This is going to be one of the longest weeks of my life. I have no plans. I have something big to look forward to. One week from tomorrow I will have my second sonogram for this pregnancy. Most of you know what that means: gender identification. Of course, Randy will make sure that the baby is developing well and everything looks right for the anatomy. I want everything to be OK on that front, but we all know that the fun part, the part you look forward to, is finding out the gender.
I felt the same way waiting for Bella's gender sonogram. I was so anxious. I thought time couldn't fly fast enough. The sad part is that I was working at the time. Now, I don't have that to pass the time. Although I have Bella to take care of now, time seems to move more slowly because I am waiting for things for her as well. So much waiting can drive you MAD! Though, the only difference between this time and last time is that I wasn't nearly as concerned with something being wrong with Bella.
Everything with her was so new and amazing. I knew that anything could happen, but I just felt that I had been lucky thus far and nothing could go wrong. This time, I have been more cautious. It isn't just now, it has been this way throughout the pregnancy. I don't really know why, but things feel more realistic than fairytale. Either way, a good part of me is still all excitement. I can still push those worried feelings aside and get excited. And I will tell you, I am VERY excited to find out the gender and see that things are looking good for our newest peanut!
So, that leaves the question: boy or girl?
Monday, August 30, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
I heart Discovery Health!
I have a slight obsession. I blame my mom for this obsession, as she tends to read A LOT of medical articles on the Internet. Steve thinks I'm crazy because of this obsession. What is it? I watch health shows. A lot of them. Whether the outcome is positive or negative, I watch it. The most common response I get from my husband is "How can you watch that!? It's so depressing!" I understand that often the stories are sad, even if things turn out alright. But I am someone who wants to know whats possible. Even the most obscure diseases and conditions can strike anyone at anytime. Now, I may not know if I or someone I love gets one of these conditions even if I've seen something about it, but I'll eventually remember it.
I work under the motto "Know all of the possibilities. Expect nothing." I started trying to live by this after having Bella. I had expectations that were blown out of the water. So, I feel it best to not expect anything but be prepared for anything instead. This is another reason I like watching these shows. I may never encounter any of these medical conditions, but I'll have heard of it if I do! However, not all of these shows talk about obscure conditions and diseases. There are tons of pregnancy, infant, and ER shows that talk about common conditions that people encounter everyday. I think its a good idea to know about some of these things.
Besides that, there are a lot of these stories that are inspirational. If they can get through this, then so can you. You can find the strength to get through the rough spots in your life because it can be done. So many people survive common and obscure diseases and conditions everyday. They find the strength to make it through. I like seeing it happen. It gives me faith and it makes me happy! So, if you get some time, go watch Discovery Health. See if you can catch an episode of Mystery Diagnosis or Untold Stories of the ER. Or perhaps watch an episode of Birth Day or NICU. It might not strike the same chord with you as it does with me, but you won't know unless you watch :).
I work under the motto "Know all of the possibilities. Expect nothing." I started trying to live by this after having Bella. I had expectations that were blown out of the water. So, I feel it best to not expect anything but be prepared for anything instead. This is another reason I like watching these shows. I may never encounter any of these medical conditions, but I'll have heard of it if I do! However, not all of these shows talk about obscure conditions and diseases. There are tons of pregnancy, infant, and ER shows that talk about common conditions that people encounter everyday. I think its a good idea to know about some of these things.
Besides that, there are a lot of these stories that are inspirational. If they can get through this, then so can you. You can find the strength to get through the rough spots in your life because it can be done. So many people survive common and obscure diseases and conditions everyday. They find the strength to make it through. I like seeing it happen. It gives me faith and it makes me happy! So, if you get some time, go watch Discovery Health. See if you can catch an episode of Mystery Diagnosis or Untold Stories of the ER. Or perhaps watch an episode of Birth Day or NICU. It might not strike the same chord with you as it does with me, but you won't know unless you watch :).
