31

Longest post ever.  This is your warning. :)

The number of hours I was in labor.  Yes, 31.  What the heck?  I think my body was trying to break all sorts of records with this pregnancy.  First, I got to be in the 1% of women who get the PUPPPs rash, and then I have 31 hours of labor.  I read somewhere that the average first labor is 17 hours.

On Saturday morning I was determined to get things going.  Jeff and I took Harper on a brisk 3 mile walk.  We ran into my doctor who lives about 5 blocks from us.  She was packing up her car to go to Des Moines for the weekend.  She told me she'd be back by noon on Sunday, so if I went into to labor make sure the nurses called her.

Well, my walk must've worked because I started having contractions later on that day. I was taking a nap with my first baby, Harper, when I woke up to contractions at about 2:30.  I wasn't getting too excited since I'd had a couple of contractions the week before and it turned out to be nothing.  Lo and behold, these contractions stuck.  They were about 10 minutes apart.  My goal was to stay at home as long as possible.  So, I did a few loads of laundry and cleaned up the house.  Jeff and I went out to dinner.  (We actually ended up running into my cousin and I think I did a pretty good job of hiding my pain mid-conversation when I'd have a contraction.)  We took Harper on a walk over to my friend, Katie's house.  Katie was sure I'd have the baby that night as my contractions were about 5 minutes apart at the time. (HA!)

Finally, at about 11:30 pm, we decided to head to the hospital. My contractions were 3-4 minutes apart.  We called our doula and headed to the emergency room.  We got checked in and I got checked out. I was shocked when the nurse told me I was only 2 cm dialated.  I got the slushies, walked the halls, and sat on the exercise ball.  The contractions were still going strong and probably about 2-3 minutes apart.  Finally, at 8:30 am Sunday morning, the nurse asked me if I wanted my water broken.  I hesitated, but she highly recommended it.  Dr. Benson was called and he came and broke my water at about 9 am.  (The nurse said it doesn't hurt to have your water broken, but she was mistaken.  Dr. Benson gave me 6 good pokes and it DOES hurt!)

After my water was broken, my contractions were extremely intense.  They were coming about a minute and a half apart and each contraction lasted 50 seconds.  They were so strong, I started dry heaving through them.  This went on for about 3 hours until I asked to be checked again.  Surely, I was going through transition labor and would be at least a 6 or a 7.  Not so.  I was only 4 cm, MAYBE a 5 said the nurse.  I immediately started crying.  I could not make it through another 21 hours of labor.  I requested an epidural and then cried some more.  I was so disappointed that I was giving up and not going to have an all-natural labor.  My doula said she agreed with my decision and thought that I requested the epidural at the right time.

The epidural was scary, but at the same time I was so relieved to not have to be in pain anymore. I think I even slept for 10 minutes here and there.  Eventually the nurses told me that my contractions were not strong enough, so they were going to give me some pitocin to get things moving more quickly.  (What?! Are you kidding me?  Those contractions could not have gotten any stronger in my opinion.)  At that point, I really didn't care.  I wasn't going to feel anything.  Give me whatever you want.

At 5 p.m. I was 9 cm dialated and when they checked me, they found that my dear little baby had decided to turn sunny side up.  Could I get on my hands and knees on the bed and use the exercise ball to try to rotate the baby?  Sure.  Why not?  Gah!!  Just when I thought I was almost done.  When you can't feel anything below your waist and you've already labored naturally for 21 hours, the simplest thing like moving your hips in a circular motion seems like a big deal.  I did as I was asked and was checked an hour later.  I had moved the baby!  But not far enough...I should try to move the baby again.  I said fine, but that I needed a break because I was tired.  They checked me again at 7 pm and the baby had moved on its own.  I was dialated to a 9-10!

The nurses called my doctor and got me prepped to start pushing.  Holy crap. I could feel when I was going to have a contraction, so the pushing went pretty well.  I pushed a few times and was doing really well.  I looked at Jeff and asked him what we were going to name our little boy.  We still had not decided on a boy name and were sure it was a boy.  Jeff had said that after watching me go through everything, that I could just name him.  To which I replied, wouldn't you just be shocked if it were a girl?  After only 45 minutes of pushing, we had our little baby girl!  I think we laughed in disbelief when the doctor said "it's a girl!"  Gemma Lorraine was born on 5/29 at 8:14 pm.

