The goods

Very quick post here but I had to share. So, along with that limo ride, here is our booty:



What you don't see are a bunch of gift certificates. Two of them are from photography studios - one for a free sitting for our baby and one for $75 off any kind of photo shoot (maybe maternity?? hmm....?). Another one is for an eclectic baby boutique. Very cute stuff. We did get a carseat for when our baby outgrows the infant seat that Grandma H got us last week (which is AWESOME and we love it!). So....good stuff. We had a ball going to get it and going through it. Ahhh....Karma:-)

Too ironic and funny!

I just got a phone call from the people that ran that baby expo that Brett and I went to on Sunday...I won the grand prize. I have no idea what the grand prize is....so I asked Brett, he said "didn't you notice the hundreds of baby items on top of the limo where you entered your name?". I vaguely recall a breast pump, some clothes and diapers, a toddler seat, etc....I think. Anyway, I won ALL OF THAT and a limo ride home from the hospital for me and my baby in February. How crazy is that? I'm still laughing. Brett and I are going to run down there to pick the stuff up tonight, the guy was like, "do you have a pretty big car?". We do!!!! Even funnier, this is the computer entry where the woman was so rude to me about my baby bump and didn't believe I was 20 weeks pregnant!!! The universe laughs. So, I'll be sure to take a pic and post it as soon as possible which will either be tonight or next week since we are leaving to visit family and watch college football in Michigan tomorrow.

This is getting ridiculous

So, I think I look pregnant, lol, but no one else does!!! On Sunday, Brett and I went to church and then decided to head over to the baby expo going on at the Holiday Inn. It was free admission and was supposed to have a lot of information, including info from the local diapering services since I just have issues with disposable diapers and can't bring myself to use them and Brett has issues considering putting those cool bum.genius type diapers in our own washing machine (though I think we'll be using gDiapers, more on that later). So, my goal was to find the cloth diapering services and discuss. Well, upon first entering the exhibits, we saw one of the local hospitals set up with plastic models for the uterus and baby size for each milestone during pregnancy. Since I was exactly 20 weeks on Sunday and giddy with the very thought of making it halfway (let alone all that movement!), I went running over to the table, dragging Brett to look at the 20 week model. The women sitting there smiled at me and said "is someone in your family or a friend pregnant?" I said that I was 20 weeks TODAY...they looked at me, looked at my belly and said "really?" and then were like, "well, I guess it is it possible, don't worry you will pop one day!" I then picked up the little 20 week baby model, held it up to my belly and said, "see she still fits, even though I don't have much of a belly!" (and she did!) This continued through photographers and other vendors but the really fun one was at the end of it. Towards the end of the exhibits, they ask you to sign into a laptop computer for a raffle entry. The woman running the laptops told me, as I was approaching, that you didn't have to be pregnant to enter the list. I told her I was pregnant. She looked at me and said, "well, it must be early." Of course, I said no, I'm halfway today! 20 weeks! She then said that I didn't look it and, behind my back made a 'this woman is crazy' face to her co-worker. Brett saw it and leaned in to her and said "my wife really is 20 weeks pregnant today...we are due on Feb 14". The woman then got awkward and told me that I should enter my due date in the computer too. It was so awkward!!! I know I should be happy about this since I feel great and have no pains and am not uncomfortably large but I'd much rather have looked pregnant at this point. The thing is that all I could think was 'thank God I went to the doctor only 2 weeks ago and he told me that everything measured fine for 18 weeks'. I would seriously be a nervous wreck that something was wrong or she wasn't growing properly. Even with the reassurance from my doctor and the baby books saying I should feel my uterus at my belly button now (and I do), I am still nervous b/c I feel like I should show more. Of course, to me (and Brett) I am showing a lot. I am a lot thicker through the middle than I ever have been and haven't been fitting in my regular clothes for weeks...but, you never know what others see.



I've been feeling movement very regularly now, particularly after I eat something and specifically in the evenings to night time. She wiggles a lot in there and I just wish I had a little camera into my uterus so I can watch! I've also been dying to get to the point where her movements can be felt on the outside so Brett can share this with me. I wonder when that will happen....?

