Well, I'm 20 weeks this week, so I've reached the halfway point! Babycenter.com says the baby should weigh around 10 1/2 ounces this week, but according to the ultrasound tech last week, she weighed around 11 ounces the day of the ultrasound. She's obviously precocious :)
The kicks are getting stronger and stronger. There have been a couple of times now that I've been able to feel things from the outside, but when Jimmy comes over and puts his hand on my tummy, Baby stops kicking every time! Little stinker. So Daddy still hasn't felt anything yet. Hopefully it will happen soon, though!
Anna told me tonight that my tummy is getting bigger, and she has been very affectionate towards the baby over the last couple of weeks. She loves to hug and kiss my tummy, and last night at bedtime she put her face next to it and said, "Goodnight Baby! I love you!"
Still no decision on names. This is amazingly difficult the second time around. Anna's name was picked out long before we even considered having children, but I'm starting to think this poor kid's birth certificate is going to read "Baby Girl J". I did once hear of someone who named her baby girl Female (pronounced like the word "tamale"). And then there are the famous twins Lemonjello (lem-ON-jel-oh) and Orangejello (or-ON-jel-oh). At least I can guarantee that our child will not share a similar fate!
If I can't come up with a name, I figure I can at least start decorating the nursery. I'm hoping to find bedding in the next week or so, so that I can decide on paint colors and get to work on the room. I didn't paint Anna's room until late June of the year she was born (we didn't move to Houston until mid May, so I didn't even have a room to paint before that!). That wouldn't have been bad, except that they tell you to keep a window open for ventilation, and it was HOT! And it took THREE coats of yellow paint to cover up the awful mint green stuff that was in her room when we moved in. I think April will be a much more comfortable month, so hopefully I'll get the painting part done before it gets too awful! Unfortunately the room is currently dark blue and bright green, so I anticipate it taking several coats of whatever color I end up using to cover that, too.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Thursday, March 22, 2007
19-week Ultrasound -- It's A....
Do you really think I'm going to make it that easy for you? No, you're going to have to work for it!
We had our ultrasound this morning. First, let me just tell you how cruel it is to make a pregnant woman drink 32 oz. of water in the morning, drive to an appointment, and then wait 30 minutes, all the while listening to the sound of the TRICKLING WATER from the fountain in the waiting room while a baby is tap dancing on her bladder! I have come to the conclusion that fountains, while soothing to the average person, are a very bad idea in offices where pregnant women are frequent visitors!
Anyway, we finally got into the room, and the tech started scanning. Baby was not being entirely cooperative. The tech said she *suspected* it was a girl because she didn't see a penis, but she couldn't be sure just yet. So we went on a baby tour. Heart, spine, legs, arms, hands, feet, kidneys, tummy -- all perfect! I had a little bit of orange juice (on my already full bladder -- fun!), which seemed to wake the baby up and get it moving. We finally were able to get a couple of profile shots, and then we got the money shot. Three lines between the legs -- a definite indicator of girl parts! So, the verdict is...IT'S A GIRL!
Anna is beside herself with joy. On the way to the appointment this morning, she was actually PRAYING, "Pleeeeeeeeeease let it be a girl!" She really wanted a baby sister, and it looks like she's getting her wish. She wants to name her Caroline. I love the name, too, but Jimmy is unconvinced. He's also outnumbered, and I pointed out that he'd better get used to that! The poor guy is going to have an awful lot of estrogen floating around in his house in a few years. He's already trying to figure out how he's going to pay for two weddings! Anyway, names are not yet decided, but we hope to have it at least narrowed down to a few top contenders soon.