Gemma was quiet when she was born.  The nurses had to make her cry, but she was completely fine. (She's still not a big crier.)  She was extremely alert and just stared at me the whole time during our kangaroo care, and she even latched on right away to nurse and gulped like a champ.  I'm glad she knew what to do because I sure didn't!

Gemma is the sweetest little baby ever and we can't imagine our lives without her now.  Jeff says she looks like an Asian version of me.  I think she does have my nose, but I'm not sure about the rest.  Only time will tell I suppose!  She was definitely worth the 31 hours of labor and the 21 hours of pain.  She still might be an only child, though. :)  Ask me in a year.

+2

I am now dialated to 1.5 cm. Boo.  Dr. said the baby has definitely dropped, though, and I am more anterior now.  Still 50% effaced.  My doctor actually seemed to be happy with the progress.  She stripped my membranes and I'm hoping that gets things going!  My doctor is going to be gone Saturday and Sunday, but I don't really care at this point if she is around to deliver the baby.  They really just get there to deliver the baby anyway, right?  I also have a birth plan that we'll be bringing to the hospital, so as long as the on-call doctor can read, I figure I should be fine. (I'm optimistic still!)

I keep telling people other than the sheer hell that is PUPPPs, I wouldn't care if I were pregnant for another 2 weeks. (I know that my doctor would never let that happen, but I'm just sayin'.)  I don't have any swelling, I'm not uncomfortable, etc. 

Speaking of PUPPPs, the Grandpa's Pine Tar soap has been a lifesaver.  I started using it on Wednesday and it has brought me a lot of relief.  Now, it doesn't completely take the itch away, but it has made the itching much more tolerable.  I even quit using my prescription cream.  I wasn't too crazy about using a steroid cream , even though they say its safe.  The soap does smell like campfire and I have to shower at least three times a day, but its completely worth it.  I've even been able to sleep through the night without wanting to itch my skin off!

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone!  Keep your fingers crossed that we have baby news to report soon!

40 weeks...

and I'm really just praying for a May baby at this point! I had an appointment on Monday afternoon and I made a bit of progress. I'm at 1 cm and 40-50% effaced, but still pretty high.  Nothing to get TOO excited about, but its something!  My doctor was pretty shocked to see how bad my PUPPPs has gotten, so she sent me to the lab to test my liver to make sure I don't have Cholestasis, which can be dangerous.  Thankfully, my results came back with a glowing report!  Just a severe case of PUPPPs. 

My doctor is willing to induce me if the rash gets to be too unbearable, and some days I think I'm going to cave in. I've been reading a lot of message boards about people who have gotten it and the home remedies they're trying.  I keep hearing about Grandpa's Pine Tar soap, so I'm heading to the co-op after work to pick some up.  I should have tried it a long time ago, but I thought the prescription cream I got would have worked better.  I heard it smells really gross--like campfire or burning garbage--but I really don't care at this point.  I've never been so excited to smell like crap!

Ice packs have also been helping a little bit.  After I woke up at 5 this morning in serious discomfort, I stuck an ice pack down my pajama pants and slept like a baby! (Yes, the rash has now spread to my arse and crack. Not fun!) My husband is such a lucky man. :)

If I don't have a baby by the end of the work week, I'm seriously considering starting my maternity leave next Tuesday.  I'm honestly not getting a whole lot done at work anyway because 1) I have a lot of my stuff wrapped up or handed off because I thought I would have already had my baby by now, and 2) I can't focus on much besides my darn itching.  Nothing that requires any sort of serious thought, anyway.

"Come on, baby!"  This phrase makes me giggle a little because my dad says that's what my mom kept saying when she was in labor with me. 

39 weeks 5 days

No picture this week.  We forgot to take one, and now I'm pretty much 40 weeks, so I figure its pointless. 

I got pretty excited on Friday night because I had two hard contractions that were 10 minutes apart.  So, I decided to try to get some sleep since it was 10 p.m. and I didn't want to be completely exhausted when I went into active labor.  I didn't end up waking up (at least not due to anymore contractions). Boo.  Baby is playing tricks on me! 

