It's a .... (updated with pictures!!)

GIRL!!!

At first I had wanted a girl, but by yesterday, I was somehow convinced it was a boy.  I was hoping it was a boy for Caleb's sake because in the past week he had consistently asked for a boy "so he'll play with me."  And I was thinking that they probably would get along better if they were both boys, especially seeing that they'll be 4.5 years apart.  My brother and I are about that far apart and I can tell you that he had absolutely no interest in playing My Little Ponies with me and I only had a mild interest in playing GI Joes, and even that was only once he started getting some cute friends.  But, when we finally got into the room to find out what the baby is, the technician asked Caleb what he wanted and he said "a sister!"  I was a little surprised and said "a girl?  you're sure?  don't you want it to be a boy?" And he says "no.  I want a girl."  Okay, it's settled.  We're all completely unsure of what we want the baby to be.  We'll all be so excited either way.  

So, the technician is moving the wand around and I'm saying "oh!  the butt!  (hahahaha) that's so funny... uh. oh. that's a girl!"  and the technician confirmed it.  There was no denying it.  We do have a picture, but you don't really need to see it, so just trust me.  It's a girl.  This is really good for us because we have about 5 girl names that we love and 2 boy names that we were not too thrilled about.  It'll be difficult to decide what to name her.  I told Shane it's too bad we aren't going to have triplet girls, so we can use up more of the names we really like.  

We got some great pictures finally!  My absolute favorite is this one where she is sucking her thumb.  Oh my!  Isn't it the cutest!  I want to frame it!

And her feet!  Too cute!

And here is a great front view of her face and ribs.  It might be a bit hard to see, but she has really full lips just like Caleb.  

Now that we know it's a girl, I am really so very happy.  I really had no idea how happy I would be.  Part of it is because girls are so much more fun to sew and knit cute things for.  She'll grow up and get excited about the things I can make for her.  Not like Caleb who only wants the plainest of clothes that aren't worth the time to make by hand.  But, more than that, I'm happy because I think that when a boy grows up, he gets married and his wife becomes more important than his mother.  Boys leave.  But girls.  They always need their mother.  Even if she lives 3,000 miles away.  Girls never leave.  

I think the baby must be going through a growth spurt.  For the past few days I've been ravenous!  And everywhere I go, I want something to eat. At Starbucks, I had to buy a blueberry scone AND a sausage breakfast sandwich.  At Target, I had to buy the kettle-cooked potato chips.  At the Korean market, I had to buy some kimchee fried rice.  And never has food tasted better.  Last night at about 9:30pm, I was feeling hungry, but resisted eating right before going to bed.  I realized that was a mistake when I woke up at 4am and couldn't go back to sleep because I had to eat yogurt and doritos with sour cream.  Two and a half hours later, I was finally back to sleep.  

Also, this baby is a low rider.  She's riding so low, that it gets uncomfortable when I sit and cross my legs.  I'm not that big.  It'll be interesting to see if she moves up a little higher eventually.  I hope so.  

We find out tomorrow if this baby is really a girl or not.  The appointment is at 4pm, so I'll post the announcement here tomorrow evening.  

20-Week Belly Pic

Here's the 20-week shot with the 16-week shot below for comparison.





The baby is probably about 8 inches long now! I've been feeling more kicks during the last few days. Three days ago, I even saw my belly move from one of the kicks! Shane hasn't felt it yet though because every time I get him to put his hand on my belly, the kicks stop.

A Very Bizarre Dream

I had mentioned to Joanna the other day that I've been having lots of zombie nightmares since I became pregnant.  I always wake up just in time before they get me.  This really isn't as strange as it may seem though, since Shane and I absolutely love zombie movies.  I haven't mentioned it because it doesn't really seem connected to the pregnancy.  Not that I believe dreams have prophetic meaning, but I do think that dreams are thoughts running wild and they are influenced by our hopes and fears.  So sometimes, I find my dreams interesting.  But I'm stumped about the zombie encounters.

