Thread: The beginning.. (EDD 9/21/07)

15w,0d

I had my first gender dream last night.

I gave birth to a little boy (in my parents' bathroom, no less) and DH and I decided we were ready to share the name, and announced him as Joshua Braden. A little later, I noticed that DH had written the baby's name down on something.. but he had written it as Kalib Joshua (and in my dream, Caleb was spelled just like that- Kalib). I was ticked. I yelled at DH, and he said he liked that name better. I told him he spelled Caleb wrong. He insisted that there isn't one right way to spell Caleb, so Kalib was perfectly legit.

I told DH about it when I woke up. He thought it was pretty funny. I reminded him to ask me before changing our kid's name, and check the spelling with me first. He promised he would.
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I talked to my brother and sister-in-law a couple days ago (I called). She's about 28 weeks, and apparently their baby is a mover. She's pretty uncomfortable.

They will be in town this weekend. I might get to see them Saturday morning. I think they're bringing their diaper genie for me to have. They said they liked it but they found something else they liked better.

15w,1d

My brother and sister-in-law came over today and brought their daughter, who turns 2 in May. We all hung out together for awhile, had some lunch, and my SIL and I went shopping. That was the first time I'd ever been inside Babies R Us! I promised DH I wouldn't buy anything there, and I kept my promise.

They went to celebrate a friend's birthday, so we watched my niece at the house, and they'll pick her up in the morning. She's the most adorable kid ever! Well, till our kid is born, anyway.

We ate dinner, we played, and we started to watch Sleeping Beauty, but she was not down with that. I guess Maleficent was a bit too scary.. Maddy was sobbing. So we stopped the movie, I held Maddy for a while, got some milk and marshmallows, and we sat down to watch Lilo and Stitch instead. Definitely a better choice!

I put her to bed when the movie was over, and she went right down. Hope she sleeps through the night and doesn't freak out when she wakes up here!

15w,3d

1) This morning when we got up, DH said I looked like I had a pregnant belly. This was without any prompting from me! (I ask him about eight times a day whether my belly could pass for a baby belly or if it still looks like I'm just bad with portion control.) It made me smile.

2) We had sex tonight (sorry if that was more than you wanted to know), and for the first time in a long time, it was enjoyable for me! All through the first trimester, I just wasn't feeling it. I was tired and nauseous, blah blah blah, and with the increased blood flow everywhere, my nether regions are enlarged, which did not make for a happy sexual experience. It was painful. We've tried since hitting the 2nd trimester, but it was still pretty painful. Tonight, we decided to give it a try, and it was actually good. Hurray!

3) We have been working hard to get more stuff unpacked. Today he cleared out a lot of the fireplace room (it will be his space to hang out with the guys) and set up the bar and couch and tv and wiped down shelves so I could start putting books on them.

4) My parents keep sending boxes of my old stuff with us when we come over. Today DH was messing with the stereo while I was sorting books, and suddenly I hear the beginning chords of a song I had not heard in about fifteen years. It was a tape of a song with my name in it. I listened to that tape ALLLL the time when I was little, but had no idea it still existed! DH laughed at me cause I was dancing around to this cheesy song on a cassette tape. I even knew some of the words..

5) This week is spring break. There's no school, but I still have to work. Boo. At least it's hours toward my next paycheck.

6) My next doctor's appointment is a week and a day away! Don't think there will be anything super exciting at that one, just the results of my bloodwork, and another listen for the heartbeat, I'm sure. Ultrasound isn't till my 20 week appointment.

7) I leave for Chicago in a week and two days! I'm going to a conference for my summer job. DH says while I'm gone, he's going to eat sushi and go to Famous Dave's (since I won't do either of those with him).

Eep, have to be at work at 8am.. Night!

16w,3d

I feel like I haven't updated in a while. Perhaps it's only been a few days.

Reaching sixteen weeks felt like a big milestone- I'm not sure why. I'm still feeling about the same. More energy, but in spurts; still a decreased appetite; still occasionally nauseous.

