Clothes!

I was feeling not-so-awesome this morning, and then I found the BIGGEST BOX OF CUTENESS EVER on my front porch!


My dear friend Jess sent me a birthday present, and it was a package of BABY GIRL CLOTHES!  Feast your eyes on this:

Those are ice cream cones on the pants!!

Yeah, you're seein' it.  Elephant barrettes!!

This is actually purple, but my camera stinks

World's cutest bib?  I think so!

We are so lucky to have friends as amazing as Jess.  I held up each thing for Jeremy and said "there will be a PERSON in this one day!!"  

I can't wait to meet her ...

22 Weeks

Today the baby has reached the one pound mark!  She is probably about 8 1/2 inches from head to rump and 11 1/2 inches from head to toe.  

Her lips, eyelids, and eyebrows are becoming more distinct, and even though her eyelids are still fused shut, she is making blinking movements.  She can also perceive light and dark more accurately through her eyelids, and her irises are fully developed (but they still lack pigment).  Her hearing is getting better and she can probably recognize my voice.  She can also now be aroused from sleep by loud noises outside the womb.  Her eyebrows are almost totally filled in, and she is growing more hair on her head every day -- but the hair looks white because it is devoid of all pigment.  It might look something like this:

During this week, the brain development begins a big burst that will only end when the baby reaches five years of age.  The baby's sense of touch is also developing, and as she develops her grip, she might even grab the umbilical cord to hold onto (since there is nothing else in there to grab).  She is even developing tooth buds beneath her gums and taste buds on her tongue!

I am feeling okay overall.  I have some feet swelling after long days at work, and I have lots of leg and hip cramps, but nothing big.  When I get into my "approved" sleeping positions, my arms fall asleep pretty quickly, and I have to wake up often to shake the circulation back into them, but I am getting better at staying on my side at night, so that is good.

The baby is moving a LOT lately.  She also seems to have similar sleep patterns to her dear old mother.  She doesn't like to wake up until mid-afternoon, and she starts really bouncing around at about 10 PM and stays up having her little dance parties well into the AM.  We'll have to see if that stays the same once she is "on the outside!" :)

Birthday

Yesterday was my 28th birthday, and on the way to dinner, I turned to Jeremy and said, "This is my last birthday without a child."  It was definitely a moment.  We both took a little time to consider that for the rest of my birthdays, there will be a person (or people) with us.  


YES, we already knew this.  We are not idiots.  We know we will have a little person soon and she will be a part of us forever, but thinking about all of those little individual things -- like a last birthday alone -- is really something.


Anyway, once we got home from the restaurant, I realized that this REALLY wasn't my last birthday before becoming a mom.  This hit me when I finally slipped off the shoes I had been wearing all day and saw Flinstone feet and cankles.  I FLIPPED OUT.  I have had a little swelling on my long days at work, but yesterday actually scared me.  I started panicking and crying.  I propped my feet up on three pillows on Jeremy's lap and he rubbed them for an hour.  Then I went to bed early, crying about how bad my lower back and hips hurt.


Yep, I guess last year was my last birthday before being a mom! :)

21 Weeks

Today is 21 weeks!  

The baby is probably about three-quarters of a pound and 10 1/2 inches long.  She is all done getting her proportions figured out, and she looks like a miniature newborn.  She even has her eyebrows now!! 

I am past the halfway point and moving right along.  Of course, we just had the ultrasound and discovered we are having a BABY GIRL (!!!), and I was sure they would either say I was so dang big because I had two babies in there or because I was off on my due date and the baby was weeks ahead of schedule.  Sadly, neither was true.  The baby is EXACTLY on for 21 weeks, there is only one, and I am just bigger than most women because ... well, because.  


I still have not gained much at all, and I am excited about that since I was already on the "dark side" of the scale and was sure I would gain like 50 pounds in the first few months.  However, I sure feel like I have gained weight!  The baby is so high that she is already pressing on my diaphram, and just walking across campus can be a feat!  I bet I look pretty classy huffing and puffing my way to teach every morning! 


Overall, I still feel great.  My big problem with sleeping now is that since I have gotten big enough, my doctor and I had the talk about how I go to sleep on my left side (like I was instructed!) but wake up flat on my back.  I just feel much more comfortable on my back, so apparently I move to that position to get restful sleep, but the weight of the baby now puts too much pressure on my inferior vena cava if I lay flat on my back, which can cut off blood flow (and then oxygen) to the baby.  He said to barricade my back with pillows so I can't roll over, but he didn't realize he was dealing with the girl who would take her retainer out in her sleep and then sleepwalk around the room and hide it.  So, I barricade myself, and then wake up on my back anyway.  Sigh.  


