Monthly Doctor's Appointment

I was supposed to have this month's appointment on Thursday after work, but when I realized that Thursday was my final day of Girls on the Run I had to change it.  I was a little surprised at how long I had to wait to get back to see someone.  Usually I'm in and out in 20-30 minutes.  Even when I got for my annual violation I'm out of there in 45 minutes or less.  Today's appointment was at 3:30 and we were there for almost a full hour!  That is crap.  It's crap because I only saw the actual doctor for five of those 60 minutes.  The reason I got five minutes was because I had questions, of course.

-Why is my foot numb?
She thinks my foot is experiencing numbness either A) because I'm retaining a little water in the top of my foot and it's causing the nerve to roll around or B) my hormones are causing me to be off balance even though I don't feel it yet and I am overcompensating with my right leg.


-I feel like I have a pulled muscle in my abdomen, that's normal right?
Normal like I thought.  Baby growing.


The fact that we were in the office way too long was overshadowed by two things:

• I only gained one pound this month (yahoo!) for a total of 7 lbs overall (147 lbs.).  I am still under my Weight Watchers starting weight of 149 lbs.  I was very worried about my weight gain even though I have been monitoring it myself at home.  I guess the baby is finally starting to suck nutrients from me and into it.  I hope no one's planning on playing the "guess how much weight she's gained" game at my baby shower because anyone who reads my blog is going to know the answer.
• The doctor guessed that I was a runner!  I'm not "built" like a runner so the fact that she said that caught me off guard.  She said that I looked fantastic and asked if I was still running.  I told her I was and she thought that was great.  It felt really good!  I have been feeling so down on myself because I feel like a rolley-polley.  So what did I do right after the appointment?  Went to Target and got a bag of assorted flavor Swedish Fish (if you have not tried these they are a must).  I will never learn...

How is THIS going to come out of Ladytown?

B was also hilarious at the appointment.  While we were waiting an eternity for the doctor came in I was sitting on the examination table.  I was telling him how amazing maternity pants were (I wore my first pair to work today) because they felt like I was wearing yoga pants and I didn't have to bother with zippers/buttons.  The only bad part is the stretchy panel thing that covers your belly.  I then lifted my shirt up to roll down the panel when he saw my stomach in the sitting position (aka rolls were all over the place) the look on his face was of horror and disgust.  I thought he threw up in his mouth a little.  After the initial reaction he says, "Baby, you know you're starting to show right?"  I am, a little.  Barely though.  I joked him on how disgusting my stomach was and he reassured me with, "once the baby gets bigger all that will spread out."  Thanks, B :)  I am pretty sure that he is right.  The only place where I feel 'different' is in the stomach and breasticle region.  My boobs weigh a ton in case you were wondering.

We then heard the baby's heartbeat (low 140s).  Bryan recorded it with his phone but I cannot figure out how to put in into my post.  I will continue working on that one.  She told us that we have to come back in four weeks for another appointment and then in five weeks to find out the sex of the baby!  So if you haven't voted in the boy or girl poll yet get on it!  Only 35 more days!

Next appointment - June 29th

Ultrasound appointment (the big day) - July 5th (20 weeks exactly)

3.75 months - 15 weeks - 105 days

I wish I were eating more apples instead of crap.  I have to find a way to leave chips and ice cream behind.  It is much easier eating better when I pack my lunch and am out of the house.  Memorial Day weekend didn't help in the food deparment either.  That's now behind me and I'm moving forward.

I have a doctor's appointment today at 3:30.  I'm expecting the same as last time: pee in the cup, find out how much weight I've gained, slip into depression mode because of the weight I've gained, ask the doctor random questions, and then attempt to hear the heartbeat again.  Since I'll be 15 weeks I assume that we'll actually be able to hear it this time.  I doubt I'll post this until tonight so results from the doctor's appointment will be added on before then.

We had a fun Memorial Day weekend.  Cookout at the in-laws on Saturday, Cookout/housewarming at the last minute on Sunday night, went on a 12 mile bike ride along the oceanfront Monday morning, and went shopping for maternity clothes for the first time.  The women at Motherhood Maternity may have been the nicest people on Earth.  I have never shopped in a store where the people were so helpful but in a way that didn't make me want to punch them in the face.  You know those sales people; the ones who follow you around practically stalking you.  Yuck.  I avoided the shirt section since my shirts are not the problem.  They had a buy two, get one free sale on pants so I had to check it out.  I ended up getting a pair of jean shorts, casual cargo capri/pants, and 'work' capri pants.  I can't wait to wear them because they look completely normal except for the fact that they fit!  They were reasonably priced too.  Just like regular clothes.  That sounds stupid but I always thought that Motherhood Maternity would be expensive.  I'm a little disappointed that I won't be able to wear them after the next few months.  With that, my 'no longer fits' pile grew a bit more over the weekend.  Sigh.  I'm still not showing, really.  Maybe a little, tiny bit here and there.  That could just be a food baby poking through after I eat though.  Ha.


News from the Womb
-baby is 'breathing' the amniotic fluid, which apparently helps its' lungs develop.
-its' legs are now longer than its' arms (that's a plus)
-the eyelids are still unable to open but it can sense light.
-taste buds are forming. I bet that amniotic fluid doesn't taste that great.  If its' breathing the fluid in, I bet it's getting a good taste of fluid.  Gross.  That may be one of the reasons we don't remember being in the womb.
-Last but not least, this is the earliest (so the book says) that you may have a chance to tell what the baby's sex is.  I know that I've mentioned in a prior post the women online who claim their ultrasound tech told them the sex and 11 and 12 weeks.  (cough, cough, bullshit!)

Starting to round out
These pictures are very awkward to take

Adventure Season has Officially Begun!

