Archive for January 2015

Weeks 16 & 17

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Please excuse this photo of the Hunchback of Notre Dame. It was cold and I'm just too straight up exhausted to stand straight up.  (Plus I have terrible posture.)

 How far along? 17 weeks
Size of baby? Palm of my hand!
Total weight gain/loss: The scale currently says 124 lbs. Starting weight was 119-120 lbs. 
Maternity clothes? Rubber band trick for my jeans at work, leggings for me at home.
Stretch marks? No stretch marks, everything is lookin' good.  
Sleep: Getting better, I try to sleep on a firmer surface or sleep propped up and it's helped some. 
Best moment this week: Shane and I were cuddling on the couch when Baby R wanted to make their presence known and kicked me right under where Shane's hand was laying. We both looked at each other and together said (yelled) "OH my gosh! DID YOU FEEL THAT?" It was pretty awesome!
Miss Anything? Days off. I've been working so much this week, it went by really fast. 
Movement: All sorts of movement this week. It's still light little taps in there, hopefully when Baby R gets a little stronger I'll feel some bigger ones soon. 
Food cravings: I don't want to say it because it's so cliche, but really........pickles.
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not at all. I still have that initial queasy feeling when I wake up, but as soon as I eat something it goes away. 
Have you started to show yet: I'm not sure if I have what most people would call a "bump." I generally just feel thicker all around. I am definitely much more top heavy then I have ever been, if ya know what I mean.   
Gender prediction: All the wives-tales say girl, but all the friends and family say boy.  
Labor Signs: No.
Belly Button in or out? In.
Wedding rings on or off? On. I love my rings!
Happy or Moody most of the time: I feel like I have been working too much to even really process any human emotion this week. I am in customer service, so I have to be happy all the time. Although, I have been getting more and more frustrated at silly things. I dunno, maybe I am just a huge roller coaster. 
Weekly Wisdom: This week Shane and I put off discussing (arguing) baby names until we find out the gender. I thought it was pretty wise, ha ha!
Looking forward to: My Dr. appt next Wednesday where I get to hear Baby R's heartbeat!

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 How far along? 16 weeks
Size of baby? Avocado
Total weight gain/loss: Depending on the day and the scale that I am on, I have gained anywhere from 2-6 pounds. We will wait for the Dr. to tell me my true weight gain so far on the 27th. 
Maternity clothes? Some of my pants are not fitting, so I use the handy little rubber band trick to give me a little more wiggle room. All of my shirts fit fine, however it's really uncomfortable to tuck in my work uniform. 
Stretch marks? I haven't really grown much, so I am not surprised I haven't seen any marks yet. 
Sleep: Oh so horrible. It's becoming uncomfortable to sleep on my tummy and sleeping on your back isn't recommended during pregnancy. I have been trying to sleep on my side (which is what I regularly do anyway) but my arms and legs fall asleep! If I'm on my right side, in about an hour my right arm and right leg will go numb and tingly. Same for the left side. It's kinda scary and really painful. Everything I have read points to this being normal due to a 50% increase in blood flow, but man, does it stink. Hopefully sleeping propped up in a chair will help and I will finally be able to sleep again!
Best moment this week: We started setting up the nursery this week! We got the crib and some other fun furniture for the space. I began taping the walls too, getting ready for paint!
Miss Anything? Sleeping. And Shane. He has a terrible work schedule this month. 
Movement: Yes! It is so wonderful. I had been feeling a lot of little flutters but starting this week the movements have been much more distinct. The first big time I noticed it was at work while I was trying to find a comfortable position. I was fidgeting around and I guess Baby R didn't like that and sent me a very distinct "pop" in the ribs! Here's proof! 
My sweet, sweet dog Toby is the baby whisperer. I'll lay down quietly and poke at my tummy in hopes of trying to get Baby R to kick around in there. Most of the time, I don't have any luck. However, around the same time every night; Toby will climb up onto our bed, slowly army crawl over to me and oh so gently place his head on my belly. He'll slightly move his head back and forth until Baby R starts flippin' around! It's the strongest kicks I have felt yet and it's only with Toby! Toby, the best big brother ever. 

Food cravings: FRIED RICE. I may or may not have sent one of my coworkers to Panda Express for me in the middle of the day. 
Anything making you queasy or sick: I have been feeling much better and I haven't puked once this week! The only thing I can think of that makes me feel nauseous is WORDS. How strange is that? Certain words or phrases people say will gross me out. For example, "crusty" ew. 
Have you started to show yet: I am starting to experience what some would call a "full figure" which is something very new to me. 
Gender prediction: We will find out very soon! Feb. 3rd can't come soon enough!
Labor Signs: Nope.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On, loose actually. 
Happy or Moody most of the time: So moody this week. It's probably the lack of sleep. I've been having total crying breakdowns watching Long Island Medium. Let me repeat that, Long Island Medium, how lame is that? According to my husband and apparently my text message history, I have been doing strange things in my sleep. Last night I interrupted Shane's movie night with a friend frantically asking him what my blood type is; totally asleep. I proceeded to weep because I realized my best friends Carly and Natalia didn't know my blood type either and immediately texted them to let them know. I had no idea, but at least everyone is informed on my A+ blood type now. If you get any strange text messages from me at 2 am, just know it's sleep-texting Aubin.
Weekly Wisdom: Eating healthy in the 2nd trimester can sometimes be difficult (especially for me) but a few servings of fresh produce have really helped me feel 100x's better! We are doing a "health challenge" at work which has required me to eat a little better and do some exercise. A daily walk around the block with Toby has helped me tremendously. So even if you feel crummy, try to get out of the house for a few minutes! 
Looking forward to: Finding out the sex of Baby R and feeling some stronger kicks soon!

