Non Stress Test

Over the last few days, Sea Monkey has been kind of lazy.  At first, I wasn't concerned.  We've had days before where he didn't move around a lot and then before I knew it, he was back to his active self. Well today I got concerned.  It was the first time since being able to feel him move around that I felt nothing.  So the nothingness combined with the last 3 days being lazy days for him started to get me a little worried.

Around 8:00 am I tried calling the doctor, but got the automated message that the office was closed and to stay on the line for the answering service.  I figured I'd wait.  They probably opened at 8:30.  So I tried again at 8:30.  Same message.  Ok, maybe they open at 9:00.  So I tried AGAIN at 9:00.  Same message!  This time I stayed on hold - "Is the office closed today or are they just not in yet?"  I guess I just wasn't patient enough because it was only 9:02 - and yes, the office was open.  I decided to call back later.  So finally just before 10 I got through.

I explained to the nurse what had been going on.  She advised me to drink some orange juice and see if I felt any movement within 20 minutes.  I rushed down to the cafeteria and got some juice and of course chugged it as fast as I could.  10 minutes passed.... nothing from Sea Monkey.  20 minutes passed.  Still nothing.  DAMN YOU SEA MONKEY!!!! MOVE!!!!  Finally, after 30 minutes I felt a kick.  Weak, but I felt it.  Then I felt another few kicks.  Again, not as strong as I would have liked but at least he moved a little bit for me.  

I ended up getting a little busy at work and didn't call the doctor back right away.  Just before lunch they called to check up on me.  I let her know I was able to feel a few movements but nothing again since drinking the juice.  The nurse wanted to discuss with the doctor if she wanted to do anything, and said she'd call me back in the afternoon.  Around 1:30, my doctor called me and said she'd like me to come into the office.  Ok, now I'm scared.  If the doctor wants me to come in, it must be bad right?  Ok, so now I totally can't concentrate at work and I just need to leave.  Good thing it's the end of the day on a Friday.

I got to the doctor's office around 2:30.  The secretary tells me Dr. Mahoney wants to do a NST.  "A what?".  "An NST.  You've never had one before?" "uhhhhh no."  So she tells me about the test a little and of course when I sit down to wait I immediately go to google.  Basically the test measures the fetal heart rate and to see if you're having contractions.

Here's the machine that does the test -

They strap these probes to your belly -

It took the nurse a while to find the heartbeat and I had to keep my hand on one of the monitors for a little while.  After a few minutes I was able to take my hand away.

Here's a video of the machine doing its thing.


And it prints all this fancy stuff on paper - the top line is Sea Monkey's heartbeat.  I have no idea what the second line measures.  I assume it's the strength of any contractions I was having .... which was none.... at least none that I could feel.

So all in all - EVERYTHING IS FINE!  My doctor is great though and said I did the right thing by calling and coming in.  She explained it like this - "It's like taking your car, that's been making a horrible noise for weeks, to the mechanic.  As soon as you get there, the noise goes away.  But better to be safe than sorry."  She made me feel so much better that I don't need to worry about Sea Monkey all weekend.

*phew*!

That's about all the excitement I can handle for a Friday night.  On deck tomorrow - Prenatal massage and a long overdue haircut.  One more week of 40 hours at work, then a long weekend to celebrate my graduation with my parents!  Oh, and I'm really excited about the 3D Ultrasound we scheduled for the 20th!

Third Trimester

Well folks, it's official.  We made it to the third trimester!  It really feels like the countdown is on now.  Just about 3 months to go - or you could say 13 weeks, or 98 days.  It feels like it took forever to get here, and August 4th still seems so far away.  But before we know it, Sea Monkey will be joining our family! 