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Time is a Slug
Due to a little need for maneuvering for schedules, I still have 2 weeks until my next sonogram. We are 8 weeks away from Bella's first birthday. There are about 11 weeks left until her next MRI. 13 weeks and change until Thanksgiving. 17 and a half weeks until Christmas. AND 23 weeks until my due date.
None of these are particularly large numbers, so why does it feel like they're so far away? Besides that, why does it feel like time can't go fast enough? So many people I know are in no rush for time to fly by, but I am the exact opposite. I'm not saying I want things to fly by, but it doesn't even seem like things are coming at a normal rate of time!
One thought I had about this weird situation of mine is that perhaps I have TOO much to look forward to. I am naturally a planner and I think ahead constantly. This has turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing. I constantly stress myself out with the feeling that something needs to be done, so I keep a tight schedule and plan my events as far in advance as possible. While this does make me feel better once I'm in the midst of things, waiting for something to happen can be very distressing.
I like to think that I need to take things one day at a time, but I haven't been very good at living this mantra. I'm not sure that I want to stop planning, but perhaps finding more ways to fill my day will help calm my nerves. So, I'm taking suggestions. Preferably suggestions that don't cost anything. Or at least cost less than 5 bucks! Maybe then I can find something to do without staring at a calendar, wondering when time is going to speed up!
None of these are particularly large numbers, so why does it feel like they're so far away? Besides that, why does it feel like time can't go fast enough? So many people I know are in no rush for time to fly by, but I am the exact opposite. I'm not saying I want things to fly by, but it doesn't even seem like things are coming at a normal rate of time!
One thought I had about this weird situation of mine is that perhaps I have TOO much to look forward to. I am naturally a planner and I think ahead constantly. This has turned out to be more of a curse than a blessing. I constantly stress myself out with the feeling that something needs to be done, so I keep a tight schedule and plan my events as far in advance as possible. While this does make me feel better once I'm in the midst of things, waiting for something to happen can be very distressing.
I like to think that I need to take things one day at a time, but I haven't been very good at living this mantra. I'm not sure that I want to stop planning, but perhaps finding more ways to fill my day will help calm my nerves. So, I'm taking suggestions. Preferably suggestions that don't cost anything. Or at least cost less than 5 bucks! Maybe then I can find something to do without staring at a calendar, wondering when time is going to speed up!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
No! I don't like your funk music!
Ugh, that's all I have to say. I think it's high time that I take a day to reflect. I am naturally an emotional person who is easily affected by things, no matter how much I pretend I'm not. That makes life a little bit difficult when things don't go your way. So, the past few days have tested me and I'm not a huge fan. I wouldn't go so far as saying I am a heavily depressed person, but I easily sink into a mild depression when things seem to be constantly weighing me down. I do still have my spa gift certificate that Steve gave me for mother's day. I think that soon I'm going to take that day and relax. I know I can't always have a spa day when I'm feeling down in the dumps, but this time around I'm lucky enough to have the option!
The great thing about these little funks of mine is that it doesn't take much to wake me back up to reality. Just a little bit of relaxation, whether it be with good company, a little getaway, or a delicious dessert, will make all the difference in making me feel better. I think that relaxation is the best way to take a moment and reflect on what's really important. No matter how stressful life gets, I still have friends and family, Steve still has a job and we are well provided for, and we are always taking baby steps to the next big hooray! Time for a big woo-sah to get back to a little bit of normalcy around here!
The great thing about these little funks of mine is that it doesn't take much to wake me back up to reality. Just a little bit of relaxation, whether it be with good company, a little getaway, or a delicious dessert, will make all the difference in making me feel better. I think that relaxation is the best way to take a moment and reflect on what's really important. No matter how stressful life gets, I still have friends and family, Steve still has a job and we are well provided for, and we are always taking baby steps to the next big hooray! Time for a big woo-sah to get back to a little bit of normalcy around here!
