30 Weeks

How far along? 30 weeks

Total Weight Gain? 16 lbs

Symptoms? Heartburn still tops the list.

Stretch Marks? Lots, unfortunately. I have about 8 small ones on my stomach, but my hips and thighs are covered. It's slightly ridiculous.

Sleep? Very not good. I'm awake all the time, and not comfortable when I am able to sleep.

Best Moment Last Week? Coming home to a painted nursery! My mom, stepdad, and brother did an amazing job painting the nursery, putting the crib together, and getting furniture in the room. It's exciting!

Movement? More and more. She still moves the most when I'm laying down. Sometimes she keeps me awake, but not too often.

Food Cravings? No, and I'm kind of surprised by that. Other than dairy products, I really haven't craved anything.

What I miss? Being able to bend over comfortably, and stand up comfortably. Oh, and being able to walk faster than a sloth without losing my breath. Oh, and being able to say more than three sentences without losing my breath.

What I am looking forward to? Honestly, I've hit that point where every other thought in my head is "Oh my God, we only have 10 weeks left!" That's not very much. I'm suddenly trying not to look forward at all. At least, not more than 20 minutes or so...

Milestones? 30 Weeks!

How is Daddy? He's good. He put his hand on my stomach yesterday morning when I was trying to go back to sleep. I did, but Cate apparently kicked him for a while. He also put together the stroller he is super proud of.

I realize this is TMI...(Updated)

...so it's perfectly ok if you skip this post altogether. But...

I apparently have a hemorrhoid. Apparently common during pregnancy, especially if you sit for long periods of time (9 1/2 hour trip to Kansas and back?). Also common if you suffer from constipation. However, what is not common is rectal (hate that word) bleeding from one. So the bleeding that started at noon today and has not yet stopped six hours later is not a normal side effect of a hemorrhoid. But, of course I waited six hours to look it up instead of looking it up immediately and having time to call my doctor. Now I have to wait until tomorrow to call her. And, of course, now I'm in pain AND nervous, as opposed to just being in pain.

Note: I am sure it is rectal bleeding, which is I why I waited so long. I didn't think it was that big a deal. Apparently though, any bleeding, rectal or otherwise, is during pregnancy. 14 hours is a long time to wait....

UPDATE: Called the doctor today. It took them 2 hours to call me back, which made me think it wasn't that serious anyway. And it wasn't. The nurse said that since I didn't feel any pain before the bleeding started, I probably just tore something (lovely, right?) and to let Dr. P know next week if it happens again. If Cate's kicks were anything to go by, it certainly didn't seem to bother her one bit!

29 Weeks

How far along? 29 Weeks

Total Weight Gain? No idea, since I'm no where near a scale.

Symptoms? Heartburn and back aches (sounds like a country song)

Stretch Marks? I have a bunch of small ones starting on my stomach. They're maybe as long as my fingernail is wide. They don't bother me as much though. I just keep telling myself they're signs Cate is growing.

Sleep? Awake constantly. Wake up to turn over. Wake up to pee. Wake up again for no reason. And to add to that, we're in Kansas right now, and it takes an act of Congress for me to manage to get out of bed in the middle of the night, since I sleep sandwiched between the wall and Jeff. I'm sure calamity is coming, but so far I've avoided it.

Best Moment Last Week? Feeling her move. I can't get enough of it!

Movement? The past few days, her movement has really increased! She still moves the most when I'm laying down. She kicked so hard yesterday she actually managed to wake me up from my nap.

Food Cravings? Milk.

What I miss? My balance. Being able to put pants on without falling over. Being able to reach things on the floor. Being able to get off the couch without help. ha ha. Yeah, I'm leaving those, but adding being able to put on my socks without losing my breath.

What I am looking forward to? Our next appointment. We've officially hit the point where we go every 2 weeks instead of every month. Yay!

Milestones? Made it all the way to Kansas in the car. That is a milestone!

How is Daddy? Cate finally kicked him a few times in a row, hard enough that I didn't have to ask him if he felt it. He was super excited!

I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I managed to get a few minutes on a computer today, but I'm pretty sure that won't happen again for at least a week. You are all in my thoughts!

Update, and video of Cate

Appointment went great today. Dr. P was only going to measure my stomach and listen to the heart rate when I asked her when our next ultrasound would be. She decided to measure my stomach and then tell me. Apparently, your stomach is supposed to grow about a cm a week. So, mine should have measured 28 cm, but since it measured 31.5 (holy crap!), she squeezed me in for a growth scan!

I am 28 weeks and 4 days, Cate is measuring 29 weeks and 2 days. She weighs 2.63 pounds already. We got the sonogram recorded and that's what the video below is. The first part is her measuring fluid and limbs, then you get to see her face! (Or you can skip it altogether. I won't be offended.) The green letters look kinda like they say MALE, but the sonographer checked, and she's still a girl.

In Which I'm All Over the Place

Had a lovely weekend. I got to spend Saturday doing Christmas with my dad's side of the family and really enjoyed seeing them, even though I wasn't allowed to hug my cousin's five-year old, H, since she was recovering from the flu. Poor girl. We all got a good laugh though. She knows that, as the youngest, she gets to open presents first, but that that will change when Cate arrives. Well, Cate got presents this year, and the look on H's face when it was suggested that Cate go first this year was priceless.

My mom, stepdad, brother, husband and I celebrated together yesterday by going to the Dallas Museum of Art to see the Mourners. (I realize that just sounds weird, but it was really cool.) We spend a couple hours wandering around the museum before eating lunch and heading back to the house for presents.

Jeff and I got a new (300 lb) entertainment center. We are super excited because it's tall enough that we don't have to worry about Cate being able to pull the TV on top of her, and because it's too tall for Dobby to try biting things on the screen. Yay!

Did some last minute Christmas shopping today, after waiting 2 hours for an oil change. Finished some little details on the gifts I made for folks in Kansas, now all I have to do is wrap them all!

I am excited about my doctor appointment tomorrow. I'm praying they let us see her, not just hear the heartbeat. Surely, since we've hit 3rd trimester, they will. I also plan on asking the doctor some really random pregnancy-related questions. If I can remember them. (Like, for the past 2+ weeks, the blood has been pounding my left ear, almost nonstop. Why?)

Jeff and I have been arguing (not really....discussing, more like) about Cheetoes. I believe they are chips. He says they aren't. I say they're smack dab in the middle of the corn chips on the chip aisle, that makes them chips. He says they're not chip-shaped, therefore not chips.

I think he's on crack. What do you think?

28 Weeks

How far along? 28 Weeks

Total Weight Gain? 15 lbs

Symptoms? Heartburn still tops the list. Are mood swings caused by pregnancy? If not, can I still blame them on it?

Stretch Marks? I have a bunch of small ones starting on my stomach. They're maybe as long as my fingernail is wide. They don't bother me as much though. I just keep telling myself they're signs Cate is growing.

Sleep? Awake constantly. Wake up to turn over. Wake up to pee. Wake up again for no reason. Must be God's way of training.

Best Moment Last Week? Feeling her move. I can't get enough of it!

Movement? Usually when I lay down to sleep, but more during the day when I'm up moving around.

Food Cravings? Just the milk, which I think is more for the heartburn.

What I miss? My balance. Being able to put pants on without falling over. Being able to reach things on the floor. Being able to get off the couch without help. ha ha. Yeah, I'm leaving those, but adding being able to put on my socks without losing my breath.

What I am looking forward to? Our appointment right before Christmas. We should get an ultrasound again!

Milestones? 28 weeks is a milestone. And to think I made it all this way without killing any fourth graders!

How is Daddy? He offered to help me put my socks on this morning, but I'm pretty sure he was laughing at me on the inside.

27 Weeks

How far along? 27 Weeks

Total Weight Gain? Actually forgot to weigh myself this morning. First Friday since I found out I was pregnant...Oops.

Symptoms? Heartburn still tops the list. It woke me up twice this week. Not sure of any others...

Stretch Marks? I have a bunch of small ones starting on my stomach. They're maybe as long as my fingernail is wide. They don't bother me as much though. I just keep telling myself they're signs Cate is growing.

Sleep? Awake constantly. Wake up to turn over. Wake up to pee. Wake up again for no reason. Must be God's way of training.

Best Moment Last Week? Jeff bringing home a teddy bear for Cate. (This would be a lot sweeter if you understood how important my first teddy bear is to me.)

