25 weeks

Well, we've reached an important milestone .... Viability!  That's right, Sea Monkey is officially considered "viable" at this point.  What exactly does that mean?  It means that Sea Monkey has the chance to actually survive outside the womb.  Hard to believe that 3 weeks ago doctors may not have made an attempt to save him if for some reason he was born early.  But now, they will.  Right now, his chances of survival are 50 - 80%.  But next week, at 26 weeks they go up to 80 - 90%.  Pretty exciting stuff if you ask me.  Of course, we want Sea Monkey to keep cooking as long as possible .... well, maybe not too long.  I do eventually want him to come out. 


What's going on with Sea Monkey?
First of all, Mike and I finally decided on a name.  Yes, our sweet little boy is starting to get an identity ... and no, we are not sharing the name just yet.  Well .... the grandparents know but they are sworn to secrecy!!  I will say that some of the initial reactions were interesting, but I love the name and that's all that really matters.
Ok so Sea Monkey has a name.  What else?  Right now he measures about 9" long and around 2 lbs.  His veggie this week is an eggplant.  Which is the same as it was last week .... so I'm guessing he's really just getting fatter this week.  He's a fat egglplant.  How cute. 

Yes, I know what an eggplant looks like.  But pictures are fun.  Lately, our little eggplant, I mean Sea Monkey has beek kicking up a storm!  Mike's already been able to feel him kick at least once and I think he felt it again last night.  The kicks are starting to get a lot stronger each day.  Apparently these movements are practice for "life on the outside" and he may be pedalilng against my uterus as a "pre walking" skill.  As long as it's not on my bladder I don't mind.  I can see my belly move when he kicks but it's still not defined enough for others to notice it.  He's also beginning to open his eyes and can sense light.  The "What to Expect" app I have on my phone tells me that if we shine a flashlight on my belly, he might move in response to it.  So of course we were looking for a flashlight last night.  We didn't find one, but Mike thinks he has one in his truck.


What's going on with Mommy?
Now there's a loaded question .... and the answer depends on how much of the "truth" you really want to hear.  Really though, my biggest complaints recently are the continued groin pain that I explained in my last post Was that it?, and the recent insomnia I've been experiencing.  Two nights ago, I slept for a few hours and was then up - wide awake - from 12 (midnight) to 3:30 am.  Thankfully it was the weekend and I slept until 8.  But last night was pretty much the same.  I slept an hour here, and hour there.  Tossing. Turning (well, trying to turn.  That's become increasingly more difficult as well).  I love Sea Monkey, I really do.  But he's really getting in the way of my physical activity and making what were once simple tasks - shaving my legs, putting socks on, or climbing the stairs - seem like I should earn a trophy for completing them.  Only 14 weeks left and I can start to get my body back ....

This weekend I also discovered an amazing thing - NON ALCOHOLIC wine!  Now before you freak out on me, I did a little research.  It has less than half a percent of alcohol in it and it's so minimal that it's metabolized before it has any effect.  Through my research I actually found out that orange juice has more trace amounts of alcohol in it than my non alcoholic wine.  Now if you wouldn't be upset with me drinking orange juice, you can't be upset with me drinking non alcoholic wine. 

Sidenote: I'm really starting to hate how I look in photos.

What's going on with Daddy?
Mike's probably the better one to answer this question, but from my perspective, he's really been a saint.  Sure, I might get the occasional moan, groan or sigh when I ask him to do something, but overall he's been a great husband and father (to be).  He worked very hard this weekend - finishing off his "Honey Do" list in the nursery - hung a shelf and some other decorations, covered all the new plugs with plates and hung Sea Monkey's first initial on the door.  He asks, "What's wrong" when I groan or grunt trying to get out of a chair and graciously took over my dog duty (feeding & walking) last night without one complaint.  He's recognized that daily life activities are becoming harder and harder for me.  And while I'm doing my best to continue doing as much as I can for as long as I can, he's been really great picking up my slack.  I may not always notice or appreciate him - so I'm publicly (as "public" as this blog is) recognizing him and saying 

What's in store for the next few weeks?
* My doctor's appointments are getting closer together.  We're now scheduling them every 3 weeks instead of every 4. 
* My next appointment includes my first glucose tolerance test.  I have to show up, have blood drawn, drink some sugary drink and have blood drawn again.  If I "fail" I have to take a 3 hour glucose tolerance test.  All this to see if I have gestational diabetes.  Crossing my fingers for a PASS! 
(Non Sea Monkey related)
* My final paper as a student is due in about a week and a half and I graduate from my Master's program in 4 weeks!
* My parents will be visiting from Florida for my graduation and we will schedule an elective ultrasound to see Sea Monkey in 3D / 4D! 


