2 Years!!!

Monday, June 23, 2008 Robert and I celebrated two years of wedded bliss. Well - actually we celebrated on Sunday and Monday was spent at home doing the 'norm'. Sunday we went to Bridgestreet for dinner at Dolce - they have half off entrees on Sundays, you can't beat that. Before dinner we went and saw "Don't Mess with the Zohan" - it was a stupid funny movie but enjoyable. We decided that we'll be taking in a lot of movies this summer - it's nice and cool and something ol' preggers can totally do!

After dinner we walked around the shopping center and headed home. All in all it was a great evening! It seems we have started our own tradition of me being knocked up for our anniversary. Last year I was about 6 weeks pregnant for our anniversary. However I think the tradition may have to be broken for next year - I couldn't imagine being pregnant AND having a 8-month old - then again, I would like to have children somewhat close together so we'll just have to see what 2009 brings us.

For all of you enjoying the ever-growing belly - here's a belly shot from Sunday evening when we got home - 25 weeks pregnant

Yes, baby, I feel you...

Last Saturday, (May 31, 2008) it happened! I felt my first kick from the outside!!! Robert and I had rented the movie "27 Dresses" and were having a relaxing movie night at home and the baby started moving around. I gently pressed into the area where I felt flutters and ::crickets:: NOTHING, NADA, ZIP. Baby stopped. Well since I had nothing else better to do, I waited, and waited and FINALLY I felt 2 or 3 really prominent, KICKS from the outside. I tried to have Robert feel but he couldn't feel any of the kicks against his hand.

Since then the kicks have become much more frequent and predominant - so COOL!!! The baby weighs about 1 pound now and is about 11 inches long!!!

Last night I think the baby was practing its back flip while I settled down into bed... Robert had already fell asleep and therefore missed out on the kicks again. I am hoping tonight we can find a time to lay down and get the baby going and hopefully he can share this great experience. It's just sooo cool!

Banana = 10.5 inches long

And this week is "Banana" week.

Here's what the nest says this week

"Baby gulps down several ounces of amniotic fluid every day, both for hydration and nutrition and to practice swallowing and digesting. And, these days, those taste buds actually work! Studies show that after birth, babies are most interested in tastes they've already experienced through amniotic fluid. Meaning, think about what you want your future child to eat as you prepare your own lunch."

If the baby is developing taste buds now, that means that my baby is going to eat Lucky Charms morning, noon and night (and all the times in between). Monday during our weekly grocery shopping excursion I had a craving... yes, one of those stereotypical commercial type pregnancy cravings where a pregnant woman has this INSANE NEED for some crazy food and she MUST HAVE IT NOW... and that craving was none other but LUCKY CHARMS cereal. I don't feel too bad about it because, after all, it's Whole Grain, Vitamin Fortified and Magically Delicious.

I've mentioned this before, but I am constantly amazed how my taste buds have reverted 22 years to that of a Five Year old! I can some how justify that fish sticks and tater tots is a healthy and adequate meal for Robert and I. I barely eat my way through a well rounded meal of grilled pork chops, peas and rice, but Easy Mac makes a fantastic breakfast these days.

As long as the baby is growing as it should be and I'm not gaining any excessive weight above the guidelines, then I think the Lucky Charms is providing us all the nutrients we need.

Baby Morgan, I can't wait to meet you in 136 days! I love you already!

Canteloupe Belly Shot

I think I have officially "POPPED" this week. I feel like I look pregnant now. Maybe it's the clothes. I'm 19 weeks, 4 days pregnant.

The receptionist told me I'm "carrying high" today and she thinks "she-devil" could be a boy... we'll find out June 10 huh??!

Here's one of my cute new shirts I bought over the weekend.

And here is a picture wearing a more snug fitting shirt.

We'll have you in and out in 15 minutes or less!!!

Yesterday was our first "standard" pre-natal appt. I hit the 16 week mark (40% done!) on Sunday. Does that mean I'm technically "twice" as pregnant as I was last time? (as if, I'm LEAPS AND BOUNDS ahead this time!)

We got to the Dr's office right on time and they saw me right away. Took my weight - I had gained 2 pounds in a week but considering the amount of CRAP I ate over the weekend combined with actually keeping food in me, I'm not terribly worried about it. I'm still down -10 pounds for the pregnancy. My blood pressure was normal. The nurse brought me into the examination room to listen to the heartbeat

The nurse was trying to find the heartbeat and kept missing it. After what seemed like an eternity waiting to hear those little heartsounds, I told the nurse that I *think* I usually feel the baby in my lower left abdomen. She moved the doppler in that direction and bam! There it was! The heart beat was in the 160's so perfectly healthy and normal. After we heard the heartbeat, the doctor came in and felt around on my belly. He said everything looked perfect, to take it easy and assured me that I can't squish my own baby. (Irrational fear maybe? I don't know - but I have been starting to half way listen to Robert about bending over and what if I break the baby?)