Movement? I'm finally feeling her when I'm up and moving around, not just when I'm relaxing. She kicked all through recess today, and she's kicking now! :)

Food Cravings? Just the milk, which I think is more for the heartburn.

What I miss? My balance. Being able to put pants on without falling over. Being able to reach things on the floor. Being able to get off the couch without help. ha ha. Yeah, I'm leaving those, but adding being able to put on my socks without losing my breath.

What I am looking forward to? Our appointment right before Christmas. We should get an ultrasound again!

Milestones? Dare I say it? Third Trimester!!! Can't believe it's here already!

How is Daddy? Getting more excited, I think. I mean, he bought her a teddy bear this week!

Things that should happen magically...

And something that should be illegal.

Something that should happen magically: dogs should come trained. Really. Everyone teaches their dogs the same basic things: sit, stay, don't pee inside, don't destroy my belongings. I woke up from my nap today to discover that Kreacher had pulled a cushion off the couch and chewed a great big hole in it. There was stuffing everywhere. I am slowly coming to accept that, as they are, these 3 dogs will make having a baby in the house hell. We are meeting with a dog trainer next month who can hopefully help us with all of them. At the moment, I don't want any of them by the time Cate gets here. (I know that's mostly hormones talking. I love them all, but they make me so angry.) And really, if I can't leave a COUCH CUSHION unattended, what will happen to Cate's toys?

Something that should be illegal: Telling expectant mothers just how horrible life is going to be after the baby is born. I love my 4th grade team, I really do, but at our team Christmas party yesterday, I was bombarded with how I'll never sleep again, I'll never have any time to myself again, I'll never be able to do anything I want to, I'll never get to go out to eat or shopping, or to the movies, or ANYTHING EVER AGAIN. A baby apparently ruins your life, I just didn't know it.

Yes, I know my life will be completely changed. Yes, I realize that I have no idea how much. But really? According to them, there is nothing about having children, except when the babies occasionally smile. Gee, thanks.

Something that should happen magically: All horror stories about pregnancy and birth should be magically erased from an expectant mother's head or blocked from ever reaching in the first place. I swear, I stumble across a new one every day. The birth stories don't bother me too much yet, I'm remarkably good at avoiding what I don't want to deal with, but all the stories I've read and heard of pregnancy loss are driving me crazy. I was freaking out earlier today because I actually felt Cate move during the day while I was up and around Tuesday and Wednesday, but not today. My mind automatically jumps to the worst possible conclusion, even when I know that things were so crazy today, I probably wouldn't have noticed an alien popping out of my chest. I didn't feel her when I laid down for my nap either, but that could have been because I was asleep before my head hit the pillow. If no miscarriage stories had ever hit my ears, I wouldn't be worried. I'd be logical and calm.

Right.

26 Weeks (Belly pic at the end!)

On Wednesday, I decided to use a leave early pass and go home to rest. As I was walking through the office, I bumped into one of the parents I had my first year of teaching. She and I got along really well when her son was in my class, and she was thrilled to see I was pregnant. One of the first things she said, though, was that the baby was going to have the curliest hair ever. I just smiled and said I hoped so. It makes me sad though, to think that if she does have straight hair, I will feel like I have to justify it every time someone asks "Oh, where did that straight hair come from?" I do have the curliest hair in my family, my mom's is wavy and my brother's is straight, so there would genetically be a chance of straight hair anyway, but when you look at my hair and Jeff's, you wouldn't expect it. But I'm irritated at all the well-meaning people over the next few years who will make a comment about Cate's hair, whether straight or curly.


How far along? 26 Weeks

Total Weight Gain? 14 lbs.

Symptoms? The heartburn is still pretty unpleasant. I haven't asked the doc for meds yet, since I'll do just about anything to avoid having to swallow a pill. Thankfully, milk seems to do the trick. A lot of milk... :)

Stretch Marks? One on the stomach. It doesn't bother me as much as it did when I first saw it though.

Sleep? Pretty rotten. Still having to wake up every time I want to turn over, and the doc said I can't use my electric blanket this year, so I'm also freezing every time I want to change positions. And, I wake up singing songs. This is pretty normal for me in the mornings, but in the middle of the night when I wake up to pee, it kind of stinks to be singing a song that I hate while I'm trying to go back to sleep. (Last night it was "Run Run Rudolph." Can't stand that song.)

Best Moment Last Week? All my co-workers' jaws dropping when they saw how much I grew in one week.

Movement? Yes. Usually when I lay down to sleep. Sometimes I feel her at school during class, but I'm usually moving around too much to.

Food Cravings? Just the milk, which I think is more for the heartburn.

What I miss? My balance. Being able to put pants on without falling over. Being able to reach things on the floor. Being able to get off the couch without help...Need I go on? :)

What I am looking forward to? Our appointment right before Christmas. We should get an ultrasound again!

Milestones? Nothing super major! Unless you count my quickly disappearing belly button. The top half is flat. It's weird...

How is Daddy? I think he's starting to get scared. He's ok when he thinks in terms of how many days are left, but when I pointed out it's only 3 months and 1 week, he got a bit nervous.

Promised Picture:

Things to say...

I have a confession...

I know I have been a terrible blogger.

Practically every post I've made since July has been the weekly pregnancy update.

Or me waxing poetic about the joys of green dip.

I feel guilty for this. One, because I know how much I hated reading only pregnancy-related posts when I wasn't pregnant, and two, because to everyone but me and probably my mom, those posts are pointless.

I mean, do you really care how many stretch marks I have? I thought not.

I seem to have come down with a horrible case of postiphobia. ( I actually did not make that word up. I just googled it to see if it was a real phobia before I made a fool of myself, and it turns out other people use the word too.)

I am afraid of writing what I truly want to write.

"Why?" you may ask.

Because I don't want to seem ungrateful.

I'm afraid to write about my back aching, my stomach stretching, my lack of quality sleep.

I'm afraid to write about my complete, total, and utter lack of a s.e.x. drive. ( I feel like finding a hooker for my husband might be justified...)

I'm afraid to write about the fears that constantly plague me about having a child that is genetically half-stranger. (What if she looks absolutely nothing like me? What if she has straight hair?)

I'm afraid to write the fears that come with having a husband who did not father our baby. (What if he really can't connect to her? What if he gives up trying?)

I'm afraid to write anything that will make me seem ungrateful. Because I'm not. I thank God every time her kicks wake me up when I'm dozing off, every time I don't sleep through the night, every time I run out of breath walking down the hall to the bathroom.

I am grateful. But I am also afraid.

25 Weeks

How far along? 25 Weeks

Total Weight Gain? 13 lbs.

Symptoms? The heartburn is still pretty unpleasant

Stretch Marks? One.

Sleep? Bout the same. I wake up a lot, and get up at least once a night.

Best Moment Last Week? My little brother giving thanks for Cate during the prayer on Thanksgiving.

Movement? Yup. I can't get enough. Mostly, she moves around when I'm still for a while, so I don't feel her all the time. Love it when I do though.

Food Cravings? Not so much, other than the milk. The green dip was fantastic though!

What I miss? My balance.

What I am looking forward to? Working on the nursery.

Milestones? We're eggplant sized this week! Holy cow!

How is Daddy? He's gotten to feel Cate a couple times this week, he was pretty excited. He was a little worried that she stopped every time he tried to feel her. I told him it was probably just the weight of his hand, but I think he was concerned. :)

24 Weeks

How far along? 24 Weeks

Total Weight Gain? 12 lbs.

Symptoms? The heartburn is still pretty unpleasant.

Stretch Marks? Just the one new one. I'm not sure why it's freaking me out like it is, but it is.

Sleep? Still not good. I have to wake up every single time I need to change positions, and I've been sleeping entirely on my side, which is not that comfortable.

Best Moment Last Week? I don't have one that sticks out. Every moment that it re-dawns on me I'm pregnant is a great moment.

Movement? Yes. :) It makes me so happy to feel her and actually know it's her. I don't notice the movement unless I'm sitting still and quiet, but it seems like every time I'm still and quiet, I fall asleep. That could be the problem.

Food Cravings? Milk. I am super excited though. My mom offered to stop at the nearest Casa Ole (the one two hours away) on her way back from her trip this weekend and get me some green dip!!