We signed up for a birthing class...wasn't too crazy about the idea initially but our local YMCA actually has people from the hospital I will give birth in come in to do these classes so it is much cheaper for us as members and I thought that it couldn't hurt. My main reason for wanting to do it was to go on the extended tour of the labor and delivery and maybe get us to the point where this whole delivery thing is real finally. Not to mention, someone in one of my forums said they aren't "crunchy" or "granola" enough to do one of these classes and, lol, I think I qualify for that (or at least I have at several times in my life!)....so I am compelled to do a child birthing class and wonder how Brett and I will do (will we get annoyed at it? frustrated? love it?). It starts in late November.

Now, about the diapers. I don't have issues with others using disposables at all and I get the feeling we will have to use them for the first few weeks because I've read that newborns are often too tiny in the beginning for the cloth or gDiapers to actually fit properly...and I will test that theory. My thing is that I can't imagine that much waste (here comes the 'granola' and 'crunchy' part, right?). I just can't bring myself to throw that much away...so I've been researching this stuff since we found out we were pregnant. I really like the Bum Genius diapering system but Brett can't handle that at all...the very idea of dirty poopy diapers being put in our dishwasher (oops, I meant washing machine, good catch, B!) is just too much (and I get it so am not criticizing him, though I'd prefer this method). I've researched the local diapering services and they are reasonable (all of these options cost about the same as regular disposables...except maybe the gDiapers are a little less cost efficient). ..but at the baby expo they were so busy selling something else that I didn't get to ask all of my specific questions (like do they come to my neighborhood? Do I buy my own covers? etc) so I will have to call them this week. So far, I've read good things about gDiapers though there are some complaints on leakage, this seems to be a growing pain issue of learning how to use them properly. These are the biodegradable flushable diapers. They have a cute little diaper cover and inside is a cloth liner and inside of that is a flushable diaper. Basically, when you have a dirty diaper, you take the disposable part to the toilet, swish it with a stick (provided) and then flush...and that is it. The other parts are machine washable if the mess goes beyond the flushable liner. We bought the starter kit for about $15 at a sale online and I am ready to go with these...but still want to research my options in case we aren't happy with this system. Has anyone used any alternative diaper services or products? what did you think? Oh...and I also can put in that as a baby I was very allergic to disposables so am wondering if my baby will be the same way so cloth may be a requirement.

This puppy needs surgery!

Just look at that pathetic face! See the bump on the side of his nose...think it is big in this pic? In the last week (since I took this picture) it has more than doubled in size!!! We had it biopsied last week and it is NOT cancer but since it is growing so fast (so much so that it is stretching the skin so much that it keeps reopening from the biopsy and bleeding everywhere), we will have to get my little man in for surgery...on Oct. 8th! Poor buddy. He'll be all handsome again soon!

Besides that, I feel movement! Lots and lots of movement! It is the coolest thing ever!!! I can't believe it b/c as you all saw, I am carrying her in my tushy...but the movement was in my belly! She is an active little thing and I thought it would be more subtle...but no, I feel her regularly though, of course, I can't discern what the pokes and nudges are, but there they are. It is finally very very real! I love it.

A belly pic.

So, I got Brett to take a picture this morning. He made my put my hands on my belly so that it would look like I actually had a belly:-) I have to say, I did think it would be more obvious by now...I actually took one of our dogs to the vet on Friday and the vet tech was very pregnant so I said to her, "how far along are you?" (you know I wouldn't have asked if I didn't absolutely KNOW she was pregnant- wearing maternity scrubs and really filling them out). She smiles and says, "almost 21 weeks". I said, "wow, I'm almost 19 weeks!". She looks at me, I see her gaze glance down to my belly, she looks a little confused, smiles and says, "oh, congratulations". So, I had to go a step further and ask her if this was her first b/c we all know that you show so much faster with your later children...nope it was her first. Then another woman who works there comes in and she is 20 weeks and again, she looks WAYYYY more pregnant than me. It looks like all I'm getting is some hip spreading (which hurts in the mornings, by the way) and just a little bit of belly action. So, here are my pics...Oh, and did I mention I really really need a haircut? I am set up to get one in 3 weeks, where I will lose that huge ponytail and donate it to Locks of Love...and I will have non-flat hair again!!! !