What to Expect in the Third Trimester
Right now, Sea Monkey weighs about 2 lbs.  We can expect to see him gain an additional 4 - 7 lbs in the next few months!  Dear GOD I hope he doesn't gain any more than that.  Sure, I want a healthy baby.  But YOU try to imagine giving birth to a 10 lb baby.  It's terrifying.  Plus, he won't fit in the cute newborn clothes I bought him if he's that big.  I might need to have a chat with him about all this weight gain.  Speaking of weight gain, I've put on (probably more) than my fair share of weight.  But don't think for a moment I'm disclosing the number I saw on the scale at my last appointment.   

New Skills - Sea Monkey will learn to blink, dream and regulate his own body temperature.  By 31 weeks, he will have use of all 5 senses.  Hopefully he doesn't get a 6th sense like that creepy kid in the movie.  Sea Monkey will be able to tell the difference between light and dark, will taste what I eat and can hear my voice.  Wow he's going to be busy learning all these things! 

By week 34 - 36 weeks he should be making his final turns to get in position to be born - head down and bottom up!

There sure are a lot of things happening in the next 13 weeks! 


What's going on with Mommy
Hmmmm..... Aside from feeling like a sausage, and being exhausted all the time, I'd say I'm doing pretty well.  Ask Mike though - he might give you a different answer.  I bet he'd tell you I'm crabby and moody.  But that's pretty much the "norm" for me anyway.  How that wonderful man fell in love with me I'll never know.  I've put on some serious weight in the last 27 weeks.  Here's my 10 week to 27 week photo: 

I know, I'm pregnant.  But I feel fat.  At 10 weeks I never thought I'd say I was skinny, but looking at how HUGE I am right now, and knowing there's still 3 months to go ..... OH DEAR GOD how big will I be in July?!

Ok - now that we all know how big I am.  I have other exciting news.  I've finished my Master's Degree program in Healthcare Administration!!!  And even though the school doesn't give out honors to graduate students, I would have graduated with honors.  Yup, that's right - my record includes all As or A-s.... Not a B in sight!  And I'm pretty damn proud of that.  Graduation is in just less than 2 weeks and I'll be enjoying my fancy diploma with a Dr. approved glass of REAL wine.  Yeah, I'm a rebel.  But imagine if I lived in France. I'd probably be celebrating with a bottle of wine. 



We continue to make progress on stocking up on things for Sea Monkey.  As you know, the nursery is furnished, and we've bought a lot of the bigger items like a swing, bouncer, stroller etc.  We struggle to not buy Sea Monkey clothes every time we go to the store because the stuff is so darn cute.  This weekend, we went to a consignment sale and scored a few more things.  The biggest score was the second base for the carseat.  It's in great condition, not expired and we paid half the retail price for it.  I was really psyched!  And I know, shoes are totally not practical for a child who can't walk, but I couldn't resist these. 

We also got a bunch of cute clothes - almost all still brand new with tags on them!  A bottle, and a book about baby sign language.  I was surprised at how well we made out - especially because the sale started Thursday night.  I figured by Saturday everything would have been picked through and all the good stuff would be gone, but I was wrong. 
Sea Monkey has been kicking and punching .... each day getting stronger and stronger.  You can even see my belly move now!  I was able to capture a good kick on video to share with my parents.  But I'm not posting it on here because it's of my bare belly and I don't really want the entire world to see that.  I'm sure you really don't want to see it either.  Maybe if I get a good video when my belly is covered by a shirt I'll share.  But until then, you'll just have to imagine what it looks like. 

Nothing exciting in the next week or so.  The next big event will be my graduation on the 19th, and the 3D / 4D ultrasound on the 20th!  As of May 20th, I'll only be working 4 days a week until I'm off full time for maternity leave.  I'm really looking forward to the extra day off to relax and get a few things accomplished.

Well that's about it ..... 13 weeks and counting!

