appreciating the silence at the same time missing the noise. What am I going to do with myself?!
Well, for starters I'm going to watch my new copy of Magic Mike. :)
Braedan has left with my mom to visit California for a week and a half. He is going to have a blast seeing all of his cousins and aunts and uncles, but his mommy misses him so much! He's only been away from me since last night and yet it feels like he's been gone for weeks! Rich is at work and I'm sitting here in my too quiet house appreciating the silence at the same time missing the noise. What am I going to do with myself?!
Well, for starters I'm going to watch my new copy of Magic Mike. :)
Thursday, December 20, 2012
Don't worry....
I just wanted to let everyone know that this blog and text/calls are going to be my only way of technological communication for a while. I decided tonight that I need to take a serious break from social media.
The hype and hysteria surrounding the Connecticut shooting and the "end of the world" are just too much right now. I cannot stand to read one more idiotic comment about gun control, or threats, or school lockdowns, or pulling your children out of public school. The fact is that there are evil people in this world, and if they want to take others out with them they will find a way to do so. Nothing is going to stop them, not gun control, not gun bans, nothing. It won't matter if our kids are at school, at the grocery store with us, or having a fun day at the zoo. So unless you want to live your life in fear and lock your children away forever then the best you can do is to live every day to the fullest and have no regrets in life.
I, for one, don't practice living my life in fear and refuse to change that. The state of our country today really makes me sad. We are so divided, paranoid, and antsy. Maybe I was just too young to get the full effect but it seems worse now than it did after September 11, 2001. Perhaps now that I'm an adult I'm seeing the full tilt of paranoia. I've got to say, I don't like it. People are panicking and the media is doing nothing to help that. It feels like everything is slowly slipping into utter chaos, all because of people overreacting.
So, for my own health and sanity I've chosen to step away from the social media and reduce my interaction with all of it. I want to be able to enjoy the holidays with my family without the added stress of the insanity of the world. I know it'll still be there whether I pay attention or not but the less I'm reading about it 24/7 the more I feel I can enjoy my life right now.
The hype and hysteria surrounding the Connecticut shooting and the "end of the world" are just too much right now. I cannot stand to read one more idiotic comment about gun control, or threats, or school lockdowns, or pulling your children out of public school. The fact is that there are evil people in this world, and if they want to take others out with them they will find a way to do so. Nothing is going to stop them, not gun control, not gun bans, nothing. It won't matter if our kids are at school, at the grocery store with us, or having a fun day at the zoo. So unless you want to live your life in fear and lock your children away forever then the best you can do is to live every day to the fullest and have no regrets in life.
I, for one, don't practice living my life in fear and refuse to change that. The state of our country today really makes me sad. We are so divided, paranoid, and antsy. Maybe I was just too young to get the full effect but it seems worse now than it did after September 11, 2001. Perhaps now that I'm an adult I'm seeing the full tilt of paranoia. I've got to say, I don't like it. People are panicking and the media is doing nothing to help that. It feels like everything is slowly slipping into utter chaos, all because of people overreacting.
So, for my own health and sanity I've chosen to step away from the social media and reduce my interaction with all of it. I want to be able to enjoy the holidays with my family without the added stress of the insanity of the world. I know it'll still be there whether I pay attention or not but the less I'm reading about it 24/7 the more I feel I can enjoy my life right now.
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Road Trip!
So yesterday we took a little road trip over the mountains to visit Denver. Since it's a decent trip and we don't go often it's sort of a big deal.
The purpose for the trip was mainly for the memorial service for my friend Brittany who passed away two weeks ago. It was a beautiful, beautiful service and I can only imagine that Brittany was smiling down on us all. It really helped to see her family, give them hugs, and cry with them. We will all miss her but we know that right now she's busy in heaven helping some other innocent souls that were taken from this world by evil people.
After lunch we dropped Braedan and my sister off at this place called Monkey Bizness. It's a little warehouse full of climbing obstacles and inflatable jumpy castles and playthings. My sister wasn't comfortable going to a funeral for someone she didn't know and we really weren't sure about making a 4 year old sit quiet and still for a funeral. So off they went to play while we went to the service.