I'm trying all of the "natural" inducers.  Walking, bouncing on my exercise ball, spicy food--my favorite Mrs. Renfro's jalapeno salsa--, sex, acupressure foot rub, pedicure, etc.. Nothing is seeming to work.  I did have Braxton Hicks contractions that I could feel all weekend. (I haven't felt any at all throughout my pregnancy.) 

Last week was a stressful one.  (It's a very long story, but involved a non-stress test and a biophysical.)  Everything with the baby is looking good.  Estimated weight is between 5 lbs and 11 oz and 6 lbs 10 oz.  Since I had the biophysical, I got to see my baby's face!  "He" looks just like Jeff, and is super adorable. The baby scored 8 out of 8 on its "tests."  So, I said at least the baby gets one thing from me--its brains! :)

Also, my PUPPP rash has decided to spread to my entire body, with the exception of my face.  It is the most unbearable thing I have ever dealt with in my life.  It wasn't that bad the first week I had it, but the place it originally started is becoming more flared and the fact that it spread doesn't help matters either!

I'm really getting to the point where I want this baby here now! I really don't want to be induced due to the increased chance for a c-section, but I also want to experience everything naturally.  I know my body knows what its supposed to do. Now, if it could only do it on my timetable!

37 and 38 weeks

I wish I had more to report on the last couple of weeks of my pregnancy, but there really isn't a lot to tell! My doctor didn't check me at my 37 week appointment.  She just measured me and listening to baby's heartbeat.  That was the one thing that was different for the first time!  Baby has always had a heartbeat at about 140, and at my 37 week appointment it was in the high 150s/low 160s.  Baby is trying to keep things interesting for me, I guess! 

I had a check at 38 weeks and the only progress was a softer cervix. Also, the heart rate was at 130 this time.   Boo. And, the next day, I seemed to develop something about only 1% of pregnant women get: PUPPP.   Basically, it is a really itchy rash on my tummy right below my belly button. Ugh. How did I get to be SO lucky?! :)  At least I will only have to deal with it for a few weeks, as it apparently goes away a week or two after delivery. 

I'm still feeling pretty good for the most part!  I napped a lot last weekend, but still managed to bake cookies and banana bread, clean and vacuum my car, prune our landscaping, and grocery shop.  I've given up on finishing the nursery until after the baby is born.  There are just too many little things to do that I don't have the patience for right now.  It's in a good place, just not complete.  Baby probably won't sleep in there for the first few months (at least) anyway.

Here are my weekly photos:

37 weeks 2 days. Don't ask me what I'm wearing here.  It was cute, I promise!  Oh, I so need a haircut!

38 weeks 1 day. New camera!  Proof I can take a somewhat decent photo.

Maternity Photo Shoot

A few months ago my friend, Tina, asked me if I would be interested in taking maternity photos on the same day as her and one of her friends.  (Tina is due to have a little boy the same day our little bambino is due!)  She said the photographer (a friend of the other friend who would be taking photos with us) was looking to do more maternity shoots.  We'd get our hair and make-up done and get a bit of a discount on the photos and the sitting.  Sounded like fun to me!  I said I was in.

Then, about a month later, as the date of the photo shoot was getting closer, I got an email talking about outfits.  Words like "sexy," "lacy," "big jewelry" were in the email.  I died a little bit inside.  What?!  Oh my word.  I would not describe myself as sexy. Especially not at 30 weeks pregnant (which I was at the time).  I decided to suck it up and step out of my comfort zone a bit. Holy crap!

Here are a couple of the photos:  I actually like a lot of them despite my severe un-photogenic-ness. :)

I will not be posting any other ones as I am only bra and panties, naked in the bath tub, or topless with high heels and boy shorts.  (I know, I know!)  I did also photo shop the name of the photographer off of the photos, too, lest any nosy people should like to try to find me! :)  The photographer really was fabulous though, so its not a slight to her in any way! 

What Dreams May Come

In the beginning of my pregnancy, I had a lot of dreams.  They were mostly about the sex of the baby, but some were strange.  Then, in my second and third trimesters the dreams disappeared. They're back now and they're weirder than ever!