DH and I have been doing a lot of cleaning. This house is starting to look more liveable! Now there are only one and a half rooms that are completely cluttered. We even cleared out the fireplace room. That will be DH's space. He has the bar set up, and the couch and the tv and stereo just where he wants them. I organized our books and put them on the shelves. They only take up three shelves, but that's alright.

I think I probably talked about this in my last entry. Opa.

Weather here went from warm and sunny to cold and snowy. Boo on that. Hopefully it will warm up again soon.

Seven weeks of school left. I think I can, I think I can...

I decided yesterday to look for another part-time job. My summer hours will be flexible, so if I can get a job lined up now for the mornings or even for the evenings, I can add a little income to the small amount I'm bringing in now. I emailed the pastor at our church this morning to see if there is anything open at the school or the parish. If there's nothing there, I may wander around the mall and see who is hiring. I don't mind doing retail. I'd rather not waitress, just because I don't want to be on my feet all day when I'm 5 or 6 or 8 months pregnant.

Haven't decided when to tell the kids at work that I'm pregnant. I'll at least wait until after my appointment tomorrow, and maybe even till after my 20 week appointment. I guess it depends when I start to show. Right now DH and I are about the only ones who can tell my belly is a little more rounded. With my normal wardrobe, you can't tell. I noticed yesterday, though, that my bra is getting too small. Grr. I hate bra shopping under normal circumstances, but shopping when I know I'll change sizes again just does not sound fun. I'll probably go to Target or somewhere similar and get something cheapy.

Going to take the car in to get air in the tires, then it's off to work. Whee.

Happy Easter!

16w,4d

I had a doctor's appointment today. They went over my bloodwork- I don't have anything, except I'm.. I forget the word. Basically I'm not 100% immune for rubella (measles) but I'm not NOT immune. So I'm supposed to stay away from any suspicious rashes, and they'll give me another booster shot after I give birth.

We heard the heartbeat again- this time it was about 150. (Last time it was 145, I think.)

Oh, and I still haven't really gained weight yet. I was 149 this time.

Pre-pregnancy: about 150-152ish
8w,4d: 150
12w,4d: 148
16w,4d: 149

I know major weight gain is supposed to start around the fourth month (according to my doctor), so it's only a matter of time before I balloon.

I scheduled my ultrasound for May 8, which is four weeks from today. We won't be finding out gender, but it will be super exciting to get to see the baby!

Ok, I'm going to get off the computer now. I'm going to go to a few places (maybe Old Navy/Kohl's/Target or possibly the mall) to see if anyone is hiring and what times their shifts are. I'm not necessarily looking to make a career out of it.. I just want something flexible and enjoyable for the summer and possibly part of the fall.

17w,2d

I was in Chicago for the week and had a blast. By the end though, I was more than ready to be home.

While I was there, I bought a maternity dress at Target (my first maternity purchase!). It's simple and black, and doesn't show cleavage, and should fit at least through the end of the second trimester. I doubt it will fit through the whole pregnancy, but that's ok. I can at least wear it to weddings we're going to in June.

This morning as we were getting ready for church, DH looked at my belly and told me I bulged! Wooooot. It may almost be time to tell the kids at work.. depends how pregnant I look in a sweatshirt. I decided to wear one of the shirts my mother-in-law sent me. Two of them definitely require a belly to look even remotely decent, but the other I can pull off. It's still a tad big, but oh well.

Six more weeks till I'm done with my current job. Yaaaayyyyyyy!

17w,4d

I think my belly is here to stay! Of course, it isn't really noticable to anyone besides DH and me (and I make him look at it every day to check if it has grown), but it is definitely bigger than it was before baby. And it doesn't go away in the mornings! That is what kept happening before. I'd go to bed convinced it was finally real belly and not just bloat, and when I woke up, it would be semi-flat again.

On Sunday, I wore one of the maternity shirts my mother-in-law gave me. It is gigantic on me, but because of the nature of the shirt, it elicited a comment from the youth director along the lines of "This is the first time I've noticed that you look pregnant."

I've been wearing DH's too-big-for-me fleece sweatshirts to work all year, so it's not too hard to hide it for a little while longer. I decided I'm not ready to tell the kids yet. Mayhaps after the ultrasound. At that point there will still be about three weeks of school left. Maybe it will motivate them to be on their best behavior? Hah.. one can hope.