Last summer my friend, LC, and I decided that there are too many things to do in VB to have a boring summer so we started going 'on adventures'.  We live so close to the oceanfront but never partake in the touristy activities.  Last summer we: went rollerblading, rented beach cruisers, visited the botanical gardens, and she was even my bike buddy when I did my 20 mile marathon training run.  We were a little worried this summer because I'm pregnant and we're not going to be able to do certain things.  That is not going to stop another summer of adventure from happening! 
We have already walked at the botanical gardens and today we went on our first beach cruising tour of the oceanfront/First Landing State Park.  After popping into Starbucks we jumped on our beach cruisers to set off on our first adventure.  The plan was to ride from 31st to 64th street, into First Landing State Park to the boat launch, head back down the oceanfront and over the Rudee Inlet bridge, and then back to 31st street.  We probably set ourselves up for failure from the get-go.  LC was not dressed for super hot weather, we did not bring ANY water with us, and never checked to realize that the heat index was near 100 degrees.  All was well for the first three-fourths of the ride and then came the bridge.  Let's just say we went over one side and barely made it back over the other.  In total we rode about 12 miles.  It was so hot that I got into a condo complex's decorative fountain to cool off and we stopped at a few beach showers to jump in fully clothed.  Bottom line is that we survived.
I have also decided that I need my own beach cruiser.  I know Hub doesn't want me to get one because my race bike is currently in our garage collecting dust, but LC brought a good point today.  Next summer I'm going to want to put a baby carrier thing on the back of my bike so that I can ride the child around.  Ah ha!  She also said that since I'm pregnant I should get whatever I want.  I don't think that's going to work yet though since I'm still not showing.  I don't think the sympathy gifts and back/foot rubs will come until I'm much larger.  Either way, if I come home with a beach cruiser what's he going to do?  Make me return it?  I think not.
RH - if you're reading this.  You need to show up with a puppy.  NH will have to let you keep it then :)

Hot on the Trail

I ran 8.27 miles this morning.  It took me 1 hour and 42 min, which means that as long as I don't get slower (which probably WILL happen) I'll finish the Rock 'n' Roll half-marathon in under three hours, which is all I'm really hoping for.

While I hate running in the heat, I know that I have to make sure that I'm out in it at least once a week getting used to it.  Since it's extra important that I stay hydrated I also need to start playing around with the amount of water/sports drink/gels that I'm going to need now as opposed to what I used pre-pregnancy.

Overall I felt good.  Slow, but good.  Difference from last week was that I didn't feel my grapefruit uterus teetering over my right hip, which was a positive change because that was kind of uncomfortable.  I did feel bad for DD, my running buddy.  He usually runs with me for the first 2ish miles for a warm up.  He hasn't run with me in a few weeks because of races he's been doing so while my slowing down was noticeable and gradual for me, it was probably shocking to him.  Needless to say I was running solo a mile in.  He also chose to run 1 1/2-2 miles further than I did so that he didn't have to wait as long for me to finish.  I'm sure that was not all because I am slow but it was definitely the first time he's done that in the past five years of running together.

It was about 80 degrees out at 8am and we finished around 10am.  That will be similar to the temperature on race day in September so it must be done.  I was soaked.  I also love my new Old Navy running shorts, mainly because they are not super tight around the waist, basically give me camel toe whilst running.  Fun.  That's because my stupid thighs rub together, which isn't a new thing, but I'm still going to complain.  Body Glide, Body Glide, Body Glide.

Nothing else to report on this run.  I did see a snake today.  I was running by a couple and the man almost stepped on it.  It was hilarious when he noticed and almost jumped off the trail into the woods to get around it. DD said that he saw a huge turtle and couldn't believe that I didn't.  I was probably in the zone when I try not to focus on how far I have to go by staring at the ground instead of straight ahead.  I was also on the lookout for more snakes.

Next weekend is the Girls on the Run 5k at Mt. Trashmore.  Depending on how far I actually run since I'll have to go up and down the course cheering for my team will decide whether or not I head out for a long run on Sunday.

Food Confessions

Not cravings, confessions.  I was a bad, bad girl today.  I have got to get my inhibitions under control here. I don't know what has switched on in my mind that has granted me the permission to eat what I have been eating, but only I can stop the madness.

Chips have been delicious.  That may actually be a craving, but still... no excuse.  To deter the need for chips I bought kale (not my dog) and am planning on making kale chips.

Ice cream.  I can unfortunately eat that again with no problems other than my lactardedness.  I have been eating the crap out of it too.  Had a bowl of strawberry ice cream with Oreos at school today.  Where has my will power gone!?  Straight to hell in a hand basket.  To avoid this I bought some Italian Ice cups and yogurt.

General crap.  Today I had 4 mini Reese cups, ice cream, crushed up Oreos, a brownie, and gummy bears.

That's me burning in food hell

I am going straight to food hell.

And for any of you who have the desire to use this phrase, "But you're eating for two."  I call bullshit on you.  That phrase is an excuse to eat crap without guilt and I'm not buying it.  There is no need for me or baby to be eating the above-mentioned items.

I did go to the gym after work today but that won't even make a dent in the caloric black hole that I'm swirling around in.

"It's a new dawn, it's a new day," right Weight Watchers?

 

Secretly Exposed

Pants have become a very challenging task for me this week.  I'm slowly making the transition from dress pants to dresses but I cannot give up my capris.  I am fighting to give my favorite pair at least another week or two, but I know now that our parting is inevidable.  The belly that everyone has been anxiously waiting for is starting to emerge slowly.  You could see it a tiny bit this past weekend when I had on my bikini, but I am now being able to tell that my stomach is beginning to morph.

Right now I am sitting at my desk at work with my pants unbuttoned and unzipped 3/4 of the way (thank God I got that Be Band from Target).  I have on a flowy, flowery shirt that zips up the back and guess what!  My shirt is also unzipped about 1/4 of the way because my DD bresticles are probably no longer.  I WILL continue stuffing them into my current bras because I'm just not ready to accept that one yet.