From the time I signed in at the reception desk to the time I jumped off the table was less than 15 minutes total. Gotta love that

I wasn't terribly worried about the heartbeat, but I was worried that I might be losing my mind about feeling the baby. NORMALLY You don't hear of someone feeling movement until around 16-20 weeks, however I have been feeling flutters for about 4 weeks now. But... I kept thinking that maybe it was just my imagination and I was making it up. Heck, for all I know, it could have been indigestion movements, I don't know. However, my fears of insanity quickly vanished after the heartbeat was found exactly where I feel the little tickles.

For the record, I hope this little one is TICKLISH because I am going to tickle the crap out of it when it comes out because all day I feel like I have ants in my pants. In a panic I have felt around for a bug crawling around just to realize it's the baby tickling me from the inside. It's a wonderfully sickening feeling and I can't wait until the movement is more severe and Robert is able to share this amazing feeling with me.

Last Monday's appt, the technician guessed we're having a little girl. I'm getting more and more used to the idea of a little girl (I still don't care either way though if she might have been wrong). And I really do hope it's a girl for my mom's sake - since she has started compiling little girl clothes for the baby. Even I haven't purchased anything for the baby yet! I can't wait until I can though!

Maybe I'll get brave enough to take pictures of my belly soon. I'm still worried it just looks like pudge and not baby belly.

What Honeymoon???

In every pregnancy book and website you read, it always says the Second Trimester (weeks 14-27)is the "honeymoon stage" of your pregnancy. Your morning sickness has subsided, your energy has returned, and you are not feeling the physical annoyances of carrying around a baby (swollen feet + swollen ankles = cankles).

Well, let me ask - when is this "honeymoon" supposed to happen? Because I have been in the 2nd Tri for 2 weeks now and I have never been so sick. My hateful child is probably paying me back because I was telling everyone on Thursday and Friday how much better I was feeling. That soon ended on Sunday.

Sunday started off ok. I got up around 8:30 and ate breakfast. Wheat Chex and 1% milk - something I have ate before and felt fine afterwards. Not Sunday. By 9:15 I was visiting the porcelain throne and seeing my breakfast for a second time. NOT FUN! I brushed my teeth and started on my "spring cleaning" project for the day. It's amazing how pregnancy can minimize how bad puking really is. Usually after a good regurgitation of a once enjoyed meal, one feels awful, looks for sympathy and goes to bed...or at least that is what I used to do until now.

Our bedroom furniture was terribly dusty and needed a good wipe down. I got out the bucket of hot water, added some murphy's oil soap and started cleaning. It was then that I started feeling a little crampy and told Robert about it. He immediately put me on bed rest. So much for finishing the bedroom furniture. The cramps weren't BAD, but they were a little disconcerting. I hadn't felt any cramps since the very early beginning of the pregnancy. I immediately picked up my trusty copy of WTEWYE (for non-preggers people - that stands for "What to Expect When You're Expecting"). No where in the book could I find that cramping in the 2nd Trimester was normal. I visited many message boards, asked pregnant or proud parent friends, frantically googled "2nd Trimester Cramping". And received mixed messages. Some resources said it was ok and normal, others said to call the emergency room. I opted to just stay in bed.

Robert brought me lunch consisting of Easy Mac. (Why is it that when you start growing a child, your palette reverts back to when you were 5 years old? Cravings for PB&J, Pop Tarts, Chicken Nuggets, Mac & Cheese... and the thought of broccoli will make one turn their nose in disgust!) At any rate, I gobbled up the Easy Mac and drank some ice water. 10 minutes later that doomed feeling came over me and once again I got to revisit my once enjoyed meal... CRAP!

I was worried. I was crampy AND sick. This wasn't a normal feeling for someone who is supposed to be on their HONEYMOON!!!

Monday morning I called the doctor. While I had been able to keep a piece of toast and peanut butter down, my cramps were still lingering. The nurse was patient with me and invited me to come in and see the On-Call Doctor at 1:15. Sign me up! With Robert in tow, we headed to the Clinic. I stepped on the scale, surprised to find that I have lost another 4 1/2 pounds (that is a total of 11 pounds lost so far). My blood pressure was "perfect". They gave me another ultrasound to check on those cramps. We got to see our precious hateful child. The baby had it's hands up, clasped together and was probably taking a nap, or was in a starvation coma since I had managed to eat 3 corn bread muffins and a piece of toast in the past 48 hours... Note to self: Eat not for you but for your unborn baby...

The technician told us the baby looked perfect and asked if we wanted to know the sex...Um... is the sky blue??? She told us not to start painting the nursery yet but guessed that we are having a baby GIRL!!! I thought for SURE we were having a BOY but we'll take it either way! It was a relief to see our little girl's heart beating away at 165 bpm.

The doctor came in afterwards and touched on my belly a few times and told me the cramps were probably caused by Round Ligament Pain and there wasn't anything to worry about.

I felt at times I was probably overreacting. No, Scratch that... I WAS overreacting... But...Robert assured me that calling the doctor and going in was not overreacting but playing it safe. It's so nice to know that I have a husband who is so supportive of me and doesn't think I'm too much of a drama queen. I know I am truly lucky!

And for my final words - Welcome Maybe Baby Girl Morgan!!!

Check out those bones!!! Guess that Ice Cream after dinner is paying off!!! (Robert told me that the baby is now too "skinny" and I need to start fattening her up... give it time...)

Isn't she precious? I can't wait to meet our baby in October!