I've been lying to myself & 10 week update

I've been saying for the past few weeks that I don't look pregnant, but I've been lying.  Mostly, I've been lying to myself.  Here is what I was going to wear to work this morning...until M stopped me.

Looking far more pregnant than I thought I did.

Sorry for the poor pic quality...stupid phone!  :( 

I'm not "out" at school quite yet.  I work in a VERY small district and as soon as a few people know, EVERYONE will know.  I am not so worried about the staff at this point, as I am about my students.  I know that the likelihood of a miscarriage is relatively low now, especially since we saw a healthy baby at the ultrasound last week, but it would be far too personal for me to go through in front of my students.  

We've told all of our friends and family, but at school I've only told my principal, the other Spanish teacher (because it will affect his course load next year), and two close friends/co-workers.  I am going to *try* to wait until after my appointment on May 21 to tell many more people. 

After M convinced me that there was no way that I would be able to suck in my baby gut all day (and he was right!), I changed into a big, flowy shirt and a sweater to cover myself up.  I still looked pregnant, but everyone does in that sort of outfit, so I just went with it.  I don't know if I'll make it 3 more weeks without someone asking me....I guess I'll just have to wait and see.

So here's this week's update:

How far along? 10 weeks (and 3 days.  I was measuring 3 days ahead at my ultrasound, but my doctor didn't change my due date, so I'm still going to do updates on Mondays.)

Fruit of the week: Baby is the size of a prune.   

Weight gain/loss: Back to my pre-pregnancy weight.  : /

Feeling: Still tired, but less nauseous.  Yesterday I felt like crap every time I ate, but I think I'm getting my appetite back. 

Sleep:  Eh.  It comes and goes.

Food cravings: Salt and vinegar chips!!  I usually don't even like these, but I NEEDED them on Saturday.

Gender? Who knows!?!?!?!?

What I miss? Having energy.  

Best moment this week: Meeting my new niece!!  Seeing Evie interact with the baby was really neat too.  

What I'm looking forward to: The end of the school year so I can wear yoga pants and maternity tank tops every day.  :)

Next Appointment: May 21...only 3 weeks away!

Eating Issues

Evie has always been a pretty good eater.  She is no pickier than the average toddler, but lately mealtimes have been a BATTLE!!!  She won't sit in her high chair.  She won't eat anything I put in front of her.  But she will run for the cupboard that the graham crackers are in as soon as I am done cleaning up whatever meal she hasn't eaten.

One of Evie's first meals in her high chair

Today, she didn't eat a single "real" meal.  She ate half a yogurt cup for breakfast (she usually finishes the whole cup), ate most of a fruit and veggie pouch for lunch (they are only 3.5 oz of baby food style fruits and veggies), and for dinner she ate two graham crackers because I gave up and just let her have them.  Her weight is fine, so I'm not worried about her health (at this point), but I'm more frustrated by the fact that she throws a fit every time I try to put her in her high chair.  Even bribing her with her beloved yogurt bites doesn't do the trick anymore.  When she actually wants to eat, she wants to sit in my lap to do it.

It's bad at home, but it's even worse when we go out to eat.  M and I have always enjoyed going out for dinner on the weekends.  (Seriously, who wants to cook on the weekends?!?!)  Having a child didn't really slow us down.  Evie has always been pretty good at restaurants, and we usually stick with places that are kid friendly.  (Buffalo Wild Wings is our favorite - it's loud and there are lots of distractions...and really good wings!!)  Since Evie has wanted to sit on my lap to eat, we have to eat in shifts.  M hurries to finish his meal.  By the time he is done, Evie is sick of sitting at the table, so I eat by myself while he wanders around the restaurant trying to entertain her.

I think times are a-changing.  We are going to try a booster seat at home to see if that novelty will get her back in the habit of eating in her own chair and not in my lap.  M and I had a talk yesterday about the fact that we may not be able to go out to eat as much for the next few months.  :(  I suppose we'll save some money...or just start ordering take out, lol.  I know that it's just a phase, but it's sure a frustrating one!!!

I'd love to hear some suggestions!!  Have you had any similar issues with your child?  How did you get through it?

"Your hips could deliver a much larger baby."

