Random Tash

I gained 3 pounds and am up to 22 gained in total.  I definitely look pregnant now and I love it!  As much as I can’t wait to meet the little monkey I will also miss being pregnant.  Even with all the not so pleasant side effects, pregnancy is awesome!   I still fit into most of my clothes.  My only maternity clothes are 3 pairs of pants (2 jeans and the ones I am wearing in these pictures – taken at 32 weeks).  All my normal dress pants/jeans still fit with the help of a Bella Band.  I can still even zip them up, just not button.  And all my normal size medium shirts/sweaters/etc. still fit.  And to my surprise, both my dress winter jacket and ski jacket still button!

I only have 5 more weeks until I am on mat leave.  My replacement has started at work (which feels kind of weird) and I am trying to get all my files organized to pass them off/store for when I get back.  Only 26 work days left!

I have 2 baby showers in the next week.  One thrown by my awesome MIL (a Jack and Jill one) and one thrown by my awesome accountant friends at work (also Jack and Jill, but no Tim as he is working).  I am very lucky to have so many people in my life that can’t wait to meet the baby!  I’ve been trying to lay low and rest more at night and on the weekends because I know my leisurely free time is running out.  Tim and I have been spending a lot of time together – and he has become super protective now that I am so close to the due date.  It’s so cute!

I’ve been feeling great.  Sleep is normal (meaning I get up to pee 4+ times a night – which was normal for me pre-pregnant).  No cravings.  No mommy brain.  I am still having heart burn – I decided to only take 1 of the 2 prescriptions given by the doc.  That was a mistake and I am back on both due to horrible acid reflux.  As in so horrible that I threw up on myself while taking a bath the other night – I had no control over it and continued to throw up once out of the bath for quite a while (so I threw up in the bathtub, sink and toilet all in one night).

And that’s it for now!

On my last doctor’s appointment I was up 3 pounds.  Puts me at a total of 19 up for 31 weeks.  I am right on tracks for a healthy pregnancy weight.  Actually, I am one pound underweight for the healthy range at this point but that means nothing.  It was crazy to gain 3 pounds in 2 weeks, when I had only gained 3 pounds in 5 weeks last time.  But this is when the baby packs it on.  The doc said I should only gain a pound a week until 37 weeks and then much less per week.  If that holds true, I’ll be at +25 at 37 weeks.  Which is perfect because I should be gaining 25-35 pounds because I started the pregnancy at a normal weight.  The doc said all my weight is on my belly (except for the boobs, extra blood, etc.).  I am loving my ever growing belly.  It makes being pregnant so much more real.  Only 9 weeks to go until my due date and 7 weeks until I am full term!

Work is crazy.  I was there for 12 hours today.  I can’t believe I used to think a 12 hour days was getting out early.  I am so glad I am in-house now instead of private practice!

The husband is all the way across the country and I miss him so much!  He is super cute and gets me to text him pictures so he can see the baby belly and show it to his aunt and uncle.  He is going to be such a great dad!  Here’s yesterday’s pic of the belly – excuse the tshirt, no bra and Santa pjs

After regularly blogging since January 2006 (on this blog and on others) I have almost totally stopped.  I guess it is because the only thing going on with me lately is growing a baby and I figure that most people just aren’t as interested in it as Tim and I.  But I blog for myself so I am going to stop letting my boringness get in the way of my updates.

BodySo I am huge now – and loving it!  I’ll have to get Tim to take some more pics now that I obviously look pregnant.  I wanted so long to look like this – over the past 3 weeks I exploded!  I’m only up 3 more pounds than my past post (total gain of 16) but it is all in my belly.  I love it!  I actually feel pretty sexy rocking the belly.  I love to touch it and feel very womanly.  I had a rough time with how I looked pregnant before I actually looked pregnant.  There was a long time where I just looked like I let myself go … but now that it is definite baby and not bulge I love my shape.  And I’m going getting bigger

Baby

I am doing doctor visits every 2 weeks now and the baby is great.  My doc said that I am the picture of health for a pregnant woman.  The baby is incredibly active pretty much non-stop all day.  It especially responds to Tim.  If he lays his hand on my belly and talks to it, the baby goes crazy.  It’s pretty amazing how strong he/she is.  Instead of summersaults and big kicks, the baby’s favourite movements and pushing with his/her feet and head butting.  The movements can happen all at once too – Tim got to feel the baby head butt me, push me with one of its feet, and punch me all at the same time in different parts of my belly.  You can feel exactly what body part is doing what now too though my skin.  It amazes me every day that there is a little person inside of me.

