Kimba

Baby Bump Wednesday: Week 15

Week 15! Meaning, one more week until we find out what we're having. Well, a week and a few days, we find out the 30th. It's crazy, most people I know have found out at 20 weeks and I've sort of been freaking myself out, like, can they really be certain this early? What if they tell me one thing, and then it ends up being another? Could I totally switch gears like that? Not that I'd have a choice, right? I just like to be prepared, that's all. Again though, I think it's going to help it all feel a little more real. Like, this little thing that is supposedly growing inside me is suddenly going to be someone instead of this obscure fetus baby. The reason I'm peeing every three minutes and now completely unable to button 90% of my pants.

Apparently the baby is about the size of an apple or beefsteak tomato (though I confess I have no idea what a beefsteak tomato is...). It's arms and legs are growing and some sites even said I could start to feel it this week or next. There's a thin fine hair covering it's body called lanugo that they say goes away before birth. Just a little reassurance that your baby won't come out looking like a little gorilla, right? Which is good news in our case, I believe I've mentioned Caleb's leg hairs before, completely impenetrable to mosquitoes. What a relief to know I won't be shaving our newborn's legs.

Let's see, new symptoms? Backache, literally started last Wednesday or Thursday, and I totally wasn't expecting that so soon. I understand why women get them later in pregnancy, but now? At first I thought maybe I'd pulled something somehow, (can you pull something when you're not doing anything but walking on a treadmill?) but an entire week later and it's still here, a burning pain on one side. Uncomfortable in almost any sitting position, which is great, because that's about all I do all day at work, sit.

I think I'm showing now. I think there's a little less bloat (finally) and a little more baby. Which is exciting and strange all at once. I have to try and change my whole way of thinking. I'm still working out (have I talked about my Mother's Day present yet? No? A treadmill! I'll show you soon!) yet I'm getting bigger. Eating the same (strangely) and getting bigger. And it's...okay! Good! Supposed to happen! And be happy about it dang it!!

How exactly do you change years and years and years of ingrained thinking? Not overnight, I'll tell ya that.

The topic of lifting has come up a lot lately at work and at home, and I've been asking a few other pregnant women what the deal is. When you shouldn't, what the limit is, and no one can tell me. I finally googled it today and found...no clear answer. Some sites said to use "common sense", some said 50 lbs, some said whatever, as long as you lift correctly. What am I supposed to do with this crap? As soon as I told my coworkers I was pregnant, way back when I was 5 weeks along (early, I know, but how long can you be "sick" before people start to get suspicious?) and they wouldn't even let me lift a pair of skis. Sometimes it's nice (oh, too bad, you'll have to take out the trash, honey...) and other times it's annoying (no, really, I can carry my own purse, thanks). My decision? Eh. Whatever. Common sense, right? I have it, so long as I don't start asking Caleb if I can have real fruit popsicles and asking some message board if it's okay if I eat the popcorn shrimp I have sitting out on my counter, waiting to be cooked.

(I cannot tell you what the thought of shrimp is doing to my stomach right now. Ugh.)

Again with the sleep lines. I was completely OUT three minutes before taking this shot. Might have to do with the fact that we haven't been to bed before 11:30 this week and it's getting to me. I need a nice long weekend to relax, and I am so looking forward to it.

Yes, this is all there is

 



















Like my new rug? That's not my new floor, I wish, but the light in our front room is low at the moment (it's high time I bite the bullet and get a stupid console table to house the fabulous lamp I bought two months ago, I KNOW, ALRIGHT ALREADY) and I couldn't wait to post it until later. This rug? Looks fabulous in front of our door, and the best part? $28. Thank you, Urban Outfitters. You were right outside the restaurant we ate at this evening, and isn't that just how it is with you? Always there when I need you.

(Can I tell you that we saw a grown man in full swab-the-deck attire at the restaurant? Not with a sailing group, not a joke. This was his serious date dress. And it was odd.)

Do you know who is also always there for me? Until today? Target. I made a quick run during my lunch break today to grab some S.O.S. cleaning pads among a few other necessities (organic peanut butter and whole wheat bread) and a few non-necessities (chocolate Skittles? I had to try them and all I have to say is they shouldn't mess with a good thing. Brownie Batter? Blugh.), but S.O.S pads were no where to be found. Who doesn't carry S.O.S. pads?! Also, am I the only one who didn't know what the acronym stood for? Soap On Steel?  And another thing, ever since my best friend and I began cleaning her grandma's house when we were but wee little girls, we have always called them SOS pads, as in "Sauce Pads". I still call them that, and then end up having to correct myself in front of everyone. Note to self: do not pass on odd nicknames to your children: it's cheesy.