What I miss? I can't seem to put my pants on this week without falling over. I'm guessing that's just going to get worse.

What I am looking forward to? More movement, as usual. And painting the nursery!

Milestones? We hit viability this week. Although it's a terrifying thought, it's good to know she has a fighting chance if something happened.

How is Daddy?I'm not sure, since he's on the other side of the state. I'm going to assume though that he's bummed not to be here rubbing my belly.

Little Bits

I am wearing my new feetie pajamas from tar.get. They have little penguins for feet, and they are fuzzy and comfortable and WARM. I luv feeties, and was super excited to see adult sizes at the store, since my old ones don't fit this year.

I am muy jealous of everyone hanging out in the cold in line for the midnight showing of the new HP. I so badly wanted to go, but I have my big meeting w/my principal tomorrow, and it's field day for the kids. Plus, Jeff is out of town, and this would have been the first midnight showing without him. So, I'm waiting till Monday when we can go see it together. I so hope no one spoils the ending for me though. (I've read the books, and know how it ultimately ends, but I don't know where they're stopping this movie.)

In class today, we watched "The Hoboken Chicken Emergency". If you've never seen it, go look it up. It is so cheesy and lame, but the kids love it.

Did I mention my new feeties have pockets? So cool!

I am soooo excited Christmas is almost here! I love the few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. I love it all: the songs, the shopping for presents, the colors, the decorations... I can't get enough. My classroom is already decorated, and the house will be as soon as Thanksgiving is over! I have my shopping list all written out for almost everyone. I absolutely love going Christmas shopping! Only one more day of school and I can begin in earnest!

One Year Ago Today

Exactly one year ago today, I was pretty much doing exactly what I'm doing now:

Sitting in front of the computer, reading infertility blogs with the dogs at my feet.

Jumping at every little noise, because Jeff is out of town till Sunday.

Typing a blog entry.

Freezing because we haven't turned the heater on yet.

Listening to Pandora.

In pain.

What's different?

Well, there's three dogs instead of two...

I'm still cold, because the heater's off.

Still listening to the same station on Pandora.

Still in the same uncomfortable wooden computer chair.

Still in pain...

But this year, I'll gladly sit in pain and deal with the aching back and heartburn. Because this year, I'm where I never thought I'd be last year.

In fact, last year's me can hardly believe it.

Last year, I wasn't sure I'd ever be a mom.

This year, I am 23 weeks and 6 days pregnant.

Last year, I was hurting, shocked, and scared. Our azoo diagnosis had hit me like a ton of bricks.

Last year, it was a struggle to make it through each day without bawling.

This year, it's still a struggle to make it through each day without crying, but I think that's the hormones.

This year, I'm still scared. But I'm scared for much better reasons.

Was it an easy year? No.
Did things turn out perfect? No.
Am I damn thankful to be where I am now? You bet.

Thanks for being here for me. I can't put in to words what that means to me.

23 Weeks

How far along? 23 Weeks, 1 day

Total Weight Gain? 10lbs.

Symptoms? H E A R T B U R N !!!!!!!!! Seriously, the only thing I can ingest that doesn't give me heartburn is milk. It is constant and painful.

Stretch Marks? Ugh. Can I skip this question this week? Jeff found me in the bathroom this morning right after I'd gotten out of the shower, staring at my belly in the mirror. He thought I was just amazed at how big I am, but no. I was staring at the mile long stretch mark that has popped up next to my slowly-disappearing belly button. (Ok. Jeff says it's less than an inch, but I swear the folks on the international space station can see it!) I guess it came with the crazy itchy belly this week. Lotion, here I come!

Sleep? Horrible. I wake up 4 or 5 times a night. Still not sure why. I'm thinking maybe Cate kicks me and wakes me up, but I don't know.

Best Moment Last Week? Hearing her heartbeat again, and knowing my doctor's office will humor me, even if they think I'm crazy!

Movement? Still not really feeling anything, but I'm not as worried.

Food Cravings? Milk. Lots of it. I think Jeff and I (mostly me) have gone through about 6 gallons in the last two weeks.

What I miss? Being able to bend over and pick something up off the floor easily.

What I am looking forward to? More movement, as usual. And painting the nursery!

Milestones? Movement!

How is Daddy? Excited. We went to see a movie last night at St.udio Mov.ie Gr.ill ( a theater that serves full meals and drinks) which is where I worked while I did my student teaching. He told everyone there I used to work with that I'm pregnant. Although, I'm thinking they could figure that one out on their own now!

Chill Pill, anyone?

I took an unexpected trip to the doctor yesterday.

Nothing's wrong. Everything's fine.

Mostly, (ok, entirely), it was me being paranoid.

I've been nervous for a while now, because I wasn't feeling Cate move. Well, yesterday made it 9 days since I'd last felt movement. Once I hit that number, I freaked. So I called the dr. and left a message at the nurses station. Thankfully, the office is full of wonderful people and I was called back in less than 15 minutes.

I fully expected a reprimand for being silly and paranoid, which probably would have calmed me down. Instead, they decided to have me come in that afternoon so I could hear the heartbeat and calm down.

I am extremely grateful they had me come in, but I admit it scared the poo out of me that they didn't think I was just being silly.

Long story short, Cate's just fine. I heard beautiful 148 BPM. The nurse practitioner said she's probably got herself turned around so her butt is facing outwards. She said if that's the case, I won't feel anything for a while.

Lesson learned: Stop freaking out. I have a perfectly healthy little girl in there who's just fine. Chill.

22 Weeks

How far along? 22 Weeks

Total Weight Gain? 8lbs.

Symptoms? alllleeeerrrrggggiiiiieeeesssss. Does that cover it, or should I throw in a tissue? Seriously, I can't make it five minutes without sneezing or coughing, both of which cause me to wet my pants.

Stretch Marks? Still just the two.

Sleep? Actually been sleeping through the night.

Best Moment Last Week? Picking out fabric for the nursery!

Movement? A bit. I'll admit I'm nervous, because I still don't feel anything strong or regular. I do feel the weird fluttery feeling right below my boobs every time I slouch, but I also know she can't possibly be up that high.

Food Cravings? I would still like some green dip, but I guess I can wait.

What I miss? Being able to bend over and pick something up off the floor easily. Today, my students laughed at me when I called one of them over during a test just to pick up a basket for me.

What I am looking forward to? Feeling her move more. It would ease my mind.

Milestones? Movement!

How is Daddy? Slightly overwhelmed, I think. I started rattling off all the stuff that still needs done, and he looked a little dazed!

No importante...

Nothing important to say, but...

I woke up yesterday with a crazy intense craving for green dip from Casa Ole. If you've never heard of or been to Casa Ole, you're missing out. It's pretty good Tex-Mex, but the real reason I go is for the green dip. They bring it out with the chips and salsa. It's basically guacamole (which I hate!) blended with sour cream. It's always served cold, and it's so creamy and spicy...mmmmmmmm! Unfortunately, the nearest CO is 2+ hours away. (I can't understand how there's not a single CO in the entire DFW area!) I tried making my own this evening, with a recipe I found online. I've never bought an avocado in my life, much less tried to peel and mash one. It was...interesting. However, my green dip is made and sitting in the fridge to "chill." Hopefully it'll be cold enough to taste before I go to bed.

I went to Canton this weekend with my mom and Jeff. (For those of you who don't know, Canton is a town that is taken over one weekend a month with the biggest craft fair/flea market in the state.) We found the PERFECT fabric for Cate's nursery. My mom is making all the bedding (cause she rules!) and now we have fabric! I was so excited, and still am. I also managed to buy Cate a headband in almost every color, plus a hat. This kid's going to have more than she can wear in a lifetime!

I think Cate likes to shop. She kicked the whole time we were at Canton. I really couldn't feel definite kicks and such until Thursday or Friday, so for her to do that all weekend was totally awesome. Admittedly, my back is killing me, because she kicks painfully every time I slouch even the tiniest bit, but it is so cool.

I have been absolutely terrible about commenting, and for that I'm sorry. I swear I'm reading, and I send you good thoughts in my head. You wonderful ladies are never far from my thoughts!

21 Weeks

How far along? 21 Weeks, 1 day

Total Weight Gain? 7lbs.

Symptoms? who knows? I think I've forgotten what was like before symptoms.

Stretch Marks? Still just the two.

