Alec is growing up!

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Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Beer, anyone?

So lately, all I've been *really* craving is a good beer. Nothing like a Bud Light, or anything of the sort. I'm talking about those yummy beers that are causing me to begin salivating just with a glance/whiff of them:
Sam Adams
Anchor Steam
Guiness
Bass Ale
Dogfish Head IPA
Killians Red
Long Trail IPA
Sierra Nevada

What sucks, is that these are mainly the beers that Mr. M drinks. I steal sips here and there, and I don't feel guilty about it. What I do feel guilty about is the fact that after a sip, I fantasize about chugging a few bottles of it. That's when I feel guilty. Then, that opens the floodgates to fantasies about getting a nice, neat Scotch upon delivering Lentil. Yup - you heard: I want a Scotch. Or maybe a bottle or two of a good red wine.

For the time being, I found two Non-Alkie beers that don't taste rancid to me: Clausthaler, and Kaliber.

All of this talk of good booze is killing me. I'm munching on my brekkie of Kashi cereal with fresh blueberries, and my all-important coffee. Fortunately, there isn't a bottle of Bailey's in our refrigerator.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Week 23!!!

I haven’t posted all week because my mum’s been in town. Here is a fresh pic from today. I finally broke down the other day, and bought a mirror for the bedroom. Awesome sauce.

I’m totally plagiarizing a fellow Bumpie’s weekly post about her progress. I do think I asked for permission to do so – but if not, LCB, you know I love ya!

How Far Along: 23 weeks (4 days).

Total Weight Gain: 11 pounds total as of my last OB appointment. I’ve made a point to NOT weigh myself at home – it only stresses me out if I don’t feel as though I’m gaining enough, or if I gain too much in a one week…it’s just better to monitor my weight through my doctor’s office.

Maternity Clothes: Lots of them. Mum even went shopping for clothes for me while she was in the Ozarks Outlets, so brought me a bunch of good stuff.

Stretch Marks: Cocoa Butter. Gotta love it!!

Best Moment this Week: Actually realizing that you can SEE Lentil’s kicks. And Mr. M feeling said kicks.

Movement: Lots of it. I have a future futbol player in my tummy – girl or boy – I don’t care! I’m getting used to all the movement at this point. The kicks are only getting stronger, so I just try my best to ignore them while I try to sleep.

Food Cravings: Meh…nothing really craved. I ‘want’ things, but if I don’t get them, I haven’t threatened to upchuck anything else if I don’t get what I crave.

Labor Signs: None at this point. The BH contractions I was feeling, stopped, which is fine. Unless I was describing the feeling incorrectly to the doctor, so hence didn’t get proper information. Oh well.

Belly Button Innie or Outtie: The button’s still very much an innie.

What are You Looking Forward to this Week: Going to the beach with one of my new Bumpie friends, and her little girl! That will be so much fun!

Friday, June 18, 2010

Football Match Within My Tummy

Last Saturday, we went to watch the U.S. vs. England football match (for you Gringos, SOCCER) at a IRISH pub (yeah, the irony, eh?) with some good friends. I think when I screamed for the ONE goal that England scored, Lentil got so excited, it's hard for him/her to calm down now.

I have a football match going on inside my tummy. Or at least it feels that way.

Sometimes, I actually say out loud "Lentil, stay still!"

Other times, it startles me so much, I cringe. Mr. M freaks out when I do that, though.

Yesterday, during our anatomy scan, Lentil was showing off for the ultrasound tech - wasn't staying still, kicked the crap out of me, and then decided to face my back.

The other night, while we were talking about money and baby stuff, Mr. M and I decided that it would be totally worth buying a crib off Craigslist if we could find one we both liked, was new enough, and the condition was great to good.

So, we present to you.... Lentil's room is still very much a disaster zone, but little by little...we need to buy a mattress for the crib, but we both like it. The tone of the wood is lighter than we'd like, but I have a feeling it will look just fine once everything is said and done.

Oh...and the beauty of this crib? We spent a whopping $50.00 on it. We could have spent $700.00 on the crib I fell in love with, but we didn't want to ask for help.