There was one slight finding on the ultrasound that my midwife assures me is NOT a major concern at all. The baby has a small choroid plexus cyst on her brain. It sounds super scary (Cyst?!?!? BRAIN?!?!?), but she said that they are extremely common in the 18-22 week period, and they almost always resolve themselves. Even if they don't, they do not EVER cause brain damage or mental retardation, and many adults are probably walking around right now who have had them since birth and never even knew. Occasionally, the cysts can be soft markers of more serious conditions, but only when there are other abnormalities present. Everything else on the ultrasound looked perfect, so she didn't recommend any further testing other than a follow-up ultrasound in my third trimester to make sure the cyst has resolved. And yes, Mom, she showed the results to the OB who specializes in high-risk pregnancies, who also did not feel the cyst was a cause for concern. So I feel very confident that everything is fine.
I've attached two pictures from this morning's ultrasound. One is a profile shot, and the other is the money shot! The other picture is Anna holding a rubber model of a 20-week fetus. It's just about the size of our baby right now!
We had our ultrasound this morning. First, let me just tell you how cruel it is to make a pregnant woman drink 32 oz. of water in the morning, drive to an appointment, and then wait 30 minutes, all the while listening to the sound of the TRICKLING WATER from the fountain in the waiting room while a baby is tap dancing on her bladder! I have come to the conclusion that fountains, while soothing to the average person, are a very bad idea in offices where pregnant women are frequent visitors!
Anyway, we finally got into the room, and the tech started scanning. Baby was not being entirely cooperative. The tech said she *suspected* it was a girl because she didn't see a penis, but she couldn't be sure just yet. So we went on a baby tour. Heart, spine, legs, arms, hands, feet, kidneys, tummy -- all perfect! I had a little bit of orange juice (on my already full bladder -- fun!), which seemed to wake the baby up and get it moving. We finally were able to get a couple of profile shots, and then we got the money shot. Three lines between the legs -- a definite indicator of girl parts! So, the verdict is...IT'S A GIRL!
Anna is beside herself with joy. On the way to the appointment this morning, she was actually PRAYING, "Pleeeeeeeeeease let it be a girl!" She really wanted a baby sister, and it looks like she's getting her wish. She wants to name her Caroline. I love the name, too, but Jimmy is unconvinced. He's also outnumbered, and I pointed out that he'd better get used to that! The poor guy is going to have an awful lot of estrogen floating around in his house in a few years. He's already trying to figure out how he's going to pay for two weddings! Anyway, names are not yet decided, but we hope to have it at least narrowed down to a few top contenders soon.
There was one slight finding on the ultrasound that my midwife assures me is NOT a major concern at all. The baby has a small choroid plexus cyst on her brain. It sounds super scary (Cyst?!?!? BRAIN?!?!?), but she said that they are extremely common in the 18-22 week period, and they almost always resolve themselves. Even if they don't, they do not EVER cause brain damage or mental retardation, and many adults are probably walking around right now who have had them since birth and never even knew. Occasionally, the cysts can be soft markers of more serious conditions, but only when there are other abnormalities present. Everything else on the ultrasound looked perfect, so she didn't recommend any further testing other than a follow-up ultrasound in my third trimester to make sure the cyst has resolved. And yes, Mom, she showed the results to the OB who specializes in high-risk pregnancies, who also did not feel the cyst was a cause for concern. So I feel very confident that everything is fine.
I've attached two pictures from this morning's ultrasound. One is a profile shot, and the other is the money shot! The other picture is Anna holding a rubber model of a 20-week fetus. It's just about the size of our baby right now!
Sunday, March 18, 2007
Let the belly rubbing begin!
It seems I have "popped" over the last week or so. Where things were relatively flat (well, okay, maybe not exactly flat, but certainly not all pokey outey) before, there is a definite roundness these days.
Apparently, this is completely irresistable to some people! The last couple of weeks at church, I've had people coming up left and right, asking to rub my belly. I really don't mind so much at church, since I know everyone there, and I know everyone is excited for us. And the fact that people ask is great. I even had one lady walk up, ready to rub and say, "Oh, wait! I need to ask first. May I pleeeeeeeease?" It gave me a giggle.
