Week 12: A new house, merged lives, and the delicate subject of painting while pregnant

Tomorrow, we close on our house. For the first time, we will have something that is ours. There is no "my place" or "your place" debate and Pete will always be in one place. Unless, of course, he's visiting friends in Thornton. We will have no backyard and I find myself already missing the long alley off of Rob's condo; we take Pete for walks back there and our next alley is not nearly as long. We will have no backyard to tend to, but instead a basement (aka the "gear closet") to organize and a laundry room.

Of course, with the all the walls being white, I want to paint. But, being pregnant, I am not supposed to do so as the fumes and chemicals are harmful. I have purchased paint for "our" bedroom and my office nook, but am not entirely sure who yet will do the painting.
We will see!

Bacon, Sausage, and Ham .. Oh my!

So, I had heard all about not eating soft cheeses and hamburger but as I was re-reading certain parts of my trust-y pregnancy book, it also said, "no pastrami, sausage, bacon, ham, deli meats, hot dogs, etc." WTF?
As soon as I read this, I head over to my trusty MacBook (on which all of these entries have been typed), click on Firefox (the internet) and Google 'bacon during pregnancy.' You know what? It's a he said/she said type of debate. Some sites mention it because of the fact that the nitrites are considered carcinogenics; other sites say to not eat them during the first trimester, and finally, the rest do not mention it at all. I figure, I'll try to avoid them because cancer-causing foods are never a good thing. But, really, what is a pregnant lady, regardless of how many pregnancies she's had, to do?
So, in the meantime, I will be sticking to my boring foods ... but applesauce, though boring, is mighty tasty. Yum!

Holy Nails, Batman!

So, as most of you know, I am, or at least have been, a pretty active person. I never had nails because I was either playing ultimate frisbee or rock climbing or just playing in the dirt. Well, since my habits and certain activities have been banned (by Rob and the good doctor), I'm sticking to the gym (feeling much better).

What does this mean? I have nails! It is crazy. Plus, they are super-strong. I jammed my thumb the other day and not even a scratch. The nails are also beautiful, no white spots, here.

To my male readers, and I know that there are some, it is just a crazy phenomenon. I guess that's about it for week 11.
Cheers!

Rose Medical Center... the "I'm going to Disneyland" type of birthing center

Their brand new, state-of-the-art birthing facility opened in March 2006 with 12 labor and delivery rooms featuring the latest in technology and luxury to make your birthing experience one to cherish forever. The unit was designed to be a comforting environment to promote health and healing.

Comfort? Maybe, but for whom? I do not about you out there, but the whole concept of a small watermelon fitting through something the size of a lime. Yeah, comfort is the first word that comes to mind.

Each labor and delivery room features private bathrooms, a Jacuzzi tub to soak away those labor pains, a place for your spouse/partner to sleep, birth balls, squat bars, rocking chairs, flat screen TVs, DVD/VCR/CD combinations, and high-speed internet access.

I just have an image of Rob, complete with beer helmet, surfing the net, texting friends, and watching JAG on the television. Any other predictions?

First Official Doctor's Appointment

Wee-hoo! Rob and I arrived early to the doctors to fill out a lot of paperwork. He did most of it because I had a momentary freak-out thinking that I was re-scheduled with the male doctor on staff. (Tangent! I have no problems with male doctors, in general, but if I am giving birth and/or having problems with my woo-ha, I want a doctor that either has a woo-ha and/or is a mother.) Luckily, I was just on "his" schedule but was still seeing my regular doctor, Dr. Donna Akuda.

So, as my name is called out, Rob asks if he should come back with me. I am not really sure what this appointment is going to entail, though I have a good idea, and invite him back nevertheless. I get blood drawn, give urine samples (yes, plural -- you pee a lot when pregnant), get weighed, and have my blood pressure taken. Everything seems normal except now I have a baby in me. (My blood pressure is a little high for me but I am sure that's okay, because it was usual borderline low before.)

Rob is hanging out, watching all this take place, like a good trooper; he's also cracking jokes and making the nurses laugh. Finally, we go to get our sonogram. The SUPER-NICE nurse practicioner, Connie W. does the general run-down of questions. Are we married? (Yes, we say but when she excited asks for more details, we try to explain our "legal arrangement," i.e. domestic partnership, she just looks confused.) How long have we known each other? Was this planned? Birth control used? Etc. Etc. Etc. But, it was really funny to try to explain to her our relationship and from then on, I just deflected the question with another question or a completely random comment.

And then, it happens. Sonogram time! Connie is going to do the sonogram and then once she finds everything, she will go get Dr. Akuda and the good doctor will verify that everything is A-okay. Well... except, super-nice, bubbly, and excited Connie cannot find my uterus. I am beginning to think that I am not pregnant: All my "symptoms" are psychosomatic? After a good five minutes of poking around, she decides to go get the doctor.

Dr. Akuda came in and found my uterus, complete with baby. Apparently, my uterus is tipped towards the back instead of the front (that explains the back pain!). She called Rob "the donor." I was not too happy about that comment but he did not seem to mind. Back to the important stuff: the baby!
He/she is alive and kicking. While they were trying to get a picture, the baby even did a little dance, moving his/her arms and legs like they were doing the twist. Very cute. It was very surreal but cool. And then, sound!
The baby ceased to be a movie star and became a living thing at that moment. It was like they had surround sound in that room. The sound of the heartbeat was what did it for me. I cannot wait for the second showing! Maybe there will be a little dance again....

