I had a great appointment on Thursday. We found out the sex (GIRL!), got to see our sweet Penelope again, and the sonographer called me skinny. I made her repeat it. It was the nicest thing anyone's ever said to me. Ever. My doctor even said I was doing great in the weight gain department. It was a great day. I may or may not have celebrated by eating pink cupcakes from my favorite bakery, courtesy of my mother in law. She knows the way to my heart is through my stomach. And Julia's Bakery pink cupcakes. And she knows to buy them AFTER my weigh in at the doctor. Smart lady. A moment of silence for those delicious cupcakes.
I've had a rough week with insomnia. It takes a few hours to fall asleep and then I wake up several times a night. It takes a few hours to fall asleep again so once Beatrice wakes, I've barely slept 5 hours total all night. I have been emotional, exhausted, and feeling pretty moody. I need sleep.
Stats
Weight gain: Total, from the beginning? 14 lbs. I was up at least 20 - 25 lbs at 21 weeks with Beatrice. I wanted to be at more like 10 lbs, but my doctor was THRILLED with the 14 so I guess I am too.
Stretch marks: None.
Movement: Lots, but mostly at night. Penelope is a night owl.
Cravings: Fruit. And fried egg sandwiches...
Sleep: Terrible. Something's got to give.
Best moment this week: Finding out the sex.
Gender: GIRL!!! We all love our little 'Nell-la-pee, as Beatrice calls her.
Labor signs: None, other than some contractions and cramping last week when I pulled my uterus out of socket. I was getting something out of the top of a closet and it was way heavier than I thought. I took it easy for 2 days and all's good. Uterus is securely back in its socket.
Belly button: In, but getting very shallow.
What I miss: Sleep. And regular bras. I had to break out the nursing bras again.
What I'm looking forward to: Our beach vacation next week. And this mama's wearing a bikini. Fellow beach goers, beware. A big(ish) belly and enormous boobs are coming your way.
Weekly wisdom: I can actually do a lot more on very little sleep than I ever thought.
Milestones: We know the sex and can start planning the nursery!!!
A photo for the record.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Meet Our Baby
I have a lot of admiration for couples that wait to find out the sex of their child until the day of delivery. It shows so much restraint. To be able to wait and wonder who the child growing inside a giant belly is for 9 months only to be surprised at the moment that child emerges is such a wonderful experience to share. I admire that. JD and I could never do it. If waiting means strength and self-control, then we are weak and unrestrained. We are planners. We need to know what the name will be, what color the nursery will be, whether we'll be investing in ballet slippers or baseball mitts. We need to know the sex as soon as possible. Today we found out.
Meet our new baby girl.
GIRL!!!!!!
I woke up feeling an overwhelming sense of girl today. I was calm and relaxed, I even prayed for her as a her this morning. It's weird, but I just knew. JD is shocked and happy, I am relieved and happy. We are the parents of 2 precious daughters. Now I must go pick out nursery colors and order ballet slippers x2. We have girls, after all.
Meet our new baby girl.
GIRL!!!!!!
I woke up feeling an overwhelming sense of girl today. I was calm and relaxed, I even prayed for her as a her this morning. It's weird, but I just knew. JD is shocked and happy, I am relieved and happy. We are the parents of 2 precious daughters. Now I must go pick out nursery colors and order ballet slippers x2. We have girls, after all.
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
The Mean Internet Lady Is Probably Going To Judge Me
JD and I were sitting here talking about the new baby and I called it an "it." I realized the time and excitedly exclaimed, "this time tomorrow we will know what "it" is." I am so excited, I can hardly wait. But in the midst of my excitement, I'm a little sad that the wait will be over. Because you see, during the last 10 weeks or so, I have come to terms with all of my fears about having a boy child and no matter what we find out tomorrow, one of my dreams will be no more.
In the height of my extreme anxiety about having a boy, I wrote this. Deep within the sarcasm, my very real fears were hidden. I received my first ever hate mail from that post. A woman wrote that I was a terrible person and mother for praying for a girl and she hoped that CPS would take my children away from me. I wasn't offended by it, but rather largely perplexed at the woman's gall to make such assumptions about me based on a sarcastic post. I toyed with the idea of emailing her personally, but I decided to delete the comment and ignore her cruelty. You are a very mean lady if you're still out there, mean lady. But I forgive you.