The best part about all this is that... no ones knows I'm flying free!  The flowy shirt and Be Band cover up the fact that my pants are not done up in the least and I threw on a cute, blue cami to hide the inability to zip my shirt up.  Amazing!  I'm thiniking I could get another two weeks out of this outfit, at least!

Updates:

• I broke down and bought that plaid maternity tankini from Target last night.  It's going to be a gillion degrees this weekend and I will NOT feel self-consious at the beach or wherever we may go to celebreate the holiday.  It's cute, I like it, Hub does not (because he's a bikini man), but it happend and I accept it.
• I ate chicken last night!!  It's probably been about two months since I've had chicken.  Just have had no desire for it.  Now, I will say that it was shredded onto a chicken pizza that I made for us, but still... baby steps, right?
• Captain Cranky Pants has left the building!  All this week I have felt like I had a cold.  That sinusey, stuffy feeling in your forehead and eyes.  The only problem was that I didn't have a stuffy nose or any other kind of symptoms.  That feeling made me all discombobulated and I have been an evil biatch to my class.  Poor kids.  I'm back to my old me today and am so glad!
• I have begun snuggling a Wal-mart body pillow at night.  I was not excited about this because I couldn't understand how it would help me sleep correctly but it totally does.  I am not tossing all around at night anymore.  I did, unfortunately, wake up THREE times last night to pee (that's a record high).  Pain in the @ss.
• To all my public school teacher friends; 15 days of school remaining!
• Oh, there was a white owl in my dream last night that sat on my finger and was very "dog-like".  Anyone want to interpret that for me?

Numbness is normal...

I read this online and in my books but I called the doctor's office today JUST to make sure there wasn't anything I could do to 'wake my foot up'.  There isn't.  Whatever this child is doing he/she's on one of my foot nerves.  While it isn't very irritating it does wake me up in the middle of the night sometimes.  I was glad that the nurse didn't tell me to stop working out or something crazy like that.  I would not have been a happy camper. 

What she did say is that the numbness will either get better (ie. go away) or get worse (feet feel MORE numb or the numbness will spread to my hands and fingers).  Goodie!
And still I say that I'll take numb extremities over vomiting ANY day.

Looks like I'll be heading out tonight to get that full body pillow thing since the numbness is worse when I'm sleeping.  There will now be me, Hub, one of the dogs, and a giant fluff pillow in bed every night.

Anyone want to buy us that king sized bed we were looking at? Anyone?

14 weeks - 98 days - one trimester down, two to go!

Lemonade anyone?

Sun dress weather is finally here!  Thank goodness.  I went to the beach yesterday with Hub and our besties.  While I've been looking for a tankini I have been reluctant to buy one.  They're just so ugly!  I just don't understand them, really.  They have potential to be cute, but somewhere they fall short.  I think that somewhere may be my body type.  I'm 5'5 with practically no waist and pretty large breasticles.  Maybe tankinis are made for taller, longer waisted women.  I don't know.  All I know is that I need to get one and can't bring myself to make the purchase.  The two potential ones that I found were at our friendly, neighborhood Target.  One is maternity and is quite cute and the other is just a regular tankini.  The only problem with the maternity suit is that I'm not showing a damn thing yet which means when I put the top on, it flows out like a tent to the point where you can't even see the bottoms.  I just know that something must be done before I hit the beach again.  Today I wore last year's bikini and my poor 'girls' had to be shoved and stuffed into the cups.  Needless to say I was a little self-consious.  The good thing is that neither of them cost much so I can't really go too wrong.  I'm just going to have to suck it up and wait for my belly to fill in so that I look somewhat decent in which ever one I choose.  Weird that I have to look pregnant to 'look' decent in a bathing suit.  That's bass-ackwards.

Maternity suit
I would add the straps

Regular suit

Stuff with me is same old.  Still don't look or feel pregnant, hit the gym a few times this week, Girls on the Run coaching, work, hanging out with friends, etc.  Still would kill for a glass of wine or be able to sit oceanfront with a jumbo margarita but those desires pass, thankfully.  I did beat Hub in mini-golf (by one stroke) this weekend.  I got out of mowing the grass for that one - yes!  Other than that, nothing new to report.  17 days of school left!  2 more Mondays for my fellow teacher friends out there.

News from the Womb

Thanks to last week's ultrasound I know that Baby T is, in fact, still hanging out in my uterus.  On Saturday when I ran I could feel that grapefruit-sized sucker (uterus).  It felt like it was sitting above my right hip bone.  My abs kicked in and stabilized it from resting on my hip joint.  I feel it when I sneeze sometimes too.  Ok.  So Baby T is the size of a lemon this week.  I don't know why but fetus in comparison to a fruit isn't nauseating at all.  I was disgusted last week at the thought of eating shrimp because that's how long the baby was.  Just gross.  Lemons I can handle.  Here are the stats:

• 3 1/2 inches long - 1.5 ounces
• It makes facial expressions
• It's peeing in my uterus!  That is unnerving.  At least it's in its' own little sac.  I'm going to have to teach him/her how to clean their own room ASAP.  There will be no peeing in there.
• Its' arms have gotten proportional to it's ginormica dome piece.
• downy hairs are beginning to cover its' entire body - can we say Chewbacha?

While he/she's moving around in there I still don't feel it.  I wonder if I'm going to realize when I do.  I've heard that feeling is comparable to having gas.  Gas/baby who knows what's going on in there!?

Me, and Kale, @ 14 weeks
There's something starting but I still feel like
it's an extreme case of muffin-toppage.