I swear I had something a little more substantial to write about than S.O.S. pads and new rugs. I did, I promise, but then I forgot. I sat here idly clicking through Facebook and my email and who knows what else, trying to remember what it was I was going to expound on tonight. Such is pregnancy. Next time I'll try to have the piece of mind to write it down. Note to self: start carrying a separate "pregnancy reminders" notebook...

Something to look forward to

This is my favorite time of year, when barbecues are the norm and you can spend lazy afternoons relaxing with a cold drink and a magazine or two. That's how we spent the weekend, several barbecues and lounging.

It got me thinking about our plans for this weekend, or rather, our lack of, and I've been trying to come up with something fabulous. Anyone have any great Memorial Day plans or ideas? Either way, they should include a great barbecue, right? I've found a few recipes I'm thinking of using.

An herbed potato salad from Martha Stewart, a fabulous ginger lime syrup over fruit (I've made this several times and WOW. My favorite way to serve fresh fruit! Seriously, you must try this!), and how great does this brisket sound? I've never made brisket before, but it's never too late to start, right? And who doesn't like a fresh strawberry tart? Though I don't know if I could stick with just strawberries, I think if you added some raspberries and blueberries in there no one would argue.

So again, what are you doing this weekend? Any fun Memorial Day traditions? Any great recipes I've missed?

Involved

Bridgette and I are sitting at the table looking through magazines while Caleb and Mark's colleague are playing Rock Band. I overhear Caleb telling him, regarding one of the guitars neither of them are using, "Yeah, it's a difficult one to use, but I want to practice with it and get better. I really respect it."

Said in all seriousness. For real.

And that's when you know it's time to take a little break. Regroup. Leave the Rock Band world for a bit.

(Addendum: Caleb mentioned that there might be a few people out there not living a fulfilled life, and wouldn't  know what Rock Band is. I'm sorry for you. Here's a link, in case you'd like to be fulfilled...)

Meet my dog, Goose

So..........we think the mutt has kennel cough. Which is great, apparently a pee-soaked bed wasn't enough. He didn't start coughing until the day Caleb returned from Utah, and we thought it was just because Bear was so excited to see him. Whenever Caleb is gone Bear spends the entire day on the rug in front of the front door, waiting. Every once in a while he'll get up and sniff the air coming through our mail slot (makes it a little difficult to keep it warm in the winter, doesn't it? Cold air seeping in...) hoping for a whiff of Caleb. Anyway, we came home from picking up Caleb at the airport and I let Bear out to greet his lover and he immediately launched into full hacking mode, completely unable to continue with his ritual of whining and licking and butt-wiggling. We laughed at him, like, look how funny, he's so excited he's making himself puke! Look at him puke into the bushes! Hahaha! What a freak!

And then he kept doing it, intermittently, for the next two days. Hacking, mostly unproductive (sometimes uh...productive...), and always with this insanely annoying honking sound. This morning I finally agreed it probably wasn't something caught in his throat, googled "kennel cough" and immediately decided that's what he's got. I even saw a video on YouTube, and yeah. That's it. (Don't you just love the credits? Like, "Starring Rex the dog and some dude's hand!" ) Most sites said if the dog is still acting normal you can just let it run its course, which is funny, because it also said that running, playing, and getting excited will increase the hacking, which pretty much means our dog goes from one hacking session to another. What?! It's food time?!?! Hey!!! Is it frisbee time?!?! MASTER!!!!! YOU'RE HOME AGAIN!!! AFTER BEING GONE FOR 8 WHOLE HOURS!!!! LOVE ME!!!!

It also doesn't help that it's over 100 degrees at the moment, as he spends a large part of the day panting while our little window air conditioner puffs it's little heart out trying to cool the place down. Right now I'm thankful for our wood floors. Much easier clean up than carpet.

So that's it. My dog is a goose. A furry, drooling, panting goose.

Baby Bump Wednesday: Week 14

We spent a large part of this last week in Utah visiting family and friends and enjoying our mothers for Mother's Day. I spent a large part of the day thinking about how next year I'll have an 8 mth old. I'll be a mom. Like, with a real live baby and stuff. Who eats and poops and cries and all that stuff. My family is excited of course, this will be the first grandchild on my side, which ohmigosh, my parents are going to be grandparents. And they don't even have grey (for the most part) hair. Maybe they will soon.