The weirdest one I can remember happened last week.  In it, I was holding up my shirt to show my dad my bare belly. (Something I would never do to my dad...)  I told him to put his pointer finger and hold it against my belly because the baby would grip his finger through my skin.  My dad followed my instructions and my belly skin reached around and grabbed his finger.  (Just wait. It gets weirder.)  So then, as my belly skin is enveloping my dad's finger, my dad somehow pulls the baby out through the side of my belly! The baby is about 3 inches big and I'm yelling at my dad to put it back because its not ready to come out yet.  My dad is holding up the baby (dangling it really) between his thumb and pointer finger and saying, "See! It's a boy!"

Next thing I know, the baby (which is white by the way. Oops!) is in the bathtub and its a normal size.  Not sure if that means its like one of those squishy, foam toys you throw in water and they grow or what. 

These dreams are crazy, but kind of fun.  I don't know if I really think dreams mean anything, but I certainly hope they don't come true in this case! 

36 weeks and Overdue

No, no. I'm only about 36.5 weeks right now, so I'm not overdue, yet.  I'm just WAY overdue posting my weekly pregnancy photos.  I've been sick on and off for the past 3 weeks or so.  New symptoms every week, but mostly nausea and a horrible cold.

Here they are!  I can really see a growth spurt between weeks 34 and 35!

32 weeks 1 day and apparently still waking up.  You'd think after so many weeks of taking these photos I'd get a LITTLE more photogenic.  Not so. Gah.

33 weeks.1 day. Weird hair.

34 weeks. Can you see my red, stuffy nose?

35 weeks. 1 day.  I don't know if its the stripes or what, but I think I looked like I grew a lot since the last week.

36 weeks and 2 days. Looking enormous and gross. Still sick. Yuck.

I had my 36 week check on Friday along with my Group B Strep test. (No results yet.)  Doctor said I'm carrying high and that I'm not dialated yet.  Boo. I was tempted to ask her to check again.  I was sure I'd be a least a 1 because I've felt "different" for quite some time now.

I've been sitting on my exercise ball for the last few days and its relieving a lot of the pressure I've been having.  It's getting so bad that I don't even want to lay down anymore because, for some reason, laying down makes it hurt worse than anything else!

We had another super busy, but productive weekend. 
-Two baby showers (one for us, one for my friend) down.
-My super awesome mama came over to help me cook meals to freeze, and we made 4 different things which should be good for about 8 meals.
-Jeff's friend Adam drew some art for the nursery and it turned out awesome!  (I just need to paint it and hang it now!)
-I also played organ again this weekend and one of the church's ladies groups gave me a quilt for the baby.  So sweet of them!  I play for the last time again next weekend before I take the next two or so months off.  I'll be glad to have some time off, as it is getting kind of hard to reach around my belly when I play.  A couple more mistakes than usual! Oops!

I was looking forward to an uneventful week, but it seems its already filling up fast!  I guess the more I spend time doing things, the quicker time will go by while I await the baby's arrival!

Baby Shower #2

I had a lovely work shower yesterday hosted by my friend, Annie J. Silly me, I forgot to bring my camera, so I have no pictures to share!  I can't believe I did that.  That's a typical work day for me.  Always forgetting at least one thing!

The ladies had some wonderful parenting advice.  I think my favorite was to remember to ask for help. We'll see how that goes. I have the mindset that I kind of want to do everything on my own and learn from my baby, but that's definitely not to say I won't be asking for tips!  We were also given some fantastic gifts: our car seat (yay!), some toys and baby music. The food was wonderful, too!

I can't forget to mention that the hostess was awesome to have us all over to her house while she is still on maternity leave.  I always enjoy cuddling her little baby, Henry, and I even got to play with big boy Thomas this time.  He is quite the ride when he's in his own surroundings.

I've hit 33 weeks today and am starting to count down the days until I get to enjoy my own little one! 

Baby Shower #1

My long time friend, Katie, hosted my very first baby shower for me this past Saturday with help from my good friends Sarah and Angie.  It was so fun to have all of my good friends in one place at one time!  It seems like my evenings and weekends are full with family gatherings, baby classes, etc., which doesn't leave much time for spending time with my lovely ladies. 