Afterward we did a little shopping. Maybe it's Christmas, and maybe it's because in Denver we have access to stores we don't have near us, but there was something a little magical about shopping. I had wanted to stop by a Babies R Us and look around since we don't have any baby stores here and the selection of baby stuff in stores here is slim. Unfortunately we got caught up in everything else and didn't make it. So that just means we'll be making a return trip this spring before the baby comes.
The nice thing about coming back in spring is that we likely won't have to fight the snow. We had a beautiful drive to Denver, but coming back got a little sketchy. The snow moved in right as we hit the top of the Rockies and stayed with us all the way home. Snow is beautiful when you can sit in your living room drinking hot cocoa and watch is drift toward the ground, but not when you're driving through the mountains next to boulders and cliffs. No thank you! We made it home safely though and are looking forward to our next little road trip.
The purpose for the trip was mainly for the memorial service for my friend Brittany who passed away two weeks ago. It was a beautiful, beautiful service and I can only imagine that Brittany was smiling down on us all. It really helped to see her family, give them hugs, and cry with them. We will all miss her but we know that right now she's busy in heaven helping some other innocent souls that were taken from this world by evil people.
After lunch we dropped Braedan and my sister off at this place called Monkey Bizness. It's a little warehouse full of climbing obstacles and inflatable jumpy castles and playthings. My sister wasn't comfortable going to a funeral for someone she didn't know and we really weren't sure about making a 4 year old sit quiet and still for a funeral. So off they went to play while we went to the service.
Afterward we did a little shopping. Maybe it's Christmas, and maybe it's because in Denver we have access to stores we don't have near us, but there was something a little magical about shopping. I had wanted to stop by a Babies R Us and look around since we don't have any baby stores here and the selection of baby stuff in stores here is slim. Unfortunately we got caught up in everything else and didn't make it. So that just means we'll be making a return trip this spring before the baby comes.
The nice thing about coming back in spring is that we likely won't have to fight the snow. We had a beautiful drive to Denver, but coming back got a little sketchy. The snow moved in right as we hit the top of the Rockies and stayed with us all the way home. Snow is beautiful when you can sit in your living room drinking hot cocoa and watch is drift toward the ground, but not when you're driving through the mountains next to boulders and cliffs. No thank you! We made it home safely though and are looking forward to our next little road trip.
Thursday, December 6, 2012
16 Weeks
Today we met with Tiffini, our midwife, for our 16 week check-up. It was pretty routine but we did talk a little bit about the hospital. The hospital I'll be delivering at is a baby-centered hospital. Which means they support a lot of my labor and delivery choices. This is exciting for me considering I really didn't feel I got what I needed last time.
Don't get me wrong. The hospital I delivered at in Tucson, Arizona is an awesome hospital. They do really great things every day. You might have heard everything they did for Congresswoman Giffords after that awful shooting. At the time I was a hospital employee and I have no complaints for them as an employer, and honestly few complaints about how everything operated during labor and delivery. The problem lied in their inability to listen to my requests for birth.
Rich and I have decided that delayed cord clamping is best for our baby. This means not clamping and cutting the umbilical cord right after birth, thereby letting all of the good nutritional blood in the placenta to flow into the baby. It's supposed to be very beneficial to the baby and I figure, why not? I wanted this with Braedan but apparently my doctor didn't think it was important.
We also decided that letting the baby be skin to skin for as long as possible right after birth is something we want to do. I believe this is called kangaroo care and it's supposed to help initiate breastfeeding. I've mentioned before that I didn't get the breastfeeding experience I wanted to have with Braedan. So I'm really determined to be successful at it this time. I'm willing to do whatever I can to increase my chances of doing it successfully.
The great thing? This is standard practice for my midwife (and happens often at the hospital) so I won't really have to fight for it this time. I can be comfortable knowing that even if I am as exhausted and out of it as I was last time, my midwife knows what I want and will advocate for that. Not to mention I have an awesome husband who knows what I want and will be there for me every step of the way. Can you get better than that?
In other news we scheduled our next appointment...which includes our anatomy scan. Yes folks, we know the date we will find out if Baby Liggett is a boy or a girl. Hold your breath for January 3rd!
Don't get me wrong. The hospital I delivered at in Tucson, Arizona is an awesome hospital. They do really great things every day. You might have heard everything they did for Congresswoman Giffords after that awful shooting. At the time I was a hospital employee and I have no complaints for them as an employer, and honestly few complaints about how everything operated during labor and delivery. The problem lied in their inability to listen to my requests for birth.