Speaking of gas I may as well add this little tidbit in as well.  Why the hell do I smell like a soggy foot when I work out?!  When did this new development occur?  I'm serious.  It's comparable to the way the dogs smell when they've been outside in the sun for a long time.  This may be TMI but I don't care.  I said that I would put it out there and I am going to.  Not only do I feel like I got in a good workout, but I smell like it as well.  Yikes.  Don't get on the elliptical or spin bike next to me.
I've also noticed that the top of my right foot has been going numb randomly.  At first it started at night when I would roll over or stretch during one of the zillion times that I wake myself up, but today it's been randomly throughout the day.  Probably will be calling the doctor tomorrow about that one.  Not that they can move the baby off of my foot nerve or anything, but still it's kind of annoying.

On top of that, I must confess that I just CRUSHED some Rocky Road ice cream and Wavy Lays potato chips.  Just waiting for the guilt to shower down upon me.  Sigh...

Happy 2nd trimester to me!

Flowy

Ladies, you know when you're out clothes shopping the first thing that you think when you try something on is, "does this make me look fat/pregnant?"  That's the #1 veto on the clothing checklist right?  I just realized as I sit in my $9 Old Navy cotton sundress that I don't have to veto "this makes me look pregnant" shirts or dresses anymore!

While under the dress I still do not look pregnant, it doesn't matter if people think that I do because I am!  I am completely loving my outfit today too because of that fact. 
-black Old Navy sundress
-grey tank to cover 'the girls'
-cork wedges with black straps/flowers
-long pink and silver beaded necklace
-long, grey shawl thingie' from NY&Co.

I doubt I would have put this outfit together if I weren't pregnant for the fear that everyone would speculate that I was.  I know this because it has happened before and I STILL haven't worn that dress since.  I loved that dress (sigh).  Not only am I comfortable as hell but I actually feel like I look fantastic!  Time to embrace the muffin.

Belly Buddy!

Happy Friday everyone!  I found out this morning that I have a belly buddy at work! 

{side bar} I have now coined the term "belly buddy" as someone who is pregnant at the same time as me.  Feel free to spread that newfound knowledge and word useage. 

So, I was in the copy room and one of the girls that I'm friends with at work came in and said that she heard that congratulations were in order.  I confirmed and let her know that I was due the week of Thankgiving.  She replied with, "I'm due in December!"

Of course this is when the squeels began. How exciting!!  She's 10 weeks right now, which means she's only about 3 weeks behind me. How fun is that!  The only thing that sucks is that school is ending in four weeks and then there's a chance that I won't see her again (she is actually on contract while I am a lowly sub - heh).  My hope, of course, is to be picked up on contract for next year but that will have to wait until July when all of the transfers have been placed.

So now all I want to do is go hang out in her classroom to gab about our experiences, but since she's two grade levels below me, our schedules are never on sync.  We did have time to talk about how we were feeling:

Me: I don't feel pregnant at all.  If I didn't take a test, have doctor's visits, and ultrasounds I probably would still be clueless.

Her: Really?  I have felt awful!  Throwing up, exhausted, miserable...

Here is where I, again, breathe a sigh of relief that this pregnancy (minus the bay-bay that IS growing inside me) has gone virtually unnoticed.  I have no idea how I would function if I was throwing up and miserable constantly.  The last time I threw up was my 26th birthday.  You read that right, 4 1/2 years ago.  I know this because I avoid vomit AT ALL COSTS.  The reason it hasn't happened since was because that time I drank myself into a stooper and had to sleep on the bathroom floor all night with my comforter wrapped around me.  There, unfortunately, is photographic evidence of this, which will most likely not end up on this posting.  Point is... I am a child when it comes to feeling yucky and throwing up.  If I had to teach every day with the fear of voimt lurking in the back of my mind I would have gone nuts a long time ago.

This now leaves me wondering... are there any more belly buddies out there just waiting to spill the beans?

Stupid Clothes!

Clothes shopping is hard enough as it is.  Now throw in the inevitability that I'm going to grow to a size that I've never been before makes it virtually impossible.  Since I need clothes ASAP I decided to head out to Old Navy where everything is cheap.  Unfortunately that also means that the clothes are the same... cheap.  All I wanted were some cute, flowy tops, sun dresses, and some kind of bathing suit.

Is my body just weird?  I know that plenty of people shop at Old Navy successfully, but man do those clothes look awkward on me.  I don't know what it is, but yuck!  On top of the awkwardness I'm in the dressing room pushing out my stomach to see if the clothes I picked out will work with my growing belly.  Just as I am not a mind reader, I am not a body/belly reader.

I did end up with 3 sun dresses (I got one in two different colors), one flowy top, two skirts that I have no clue what to pair with, and some excellent flip flops.  I bought the skirts because they were unbelievably comfortable and the sales lady was so nice that she talked me into them.  Now I have two skirts but no clue what tops to wear with them.  Can I get a stylist please?!

Lord help me because this is only going to get worse...

What do I wear with these skirts?

 

13 weeks

Got my butt out of bed at 4:50am to go to Kettlebell class.  That's ended up being the only class worth getting up that early for.  Don't get me wrong, I like to get the gym over with in the morning so that I don't have to think about getting in there after work, but I also like that extra hour of sleep.  I say that I get to take an hour long nap when I come home from work today.
I did get the balls up to introduce myself to the other pregnant lady in my class.  Strangers freak me out.  What do you say?  Awkward.  Regardless, I did it.  Relief.  She was very nice, 19 weeks, and we've decided to be preggo buddies.  Since she's only 6 weeks ahead of me I kind of get a preview of what's to come.  I definitely remember her from a few weeks ago when she had the same mini muffins that I'm packin'.  Now she's got a full-fledged basketball happening under her tank.
I wish the radio would quit playing Busch Gardens/Water Country commercials.



Favorite Foods (last week)

-egg salad on a Flatout wrap with spinich

-cottage cheese, chopped strawberries, and a Tbsp. honey.