Ooooh. I almost forgot. How could I?

On Wednesday, we went to Layla's Falafel for some Shawarma. I had a massive craving for it, so we went.

Apparently, Lentil wasn't a big fan of the garlic yoghurt. I was up ALL night getting the shit kicked out of me, and the worst heartburn I've ever had. I almost died yesterday I was so tired...and then, for some reason I decided to watch the FIFA opening ceremony music videos, and ended up bawling.

22 Weeks!!!

Of course, I am exhausted for this photo. We really need to buy an actual mirror. By the time Mr. M has time to take a photo, we’re getting ready for bed – and I’m more done than a thanksgiving turkey.

So here I am in all my tired glory. More to follow in my Non-Weekly post coming up later today.

I’m totally plagiarizing a fellow Bumpie’s weekly post about her progress. I do think I asked for permission to do so – but if not, LCB, you know I love ya!

How Far Along: 22 weeks (2 days).

Total Weight Gain: 11 pounds total as of yesterday. The doctor is loving my pregnancy.

Maternity Clothes: Lots of them.

Stretch Marks: Still clear of them. But I’m still pretty OCD about using cocoa butter every day after my shower…and lots of it!

Best Moment this Week: We had our anatomy scan yesterday – it was awesome. Lentil was lying face-down, breech position so we didn’t get any frontal shots (thank goodness, since we’re Team Green!), but it was awesome seeing all the limbs moving and everything. Mr. M was actually quite sad he can’t feel the football match (for you Gringos, SOCCER) going on inside my tummy….but very happy he got to see it on the video.

Movement: I’ve had daily and nightly football matches in my tummy for the past week or so…they’re really steady, getting stronger by the day, and it feels like an odd combination of “hmm…that feels weird”, “holy shitballs, I have a life inside me!”….and then me (Mrs. M) saying out loud “Lentil, STAY STILL!” In turn, whenever I say that in public, people stare at me as though I’m bat shit crazy.

Food Cravings: Umm…I have been eating watermelon like there’s no tomorrow. Oh. I almost forgot…the Arabic food. There will be a separate post dedicated to that.

Labor Signs: Yup. But they’re just Braxton Hicks...they started a few days ago. I’m not worried, and neither is the doctor.

Belly Button Innie or Outtie: The button’s still very much an innie.

What are You Looking Forward to this Week: Well, we had our anatomy scan yesterday. Other than that, Father’s Day is coming up, and I think I have an idea – where the hell is the closest Michael’s store?

Monday, June 14, 2010

Kick, kick, boing, boing

I'm at a point in this pregnancy that Lentil is actively using my organs as punching, elbowing and kicking bags....including the Nether Regions.

Last night, Lentil decided that it was time to continue the futbol matches that Mr. M and I have been watching since Saturday....from inside my tummy.

On Saturday, we saw the U.S. v. England match, and for the one goal that England did (might I say...quite amazingly within the first 4 bloody minutes of the match), Mr. M and I were really excited. I must say that we were both rooting for England, and were truly dissappointed at Mr. Green's gaffe.

We also happened to spend the day AND night with two good friends who were celebrating their anniversary. Very special indeed.

Anyway. Yesterday, I took Apollo for a Puppy Play Date at a local dogpark, and met one of my fellow bumpies - who happens to have a German shepherd also. They had a shitload of fun playing in the creek, chasing rocks and sticks; and Mummie had a blast talking to a new friend and her hubby.

Poor Mr. M. I'm pretty sure that he's now beginning to understand how your body changes with age. Yesterday, the poor thing had a hangover all day long...I think he mentioned this morning that his tummy was still bothering him. Thank goodness for the Tums that we ALWAYS keep in the house because of my own consistent and horrible heartburn that - yes, I'm still having.

The nice thing about this, though, is I quickly realized that going to bed a little earlier than our 10PM bedtime to just curl and read, is really nice. I think I'm going to suggest that we do that - at least a few nights a week.