That's all for now - 14 weeks, 6 days and counting.  Although I'm secretly hoping Sea Monkey decides to join us a week or two early.  "Full Term" is technically considered 37 weeks ...

Was that it?

I know, I've been a bad blogger - No updates for quite a while.  But honestly, there hasn't been much going on. 

For weeks now I've been feeling Sea Monkey moving and groovin' inside of me and it's one of the coolest feelings in the world!  Except when he kicks my bladder.  But thankfully, he seems to have moved into a new position and has left my bladder alone for a while now.  Anyway, for all those same weeks I keep asking Mike if he wants to try to feel Sea Monkey moving.  I'll sit in my recliner and say, "He's moving!  Do you want to feel it?"  And Mike is so good - he always leans over and puts his hand on my tummy.  Sometimes Sea Monkey would get shy and stop moving, and other times Mike just couldn't feel it. 

Last night we went through the same events.  I had just eaten 2 small Twix candies (impulse buy on the clearance / reduced price rack at the grocery store) and Sea Monkey was jumping around!  I again ask Mike if he wants to try and feel Sea Monkey.  Again, he places his hand on my tummy.  Each time Sea Monkey kicked, I'd look at Mike and say, "Did you feel that?"  Usually the response is "No."  At one point Sea Monkey kicked, Mike looked at me and said, "Was that it?"  YES!!!!  That was Sea Monkey!  I was beyond thrilled that Mike finally felt our little monster moving around.  It was a special moment that Mike was finally able to feel him.  I couldn't stop smiling. 

In other news:
I had a doctor's appointment yesterday.  My regular doctor was out sick so I saw someone new.  He was really nice, and since he's one of the doctors who could possibly deliver Sea Monkey, I was actually happy to have a visit with him. He did a quick ultrasound in the office to check in on Sea Monkey.  Doctor's words: "He's perfect."  My response? Of course he's perfect!  He's a little bit of me, and a little bit of Mike.  What could be more perfect than that?!  I didn't say this out loud, but I was thinking it.  (No offense to the rest of the parents out there who think their babies are perfect).  I was sad Mike couldn't be there to see the ultrasound, but I had no idea I'd have one.  I saw the heart beating, and even got a glimpse of his face.  He was sucking his thumb!  TOO CUTE!  When the doctor asked if I knew what it was, I told him "Yes, it's a boy."  He double checked and when he saw it was a boy, he said, "Oh yes, he has a big pee pee".  I nearly fell off the table trying to not laugh. Mike would be so proud - Sea Monkey has a big 'pee pee'.

Over the last month, I've been experiencing some serious groin pain.  Not fun at all.  It makes turning over in bed, walking and putting pants / socks on much harder than it should be.  I've done some advanced medical research - yes, I mean I 'googled it' - and found that I may have something called Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) also referred to as Pelvic Girdle Pain (PGP).  Both sound fun, right?  Well what the heck is it?

See the Symphysis Pubis Joint?  Well basically this joint and ligaments that hold everything together get relaxed and stretchy (thank you hormone 'relaxin') before you give birth.  When you have this condition, the relaxation / separation happens too early and you're in a ton of pain.  So I asked the doctor what I can do about the pain.  He said take Tylenol.  Wahoooooo that should help me for the next 4 months.  (Do you sense my sarcasm?)  I know Sea Monkey will be worth all the pain, but man it's killing me!  Just ask Mike - I look like an elderly person hobbling around the house.  And add in the dogs pulling me around when I walk them at night .... totally not fun.  I was pretty much in tears last night after walking the dogs and climbing back up the stairs.  Just the thought of having to put on socks and pants is enough to make me want to become a nudist for the next few months.  Ok, pity party over. 

What is Sea Monkey up to? 

 Well this week, he's about the length of an ear of corn.  One veggie I didn't need to google.  I actually know what an ear of corn looks like.  He's starting to put on some fat and probably weighs about 1.5 lbs now.  (He better because I feel huge!)  His hearing is getting better and better and now he can hear loud noises like the dogs barking.  He's starting to grow hair too, but it's white because he hasn't developed pigment yet.

Just as Sea Monkey is growing, so am I.  Take a look at how big I've gotten since week 10!

 

With still 4 months to go, I'm slightly terrified at how big I'll be in July!  

We've also been working on a name for the little guy!  We narrowed down a list of 100 names to around 35.  Then we finally got down to the final 3.  No, I'm not spilling the beans!  Mike has a favorite, I have a favorite and there's one name we both like.  We still have plenty of time to make a decision, but I'll be honest, I'm already getting used to calling him my favorite name!  

I'm officially 23 weeks pregnant and making my way through the 24th week.  Still a ways to go but looking at this chart makes me realize we're getting closer and closer each week!