-Chex cereal

I am full-fledged back at the gym. I have to squeeze myself into my workout clothes like a sausage, but I manage.  I guess the best place to look squishy is at the gym.  At least it appears that I'm trying to work it off.  Someone told me to go get my running shorts in a size up.  I did.  Epic fail.  While the waistline fit perfectly, the legs were like wearing a circus tent.  I can't win.  I guess I'll have to continue wearing my spandex dry-fit shorts everyday.  Relax, I wash them... sometimes.  Haha.

What's up with Baby T?

Glad you asked!  As you can see it's the size of a shrimp.  Gross.  We saw it yesterday (Hub is now thinking it's a girl.  I am pretty sure he's thinking that because he secretly wants it to be a girl.  Too cute) and it finally resembles a human being, thank God.  I talked about this in yesterday's post so I'm not going to go into too much detail.  It looks normal,which is good.  The tech thinks it fell asleep during the ultrasound, which of course promped B to comment, "Well, he/she gets that from you."  True statement.  I can nap whenever and where ever and I'm not afraid to admit it.

Still the same old me :)

I haven't read my book yet, but I've been reading online and it says that Baby T has fingerprints (in case we lose him/her), it has eggs in the ovaries (if it's a girl), it's body is starting to grow to be more proportonate to the head (thank God because right now it's dome piece is massive), and while I have gained 6lbs. Baby T only weighs 1 oz.  Now how is that fair?  I am saying this while I ingest my mid-morning snack of low-fat cottage cheese, chopped strawberries, and honey.  Yum by the way.

Online it says to start talking "parenting styles" with your partner.  We've already decided that goal #1 is to survive the first year.  Conversation closed... for now.

So that's what's been up with Baby T and I this past week.  I'm still a regular girl who is muffin-topping over most of her pants wishing that they would turn the air conditioning down in her school so she can flow free in some sun dresses.  Still weirded out that there is a human leaching off of my energy and nutrients. 

It's a...

...baby, silly!  We had our 12 week screening today to test for genetic diseases and such.  Neither of us has anything that runs in our families but our insurance pays for it and we got an extra ultrasound out of it so we thought, "What the hell." I, of course, was happy to have another ultrasound to make sure that there was still something in there.  If you've been keeping up with the blog, you know that I STILL don't feel, or look, pregnant.  I'll be 13 weeks tomorrow and am beginning to think that I have better abs than I thought.  They must just be hiding underneath the layer of insulation (haha).

Looks like it's sucking it's thumb - yup, that's my child.

I read in my book that at around 12 weeks you should be able to feel your uterus right above the pubic bone.  I could have sworn that I felt it the other night and had Hub feel around to see if he noticed a difference.  The left side was soft and I could push down pretty far.  On the right side I could only push down a little bit before hitting a firmer area that felt kind of grapefruit-like.  I have read that the uterus pushes up other organs like the bladder before hitting the surface so I wasn't sure if I was feeling the right thing.  My thoughts were confirmed today!

Great thing about getting an ultrasound at this point was that I Ladytown didn't get violated.  I told Hub how excited I was not to be violated again for another year and he quickly reminded me that the child and my doctor are going to violate me in ways that I can't imagine come November.  Ugh.

Again, I am amazed that there is something growing inside me!  So weird!  The tech did the ultrasound from on top of my belly with the squirty gel and everything.  She put the thingie (whatever it's called) right where I thought that I felt my uterus the other night.  Just four weeks ago when we had the first ultrasound the baby looked like a tiny speck.  Now look at it!  We could see the spinal column, heartbeat, fingers, lips, nose and everything!  It was moving around and even looked like it was putting it's hand/fingers in its' mouth.

They told us that we'd only be in there for a few minutes because all the tech had to do was measure the back of the baby's neck, but we seem to have a stubborn baby who wouldn't turn the right way.  She kept bouncing the ultrasound wand thing up and down into my stomach to try to piss him/her off so it'd roll over.  No luck.  She said that from what she could see everything looks like it's growing normally and that they'd just take my blood to test for genetic abnormalities.  She said that I could come back next week because I would still be in the testing window but that there wouldn't be a guarantee then either.  Since they don't do ultrasounds after 3pm we opted out of trying again next week.

Side notes:
-Ultrasound gel is pretty gross.  Not bad while it's on you being used, but pretty disgusting when you're trying to wipe it off.  I'm not going to tell you what I thought of when trying to smear it off with the paper gown, but if you let your mind go there you'll figure it out for yourself.

-Why do they make you drink 16oz. of liquid before your appointment?  She practically made me pee myself when she was using my stomach as a trampoline.  I thought it was so they could see the baby better but today she tried to move the baby around and then let me go to the bathroom to see if it'd move afterward and guess what?  Everything looked the same!  WTH?

-I know most of you told me not to go there, but I'm going again for another stupid example.  Why are there women online saying that their ultrasound tech could determine the sex of their babies at 12 weeks?  Are you kidding me?  I'm calling bullshit there.  We stared at that screen for a good 15 minutes and I could only make out the baby items that I mentioned above.  She-nan-igans I tell you!

And, my friends, that it all I have for now.  Please take a minute and vote in our "boy or girl" poll for funsies :)

I'm Alive!

This week has been pretty fantastic in the energy department.  I've heard that when you hit 12 weeks you return to normal again and even have extra energy.  Oddly enough, it's true and thank God!  This is the first week in a long time that I haven't had the urge to sleep at my desk while the kids were at lunch, take a nap when I get home from work, go to be early, and I even managed to get up at 4:45am to make it to a morning gym class!
This morning I got up at 7 and headed down to the trail for a long run.  While I was super slow, or so I felt, I ended up running 6.3 miles in 1 hr. 8 min.  That averaged out to about 12:30 min/miles.  I used my heart rate monitor for the first time and realized something.  My heart rate while walking is 140bpm.  How the hell am I supposed to continue working out when my walking heart rate is that!?  I'll tell you how.  Listen to my body.  I always knew my heart rate got up there as soon as I started my work out.  I just didn't know exactly where my range was.  Now I know so I did my best to keep it between 170-175bpm.
I then went on to volunteer at the SPCA to run the dogs where I got another 2 miles of walking down for the day.  After that we went strawberry picking and guess what?  Haven't went into a coma yet.  Woo woo!