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Heat Wave
Home has never been so awesome! I can safely say that Disney World with an infant is an adventure. You need to have lots of patience. You also have to accept that your child will cry. And more than anything, children under the age of 2 do not care about rides. At all. They just don't. Often, rides are loud and there is almost too much going on for the baby to be able to really enjoy it. Also, don't go on The Great Movie Ride. That turned out to be our worst decision of the week.
Another suggestion I would give to anyone thinking about taking an infant to an amusement park: know your kids cues and obey them to a T! It will save you some grief. When Bella got fussy, we quickly assessed the situation and figured out what she wanted. And you know what, she napped! At the park! I wasn't really expecting that. And it made a world of difference. When Bella napped at the park, she was able to enjoy everything else while awake.
Now, what DO babies like at the parks? You'd be surprised, but the big characters. At such a young age, I think its less likely for a baby to find the large characters scary. It seemed to me that all Bella saw was a bunch of color and she loved it! Especially Tigger. Orange seems to be a favorite of hers. The other main attractor was the Princess tent. You could walk in and meet the Disney Princesses. Well, of course Bella loved that! There were pretty faces smiling back at her! She eats up that kind of attention like its the source of life! The other super fun thing to do with babies: eat a good meal. Going to a sit down restaurant was almost imperative for a good time. You got cool air and some good food, and Bella loved relaxing and eating some cheerios. Save up the money to sit down because it is worth it!
No matter the good times or the stressful times of this vacation, I can safely say that I am more than thrilled to be home. I am exhausted! I know have less than 3 weeks until I have my next sonogram! And, while I was gone, my little tummy baby turned into a mango on the LilyPie ticker! I think I'm gonna spend the rest of this pregnancy blissfully at home, soaking up the changes my body will go through, including counting those kicks I've started to feel already!
Another suggestion I would give to anyone thinking about taking an infant to an amusement park: know your kids cues and obey them to a T! It will save you some grief. When Bella got fussy, we quickly assessed the situation and figured out what she wanted. And you know what, she napped! At the park! I wasn't really expecting that. And it made a world of difference. When Bella napped at the park, she was able to enjoy everything else while awake.
Now, what DO babies like at the parks? You'd be surprised, but the big characters. At such a young age, I think its less likely for a baby to find the large characters scary. It seemed to me that all Bella saw was a bunch of color and she loved it! Especially Tigger. Orange seems to be a favorite of hers. The other main attractor was the Princess tent. You could walk in and meet the Disney Princesses. Well, of course Bella loved that! There were pretty faces smiling back at her! She eats up that kind of attention like its the source of life! The other super fun thing to do with babies: eat a good meal. Going to a sit down restaurant was almost imperative for a good time. You got cool air and some good food, and Bella loved relaxing and eating some cheerios. Save up the money to sit down because it is worth it!
No matter the good times or the stressful times of this vacation, I can safely say that I am more than thrilled to be home. I am exhausted! I know have less than 3 weeks until I have my next sonogram! And, while I was gone, my little tummy baby turned into a mango on the LilyPie ticker! I think I'm gonna spend the rest of this pregnancy blissfully at home, soaking up the changes my body will go through, including counting those kicks I've started to feel already!
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Vacation Bliss? Or Blunder?
What really is a vacation? Is it a getaway to another place? Is it taking time away from all of your stress? Is it having fun with family or friends? It can be all of those things! But what really makes a vacation what it is, in my opinion, is being able to relax and have little to no responsibility. So, I'm going on a so-called vacation. This vacation is to Disney World. To me, that is not a stress free vacation. There's so much to do that you don't get much time to sit back and relax. Its all about seeing the park and riding all of the attractions you love so much. You want to catch your favorite characters. Now, take all of that excitement and add a 10 month old baby, a nearly 4 month pregnant mom, and two unwelcome colds. Not cool.