Speaking of grandparents, I had a fun little encounter with my grandma, my mother's mom. I went to pick up my mother who had been working in my grandma's yard, and the first thing my grandma told me was that my boobs are bigger. Then she went on to talk about how they grow, and your husband thinks that they are his "personal play things", and "I was always more sensual than your grandfather, but I didn't marry anyone else, did I?"

And what do you say to that? Hmmm.....yes.....well, yeah, I did have to buy a new bra last weekend...

She followed this talk up with a sigh and said, "I miss him. I miss him so much. It's just not fair." And what do you say to that? We all miss him, but of course not nearly as much as she does. It made me grateful for Caleb and for the father he will be. Grateful for everything he does for me.

Like fix me smoothies and buy me A&W Root Beer. And suffer through my pregnancy hormones.

Speaking of which, those are serious, those hormones. On Monday I decided to get "P.S. I Love You" at the RedBox after I picked up some groceries (more like an entire cart full) since Caleb was still in Utah, and what else would I do? Turns out the only thing I'd be doing that night was crying. It seemed like I was either in the middle of crying, wiping away the last tear, or starting with a fresh batch, the entire movie. I wish I was kidding. The blanket and pillow I was using were completely soaked. If something even remotely sad or touching or uncomfortable happens, all Caleb has to do it look at me, and I burst into tears. He's going to be so used to it by the end he won't even notice. Like every women out there cries when they forget to turn on the oven.

My baby is officially 4 inches long, which is bigger than Caleb's fist. We measured. Most sites said that I should start showing this week, and I think I might be, but I don't know, this Dreaded Bloat is still constant. Gas Baby or Real Baby, I've rediscovered and fallen in love again with gauchos. How great are these pants? I feel sort of guilty wearing them, they look dressy but I feel like I'm wearing pajamas all day long and I LOVE it. I think I'm going to have to add to my collection.

I have an announcement. I haven't woken up to pee in the middle of the night once this last week. Granted, I wake up in the morning and have to make a mad dash for the bathroom, but! A full nights sleep! Consequently I'm feeling much more rested and more energetic, which is good because I have a new Mother's Day present that just arrived today and I need to start using it. (Pictures to follow tomorrow...right Caleb? He's putting it together while we watch Ellen's Mother's Day Expectant Mother's show, and why was I not there? Free cribs and baby gear? And look at all these hot mama's! I think Caleb's secretly enjoying it...)

The rest of this week and weekend are supposed to be hot, like, 100's hot, and I'm already starting to understand how miserable this summer is going to be. I foresee lots of ice and cold foot baths, as my hands and feet are the first things to swell up, always have been. I also foresee our electric bill going up just a wee bit, I'm currently praising our white trash window air conditioner. We were already planning on moving it into our room so that we wouldn't freeze the baby, but I think it's going to be moved a bit earlier than planned. Like, tomorrow. Or how about right now? Right now sounds good...

That looks like a bit of a bump, doesn't it? Plus a bit of bloat...I hear that it doesn't last the entire pregnancy, and I'm patiently waiting for that to happen. Any day now.

Oh, also? What's up with the stuffy / runny nose thing? How come I was never informed of this before? I'm just now reading how common it is, and I constantly feel like I'm getting over a cold. I have to admit something: this is the first time I've ever blown my nose while Caleb was in earshot. Partially because I really don't get sick that often, but mostly because...I just can't do it. I've been forced to though, and I don't like it. Not one bit. I'd like to take it up with someone, I just don't know who. The inventor of Pregnancy?

Hmm. That may be a little difficult. I don't think he'd pay much attention.

A slight delay

Last night I flew home from Utah by myself, lucky Caleb got to stay a few extra days. My plane was supposed to leave at 9:20, but when all was said and done we didn't leave until well after midnight, putting me into Oakland at about 1:30 am. It was fantastic. By the time I'd picked up my luggage, waited for the shuttle to drive me to the "economy" (at $15 a day...) parking lot, waited for the attendant to come let me out, (apparently they don't man the stations at 2 in the morning...) and drove home, it was nearly 3:30. AM. Needless to say, I didn't go to work today, rather, I slept in until the very last possible second before Petsmart charged me another day to board the mutt. (Which is an entirely different story, I'll sum it up for you: urine-soaked bed and dog, bath for both of them, and I puked for the first time since I've been pregnant. The smell was that bad. Petsmart got an earful, I assure you.) Anyway, I would like to thank Anita Shreve for getting me through the delay and flight. I read the entire thing and had a few minutes to just start to doze before we touched down. Trusty old author.