Rich and I have decided that delayed cord clamping is best for our baby. This means not clamping and cutting the umbilical cord right after birth, thereby letting all of the good nutritional blood in the placenta to flow into the baby. It's supposed to be very beneficial to the baby and I figure, why not? I wanted this with Braedan but apparently my doctor didn't think it was important.
We also decided that letting the baby be skin to skin for as long as possible right after birth is something we want to do. I believe this is called kangaroo care and it's supposed to help initiate breastfeeding. I've mentioned before that I didn't get the breastfeeding experience I wanted to have with Braedan. So I'm really determined to be successful at it this time. I'm willing to do whatever I can to increase my chances of doing it successfully.
The great thing? This is standard practice for my midwife (and happens often at the hospital) so I won't really have to fight for it this time. I can be comfortable knowing that even if I am as exhausted and out of it as I was last time, my midwife knows what I want and will advocate for that. Not to mention I have an awesome husband who knows what I want and will be there for me every step of the way. Can you get better than that?
In other news we scheduled our next appointment...which includes our anatomy scan. Yes folks, we know the date we will find out if Baby Liggett is a boy or a girl. Hold your breath for January 3rd!
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
Gender experiment
Time for some updates! I mentioned in my last post that we performed a gender experiment this past weekend. There are loads of "tests" you can perform while pregnant to predict the sex of the baby.
There are the old wives tales that say you hold a ring on a string and if it spins or swings a certain way then it can mean girl or boy.
Then there's the baking soda test. Pee in a cup, add a tablespoon of baking soda and see if it fizzes. If there's fizz, it's a boy, no fizz means girl.
There are also commercial gender prediction kits you can buy at the drug stores. They are usually pretty pricey and from what I can tell aren't that reliable.
Here's the thing though. All of these are just for FUN and honestly any one of them has a 50% chance of being right...or wrong. So, we won't be painting the nursery based on our results.
Out of all the prediction tests I found online the test we did seemed to be the most scientific (aside from the baking soda test). I decided to do the red cabbage test. There's something in the coloring of red cabbage that is reactive to pH levels, which is the scale of acidity or alkalinity of a substance. I learned years ago in chemistry class that you can make your own litmus pH testing papers from red cabbage and coffee filters. (You can experiment with the leftover cabbage water after the test. Add lemon juice, baking soda, ammonia cleaner, dish soap, etc. and see what colors it changes into!) Interesting, very very interesting!
So here's what we did:
Cabbage Test
Materials:
-Red cabbage (size doesn't matter ;) )
-(2) Clear cups (regular glasses work fine but if you're squeamish disposable cups might be best)
-First morning urine
-Knife
-Pot or large saucepan
-Water
Process:
Cut cabbage in half
Cut one of the halves up into small cubes
Place cut cabbage into a large pot or saucepan and cover with cold water
Bring water to a boil, then remove from heat
Let sit for 10 minutes
After the 10 minutes you should have a dark purple colored water with your cabbage. Strain out the cabbage and leave water remaining.
Fill one cup 1/3 full of cabbage water. Fill the other cup with an equal amount of urine.
When your ready pour the urine into the cup of cabbage water and watch the magic happen!
If the water stays a purple color then this means you are having a GIRL. If the water turns to a magenta/red/pink-ish color then you are having a BOY.
The results are related to the pH of your urine. Boys are said to cause a more acidic urine, while girls urine is more basic. Who knows if this is really true or not, but in most of the cases I found online the predictions were correct. This was not the case with the other tests I looked up.
Here is our result:
There are the old wives tales that say you hold a ring on a string and if it spins or swings a certain way then it can mean girl or boy.
Then there's the baking soda test. Pee in a cup, add a tablespoon of baking soda and see if it fizzes. If there's fizz, it's a boy, no fizz means girl.
There are also commercial gender prediction kits you can buy at the drug stores. They are usually pretty pricey and from what I can tell aren't that reliable.
Here's the thing though. All of these are just for FUN and honestly any one of them has a 50% chance of being right...or wrong. So, we won't be painting the nursery based on our results.