14 & 15 Weeks

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I looked the same for week 14, so the photo got skipped. Oops!

How far along? 15 weeks
Size of baby? Orange
Total weight gain/loss: I haven't weighed myself recently, I don't feel much bigger.
Maternity clothes? Nope, but I do enjoy being in comfy clothes!
Stretch marks? Nada.
Sleep: We did a lot of traveling this week, so my sleep was all over the place.
Best moment this week: Celebrating Shane's birthday in Taos!
Miss Anything? Whitening my teeth, I heard it's a no-no.
Movement: I've had what feels like "popcorn popping" in my lower tummy. Not sure if that's baby or not?
Food cravings: I'm eating Hot Cheetos and Mac and Cheese as I type this.
Anything making you queasy or sick: My dog! He needs to be groomed so bad, he likes to roll in the snow. Wet dog? Yuck!
Have you started to show yet: Not enough that people recognize me a pregs. Which kinda bugs me. I want the credit now!
Gender prediction: Girl girl girl girl girl. (Everyone else swears boy.)
Labor Signs: No, thank goodness.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! But sudden road rage is blooming. 
Weekly Wisdom: Being pregnant doesn't make your husband disappear. Make sure you tell him how much you appreciate his help!
Looking forward to: Less barfing? Is that a thing?

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 How far along? 14 weeks
Size of baby? Lemon
Total weight gain/loss: Doctor said I gained a whopping ONE pound since my last visit. 
Maternity clothes? Not exactly, Shane's clothes are much comfier than mine though.
Stretch marks? No, but my belly is really really itchy. Is that a sign?
Sleep: Bueno.
Best moment this week: We listened to Baby Rainer's heartbeat this week at our Dr's appointment. 
Have you told family and friends: Yes! We told our landlords yesterday, which we were really nervous to do. Good thing they are super excited for us!
Miss Anything? Buying clothes, it feels pointless to buy anything new in my size right now. 
Movement: Baby is kicking, I just can't feel it yet. 
Food cravings: Sour Skittles and Hot Cheetos. [Sometimes together, don't judge.]
Anything making you queasy or sick: Brushing my teeth is always a struggle.
Have you started to show yet: I think I've got a little unattractive pooch sproutin'.
Gender prediction: I'm almost positive it's a girl, but everyone else is positive it is a boy. 
Labor Signs: No, but my stomach does this horrible contracting thing when I don't drink enough water.
Belly Button in or out? In
Wedding rings on or off? On
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy! But I always have my moments. 
Weekly Wisdom: Think positive, it's better than worrying.
Looking forward to: We leave tomorrow for vacation! Woo hoo!

Heartbeats

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Disclaimer: This ultrasound is Baby at 10 weeks. We are now at 14. 
This last Wednesday I had my 14 week OB appointment. Shane went with me, always in hopes they might do an ultrasound and we'll get to see Baby Rainer. Although we didn't see Baby Rainer, we did have quite the experience trying to hear baby's heartbeat.
My name was called and I followed the nurse back to the scale so nervous and scared. I had been feeling off the last few days, like maybe something wasn't right. My family and friends had been telling me to not worry and to think positive; but once you get that little seedling of worry, it's not long before its grown into a huge anxiety attack. By the time I was sitting in the exam room, I was internally freaking out. 
This very talkative nurse tried making conversation with me about my job and how much she loves the aquarium; I tried to smile and act normal but my stomach was doing flips. She eventually said; "we can wait for the doctor to try and find the baby's heartbeat, or I can try and do it right now? I'm really good, I promise! I've never not been able to find a heartbeat on a handheld doppler." Wanting to make sure everything was okay with Baby Rainer as fast as possible; I hopped up on the paper covered table and lifted my shirt ready to take the gooey blue jelly. 
The nurse's face furrowed; and her loud, talkative demeanor quickly turned to concerned "hmm's" and "huhh's." She searched and searched but no heartbeat. My stomach dropped while the nurse very swiftly wiped off my belly, excused herself to get the doctor and left the room. It took everything in me not to burst into tears. For the next 30 minutes Shane and I sat quietly preparing for the worst, just in case. 
After what seemed like forever, my kind doctor walked in the room with a huge smile. He asked Shane about his music and remembered we had a dog. It was nice to hear something familiar and comforting. I again laid down and hoped for the best. Two seconds later we heard the quick, strong heartbeat of our baby. Doctor England winked at me and let me know everything was normal, strong and beating at 170 beats per minute. A huge weight was lifted off my shoulders and I could finally listen for a few minutes to the tiny human growing inside me. 
Dr. E. moved the doppler around a little bit to get a better reading. He found a good spot, turned to me and said "that's both heartbeats! yours, and baby's." For a minute; time didn't really stop, but seemed to move slower. I could hear my baby's heartbeat and my own, beating together. What a crazy thing that was to me! For that moment, I heard how in sync we were. It hit me how responsible I am for this life. Life! Life inside ME! How am I being trusted with this tiny heartbeat? It is my job to keep it beating. In that moment, we were beating together. Our heartbeats kept between us. 
After that, I didn't really care about the nurse who scared me half to death or the goopy blue jelly or the worries I had walked in there with; I cared that my baby was okay. And everything was okay, and is okay! 
We set a follow up appointment for February 3rd where we will get to see if Baby Rainer is a boy or girl! We can't wait!
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