Little Bean - 19 Weeks

Holy wow, I cannot believe that this pregnancy is almost halfway over. Even more so I can't believe it's only another week and a half and then we get to find out what we're having, I can barely contain myself. The mister was very forthcoming in revealing his gender, I just hope the Little Bean is as helpful.


So at 19 weeks I am starting to feel unwieldy. I am not feeling big, per se, but I am beginning to notice a certain lack of balance and I even think I am starting to waddle. Not the full on pregnancy waddle, mind you, but it's not my usual forward movement. My hips and pelvis are also starting to feel loose and creaky, something that occurred closer to the end of my last pregnancy. Everything really does happen sooner the second time around.

I also have been experiencing increasingly regular nudges and bumps from this internal inhabitant. Since about week 15/16 I have been feeling pokes here and there, but now there are definite intervals during the day when the baby is up and moving. It's incredible to feel these things again, and even more so since I know how much more regular and intense their movements will become. Even though we are nearly fifty percent there it almost seems like it is all just starting now, I think the movements (and the bigger belly) make it even more real.

Have you ever

Found this on another blog and thought it worth the effort to see just where I stand. The things I have done/experienced are in bold. So, have I ever...

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Bathed in a river
7. Been to the Taj Mahal
8. Walked on a glacier in Alaska
9. Caught and held a snake (just the little ones:)
10. Spoke in front of a big crowd
11. Bungee jumped
12. Had a whirlwind love affair that broke your heart
13. Found an arrowhead or fossil
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Rescued an animal
16. Ate sweet breads, glands or tripe (blech, no and not likely)
17. Seen Mount Rushmore in person
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hiked to base camp on Mt. Everest
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Watched an animal being born
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Learned a foreign language
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Stayed up for more than 24 hours
31. Trained a dog to do cool tricks
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Can drive a stick shift car
37. Won over $1000 in a raffle or lottery
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Been serenaded (by a group of homeless drifters in college, strange story)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Broken a bone
47. Started your own business
48. Quit a job because you were totally unhappy
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the Eiffel Tower
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain passionately
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in
55. Been in a movie (believe it or not)
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Joined a prayer group
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
62. Gone whale watching
63. Received flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London
77. Broken something extremely expensive
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80.Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Got a tattoo (not yet, waiting till I am done stretching)
83. Been to a coffee shop in Amsterdam
84. Seen the aurora borealis in person
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Toured the UN
95. Hiked to Machu Picchu
96. Swam in the Indian Ocean
97. Conversed with someone when neither of you spoke each others language
98. Dirty danced
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Acted in a play

38 out of 100, I suppose I have some work to do. Though I don't ever intend to get the chicken pox nor do I think BL would approve of my having a whirlwind affair at this point in time, so maybe I can just consider those off the list as well.

Nap regression

We have a problem. The boy will not nap. It's a very new problem, one that we have only encountered the last two weekends... but it's a definite issue. I am pretty sure that the reason for this little setback is because of daycare and the MR's newfound routine, he has become used to the time and setting of these weekday naps and is now acting out in rebellion of something different on the weekends. Yesterday and today he spent the entirety of what should have been his naptime taking it in turn to yell, talk, and cry his way through. No sleeping. Of course when we tried to go on an outing later in the day he fell fast asleep in the backseat, because he was exhausted without his nap. He is still acting tired at the proper time of day, he just refuses to follow through with the obvious and sleep. *Sigh*. I am hoping that this will eventually rectify itself as we continue to forge on with our new schedule.

Sunshiney day

With the husband out of town for the weekend and a sunny, yet still cold, day outside the kiddo and I made a break for it to a local park. He's been a little funny lately when we go to open play spaces, wanting me to hold his hand or get up and go with him instead of sitting on the sidelines. He was better about this today and we both enjoyed the time out.

Cleared!

Well some more good news on the Bean front, I just got a call from my doctor's office and they already had the results back from my quad screen. All clear! Strangely this time around I wasn't even really thinking, or worrying, about these results. Everything in general is more laid back about this pregnancy, by necessity. I recall being much more hung up awaiting the results from this screen when pregnant with the MR. Fortunately even if had been a worrier I wouldn't have had long to dwell on it, they got back to me pretty fast. So yay healthy baby!

Also here's some proof that our kiddo is slowly on the mend from his ills. Poor bug continues to have an awful cough, but he is gradually improving in mood and is almost back to sleeping through the night. Long warm baths make most people feel better though.

Catching up

Sorry for the lack in posting, I have been sick, tired, and generally uninspired this last week. No pictures for this one either, we all have been sick (with several colds) the last two weeks and none of us has been picture-worthy as of late. To play catch-up and help me feel a little less behind here is what's going on, in list form to make it easier.

-My grandma was doing really well for about two days and then she went downhill again. Her circulation pretty much disappeared in her right leg and yesterday they did have to amputate below her knee. This has been a big shock for my family as this grandma has been the very picture of health for quite some time, and lead a very active and independent life. This is going to mean some big adjustments, especially for her.

-We started out last Friday with a cold for me, and then Saturday the mister caught it. We spend the rest of the weekend miserable and snotty and only started feeling well again around Monday. Then BL brought home a new cold and, hooray, now we all can share! Blech.