The shower was wonderful.  I was relaxed and happy, the day was sunny. :)  Being the guest of honor at such a nice event reminded me to be thankful for all of the thoughtful friends I have that love me and support me.  I received many thoughtful gifts and lots of advice!  I'm very blessed.

Opening gifts!

Christy, me, Angie, and Sarah. Can you believe the two girls surrounding me just had babies? They look fabulous!

Katie (the hostess) due in late August, Katie due in late June, and me. Buddies from high school.

31 weeks

Now just posting even though I'm almost to 32...but I'm okay with it!  I started feeling a lot of pressure "down there" recently.  It makes me awfully uncomfortable to walk, cross my legs, stand on my left leg (the pressure is on the left side), etc.  It's funny, though, I'm kind of getting used to it after dealing with it for nearly a week.  Guess the babe wants to prepare me for labor very early on! :)

Weight of baby during week 31: about 3.3 pounds (4 navel oranges)
Length of baby: 16 inches
Notables:
-My belly button is closer to popping out!  I'm not sure if it will completely pop out or not, but there's tiny bump in the middle of it now. Very weird!
-We watch the live birth without medication, c-section, and birth with meds at childbirth class last night.  I cannot handle this stuff. I am NOT meant to be in the medical field, that is for sure! 
-My mom finished the curtains for the nursery and Jeff is planning to paint this weekend.  So excited!  I also checked out the changing table my mom used for me.  I'm in love with it!  I'm going to paint it a greenish color to coordinate with the curtains.  I'm so excited everything is coming together!

31 weeks. 1 day.

In other exciting news:

-I had my first shower last weekend.  It was a wonderful time and deserves its own post.
-Jeff's sister had her baby yesterday! A beautiful little girl who has yet to be named. :) (It's narrowed down to two choices, but we are still waiting to hear!)  I'm not sure when we'll be able to see her in person as they live in Phoenix, but the pictures I've seen show a gorgeous baby!

30 Weeks....

Is almost over! But I'll update anyway.

My leg pain has almost disappeared.  I still get the tingling in my left leg, but no more sharp pain. Thankful for that!  I've had a couple of days of sore ribs, but that must've just been due to an active baby kicking me during the night.  The baby has been more and more active the past week or so.  I can now see huge rumbles in my belly.  It looks like a volcano going off inside of me.  Jeff has been able to see it, so that's fun for him, too.

I have a co-worker who has a strong distaste for babies (in general).  She is young, so I don't judge her too much. :)  (And, she insists she will like MY baby.)  She doesn't want kids, etc.  Anyway, she was sitting in my office the other day and saw my belly move.  She grabbed the arms of her chair, her eyes started watering, and she just kept saying "Oh my god. Oh my god." I honestly thought she was going to throw up right then and there.  HILARIOUS!

I had my doctor appointment on Friday.  Other than not getting in until after 5 o'clock for a 4:20 appointment (!), it was pretty uneventful.  The heartbeat is still in the 140s and my weight gain has slowed (for now).  Still no boy name, so I'm convinced that its a boy.

Speaking of boys...My friend, Christy, had her baby last week on Tuesday. Grayson Timothy is here and all is well!  I can't wait to go meet him when things are a little more settled down for the Bodes.  Now, I'm awaiting a Nesseler arrival.  I had a dream that this one is a boy, too, so we'll see if I'm right in just a few days!  Exciting times!

30 weeks!

29 Weeks

It seems I get further and further behind in these posts.  (I'll be 30 weeks on Wednesday!)  Better late than never, right?

Things are moving quickly!  Kicks, punches and stretches are getting much stronger now.  I can see my belly rumbling sometimes.  It looks like a volcano is going off inside of me!  It's pretty fun to watch and it isn't painful...yet.  I've avoided any legs problems by sleeping on my other side.  I did fall asleep during a quick cat nap on the painful side and only woke up with a numb leg (no sharp pain).  So, I don't think the baby has moved completely off of my nerve, but it seems to be getting better.