Virginia Beach Rock 'n' Roll Half-Marathon

I signed up for my 11th half-marathon this morning.  I need goals in my life people.  Sorry to those who are scrunching their faces in disgust that I'm going to attempt to run a half-marathon when I'm 7 months pregnant, but I'm going to attempt it.  I'm completely fine with the fact that I'm not going to be breaking any speed barriers with my jog/walk combo but I am always looking for a new challenge and I was say that this will be a pretty big one.

Last year's finishers medal.  This
year there is a conch shell instead
of the sand dollar.

Step one was signing up.  I haven't run the VBRNR half in two years.  I boycotted it because they changed the course and I absolutely hated it.  The course is still the same but after volunteering last year I realized that I missed it.  I am also stupidly tempted by the sparkling finisher medal.  Every month on the 13th they give you $13 off of registration. I took that since it was Friday the 13th, today was my day.  Before work this morning I took the plunge.

Step two is getting prepared.  I could run a half-marathon right now which is why my doctors said it was alright to keep going with my normal workouts.  I'm heading out today to get a heart rate monitor so that I can keep a better eye on how hard I'm actually working.  I am wondering what I'm going to do for water.  Normally I wear a 'grenade belt' but I don't know if that will fit anywhere on my waist when I actually have a belly to work around.  I'll have to wait and see on that one.  Around 20 weeks the doctor said I'll have to get a support belt to wear so that my back doesn't get killed by my stomach and so that my stomach doesn't flop all around, if that even happens.

After all of that I play the waiting game.  How big will I be at 7 months?  Will I be ridiculously klutzy?  Will everything with Baby T go smoothly so that, medically, I'm allowed to continue running and working out?  Will I, physically, be able to continue working out?

All I need to do is finish within the allotted time of 4 hours.  I do not want to be picked up by the "sag wagon".  Hell no!  If something prevents me from meeting my goal then I will graciously bow out.  Until then... it's on!

16 weeks until I find out.  Will Baby T run two belly half-marathons?

Go here if you want to run too: Virginia Beach Rock 'n' Roll Half-marathon

Why the Hell am I Crying!?

Ugh.  I cannot believe myself today.  I cried.  Not because I was sad, or hurt myself, or because I was watching a Lifetime movie... for no reason at all!  It came out of no where like a flash flood.  I was driving home from the gym after an excellent spin workout and was talking to B who has been in California for work for almost two weeks.  He was telling me about the next job he was being sent to... in Alaska!

Someone get my Cougar Town
reference, please!

Me on the inside, "That is freaking awesome!" (jumping up and down while clapping)

What came out on the outside, "Oh my gosh!  I want to go!" followed by choked up tears, which B noticed and asked if I was crying.  This, of course, made me cry harder while saying, "I don't know why I'm crying, I don't know why I'm crying but I can't stop!" This then led to, "I'm never going to get to go anywhere ever again because we'll have a baby and babies can't go anywhere fun."

All I have to say is my poor husband.  I felt so bad.  I could hear the tone of his voice.  So understanding.  He just kept saying that it's ok, my hormones are crazy because I'm pregnant, and that he'll make sure that we get to go places and have vacations.

Sigh... I went home and made myself a mixed berry smoothie for dinner and drank it from "Big Carl"

A girl can pretend can't she?

3 months - 12 weeks - 84 days

12 weeks today!  My boss came into my classroom yesterday to check on me and asked if everything was going alright with the baby.  I said that everything was great and that I feel fantastic.  She commented on how I'm not showing yet and am I sure that everything's alright.  I just smiled and said, "As far as the tell me it is."

Here is why you can't "tell" that I'm pregnant yet
{--------  Baby and uterus are still super low in my abdomen.  Last week when the doctor tried to find the heartbeat she was basically digging the doppler into my pubic bone, which did not feel all that great.  So not only is it still very low but it's also still basically in the middle of my body.

I always thought that when you hit 12 weeks you start the second trimester.  Is that not true?!  Maybe I need to stop going to these online baby groups where the women freak out over the littlest things and act like they are baby encyclopedias.  I am just not a worrier.  Not unless I truly have something to worry about that is out of my control.  I find myself getting seriously irritated at the women online that have massive, public panic attacks if they sneezed funny, only drank 7 glasses of water instead of 8, forgot to take their prenatal vitamin once, etc.  It's exhausting to read I can only imagine how exhausting it is to think that way.  Sometimes I'm pretty sure that I'm emotionless.  I'm not very empathetic and my bedside manner is questionable.  I think that's why I'm loving this blogging business so much.  It's mine and I'm going to say what I'm thinking. Sorry, not really, if I hurt feelings :)

Baby T's the size of a lime - margaritas... sigh...

Alright, back to 12 weeks... weekly updates include:

• went to the doctor, gained 5 lbs, realized I have been eating crap that I normally don't eat, and have revamped my daily preggo diet.  For those that see diet and think "losing weight", no.  Diet is the foods that you eat for nutrition not necessarily the act of dieting.  Basically I'm not going to eat gummy bears and chips everyday and am going to work really hard to eat more veggies, which I haven't been wanting lately.
• Still don't feel pregnant.  Yesterday I actually made it through a full, normal day: work, Girls on the Run practice (ran 1 mile), home to play with the dogs, gym (3 miles on cross-trainer), grocery store, cooked a normal dinner, cleaned up, and vegetated on the couch without feeling like I was going to die of exhaustion.  Is this the energy boost they talk about getting in the 2nd trimester?  I hope so.  I have sh*t to do!
• Announced to the world, a.k.a Facebook, our news.
• Celebrated Mother-to-be day and drove all over hell and back.
• Saw an Orioles game with a bunch of friends and my sister - got on the jumbotron!

