I Bought Maternity Clothes!

My how time flies! I'm on the cusp on the second trimester of my pregnancy. I had promised myself that at this time, I would buy one maternity outfit so I wouldn't be caught by surprise should my belly suddenly grow too large to squeeze into anything in my closet.

So, thanks to a tip from my friend Cheryl, I found the maternity section at Macy's (hidden away in a corner in the basement of all places). And here's what I bought...

Leaf Print Blouse:


Black Slacks:
They're not exactly sexy, but they are so comfy. They are like pants with a built-in Bella band.


And, since it was marked down, White Button Down Top:

Midsouth Baby Expo

Bill and I came home from the Midsouth Baby Expo Saturday morning with two bags full of STUFF!

Free Loot included:
Cute Book about Kittens
A Bottle!
Some cute little tiny newborn diapers
A rattle
A bolster for the baby to lean on during "tummy time"


Interesting Booths included:
Trillium Woman Care - They had lots of great information about home birth and breast feeding.
Dr. Allison Stiles, pediatrician - Of all the pediatricians I met on Saturday, I was most impressed with Dr. Stiles. She also does internal medicine (she's a "med-ped"), so she can see treat everyone in the family, which could be handy.
Shelby County Books from Birth - Dolly Parton's state-wide project to give children a free book each month until age five. I think that's wonderful!
Infant Swimming Resource - At this booth, there was a video playing of a tiny infant, all by himself in the middle of a swimming pool, floating on his back. It was shocking to see, but, as the exhibitor pointed out, far better than the alternative. This program teaches children as young as six months how to swim, and how to "save themselves in an accidental water encounter."
First Impressions 3D/4D Ultrasound - Amazing. Expensive!
Dynamic Dads - They train, encourage, and motivate dads to give their best effort to the fathering task. Cool.

I'm really looking forward to reading all the brochures, magazines, and flyers I received on everything from water birth to "don't shake the baby" information!

Worst Booth:
Corky's BBQ - They stunk up the place and made me feel a bit barfy!

How excited am I that Tina Fey, who I adore, is in a funny "baby movie" coming out April 25? Answer: Very!

I'll try to post the trailer here soon. It looks like a totally goofy good-natured kind of comedy. The very funny Amy Poehler co-stars. One disappointment, however, is that Tina didn't actually write this movie. Anyway, I know I'll enjoy the popcorn, nachos, and root beer if nothing else!

Alas! I puked again.

The truth is I feel so much better these days. I no longer experience that horrible unrelenting nausea. I am still victimized by the supernose, however. I got a whiff of the fridge this morning and, though I struggled hard against the urge, I barfed.

All could think about was the cute pic Bill made for me yesterday celebrating two "ralph-free" days. Sadly, I had to reset it to zero.

I'm Going!

Mid-South Baby Expo

The purpose of the Mid-South Baby Expo is to acquaint expectant and new parents with needed and pertinent educational resources within the Memphis Metro community. The event features exhibitor booths provided by health care providers, non-profit organizations and other businesses relevant to expectant and new parents, plus plenty of fun activities and educational seminars.

My awesome sister-in-law gave Bill and me free tickets to the Baby Expo, which I hear is really great. Besides, they have free ice cream for pregnant ladies, so you know I'm there!
I hear there are tons of drawings and give-aways, so if you or someone you know plans to attend, I recommend bringing some pre-printed address labels to save time entering the drawings.

Shel, have you heard about this already? Do you plan to go?

YAY CAT!

Don't Tell My Grandparents...

I wouldn't want to hurt their feelings, but Bill and I visited both sets of my grandparents over the weekend, and what an adventure!

I sent this email about lunch with my Mamaw (that's southern for Grandmother and it sounds like "mam-maw" and I have no idea what's the best way to spell it)to my mom this morning and realized it would be a cute baby blog post:

So anyway... I told Mamaw on the phone the night before I couldn't eat anything. She said, "Oh but you have to eat." And I reassured her that I was eating, but only could stand certain foods. I made the mistake of divulging which foods I had been eating: pimiento cheese, cheetos, etc.

So when we got to their house, the table was set with this crazy looking spread of pregnant lady food. I had to giggle. There was a bowl of Cheetos, green beans, bananas, a strawberry cake (nevermind that I'm allergic to strawberries!), and a tray of pimiento cheese sandwiches that looked awfully suspect. Now I can't eat pimiento cheese anymore! Bless her heart, she made it herself and normally I'd probably like it, but it was way too strong with the pimientos for me at this stage of the game.

Not to mention that Bill and I had both already eaten in the car as we were driving over to her house because I had specifically told her NOT to prepare any food. When I eat too much, I find myself projectile vomiting about half an hour later! It was kind of scary. But I just picked at the food, and enjoyed the Cheetos. I didn't puke the entire time we were in Pulaski. All's well that ends well.

Then we went to Granny and Gene's to choke on cigarette smoke! I thought about borrowing some of Granny's oxygen!

Nonetheless we really enjoyed seeing the grandparents. They are all super excited about the little one.