Anyhoo, last night I had my first dream about the baby.  Unfortunately, it was horrible.  So, horrible and weird, I just have to share.  First off, I gave birth to a boy.  A very big boy.  They said he was 7 lb. 7 oz. (possibly influenced by Joanna's Anna?), but when everyone looked at him, they said "No way! He's huge!"  This is because he was more like a toddler.  He had a full head of blond hair and blue eyes.  Which couldn't really happen to us since we both have brown hair and brown eyes, although Shane does have brown and green eyes.  And then I went to get him out of the bassinet to feed him and he said "Put me down!"  So I did and he started of running!  I was in tears. "I want a helpless infant!  Someone must have given us the wrong baby!  This just can't be right!"  It probably doesn't sound that awful to you, but in my dream I really believed that this was the baby I'd been growing.  That this was the baby that was mine and I couldn't stop being angry and disappointed and I felt so bad about not loving him just the same as if he had been a helpless infant. Because I was expecting a helpless infant.   When I woke up, I couldn't have been happier that I was still pregnant.  And really happy when I realized that in reality, I'm surely to give birth to an infant and not a toddler. 

A Bit About Movement

Four days ago, when the baby turned 18 weeks, she kicked me!  It was pretty soft, but definitely a kick.  And then a few seconds later, two more kicks in the same place.  But since then, there really hasn't been much activity.  I don't feel her move at all some days.  It makes me a little nervous but Shane is very confident that she is just a really mellow kid.  It helps that he is so sure of this.  I shouldn't compare her to Caleb really, but it's difficult when I remember so much about how active he was.  Like how for the last two months, he wouldn't let me sleep on my left side.  It's supposedly better to sleep on the left side because the baby gets more blood flow, but Caleb would go berserk until I moved over to my right.  But, this all makes sense since this was so indicative of his real personality.  "Do what I want, or I'll go crazy until you do what I want!"  And so, maybe Shane is right.  This baby is just really mellow.  

(BTW, we don't know that it's a girl, but we've convinced ourselves of this anyway and have taken to calling her a "her".)

Heartbeat Appointment

Caleb and I got to hear the heartbeat today! We didn't get to see the baby though, so no pictures. We heard the baby kick too and the Dr. asked if I've been feeling the baby kick. Kick? No. Move? Yes. This baby is not as active as Caleb was. I can sometimes feel little movements, but not kicks like I felt right off with Caleb. I first started feeling the movements last week during week 16, but only once or twice. Not much else to report. Things are pretty uneventful, which is a good thing really.

Belly Pic - 16 Weeks

The 16 week shot is on the top and the 12 week is on the bottom for comparison. I was thinking that I hadn't gotten that much bigger, but apparently I have. I still haven't felt the baby kick, but it should be soon. I thought that I had felt Caleb at 14 weeks, but after checking in his baby book, turns out I felt one little kick at 16 weeks and then a few more in week 17. But Shane is convinced that it'll take longer with this one because he's thinking he or she will be much calmer than Caleb. Because that would only be fair. Caleb was really hyper and even demanding in the belly and still is. But, the nice thing about Caleb was that I always knew he was alive, since he was constantly moving.

Pain in the Back

I think it's official.  This baby is making my back sore.  I mean, really sore.  About two weeks ago, after washing the bathtub, my lower back hurt like heck for about three days.  When I bent over, it felt so weak, as if I'd have to drop to my knees.  I was finally able to sympathize properly with Shane, who has extensive back pain.  Then two days ago, after doing nothing in particular, it started hurting again!  I've tried to confirm that this is a normal pregnancy issue, and it is... for someone carrying a practically full-term baby.  There is talk about how the weight of the baby pulls on the mother and causes bad posture, which in turn causes a sore back.  But, since this baby weighs 5 oz. or so, I'm thinking that's NOT what's going on.  And then there's talk of some hormone that causes relaxing of everything, in preparation for the birth.  Seems a bit early for all this, but since this is the only explanation I'm being offered, I guess I'll take it.  This didn't happen with Caleb and if this continues to happen, it'll seriously affect my jovial mood about being pregnant.  I mean, at some point, I hope to have to pack up the whole apartment and then unpack again.  