Sleep? wake up a lot, and the very vivid dreams have returned. Last night, I had a super-detailed dream about working at Bur.ger Ki.ng. Since I was thrilled to leave there after my 2+ year stint as a manager, I was not happy dreaming about it.

Best Moment Last Week? See next question

Movement? Yes! It's really started the last couple days. Even Jeff has gotten to feel her twice. She literally kicks me in the boobs every time I lean forward.

Food Cravings? Sugaaaarrrrrrr.

What I miss? Being able to lift heavy stuff myself. I feel like a bum when I have to have someone else do it for me. Being able to slouch.

What I am looking forward to? Feeling her move more. It's amazing.

Milestones? Movement!

How is Daddy? He was so excited to feel her move!

Halfway and Hundred

How far along? 20 Weeks, 1 day

Total Weight Gain? 7lbs.

Symptoms? who knows? I think I've forgotten what was like before symptoms.

Stretch Marks? Still just the two.

Sleep? Wake up a lot, to turn over, but it's ok.

Best Moment Last Week? Getting to tell everyone we're having a girl.

Movement? I think so. It feels like my belly is never still, but there are a couple places where I am consistently having twitches, so I think it's her.

Food Cravings? Major sugar. Cake, preferably.

What I miss? Being able to lift heavy stuff myself. I feel like a bum when I have to have someone else do it for me.

What I am looking forward to? Feeling definite movement!

Milestones? We're halfway!!!!!

How is Daddy? Awesome, as usual. He's still having a hard time calling the baby a "her" or "she" though.

This is my 100th post! I can't believe it. I thought about going back and reading through my 100 posts, but I figure maybe I should just leave it be. I would never have guessed that at 100, I'd be 20 weeks pregnant, so I'll just take that and be grateful.

Some of you asked last week if we had a name for her picked out. We've had names for years! We will be calling our daughter Catherin Vaughn. Catherin (without the "e" on the end) has been in the family since the 1740's. All us girls are named Catherin. And we picked Vaughn cause it sounds really cool with our last name. :) But I plan on calling her Cate.

Please, pardon me.

I need to go on a bit of a rant. My normal red-head temper combined with pregnancy hormones turns out to be a volatile combination.

A few of the fourth grade teachers decided to order lunch today from Domino's. There were only three of us, and we all ordered sandwiches. We've ordered from them a dozen times over the last few years and always use the same online account, since we always order the same thing.

Well, we put our order in at noon. Our lunch and recess hour is from 12:30-1:30. The food finally arrived at 1:21. Somehow, the address we entered online 2 years ago had gotten changed from 4600 to 4200, so they took the food to a house instead of the school. While annoying, this wasn't what made me so angry.

What really pissed me off was the delivery guy, who walked in the office and handed me the receipt without a word. Not even a "Sorry about the confusion" or anything. So I said to him " you know, we ordered this an hour and a half ago". I looked at me and said "It's not my fault. You gave us the wrong address." I told him that I didn't understand how that was possible, since we've been using the same account to order for 2 years, and we've never had a problem before. All he did was shrug and say it wasn't his fault.

I was so angry I was shaking. So, after school, I called his manager to complain about his rudeness. The manager proceeds to tell me "Well, he said you were rude to him first."

Excuse me?

Did I hear that right?

I, the customer, was rude to the delivery guy, so that gives him the right to be rude back? Uhhh, no. I don't think so.

I didn't think I was rude. I was frustrated, and his rudeness definitely did not help that, but I certainly don't think I started out rude.

I told the manager this, and that even if I had been rude, professionalism demands that he should not have been rude back. I worked in fast food and as a server long enough to know that. And I usually go out of my way to be polite. But this just sent me over the edge.

Now I'm debating whether to call the general manager of the store and talk to him about the conduct of both the delivery guy and the manager. And I'm still angry.

And my Rangers just lost.

Anyone drinking tonight? Have one for me please. I could use it.

19 Weeks! and Giveaway winner!!

These pregnancy hormones are killing me. I'm re-reading (for like, the 12th time) Anne of the Island, an Anne of Green Gables book. I have the thing memorized. I know what's going to happen. And still, I was in tears when she turned down Gilbert's proposal, and am now all bummed out. I might have to spend the day finishing the book so I feel better.

How far along? 19 Weeks, 2 Days

Total Weight Gain? 7lbs.

Symptoms? I had to laugh at myself this week. I sneezed and peed at school. I had to get Jeff to take me to the store and buy a dry pair of undies so I could go to the school Sock Hop. I'm definitely blaming that on the baby.

Stretch Marks? Still just the two.

Sleep? Wake up a lot, to turn over, but it's ok.

Best Moment Last Week? Finding out it's a girl!

Movement? No idea.

Food Cravings? Major sugar. And right now, I'd reallly like chips and salsa.

What I miss? I so wanted a hot dog yesterday. That's not too bad though, since I don't usually eat them anyway.

What I am looking forward to? feeling movement!

Milestones? Gender Scan!

How is Daddy? I think he's a bit overwhelmed. Finding out the gender really made this more real. I think we're both having problems switching from "oh, we're having a generic, faceless, nameless baby" to "Oh, we're having a girl!" That's such a big difference.

And now, the winner of a fabulous Sumo Fortune Cookie, and two lucky fortunes is.......

......
.

.....
.....


.......
Rach from Going for It! Congrats girl!

Gender Scan

It's not a kitten....

It's not a puppy...

It's not an orangutan....

It's a....


GIRL!!!!!

A little class

I'll just warn you now that this post is rude, a bit uncaring, and a lot ungrateful. Sorry bout that.

I teach fourth grade. I love teaching fourth grade. It's my last year on probation. (All new teachers have a 3-year probationary period in my district.) I get to take an extra 6 or 7 week vacation this year to meet my baby. I have an awesome team of fourth grade teachers, a pretty cushy school, and administrators who are only crazy most of the time.

I just hate my class.

Well, that's not exactly true. As individuals, I like really really like 19 of my 21 students. One of them I could like if he could drop his attitude, and one I might be able to like if he weren't such a baby. But, as a whole, I really really don't like my class. It puts me in a bad mood just to have to walk in to the roomful of them every morning.

They NEVER stop talking. EVER. It does not matter how many times I ask, how much trouble they get in, or what incentives they get if they do actually stop. They won't shut up. Which is probably a big part of the reason I lost my voice for 3 days last week.

They are helpless. I get asked the same question every day about 10 times. Usually it's which basket to turn work in. Never mind that the baskets are color coded based on subject, and each basket is labeled. And when I tell them to figure it out on their own, they look at me like I just threatened to kill their puppy.

No one in the class can manage to put their names on their papers, or answer all the questions. This drives me batty. They are required to put their names on everything they turn in from Kindergarten on, but it's still a skill that's not there in fourth grade. And it ticks me off.

I'm getting all worked up just thinking about it. I am going to tell you about a couple of individuals though.

First off is B. B is the one with the attitude problem. Nothing is ever his fault. Usually, it's his mom's fault (according to him). We played a game in class on Friday, his team lost. While the rest of the class was telling me how much fun the game was, and could we please do it again, B pipes up and says "I thought it sucked." While listening to music in class (in theory, I have a deal with the kids that as long as they're quiet, we listen to music. If they start talking, we work in silence. You can guess how well this actually works.) The playlist I built of their favorite songs wasn't working, so I was playing a Weird Al playlist. They were talking. (Surprise!) I told them if it didn't stop, we were working in silence. B pipes up again "I'd rather work in silence than listen to this song."

He's a real jewel.

While writing report card comments last week, I realized I had nothing nice to say about T. I still don't. He acts like he's five. He whines, doesn't get along with anyone, and has no personal responsibility. He is constantly telling me "Well, I put it in my folder, but it's not there." Like it magically disappears. Every Friday, without fail, he is sick and wants to go to the nurse during our reading test. Never mind the fact that I've never let him go. Doesn't stop him a bit. And, like a five year old, he constantly (at least twice a day) wants band-aids for non-existent cuts.

I do have some awesome ones though. Like J and A, who are planning to dress up as me for Halloween. I told them they'd have the scariest costumes in the neighborhood. I have Br, M, N, and S, who are all at least a year ahead of the rest of the class in math, and are now excitedly learning pre-algebra from me. I guarantee they'll be teaching me by the end of the year. I have NA, who brings me a bag of chocolate covered pretzels anytime he brings them for himself.