Heartburn

Burn baby burn!  At about 27 weeks I got heartburn.  I never had it before and wow, is it ever horrible.  I literally could not lay down.  So I wasn’t getting any sleep.  And a bland diet did not help.  I mentioned this to my doctor/begged for relief and she prescribed me 2 meds that are safe during pregnancy.  I started on both and had relief right away – but when the heartburn left it was replaced by headaches.  Constant headaches from when I woke up in the morning to when I went to bed.  I immediately suspected the meds so I took myself off one to see.  And now I am only getting headaches for half the day and my heartburn is only a little bad.  Good enough of a compromise for me!

Iron

Part of the reason the doc put me on 2 meds (normally they start you on 1) is because of the possibility of developing an ulcer.  That is a big no-no to me, because I am anemic.  I have been since I was a child.  I eat a diet rich in iron and take a multivitamin and that that is usually good enough to get me to normal.  But now that the little leech inside of me is taking first crack at my nutrients, my iron is so low that I am close to a transfusion.  So if I stay this low and lose any blood (though birth or an ulcer) I’ll have to get a transfusion.  Not cool. 

Red Meat

Because of my super low iron, in addition to my iron rich diet, iron supplement and vitamin C (+ prenatal vitamin), my doc recommended that I eat at least 1 serving of red meat/eggs a day.  Um…. I am pretty much a vegetarian (I was a vegetarian and/or vegan for 5 years a long time ago and I just prefer to not eat meat but I like certain meat dished like escargot) so I only eat eggs/chicken/fish maybe once a couple times a month (if that) and red meat a few times a year.  So this whole red meat thing is a pretty radical change in my diet.  In the husband’s diet too.  He eats more meat than I do but still way way less than the normal person.  It was pretty funny to see us in the grocery store trying to buy meat and figure out how to cook it.  Neither of us really cooks with it (I actually do not cook any meat and make Tim do it and Tim rarely cooks meat at home.  I have made roasts and stews in the past where I get him to actually cook the meat and I just add the veggies.  So I guess I should say that Tim makes the roasts and stews …) so they only things we knew were to BBQ a steak or put it in a stir fry.  Or make real meat tacos (we always use fake meat for tacos and other dishes requiring ground beef).  So Tim BBQ’d us steaks in a blizzard.  So far I have had:

• tacos
• taco/enchilada bake
• Philly cheese steak sandwiches
• steak
• hard boiled eggs (on salad,on their own, drizzled with vinegar)
• Korean dish with bulgogi in it
• chili

It’s definitely an adjustment but I’ll only have to do it until baby comes because my body absorbs enough iron when it is me alone, just not when the baby is also taking some.

Names

We have a boy’s name picked out.  We are naming the baby after Tim’s brother who passed away and my grandfather who passed away.  But we are still struggling with a girl’s name.  If you have any suggestions please let me know!

Life

Work is super busy.  They are hiring someone to cover for my leave.  It feels weird.  I want to person to be good.  Just not as good as me   Tim is off to Vancouver tomorrow for a residency interview.  It would be cool to live there (I love the city and know some awesome people who live there …. Cat…or close to there…Jaime…) but I really like Halifax and want to stay here.  Plus I love my job.  And my in-laws.  And my friends. 

I am taking this weekend off from anything social and I am going to relax and give my apartment a good cleaning.  I tend to make a ton of plans and never get as much downtime as I want.  With Tim gone this weekend it is a great chance to veg out (and get the remote control to myself).  I may rent a couple bad movies that Tim would never watch and bake some cookies.  And wear my Snuggie.

So I got Tim to take some quick pictures today.  And by quick, I mean it took 30 seconds.  I don’t have the patience to pose and smile and arrange things just right.  Which is why I could never be a food blogger!

So if you wanted to know what I look like at 24 + weeks pregnant rocking a 13 pound gain (and in my sports bra) here I am …

I totally exploded this past week!  Tim took some of me just standing there without lifting my shirt, pushing my belly out or cupping my belly but he told me not to bother to post them because I don’t look that pregnant.  These were the ones that made me look the biggest – I especially like the middle one because I look huge!  I guess it is because the baby is now 12 inches long and weighs over 1.5 pounds – and has an 85% chance of living if born now

In other news, I am dying to play the new WoW expansion but quit playing WoW almost a year ago due to being addicted to it.  Tim had to quit too.  But we are thinking of playing a bit again over Xmas when we are on vacay …

I really must update this blog more.

Everything is great with me and baby.  In fact, I absolutely love love love being pregnant.  From week 6-16 I was so sick, but it turned around and now I am filled with happiness instead of nausea.