Friday, June 11, 2010

21 Weeks!

Here’s my latest picture, I took the night before last, before Mr. M got home from his Boston school trip – he got home at 10ish, so I knew he would be totally beat. The room was well-lit, but for some reason, the damn flash on the camera wasn’t working to my advantage. Shit. Oh well, I played with it in Paint (yeah, like a kid!). My uncle tells me it looks very Picasso-ish.



I’m totally plagiarizing a fellow Bumpie’s weekly post about her progress. I do think I asked for permission to do so – but if not, LCB, you know I love ya!

How Far Along: 21 weeks (2 days).

Total Weight Gain: 8 pounds as of 4 weeks ago - I'll know on June 17th what my weight gain for the month is – I made a promise to myself and Mr. M that I wouldn’t weight myself at home – hence avoiding meltdowns and tantrums about my weight.

Maternity Clothes: My regular t-shirts are now way too short for my growing boobs and tummy. I have to steal some of Mr. M’s shirts, and I think I’m going to have to go shopping for some more t-shirts. I have lots of dresses and dress shirts for SUMMER, but if the weather is cooler, I need comfy stuff that’s warmer, ya know?

Stretch Marks: Still clear of them. But I’m still pretty OCD about using cocoa butter every day after my shower…and lots of it!

Best Moment this Week: Starting Tuesday night, I began feeling Lentil actually kicking or elbowing me inside my tummy. It’s getting stronger and more frequent by the day.

Movement: See above.

Food Cravings: I love tomatoes these days. But I'm craving a lot of other stuff. I shit you not. I ate an entire bag of pistachios the other day, and when Mr. M asked me why since my tummy was hurting, I simply said “Lentil wanted it”. I’ve been wanting some Cold Stone Creamery ice cream for a few weeks – I think I’m going to get some for after dinner with the girls tonight.

Labor Signs: NO!

Belly Button Innie or Outtie: The button’s still very much an innie.

What are You Looking Forward to this Week: Nothing really. Although on the 17th, I have my ‘big’ ultrasound, at which point we’ll see Lentil and all the measurements – just to be sure everything’s growing up to par.

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Birth Plans...?

There are a lot of nutjobs out there. I can appreciate that women want a certain experience, - so do I, but come on people, walking into a L&D unit with a ten-page birth plan that includes the scent of the candles that must be burned and that your hubby is to be addressed as "Daddy" is totally insane. So is presenting the nurses with a birth plan that indicates "under no circumstance will I be given ANY drugs, placed on ANY sort of monitors or be forced into a C-Section".

Here's mine:

FIRST AND FOREMOST: Keep Lentil and Mummie ALIVE, with beating hearts and detectable pulses.

I have heard stories about labour and delivery and have heard from more than one nurse and even one doctor that it is not like the "Baby Channel." I get that, therefore...

- I will definitely need music. We will make sure to load up my iPod with the likes of Journey, Survivor, Police, Toto, Sting, Foreigner and stuff like that. Please, do NOT allow Mr. M to play any of his heavy, Black, White, Norwegian or Death Metal. If you allow this to happen, his throttling death will be on your hands. Likewise, I will make sure no Techno, Trance, Salsa, Merengue, Hip Hop or R&B make it onto my playlist...as I'm sure he will pass out.

- I am open to drugs of any sort. This includes IVs, epidurals, pills and anything else you have available. But PLEASE wait until I am SCREAMING for them.

-I am interested in moving around and feeling my limbs during labour, as well as making use of Mr. M's massage skills, ability to calm me down, and any other piece of furniture in the room in order to calm any pain.

- Mr. M is not interested in cutting the cord. He is interested in simply remaining conscious.

- I am interested in ATTEMPTING to go natural. By this, I mean, I would like to attempt to not utilize drugs - simply the breathing, relaxation, concentration techniques I will have learned in my many books, classes and through friends. In now way do I intend this to be a steadfast rule, though, should my body OR Lentil not cooperate with my desire to do this, please...see above on drugs.

- I don't want an episiotime but if I need one, feel free.