I was hoping it wasn't THAT big of a deal to sleep on my back (even though everything I read said the opposite), but the doctor said I should at least TRY not to cut off blood flow to my baby.  So I am working on it.  Last night I only woke up on my back once, so I guess that is an improvement.


Anyway, we get more excited by the day!  Can't wait to meet her!

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

We learned today that we are having a little baby girl, just like her momma thought!!

Of course, the ultrasound tech told us she was "99% sure" because she said she refuses to give a 100% guarantee to anyone.  But she said it was fairly obvious that she was a little girl.

At first, I let a student do some practice on me for about 20 minutes, and our little lady had her legs crossed!   But she was also being very still and making it very easy for the student to measure her head and brain and femur and look at her heart.  Then, she started bouncing around like crazy, but she finally opened her legs, and TA DA!  Nothing else down there!  Even I, who have only seen a handful of girl and boy ultrasounds, could tell it was a girl.  

Anyway, the whole thing was great.  They didn't send us home with too many great pictures, but we saw her strong and healthy heart, her baby feet, her hands up by her face, and lots and lots of images of her face (for the first 15 minutes she was lying flat on her back and looking up, so we didn't get too many profile shots).  

face picture:

face picture translated:

profile picture:

profile picture translated:

foot picture!:

foot picture translated:

(Jeremy said, "Hey, it looks like she's got all five on there!  That's good!")

Once she started moving around, it was so fun to watch.  So so exciting.  And for about an hour after the ultrasound, she let me know what she thought of all that poking and prodding!  She kicked like a mule!!

Once we found out, we made some calls and then I posted it to Facebook.  My beautiful and thoughtful cousin, Robin, was kind enough to get a screenshot of my announcement before the comments came pouring in:

It's hard to put into words just how excited I am.  I just can't wait to meet her.

Suspicions Confirmed

One of the reasons I was positive that I wanted to learn the sex of the baby before it was born was because of how much I DESPISE surprises.


I know, it sounds strange, since there are so many lovely surprises.  Jeremy brought me home a magazine and a candy treat!  Yay!  I get a package in the mail with a maternity shirt my mom bought me!  Yay!  A snow day!  Yay!  All of that is fine and good, but the surprises that you KNOW are looming?  Not good for me.  


The unanswered, the anxiety, the anticipation, the feeling that the universe is holding information over my head like it is playing keep-away with me.  It is all much too much.  My stomach eats itself. My pulse races.  I get rashes.  I go crazier than usual.  It is not a pretty picture.


I have been really excited ever since Jeremy said he was on board with us learning the baby's gender, but this past week has been terrible.  I am not excited anymore.  Instead, I have the nervousness, the queasiness, the "surprise is coming" feeling in my stomach, and it is not pleasant.  I know tomorrow will be amazing, but I can't help but feeling anxious right now, and I am SO glad that is not what I will be feeling in the weeks leading up to the baby's arrival!!


Because we are finding out and having our surprise now, I will be prepared, and waiting for the baby will be better.  I will know that I am getting closer and closer to seeing my baby boy or girl instead of worrying and wondering.  


Ugh for tomorrow ... and YAY for tomorrow!

Boy or Girl?

Comments with your guess of girl or boy would be welcomed and cherished today.  We find out the gender tomorrow!!! (Hopefully!  I am hoping for a cooperative baby!)


I can't wait!!!!!

New Due Date?

I just read a very interesting fact.  Supposedly, babies are generally born about 147 days (plus or minus 15) after the mother feels the first movement.  


Okay, give me a moment to do some math ...


Okay, that was exhausting.


My due date is August 28th.
147 days after the day I first felt movement (March 27th) is August 21st.
Give or take 15 days would put it as early as August 6th (yes please!!) or as late as September 5th (NO SIR!!).


All of my mom's babies were early, and most of my mother-in-law's babies were late (except Jeremy.  Phew!!).  A late baby in August does not sound fun to me, so let's hope for on time or early!


I can't wait to look back at this when the baby is born and see if it came anywhere close!

20 Weeks, Continued

Here is my 20 week belly shot from last night:

I had to wait for Jeremy to get home from the Tigers game so he could take the picture, and then when he went to snap the photo, the battery died.  I reminded him that I haven't been able to find my charger in weeks and asked him to help me find it.  We thought it might be in the overflowing office closet, so we spent about two hours organizing and cleaning.  We got two bags of garbage out (so embarrassing!) ... but no charger.  Five minutes later I found it shoved back and hidden in the corner of a drawer where I had already looked.  Classic.  At that point, dinner was two hours late, but dang if we don't have a clean closet!

When Jeremy was at the game yesterday, I was sitting on the couch doing tons of work for the new semester, and every so often I went to www.detroittogers.com to check the score.  Every time I visited the website, the baby kicked!  I told Jeremy when he got home, and the biggest smile I have seen in weeks spread across his face. :)  He has big plans for a Tigers fan!