Out of all the prediction tests I found online the test we did seemed to be the most scientific (aside from the baking soda test). I decided to do the red cabbage test. There's something in the coloring of red cabbage that is reactive to pH levels, which is the scale of acidity or alkalinity of a substance. I learned years ago in chemistry class that you can make your own litmus pH testing papers from red cabbage and coffee filters. (You can experiment with the leftover cabbage water after the test. Add lemon juice, baking soda, ammonia cleaner, dish soap, etc. and see what colors it changes into!) Interesting, very very interesting!
So here's what we did:
Cabbage Test
Materials:
-Red cabbage (size doesn't matter ;) )
-(2) Clear cups (regular glasses work fine but if you're squeamish disposable cups might be best)
-First morning urine
-Knife
-Pot or large saucepan
-Water
Process:
Cut cabbage in half
Cut one of the halves up into small cubes
Place cut cabbage into a large pot or saucepan and cover with cold water
Bring water to a boil, then remove from heat
Let sit for 10 minutes
After the 10 minutes you should have a dark purple colored water with your cabbage. Strain out the cabbage and leave water remaining.
Fill one cup 1/3 full of cabbage water. Fill the other cup with an equal amount of urine.
When your ready pour the urine into the cup of cabbage water and watch the magic happen!
If the water stays a purple color then this means you are having a GIRL. If the water turns to a magenta/red/pink-ish color then you are having a BOY.
The results are related to the pH of your urine. Boys are said to cause a more acidic urine, while girls urine is more basic. Who knows if this is really true or not, but in most of the cases I found online the predictions were correct. This was not the case with the other tests I looked up.
Here is our result:
Tell us what you think it means!
Saturday, December 1, 2012
In loving memory
Today started out great. We woke up and tried out a gender experiment (which I'll talk about in a later post), we had lunch with friends we haven't seen in a while, bought some more Christmas lights, and then I sent my loving husband and son off to see the light parade while I got ready for work.
We had sushi for lunch and afterward they passed around a plate of fortune cookies. Mine read: "Life is a gift, don't waste it." I had no idea that wisdom would mean so much only hours later.
After sending Rich and Braedan off to the light show I logged on to Facebook really quick, only to see that a good friend of mine passed away last night. Whenever I see the phrase "passed away" I think of something that happened peacefully, perhaps during sleep. This was not the case for my friend. Unfortunately Brittany was murdered, by someone she knew, and left in a cold intersection. I couldn't believe it, I still can't.
Brittany Grosse was one of the most bubbly people I knew, and her 100 watt smile could cheer you up on the gloomiest day. Brittany was one of those people who made you feel right at home, she got that trait from the rest of her family. I called them my big fat Greek surrogate family. She was smart, classy, down to earth, and loved her family and friends fiercely. She was young, too young to be taken from all the possibilities life still had to offer her. My heart aches, not just because she's gone but because she'll never get to be a mom, an aunt, a grandma. She'll never graduate from college and go on to have a successful career. She won't get to wake up on Christmas morning and flash that brilliant smile while she opens her presents.
I know Brittany would want us to remember her the way she was. Funny, loving, passionate. I know she's in a better place, and she's safe now, but that doesn't make it hurt any less.
We had sushi for lunch and afterward they passed around a plate of fortune cookies. Mine read: "Life is a gift, don't waste it." I had no idea that wisdom would mean so much only hours later.
After sending Rich and Braedan off to the light show I logged on to Facebook really quick, only to see that a good friend of mine passed away last night. Whenever I see the phrase "passed away" I think of something that happened peacefully, perhaps during sleep. This was not the case for my friend. Unfortunately Brittany was murdered, by someone she knew, and left in a cold intersection. I couldn't believe it, I still can't.
Brittany Grosse was one of the most bubbly people I knew, and her 100 watt smile could cheer you up on the gloomiest day. Brittany was one of those people who made you feel right at home, she got that trait from the rest of her family. I called them my big fat Greek surrogate family. She was smart, classy, down to earth, and loved her family and friends fiercely. She was young, too young to be taken from all the possibilities life still had to offer her. My heart aches, not just because she's gone but because she'll never get to be a mom, an aunt, a grandma. She'll never graduate from college and go on to have a successful career. She won't get to wake up on Christmas morning and flash that brilliant smile while she opens her presents.