Anyway, this is probably TMI, but I really want to complain about it.  Besides, I think it's interesting that this can happen, and maybe you will too.  Something else I'm experiencing is that my b00bs are sure getting a lot bigger with this pregnancy.  And this would normal be a good thing if you have itsy bitsies, like me.  But it really isn't, for me.  Why?  Because I have milk sacs in my underarms.  Both of them.  That's right, you read correctly.  And they've also gotten bigger.  I've never had nice normal underarms, but it wasn't until I had Caleb and they filled up with milk that I understood why.  Not the kind of thing a girl blurts out when her friends are discussing physical features they don't like.  So, my underarms are puffy and ugly and hang down and I won't be able to wear a tank top out in public for about a year and a half (until baby is weened). (They're right in the front underarms part, not directly in the middle. They're easily visible when I'm just standing, with my arms back a little.) So, there.  Don't you love your armpits now?    

14 Week Appointment

Another really bad ultrasound picture. I'm mostly disappointed because it was so awesome to actually see the baby and you all only get to see this. It definitely needs some explanation. The baby is all the way at the top with the head on the right and the butt on the left.  It's a shot of the back, you can see the spine on the bottom.  And it also looks like the head is cocked to the left with the left ear into its' left shoulder.  When I have time later, I'll see if I can play around with it on Photoshop Elements and draw some things to make it easier.  You can also see on the right that the "CRL" is 76 mm.  This means that the measurement from the top of the head to the butt is 3 inches long.  I think the legs are another inch, so that baby is about 4 inches long right now.  

I had the hardest time seeing Caleb move during the ultrasounds.  It was hard for me to distinguish between his movements and the Dr.'s.  But this time!  I saw the legs kick!  And I got a great shot of the right hand and all five little fingers!  It was so amazing! We also got to see the heart beating, which means everything is great. 

I have another appointment in three weeks on January 8th and this will be when we get to hear the baby's heart beat.  The doctor said that it is possible to hear it now, but it is sometimes hard to and people get upset when that happens, so they wait for a later appointment when it is more certain that the heartbeat will be heard.  Then I'll have the 20 week appointment the last week of January.  But I still have to schedule it.  This will be when we find out the sex of the baby. 

 

Had to reschedule appt again

Shane remembered that he had to use the truck today, so I had to reschedule to tomorrow. But, I'm quite happy with the way it'll turn out because originally Shane wasn't going with us to the appointment and now he will be going. Caleb's birthday is tomorrow, so we'll start the day off with breakfast anywhere Caleb wants. I'm guessing it'll be Dunkin Donuts or Starbucks cause he loves their chocolate doughnut. Then we'll all go to the appointment. So, tomorrow I'll be posting the ultrasound that we'll hopefully be getting.

No Appointment

I got a phone call just as Caleb and I got into a Metro car. Of course, I lost reception after one ring. I had to wait until we got to our stop to see who it was. It was the doctor's office to say that the nurse practitioner that I had the appointment with would be two hours late and I need to reschedule. I was pretty annoyed that I had already gotten to within 2 blocks of the doctor's building. So, we turned around and went home.

I've been unhappy with this medical center and this was the last straw! I chose it because it's only three Metro stops away and we don't need to borrow the truck from Shane. But it's in the City (DC, that is) and so, the people that work there are ... um... well, let's just say I'd be better treated if my skin was 10 shades darker. Or at least, I'd get the culture and wouldn't be so taken aback by the rampant attitude. It really makes me miss Hawaii, where everyone, for the most part, is happy and polite. But I digress.