Gestational Diabetes

Yesterday, I had my first glucose test to see if I had or was at risk for gestational diabetes.  I was honestly dreading the test, for several reasons.  First of all, who wants gestational diabetes?  Nobody.  So of course, I was terrified I'd fail.  Second, I wasn't looking forward to a morning without coffee or breakfast.  Expecting a 6 month pregnant woman to go all morning with nothing to eat or drink is like asking her to climb Mt. Washington.  Naked.  Nobody wants that either.

So my test was scheduled for 8:30 am.  It involved fasting all morning.  When I arrived at the lab, they took 2 vials of blood right away.  Then I had to drink a sugary drink that tasted like orange HI-C.  It really wasn't that bad even though everyone told me it was terrible.  I guess I have a sweet tooth.  So I chugged the drink and sat in the waiting room for an hour.  Then they drew my blood again, and sent it all off to the lab.  The phlebotomist was great, and she let me know that the results should be ready any time after 3:00 pm.  Immediately after the test, I had a doctor's appointment.  So I went across the hall, peed in the cup as usual (that's a whole different story) and sat and waited.  And waited, and waited and waited.  I started to not feel good - I got really hot and dizzy.  I tried having some water but it didn't help.  Afraid I'd pass out in my chair and cause a scene, I told the secretary I wasn't feeling well.  They immediately took me in the back and gave me some more water and a few crackers.  I started feeling much better right away.  I guess my body didn't enjoy trying to metabolize all that sugar on an empty stomach.  The lab really should offer food to people who have had to fast for a test .... Anyway, I really was fine after the crackers. 

My doctor's appointment was pretty uneventful.  Although, I did find out that my doctor is pregnant too!  She's due in November so hopefully she's still up to delivering babies in August when she's just about where I am right now.  She measured my belly, and listened to Sea Monkey's heartbeat and said everything was on track.  Good to know things are going well.  One more appointment in 4 weeks and then I'll be in the office every 2 weeks!  YIKES!  We're getting close! 

Back to the diabetes thing ... I went back to work and just didn't feel like myself all day.  Since the boss was offsite at a meeting, I slipped out around 2:45 and headed home.  Of course at exactly 3:00 I wanted to call the doctor to get my results, but I was patient and waited until 3:10.  You have no idea how agonizing those 10 minutes were.  Well, the results were in according to the secretary and she said she'd have me talk to a nurse.  Great. That probably means the results are bad and I need more information.  Not exactly what I was hoping for.  The nurse got on the phone and tells me, "The results were normal."  I responded, "I passed?"  "Yes, you passed."  "YAAAAAAY!"  Yes, I really said "yaaaaay!" on the phone.  She laughed and so did I.  I thanked her and was so happy to hear I didn't have gestational diabetes.  Really, it was a huge relief.  Because I like carbs. And sugar.  But it also means that Sea Monkey is healthy too.  And probably won't be 22 lbs like I keep dreaming he will be.  One more hurdle down .... not sure how many are left since this is all uncharted territory for me.

PHEW! 

(I'm tecnically 26 weeks pregnant, but *in* my 27th week of pregnancy.  This is what Sea Monkey might look like)

So what else is going on?  Well, Sea Monkey is getting busier and busier.  I feel him kicking a lot and now I can feel when he's rolling and flipping around too.  It's really neat but feels strange at the same time.  Sea Monkey is now being measured from head to toe (previously it was head to rump) and he should be about 15" long!  He's gaining weight and should weigh in around 2 lbs now.  He can hear and recognize our voices now.  And yes, sometimes I talk to him when he kicks me really hard I tell him to be nice to mommy.  I've read that if you press your ear to my belly you might be able to hear his heartbeat.  Obviously I can't do this, but I'll have to see if Mike's willing to try it out and let you know if he can hear it.   

I'm doing well - Feeling like a sausage, but I suppose that's to be expected.  My weight is creeping up but I'm told "it's all baby" and "you look so cute!" by co-workers and friends.  I'm sure they're just being nice, but it's better than hearing I look fat and disgusting - because that's how I feel.  I'm tired (newsflash, right?) and starting to get more swollen.  I couldn't take my wedding rings off now even if I wanted too.  Good thing they're not bothering me.  Oh, and my shoes still fit.   