Just had my 24 week appointment – I am up 13 pounds total which is right on target.  Everything else looks great – all my test results show that I am as healthy as a 15 year old when it comes to possible complications for the baby (Down’s Syndrome, etc.) and that my risks are way way less than the general population, let alone other 30 year olds.  Must be all my healthy living

This morning I did a 5K Santa Shuffle in support of the Salvation Army.  The husband and MIL did it too (FIL was out of town).  It is going to be a family tradition for the husband, baby and I to do each year.  Next year Tim will be pushing the running stroller with the baby!  We had to walk it this year because my doc didn’t want me to run after 20 weeks (and the husband doc felt the same – worries about it starting labour by putting too much pressure on my cervix and possibly dilating it if my cervix is weak).  We had a lot of fun, even though it rained the whole time.  I even got Tim to wear reindeer antlers   Since I am not really showing too much (although I am showing a very cute bump, especially noticeable in tight clothing) Tim and MIL said no one could probably tell I was pregnant, let alone 6 months pregnant – so I just looked lazy walking lol.

Here’s a couple pics of us post-race – soaked in rain.  You may not be able to tell, but I am trying to stick my belly out as much as possible so that baby knows that he/she ran the race with us when he/she sees the picture years from now.

Post 5K we went for brunch then browsed around a used book store for a bit.  Then I came home and napped while Tim helped his BFF move.  A total benefit of being preggers is that you get out of moving people!  Tim is off again with BFF hanging with BFF’s almost 2 month of son and playing video games/eating pizza in the new place.  As for me … I am ready for bed …

Night!

A project I have been busy at work with is wrapping up.  I submitted final comments today and only have one more thing to do for it next week.  Yay!  To celebrate, some work people and I went to Sbux this afternoon for a pick-me-up.  I got a caramel apple spice and a cranberry bliss bar.  What a treat and it totally put me in the winter/xmas mood.

I was supposed to do brunch with a friend tomorrow but we moved it to next weekend instead.  I’m glad because now I can sleep in and have a lazy day at home.  Tomorrow night Tim and I are getting together with another couple to play games and watch UFC.  And then on Sunday I am making the trip out to see my family.  Sometimes soon I would love a weekend with no plans, but that’s not in the cards for a while!

I took advantage of having yesterday off to do 7 loads of laundry.  I washed all my sheets, including my winter flannels I just took out of storage.  I read lots  of books and spent the day in my pjs.  It was lovely!

Tomorrow is my 20 week ultrasound so I figure I should post an update

I have been super busy at work for the past month.  I even had the pleasure of travelling to Timmins, ON for business.  And no, I did not meet Shania Twain or find any gold.

Twins??

Since I last posted I have had 2 doctor’s appointments.  The first of those had me measuring big (although I was only up 3 pounds total for the pregnancy) so the doc suspected twins.  The last appointment I am measuring proportionate to how far along I am – so no twins.  Which I am really, really happy about.  One is enough at a time for me! 

Weight Gain

I am now up 11 pounds total and have a cute bump.  I still fit into all my clothes – my jeans even still button.  For my dress pants, since they have a higher rise they no longer button comfortably so I wear a Bela Band.  Love those things!  My breasts have had the most noticeable change (after the bump) where I went from a 34D to a 36E.  And my milk is not in yet … oh god.  I am embracing my curves, especially the bump and love to rub it.  I look sort of pregnant now, not just fat.  Although the majority of people who don’t know me wouldn’t be able to tell.  But it is obvious to those in the know

Gender

Tim and I have decided to keep it a surprise.  So we are only going to get the medical ultrasound.  At first I thought people were crazy to want a surprise, but I am converted now.

Movement

The baby has been active since late in my 15th week – feeling it is the best!

That’s about it for now

When you put the work you are bringing home for the night on the passenger seat of the car and the seatbelt light turns on because the weight is heavy enough to be a person, you know you work too much.

That pretty much sums up my life.  I have a big hearing next week.  Wish me luck!

Home sick again.  My wonderful MIL dropped off some homemade chicken soup, rolls, lemon loaf, some meds (for Tim not me) and a bouquet of flowers (for me).  I am so lucky with the family I married into.  She makes the best soup in the world and I had 2 big bowls.

I was also finally able to sleep.  So I slept all day and all evening.  And I am about to go back to bed.  I have to go into work tomorrow – missing 3 days is brutal.

I wish this weekend wasn’t Thanksgiving.  I really need to relax and get better.  But I have meals to go to and people to see.

And I am still sick.  But I did get some sleep last night so I do feel a lot better today than yesterday.  That being said, I still feel miserable.  Poor Tim had to take the day off work too.  It’s not pretty when we are both sick at once, but at least he gets to take medicine. (I’m jealous.)

I had a delicious sandwich for lunch.  Sesame seed bagel toasted with cream cheese, cucumber and old cheddar.  Yum!  I am keeping food down today (so far) and it makes me feel a lot better to eat.  I’ll probably make something simple like Tuna Helper for dinner tonight.  It’s been beautiful out the past few days and I’ve been cooped up inside which sucks.  I hope everyone else is able to take advantage of the beautiful fall weather!