However, I do remember many times when I was pregnant with Anna that I was accosted in the grocery store and/or mall by random strangers who rubbed my belly without permission, and that leads me to wonder, what the hell are people thinking? Pregnancy seems to be the only time when people think it's okay to invade the personal space of someone they've never met. I've read various possible responses to all this fondling: rub their bellies back, play dumb and ask why they're rubbing you (Oh, I'm not pregnant -- just fat!), etc. I probably could never do these things, but it sure is tempting.
So I guess I'd better brace myself for the onslaught of belly rubbers, followed by the inevitable personal questions about whether the baby was planned, how long we were "trying", whether we're finding out the sex, and how we plan to feed/clothe/diaper the baby. Also, there are sure to be some labor horror stories told (though I'm told this subject is more popular when speaking to first-time moms) and unsolicited advice given. At least with those, you can just nod and say, "Thanks! I'll keep that in mind!"
Apparently, this is completely irresistable to some people! The last couple of weeks at church, I've had people coming up left and right, asking to rub my belly. I really don't mind so much at church, since I know everyone there, and I know everyone is excited for us. And the fact that people ask is great. I even had one lady walk up, ready to rub and say, "Oh, wait! I need to ask first. May I pleeeeeeeease?" It gave me a giggle.
However, I do remember many times when I was pregnant with Anna that I was accosted in the grocery store and/or mall by random strangers who rubbed my belly without permission, and that leads me to wonder, what the hell are people thinking? Pregnancy seems to be the only time when people think it's okay to invade the personal space of someone they've never met. I've read various possible responses to all this fondling: rub their bellies back, play dumb and ask why they're rubbing you (Oh, I'm not pregnant -- just fat!), etc. I probably could never do these things, but it sure is tempting.
So I guess I'd better brace myself for the onslaught of belly rubbers, followed by the inevitable personal questions about whether the baby was planned, how long we were "trying", whether we're finding out the sex, and how we plan to feed/clothe/diaper the baby. Also, there are sure to be some labor horror stories told (though I'm told this subject is more popular when speaking to first-time moms) and unsolicited advice given. At least with those, you can just nod and say, "Thanks! I'll keep that in mind!"
Monday, March 12, 2007
Scary stuff!
Over the weekend, every mother's worst nightmare occurred in Lubbock. A three-day-old baby was taken from the hospital by someone wearing scrubs and claiming to be a nurse. She apparently walked into the mother's room around 1:30 a.m., told her the baby, who was jaundiced, needed to be taken to the nursery for some tests, and walked out of the hospital with the baby IN HER PURSE.
Fortunately, the story has a happy ending. The baby was found in a hospital in Clovis, NM, and they have a suspect in custody. But can you even imagine? The Lubbock hospital claims to have a "good and sophisticated security system", but that clearly was not enough to deter someone determined enough to smuggle a baby out in her purse.
So for all you expectant parents out there, PLEASE pay attention to whatever information you are given regarding your hospital's security policy. I know when Anna was born, the nurses were required to wear a certain kind of badge, and they stressed to every mother that they were NEVER to give their baby to anyone not wearing that badge. On the rare occasion they took Anna to the nursery, they also checked both our wristbands to make sure they matched, and no one was ever to be seen walking down the hall with baby in arms -- all transferring from nursery to room was done in the wheeled bassinet, and anyone holding a baby in the hallway was instantly questioned. At the hospital where I will deliver this baby, they NEVER remove the baby from the room -- all testing, treatment, bathing, etc. is done in the mother's room. They also have an electronic security system that somehow involves the baby's wrist band and some alarms, but I don't know the details on that yet. You can bet I will be asking about it when we take our hospital tour!
But even with all the new security that most hospitals have, it still happens occasionally. Very scary.
Fortunately, the story has a happy ending. The baby was found in a hospital in Clovis, NM, and they have a suspect in custody. But can you even imagine? The Lubbock hospital claims to have a "good and sophisticated security system", but that clearly was not enough to deter someone determined enough to smuggle a baby out in her purse.