I switched over to another center (in Virginia) and I now have another appointment next Tuesday morning. I'm so disappointed that I didn't get to see the baby today. I checked Caleb's baby book and we got ultrasound pictures from the appointment around this same time. It's significant to me because it'll be the first time that I can see the baby when it will actually look like a human and not a blob.

I was so upset about all of this that I called Shane to vent and also let him know that I'd have to take the truck for my appointments. He said he was worried when I called because he knew I should be having my appointment and was glad that the matter was me being inconvenienced and not that anything was wrong with the baby. True. So true. But he knew I was pretty P.O.'d so he promised to buy me a Chocolate Godiva cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory. I'm not so P.O.'d now :)

Belly Picture - 12 weeks

I really should post a picture at the end of the day because it's significantly larger. But for now, I'll post this in case I never get around to doing an evening picture.

I Wish I Could Stop

I wish I could stop wanting junk food. I like the idea of eating natural foods. I don't like the idea of eating mostly packaged processed foods and fast foods. I don't even drink juice because I think it's more healthy to eat fruit and get the fiber. But lately, I've been craving every kind of junk food. I have lost my taste for fruits and veggies. For lunch I wanted Chik-Fil-A. On the occasional trip to a fast-food joint, I usually order a salad and water. Not because I'm on a diet or trying to eat healthy, but because that is what usually sounds best to me. Not today. I ordered a chicken sandwich, waffle fries and a cherry Coke. And then this evening, I flipped over to the Food Network and they were making doughnuts. And now I MUST have donuts. So, Caleb and I are going to go there for breakfast. I can count on one hand, the number of times I've eaten doughnuts since I grew up.

The other night, I had a dream that I went to my three month appointment and I had gained 20 pounds. And in my dream I thought "Yeah, that sounds about right."

Been A While Pregnancy Update

No funny stories of how I'm going emotionally insane. That's probably why I haven't written. Just boring updates. Like I officially can't sleep on my stomach anymore. This happened about three nights ago. This is always a sad time because I always fall asleep on my stomach. Hmmm... really not much else. I'm sleeping pretty well. Taking a nap almost everyday and then sleeping 9 hours at night. I haven't been nauseous in a while. I'm a lucky duck, aren't I? Shane was hoping that we were having twins this time around so that we could just knock all the kids out at once and be done with getting pregnant. But, I honestly don't want to get it over with. I love being pregnant and I'll be so sad after we're all done. If only it weren't for that laboring thing. But, I'll be so grateful if this one doesn't last 36.5 hours like with Caleb.

The Second Appointment

So the appointment I had today was like a regular trip to the Lady's Doctor. I didn't get to see the baby or hear the baby. Pretty uneventful. I did get to confirm that I can take Unisom and that I probably shouldn't have gotten that flu shot the day after I took the pregnancy test. Kaiser recommends getting a flu shot only after the first trimester. But, I'm not going to worry about it because, as the nurse said "Oh well, you've already gotten it. Can't do anything about it now." She said I could get a sonogram early then 20 weeks if I was really worried about it, but it would only detect Downs Syndrome and she didn't think there was any link to that and the flu shot. But, I don't think that's necessary. Although, I was tempted to make a big deal about it just to get an extra sonogram :)

I'll have my appointment every month from now on until week 28. The next appointment is on December 11th. This is when we get to hear the baby's heart beat!

Belly Shot - 8 weeks

Dang. I look pretty good huh? ;) I've never been one to obsess about weight (since high school anyway). But I have been one to get down on myself about being out of shape. Which is a condition that has progressively gotten worse over the past two years. And I got to thinking that part of the reason why I felt so incredible during my pregnancy with Caleb is that I was in pretty good shape. I walked around campus all day long and worked out at the gym almost the whole time and was running on the treadmill until I was almost 6 months along. And the big thing is... I was ALREADY in shape when I got pregnant. Not so with this one. And I'm really afraid of getting far along in the pregnancy and causing my body to labor excessively just to carry me around. I never did feel like that with Caleb, even though he was three days overdue. So...

