Snow, 25/26 Weeks, and Life at the Moment

Eight+ horrible inches of snow, that is how much was bestowed upon us last Tuesday, and it still hasn't melted a week later. The worst part is is that the snow-turned-ice is so dangerous. People are falling, and cars are sliding around. While it does look pretty, hopefully, we will not be getting this amount any more. It's still freezing outside with temperatures from about

-10 to 18 degrees.

This pregnancy sure is flying by, 26 weeks already. Lord help me. Little by little, we are getting things ready. I try not to overwhelm myself by thinking too much about the baby's arrival, Al's deployment, and all that comes along with each of those. Military life has its challenges, but I'm not sure I would trade it for another life. It's impossible to know for sure how much what Al does is making a difference, but I see some of the fruit of his labor already, and it seems we are exactly where we are supposed to be. On a positive not, I have been enjoying the strong bonds retreats the last several weekends. Those are the military's way of strengthening soldiers and their families and hoping that they are ready for deployments when it's time. Even though Al is so busy right now with those, it's nice when there is a little down time that the two of us can just enjoy. The retreats have given us a few hours during the weekend to spend together:)

As for the baby, things look great. I went through a growth spurt last month and gained a whoppin six pounds which puts my weight gain at 15lbs. The doctor told me not to gain that much next time. How am I going to manage that? I can watch what I eat and excersize moderately, but when my body and baby's wants to cling to every calorie it seems, what more am I supposed to do? Not eat? The holidays don't help much either*sigh*

Today, I went to the lab for a glucose test. YUCK! Drinking an overly sugary drink is awful. Thankfully, the doctor gave me the tip of bringing a cup of ice to make it easier to drink. Oh the joys of pregnancy! There's no hurry though as I am nervous about her arrival.

24 Weeks/ Update

I know it's cliche, but really, where does time go? At six months, I figured I better get the ball rollin' just a tad. We took advantage of the long weekend and painted the nursery. Even though it's pink, very bright pink, I thought that maybe the black and white will give it a touch of sophistication. I think it looks fab, especially since we did it ourselves.

We had a nice Thanksgiving with some friends and enjoyed eating leftovers
for several days. Three and a half more weeks till Christmas, and it can't get here soon enough. I so look foward to seeing ocean, eating great food, and most important, family. It will be nice to leave Kansas for a few days.

Next month is crazy for us. We have no less than four events a week. Anticipating going home will make it all worth the while.

I am starting to have a little belly going on. Fortunately, most of my clothes still fit, because maternity clothes are a drag. I will probably just buy regular stuff in bigger sizes as I haven't found maternity wear that is going to fit me properly. Come on- just because my belly is growing, I don't need pant legs big enough on each leg to fit both legs into either side, but designers of maternity don't seem to get this. Oh well, that's less money I have to spend on that fashionless garb:)

21 Week Ultrasound

SHE'S A GIRL!!! Al and I have been elated since we found out last week. What did we do when we found out? We went shopping for her of course.

Currently, we have a couple, mostly one but not completely decided, of names in mind for baby girl. It's not as difficult as I thought it would be. The only problem is our favorite girl names are on top of the 100 most popular names list. Add to that a common middle name, and there are bound to be dozens of girls with the same exact name. Oh well, she'll have a beautiful name even if it isn't unique.

As far as weight gain goes, I was up roughly 9 pounds at 21 weeks counting from the time a found out I was pregnant. I don't really have intense cravings, but Al does. He gets cravings- chinese food, pumpkin pie, Freddy's, any pasta in marinara sauce, sweet potatoes, oatmeal raisin cookies. For me, homemade quiche and fruit make a delicious breakfast. My favorite snack is string cheese. On the weekends, I like to have mint milanos and Freddy's Frozen Custard as a treat:)

I am enjoying every bit of energy I have while it lasts, not sure if nesting is really supposed to hit already, but I think it has.

20 Weeks

Halfway there! Some days it feels like the baby is never going to arrive and others like the past weeks have passed in the blink of an eye. I am anxiously awaiting Friday's ultrasound.

The last couple of weeks I have been feeling pretty good. The energy has come back, sleep is good, my appetite is pretty normal although no crazy cravings or ravenous episodes yet. The best part is feeling baby movement frequently. The moving began two weeks ago. Al keeps asking me what it's like. Try describing to a man the unique sensation of little baby doing its thing:) Pretty funny stuff. The best I can explain it is that it feels like popcorn popping in the bottom of my belly. At times, it feels like there is a butterfly fluttering around, but popcorn is more like it most of the time.

Thinking about the future, as if the responsibilty of being parents wasn't enough, I have decided to try and go green meaning that I want to make the attempt to cloth diaper. Yep! That's right. Call me crazy. First of all, we would be saving several hundred dollars a year. Truth be told, my conscience cannot bear the thought of tossing thousands of diapers into a landfill where they will take 500 years to decompose and release toxic chemicals all the while. Regarding the poo factor, there are liners. If mothers of generations past did it(and washed those wretched poo catchers by hand), then why can't I with the modern conveniences of a washer and a dryer?

To vaccinate or not to vaccinate? Unfortunately, this is a controversial subject. I still have some time to keep on researching. For now, with all the information in favor of them and all the research against them, it seems to me that the best thing to do is to 1. delay them just enough time so that they can build up some immunity on their own which is what is done in other countries in Europe and Japan 2. get the shots only one at a time 3. avoid the ones with thimersol and heavy metals(about 3 of the shots given routinely contain them, but vaccine makers are beginning to take out those potent metals and preservatives). On the delayed schedule, children still receive their shots in time to start school. I'm glad I still have several more months to gather information and decide.

Doctor Appointment

I had my third appoinment on Tuesday. Everything looks great. The hearbeat is at 140bpm. I'm starting to feel more movement. The doctor also gave me "morning" sickness medication just in case, because morning sickness 1. can happen any time of the day or in some cases all day and 2. can happen throughout pregnancy*sigh* Hopefully, it will not happen anymore as I have been feeling nauseous in the afternoons. Some foods that I usually like make my stomach churn even now, especially chicken.
So far, I have not had those cravings pregnant women talk about as I am happy if I don't get sick or even worse, nauseous.

Boy or girl? I can't wait to find out. Not knowing is driving me crazy, just don't know how all those patient team unknown mothers do it. The big ultrasound is on November 6:) After that, I can start painting and getting the nursery ready.

16 Weeks

I was sooo excited to make it through the first trimester. Unlike my mother, I got the wonderful experience of having morning sickness about two times a week and nausea all day every day. Sadly, I felt better the days I was very sick, because then it would just be over with, and I could carry on with the rest of the day.

Now, I got this ugly cold last week that doesn't seem to want to leave.

Dear cold,

Please vacate the premises IMMEDIATELY! Your cooperation is appreciated.

On a positive note, we are beyond excited, a little nervous too, about being parents. I can't believe the overwhelming love I already feel for this Little One.

From the Golden State to the Emerald City

What a long drive-1,500 miles! We're here and almost settled.

Driving into Kansas from the westside, from Denver to be exact, had me a little worried as all I saw were miles and miles of nothing but flat prairieland, blah. So, I was pleasantly surprised to arrive here and see a lot of trees and so much green. There is hardly any traffic here which is nice, and we have a few nice things to do here.

I definitely miss home, my recycle bin(it's hard to recycle here), Trader Joe's, good food/restaurants, the beaches to name a few things. There's def no place like home!