My OB actually said that at my appointment yesterday morning, but I'll get to that in a minute.

Our baby blob

First and most important, there is really a baby in there.  The baby had a strong heartbeat of 175.  I was kind of freaked out that the heartbeat was so rapid, but the ultrasound tech said that it's normal for it to be that high between 7 - 10 weeks....something to do with the completion of the development of the major organs.  Anyway, I was also surprised at how well we could make out the arms and legs and head.  It looks like a real human sort of thing.  (This picture doesn't really do it justice.)  We could see it moving its arms and bouncing around a little bit.  If I was still in shock about being pregnant, this definitely made it real. 

I was happy (and relieved) to hear a heartbeat and see the baby moving.  Like I wrote the other day, I just haven't felt pregnant like I did with Evie.  Maybe I just remember how it felt at the end though; huge and feeling the baby move all the time. 

After the ultrasound, I had an appointment with my OB.  I am seeing the same doctor that I saw when I was pregnant with Evie.  She is very nice, and incredibly calm and soft-spoken.  It's the exact kind of energy I need around me because I freak out about things a lot. 

She checked my cervix, etc. and then she asked me a bunch of questions about my pregnancy with Evie to fill in my chart.  She asked how much Evie weighed at birth.  When I told her that she was only 5 pounds 15 ounces, she asked me to remind her if Evie had been born early.  I said no, just 6 days before the due date, so not incredibly early.  She then proceeded to say, "Well, your hips could deliver a much larger baby, so don't be concerned if this child is bigger than Evie was." 

I think she was trying to reassure me that I could have another easy delivery even if this baby is bigger, but it sounded like she was saying that I have large, child-bearing hips.  I just smiled to myself.  This woman is far too nice to have meant to offend me.  I just never expected her to say something like that!!  M left after the ultrasound because he had to go back to work, but when I told him that she said this, he wished that he had been there to hear it....ha ha ha!!

My next appointment is on May 21.  We should be able to hear a heartbeat with the doppler at that point.  This is starting to get exciting!!

My niece is here!

My sister delivered a healthy baby girl last night at 9:04.  Natalie Mae weighed 7 pounds 14 ounces and is 20 inches long.  Mom and baby are both doing very well.  The baby is precious!!  She has chubby little cheeks and looks like my brother-in-law.  My sister's labor was overall pretty easy.  She didn't make much progress at first considering that she had been 3 cm for the past few weeks.  But she went from 6 cm to delivering a baby in 2 and a half hours, so the end was quick.  Total, she was in labor for about 13 hours.

I was able to sneak up to the hospital for about 20 minutes before my doctor's appointment this morning.  (More to come on that tomorrow!)  After school, M and Evie met me at the hospital again so that Evie could meet her new cousin.  She was very interested in the baby.  She thought it was cool to touch her hand and give her a kiss.  After she touched her, she would stand back and say, "oooooohhhh!!!" and make this adorable excited/surprised face.  It was awesome to see her interact with a baby like that.  It was an interesting preview to what we will see in November.  :)

I could not be happier for my sister and her husband.  This baby was about 18 months in the making, and that was even before conception.  As an outsider, seeing their struggles in trying to conceive broke my heart.  She lost faith so many times.  Some days I think she hated me for being optimistic, but I couldn't ever lose hope that someday she would be a mom.  Last night, their dreams and all of my prayers for them came true.

What's in my diaper bag

I received the bag I use as my diaper bag as a gift from my master's cohort after Evie was born.  They were nice enough to chip on an embroidered bag.  It's very stylish, and I like that it's small.  It's more like a big purse than a diaper bag. 

My diaper purse

I never really saw the point in carrying a huge diaper bag.  I had a larger bag that I used when Evie was younger, but it was always half empty. 

Now that Evie is a little older, we need more stuff with us when we go out, but I still haven't transitioned back to the bigger bag.  I can still fit everything, so I haven't seen the need.

Now the essentials include:

Snacks.  

Yogurt bites, puffs/cheerios, and a fruit pouch are necessities wherever we go.

Entertainment.