I've been exercising a bit. I've been going on three weeks now and I'm much more dedicated now that I've gained a few pounds, but I've noticed that my legs are firming up. I know I'm not supposed to start exercising after I get pregnant. But, the alternative is to continue to do what I had been doing. Which is nothing and I think that's a terrible idea. So, I walk up the stairwell in our apartment building. From the second floor to the eleventh. I do this three times. It's pretty great because my heart rate doesn't go crazy since I have to walk down after going up and it gives me time to cool down. And the best part is that it only takes me 15 minutes!

I realize I barely have a bump here. This one is more for comparison in the later months. It'll also be interesting to see how long my hair grows. I think I will chop it off after giving birth and donate it to Locks of Love, like I did after Caleb was born.

Catching You Up

I'm far enough along that it's okay for the world to know that I'm with child (!!!! Yipee!!!) I was a little shy about this one, so I had been blogging elsewhere until the coast seemed clear. But the thought of writing for three blogs was a bit daunting and so I'm combining the pregnancy blog with this one. I've added all the old posts. Unfortunately, the comments couldn't be carried over. Sorry about that.

Hopefully, I'll have more material to blog about now and I won't be so absent. But then again... haven't you heard that before?

Nighttime Nausea

For the past week or so, I get slightly nauseous and lose my appetite around 4 or 5 p.m. It's not so bad that I can't actually eat, but it does prevent me from actually enjoying my food. And tonight I was supposed to make spaghetti because yesterday I was craving spaghetti with cottage cheese on the side. But the thought of it makes me want to run to the bathroom, so I can't bring myself to cook it. Thankfully, Shane has no problem eating soup for dinner. If this continues, I might have to start making dinner around 3 p.m. before I lose my appetite. My mom sent some Hawaii-made soda crackers (my favorite!), so I'll probably have some of that tonight for dinner.

I've been sleeping pretty good lately though. That is, when Shane isn't trying to shove his pillow on my side of the bed and snore in my ear! Oh, and when Caleb doesn't wake me up at 1 a.m. to tell me his hand is stinky because he had to scratch his butt (gross!).

First Appointment - A Success!!

We saw the tiny heart beating! It was so wonderful! I didn't cry though because I knew before we got there that the baby was okay. I've been so sleepy and just knew that I was still pregnant. Poor Shane was still very worried though, but I can understand since he can't feel things like I can.

The arm legs and buds aren't visible in this picture. The doctor said that is because this is a side shot. The head is on the bottom and the umbilical cord is shooting off to the left.

Caleb was so cute! As the doctor was getting ready to do her thing, he told her "Don't hurt her, okay? You have to be careful." Oh my gosh! It was the cutest thing ever!

This Kaiser office that I'm going to does things a little different than the one in Manassas. I'll be going to another appointment next Thursday and then will have appointments every month after that. I'm hoping that I'll get more pictures though, hopefully one with a good shot of the arm and leg buds!

A Short Update

My irregular sleep pattern is back! But, I'm actually relieved because that means everything is okay with the baby. I can't wait for the appointment next week so I can stop worrying so much that something bad will happen. I just can't help it. But actually, everyday I am feeling more and more like this one will stick. So, I'm not worrying *that* much. Anyhoo, I can't eat green olives anymore. Now I have a thing for soda, which is definitely out of the ordinary cause I never drink soda. I've been buying the natural fruit flavored soda at Whole Foods. It's actually cheaper than the generic fruit soda at Giant. And Caleb is loving my new craving since we've never given him more than a sip of soda and I now give him half a can everyday. I'm also losing my taste for coffee.

I know, not so exciting, huh? I was a lot more emotional with the other two pregnancies, which made for funny stories. But there's still time for that :)