19 weeks!!! In another week, I will be halfway there!!!!

The girl is stubborn!

We had a great OB appointment yesterday. The anatomy scan went relatively well. Our baby girl was drop-dead gorgeous, of course, and was flailing away with her arms and legs. We saw the beautiful blood flow to her organs. Her heart was a big, beautiful, beating 4 chambered wonder. The umbilical cord was thicker than I expected to see (never saw one before) and we found out my placenta is high in the fundus. So, all good!!! However, she was totally uncooperative with the gender check and the head measurements. So...get ready for this....we get another u/s next time!!!! And, I didn't even have to beg!!! Woo hoo!!! The scale scared me though. At home, I've gained 5.2 lbs...we have a good scale and I check almost daily. At the OB's office, I've gained 10 lbs!!!! How is that even possible? I still don't really even like food! But, he said 10 lbs is ideal...and the baby weighed over 7 oz so she is doing just fine in there...so no matter what, all is good. I still voiced some worry over miscarriage and my doctor said, which a shocked face, "but you are 18 weeks, she is in there!!!".

The ultrasound technician is the nicest woman. She spent a long time hoping that our little girl would move over or flip over and wiggling the probe on my belly in the hopes that it would help. Neither Brett nor I could take our eyes off of the screen. Her arms were flailing overhead and she has very long legs already (gets it from mom:-)). We were laughing and tearing up and totally glued to the screen. She also sent us home with 7 pictures! Some aren't so clear but I'll post the three best here.

About the doctor himself. He was great. It started out very quick, he asked "how are you feeling?" and after he measured my belly and said, "yup, it feels like 18 weeks to me!" and looked toward the door, I looked at him and said I have some questions and proceeded to pull a sheet of paper out of my purse. He laughed and sat down and said "that is what I am here for". So, we talked. I genuinely liked his philosophy. He is conservative in terms of c-section and induction, unless the patient requests otherwise. He came off as very understanding and willing to work with me as to what I want. I did tell him that I am not demanding anything at all...if medically necessary, I don't care what he does to get a healthy baby out...so he wasn't feeling overwhelmed by me either, I hope. Brett and I left feeling a lot better about our choice. So, I am staying with him.

Besides that, we are just enjoying this. Life has been stressful lately since Brett is traveling so much for work, my family is crazy and overpowering lately, and we are caught in cash-for-clunkers hell. But, we have a beautiful little girl (90% or so odds she is female, right?) growing. I am starting to show and am now willing to post a belly pic (I know, I've been saying this for weeks, but ultimately, I really have been waiting for the belly to overshadow the big butt). Every time I have Brett take a pic of me to post, I am offended at the size of my tush! But, I'm getting over it now that the belly is looking more pregnant and less beer gut. So, I promise that this weekend, I will post a 19 week belly pic. There, I said it:-)

So, without further ado...

Check out the leg! And the big foot!!! She was almost sucking on her toes!

Here is a really good profile. You can see her little nose and lips and that line of dots is the umbilical cord (you probably already knew that - I didn't!).

Another shot of the profile with the foot and you can see some of her ribs, etc. She's so cute!

Maybe some issues with the OB?

I think I might need some advice. I am not overly crazy about my OB. I am going to give it another shot on Tuesday...and I've heard great things...but here is the situation. First, I very rarely get any time to talk to anyone in the office. Second, I had to actually request an anatomy scan (no one suggested any testing or ultrasounds at all), which they are giving me on Tuesday, but they told me that my ultrasound appointment is at 2:45, my OB appt is at 3. Isn't the anatomy scan supposed to be detailed and take a long time? Don't they check every organ that they can to make sure all is okay and measure everything on the baby, the placenta, etc? How can this happen in 15 minutes? They also haven't done ANY tests at all. I told them I didn't need genetic tests but I know there is a urine protein test that should have been done around week 16 and that time period has passed. I am getting confused.