I know Brittany would want us to remember her the way she was. Funny, loving, passionate. I know she's in a better place, and she's safe now, but that doesn't make it hurt any less.
Brittany Grosse. It's not a recent picture but it's candid. I will never forget that smile.
Friday, November 30, 2012
15 Weeks
We'll consider my cravings post my 14 week update because honestly there's not much going on at this point.
I'm a little late in the game posting my 15 weeks update as I'll be 16 weeks on Monday but it's just a number, the baby is going to come when the time is right, not when I'm "40 weeks".
I have started to feel the baby more and more every day. Every now and then I get a swift kick (more like a swift thump) but mostly it's a bubbly feeling. It really is true that every pregnancy is different because Braedan felt more like a fish swimming around in there while this little one feels like it's doing the Hammer Dance in there. I think Rich is a little disappointed every time I tell him the baby's moving but he can't feel it. I told him it'll take time for the baby to get big enough to where he can feel it on the outside, but he's being impatient.
I will take a 15 week bump picture tomorrow and put it up. Things have been pretty crazy around here and finding the time to take (even a quick) picture is hard. That and I don't trust my 4 year old to take a decent bump photo while Daddy is at work. I definitely feel like I have more of a bump this week. Not to mention my stomach muscles are stretching out and I am started to feel it. Just grocery shopping tonight gave me a stitch in my side.
I seem to have hit a dip in energy levels this week. I have been so exhausted every day and nothing has really changed as far as routine goes. I figure that's because the baby is about to hit a huge growth spurt and will soon be (for lack of a better term) sucking the life out of me.
Next week we have our 16 week check-up and for some reason I'm incredibly anxious for it. It's not like this one will be "special" or anything. Tiffini will probably just get my vitals, listen with the doppler, and ask how I'm feeling. Yet, it seems important. That could be because my crazy preggo dreams are getting a little out of hand. Last night I had a bad dream about the baby and reminding myself it was just a dream has been my challenge for the day.
There is a bit of importance in seeing the midwife next week and that is to schedule our anatomy scan! Super exciting since this will be when we find out baby's gender! We're hoping to get it scheduled before Christmas so we can tell everyone on Christmas day, but we'll see how that goes. I've heard rumors that those appointments tend to fill up around the holidays. Maybe we'll be lucky and there won't be enough pregnant women in this town who are far enough along to book them solid. Hey, a girl can dream, right?
I'm a little late in the game posting my 15 weeks update as I'll be 16 weeks on Monday but it's just a number, the baby is going to come when the time is right, not when I'm "40 weeks".
I have started to feel the baby more and more every day. Every now and then I get a swift kick (more like a swift thump) but mostly it's a bubbly feeling. It really is true that every pregnancy is different because Braedan felt more like a fish swimming around in there while this little one feels like it's doing the Hammer Dance in there. I think Rich is a little disappointed every time I tell him the baby's moving but he can't feel it. I told him it'll take time for the baby to get big enough to where he can feel it on the outside, but he's being impatient.
I will take a 15 week bump picture tomorrow and put it up. Things have been pretty crazy around here and finding the time to take (even a quick) picture is hard. That and I don't trust my 4 year old to take a decent bump photo while Daddy is at work. I definitely feel like I have more of a bump this week. Not to mention my stomach muscles are stretching out and I am started to feel it. Just grocery shopping tonight gave me a stitch in my side.
I seem to have hit a dip in energy levels this week. I have been so exhausted every day and nothing has really changed as far as routine goes. I figure that's because the baby is about to hit a huge growth spurt and will soon be (for lack of a better term) sucking the life out of me.
Next week we have our 16 week check-up and for some reason I'm incredibly anxious for it. It's not like this one will be "special" or anything. Tiffini will probably just get my vitals, listen with the doppler, and ask how I'm feeling. Yet, it seems important. That could be because my crazy preggo dreams are getting a little out of hand. Last night I had a bad dream about the baby and reminding myself it was just a dream has been my challenge for the day.
There is a bit of importance in seeing the midwife next week and that is to schedule our anatomy scan! Super exciting since this will be when we find out baby's gender! We're hoping to get it scheduled before Christmas so we can tell everyone on Christmas day, but we'll see how that goes. I've heard rumors that those appointments tend to fill up around the holidays. Maybe we'll be lucky and there won't be enough pregnant women in this town who are far enough along to book them solid. Hey, a girl can dream, right?
