Sunday, October 31, 2010

16 Weeks (almost a week late)

I know this post is a bit late, but I DID take the picture on time this week, so here's Monday's pic...


It's been a bust week.  Last Saturday (a week ago), we went to my fabulous friend's birthday/costume party...here's some pics...

Scott and I as Mario and Luigi

And the birthday girl!

Last Sunday, we took some time to go pumpkin/apple picking, in the midst of all the work and errands.. 

Monday, I started my prenatal yoga class (every Monday) at the maternity clothing store in Danbury.  It was a little less workout intensive and a little more stretching and meditation then I would've liked, but I think it will be beneficial in the long run.  Seeing as my stress level has been through the roof lately, anything I can do to calm myself down throughout the week sounds good to me.

On Tuesday, we started our 12-week Bradley Method class.  As I said in my last post, I would really like to get through this labor and delivery med-free.  While Bradley promotes this, it doesn't force it upon you, which I love.  The class prepares you for all the choices you have to better enable you to make those decisions. They also have a lot of "guest speakers" such as a doula (to help you decide if you would like one), a masseuse, an acupuncturist/acupressurist and a nutritionist.

I can't say this week was the easiest work week I have had.  I've started becoming very concerned about my stress level.  Lately, I can actually feel my stress level elevate very quickly.  Since I'm pretty concerned about the consequences of that (i.e., the possibility of winding up on bed rest), I have continued to do my best to leave work by 5-5:30pm every day.  Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't.  

Yesterday, we went to the annual Collinsville Halloween Parade and hung out with Scott's family...hlways a great time! Here's some pictures:









The ring made BIG circles around my belly...
an indication there's a little girl in there.  
I guess we'll see if it was right in a few weeks!

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

15 Weeks and the Emergence of the Belly


As you can see, my belly is definitely starting to protrude.  Although, I have to say, it is definitely not this big in the morning. 

We went to visit our first day care facility today.  I think it was a bit of a shock to both of us.  It looks like a prison hospital ward and had an overall "cold" feeling.  I knew this was going to be hard for me, but it may prove to be harder then I thought.  Most of you who know me know that I have a hard time trusting anyone, which just seems to be getting worse the older I get (funny seeing as when I was younger I trusted  anyone and everyone way too much).  So that will most likely be the first hurdle for me to get over.  I think once we start looking at more places, we will find a place that feels right to both of us.

I had a mini-meltdown this week.  I had a doctor's appointment Monday and found out I have gained 9 pounds since my first appointment.  I know some of you may think I'm being ridiculous about the weight gain and you may be right.  But it's something I never imagined to be as hard as it is.  I have gone up a total of 3 dress sizes so far, although I know much of it is due to the increase in breast size.  I have completely stopped weighing myself at home and limit my weigh-ins only to the doctor's office.  I also do not look at the actual weight on the scale when I'm there and, instead, just ask for my total weight gain.  Now that I'm starting to show, I think it will become much easier.  

Another new development.  I have officially decided that I'd like to go through labor and delivery med-free.  However, I know that the unexpected often happens and will not force myself beyond what I'm comfortable with once I go into labor.  We've decided to take a 12-week course in the Bradley Method, which prepares you and your body, as well as your birth coach (Scott), for a med-free birth.  I think most of my apprehension stems from the fact that I am more nervous for an epidural then the actual delivery and I really hate the idea of being numb through the labor and delivery.  So there's not much else we can do other than be prepared for any situation. 

I think it's about that time to start completing the weekly pregnancy quiz, so I'll end with that...

How Far along: 15 Weeks 2 Days

Weight gain: 9 lbs as of Monday's doctor's appointment

Maternity Clothes?: For the most part.  I only have two pairs of maternity pants that I can wear to work and one pre-pregnancy pair of pants that I can wear with the BeBand.  While I don't necessarily need them, they are SO comfortable.  I don't think I will ever want to go back to regular pants! As far as shirts, I do a mixture, but for the most part wear a tank and cardigan to work.  Pretty soon, I'm going to have to invest in some suits/dresses for when I have to go to court.