I have good kids. If I could just have them 5 at a time, I think I'd be better, but I am grateful for them. Most of them anyway.

18 Weeks

How far along? 18 weeks, 1 day.

Total Weight Gain? 5lbs.

Symptoms? So, apparently I can blame my crazy bad fall allergies this year on being pregnant. So yes. Allergies.

Stretch Marks? Still just the two.

Sleep? Pretty good. I'm thinking about one of those giant body pillows, but then where will my teddy bear sleep? :) I have to get up most nights to go to the bathroom, but it's not so bad.

Best Moment Last Week? Hitting 18 weeks. That seems like so much!

Movement? No idea.

Food Cravings? I have a massive sweet tooth. It's strange, because I don't normally eat that much sugar. After being diagnosed with hypo-glycemia (severe low blood sugar) in middle school, I kind of lost my sugar cravings. They're back, with 13 years to make up for!

What I miss? Being able to think clearly. Pregnancy brain is the real deal. I seem to have lost my spelling abilities, which is driving me crazy, because misspelled words are a huge pet peeve of mine. That didn't stop me from writing "wat" instead of "what" on the board the other day. Or "are" instead of "our" in an email.

What I am looking forward to? Monday's Gender scan!! (This baby better cooperate, or he's going to be grounded as soon as he's born! :) )

Milestones? not killing anyone this week. :) Can I leave that from last week. It feels like an accomplishment again! (I had to spell again three times to get it right....and times twice!)

How is Daddy? Other than trying to show my quickly disappearing belly button to the lady at Buy.Buy.Ba.by last night, he's great. He ran me a bubble bath on Wednesday night after I complained that my whole body ached. (That's a much bigger job than it seems at our house, since our 13+ year old cat thinks the tub is her own personal poop palace.)

Last chance to enter for a giant Sumo fortune cookie! I will draw a name on Monday! All you have to do is tell me if you think it's a boy or a girl!

17 Weeks

How far along? 17 weeks, 1 day.

Total Weight Gain? 5lbs.

Symptoms? So, apparently I can blame my crazy bad fall allergies this year on being pregnant. So yes. Allergies.

Stretch Marks? Still just the two.

Sleep? Most nights, I still have to wake up to turn over. And go to the bathroom.

Best Moment Last Week? Hearing the heartbeat at the doctor.

Movement? No idea.

Food Cravings? Nope.

What I miss? Being able to breathe.

What I am looking forward to? Finding out the gender on the 11th!

Milestones? not killing anyone this week. :)

How is Daddy? Sweet. He was especially nice to me this week when my allergies all decided to drain into my lungs, leaving me coughing and hacking and not having a voice for days. He's cool like that.

Since I won't find out what I'm having till next Monday, the giveaway is still going on! You know you want a giant delicious fortune cookie!! MMMMMMM!

16 Weeks!! And my first give away!

How far along? 16 Weeks! Or, 4 months!

Total Weight Gain? 5lbs. I think either the baby is growing, or it's all the puppy chow I've been eating the last couple weeks....

Symptoms? My mom keeps telling me that I'm supposed to have lots of energy in the 2nd trimester, but I'm not seeing it yet. I have to go to the bathroom each and every time I stand up, which makes for an interesting teaching day, since I can't stand for more than 10 minutes or so without having to sit, but then every time I stand, I have to run down to the bathroom. Thank goodness I have a good class and good coworkers.

Stretch Marks? Still just the two, except on my thighs, where all the new ones are poppping up, which is still weird.

Sleep? I usually have to get up at least once to go to the bathroom, and I wake up every time I need to turn over. I'm also having problems getting comfortable, since I used to sleep on my stomach. And for some reason on Tuesday night, I clenched my right arm all night. Every time I woke up that night, my arm was asleep. I woke up Wednesday morning and my arm was so tired I could barely lift it. I felt like I'd been lifting weights all night.

Best Moment Last Week? I had 3 people ask me when I was due, without me telling them I was pregnant! Also, getting a bag full of baby clothes, and a pack and play for $45 dollars.

Movement? Not sure. I think I felt something Tuesday afternoon when I laid down for my nap, but it could've just been gas or muscle twitches...I have no clue.

Food Cravings? puppy chow and cheese. But not together. That's disgusting.

What I miss? Nothing, thanks. I'm good.

What I am looking forward to? Feeling movement and my appointment next week. I'm really really really hoping to find out what we're having.

Milestones? I made it to four months!

How is Daddy? Being a butthead. Someone needs to beat him up for me. He teases me every time he catches me looking in the mirror at my belly.

Allrighty, now for the giveaway!

When Jeff and I first started TTC, I got a fortune from a cookie at some buffet. It was an actual fortune, and I liked it so much, I kept it on my dresser. I even managed not to lose it during the move last summer. Then, a month before our successful dIUI, I got another one that I liked so much I kept it in my wallet. While I don't actually believe in fortunes, it's nice to look at these and know they came true. So, I figure it's time for me to pass them on to someone who's still TTC. But don't worry, you're not getting to worn out little strips of paper. Oh no, you're getting one of these! Giant fortune cookies!!!!! Yes!

"Oh Julie," I can hear you asking, "What do I have to do to get one of those awesome fortune cookies?" Well, that's easy. All you have to do is leave a comment and guess whether I'm having a boy or a girl. :) That's it! I'll compile all the guesses once I find out and draw a winner. All I ask is that if you win, but you've already gotten your wish, you pass the fortunes on to someone who needs them.

Are you excited? Cause I sure am!!!

Tagged!!

Thanks Jackie for tagging me! I love these things!

Basically, I get to answer the 8 questions Jackie asked, then tag 8 people and ask them 8 of my own questions. Fun!

1. What would your college major be if you could go back to school and choose one (make one up if you want) without having to worry about finding a job in the field?
Can I also say if money were no object? Because mine would never pay for itself! If I could get my master's in anything, it would be museum studies. I *love* history and old things, and I think it would be paradise to get to research, set up exhibits, and give tours at a history museum. In order to do that, I'd keep my major of history, which is what my degree is in.

2. What was the most embarrassing trend you followed during your high school days?
Ugh. I was so not a cool kid, and didn't follow most of the trends, but I do remember that when it was considered really cool to wear candy necklaces to school (yes, in high school), I did.

3. Describe the house where you grew up. Would you live there again if it came up for sale?
This question makes me smile and cry at the same time. I loved the house I grew up in, and I know it's not loved now like it was then. It was L-shaped and had blue carpet. Mostly what I loved about it are silly little things. My dad built all the cabinets in the kitchen. The wallpaper border in the dining room was crooked on one wall, massively, b/c my dad could only see out of one eye at a time. We had a weeping willow in the front yard. I had a playhouse and a candy-striped swing set, both built by my dad. My name and my little brother's can be found in every sidewalk. It was out in the country, where I was the only girl in the neighborhood for the first 10 years of my life. In high school, I could wake up, walk to the bathroom, pee, and shower all without opening my eyes. I miss being that comfortable in my house.

4. Are you a city person, a country person, a suburb person, or a small town person? Which one describes you the least?
I think it depends on what day you ask me. There are days where I would give almost anything to live in Chicago. I think it's the perfect city. There are days where I long to be the only house in sight. There are days where I really miss the sense of community my small town had, and I really want my children to have that growing up. I think the least I am a suburb person, which of course is where I'm living now.

5. What concert would you love to see? What's the best one you've ever seen?
I would love to see Meatloaf in concert. I think he's too old now though. I think the best concert I've ever seen was Weird Al. I'd also love to see him again.

6. You're going on a 1-week vacation, but you can't take anyone with you. Where do you go, and what do you do there? Or do you give up the trip?
Oh, I go! (Sorry Jeff). I've always wondered what it would be like to travel somewhere by myself, since I've never done it. I think I would either go to Germany or Ireland, look up ancestors, and wander around aimlessly in old castles.

7. Did you have an imaginary friend as a child?
Yes. According to my mom, it was a dinosaur (dragon? don't remember) that I carried around in my hand. I fed it rocks. And I admit, I still talk to people that aren't actually here. If you saw me in my car driving down the road, I'm sure to be talking away to someone, even though I'm the only one there.