 Evie loves to look at books.  These usually work to keep her occupied, but I often also have to give her my keys/sunglasses/anything from the shopping cart to appease her.  (She threw her first big public fit on Sunday...awesome.)

Diapers.  Duh.

Honestly, I think these are the least important things that I have in the bag.  (Unless she poops, then they become the most important.)  We aren't usually gone more than a couple of hours at a time, and I don't have to change her in public very often. 

I'm interested to see what other moms have in their diaper bags during this week's Toddle Along Tuesday.  Maybe they've thought of something amazing that hasn't occurred to me.  :)

What's in your diaper bag?  

Link up with Missie at Growing up Geeky for this week's Toddle Along Tuesday. 

9 weeks

Nine weeks already!!  I have my first doctor's appointment on Wednesday and I was very excited to find out that I'm going to have an ultrasound too.  I am seeing the same doctor that I did with Evie, and normally she only does the big anatomy scan at 20 weeks.  Because I was still on the pill when I got pregnant, they want to make sure that they have an accurate calculation of how far along I actually am.  So, hopefully I'm actually 9 weeks, and maybe I'm a little further than that.  ::fingers crossed::

I'm still not feeling pregnant, other than the morning/all day sickness.  I don't look pregnant at all either.  (Not that I really want to, but I thought that I would by now.)  A co-worker guessed I was pregnant when I was 11 weeks with Evie.  I feel like nothing has changed about my appearance at all, and I actually weigh less than I did before I got pregnant!

9 weeks pregnant

How far along? 9 weeks

Fruit of the week: In week nine, baby is the size of a green olive. 

Weight gain/loss: -2 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight.  I lost two pounds in the past week.

Feeling: Still dizzy.  I'm not so much nauseous as that I just don't have an appetite.  Nothing ever sounds really good.   

Sleep: Better.  Evie is over her ear infection, so she's been sleeping through the night again.  I have officially given myself permission to nap whenever she takes a nap on the weekends too.  :)

Food cravings: Cravings: none.  Aversions: just about everything.  I feel like I have to force myself to eat.  It's gross.


Gender? This week I'm feeling....boy!

What I miss? The desire to eat. 

Best moment this week:Hanging out with Evie and my mother-in-law at the big farmer's market by the state capitol on Saturday.  LOVE the farmer's market!!!

What I'm looking forward to: My appointment on Wednesday and my niece being born!!  My sister is being induced at 8:30 tomorrow morning.  Hopefully things go smoothly and everyone is happy and healthy and we have a baby sometime tomorrow!!!

Next Appointment: Wednesday!!!!!

Stuff my kid says

Evie is talking more and more lately.  As a language teacher, it amazes me to watch how she learns each new word and the order in which she learns them, what is important for her to communicate and how she expresses herself.  She can tell me what she wants and what she doesn't want (not that she gets her way, but she can tell me nonetheless!).  With all of the new communication, her little personality is exploding.

"Listen up! I've got important things to say!!"

Some of my favorite things that Evie has said:

• "Ava, Kloe, fun!" In response to M asking how her day was.  (Ava and Kloe are two other little girls at daycare.)
• Yes and No...sometimes indiscriminately.  When we went to the doctor's office last week, she said yes when the doctor asked if she had chocolate ice cream for breakfast.  Then she said yes when he asked if she had cereal for breakfast.  She also said yes when he asked if she had yogurt for breakfast.  (Only the yogurt was actually true, lol!)
• Eye, ear, nose, and toes. - She can be a little violent with this one.  She jabbed me in the eye the other day trying to show me that she knew where my eye was.  
• Cow, sheep, cat, dog, horse, duck...  She loves to point them out in books or on TV.  However, she thinks they all say, "moo."  I guess we'll have to keep working on that.
• Last weekend she pointed at my sister's LARGE pregnant belly (she's due the 24th) and said, "ball."  My sister was less than impressed, but I thought it was pretty funny.  :)

I can't wait to see how she does in Spain.  I speak Spanish with her when it's just the two of us at home.  She usually understands me, but she hasn't said many words in Spanish.  Just "pato" (duck) and "hija" (daughter...which I always call her). 

Seeing her learn to talk in the most exciting thing I've ever experienced!