Have I mentioned how much I enjoy doing laundry? Seriously! I love that we have a dryer now, cause I can go down there and do a load or two whenever I feel like it!

18w,3d

I told the kids at work today. I said I had an announcement, but I wasn't going to say it until everyone was listening. It took them a little while, but pretty soon I had their attention. I said something like "A couple of you asked last week, and I wanted to let you know that yes, I am having a baby this September." And then they got to ask questions.

They wondered whether it was a girl or a boy, what we were going to call it, whether I have any other kids, why I was having a baby (I said something like my husband and I decided it was the right time to have a kid), and if I would bring the baby to the school. I told them I wouldn't be working there next year, but I would try to bring the baby by so they could see him/her.

Later one of the third grade girls asked when I was having the baby. I told her September, and she counted on her fingers and said "in five months?" I said yes. She said, "But one of the other girls said it takes nine months to have a baby." I explained that I had already been pregnant for four months. She responded incredulously, "And you didn't TOLD US??"

:o)

One kid claimed she knew I was pregnant, and one boy said I didn't look like I was. I told him my stomach would be bigger by the end of the school year.

I also asked for a little extra respect from them, since I would probably end up being a little extra cranky some days. I asked if any of them had little brothers or sisters, and most of them raised their hands. I asked if they remembered when their moms were pregnant, and how she would sometimes get cranky. They all seemed to remember that very well. :-P I explained that I might get the same way.

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I also played soccer last night with my brother and some friends. It wasn't too fast-paced, and I took lots of water breaks, so it was all good. Man, I miss playing! I was so bummed that I didn't have the speed and endurance that I used to have. Perhaps once the baby is born, I can get back into it..

The weather was nice this weekend, so DH and I took a bike ride to a nearby park and had a picnic lunch. Great way to spend an afternoon!

Not much else to report on. I think my belly is here to stay, but it still isn't humungous. It was big enough that I felt the need to tell the kids at work, but not big enough that people can automatically figure it out.

K, I'm done. Night!

18w,4d

Was that...? Did I just feel..?

I was lying in bed this morning, on my back. DH was getting ready to leave for work (he wakes me up to say goodbye, then I go back to sleep), and I happened to be lying with my hand on my stomach.

I felt something like a kick, four times in a row, a few seconds apart each time, right in the front, above my belly button. That was the first time I've felt anything like that, so I don't even know for sure if it was baby or just gas or something. I waited patiently for it to happen again, and even tried prodding baby by pushing down a little bit. Nothing.

But.. yay!

Now I'll be on the lookout for more movement.. assuming that's what it was!

EDIT: Just thought, it could have been a muscle twitch/spasm.
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No after-school program today. The director is sick, and no one from other sites can fill in, so it would be just me with 80 kids for the first hour, and then two of us with all of them after that. Yeah.. not so much. She had them make an announcement at school, and asked teachers to call parents of the students in their classes, so hopefully there won't be too many kids there when school lets out. I'll be there just in case, though. They can do homework or color or something.

Woot for an easy day!

19w,0d

After some fruitless shopping, I ordered a bra online last week. I've been squeezing the girls into something too small for weeks now, and they are fed up.

Today I checked the mail, and lo and behold, there was a big envelope from the bra company! Woo hoo! I opened it up, checked the invoice, and it said exactly what I ordered. I looked at the bra they sent, and it was not even close to what I ordered. I ordered white, they sent taupe. The number and cup size were way off, and the style wasn't even the same. There's no way that thing will fit me! I called up customer service, and they apologized for the inconvenience. They said they'll send the right item out right away, and also send a postage paid mailing label so I can return the wrong one.

Sigh... Another week of torture for the girls, eh?

Ship fast, new bra, ship fast! I can't take this much longer!
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Work yesterday was horrible. Hor-ri-ble. My boss is sick and wasn't there. Apparently she's the only one the kids will listen to. I had staff from other sites, but the kids were all over the place. I suspended four of them for fighting. FOUR. In one day. And I could have suspended more, but those were just the blatant ones. Goshhhh.

Boss won't be there today either. Should be interesting.

One more month......