8. What is your favorite slurpee flavor? If you have never had one, what's your favorite candy bar?
I don't like frozen drinks at all, even frozen margaritas. I just think they're too much trouble to drink. Favorite candy (I'm counting it as a candy bar, since it's on the candy bar aisle) is Sixlets. They are hard to find, and barely anyone likes them, but I love them.

Wow. I wrote a ton. Ok, my turn:
1. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be and why?
2. If you could have one magical item granted to you, what would the item be and what would it do? (I ask this to my students. I love the answers!)
3. If you could have dinner with one person from history, who would it be? (And where would you take them?)
4. What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?
5. If you were only allowed to watch 3 movies for the rest of your life, what would they be?
6. Would you rather be a wizard or a vampire?
7. What is your favorite quote, and who said it?
8. If you were offered a job you knew you would hate every second of, but they offered you a million dollars, would you take it?

All righty, I'm tagging:
Daisygal
Les
Dory
Rach
Christine
Foxy
Ernie
Jeff

Sorry if I tagged you and you've already been tagged. :) Suck it up!

15 Weeks

How far along? 15 Weeks

Total Weight Gain? 4lbs, but it looks like at least 10!

Symptoms? sooooo tired. Everything else is pretty much settled though. I feel so much better than I did a few weeks ago!

Stretch Marks? Still just the two.

Sleep? Ha. This week I think it's been terrible b/c my dog is sick. Still get up at least a couple of times for the bathroom though.

Best Moment Last Week? buying the crib! Even though it's still sitting in the dining room, and the mattress is in the living room...:)

Movement? no, but I so can't wait.

Food Cravings? still kind of daily cravings. Today the best thing I ate was the shredded cheese I stole from my brother at dinner. :)

What I miss? I'm good, thanks. I'm not even really missing my 12 sodas a day. I just don't want anything.

What I am looking forward to? Feeling movement. I think I should feel something by the end of the month.

Milestones? buying the crib! We bought baby stuff!!

How is Daddy? Excited still. I think the more baby stuff I bring home, the more nervous he'll get.

All right, now check this out. The gray T-shirt picture is from 13 weeks. The white shirt is 14 1/2 weeks. (Sorry it's so blurry. It's my mom's phone!) My belly flat-out exploded!

14 Weeks

How far along? 14 Weeks

Total Weight Gain? back up to 3 lbs

Symptoms? felt pretty great this week, other than tired. Except for today when I nearly passed out after recess duty. Nurse at the doctor's office said it's probably b/c the baby is laying on a major blood vessel. Awesome.

Stretch Marks? Still just the two.

Sleep? my vivid dreams are back. And I wake up, a lot.

Best Moment Last Week? hitting second trimester!

Movement? not yet..

Food Cravings? just kind of random stuff every day. Today I want Spaghetti O's. with meatballs.

What I miss? I having energy. Suppose I better get used to that though....

What I am looking forward to? Feeling movement. I think I should feel something by the end of the month.

Milestones? 2nd Trimester!

How is Daddy? excited, still...A little freaked out that we're supposed to get the crib tomorrow...

Lots of Little Things

I'm going to give you a bullet post today, since there's a bunch of little things I want to say that seem completely unrelated.

1. Ustoff is officially sitting on my bladder. I have gone to the bathroom at least a dozen times today, and it's only 5pm. I kept thinking to myself that this whole "pregnancy bathroom situation" wasn't as bad as everyone said, since I wasn't going any more than normal. Ha ha.

2. I am sooooooo hungry. And right now, I want potatoes. My mom's potatoes, that she covers in butter and then bakes in the oven for hours till the ones on the outside get all crispy. MMMMMMMMMM!!!

3. My feet smell. That, I'll admit, isn't unusual. What is unusual is that if I could find something that tastes like they smell, I'd eat a couple pounds of it. And that's disgusting, I know.

4. These past few weeks, I have felt really really lousy. And I have felt really really guilty for feeling lousy because a) I'm pregnant and shouldn't complain; and b) My symptoms have really been pretty mild.
I'm just not sure how to handle the guilt.

5. This entire pregnancy, I've been convinced the baby is a boy. Now, I'm thinking Ustoff is a girl. Absolutely nothing has changed, except my entire belly seems to be expanding, instead of just the bump. I literally look like I'm wearing a pillow under my shirts, wrapped around my torso. And I don't think it's weight gain, since the pants that wouldn't even zip on the first week of school not only zipped but buttoned today.

6. I have finally hit the point where I wish no one in the family knew about this blog. No offense, dear family. I love all of you. But there is something I would dearly love to blog about, to get the opinions of people who don't know us, without saying anything that might hurt the family I love so much. Oh well. The best laid plans....

7. I am having anger issues. Severe, lingering anger issues... Like, I would like to hit certain people with my car anger issues. Or maybe a baseball bat....I like my car. For example, while typing this I was thinking of my princiPAL who royally pissed me off almost 2 weeks ago, and my heart is racing and my hands shaking just thinking about it. It's usually really hard to make me this mad (although she deserves it), but harder to keep me this mad. I usually forget what I was mad about, or manage to laugh it off. I think it's the hormones.

Remind me to tell you about what my principal did...It will feel good to bitch about something not pregnancy related....but not today. :)

13 Weeks!!!

How far along? 13 Weeks

Total Weight Gain? 2 lbs. I managed to lose yet another pound despite the fact that I eat non-stop.

Symptoms? still a bit of nausea.

Stretch Marks? Still just the two.

Sleep? Getting up to go to the bathroom almost every night, and waking up every time I have to turn over.

Best Moment Last Week? Seeing the baby again!

Movement? not yet..

Food Cravings? Not really. I am insanely hungry, but don't really want anything.

What I miss? I think I'm good. My pants miss buttoning though. :)

What I am looking forward to? Feeling movement. I think I should feel something by the end of the month.

Milestones? 2nd Trimester!

How is Daddy? I think he's annoyed with me... I am having some pretty severe anger control issues right now and bad mood swings...he bears the brunt of those. He might be scared for his life...

12 Week Appointment

Had my second "real" appointment today. I was excited because my sonogram (ultrasound? I still don't know the difference) was done with the belly thing instead of the wand! That was cool.

Ustoff has a head, 2 arms, 2 legs, 2 hands, and at least 1 foot, but Dr. P said he (she?) was just laying on the other one. She said the baby looks perfect!

Apparently in the bloodwork they ran last month, the checked my vaccines. My vaccine for German Measles has run out. I can't get re-vaccinated until after the baby is born, but she said I need to stay away from sick children. Jeff was like "She teaches children." Dr. P started laughing and was like "I guess that makes it difficult." I will go in to talk to the school nurse tomorrow and tell her I need to know ASAP if anyone has anything that could possibly be german measles. (I think she also said it's called ruebella? We had one of those cases last year at my school.) If someone does have it, I can't be in the school building for at least a week after the kid. Lovely.

My iron is also low, but since I am so backed up and feeling pretty crappy, she wanted me to hold off on taking the supplements. They just make you more backed up and crappy feeling.

Thank God. I am 3 days from hitting 13 weeks, and I find that so comforting. This really is real!

12 Weeks

How far along? 12 Weeks

Total Weight Gain? 3 lbs. Lost one somewhere in all the walking I did this week.

Symptoms? Nausea. Anytime there isn't food in my stomach.

Stretch Marks? Still just the two.

Sleep? Getting up to go to the bathroom almost every night, and waking up every time I have to turn over.

Best Moment Last Week? Getting to tell one of the parents I had last year. She's the one who bought me the baby toy, and I was so excited to be able to tell her I had a use for it!

Movement? No, but I can't wait.

Food Cravings? No. No food. Food bad. Except last night. All I wanted was some BK french fries. So, that's all I ate for supper.

What I miss? My appetite. I still don't want to eat anything.

What I am looking forward to? I get to see my baby in 4 days!

Milestones? Made it through the first week of school!

How is Daddy? :) He emailed me today so excited because he realized that he can teach Ustoff how to fish. How do you think he is?

I Haz Made A Discovery!

As my title says, I haz made a discovery! What is it, you ask?

If I eat constantly, at least a bite or two every five minutes, I don't get nauseous!! Yay!!

Of course, explaining to 21 fourth graders why I am eating constantly was fun, as was explaining the gallon of water I drink and the 5 or 6 bathroom breaks I take.