(sidebar)

I wrote everything above last night.  Well, this morning when my alarm went off at 5am I was actually able to get up and go to the gym!!  Am I back!?  Is this zombie exhaustion finally over?  Not only that but I have a preggo buddy in the kettlebell class that I haven't been able to wake up for the past two months!  She's 20 weeks.  Oh yeah, today's going to be an excellent day and here's why:

-already hit the gym

-assembly first thing this morning

-1 hour lunch with the grade level where we get to leave school for lunch together

-Tides game tonight with LL and LC!

May--be I'll even get some planting done this afternoon!  I am on FI-YA!   WINNING :)

Baby Info.
Almost forgot to add in what's going on with Baby T this week.  Apparently it is flexing it's muscles!  Moving fingers, toes, eyes, and starting to make sucking movements.  They also say that if I poke my stomach Baby T moves because I'm pissing it off :)  Okay that's probably not why it moves but wouldn't you be pissed off if someone was poking at you?  Just saying.

I'm going to post a picture of me but I don't have anyone to take it right this second.  I can't stand those "take a picture of yourself in the mirror" pictures.

Mother's Day

Let me start with the back story.  I have been trying to "get" Mother's Day for years now.  Probably close to six years since Kale just turned 7 on May 1st.  Hubs always told me that, "Dogs don't count!"  I beg to differ dear Hubby.  Whilst picking out Mother's Day cards in Target I came across an interesting section of the Mother's Day display.  Do you see what I see? --}
Now, if you look closely you can plainly see that those are Mother's Day cards from your dog!  NOW does it count?  No, of course not.

So this year I'm thinking, "I am growing a human.  Mother's Day HAS to count now, right?" I pose the question to Hubs who responds with, "Can you hold the baby yet?"
"No," I reply.
Hub hammers it home with, "When you can hold the baby Mother's Day will count."
"Dammit!" I exclaim.

I have to say that I kind of agree.  I did enjoy the Mother-to-Be day that I had with my family and my fur children, of course.  My mom got me two cute pregnancy running shirts as a mother-to-be gift, one of which I used for the infamous Facebook baby announcement.  I mostly enjoyed reading all of the surprised posts on my Facebook page.

It's been really fun reading all of your posts and talking with everyone.

First Gender Dream

I have no 'feeling' on whether we're having a boy or a girl.  Really, none.  No clue, no idea.  When I told my bestie this she said that I'll eventually start having dreams about it.  Last night was my first one.  I almost didn't remember when I woke up.  It tried to wipe itself from my memory but without success!

Here it is:  Hubs went out and bought a gender test, which looked almost exactly like a pregnancy test.  The only difference was that instead of peeing on the stick, I had to put a drop of my blood on it. Weird, I know.  So we waited a few minutes until the lines started to show up.  There were 2, which according to the directions meant BOY!

So.  There is now a point for the boy side.  Now we just have to wait until July to find out of the baby is truly able to send me vibes from the womb.  I told Hub about the dream and he thinks I'm nuts.  We'll see Hubs, we'll see.

A Bun in the Oven

More like a tray of muffin tops if you ask me! Have I mentioned in a previous post that I am not loving this 'fat' phase of pregnancy?  I'm pretty sure I did and if I haven't, I'm telling you now.  This week I have had to retire one pair of khaki capris and 3 pairs of long shorts that I like to wear to work.  With the weather, and my body temperature, rising I am left with very few options.  Last night I jumped online to hopefully find some kind of solution.  There is no way that I need maternity clothes since the only thing that I seem to be growing right now is a muffin top, but last time I checked I still have to wear pants to work.

On top of the work clothes tightening, my damn running shorts are doing the same!  Argh.  I am beginning to hate looking at myself half-clothed in the mirror.  It's like my skin/fat is oozing out over my pants/shorts. Dis-gus-ting!  Putting a shirt over the hot mess that is my midsection doesn't help much in my eyes.

Solution attempt #1 is the BeBand from Target.  I haven't quite figured out how this thing works but that's probably because I haven't taken it out of the bag yet.  Apparently you put it over your pants, leave your pants unbuttoned/unzipped, and the band holds everything in place.  I'm sketched out by that whole situation but will try pretty much anything to be able to still wear my pants.  I read all of the reviews that other women had left and they were all great.  I'll give a shot, what the hell.

I also found a cute, brown dress but it was one of those that doesn't give you a waist.  I put it back.  I think it'll be perfect for when I have something to fill the empty space with.  Maybe an August purchase.

**Update**

BeBand is a success!!  I tried on all of the above mentioned 'retired' pants and bingo!  We are back in business!  This thing is soft and does not squeeze like elastic.  Hopefully that reigns true for when my belly starts growing for real.  I will probably be going back to Target for a white and black BeBand now.

11 week appointment

Today's appointment was pretty cut and dry.  Weight, blood pressure, and pee in a cup.  I think they should have let me pee before getting weighed because I probably would have been a pound less.  So I weight 146lbs. now according to the doctor's scale.  Makes me want to vomit.  Sigh.  Met a new doctor today.  She was very nice and friendly.  Oddly enough they don't really do much at these appointments.  She asked if I was feeling ok and that was pretty much it.  I asked a bunch of questions that I had and then she tried to find the baby's heartbeat with the doppler.  She warned me ahead of time that we probably wouldn't hear anything.  That the earliest they usually try is 12 weeks but she thought that since I was thin there might be a chance to hear something.  We didn't.  Boo.  And that was pretty much it.  I think I was there for 20 minutes.