-BL's first week of work went really well. Exhausting, but well. He really thinks he is going to enjoy this line of work, but it is taking a lot of brainpower and hard work to take on all the new information and tasks being given to him.

-Daycare, well yesterday was MR's start back to his second week of daycare. Monday and Tuesdays he will be spending with my mom, the rest of the week he goes in with us to daycare. BL finally got to drop him off today for the first time, and reported back that MR was a little upset but was showing him around and said hello to the caregivers. Small steps here, but hopefully we are getting closer to better.

-Little Bean had another check-up yesterday and I am happy to report that despite my feeling like a bloated balloon I have only gained two pounds so far! Two!! I think that by this time last time I had gained about twenty, hopefully experience does help a bit. Especially since I am really hoping to avoid the gestational diabetes this time around, which I get to test early for next appointment (yuck). But to counter that, next appointment (Feb. 11th) we will hopefully get to see what we are having. I am really excited for this because I think that with this I will really be able to start preparing for this baby, especially knowing which direction we are headed. The Bean itself is doing well with a very healthy heartbeat of 160.

So you can see, some ups and downs in the list but generally I am hoping we are on the road to normalcy - or our version of it.

Worst week ever

Perhaps I shouldn't claim this past week as the worst week ever, as things can inevitably get worse and I know there are plenty out there with much greater problems than mine. But right now, here in my own little piece of this world, it was the worst week ever. And it has yet to end. The daycare thing is still horrible, though I do take comfort from the words of those who have been there before and tell me it will get better. For now though daycare means dropping my crying child off into the arms of a relative stranger every effing morning and walking away to his shouts for Ma feeling like the worst mother ever. Not my idea of a great way to start the day, and just one more added horror to this cruddy week. To add salt to my wounds my grandma is in the hospital. She went in early this week with a complaint with her stomach and they ended up finding a circulation problem with her leg which threatened to leave her with no choice but amputation if it didn't improve. Fortunately the last few days have seen improvement, but for a while there I was teetering on the brink of meltdown while considering this and realizing that in the midst of the week of my husband's starting his new job and our child entering daycare I would need to make an emergency flight to North Carolina. A pregnant lady can only take so much. Even with the knowledge that she is doing better and will hopefully leave the hospital sometime next week I am still so on edge. The next few weeks are only going to be variations of the same as we adjust to our new schedule and MR (hopefully) adjusts to his new daycare. But really, this sucks.

So much

I have had a lot on my mind lately. I mentioned a while ago that BL got a new job, which is still a yay! but along with it has come a whole new notion of normal for our household. He just started this past Monday and we are on a new schedule, one that means changes for all of us. The changes for me aren't so bad, I do my showering at night now to avoid bathroom jams and running late in the morning. The differences that weigh most heavily on me are the one's for my little boy. He had his first day in daycare today, *sigh*. It's a great place, and I do have faith in their ability to take good care of him... but still it breaks my heart. He got to spend his first year home with me, and then almost his whole second year home with his Daddy. It was a great experience for all of us. Both BL and I had an opportunity to strengthen our connection with our son and enjoy the highs (and lows) of being a stay at home parent. This next step, being under the care of someone new, it's not a bad thing all in all. He will make new friends, which he loves other children, and he will experience new activities and engage in new experiences. I keep telling myself all the ups, but I still feel down. It will get better, right?

Little Bean, 15 Weeks

Definitely getting rounder, and I know that more stretching is soon to come because I am starting to get that aching/growing feeling. It's really begun. I also keep waiting and wondering when I will feel my first official kick from this little one. Lately I swear I have been feeling fluttering movements in there (especially about an hour or so after dinner), but I still can't quite label it as definitely being the Little Bean moving.

I am starting to allow myself to think about plans for this baby, what we will need to buy and how the room will be set up. It all still seems so unreal, but the bigger belly doesn't lie and I should probably start preparing sometime (soon). I am even in the process of figuring out how to knit, as I have grandiose plans of knitting a blanket for the Bean. We will see how that turns out.

I am certainly feeling better now, though the shortness of breath and the gradual increase in body temperature has definitely set in. I forgot just how exhausting it is being pregnant, especially as the weeks go by. This is a really good point in the pregnancy though, I am looking forward to first movements and in five more weeks finding out if this really is a bean or beanette.

BL's near death experience

This could alternately be titled: Don't mess with a pregnant lady. Don't worry, his experience wasn't as dramatic as it might have been.

MR has been needing a haircut for a while. He started looking shaggy a few weeks ago, and by a few days ago it had progressed to near-mullet status. BL, being the thoughtful father and husband that he is, took MR in for a trim while I was at work. He called to tell me as much after the appointment. The conversation went as follows:

BL: So, you're going to kill me, but I got MR's haircut...

MIP: And?

BL: And it rhymes with schmohawk and is a different color.

MIP: What do you mean a different color!?

BL: I mean his hair isn't black anymore

MIP: You better be kidding

BL: No, why, we were just having fun

MIP: *Silence*

BL: What?

MIP: *More Silence*

Fortunately for BL he cracked at this point, apparently I am sufficiently scary for him to not want to continue with the ruse any further. I did come home to this...

...which I could then find humorous, because it all washed out that night in the bath.