Next week starts the 3rd trimester .... wow!  I can't believe we're almost there.  It's both exciting and terrifying at the same time.

In other news - I pass in my final paper for my Master's program tomorrow, and give a final presentation.  Then, GRADUATION!!!  I can't wait to be done with school.  I also only have 2 more "full time" weeks of work.  I am cutting down my hours to 4 days a week at work starting June 1st - but I also have a vacation day and a holiday the last 2 weeks of May, so my full time work ends soon!  My doctor had to fill out some Leave of Absence forms for me.  She said there's no medical reason I can't work full time so she's going to put down the reason for my reduced hours as "extreme discomfort due to pregnancy".  Works for me!  It will be nice to have an extra day off every week to get more things done around the house and to have some time to myself before Sea Monkey gets here.  Hopefully I can get things a little more clean and organized because I'm sure I won't have time after he arrives. 

Well that's it for now..... according to Mike, 102 days until Sea Monkey's anticipated date of arrival (August 4th in case you forgot.  But I'm hoping he comes a little early).   

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! 

Nursery!

WARNING: Photo Overload

Well .... after weeks of planning, agonizing over paint colors, putting together furniture and having carpet installed, the nursery is just about done!

I didn't take a before picture before we started looking at paint colors, so this is the best I can do for a "before" photo:

Next steps were to start painting and getting rid of our junk.  It took forever, but we finally decided on paint colors.  We decided on 3 walls tan, 1 wall green.  I did most of the painting one week after work.  Here's the tan part completed:

With the last wall (green) completed, the room is starting to come together.  We've even made some progress on getting rid of the junk!  

Next we had new carpet installed.  The carpet was 7 years old and it was .... well ... disgusting.  Here's the before new carpet photo:

Of course I took photos of the carpet while it was being installed.  Here's the new pad going in:

The new carpet is going in!  So exciting!

It got too hectic to take an after photo.  Considering this room was done first so the furniture for the rest of the house was stored in here so the other rooms could get done.  It was a crazy day!  The carpet was installed a few weeks ago.  So since then, Mike and I have both spent a lot of time building furniture and other baby items.  

Here are the "after" photos!

(of course, Hooper snuck into this photo.  I swear he still thinks it's his room)

There's still a bunch of stuff to be done, but it feels so good to have the big things completed.  Mike and I nearly threw the dresser out though - the instructions were HORRIBLE and I actually just finished putting it together this morning.  I love the way the furniture looks but it does scratch very easily, which is really too bad.  

As I mentioned in What do we REALLY need?, I've kind of taken a break from buying things.  I also promised my mother I'd slow down.  It's hard .... I have fun shopping for Sea Monkey and I really enjoy it.  And now that the nursery has finally come together, I want to fill it with cute things.  But I'm trying to take a break, slow down, and relax.  And in case you really don't know me at all, I have no idea how to relax so it's pretty hard for me!  Plus, I have a lot of 20% off coupons to Babies R Us that I hate to see go to waste.  Oh, and a bunch of coupons for Carter's!  I can't make any promises, but I will try to slow down and relax.

In other news - 

My body feels like it's breaking down.  I'm having a very hard time bending over to pick things up off the floor because my belly is so big, so I'm forced to go into a squat position every time I need to bend over.  Because I'm not accustomed to squatting on a regular basis, my legs are now KILLING ME!  The worst part?  I can't just pop 2 Aleve and be done with it.  Instead, I hobble around like I'm 80 years old and moan and grunt whenever I need to move.  It's very attractive.    

Sea Monkey is a busy little boy.  I'm feeling him move more and more often and I love it!  I'm still waiting for the day Mike can feel the movement from the outside, but so far no luck.  I'm very grateful Sea Monkey has changed positions though, and hasn't kicked my bladder in a few days!  