Dreaming Big

A few weeks ago, I wrote about how we are considering moving to the town where I teach.  We're beginning the process this week!!  We meet with our realtor on Tuesday evening to discuss the possibility of putting our house on the market. 

We are trying to be optimistic, but realistic at the same time, which is pretty much impossible.  We bought our house in the spring of 2006 at the height of the housing bubble...meaning we paid top dollar back then.  Now we are exploring the possibility of selling when prices are at, essentially, rock bottom.  Basic Econ. 101 would dictate that we are doing this all wrong.  Our area of the country was not hit nearly as badly by the recession as the coasts, but when we refinanced last summer, the value of our house had still dropped significantly.  ($30K significantly...SCARY!!!!)  However, we did not have an appraisal, we just used the generic Freddie Mac numbers to save time and money.  We're hoping that an accurate appraisal will be better. 

As much as the possibility of selling is incredibly scary, and not to mention, we can't even sell if we'll lose money, it's so exciting to think about new houses.  In our dreams, we would build a new house.  M has been tirelessly looking at lots for sale, and researching all of the costs involved in building.  He admits that he is a little ahead of himself, but it's just too much fun not to look. 

I'm dreaming too.  I am thinking of how much it would help to have a better support network of my co-workers, many of whom are very close friends, within a few minutes of us.  With another baby on the way, I'm getting a little freaked out.  I think about getting two kids ready for daycare by myself.  (M works 35 minutes from where we currently live...he has to be out the door long before I do most mornings.  If we moved, he would only be 20 minutes from his office.)  I think about how wonderful it would be to not have to pack Evie (and baby #2) in the car for a 25 minute trip every day, how great it would be to have babysitters nearby (one of the perks of teaching high school!). 

It's exciting and scary at the same time.  I've been in ultra-spring cleaning mode all weekend, and we'll have so much more to do if we decide to sell.  I'm sure it will all work out however it's meant to work out.  For now (until Tuesday), my hopes are high!!! 

Spring Break '12

I was on spring break all of last week, and it was so nice to have more time to spend with Evie.  I've been feeling guilty (yes, already) about the fact that in a few months, I'm going to have to divide my attention between her and a newborn.  I'm really going to cherish my time off with her until then.  :) 

We did quite a bit over the course of the week.  The weekend before Easter, we went to visit M's parents at the farm.  They babysat while we went to a concert in Dubuque, Iowa with a group of friends.  We saw Shooter Jennings with Cody Canada and the Departed.  It was a GREAT concert!!  Anytime Shooter Jennings is within two hours of us, we always go see him.  We told our friends that I'm expecting again.  We didn't plan on telling, but I didn't feel like doing the fake drinking/lying about taking antibiotics all night.  They would have been suspicious of any reason that I gave them for not drinking anyway.  ;)

Self-portrait from the concert.

During the week while M was working, Evie and I just hung out.  The weather was cool, but sunny, so we were able to spend a lot of time outside.  We went to the park every day and we took the dog for walks.  It was just really relaxing. 

Evie swinging

Evie gets into EVERYTHING these days.  I told M we need to build shelving about 6 feet high around our entire house because I feel like I run out of counter space putting things where she can't reach them.  Here she is taking things out of the fridge.  Apparently she wanted to celebrate spring break college style.

Don't worry, the silo can of Miller Lite was closed.

Thursday night we drove up to my parent's for the holiday weekend.  M and I left Evie with them on Friday while we went to Brewer's opening day in Milwaukee.  There is always a huge group of our friends that go to opening day.  It's been a tradition with M and his friends for the past 10 years, long before the Brewers were any good.  It was much easier to get tickets back then...lol! 

After the game (which they lost), we drove back up to my parent's.  We spent the day there on Saturday, then drove back to Milwaukee on Sunday to go to another Brewer's game (which they also lost).  Evie came with us to that one.  She does very well at events like that.  It gives me hope that our 8 hour plane ride in a few months will go smoothly. 

It was a great spring break.  I think we made the most of it.  I was able to spend some quality time with M and Evie.  That's all I could ask for!!