So for all you expectant parents out there, PLEASE pay attention to whatever information you are given regarding your hospital's security policy. I know when Anna was born, the nurses were required to wear a certain kind of badge, and they stressed to every mother that they were NEVER to give their baby to anyone not wearing that badge. On the rare occasion they took Anna to the nursery, they also checked both our wristbands to make sure they matched, and no one was ever to be seen walking down the hall with baby in arms -- all transferring from nursery to room was done in the wheeled bassinet, and anyone holding a baby in the hallway was instantly questioned. At the hospital where I will deliver this baby, they NEVER remove the baby from the room -- all testing, treatment, bathing, etc. is done in the mother's room. They also have an electronic security system that somehow involves the baby's wrist band and some alarms, but I don't know the details on that yet. You can bet I will be asking about it when we take our hospital tour!
But even with all the new security that most hospitals have, it still happens occasionally. Very scary.
Monday, March 5, 2007
17 Weeks...
...and craving peaches. I want nothing more than a nice, sweet, juicy peach. The kind that is soft and ripe, and the juice just runs down your chin when you bite into it. Or a nectarine. Unfortunately, both are out of season right now. I've made a noble effort, but every peach/nectarine I've bought has either been hard as a rock or spongy and dry inside. They should be in season in another couple of months, at which point I'm sure I'll stop craving them! Such is the life of the pregnant woman craving fruit in the winter, I guess.
Other than that, everything seems to be going as expected. Baby has been kicking more consitently over the last week or so, and I think it won't be long until it can be felt on the outside, too.
We still have about 2 1/2 weeks before our ultrasound, and I'm just DYING to know whether this is a boy or a girl. I knew Anna was a girl from the beginning. I don't know *why* I knew, but I knew. I have absolutely no intuition about this baby. None. I've flip-flopped back and forth several times -- I initially thought girl, then boy, then girl, then I wasn't sure, then I had several dreams (some boy, some girl, some just plain bizarre!), and now I'm not sure again. I have a feeling it's going to be a loooooooong two weeks!
Other than that, everything seems to be going as expected. Baby has been kicking more consitently over the last week or so, and I think it won't be long until it can be felt on the outside, too.
We still have about 2 1/2 weeks before our ultrasound, and I'm just DYING to know whether this is a boy or a girl. I knew Anna was a girl from the beginning. I don't know *why* I knew, but I knew. I have absolutely no intuition about this baby. None. I've flip-flopped back and forth several times -- I initially thought girl, then boy, then girl, then I wasn't sure, then I had several dreams (some boy, some girl, some just plain bizarre!), and now I'm not sure again. I have a feeling it's going to be a loooooooong two weeks!
Friday, March 2, 2007
Too Many Choices
As parents, we have plenty of opportunities to land our children on a therapist's couch, where they will blame us for all their problems since birth. In fact, if you look at what the "experts" have to say, we can mess them up by breastfeeding or bottle feeding, by spanking or not spanking, by co-sleeping or putting them in a crib, by using cloth or disposable diapers, or pretty much by making the "wrong" choice in practically any parenting issue, and there are plenty of "experts" out there to tell us that any given choice is completely wrong!
So most of us try to concentrate on the things we can control. Like names. My goodness, the stress of picking the perfect name! A name is something your kid is stuck with FOR LIFE.
Sure, there are some people who change their names for one reason or another. Like my friend Aaron, who changed her name to Erin after she reached an age of maturity. The last straw was when she was sent the "college advertising box" intended for boys that contained a razor and some condoms (instead of maxi pads and shampoo, like the rest of us girls got). She didn't hate her name, but she hated the spelling, so she changed it. There was the woman who changed her name to Katie Scarlett O'Hara to win a radio contest. But most people live with the names they are given.