And now I'm exhausted and will go to bed. Updates and pictures to follow, once Caleb returns tomorrow with the laptop. And all of our pictures. And stuff.

Not in Kansas anymore

Two things I've seen in the past 24 hours that made me question whether I was really in Utah:

-One little boy removing all his clothes on the side of a very busy street in Salt Lake

-One vulture feasting on the remains of a bird in the middle of the road in residential Bountiful

I love being home.

Baby Bump Wednesday: Week 13

Finally! I'm officially into my second trimester, which is exciting and frightening all at once. I can't believe how fast it's gone, and I can't believe I've only got 6 mths left. I haven't done a thing to prepare, and the weeks just keep ticking by. Like a train, rumbling toward us bringing one very large (yet tiny) package. I just hope we're ready when it arrives.

Looking at my weekly pregnancy guide thing, it says the baby should be about 3 inches and weigh a little over an ounce. Still pretty tiny, though I just measured three inches and that seems rather large to me. There's really something that size inside of me? Right now? The pregnancy calendar also mentions that "pregnancy amnesia" could start to kick in, and um, yup. It's here. Today for instance, we met up with Bridgette and Owen to pick up a few things at our favorite seasonal farmers market (which started today, finally) and I drove, which is rare. Caleb, as the male, believes he should be the one to drive and for the most part I let him. It's nice to sit back and relax. Anyway, we got out of the car and as we walked away I turned and asked him if he'd grabbed the keys. He hadn't, of course, Car Custom requires the driver to be responsible for the keys. The driver, in this case, being me. The keys were in the ignition, right where I'd left them. Never in my life have I ever done that. Who gets out of the car without their keys?! Later on I was measuring some fabric for a mother's day gift (I know, but trust me, I didn't go near a sewing machine. Pics to follow soon...) and had to re-measure about eight different times because I kept making one dumb mistake after another. Maybe all those headaches knocked something loose up there.

I went shopping over the weekend(while Caleb cleaned the house! I know! It's like every girl's fantasy) to try and get a few...loose tops. There are two certain objects that refuse to cooperate with 98% of the current clothing I own, and I'm getting pretty sick of wearing the same three shirts. My trip to the mall was a total bust, coming away with only a bra (SO needed...) and a Bella Band, which I totally love. Every pregnant women out there should get one, for reals. I became desperate and ran to Target the other day at lunch and actually found three shirts (out of the nine bazillion I tried on) that would work, and I bought all three. It was that serious.

(Terrible picture, I know, I forgot that taking the photo lengthwise produces giant pictures on Typepad and no one needs to see a life size photo of my stomach.)  (Also, please forgive my sleep lines...) It might not look like I need new clothes, but trust me, a few hours from taking this shot the Dreaded Baby Bloat rears it's ugly head and settles in for the rest of the day, leaving me feeling and looking like I've just downed an entire Family Size Value Meal from Kentucky Fried Chicken. And then requested seconds. Nevermind the fact that I've stopped eating my daily Dannon Activia to combat my issues (can't stomach it ever since I became pregnant). I'm just a walking time bomb, people. I could blow any minute!

Tomorrow we're hopping a plane to Utah for a crazy-filled whirlwind of a weekend. It seems like every time we fly home we end up running from one function to another. We've got Caleb's best friend's wedding and all that goes with it, a baby blessing, my sister calling from her mission (yeah!!) and Mother's Day. It's going to be exhausting, and I won't get to see everyone I want to, which is always the case, but know that if I don't see you, I wanted to, really I did. Reassure yourself with the fact that you didn't have to stare incredulously at my Gas Baby. You're better off, I swear.

Off to switch the laundry out, fold, and pack last minute items. And try not to disturb sleeping beauty and his mutt in the process...

Like a car wreck, you just can't look away

So I'm not one of those women who congregate on message boards. Some people do, and they enjoy it, talking to people who are going through the same thing they are and such. I get it. I just don't feel the same, or need that, I guess. Most of the time because you run into people who um, maybe aren't the smartest? The most with it? These are just a few questions I found (spelling left as is, of course...). Heaven help us.