We also watched SNL last night, and Justin Beiber performed.  We were obviously not impressed with the tween, and then Jeremy said "Oh my god ... one day our baby will be a tween and like terrible and annoying things!!!"  Yikes.  I said, "Yeah, that's why it's a baby first and by the time it gets to be a tween you already love it too much to give it away.  Hopefully."

Twenty Weeks and Countdown to the Ultrasound

Well, twenty weeks is here, and I am at the official halfway mark of my pregnancy!!  Okay, so I get my baby soon, right!?!?  Oh, another twenty weeks?  Like, the same bazillion days it took me to get here? Crap.  I want my baby NOW!


But since he/she is not ready yet (even though I whisper "hurry up!" to my belly every night), here is how he/she is doing this week.

The baby probably weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now, and has graduated from being measured head to rump, and can now be measured head to toe.  Head to toe, the baby is probably about 10 inches!  Getting so big!

The baby is swallowing a lot more now to practice using the digestive system, so he/she is also beginning to produce meconium.  Fun milestone to celebrate, right? :)

The top of my uterus is now level with my belly button, so my belly button could be popping any time now.  I am actually looking forward to it, as weird as it seems, because my belly button is still such a severe innie that it looks like I am just sporting a belly full of fat and not baby. At this point I would still rather Jeremy admire my belly while it is COVERED, and I know I will be much more comfortable with him admiring a belly with a pregnant lady outie.

In other news, I am SOOOO looking forward to this Friday and our BIG ULTRASOUND!  I have no idea how I will get through this work week. All I am thinking about is seeing my baby and (hopefully) learning the sex!  I know I also have to be prepared for the possibility that the baby will be uncooperative (I mean, it is MY baby, so it might be a little sassy), but I am just dying to see him/her!!  I have only seen the baby at nine weeks, and it just looked like a fuzzy little gummi bear.  Now it will look more like a tiny little baby.  I just can't wait.  

And, in all honesty, if this baby takes after me, he/she will appreciate being on camera and will probably ham it up! :)

Update on Kicks

I was still feeling a little scared that I wasn't feeling the baby move a lot.  I know another mother who is due only 3 days before me, and she mentioned she is feeling a LOT of activity.  I was a little scared, and even took to poking my belly from time to time, asking the baby to move (which horrified Jeremy beyond belief!).


Thankfully, since Monday I have been feeling more movement, and yesterday the baby must have been having a dance party in there!  While I was teaching from 12 to 6 yesterday, I don't think the baby stopped moving!!  Whether it was loud or quiet, I was standing or sitting, the baby was bouncing around like crazy!  


One of my students came up after class and said "It is so cool to see your baby move while you are talking to the class!  I'm sorry, but I will be watching your belly all semester!" and I was SHOCKED!!!  The movements still feel like little tiny pops to me, so I never considered that anything was visible to others!  On the other hand, she might have just WANTED to see movement.  Most of my classes this term are heavy on the female side, and about 90% of them are mothers and want to talk to me about the baby before class and during breaks.  I will never be short of advice!


Anyway, last night, the little one kept up the dancing long after I was done teaching.  It was grooving while Jeremy and I watched a movie and then for the three hours that I laid in bed trying to all asleep after Jeremy did.  Nothing much yet today, but it must have tired itself out from yesterday!  


I also read today that skinner women feel movement earlier (which I kind of figured) than heavier women, and all the moms I know who felt lots of early movements were skinny-minnies, so that makes sense that I would have to wait a week or two more than them.  


Jeremy has only felt one kick so far, and I am trying like crazy to get him to feel more, but whenever I feel something and slap his hand into place, the baby freezes.  I feel bad, because I know he wants to feel it too.


Anyway, I know in a few months I might be wincing from these kicks, but right now I want them all the time!!!

Baby Booties

My mom made a pair of booties for Baby Dimick, and they are adorable and hilarious at the same time!  I can't wait to put them on little feet!!

Apparently I had a pair when I was little, and my mom used the same pattern. <3

Easter (and a few unrelated items)

Jeremy and I managed to go see both of our families this Sunday, even though Jeremy usually works on Sundays and the museum is usually open on holidays.  It was a nice surprise, and we got good food and lots of laughs.


What we didn't expect was that Baby Dimick would get so much stuff!


The first stop of the day was at my mom and dad's house.  My mom had pulled out all the baby stuff she saved from us, and we sorted through what we could.  I didn't take any clothes, because they were all very gender-specific.  I did get a few books and a bunch of blankets, however.  Also, my mom gave me this onesie:

Priceless!  We couldn't stop laughing about it all day.