Oh.  I asked if I could run/walk the Rock 'n' Roll Half-marathon Labor Day weekend.  She said that I could!!  I just need to keep my body in the shape that it's in, be aware that my center of gravity will be changing, and begin wearing a pregnancy support belt around 18-20 weeks.  Excited!!  The plan is on.  Let's see if this baby agrees with it.  What an active baby -- two half-marathons while in my belly :)  We'll see.

May 16th we get another ultrasound - excited!

11 weeks

11 weeks today!  Time is starting to fly by it seems.  I don't know if it's because the end of the school year is coming or what but it seems like I was typing my 5 weeks post not too long ago.  This is my 3rd post today although the only one reading them is me so far.  I mentioned in my earlier post that co-workers are starting to notice that I've put on a few pounds.  Thankfully they immediately assumed that I was pregnant instead of just 'letting myself go'.

Baby T's is fig-sized!  Hopefully without the stem :)

Today I went walking at the Botanical Gardens with my adventure buddy LC.  Sadly I noticed myself getting winded doing a fast walk.  Pathetic.  It was much better after I warmed up.  We did almost 3 miles while walking and talking.  I already know that my thighs and hip flexors are going to be screaming tomorrow.  Those are muscles that I don't really use while running or spinning.  LC and I talked about life and started thinking of what summer adventures we could go on.  She told me that preggos are not allowed to go parasailing, which is a mega-bummer because that's something we really wanted to do last summer but never got around to.  We can still go hiking, beach cruising, walking at the garden, and I think I'm going to be able to talk her into kayaking on the river.  Sigh.  There are still so many limitations...

Size of me at 11 weeks

     

Epidural

I frequently visit the website www.babycenter.com to learn about different pregnancy items and whatnot.  I also have the Baby Center app on my phone, which gives me a little pregnancy checklist.  It's funny how similar this is to when I was counting down to my wedding.  Same type of checklist with WAY different items on it.  Each week starts out with a summary of what the baby looks like, what's developed, how my body may be changing, and little tips.  On the app I also get some type of video to watch.  Last week it was a video animation of the babies' growth in weeks 10-14.  This week it was a video of the anesthesiologist giving a woman in labor her epidural.  I thought, "Cool. I'll watch this."  I'm curious of all things medical and have heard about what an epidural consists of so I thought I was pretty prepared to watch the 3 minute video.  Wrong.

At this point in the pregnancy I think I would like to attempt a natural birth.  Remember, I am only a quarter of the way through here.  After watching that video I'm even more set on it.  Let me walk you through.  If I can post the video on here I'm going to.  The world needs an education.

1) anesthesiologist finds the spot on your back where he'd like to insert the needle.

2) he sticks you with Litocaine to numb the skin

3) he inserts a hollow needle, kind of similar to one you'd get pierced with but thicker and longer, in between two vertebra (yikes!)

4) he shoots in a "trial" solution to see if he's got it in the right place (the epidural space) if he does he then slips a tube (catheter) through the hollow needle and into your spine!!

This is what I did not know -- he then leaves the tube IN YOUR BACK!!  WHAT!?  They tape it down and leave it in.  Oh my goodness!  I don't know why that bothers me so much but man it does.  Needles didn't bother me but the small tube hanging out of my back does.  I am truly a freak of nature.  At this point I'm going to deal with the pain.  No one better print this out and bring it to the hospital on delivery day either.  Don't forget - I'm only 11 weeks along at this point.  I still know nothing :) but I am learning more and more every day.  

Watch the video if you dare.

Those Damn Mini Muffins!!

Tops that is.  They're giving me away!  Not that it really matters because we'll be spilling the beans in less than a week, but still!  I'm talking about work.  Thank God for warm weather and dresses because I'm running out of dress pant options.  Apparently the ladies on my grade level have noticed (whom, whom) because one came in today asking if I was hiding a secret.  I told her.  She said that she noticed my midsection but only because I was "super skinny and had a flat stomach" and now I have a little basket of mini muffins in place of it.  I was sad at the thought of my mini muffins but on the other hand extremely flattered that she thought of my original body that way.  Thanks!!  I guess it's time to spread the word around work because if you know me, you know that the last thing I would want people thinking is that I'm packin' on a few pounds because I was porkin' it at the Teacher Appreciation Week lunch buffets! 

My question now is, "How do I tell people that I barely know my news?"  I mean seriously.  I can see it going like this:

"I gave my unit 10 math test on Tuesday.  You're giving yours on Thursday right?"

"That's right, so we're pretty much right on pace."

"Great!  I was hoping that you'd be able to catch the class up."

"Yeah, it wasn't really a problem since I didn't have specials on Monday."

"Perfect!!  By the way... I'm pregnant."

Ugh.  Disgusting.  I was hoping to be able to hold out until next Tuesday.  I have 1-hr. lunch with my team mates and was going to spill then.  As of right now 2/4 of them already know, which means the other two have probably been told as well.  May as well spill the beans...

Baby Dream

I think I had another baby dream last night.  This one wasn't as obvious as the last one that I posted about. I am remembering bits and pieces, but I do know that I was not the one who was pregnant in this one.  Maybe it wasn't about me?  Anyway.  We were at a farm-type of place with a lot of dogs.  The woman who was pregnant was having her husband do an ultrasound to see what the gender of the baby was.  He did the ultrasound and then posted the announcement on a bulletin board - "we are pretty sure it's a girl".  There was a name posted but I couldn't read it.

Then we were at a Tides game, which had nothing to do with anything.

This one was very vague.  I'm going to chalk it up to:     Boy - 1    Girl - 0.5

I think I manifested this dream from a post that I read online about a woman who used to worked at a vet's office.  Apparently she is obsessed with hearing the baby's heartbeat so she had them use the dog equipment (ultrasound machine) on her so she could check on her baby.  True story.  Weird.  Thanks for the crazy dream baby-obsessed, dog lady.