That comment has made me reflect on why I really wanted another girl. I have asked other mothers if they had a preference either way and while everyone said that they would be happy with either a boy or a girl, most said that they had always imagined themselves having one or the other. I think that pinpoints my feelings about having another girl. I have always imagined myself as a mother of girls. Of course I would be happy and blessed with a boy, but since I was a child I have dreamed of mothering girls. The thought of that dream not coming true is a little disappointing. A disappointment that would quickly disappear at the news of a healthy boy, just so you know.
I do not think there is anything wrong with hoping and praying for a child of a certain sex. God knows the desires of my heart before I even tell Him, He was not surprised at my pleading back in February. I also don't think it makes me a terrible mother/person to be a little disappointed tomorrow either way. It will not be disappointment over the child that I get, but disappointment of a dream or imagined reality lost. A whole lifetime of imagined motherhood could be changed in an instant. And I am a little apprehensive to go there, to give up my dream.
Tomorrow, in the midst of all of the excitement of finding out the sex, either way I expect to feel a twinge of "ahhh man." I have come to terms with my fears about a boy and now, I kinda want one. That, of course, will mean the loss of my dream of having another girl. And if I get my second precious daughter, I will be a little sad that I don't have a precious son. Never satisfied, am I? Either way, I'm pretty sure that's normal. And I'm not ashamed to say that to you, blog readers. Please don't send me hate mail though, mmkay?
But because this is the internet and words often get lost in translation, I need to say that I will be elated and happy with whatever our news is tomorrow. We are blessed to be the parents of 2 children and tomorrow's news will clue us into who our missing family member will be. How wonderful and exciting! I can't wait to reveal the big news to everyone!! Even you, mean internet lady.
In the height of my extreme anxiety about having a boy, I wrote this. Deep within the sarcasm, my very real fears were hidden. I received my first ever hate mail from that post. A woman wrote that I was a terrible person and mother for praying for a girl and she hoped that CPS would take my children away from me. I wasn't offended by it, but rather largely perplexed at the woman's gall to make such assumptions about me based on a sarcastic post. I toyed with the idea of emailing her personally, but I decided to delete the comment and ignore her cruelty. You are a very mean lady if you're still out there, mean lady. But I forgive you.
That comment has made me reflect on why I really wanted another girl. I have asked other mothers if they had a preference either way and while everyone said that they would be happy with either a boy or a girl, most said that they had always imagined themselves having one or the other. I think that pinpoints my feelings about having another girl. I have always imagined myself as a mother of girls. Of course I would be happy and blessed with a boy, but since I was a child I have dreamed of mothering girls. The thought of that dream not coming true is a little disappointing. A disappointment that would quickly disappear at the news of a healthy boy, just so you know.
I do not think there is anything wrong with hoping and praying for a child of a certain sex. God knows the desires of my heart before I even tell Him, He was not surprised at my pleading back in February. I also don't think it makes me a terrible mother/person to be a little disappointed tomorrow either way. It will not be disappointment over the child that I get, but disappointment of a dream or imagined reality lost. A whole lifetime of imagined motherhood could be changed in an instant. And I am a little apprehensive to go there, to give up my dream.
Tomorrow, in the midst of all of the excitement of finding out the sex, either way I expect to feel a twinge of "ahhh man." I have come to terms with my fears about a boy and now, I kinda want one. That, of course, will mean the loss of my dream of having another girl. And if I get my second precious daughter, I will be a little sad that I don't have a precious son. Never satisfied, am I? Either way, I'm pretty sure that's normal. And I'm not ashamed to say that to you, blog readers. Please don't send me hate mail though, mmkay?
But because this is the internet and words often get lost in translation, I need to say that I will be elated and happy with whatever our news is tomorrow. We are blessed to be the parents of 2 children and tomorrow's news will clue us into who our missing family member will be. How wonderful and exciting! I can't wait to reveal the big news to everyone!! Even you, mean internet lady.
Labels:
Getting personal,
Me Stuff,
Pregnancy
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Baby Lovin' Trendsetter
Beatrice loves her babies. Her bed is so full, she often sleeps on top of them. She wouldn't have it any other way though. She loves them. JD and I are slowly removing the smaller, less loved ones so she can have room to actually sleep. I think she is catching on to our plan. This is how she sleeps:
She clutches as many as she can fit under her arms in a ninja tight grip. When I go in to check on her before I go to bed, babies are everywhere: under her body, on her head, clutched in her arms. She is serious about snuggles.
Also, I am detecting a new trend with her wardrobe in the mornings. This is how I've found her the last several mornings:
Either homegirl is getting hot or bored. She definitely has a unique sense of style though, dontcha think? My little baby loving trendsetter. How could anyone be in a bad mood starting their day to that sweet face? Go ahead and admit it, my child is precious.