178 beats per minute - Does that mean a boy or a girl?

So, apparently, our baby has a healthy heart. And, according to this old wive's tale about the fetal heart rate predicting the sex, we are having a girl. Apparently, if the heart rate is 140+ beats per minute (BPM), it is a girl and under 140 BPM is a boy. However, I took the "Old Wive's Tale" quiz about predicting gender and it said based on my answers (7/10) that I was having a boy. Very interesting. Finally, to cover all my bases, I used an Ancient Chinese Birth Chart. Surprise, it's a girl!

If you would like to take the old wive's tale quiz and base it off of your prior pregnancies and then let me know the outcome, the link is:
http://pregnancy.about.com/library/quiz/boygirl/blboygirlquiz.htm

Week 9: Fun Facts!

What is happening with the baby?
He/she is now ready for rapid weight gain. The baby is beginning to look more like a little person since the embryonic tail is completely gone by week 9. The eyelids are fully formed, have fused shut, and will open again during week 28. You can even find out if you are having a boy or girl (early gender testing for the low, low cost of $249!).
All the baby's joints such as the knees, elbows, shoulders, ankles, and wrists are working and allowing the baby to move about freely within the amniotic sac. Your baby's heart began beating around day 24, but now his/her heart has divided into four chambers, and the valves are beginning to develop. Your baby can also make a fist, and he/she may begin sucking their thumb.

How big is your baby?
Your baby is about the size of a grape, measuring about 1 ½ inches from its head to its rump, and weighs a fraction of an ounce.

By the way, today, I think it is a GIRL.

Weddings, Nana, and Prenatal testing

So, this past weekend, Rob and I traveled to Toledo, Ohio for my cousin Mike's wedding. I was very excited to be around my family but was interested to see if they would notice my lack-of-alcohol consumption. No one said anything, but I had my "I-had-hives-and-now-I'm-on-super-strong-steroids" story all prepped and ready to go. It was a lovely time and I do not think that anyone noticed my softer-than-usual mid-section. If they did, no one said anything to me, but they probably just figured that I was not working out anymore. (The pasta was great - it fit right in with my most recent cravings.)
I also told my Nana about the pregnancy with my mother and Rob present. She did not really respond. I could not read her at all. I hope that she is excited. I told her that she needs to come visit us in Colorado -- she said, "let's see what the weather is like" (she lives in Rochester, NY, where it does not stop snowing until May).

What is happening with me?
I mostly feel okay; I was going to say good, but I do not want to push it. I am still very tired but try to work through it. I had two awful days on Sunday and Monday of this week. I think it was an "extra blood" day; I felt flushed, hot, flu-ish and generally crappy. Today, however, has been a lot better.

First doctor's visit:
Rob and I have our first doctor's appointment one week from today. I am very excited but nervous that it will not go well and that I will have to find a new doctor. Needless to say, I have not had the best experiences with the doctor and her practice. (She is super nice, as is her head nurse... everyone else is questionable. One nurse practicioner treats me like I am four and a receptionist asked me if I wanted an abortion when I was calling to make my firs prenatal visit).

Rob and I have been talking about Amniocentesis and Chorionic villus sampling (CVS); CVS carries a 1 in 100 risk of miscarriage while amniocentesis carries a 1 in 400 to 1 in 200 risk. Considering my youth and what I know of my family's medical history, I do not think that I would like to get either unless there are abnormalities on the ultrasound. Either way, I think that I would prefer the amniocentesis versus CVS simply because of how the procedure is done... Call me crazy but I'd rather have a long needle shoved in my stomach than up my hoo-ha.

Week 8: More later!

So, it's been a very crazy week. I officially moved out of my condo and into Rob's condo. We put an offer on a house and it will hopefully be accepted shortly; we are down to the inspection phase. My stuff went into storage and in came Kevin (my renter). We secured a renter for Rob's place, too (Jen). Anyway, it's been crazy and this weekend is my cousin's wedding in Ohio, so we are definitely a little frazzled and looking forward to sitting on our butts, but before we do, I wanted to write...

Week 8:
Apparently, now my uterus is the size of a grapefruit. I can't tell. I am still having issues with food and tiredness but nothing crazy like last week (hives!). Unfortunately, I am off my prenatal vitamins but am hoping to go back on "natural" alternatives today as my allergist thinks that what caused the hives. I hope (hope, hope) to go to the gym soon and try to maintain some muscle tone. Nothing too crazy, do not worry! Oh, and, boobs are still getting ready for lactating... they're huge!

Fun fact: My blood volume has increased by 40 to 50 percent.

What is happening with your baby?
"Everything that is present in an adult human is now present in the small embryo. The ears are continuing to form externally and internally. The bones are beginning to form, and the muscles can contract. Fingers and toes are webbed but are growing longer.

The facial features continue to mature. The tip of the nose is present and the eyelids are now more developed. The embryonic tail is also disappearing, and your baby's body is beginning to straighten out.

While your baby's gender has already been determined, the external genitals are still forming and cannot be clearly seen. The embryo is at the end of the embryonic period and begins the fetal period."

How big is your baby?
The embryo is about 1 inch long and is approximately the size of a bean. (sweet!)