How am I gonna make this all worth it? Well, I can't do anything about our colds except wait them out and try to make Bella and myself comfortable until they go away. I also won't do anything about being 4 months pregnant. That's here to stay! And I'm not leaving Bella behind, because I think that everyone (aside from my mother, who would take care of her if I left her with anyone) would be very upset if I said the baby wasn't going to go. What I can do is adapt to the situation. Its going to be hot outside, so we'll need to make sure we have lots of cool water and find indoor activities when possible. I think it would be wise to get a mini-fan for the baby, as well. Both of us will tire out easily, due to multiple reasons, so activities that involve sitting and opportunities for Bella to nap in someones arms are a must.
Two things I plan to take full advantage of on this trip, to make things easier, are all of the extra sets of arms that can take Bella when I need a break and the pool that the hotel offers. It will be hot and we'll probably spend a good amount of time at the hotel so that Bella can have her naps (and probably myself, too). Why wouldn't I go down to the pool to keep cool? I've got a maternity swimsuit (not that I really need it quite yet) and Bella has 2 swimsuits, a floatie, and 3 summer hats for shade. We're ready for the pool.
I think the one obstacle that can really make this trip a bummer, though, is our colds. Who wants to be sick on a vacation? NO ONE! If you do, you're really, really weird. So, I'm hoping that she stays perky, like she has thus far, and I'm hoping that it doesn't get any worse. At least for Bella. I can cope with being sick pretty easily. But I'm not a fan of her being uncomfortable or in pain. I've got the meds and remedies for our colds ready to go, so all we have to do now is go!
How am I gonna make this all worth it? Well, I can't do anything about our colds except wait them out and try to make Bella and myself comfortable until they go away. I also won't do anything about being 4 months pregnant. That's here to stay! And I'm not leaving Bella behind, because I think that everyone (aside from my mother, who would take care of her if I left her with anyone) would be very upset if I said the baby wasn't going to go. What I can do is adapt to the situation. Its going to be hot outside, so we'll need to make sure we have lots of cool water and find indoor activities when possible. I think it would be wise to get a mini-fan for the baby, as well. Both of us will tire out easily, due to multiple reasons, so activities that involve sitting and opportunities for Bella to nap in someones arms are a must.
Two things I plan to take full advantage of on this trip, to make things easier, are all of the extra sets of arms that can take Bella when I need a break and the pool that the hotel offers. It will be hot and we'll probably spend a good amount of time at the hotel so that Bella can have her naps (and probably myself, too). Why wouldn't I go down to the pool to keep cool? I've got a maternity swimsuit (not that I really need it quite yet) and Bella has 2 swimsuits, a floatie, and 3 summer hats for shade. We're ready for the pool.
I think the one obstacle that can really make this trip a bummer, though, is our colds. Who wants to be sick on a vacation? NO ONE! If you do, you're really, really weird. So, I'm hoping that she stays perky, like she has thus far, and I'm hoping that it doesn't get any worse. At least for Bella. I can cope with being sick pretty easily. But I'm not a fan of her being uncomfortable or in pain. I've got the meds and remedies for our colds ready to go, so all we have to do now is go!
Friday, August 6, 2010
Zzzz's don't always agree with you
I am amazed at how different this pregnancy is. Most of it is due to the fact that I feel more because I was pregnant less than a year ago (although, lots of women feel more in their second pregnancy regardless of when it is). I cramp like crazy, I have headaches, and my sinus' are nonstop overactive. My least favorite of all of the problems, though, is lack of sleep. I slept so well while pregnant with Bella, even at the end of the pregnancy. Now, I can't seem to get a full night of sleep. I always wake up at least once for some reason, then it takes quite a while to go back to sleep. It always seems to be a different reason, usually due to another pregnancy symptom or Bella waking up in the middle of the night. I'm kind of hoping that my sinus chill out after summer starts to cool off, because I'm under the impression that they are causing most of my issues: the headaches, not being able to sleep, nausea. I think I'll feel a lot better after my sinus' calm down.