She clutches as many as she can fit under her arms in a ninja tight grip. When I go in to check on her before I go to bed, babies are everywhere: under her body, on her head, clutched in her arms. She is serious about snuggles.
Also, I am detecting a new trend with her wardrobe in the mornings. This is how I've found her the last several mornings:
Either homegirl is getting hot or bored. She definitely has a unique sense of style though, dontcha think? My little baby loving trendsetter. How could anyone be in a bad mood starting their day to that sweet face? Go ahead and admit it, my child is precious.
Labels:
Beatrice
We're Going On A Trip
Despite the weather being like this all day yesterday:
It did not stop Beatrice from dressing like this:
Because in less than 2 weeks, we will be here:
And because today's forecast looks like this:
I can't wait to get in the sun. Beatrice is excited too.
It did not stop Beatrice from dressing like this:
Because in less than 2 weeks, we will be here:
And because today's forecast looks like this:
I can't wait to get in the sun. Beatrice is excited too.
Labels:
Awesomeness,
Beatrice,
Vacation
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Halfway
I am 20 weeks pregnant today. I cannot believe this pregnancy is halfway over. It seems to be going by so much quicker than my first one. This is good and bad. Good because it's halfway over. Bad because there is a lot to do and it's halfway over. Have I mentioned it's halfway over? Because it is. Halfway point met right here. Almost cooked. Just about done. I'll stop now...
I am feeling pretty good. I have had tons of energy, but the weather decided to have an identity crisis this week and with temps in the 40s and 50s, there were no walks to the park or jaunts around the neighborhood with the jogging stroller. So I cleaned out cabinets, drawers and closets and cleaned the house a few times this week (yay me!). I suppose I'm nesting. As you know, I'm halfway there.
Stats
Weight gain: 1 million and 12 lbs. Subtract the 1 million and you'll be warm.
Stretch marks: None.
Movement: Yes!
Cravings: Spinach and lemons, but not necessarily together. I have had spinach salads, sauteed garlicky spinach and made a lemon pound cake this week. Delish and fiber does a body good. Especially pregnant bodies...
Sleep: Terrible. I have had really bad insomnia this past week. I think most of it is due to the hellish heartburn I have been suffering from. The rest can be chalked up to being halfway done.
Best moment this week: Deciding upon names! Penelope or Elliot, who is in mah belly?
Gender: Pretty convinced it's a boy.
Labor signs: None.
Belly button: I has one and it remains in the in position.
What I miss: Regularity. The spinach is helping though.
What I'm looking forward to: Finally finding out the sex. Thursday, people. Thursday.
Weekly wisdom: Pregnancy causes weight gain. I'm learning to deal with it.
Milestones: I hate to beat a dead horse, but I'M HALFWAY DONE!
So, what's your money on? Girl or boy?
I am feeling pretty good. I have had tons of energy, but the weather decided to have an identity crisis this week and with temps in the 40s and 50s, there were no walks to the park or jaunts around the neighborhood with the jogging stroller. So I cleaned out cabinets, drawers and closets and cleaned the house a few times this week (yay me!). I suppose I'm nesting. As you know, I'm halfway there.
Stats
Weight gain: 1 million and 12 lbs. Subtract the 1 million and you'll be warm.
Stretch marks: None.
Movement: Yes!
Cravings: Spinach and lemons, but not necessarily together. I have had spinach salads, sauteed garlicky spinach and made a lemon pound cake this week. Delish and fiber does a body good. Especially pregnant bodies...
Sleep: Terrible. I have had really bad insomnia this past week. I think most of it is due to the hellish heartburn I have been suffering from. The rest can be chalked up to being halfway done.
Best moment this week: Deciding upon names! Penelope or Elliot, who is in mah belly?
Gender: Pretty convinced it's a boy.
Labor signs: None.
Belly button: I has one and it remains in the in position.
What I miss: Regularity. The spinach is helping though.
What I'm looking forward to: Finally finding out the sex. Thursday, people. Thursday.
Weekly wisdom: Pregnancy causes weight gain. I'm learning to deal with it.
Milestones: I hate to beat a dead horse, but I'M HALFWAY DONE!
So, what's your money on? Girl or boy?
Labels:
Pregnancy
Friday, April 1, 2011
6 More Days
Until we find out if we're having an Elliot or a Penelope. xoxoxoxo
How do you like our names?
How do you like our names?
Labels:
Pregnancy
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