- I am going to TRY to breastfeed. If I do not feel comfortable, chances are, I will not continue it once I'm home. I'm not wild about the idea of having another being almost permanently attached to my breast. But? I don't know. And if I can't breastfeed for whatever reason, I won't feel as though I failed as a mother.

- I know a few nurses, and they have always said whatever you do, make friends with your nurses. I am cool with that.

- My mother will NOT be in the labour room (or delivery) with us. Neither will my Mother-in-Law...absolutely not a flying chance in hell that she will be in the room with me.

- If any one in the family gets in the way of my nurse and doctor, feel free to order them to leave.

- If anyone speaks up or contradicts my nurses and doctor, please, be my guest, order them to leave.

- If I am in serious labor, ready to push or just in a bad way I want EVERYONE out of my room.(Mr. M and my nurse can stay, and the doctor too if the nurses think he should.)

-If you can help in any way, cool.

-For after labour and delivery, I will most likely want Lentil to sleep in the nursery - Mr. M and I will need those extra couple of nights to get as much sleep as we can before going home.

- And no. We are NOT co-sleeping in any way, shape or form.

-Once everything is said and done with, I will be eternally grateful to the nurses who made my labour and delivery possible.

Monday, June 7, 2010

Ouchie!

So beginning on Saturday, I've been feeling a few pains here and there in my crotch area. Sorry if this is TMI, but it hurts!

So I went to my trusty Bumpies....and Dr. Google...and looked in my MANY pregnancy books, and looked for some explanation before I called the OB freaking out...because I'm trying really hard to NOT be that "freak-out-type-parent". Apparently, Lentil may be kicking the top of my cervix...this is if Lentil is lying breech right now. Another explanation could also be that Lentil has not budged since that ultrasound back in April that showed a head lying smack on my cervix. Now that Lentil's the size of a CANTALOUPE, it's bound to be causing lots of pressure.

And yes. It hurts like a bitch.

So this is pretty funny, we had company over the weekend. We had two sets of friends on Friday night, Saturday my SIL came her with BIL and our niece. Sunday, two more sets of friends came over.

Apollo Puppy? Ecstatic. He stole the show - it was hilarious. Today, he was looking quite bewildered that there was nobody to play with him. And he loved our niece....who in turn, LOVED him; she couldn't stop squealing in joy. It was quite cute to watch a 6-month old sitting there, giggling and squealing while getting slobbered. Actually, it was hilarious. Then, Apollo decided he had enough.....and went to a corner and fell asleep. Our niece was left wondering what happened.

And today? Looks like Mr. M and I may be coming down with something. Our tummies have both felt quite uneasy all day. I actually upchucked my lunch, something that really upset me, since it was a cheese and tomato sammie.

Birthing classes. Must go look at, compare, and sign up for birthing classes.

And yes. I'm insanely all over the place. This is how I roll.

Thursday, June 3, 2010

20 Weeks, 1 Day!

Here’s my latest picture, taken by Mr. M last night. Apparently, I look really tired, hot and sweaty. Please forgive that – I promise, it’s not the latest looks straight off Pregnant Models Runway this summer.



I’m totally plagiarizing a fellow Bumpie’s weekly post about her progress. I do think I asked for permission to do so – but if not, LCB, you know I love ya!

How Far Along: 20 weeks (1 day).

Total Weight Gain: 8 pounds as of 3 weeks ago - I'll know on June 18th what my weight gain for the month is – I made a promise to myself and Mr. M that I wouldn’t weight myself at home – hence avoiding meltdowns and tantrums about my weight.

Maternity Clothes: I think pretty much anything that I’m wearing is maternity, with the exception of yoga pants, PJ’s, t-shirts (like, Mr. M’s old and tatty undershirts that I’ve managed to commandeer as my own over time), and maybe a few shirts. I’ve even broken down and purchased pregnancy UNDERWEAR. Yes. I’m now wearing Hipsters for pregnant women – because…OMG…they are SO comfy.

Stretch Marks: My belly is clear of them! I think that is the ONE thing that so far, I’ve been REALLY vain about; stretch marks. My mum didn’t get a single one throughout THREE (yes….3!!) pregnancies. There is no reason I have to get them, when I have the same skin as she does.