Monday, November 19, 2012
Pregnancy Cravings
We've all see the scene where the big crazy hormonal lady wakes up at 3 A.M. and has to have a cheeseburger and a chocolate shake. So the husband sleepy pulls himself out of bed and drives to the nearest fast food joint to appease his pregnant wife.
I can't really imagine wanting a cheeseburger at 3 A.M. (the thought of the heartburn that would follow makes me cringe!) but I have been experiencing some pregnancy cravings. Lucky for Rich they haven't struck in the middle of the night. Sleep and food are high on my list but put them together and sleep usually wins.
With my first pregnancy I had really strange cravings. I'm not talking pickles and ice cream though. No, I craved textures and sensations. Weird, right? I remember begging my friend to go buy me a Sprite because all they had in the vending machine was water and caffeinated drinks and I wanted something with carbonation. I also craved raw vegetables and ranch because I liked the crunch. If I had specific food cravings I don't remember them. This was probably in part to the fact that I was pretty well fed during my pregnancy. I was working in a medical office and the drug reps would cater lunch every Tuesday and Thursday. So I was eatin' good in the neighborhood!
This pregnancy I don't have that luxury *sad face*.
Just the other day I wanted salami. But not the packaged kind. No, I wanted the REAL salami (whatever that means). You know, the stick of salami in the intestine wrapping with the white mold on the outside. Wow, that doesn't sound very appealing, but it tastes awesome. So, I went to the store and bought some. Some cravings are just that easy to fulfill. Some, however, are not.
If you've ever lived in, near, or visited Tucson, Arizona then you surely know about Eegee's. If you don't, then you have not lived yet! I keep in touch with many of my friends from Tucson and recently there have been an awful lot of posts about Eegee's. It's basically a sub place, that also has hot dogs, fries (smothered in various toppings), pretzels (also smothered), and other random goodness. But this is not what they are famous for. Eegee's is famous for eegees. What in the world is that, you ask? Amazing, frozen, fruity, yummy goodness that's what that is. Oh, it's to die for. Especially on a hot Arizona day. Hell, I'd take an eegee on the coldest day here in Colorado if it meant I got to taste it's awesomeness!
So, if anyone is kind enough to send me some Eegee's I will be greatly appreciative (and so will my unborn child).
I can't really imagine wanting a cheeseburger at 3 A.M. (the thought of the heartburn that would follow makes me cringe!) but I have been experiencing some pregnancy cravings. Lucky for Rich they haven't struck in the middle of the night. Sleep and food are high on my list but put them together and sleep usually wins.
With my first pregnancy I had really strange cravings. I'm not talking pickles and ice cream though. No, I craved textures and sensations. Weird, right? I remember begging my friend to go buy me a Sprite because all they had in the vending machine was water and caffeinated drinks and I wanted something with carbonation. I also craved raw vegetables and ranch because I liked the crunch. If I had specific food cravings I don't remember them. This was probably in part to the fact that I was pretty well fed during my pregnancy. I was working in a medical office and the drug reps would cater lunch every Tuesday and Thursday. So I was eatin' good in the neighborhood!
This pregnancy I don't have that luxury *sad face*.
Just the other day I wanted salami. But not the packaged kind. No, I wanted the REAL salami (whatever that means). You know, the stick of salami in the intestine wrapping with the white mold on the outside. Wow, that doesn't sound very appealing, but it tastes awesome. So, I went to the store and bought some. Some cravings are just that easy to fulfill. Some, however, are not.
If you've ever lived in, near, or visited Tucson, Arizona then you surely know about Eegee's. If you don't, then you have not lived yet! I keep in touch with many of my friends from Tucson and recently there have been an awful lot of posts about Eegee's. It's basically a sub place, that also has hot dogs, fries (smothered in various toppings), pretzels (also smothered), and other random goodness. But this is not what they are famous for. Eegee's is famous for eegees. What in the world is that, you ask? Amazing, frozen, fruity, yummy goodness that's what that is. Oh, it's to die for. Especially on a hot Arizona day. Hell, I'd take an eegee on the coldest day here in Colorado if it meant I got to taste it's awesomeness!
So, if anyone is kind enough to send me some Eegee's I will be greatly appreciative (and so will my unborn child).