*my stomach is round, good-sized and hard ont the outside, but still kinda squishy on the otside. And my belly button looks normal. why?

Because you're pregnant, duh. Wait, wait, your belly button looks normal? It hasn't morphed into a baby-viewing device? Nevermind then. You just ate too many burritos.

*I just read that it's not safe to use dish detergents, like Cascade, in the dishwasher when pregnant because some of the detergent will be left on the dishes after the cycle is done and phosphates are bad for the baby. Is this just silly?

Oh, totally true. The correct method of cleaning your dishes is to place them on the floor and call your dog over. We hear their mouths are cleaner than ours anyway.

*What will happen to my preganancy if i eat spicy foods?

Your baby will grow horns and a red tail and will subsist on Mexican food only. Shoulda steered clear of the cayenne...

*This may be a silly question to ask but I am a bit worried. I woke up this morning and a gland in my left armpit was swollen and sore. It still hurts but has gone down a little. Is this a common occurance when you are pregnant or could it be something else?

GASP! Your baby has moved to your armpit! Quick! Push it back down!

*I am soooo craving some popcorn shrimp and I have it sitting on the counter getting ready to fry in a few. But I thought I would get some other opinions before doing so. I havent broken any rules since i've found I'm pregnant... I'm almost 9 weeks. I don't smoke, don't drink, NO caffeine at all, no chocolate, no deli meats... Can I pleeeasssseee have some popcorn shrimp just this one time?? I mean it's going to be fried so obviously, the shrimp will be cookied and it's my first time having shrimp since bring preggo. Is it ok???

As long as it has the word "popcorn" in it, it's fine. Also, three cheers for not eating any chocolate, that evil, vile stuff is right up there with alcohol. I love that she has it sitting on her counter ready to eat, but ran to her computer to ask the pregnancy message board if it was okay. Like, screw the doctor, screw books, I'm going to the source! And one more thing, can we talk about how much I hate the word "preggo"? It makes me want to throw up a little.

*I am going to ask my doctor, but I was wondering if anyone out there could tell me if they know anything about energy drinks such as boost or ensure.
Are these safe to drink during pregnancy

Boost? Ensure? Perfectly normal for the very young and geriatric, but we can't have you drinking vitamins and minerals and stuff. In fact, cut back on all fruit and vegetables, those have a lot of good stuff too.

*Is it safe to drink regular coke while pregnant? Does it have to much sugar or caffeine? What sodas have no caffeine? Maybe the clear ones like sprite and ginger ale?
Also, is it ok to eat real fruit popsicles?

That's right, as long as the drink is clear, you're okay. We all know caffeine is brown. Vodka? Totally fine. Drink up! I love that she asked what sodas don't have caffeine, who doesn't know that? Can't she look it up? Isn't that what Google's for? I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but before I go asking someone a question I usually try and find the answer myself. Do my part. Try to not look like a fool. Also? I'm not even going to touch the "real fruit popsicles". I have no words for that.

*I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE APPEARANCE OF A BEATING UNDER YOUR NECK IS A SIGN OF THE BABIES HEARTBEAT.IS THIS TRUE?

No, that's a sign that you're alive. Your baby just so happens to be alllllll the way down there, chillin' with your bladder and stuff. Last I heard it's pretty much confined in your uterus, (might want to Google that, sweetie) and that mean old organ doesn't want to share.

*hi. i was just wondering what would happen if you were pregnant and you started taking birth control??

Time will turn back and poof! Baby's gone! Instant accident re-do. The government is keeping this information from us, in an attempt to increase the number of unwanted pregnancies. But! It leaked! Oops!

*Does ANYONE out there know about any risks involved in using hand sanitizers while pregnant?I have been using this periodicaly for my entire pregnancy which is 14 weeks, and it just now dawned on me that it might not be safe. The main ingrediant is ethyl alcohol.This may be a dumb question, but can that get absorbed into the blood and cause fetal alcohol syndrome or something else?

YES. Those little alcohol beads head straight to your baby and before you know it, baby's rollin' around TOTALLY WASTED, DUDE.

I think I'll just continue on, ya know? Skip the message boards. Go for a little doctors advice sprinkled with a little common sense and stuff. And hey, I might even indulge in some CHOCOLATE and FRUIT POPSICLES. I'm so bad...