I was right about my weight gain tapering off a bit.  I've only gained about a pound in the last 3 weeks.  I'm still in a good range, but can definitely tell that there's not much room to store the food anymore!  I'm ravenous when I start a meal, but get full pretty quickly.

We start our Prepared Childbirth classes tonight.  I'm looking forward to them.  I'm sure there's plenty I don't know yet, and I KNOW there's plenty Jeff is completely in the dark about. :)  I've heard mixed reviews about the classes.  Some of my friends have loved them and others have said they were a waste of time.  I'm all for being prepared especially because I'm going to try my darndest to have a drug-free labor.  So, there's no way I would skip out on these classes. 

29 Weeks 1 Day. 

27 and 28 weeks

I am super late on this post and am actually almost to 29 weeks now, but I finally got my husband to give me the photos! :)

I had a big growth spurt, I think from weeks 24 to 27. I felt like I could eat and eat and never get full, but that phase has finally passed and I feel normal again. And, even though my doctor says I am perfectly on track with my weight gain, I'm hoping that it will taper off some now.

27 weeks 1 day. Cheesy grin. :)

Home stretch! Third Trimester. 28 weeks 1 day. Had to include my other baby, Harper.

I'd been feeling relatively good up until last Friday morning.  I woke up at 2 am with a really sharp pain in my outer thigh.  It only lasted a 5 seconds or so, but then my leg went numb.  I went back to sleep and it was still numb when I woke up to get ready for work.  It's continued throughout the weekend, so I have a call into my doctor right now to make sure its nothing to be concerned about.  My internet research (hehe) has led me to believe that it could be Merlagia Paresthetica, which is supposedly common in pregnancy.  I'm hoping at the very least my doctor will be able to tell me how to avoid or relieve some of the pain that comes along with it.

Now that volleyball has ended, I've started doing water aerobics two times a week with my friend, Katie.  It's pretty fun and more of a workout than I expected.  I'll have reduce to once a week starting next week once we start our Prepared Childbirth classes. I'm actually really excited for the classes.  Our doula (we decided to go with one!) is one of the teachers, so it will be fun to get to know her through the classes, too.

Almost to week 29 and if I could have just timed my pregnancy one week later, I'd be turning 29 years old the same week.  Maybe next time! :)

24 and 25 weeks

This pregnancy is progressing quite nicely!  I really can't complain too much about anything.  Baby has been doing some crazy dances in my belly at night, kicking and swinging both legs and arms!  It's a pretty crazy feeling.  Today, I am 25 weeks and 2 days pregnant and the babe weighs about a pound and a half.  I've been having some foot and leg cramps, but that's not really new.

I have been feeling a bit overwhelmed recently. I'm probably just thinking ahead too much, but I know that I need to:

-Travel to Minneapolis/St. Paul 5 times in the next 5 (four out of five weekends and then once for Greater Mankato Leadership Institute for an overnight trip) weeks is exhausting me already.
-Finish up the basement painting and coordinate the estimates to get our stairwell professionally painted.
-Register for baby showers and discuss the best dates to have them, who to invite, etc
-Play volleyball two nights a week.  Two weeks of women's and one week of co-ed left!  I love it, but the  9:15 games are really starting to wear on this lady!
-Meet with a doula and weigh the pros and cons using one for labor and delivery.
- Find a time to get my haircut. Even this has been a challenge! My stylist went to working one night a week and days only (which are not an option for my work schedule).
-Plan the nursery.
-Start six weeks of baby classes in March.
-Consider taking water aerobics classes with my friend :)  Maternity bathing suit? Mmmm. Sounds lovely!

I'm not complaining. (Really!) These are all things I'm looking forward to doing, but I'm feeling a bit overbooked! :)  I guess its good to stay busy!

I did get to have some great downtime with my girlfriends last night.  I always have a good time with these girls and never feel like I have to be "on" for them.  Plus, being that 2 of the 3 girls are pregnant right now (both with the second children), I have a great resource to get all of my embarrassing pregnancy, labor, postpartum, etc. questions answered. Christy blogged about our night last night, as we might have to take a month off.  She and Angie are both due in March! :)

Here are my weekly pregger pics!  I can't take a staged shot for the life of me. Just not photogenic.  Oh well!