Thursday, November 15, 2012
13 Weeks
Yay! 13 weeks! This is the last official week of the first trimester.
Today we went to a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist for our first trimester screening. This is a test for chromosomal disorders. I don't have any reason to be worried but I like to have the test done because I feel if there were to be something wrong I'd want to prepare myself as best I can.
So we got an ultrasound for about an hour (holy moly!) we got to see the baby in every which way, and almost every part possible. We saw the brain, the heart, veins, kidneys, spine, fingers, toes, etc. The only thing we did not see was the gender. We will all have to wait to find out until around Christmas!
Towards the end of the scan they measured the length of the baby which tells us how far along I am. The doctor came in to tell us that I am farther along than we thought and unfortunately I am too far along to do the test. However, we shouldn't be concerned because the baby looks beautiful and there are no indicators that anything is out of the ordinary.
Although I'm farther along than previously estimated they are not changing my due date, at least not right now. So May 20, 2013 is still our date. The baby looked great and healthy and was wiggling like crazy. He or she even got the hiccups towards the end.
Today we went to a Maternal Fetal Medicine specialist for our first trimester screening. This is a test for chromosomal disorders. I don't have any reason to be worried but I like to have the test done because I feel if there were to be something wrong I'd want to prepare myself as best I can.
So we got an ultrasound for about an hour (holy moly!) we got to see the baby in every which way, and almost every part possible. We saw the brain, the heart, veins, kidneys, spine, fingers, toes, etc. The only thing we did not see was the gender. We will all have to wait to find out until around Christmas!
Towards the end of the scan they measured the length of the baby which tells us how far along I am. The doctor came in to tell us that I am farther along than we thought and unfortunately I am too far along to do the test. However, we shouldn't be concerned because the baby looks beautiful and there are no indicators that anything is out of the ordinary.
Although I'm farther along than previously estimated they are not changing my due date, at least not right now. So May 20, 2013 is still our date. The baby looked great and healthy and was wiggling like crazy. He or she even got the hiccups towards the end.
Here's our beautiful baby. We think he or she might be sucking their thumb!
Thursday, November 8, 2012
12 weeks
The cat is out of the bag! We've officially made the announcement that we're pregnant so everyone knows! It's relieving to not have to keep this secret anymore. Telling Braedan was interesting. He was excited until he asked, "How many more minutes until the baby gets here?" and I had to tell him that it takes a very long time for babies to grow in their mommy's tummies. He lost interest at that point. Luckily he's too curious for his own good and came back with a ton of questions the next day. So far we've avoided the dreaded "Where do babies come from?"
Sorry we haven't posted belly pictures yet. Life has been pretty busy. With school and my new job Rich and I have hardly been at home together long enough to take one! But I promise they will come soon!
The exciting news is that I feel like I actually have a belly to take a picture of. My jeans have been getting tighter and tighter by the day. I was even forced to shop for maternity shirts the other day because my regular shirts are sadly too short to cover my lame hair tie around the pants button trick.
I've also noticed a bit of swelling in my hands at night and in the morning. Not to the point where I have to remove my wedding ring, but enough that it takes a minute to get it off.
In conclusion to my 12 week update I'll let you all know that we saw the midwife on Tuesday and everything looks good. We even got to hear the little bean's heartbeat on the doppler! Next week we get an ultrasound so there will be good pictures of baby!
Here's our 12 week photo! Rich was in a hurry to get to work and Braedan wasn't interested in holding the chalkboard this time, so it's not great, but it's documentation! 3 weeks sure changes a lot!
Sorry we haven't posted belly pictures yet. Life has been pretty busy. With school and my new job Rich and I have hardly been at home together long enough to take one! But I promise they will come soon!
The exciting news is that I feel like I actually have a belly to take a picture of. My jeans have been getting tighter and tighter by the day. I was even forced to shop for maternity shirts the other day because my regular shirts are sadly too short to cover my lame hair tie around the pants button trick.
I've also noticed a bit of swelling in my hands at night and in the morning. Not to the point where I have to remove my wedding ring, but enough that it takes a minute to get it off.
In conclusion to my 12 week update I'll let you all know that we saw the midwife on Tuesday and everything looks good. We even got to hear the little bean's heartbeat on the doppler! Next week we get an ultrasound so there will be good pictures of baby!