Mike and I have started talking about names.  We narrowed down a list of 100+ names to 35.  We continue to disagree and have yet to come to an agreement.  I have my favorites, Mike has his.  But one thing we agreed on was the middle name.  And no, you won't find out what we finally do decide until Sea Monkey makes his appearance into the world!  

That's all I've got for now.  18 weeks, 1 day and counting......

A little bit of this, a little bit of that ...

A few misc. comments and updates .....

Hiccups
This morning, I'm sitting at my desk reading an article.  Picture it .... I'm leaned back in my chair, hands holding a stack of paper and resting on the top of my belly.  All of a sudden, my belly twitches, and my hands kind of pop up.  A few seconds later, the same thing.  I realized Sea Monkey had the hiccups!  How cute!  It was really neat to be able to feel it. 

Actually, I'm feeling him move around a lot lately, which I love.  I think he's started to move positions too because I haven't had any nasty kicks on my bladder in a day and a half.  It's been wonderful to not feel like I'm going to wet my pants every 5 minutes.  Amazing how the smallest things can really make your day. 

Furniture
Yesterday, the dresser for the nursery was delivered.  I was thrilled because it was shipped via FedEx and they always deliver around noon, and since we both work, we are never home to accept delivery.  They also never leave the package even when you put a note on the door asking them to leave it.  Anyway, I had called customer service in the morning practically begging them to contact the driver and have him leave it for us.  Amazingly he did!  And Mike, the most amazing husband ever, got right to work putting it together as soon as he got home.  Well after 2 hours of struggling to read the instructions, and fighting with the 1,000,000,000 pieces of hardware, he finally gets 90% of it together.  Then I realized he had put the sides on wrong.  Poor guy.  Now we (ahem, I mean Mike) have to take the entire thing apart and start all over.  We love the way the furniture looks but the 2 pieces we got from this company (DaVinci) are so hard to assemble!  Not to mention they scratch very easily as both the dresser and crib already have scratches on them.  Bummer, but honestly I'm not shipping them back because of a small scratch here or there. 

                                        

Sleep 
What's that?  Last night I was up from 1:30 am - ....? probably about 5:00.  Tossing, turning ... thinking about how we could possible take apart the dresser with minimal work.  Thinking about baby names and if Mike and I will ever agree on something.  Thinking about my stupid performance evaluation and how I don't have the energy to fight the things I don't agree with.  Ahhh the mind never stops.  Meanwhile, I've got 2 dogs, a cat and a husband who are peacefully snoring away.  Yes, all 4 of them were sound asleep as I paced up and down the hall trying to get my mind off all the crazy stuff going on in there and relax enough to fall asleep.  Which I did.  20 minutes before my alarm went off.  Yeah, I'll be super fun to be around today. 


Sea Monkey
Ok, now that I'm done complaining, I'll fill you in on what Sea Monkey is up to these days.  I'm 21 weeks and 4 days pregnant. Which means Sea Monkey is in his 22nd week of development.  This week he's as long as a spaghetti squash!  this is another vegetable I've never even heard of so yes, I googled it to see what it looks like.  If you don't know either, here's a photo for you:

Now that we've had our vegetable lesson for the day ..... Sea Monkey weighs about a pound now!  He's got eyebrows, eyelashes and maybe even some hair.  He can see light and dark, hear my voice, my heartbeat and my gurgling stomach.  He's also developing his sense of touch as brain and nerve endings develop, and he could be reaching for his face or pulling on the umbilical cord to experiment with his new sense of touch.  Amazing how quickly he's developing! 

It will be another week and a half before my next appointment and we don't have an ultrasound scheduled again until June.  However, there are some places you can go and get an ultrasound whenever you want.  I'm planning on scheduling a trip there in May when my parents are visiting from Florida.


18 weeks and 3 days to go .... but whose counting?  Oh yeah, I am.