7 Weeks

I was on spring break last week (hence the non-posting, we were gone quite a bit visiting family, etc.). Now it's back to reality: battling queasiness in front of a classroom full of kids and pretending that I'm happy to be energetically and enthusiastically teaching them, rather than curled up on my couch with a puke pail nearby.  I forgot how much fun it is to teach with morning sickness...uuuugggghhh!!!!

Well, the good news is that while I feel nauseous most of the day, the bloat has definitely receded. 

I feel like I look normal.  I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts! :)

How far along? 7 weeks

Weight gain/loss: I lost another pound, so 2 lbs. below my pre-pregnancy weight.  I was surprised considering my Easter candy binge and a weekend of tailgating. 

Feeling: Very tired, and very dizzy.  I think I need to drink more water.  The dizziness doesn't help the queasiness. 

Maternity clothes? Nope.  I lent all of my maternity clothes to my sister, but I know she bought a bunch too.  I'm sure she's give me everything after her baby is born in a few weeks.  (So excited for her!!)  I'm looking forward to the variety.

Sleep: Better last week when I was on break.  I tossed and turned last night though.  I always sleep better when I'm not as worried about school.

Food cravings: German chocolate cake with coconut pecan icing.  I may or may not have eaten 2/3 of one in less than 24 hours last week.  

Movement? I'm going to have to wait a bit for this one.  :(

Gender? According to the Chinese gender predictor: If we conceived in March, it's a girl, but a boy if we conceived in February....I wasn't charting, so I don't know for sure...it's on the border line, but I'm just hoping it's one or the other.  ;)

What I miss? Alcohol.  Specifically a cold Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy.  

Best moment this week: Going to Brewer's opening day on Friday with M.  He goes every year, and I go if I am on spring break.  We were with a ton of friends we haven't seen in a while, and it was a really fun day. 

What I'm looking forward to: Going to bed!!! And, more importantly, the birth of my niece.  (My sister is 38 weeks today, and dilated 3 cm!!!  Hopefully it will be soon!)

Next Appointment: April 25th.

My favorite picture

Mama G at Growing up Geeky is having a photo contest for her weekly Toddle Along Tuesday blog hop.

Let me start by saying, I'm not a great photographer.  I try.  I prefer candid shots over staged, posed photos, and my favorites are often for sentimental reasons, not for their excellent photographic composition. 

Here is my favorite recent picture of Evie. 

Bath time!  About 19 months old. 

6 Weeks

I posted my big surprise news last week, so I thought that I would start up with a weekly update.  As of today, I am officially 6 weeks pregnant (and still a little shocked by the whole thing).

I definitely think I look less bloated, but I took this picture in the morning, and the one last week at night.  I'm sure that makes a difference.  I still feel bloated...uuggghhh.


I think a lot of the pregnancy surveys that float around are kind of cute.  It's cool to see how things change over time.  I borrowed this one from Mama G at Growing up Geeky. 

How far along? 6 weeks

Weight gain/loss: Currently 1 lb. under what I'm using as my pre-pregnancy weight.  This is also 9 lbs. below my pre-pregnancy weight with Evie, so I'm feeling pretty good about myself....for now.

Feeling: TIRED!  And I have a love/hate relationship with food.  I will feel hungry, but then nothing sounds good.  I'll eat something, and then feel like I was to vomit it all back up.  Pregnancy...tons of fun.

Maternity clothes? Not yet.

Sleep: Ok.  I've never been a very good sleeper, but for the past couple of weeks, I've been waking up around 4:00 and I haven't been able to get back to sleep.  By the end of the school day, I'm like a zombie.

Food cravings: Depends on the moment.  I've wanted pizza more than usual I guess. 

Movement? Not yet, but looking forward to it.  :)

Gender? I have no idea!!  Is it wrong that I'm hoping for a boy??

What I miss? Being able to drink at the concert we went to Saturday night, not being able to drink at Brewer's opening day on Friday.  Don't mind me if I sound like an alcoholic.  ;)

Best moment this week: Telling M's parents!

What I'm looking forward to: Opening day at Miller Park on Friday.  I'm excited to see baseball again, even without booze...but booze would be nice.   

Next Appointment: April 25th will be my first appointment.  I'll be 9 1/2 weeks.  I'm a little disappointed it's not earlier.