Nowadays, we have even more opportunities to screw up a name beyond hope. It's more than just using a boy's name for a girl -- a trend that is becoming more and more popular with names like Taylor, Morgan, Avery, Riley, Reagan, etc. No, now we can pull from a bottomless pit of names that include places (Dakota, Paris, Dallas, Montana, Zimbabwe...okay, maybe not Zimbabwe), occupations (Ranger, Hunter, Tanner, etc), and even weather patterns (Stormy, Sunshine, Wendy -- did you know the first time the name "Wendy" had ever been heard by anyone was in the book "Peter Pan"? Little bit of trivia for you, there). We can get really cre8tiv with ewneek spellings of normal names, like Jheniphur (Jennifer), Mathyew (Matthew), and Ohlyveeah (Olivia). We can carefully name all 17 of our kids names that begin with the letter J (Google "Duggar Family" if you don't know what I'm talking about), or we can name them after characters in our favorite movies/TV shows (Chandler, Ross, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, or Rachel, anyone?). We can follow the trend of celebrity baby names, which make absolutely no sense whatsoever (Apple? Tallulah Belle? Pilot Inspektor? Fifi Trixiebelle? Moxie Crimefighter? Where do they come up with these names?)
So Jimmy and I are now embarking on the wonderful adventure of trying to name this little bean, and the pressure is enormous! Personally, I like to avoid kids with matchy names, so A names are completely out. I also don't want anything too trendy or popular, nor do I want a name that is so bizarre that the baby's future teachers will roll their eyes and decide we're one of *THOSE* families. I refuse to name my child after inanimate objects, beer or any other alcoholic beverage, or any name that would be traditionally used for a pet (see Fifi, above). Unfortunately, those criteria don't really limit the pool of potential names very much, so I think we have a long journey ahead of us. I have a book of baby names -- 25,000 to be exact -- and I plan to scour it until I find the perfect set of names for a boy and a girl. Wish me luck.
So most of us try to concentrate on the things we can control. Like names. My goodness, the stress of picking the perfect name! A name is something your kid is stuck with FOR LIFE.
Sure, there are some people who change their names for one reason or another. Like my friend Aaron, who changed her name to Erin after she reached an age of maturity. The last straw was when she was sent the "college advertising box" intended for boys that contained a razor and some condoms (instead of maxi pads and shampoo, like the rest of us girls got). She didn't hate her name, but she hated the spelling, so she changed it. There was the woman who changed her name to Katie Scarlett O'Hara to win a radio contest. But most people live with the names they are given.
Nowadays, we have even more opportunities to screw up a name beyond hope. It's more than just using a boy's name for a girl -- a trend that is becoming more and more popular with names like Taylor, Morgan, Avery, Riley, Reagan, etc. No, now we can pull from a bottomless pit of names that include places (Dakota, Paris, Dallas, Montana, Zimbabwe...okay, maybe not Zimbabwe), occupations (Ranger, Hunter, Tanner, etc), and even weather patterns (Stormy, Sunshine, Wendy -- did you know the first time the name "Wendy" had ever been heard by anyone was in the book "Peter Pan"? Little bit of trivia for you, there). We can get really cre8tiv with ewneek spellings of normal names, like Jheniphur (Jennifer), Mathyew (Matthew), and Ohlyveeah (Olivia). We can carefully name all 17 of our kids names that begin with the letter J (Google "Duggar Family" if you don't know what I'm talking about), or we can name them after characters in our favorite movies/TV shows (Chandler, Ross, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, or Rachel, anyone?). We can follow the trend of celebrity baby names, which make absolutely no sense whatsoever (Apple? Tallulah Belle? Pilot Inspektor? Fifi Trixiebelle? Moxie Crimefighter? Where do they come up with these names?)
So Jimmy and I are now embarking on the wonderful adventure of trying to name this little bean, and the pressure is enormous! Personally, I like to avoid kids with matchy names, so A names are completely out. I also don't want anything too trendy or popular, nor do I want a name that is so bizarre that the baby's future teachers will roll their eyes and decide we're one of *THOSE* families. I refuse to name my child after inanimate objects, beer or any other alcoholic beverage, or any name that would be traditionally used for a pet (see Fifi, above). Unfortunately, those criteria don't really limit the pool of potential names very much, so I think we have a long journey ahead of us. I have a book of baby names -- 25,000 to be exact -- and I plan to scour it until I find the perfect set of names for a boy and a girl. Wish me luck.
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