Here's our 12 week photo! Rich was in a hurry to get to work and Braedan wasn't interested in holding the chalkboard this time, so it's not great, but it's documentation! 3 weeks sure changes a lot!
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
10 Weeks
Well, I think we're far enough along now that I can start giving weekly updates. I don't have my 10 week "bump" picture yet but I'll update with that as soon as we take one! For now I'll update everyone on what's happened since my last post (I know it's been a while).
Two weeks ago, at 8 weeks we had our first ultrasound. Let me tell you, even having already had a child, it is still something to see that tiny little human inside you. Being that I was only 8 weeks at the time there wasn't a whole lot to see, but there's definitely a baby in there. JUST ONE BABY. My mom was convinced, for some reason, that I was having twins. Ha!
Rich and I told my parents that we were expecting pretty early on. I think I was about 4 weeks. My mom is my best friend so I just couldn't help but tell her the news. That, and they were the only family that knew we were trying. To our surprise Rich's mom flew into town last minute last weekend to visit. We were going to wait to tell his family until we made the "big announcement" at 12 weeks, but since she was here in person we couldn't resist. We went out to dinner with his mom and two of his sisters. I told his mom I had something for her and handed her the ultrasound picture. She looked at it for a minute and then said, "Really!?" To my surprise I heard "I knew it!" from Rich's sister, Liz. Apparently a psychic friend of hers told her back in August that someone in her family was pregnant or would be soon, and they had a feeling it was her brother. Well, way to blow our surprise psychic dude.
And that's about all there is, news wise. I'll update soon with our 10 week picture!
Two weeks ago, at 8 weeks we had our first ultrasound. Let me tell you, even having already had a child, it is still something to see that tiny little human inside you. Being that I was only 8 weeks at the time there wasn't a whole lot to see, but there's definitely a baby in there. JUST ONE BABY. My mom was convinced, for some reason, that I was having twins. Ha!
Rich and I told my parents that we were expecting pretty early on. I think I was about 4 weeks. My mom is my best friend so I just couldn't help but tell her the news. That, and they were the only family that knew we were trying. To our surprise Rich's mom flew into town last minute last weekend to visit. We were going to wait to tell his family until we made the "big announcement" at 12 weeks, but since she was here in person we couldn't resist. We went out to dinner with his mom and two of his sisters. I told his mom I had something for her and handed her the ultrasound picture. She looked at it for a minute and then said, "Really!?" To my surprise I heard "I knew it!" from Rich's sister, Liz. Apparently a psychic friend of hers told her back in August that someone in her family was pregnant or would be soon, and they had a feeling it was her brother. Well, way to blow our surprise psychic dude.
And that's about all there is, news wise. I'll update soon with our 10 week picture!
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
First Prenatal Appointment
So today was our first prenatal appointment. After searching for the building, and then getting lost in the building, we finally found the midwife office and checked in. There was a lot of paperwork to fill out, but we managed. Then we were called back to meet our midwife.
Her name is Tiffini and she is really great. A friend of mine recommended her and I'm so glad she did. She made me feel very comfortable and at ease, which is really important for someone who's going to be hovering around your nether regions for the next 8 months.
In my last post I explained how my last birth experience was less than what I'd hoped for. Tiffini definitely reassured me that my decision to go with a midwife was the right choice to make. We talked a little bit about my last pregnancy and birth, and then she did the exam. According to her everything looks good. We got a few pregnancy information booklets and Tiffini gave us a cute little calendar that has stickers for all of the pregnancy milestones.
We set up an ultrasound appointment for next month to see exactly how far along I am and if the baby is growing properly.
Her name is Tiffini and she is really great. A friend of mine recommended her and I'm so glad she did. She made me feel very comfortable and at ease, which is really important for someone who's going to be hovering around your nether regions for the next 8 months.
In my last post I explained how my last birth experience was less than what I'd hoped for. Tiffini definitely reassured me that my decision to go with a midwife was the right choice to make. We talked a little bit about my last pregnancy and birth, and then she did the exam. According to her everything looks good. We got a few pregnancy information booklets and Tiffini gave us a cute little calendar that has stickers for all of the pregnancy milestones.
We set up an ultrasound appointment for next month to see exactly how far along I am and if the baby is growing properly.
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