Stretch Marks?: Nope.  I have been slathering myself with Palmer's lotion every morning.  I know a lot of people don't believe it works and it could just be in my head.  But if it makes me happy in my head, I guess that's enough.  I have also heard stretch marks are hereditary and my mom never got them, so I have my fingers crossed.

Sleep?: Much better since I bought my Snoogle.  I was sleeping horribly for weeks.  It got a bit uncomfortable to sleep on my stomach, which is what I'm used to.  So I tried to sleep on my side, as recommended for pregnant women, but would constantly rolled on my back.  Scott told me every time I'd roll on my back, I'd begin hyperventilating my sleep, so he'd wake me up to roll over several times throughout the night.  The Snoogle has really helped.  I usually put it behind me to stop me from rolling onto my back. However, I do occasionally wake up on top of the pillow...

Best Moment this week?: Listening to the baby's heartbeat again.

Movement?: Nothing yet.

Food Craving?: Nothing in particular.  Usually, it's more that I'll see someone eating something or someone will bring something up and, all of a sudden, I want it!

Gender?: We'll find out on November 19th at the Anatomy Scan!!

Labor Signs: Way too early for that!

What I miss?: Hearing the comments from people with zero tact.

What I'm looking forward to?: Our next appointment...the Anatomy Scan!  And our first Bradley Method class next Tuesday.

Emotions: It can change in a split second!  I seriously could be angry one minute and hysterical laughing the next...very confusing.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Remember Me?

I know it's been awhile...it's been an busy couple of weeks.  We went out to Indiana to visit my sisters a couple of weeks ago.  The trip was way too short, but I'm glad we got to visit.  I'm hoping to get back out there for at least one more weekend before the baby comes.  

I was also able to spend some time (although not nearly enough) with my two old friends, Rob and Jen, this weekend.  It still amazes me that you can get so busy that you can't find time to see people that live less then 2 hours away! 

These last couple of weeks, I've begun to experience some of the not so glamorous symptoms of pregnancy, including constipation and severe headaches (I'm sure you all wanted to know that). But I've also started feeling more comfortable in general.  My bloat has almost completely disappeared, which feels SO much better!

I also think I'm beginning to feel a little better about my weight gain.  I have had a much more difficult time then I ever would have expected with the pregnancy weight gain.  For those of you who don't know, I used to be much heavier then I am now.  About four a half years ago, I lost about 40 pounds through Weight Watchers.  So, while the doctor says the weight I have gained is right on track for an average pregnancy, seeing those numbers on the scale go up hasn't been the easiest thing to accept.  

This past couple of weeks, I have also started to stock up on some maternity clothes.  I could definitely get away with wearing my pre-pregnancy clothes--using the extenders for many of my pants, etc.--but maternity pants keep the pressure off my belly.  I still switch back and forth between my old and new clothes and, for the most part, still wear my pre-pregnancy clothes outside of work.  

So far, I have found some really good buys at Old Navy, Target, and Kohls.  I also ordered a few things from JCPenney, but most of them are going back as they are HUGE even though they are a size small.  I have been stocking up on a lot of cardigans (maternity and non-maternity) with tanks and camis for underneath.  I figured this was a good way to get some new clothes for work without feeling like I was wasting a ton of money, since I could continue to wear the cardigans post-pregnancy.  A couple purchases I am dreading....a winter coat and a business suit...neither is going to be cheap.

So, now that I've babbled about the time I've been away, here are some long overdue pictures...

 13 Weeks 3 days
14 weeks

You can definitely see the belly now, although some days it's there and some days it's not, so we'll see how I look next week.  Don't mind my completely disheveled look...I was going on 24 hours with a migraine by this point.

And here's some pictures from our visit to Indiana a couple weeks ago:





Love watching the games from the box!

 Allie's Birthday Dinner!



Too many saki bombs for Scott!





Saki Saki Saki BOMB!