24 weeks 1 day. These pants are too big and clearly need to be shortened, but I'm not too picky these days.

25 weeks 1 day. Jeff trying to use a trick to make me look more natural.  I don't think it worked. HA!

Baby Names

Now that our babe is only a few, short months from arriving, Jeff and I have tried to really narrow down our name choices.  I've had a list of favorite names since before we even got married, but I don't think future childrens' names crossed Jeff's mind that early in life. :) 

I like unique (not top 100, but not made up) names.  Probably because I have a unique name myself.  Jeff doesn't care too much about that aspect of choosing a name.  Since we found out we were expecting, I'd say, "What do you think about this name?" and Jeff's response would be, "Meh. It's alright."  But, he never comes back with any suggestions of his own! Talk about frustrating. One night after I had gone to bed, he emailed me some of his top picks.  I hated them all.  Well, hate is a strong word.  All of his boy names ended with an -en or -on which does not sound good with our last name. Boo. And, his girl names were all super trendy.

Jeff even went through a phase where he said he wanted to choose a name that had some meaning to him. Now, most people would think that means a family name or something of the sort. Jeff? Nope. He suggested Ryu for a boy because that was his "man" of choice growing up playing the video game, Streetfighter. Oi. Are you kidding me?  No way.  Jeff is also obsessed with electronics, computer, iPods, etc.  Jokingly, I suggested we use Apple as a middle name if we had a girl.  You should have seen his face light up! He was so excited.  Too bad I wasn't serious.  To make up for my cruel joke, I bought the baby this onesie:

 
We are getting closer and closer to choosing names.  We've narrowed it down to a very short list for both genders, and have pretty much settled on the names.  We do want to have a couple of other options ready, though, in case the baby comes out and we decide that (s)he just does not fit the name. 

22 and 23 weeks

I wrote the beginning of this post last week when I was 22 weeks, but never got around to getting my photo downloaded, so I’m combining two posts into one.

Not much new to report on the baby front (or any front for that matter.  I had my monthly doctor appointment today and everything seems to be on track.  Baby’s heartbeat was at 140.   

22 weeks. Yuck. Not the most flattering picture.

23 weeks. Funny, unlike Angie, I feel like I look smaller in person!  Maybe I'm just in denial. I blame my tall husband not knowing to stoop down to my level when he takes my picture. :)

I saw this little questionnaire on another blog and thought it might be a good way for me to document some milestones along the way.

How far along:  22 weeks 2 days

How big is baby: 11 ounces

Stretch marks: nope, but my tummy sure does get itchy!

Maternity clothes: I just bought a few things at Gap last weekend on a spontaneous trip up to Southdale.  (I can’t resist a 40% off coupon.  Maternity clothes are expensive!) My favorite buy was a pair of dark wash skinny jeans. LOVE.  I haven’t worn a ton of maternity clothes yet.  I’m mostly getting by on dresses and leggings for now, but I have worn some maternity pants on the days I wake up and just want to super comfortable.  Gotta love that bella band for keeping me in my regular clothes as long as possible!

Sleep:  I’m sleeping pretty well for the most part.  Today was an exception when my hubby’s snoring woke me up at 4:50 am. I, of course, couldn’t get back to sleep. At least it gave me a good reason to get up and get a workout in!

Food cravings: I’m not really having any food cravings, but definitely eating a lot of whatever it is I’m having!  This week I’ve been treating myself to Bolo Bau that Jeff brought home from Mandarin Kitchen.  They are so good! I wish we could get them here.

Gender:  No clue! I’ve had 2 dreams where the baby has been a boy (one of which was blonde! Oops!) and one where the baby was a girl. 

Movement:  Tons!  I love to have the constant reminderthat babe is doing well. Jeff also felt the movement for the first time this week. I think Harper might have, too! She was laying my belly sleeping one night and she suddenly sat up with her ears perked up and looked at me.

Belly button:  It’s flattening out, but not popped out.  Normally, I have the most cavernous belly button so I’m amazed that it’s even as flat as it is.  Crazy.

What do you miss:  Alcohol. Sushi (the raw kind).  Being able to dive in volleyball. Snowboarding.