I was so scared to tell a bunch of 10 year olds I am pregnant. Maybe just cause pregnant is not a word you hear in fourth grade very often. They were all very excited though, and knowledgeably told me that I was hungry because the baby was hungry. Today they were very concerned that I might get stung by the wasp that was in the classroom, because it might sting the baby.

I have sweet students.

I do have one little girl, M, who is an only child. She was walking next to me today talking, and she told me that her mom wants another baby, but that it costs "2 or 3 thousand dollars" so she could go to the doctor.

That just breaks my heart. I so wish I could bring it up with the mom, but I certainly don't want to be like "so, M tells me you have infertility issues..." It's not really something that comes up at parent-teacher conferences.

I'm so glad the first day of school is out of the way. It is my least favorite day of the year. Today was better, and tomorrow will just improve!

I'm sorry I suck so much lately at commenting. I promise I'm reading, but I seem to fall asleep in the middle of my comments. Definitely sending everyone good thoughts though!!

11 Weeks

How far along? 11 Weeks

Total Weight Gain? 4 lbs. I think a week of being forced to eat something other than cereal did me in!

Symptoms? Still tired, and this week I learned that I will get incredibly nauseous if I don't eat the second I realize I'm hungry. And I eat constantly. For instance, right now it's 3:30 and I'm eating a peanut butter sandwich, but I guarantee that as soon as Meet the Teacher is over at 5, I'll need to eat again, if I can wait that long.

Stretch Marks? Same ones as last week, thank goodness!

Sleep? I have gotten up at least once almost every night this week to go to the bathroom. I had a really vivid dream about a baby this week, but for once I didn't wake up sad because I dreamed about a baby. I was excited instead! :)

Best Moment Last Week? Still pregnant!

Movement? Still to early!

Food Cravings? Yes. Sushi. Which is really weird, since I really am not that big of a sushi fan. I like it, but I couldn't make a meal out of it. I'm thinking of finding someplace that will make me a veggie roll.

What I miss? My appetite. I still don't want to eat anything.

What I am looking forward to? Hitting 3 months next week, and our appointment in a week and a half!

Milestones? Not throwing up on my coworkers. Does that count?

How is Daddy? Still crazy excited, and a bit worried about my anger issues. You should read his most recent blog post. Sadly enough, he's not too far off.

Really? It's only Wednesday?

Ladies and Gentlemen(man?):

This week has been about 10 years long. Seriously.

I told myself I wasn't going to go to bed until 9 today. Trying to get somewhat on a school sleeping schedule. So I just wasted the last hour+ on this website. Hilarious and disgusting. Thanks Bon, for posting it!

I also was looking at baby names on babywizard. I like this site because it tells you when the name was most popular. So I looked up both the names we like for a girl and for a boy. (Not telling what they are. If you don't already know, tough.) I noticed a trend. Both the boy names were popular decades ago (1940's and 60's to be specific) and one of the girl names was most popular in 1910. But the other girl name we have chosen as a middle name is currently one of the most popular names in the world. I'm not sure I like that. I'm not one of those people who wants to name their child something crazy (like Fancy Cherry, Zip Adedoo Daub, or Abcde: pronounced Ab-se-dee) but I don't want them to have a name that 6 other kids in their class has. BTW: Those are all real names. I went to school with Zip.

What kind of crazy names have you seen? I have a couple from students that I would like to share, but don't think I should here.

Nobody said it was easy...

No one ever said it would be so hard.

*This post is probably waaaaaay too much TMI for almost everyone, so I fully understand if you check out the bump picture and ignore the rest. It's cool.

My mom took this on her cell phone while we were out shopping for some maternity clothes that would last me the duration of my pregnancy at school, since nothing I own fits anymore. I'm about 9.5 weeks in the pic.


I had this awesome idea when Jeff and I started TTC that when I got pregnant, I would be the same, only pregnant. Maybe a little more nauseous, of course with a bigger belly, but still the same.

No one ever told me that I would feel completely unlike myself. No one told me that I would completely lose Julie in the face of Pregnant Julie. No one told me that I would feel like something else has completely taken over my body, and shoved me down into the tip of my left pinky finger. I'm beginning to think that's all that's left of me.

No one ever told me that I would have sudden, intense, inexplicable rages toward random people. Like the lady walking down the center of the parking lot aisle on Saturday. While it's annoying, I shouldn't want to kill her, or at least hit her hard with my car. That's excessive, right?

No one ever told me that I would have such crazy mood swings. And, unfortunately, none of them seem to swing me toward the happy end of the spectrum. Usually it's either depressed or really really angry (see above).

No one ever told me that it is possible to be simultaneously starving and yet have no desire to put ANYTHING in your mouth.

No one ever told me that I would be constipated beyond belief, that every *poo* would be cause for a freaking party, and that nothing so far would help relieve this.

This is off topic, and probably TMI, so I apologize. Mom and Effa, you probably want to skip this. Kerri, Michelle, and Stella: you too.
The few times I have managed to *ahem* reach the Big O since I have been pregnant, I have had nightmares of miscarriage right after. This terrifies me of course, and makes me completely not interested in you know what. I don't like that, and I know Jeff doesn't either.

Thanks for listening to me rant. I know I've been saying I'm feeling pretty good, and overall I am. Just not normal good, I guess.

10 Weeks

How far along: 10 Weeks

Total Weight Gain: 1 lbs.

Symptoms: Still doing pretty good on the symptoms front. I have no desire to eat anything though.

Stretch Marks: Ugh, yes! Found one little one on each of my hips, and my upper thighs have new ones, which I find weird.

Sleep: I could sure use more! The nightmares aren't quite as bad as they were, but the dreams are still really vivid. I have to get up at least once a night to pee, which is really unusual for me.

Best Moment Last Week: Seeing a bump! I guess most women would not be happy about seeing a bump at 10 weeks, but I'm thrilled.

Movement: Nopers.

Food Cravings: Please don't talk to me about food. Don't make me look at it, don't make me think about it. Don't want it.

What I Miss: Energy.

What am I looking forward to: Our next appointment in three weeks.

Milestones: Double-Digits! 10 Weeks!

How is Daddy? Still crazy excited. He is determined to conquer the world of baby strollers. I'm not sure why. Maybe because they have wheels?

Food, infections, and Questions

Doesn't that title sound yummy? Nothing like a good infectious food, right? Ha.

I've pretty much decided that there are two foods I can eat. Not that anything else makes me ill, I just don't want to eat them and wind up stopping after only 2 or 3 bites. But, Tot.inos pizzas (you know, the cheap ones) and a certain cinnamon roll shaped cereal are just about the only things I can finish off. Is it possible for a person to survive off pizza, cereal, and milk? It's certainly looking that way. I went to the grocery store today and bought 5 pizzas, 2 boxes of cereal, and 2 gallons of milk. The cashier looked at me like I was crazy. I probably am.

Poor Jeff has an ear infection. He's had a miserable past few days. I think two days of antibiotics are helping a bit, but he's still in a lot of pain. And our smallest dog, Winky is sick too. I'm thinking her's is not so much an ear infection, but a stomach virus. (Can dogs get those? And can I feed her Pep.to like I can cats?) She is not pleasant to be around right now.

I'm coming up on the 10 week mark (wow!) and therefore I am coming up on the time frame for the early screening tests. (I don't know what they're called at the moment. I missed my 2 hour nap today and am a little fuzzy!) I really don't know if I should get the screenings done or not. I mean, I wouldn't end this pregnancy for anything, no matter what the results, and our donor was already screened for all the major issues, like Downs. So why should I mess with the screening? I'm a chicken. If something's wrong, I'd rather not know. But maybe that's my ignorance speaking, having never been pregnant before. So I'm asking those of you who have been pregnant for advice. What do you think?

9 Weeks

How far along: 9 Weeks!

Total Weight Gain: 1 lbs.

Symptoms: I'm so tired! Sooooo tired! Other than that and a bit of heartburn, I'm good. And my boobs have grown a whole cup size. I almost have cleavage! :)

Stretch Marks: Not yet.

Sleep: Ugh. I am having the worst nightmares! And if they're not nightmares, the dreams are just really really weird. I'm always really confused when I wake up because the dreams are so realistic.

Best Moment Last Week: Getting to hear the heartbeat again and see Ustoff!

Movement: Dr. P said she saw him dancing!

Food Cravings: Milk. Lots of milk. I have no desire to actually eat anything though.