Oh yeah, by far one of the most memorable moments, second only to listening to Granny's side of the phone conversation with Aunt Cathy ["Oh! So you were the Easter bunny? That's great. What? They threw rocks at you?? You punched one of the kids??!?!"], was the first words out of Mamaw's mouth to Bill (she has a HUGE crush on Bill because he looks like Elvis): "Oh Bill! I hope the baby has your hair, and is tall like you, and just favors you!" My jaw hit the floor! LOL!

Cool Baby Name Book: Baby Name Wizard

I love this baby name book by Laura Wattenberg because it's so much more than just an alphabetized list of names. There is an obligatory alphabetized list of names, but for each name entry, there is a popularity graph, other names (for boys and girls) you may like because they are similar in style to the selected name, as well as nicknames associated with the name, and a little blurb analyzing the name.

Then there are lists of names that have been categorized into different groups like Gaelic Names, Saint Names, Jewish Names, and other categories that contain classic, modern, short names, and so on.

Very handy! I still can't decide, however, but I have plenty of time, right?

WANT!

UPDATE: I bought two Bella Bands on Friday from Haute Mama Maternity in Germantown (right next to West St. Diner). The woman at Haute Mama was very friendly and helpful, so I'll try to get back there when it's time to buy maternity clothes. Anyway, I LOVE the Bella Bands. At first I was wearing them a bit too high, and the back of my pants would slip out from beneath the band when I sat down. I finally got the hang of it over the weekend. They make a huge difference to me.




I discovered Bella Bands online, and I'm dying to try them out. I can only squeeze into about three pairs of pants/jeans right now. And I DO mean squeeze! I've used the rubber band trick a few times, but dang if it doesn't look tacky, you know?

Going to try to pick one up locally this week. Otherwise, I'll order online. I hope it lives up to its reputation!

PEEW PEEW PEEW!

All FEAR SuperNose! It is amazing the things that Cat can smell right now. The kitchen is off limits (I have scrubbed and scrubbed no dice) and I have to make sure I stay minty fresh if I don't want my feelings hurt. :) She can even smell the bread which is wrapped up and in our glass door pantry. I don't know how her uterus and the colonel is attached to her nose, but hopefully in a couple of weeks the nausea will subside and I can start feeding her cravings.

So far its been pretty much bland foods for Cat...
It all started with:
Potatoes of all kinds (Mashed, Chips, Fries, Etc.)
Pasta with Salt
Pudding
Life Cereal
Lemonade

Lately she has been a bit more adventurous:
Peaches
Jello
Pimento Cheese Sandwiches
Lenny's with X-tra Pickles
Bean Dip w/ Fritos
Cheetos
White Cheddar Popcorn

Tonight we took a trip south of the border with Tortas (a mexican sandwich). I would say Tortas light in her case beans, cheese, and a little mayo with a side of rice. She seemed to like it so I can see a few more in my near future

Water is gross to her but with a little squeeze of lemon it seems to work.

All said, things are great! We are 1/4 the way having our midget!

PS: What is the minimum age to operate a mower?

signed.... Proud Papa Bee

10 Weeks Today!

from baby-gaga.com:
Fetal development in pregnancy week 10:fetus in third month Your astonishingly tiny baby has been hard at work growing as fast as possible—almost doubling in size in the past three weeks! Amazingly, you’re in for a repeat size doubling performance within the next three weeks! Your tiny champion still weighs less than a quarter of an ounce but has already completed the most critical stage of their development. Using Doppler technology, your doctor or gynecologist can let you hear their tiny rapid fetal heartbeats this week (145-165 beats per minute!). Chances for miscarriage are greatly reduced when the heartbeat can be detected, so take a sigh of relief if you’ve been needing one—it hasn’t been an easy ten weeks! What’s more, they’re getting ready to make their first baby poop! Your little one’s major organ systems are developing, including a functioning digestive tract capable of moving food all the way through their bowels. The final shiny gold star on their fetal behavior chart for the week: your little scrapper has already developed defense mechanisms to protect them on reflex!


And how's mom doing? More good news for mom: the placenta has grown substantially in size and function and is now beginning to manage some of your child’s hormones, finally taking some of the hormonal burden off of you! Since the placenta has gradually taken over the hormone production for your baby, you should finally pregnancy is not a standardized procedure so much as an individual journey start to notice that much-awaited decrease in morning sickness symptoms. Like everything else, though, this is just a general guideline... if you have lingering effects for another couple of weeks, don’t fret (or fret, but don't blame us)—pregnancy is not a standardized procedure so much as an individual journey

from www.3dpregnancy.com:
The Baby
Your baby is now almost two inches (4.5 centimeters) tall and weighs 5 grams. It's not much, but he is complete! In your belly sits a miniature person who in no way resembles the tadpole of a few weeks ago. You can recognize his little face and the eyelids are clearly visible. The vocal cords are forming and the inner ear and auricle have been formed, too. The first downy hairs are becoming visible. The process of ossification is in full progress; the fingertips are hardening and soon they will get miniscule nails. A bit later the toes will follow, because the development of an embryo (and of a baby as well) takes place from top to bottom.