Then, this morning, I went to a prenatal aqua fitness class, which was fun. However, of the 5 other women in the pool, 4 of them have had repeat c-sections and the 5th one had her first baby 16 years ago, so she doesn't really count. This prompted me to do some research. It turns out that NY is one of the worst states for c-section rates. The rates are incredibly high - mainly b/c of malpractice insurance. However, the World Health Organization has researched this issue and found that the ideal number is 15% of births can be c-sections. Over that number and women start having complications and babies have health problems and higher mortality rates. Well, NY's rate is 36%. My hospital's rate is 33.7%. My OB, though he hinted we'd be going for a vaginal birth, seems to go along with these stats- of the 2 women I know who have gone to him, both have had c-sections. I am not anti-c-section. I am anti-unnecessary-c-section. My thought is that God provided an exit for them and if the exit is available, the baby should use it. If something causes a problem and the exit is blocked or inaccessible or the baby is in distress, my doctor is free to create another exit. Until that point, I'd like to go the natural way, please. So, now I have more research to do and more questions to ask my elusive OB.

I realize that it is early to be considering labor and delivery type things but my concern is that birth has very much been taken away from women. Our decisions frequently are made for us and, if they are not, we are rarely provided the information to make our own informed decisions. So, I want to know now and discuss things this early so that, if I don't like the answers, I can find other options (aka, other OB's or midwives, etc). I wish I could come up with another OB practice in Syracuse that I heard was good and delivered at my chosen hospital...but maybe they are fine. The truth is that I am not very high maintenance in this department at all...I just want to feel like I am included in my own care and have things explained to me. I'd also like to feel cared for so that I don't need to research all of my own options and ask them to give me scans. It seems that all of my fellow February Due Date girls get suggestions for tests from their OB's - not the other way around. I'm frustrated.

Things I am going to ask my OB:

1. How long do you allow a patient to go after her due date before you induce? (ideally, he should say up to 2 weeks if all is fine)

2. What is your practice's particular c-section rate and what medical reasons would prompt you to perform a c-section? Do you automatically do c-sections if the baby appears "big" and how big is "big"?

3. How long do you allow your patients to labor (in early labor) before you either break their water or give pitocin to move labor along?

4. Do you allow your patients to get up out of bed or sit up on a labor ball to let gravity help with labor?

5. What are your recommendations about the swine flu and the vaccine? Will your practice be getting the vaccine?

6. Are there other screening tests that I need to be aware of?

Do you guys have any other ideas of questions I should ask? I really have no idea, I've just been paying attention to stories of other women and recommendations made by friends. So, please share if you have ideas that I've forgotten about.

Also, what is your take on the anatomy scan thing? did yours take longer than 15 minutes?

Sorry I've been away...I think I am trying to just live again a little. I am at the boring stage in pregnancy (which is LOVELY), where nothing much is happening, I'm not overly stressed, I'm not feeling movement yet, not showing too much yet, etc. So, I'm just trying to get by. Tomorrow night, I have a great date night planned with my hubby. First we are going to one of the most elegant restaurants in Syracuse (not saying much, lol) but truly, this is one of the only real culinary experiences in the area with a chef from NYC (food is what I miss most about living in NYC) and they are willing to cook gluten free for me!!! They were very gracious and confirmed that my favorite salad - lobster and goat cheese- is gluten free and the cheese IS pasteurized, so I can eat it! yay! Then, we are going to Cirque du Soleil! Granted, it is probably the "D" string of performers since we aren't in a big city, but I think it'll be fun anyway!

In other news, the state fair was in town and Brett and I hit every country concert that they had. We do it every year. And, just in time b/c our little girl already started hearing...so we've got her started early. During the free Darius Rucker show (which was seriously a BLAST- he did his new country stuff but then lots of Hootie too - and random other fun stuff. surprisingly good performer), my neighbor on the grass leaned over and said, your daughter is getting an early start -she's going to love this music. How fun was that? Then I got nervous at the level of noise at Big and Rich (we were in the 7th row on the floor, center), but looked around and from my seat, could see 2 other HUGELY pregnant women who were doing just fine too! I think I am done with loud concerts for a while, but it was fun. There were some great shows and it is really rare to get good shows up here.