What I Miss: Sodas! I miss my half-dozen daily Diet Dr Peppers.

What am I looking forward to: Our next appointment in four weeks. I can't wait to see our baby again!

Milestones: I'm still pregnant!!

How is Daddy? So excited. He's still telling every complete stranger we meet. He goes through every different way of saying pregnant that he can think of. The one that usually gets people is Watermelon under the Hood.

Urg!

I went up to the school to work on my classroom for a few hours today. I forgot that all the furniture would be messed up and stacked and crazy hard to move. Luckily, a couple fellow teachers and one former student came in and did the heavy lifting for me. I was there for all of two hours, just kind of puttering around, putting stuff back in it's place. And I was SO TIRED. I left, came home and ate lunch, and wound up sleeping for 3 hours.

I was not expecting that. I've really been feeling pretty good, and thought a couple hours at school would be a cinch. Now, I'm really worried about being able to make it through a school day! I mean, two hours of putting markers away and making copies should not have worn me out like that! I wasn't planning on going back tomorrow, but now I think I should, just to get my body used to it!

Maybe tomorrow, I'll find something I can do while sitting, since I did stand for those 2 hours today.

Also, a few of the women I work with who I haven't seen in a couple weeks saw me today, and they all said I already have a bump! At 9 weeks! I mean, sure, none of my pants will fasten, but I didn't think it was that obvious. Not that I'm complaining! I'm totally excited to be visibly pregnant. It means I'm not imagining things!

Our First OB appointment

Jeff and I headed off to see Dr. P today. She is a local OB that was recommended by both a pregnant co-worker and a neonatal surgeon. We loved her. She didn't have our paperwork from Dr. Wiz's office (big surprise. They suck at sending stuff on time.) and so didn't know we used DS. But, she was very sweet about it when she found out, and only slipped up once when she asked for Jeff's medical history.

Baby looks great. 1.75 cm, 167 bpm. We got to see the little arm buds move. It was truly amazing.

For lack of something better, I think I'll be calling the baby Ustoff on here. It's what Jeff insists on calling the baby whenever he mentions it, and as much as I hate it, it seems to have stuck. And no, that's now what we'll actually give as a name. I think that's considered child abuse in at least 37 states! : )

Hi Y'all!!

How's it going?

Sorry for the long silence. Jeff and I headed off on vacation. We drove from Dallas to New Orleans (1 night) then to St. Augustine, FL (3 nights) to Charleston, SC (3 nights) to somewhere in Alabama for a night, to home.

I have to admit, I really wasn't that impressed with New Orleans. (Or Louisiana. My stomach has been ok so far, but those roads made me nauseous.) Maybe it's cause I wasn't drinking, or because it was soooo hot, but I really didn't like it that well. I was even disappointed in the cemetery I visited, and I love old cemeteries. Oh well.

On the drive to Florida, Jeff and I stopped to see the battleship Alabama. It was cool. (Or hot! depending on how you look at it.)

I liked St. Augustine. The first day Jeff and I took a trolley ride around town and learned all kids of interesting stuff about the town, then bobbed in the ocean for a couple hours. We spent most of the second day waiting on Jeff's friend D who was flying in from Chicago to join us. We did get to bob around in the ocean some more though! Our third day we toured the fort built by the Spanish in the 1600's, the Flagler College (Tiffany windows!) and the Lightner museum. Those were seriously cool. Then we headed up to Charleston, with a detour for dinner in Savannah. I was so excited to find Juliette Lowe's birthplace. If you know who that is off the top of your head, you're as dorky as I am!

The first thing we did when we hit Charleston was to visit Fort Sumter. It was cool, but it paled in comparison to the Spanish fort. Then we met up with a couple of Jeff's old friends who took us out to dinner and then drinking. (Well, they drank. I sipped my water and found money on the ground.) The next day, Jeff and I farted around Market St. and downtown Charleston while we waited on hungover D to get out of bed. The last day there, I drug the guys to a cemetery downtown (oldest headstones I'd ever seen. 2 signers of the Declaration of Independence. So cool!) and a tour of the Old Provost Dungeon. Then we headed home, dropping D off in Atlanta for his flight.

Overall, it was a good trip. D was really high maintenance and whined about everything we did. In fact, I didn't get to do some of the stuff I wanted to do in Charleston because of him. Maybe some other time.

We came home to some lonely dogs and some angry neighbors. Our dog sitter I guess really isn't a dog person, so I think they sat outside and barked most of the time we were gone.

My first OB appointment is tomorrow, so I'll be giving you all an update on the baby as soon as I can!

Oh, and I think I could write an entire post dedicated to the amazing food we ate on this trip. Probably will.

Last RE Visit!

Our appointment went swimmingly this morning!

The nurse said that if she were going to pick a picture to put in a textbook, ours would be it. Our little blueberry is 8.4mm with a heartbeat of 123 bpm.

Hearing the heartbeat was, hands-down, the best moment of my life.

And yes, it was just one!

stories and symptoms...

Foxy has asked me two questions that I never had the courtesy to answer. Sorry Foxy! I'm getting them both here!

Foxy wanted to know how I told Jeff I was pregnant. So, let's travel back in time 3 weeks. I had told myself that I wasn't going to test until Friday, but decided that Tuesday that I was testing the next morning. I just *knew* it was going to be negative and wanted a couple days to get over it before we headed to Kansas for the 4th. On Wednesday morning, I woke up at 7. I laid in bed and tried to go back to sleep, but the only thing I could think about was taking the darn test. So, I got up, peed on the stupid stick, sat it in front of the sink, and then sat myself down on the side of the tub to wait. I didn't even turn the lights on. I just sat there in the dim bathroom glaring at the stick and cursing it in my head. After about 2 minutes, I thought to myself "I'm going to look at it, see the negative, and go back to sleep." Instead, when I picked it up, it said "Pregnant". I left the bathroom, jumped on top of Jeff, who slept through all this inner turmoil of mine, and said "Hey. This stick says I'm pregnant!"

Have I mentioned he's been telling everyone that I'm pregnant? I mean everyone. Complete strangers. I think half the state of Texas knows by now.

Foxy also wanted to know how I'm feeling. I'm tired. Like, really, really tired. Like, sleeping for 10 hours a night and still having a 2 or 3 hour nap. Like having to sit down and rest after moving laundry from the washer to the dryer tired. But, other than that, I'm pretty good. I had really horrible heartburn, but it stopped. No morning sickness yet. No food cravings. In fact, I have a strong aversion to all food right now. I have no desire to eat, and feel full faster than I used to.

And, I'm nervous about tomorrow's sonogram. Scared we'll find 3 heartbeats, or 4 heartbeats, or no heartbeats. I'm so ready to get it over with.

Would ya like to...Mondays

It dawned on my that while I've shown you plenty pictures of Kreacher and is absolute adorable cuteness, I haven't shown you the rest of the entourage. So, would ya like to see the rest of my pets?

This is my boy Dobby. He's almost 5 years old.
I absolutely love him. I love his big doggy grin, I love the way he lays down just like the Sphinx (except without the person face or the cat body....which I guess sort of takes away all of the Sphinx part. Oops.) I love the way he understands English. Seriously, I love this dog. I also know that Dobby is probably the worst dog in the world. I know that when the baby comes, Dobby will have to go. He is in no way child friendly. Heck, he's not really friendly to anyone. But he loves me. I can see it in his eyes. (In case you're curious, Dobbs was a rescue. We got him when he was 9 months old, and we were his fourth owners. He has lots of problems. I'm pretty sure if dogs can be autistic, he is.)



This little sausage is Winky. She's about 4 1/2.

She's Jeff's dog. Really. I love her and all, but she's the stupidest dog I have ever met. Cute though.

The picture on the right is a couple years old. She really does look like a sausage on legs now.




This is Lilly. She's at least 13, but we're not sure. She acts like a kitten though.
She's the queen of the house, and also a complete weirdo. She tries to pack herself when we go on trips...


And the other day, I guess she got in trouble, because she stuck her nose in the corner for 10 minutes.
She's also suicidal. This is her sitting in the dog food bowl.

I also have two African Dwarf Frogs named Harry and Ron. They are my class pets at school, but they're living here for the summer. They live in water, so they don't photograph well. Sorry.

I can't wait for my sonogram Thursday! I'll let you know how it goes!