On the bright side of life, Bella is getting another tooth (hopefully soon) and she sits up on her own like she always knew how to. She'll roll around and roll right into sitting up in one fluid movement. Its weird to see her do that. I'm really hoping that by the time we see her newest doctor (the developmental pediatrician), there will be nothing she can tell us but "Why are you hear again? This kid is on track." After all, we won't even see her until at least January. There are so few of these specialists and so many patients that it takes forever to get an appointment. So, hopefully, we'll have the MRI again just after Bella's birthday (what a present, right...) and they'll come up with nothing. No surgery, no pain, no problems. Then we'll even be wondering what exactly the developmental pediatrician will have to look for. She's also standing on us (not furniture quite yet) and she's still getting on all fours and rocking, like she has for over a month now. Its odd how something can take her months to master and other things take 2 days. I'll never really understand that.
Anyway, everything's on the up and up for the time being. Life changes at the drop of a hat though, so I'm not expecting everyday to be better than the last. Its the overall outcome that we want to be positive. And at least I have something to look forward to so I can keep my mind off all of the potentially negative things: next sonogram on September 7th. Boy? Girl? I don't know, but I'm excited to find out.
On the bright side of life, Bella is getting another tooth (hopefully soon) and she sits up on her own like she always knew how to. She'll roll around and roll right into sitting up in one fluid movement. Its weird to see her do that. I'm really hoping that by the time we see her newest doctor (the developmental pediatrician), there will be nothing she can tell us but "Why are you hear again? This kid is on track." After all, we won't even see her until at least January. There are so few of these specialists and so many patients that it takes forever to get an appointment. So, hopefully, we'll have the MRI again just after Bella's birthday (what a present, right...) and they'll come up with nothing. No surgery, no pain, no problems. Then we'll even be wondering what exactly the developmental pediatrician will have to look for. She's also standing on us (not furniture quite yet) and she's still getting on all fours and rocking, like she has for over a month now. Its odd how something can take her months to master and other things take 2 days. I'll never really understand that.
Anyway, everything's on the up and up for the time being. Life changes at the drop of a hat though, so I'm not expecting everyday to be better than the last. Its the overall outcome that we want to be positive. And at least I have something to look forward to so I can keep my mind off all of the potentially negative things: next sonogram on September 7th. Boy? Girl? I don't know, but I'm excited to find out.
Sunday, August 1, 2010
4 more weeks
So I have another doctor's appointment coming up on Wednesday. I always look forward to these appointments because there is nothing more reassuring than hearing the heartbeat of the baby. Of course, until you can feel the baby kick, then you have a daily reminder! Anyway, I'll be exactly 14 weeks when this visit occurs. That means one awesome thing: no more first trimester. Its gone. Over with! DONE! Not to say that I still don't use the bathroom all the time. Or have waves of nausea. But soon enough, it will subside.
There is one more exciting fact about this visit and that is it is the last visit before my next sonogram, most likely. My next visit will happen at 18 weeks or shortly thereafter. Last pregnancy, I was 18 weeks and 5 days along when we did our second trimester sonogram and found out our peanut was set to be a girl. And shortly after that, I started to feel some kicking. So, I'm pretty excited about getting through this next month and onto the next milestones. I should feel kicking a bit sooner than last time, but of course there is no guarantee. And that next appointment, we should find out if this baby is a girl or a boy, but, again, you never know. We could have a shy baby. I hope not.
If I can make it through Disney World and my mom's birthday, then its only a matter of time. With all of the things going on this month, I'm really hoping it goes by quickly!
There is one more exciting fact about this visit and that is it is the last visit before my next sonogram, most likely. My next visit will happen at 18 weeks or shortly thereafter. Last pregnancy, I was 18 weeks and 5 days along when we did our second trimester sonogram and found out our peanut was set to be a girl. And shortly after that, I started to feel some kicking. So, I'm pretty excited about getting through this next month and onto the next milestones. I should feel kicking a bit sooner than last time, but of course there is no guarantee. And that next appointment, we should find out if this baby is a girl or a boy, but, again, you never know. We could have a shy baby. I hope not.
If I can make it through Disney World and my mom's birthday, then its only a matter of time. With all of the things going on this month, I'm really hoping it goes by quickly!