What are you looking forward to this week: Starting to paint our basement.  My mama is coming to help and will spend the weekend while my dad is away ice fishing on Lake Mille Lac. I’m going to make lemon ricotta pancakes with blackberry sauce for breakfast.  Yum! I can’t wait!

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Another week has passed and I don’t have much news to report as far as my pregnancy is concerned.  I received an early birthday gift this week—a giant maternity pillow.  It’s kind of like this, but mine is actually better because the two ends come off so that you can use them as a boppy after the baby comes.  I’m still feeling great and have even had a couple of days this week where I had some surges of energy…that may or may not have been due to the high I got from finding some good deals shopping this week. (Gosh, I really need to stay home!)

In exciting news, two of my co-workers had their babies last Friday!  It wasn’t a big surprise that my friend, Annie J., had her beautiful little guy, Henry, since her due date was only a couple of days away.  However, I think we were all shocked to find out that our other co-worker’s water had broken that morning.  Her due date was early March!  The baby is doing very well despite being born almost 6 weeks early, and we’re all very thankful for that.  So, now we have two down and two to go! (Another colleague is due about 5 weeks after me.)

20 weeks

We had our 20 week ultrasound last Wednesday (1/5). Yay!  It’s amazing the detail we could see this time around versus our first ultrasound at 11 weeks.  Kidneys, bladder, heart chambers, upper lip, etc.  All looked great!  The babe was super cute and takes after daddy.  “He” yawned about 4 times during the ultrasound.  Hard time waking up in the morning!  We also saw the little one flex his arm a few times as if to say, “Hey Mom and Dad! Look at my muscles!” Everything seems to measuring right on track. Babe weighs about 11 oz. and the heart rate was at 158.  

 I had a moment of panic when the technician asked me if we wanted to find out the gender.  I was silent for a couple of moments, but blurted out “NO!” before I could change my mind.  We didn’t get 3D images like I was hoping, but got a CD of photos again.  

I am still feeling great, although I’ve been a little bit tired the last few days.  I know the baby is having a major growth spurt these next few weeks, but it might just be the fact that I have to get up to go to work again, too.  I can feel baby moving around a lot, and can even feel my stomach muscles stretching out.  I have a short torso and long legs (for my body), so I’m starting to show now.  It’s kind of uncomfortable for me to have people comment on my body, but I’m sure I’ll get used to it.  I guess I had to start showing sometime!

20 week ultrasound (19 weeks 6 days) Babe showing off muscles :)

20 week ultrasound (19 weeks 6 days) Babe's profile

20 weeks 3 days

A New Year, Resolutions, and the Highlight of My Year So Far

New Year’s Eve was pretty low key for us this year since I am preggers and am usually the one to dance on the tables. (Just kidding! Sorta.) We had some friends over to our place for a yummy (mostly) homemade Chinese dinner. Everything was delicious, even though we had a small snafu. Jeff forgot to start the rice cooker, so our rice wasn’t done until quite a while after the rest of our food. Oops! My favorite part is our homemade potstickers anyway. We just lazed the rest of the night around, played some pool, and chatted. Is this what it feels like to get old?

I don’t usually make New Year’s resolutions. Not ones that I put into writing anyway. Then, I would have to look back and remember what I failed at! So, this year I’m resolving to get back into working out on my nights off from volleyball. I had fallen off the wagon when I wasn’t feeling the greatest for a couple of weeks. I had the best intentions of getting back into it, but then I came down with that terrible cold. I’d also like to get back into a regular cleaning schedule. I keep a google calendar with a schedule, but I’m not sure that I’ve ever kept it. Our house is pretty sizeable, so I think a plan would help me to not be so overwhelmed.

And, because I am a giant nerd, I have to share the highlight of the year so far. I had a block against a middle hitter in women’s volleyball last night! For you vertically challenged people like me, this is huge! Usually I “attempt” to block, but never get anywhere near a block. Not only did I get the block, but Jeff was there to witness it! (He doesn’t usually come to my games.) I’m especially proud since I’m carrying about 7 pounds of extra weight around right now. This highlight will be short lived, as we have our 20 week ultrasound tomorrow. Even though we’ve decided not to find out the gender of baby, I’m beyond excited to see our baby moving around again!