Although the gender already has been determined, you can't see whether it will be a boy or girl yet. At this stage, the umbilical cord between the embryo and the wall of the uterus starts to function and a lot of work is done on creating the placenta. That's because from now on your baby-to-be will grow rapidly and that's only possible when he's provided with a sufficient amount of nutrients via the placenta and the umbilical cord.

Mother
Mom is tired... so tired from all the work to ready your body for the baby. A whole new vascular system has to be created and your body has to transport a lot of blood to it. It might contribute to iron deficiency which will make you feel even more tired. In the early stages some women often have low blood pressure, too, and that can make you tired and dizzy. Nausea, which sometimes lasts the entire day, can make you quite tired, too. If you have children, a busy work schedule or both, it's often really hard to take a break and rest. That's why, as a mother-to-be, you have to take good care of yourself, set your own boundaries and listen to your body carefully. You'll have to tone down your busy former non-pregnant-woman lifestyle for a while. Just go to bed earlier, take an afternoon nap when you need it and ask your partner to take over some of your household chores. The early-stage complaints can be inconvenient, but first and foremost try to enjoy your pregnancy.

Learning to Love Morning Sickness?

I haven't posted anything here in a while, maybe because I felt like I didn't have much of anything new to say that was positive. I don't mean to sound down, but I've been nauseated for over three weeks, and it's very frustrating. I know it could be a lot worse, and I keep trying to remind myself of that. I'm managing pretty well by eating every two hours, and only eating bland foods. I have not lost any weight, and I continue to take my prenatal vitamins, so I feel confident the baby is getting what he or she needs. I'm getting used to it. I'm counting the days until the second trimester begins; I'm sure the nausea will end near then.

Just after my morning barf session last Thursday, I took a leak and when I wiped I was absolutely shocked to see a lot of blood coating the toilet paper. After a few seconds of just staring at it, a very rational voice in my head said, "Remain calm" - which I did, for all of about 10 seconds, before just completely freaking out. I was so scared and worried.

I wiped again and noticed there was less blood, and I was beginning to take comfort in the fact that I wasn't having any strong cramping or pain. Then I saw that there was a clot of bloody tissue in the toilet, which really upset me. Somehow, I finally regained my composure enough to phone the nurse on call. She asked if I had sexual intercourse recently, then she told me to call the doctor's office in a few hours when they were scheduled to open and make an appointment to be seen that day.

Then I called Bill, who was in Florida for work that week, and just sobbed on the phone for a while. He was so calm and comforting. He managed to make me feel so much better. So I wasn't like a crazy woman by the time I got to the doctor's office. I saw two nurses, both of whom asked me if I had sexual intercourse recently, and then I was ushered into a waiting area next to a ginormously pregnant woman.

Fate was really smiling on me that day, because just as I arrived at the doctor's office, my doctor, who I adore, had just come out of surgery. Instead of dealing with a stranger while I was feeling so scared and vulnerable, I lucked out and got to see my own doctor. She seemed concerned and calm, then asked if I had sexual intercourse recently (I might be wrong about this, but I'm beginning to think maybe having sexual intercourse could possibly cause bleeding during pregnancy.).

She gave me a quick internal exam, which was very reassuring. The blood was gone. My cervix was closed. Everything was in place. Then we did an ultrasound and we saw my little cutie's heart beating on the monitor. I don't know that I have ever felt more relieved in my life. The baby is fine.

I struggled to keep control of my emotions until I got into my car and phoned Bill with the good news. Then I sobbed on the phone for a while, this time with tears of joy instead of fear.

When I saw the doctor on Thursday, we discussed my nausea a bit. She offered me a prescription, but I declined. She suggested that I try Unisom, the OTC sleep aid, because many pregnant women have noticed that it's helpful for nausea. I've tried half a tablet at night, with good results, if I eat before I get out of bed. Otherwise, I PUKE!!! But, I'm finding that after the scare on Thursday, it's easier to cope with the nausea. It still sucks, don't get me wrong, but it's also reassuring to know that nausea is a sign that my pregnancy hormones are strong and supporting the baby's development.

Neat 8 Weeks Photos

I grabbed these photos from www.i-am-pregnant.com:

Prenatal Check Up #2

Everything went well at our second prenatal check up. With the second ultrasound we were finally able to see the baby's heartbeat, which registered as a tiny flicker of light. We heard the heartbeat, too! The whole experience was very exciting and I must admit it made my eyes leak a little!

The little darling looked like a gummy bear. You may remember that at my last visit there was a discrepancy of six days between the ultrasound measurements compared to the age of the critter according to my cycle. At this visit, the gap had narrowed to four days: The ultrasound measured 7 weeks and 4 days; I was 8 weeks and 1 day yesterday.

Our next appointment is April 2.

Our Little Gummy Bear at 8 weeks 1 day