Next we headed over to Jeremy's parents' house, where we joined 3 of his 4 siblings.  We had lots of stories and laughs (and too much food!) there too.  On the way out of town, we stopped at Gran's because she had baskets for us.  In my basket was this onesie:

Baby Dimick cleaned up!


On to the unrelated items.


1.  When I was importing the pictures of the onesies, I found a picture that I meant to write a post about.  On March 25, I was in pretty rare form (well, I would like to think it is rare, but Jeremy might have a different opinion) and I NEEDED a cupcake and a shamrock shake.  It is really not too often that I NEED a particular food, and it is even more rare that I give into the craving (Jeremy and I usually talk me down off the cliff, like the other night when I NEEDED a stromboli, even though dinner was all ready to be enjoyed).  Anyway, I NEEDED that cupcake and shamrock shake.

And my wonderful husband obliged.  At 9 PM on a Thursday.  What a guy.


2.  It looks like we have an official date and location for my baby shower!  The shower will be on June 19th, and my fabulous mother-in-law just found an ideal location last night.   I am getting excited!!  How many days left?  My mom gathered up some prizes and favors already as well, so we are on our way.  I can't wait!

Our Baby Now Kicks on Demand

Last night I was telling Jeremy that I hadn't felt any kicks since the night I first felt them for sure, on Tuesday.  I told him it made me slightly nervous and a little sad.  Jeremy suggested we play some really loud music, since the baby kicked in response to a very loud man talking.  So I suggested that Jeremy just shout "KICK!" at my belly.  Jeremy refused, saying, "What if the baby were born deaf?!?!" and I said shouting would not deafen our baby.  He responded, "Yeah, but what if it were born deaf ANYWAY?  Then I would feel like I caused it!"  


So, we didn't shout at the baby.  But about one hour later, when I was laying in bed, the baby kicked a few times on the right side, and then a few on the LEFT side, where I have never felt kicks before!  The baby not only listened to us, but did some fancy acrobatics.


THEN, this morning, Jeremy and I were sitting on the couch, and I leaned over the lay on him, putting my belly on his knee ... and Jeremy felt his first kick!!!

Nineteen Weeks

Today is nineteen weeks.  

The baby is about six inches long and eight ounces.  The baby continues to grow bones to replace the cartilage it now has, and the baby's body is now covered with vernix to protect it from the amniotic fluid.  The arms and legs are now finally in proportion to its body, and the neurons are now connected between the brain and muscles, so the baby has more control over its limbs.  There has also been a sensory explosion in the brain, as the brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch.


I am still feeling good overall, and Jeremy, Cleo, and I have been taking a half-hour walk every evening when Jeremy gets home from work.  Cleo makes sure I keep up the pace!  I am also searching for a good prenatal yoga DVD, but all the ones I have found are heavy on the "spiritualism" or made in the 70s.  I am looking for a contemporary yoga video like the ones I already have, and I just want them to be geared for pregnant women.  I thought it would be easy to find.  If anyone has a good one, let me know the title.  I am ready to work out!

Odds and Ends

I have a few random unrelated tidbits to record.  I am really glad I started writing so much of this down.  It is already fun to look back and read the old entries, so I can't imagine how I will feel in a few years!


1.  It is official -- all the weight I lost in the beginning of my pregnancy came from my butt.  And it never came back.  One of the only body parts I liked!! :(  I am still wearing all my pre-pregnancy pants, and they are so saggy in the britches that I can pull them down without unzipping.  And to add insult to injury, I just read in the pregnancy survival guide for dads that my sister got Jeremy "Her butt WILL get flat and saggy.  There is nothing you can do to stop this.  But, by all means, LIE to her and tell her nothing has changed."  So much sadness in those sentences.  


2.  My friend Heather said I was "adorably pregnant" the other day, and I got all misty and told Jeremy what she said and how nice she was.  Jeremy didn't even hesitate, and said, "Well, she's right!  You ARE!"  I have the greatest guy!


3.  Jeremy is indulging me by talking to my stomach every night.  When we go to bed, I lay down and tell him to tell the baby about his day.  He often says cute things like, "Oh yeah, Cleo is the DOG and MoJo is the CAT.  You will learn what those things are later."  


4.  A guy HIT ON ME in Meijer the other day!  At first I thought he was just messing around or something because, come one, I am PREGNANT, but then I realized he was totally serious.  I couldn't help myself.  I laughed right in his face because I immediately imagined his train of thought being something like: "Hmmm.  A baby.  I could work with that.  Yeah, a baby would be okay."  It was too much.


5.  Last weekend Jeremy and I took a miniature road trip and talked the whole way.  Since our conversations are usually baby-related, we were talking about some of my ... quirks ... as a child.  Jeremy said, "You know, if we get a baby with all of your zany behaviors because of Karma, life is going to be pretty difficult!"  I just said, "Well, get used to it."