Best Moment this Week: Feeling Lentil move around. Lentil’s a pretty active baby, and likes to move. Now I can’t wait until Mr. M can feel the tiny little kicks!

Movement: See above. Last week it started with a few ‘bubbles’, along with its corresponding tightening of the tummy…these past 2 days or so, it’s been pretty regular.

Food Cravings: Um. FOOD. EVERYTHING under the sun.

Labor Signs: NO!

Belly Button Innie or Outtie: The button’s still very much an innie.

What are You Looking Forward to this Week: Nothing really. Although on the 18th, I have my ‘big’ ultrasound, at which point we’ll see Lentil and it’s measurements – just to be sure everything’s growing up to par. Definitely NOT finding out the sex.

Wednesday, June 2, 2010

Holy crapola! Halfway there!

Oh.My.God.

I am half-way through this pregnancy already! I seriously and honestly can't believe how bloody fast time has gone by. Everyone I know says pregnancy is a really loooong, booorring, tedious and difficult 9 months (well, 10, considering that you have 40 weeks - give or take a few days).

I totally beg to differ. I LOVE every minute. Ok. I lie...ALMOST every minute. I absolutely adore the fact that I can now feel Lentil a little bit. Not a lot - just enough to be able to tell that he/she's going to be a very active little bugger. I'll probably be that crazy lady you see on the street, yelling out "stay still, and stop kicking me!!". I LOVE the fact that I have a tummy.

I do not like the fact that I wake up in the mornings with excruciating back pain, because apparently, I roll onto my back in my sleep, causing pressure to be placed on my lumbar spine. Fortunately, this pain goes away within an hour of moving around. I really do not like how I have developed a very stinky body odor. Yuck.

Oh. And the carpal tunnel. That's lovely. If I keep my hands above a certain point, they go numb within 5 minutes. Luckily, it's pregnancy-induced, and will go away. So glad for the little things!

So. Ok. Asides from that, there's nothing much to report. I do feel kicks ever so often - not the kicks that you can feel from the outside (that should happen within a few weeks, now)...but the little "drags" of a little "something" I can only feel from the inside, and then my tummy gets really hard.

Mr. M is beginning to get excited about the tummy now. I guess it just took a bit longer because he wasn't experiencing the changes himself...but now he can feel the hardness of my tummy, and thinks I look more beautiful than ever.

Although...what does kind of hurt is that so far, nobody has mentioned anything about a baby shower to me. I know it's not my RIGHT to have one, but it would sure be nice to have one, since we're basically working on one income right now, and baby stuff is so damn expensive.

In other news.....

Umm...in 3 weeks, Lentil, if born, has a 50% chance of survival. In 6 weeks, I'm entering the THIRD TRIMESTRE. HOLY SHITBALLS OF FIRE. I seriously can't believe how fast time is going by. There are days where I'm not even sure if we will be good parents, if I will be able to breastfeed, if we can stick to our guns with the cloth diapering, if we can keep everything either home-made and/or organic, etc. It's definitely nerve-racking.

On Saturday, the weather was perfect, so Mr. M and I just sat outside the entire afternoon with Apollo on the deck. It was perfect. We ate watermelon, drank some beers (mine, of course, are the Clausthaler, non-alkie version!), and basically just sat. There was some good silence while watching Apollo explore the deck, there was some good conversation (we generally do have that), and laughter when Apollo tried jumping off the deck after a squirrel.

Mr. M was voicing some of his interal questions about Lentil...we were laughing that Lentil will have no arse (because Mommy has no arse), will be tall, since it generally runs in the families, and quite possibly have the brown eyes that are so dominant in my family, since that is the dominant gene.

'Twas an interesting conversation. We also finalized our list of 3 names for Girl Lentil, and 3 names for Boy Lentil.

One thing to scratch off the list. Names.

Now we need to research, choose and sign up for a birthing class so that we can start it next month. Oh my farking goodness.

July, August, September, October.

Are we ready for this?