19 Weeks, 6 Days

Juan les Pins, France on the Cote d'Azur

17 Weeks, 4 Days

As of last Monday at 16 weeks, 7 days… Jr is popping around my lower belly like a bag of popping corn.  I feel the little jumping bean kick and punch me daily now a few times a day especially when I devour a French cappuccino.  He started up his shenanigans on the flight over to France at regular intervals.  Maybe she was moving this whole time, I just wasn’t ever still at the right moments to feel her.  And Jr isn’t the only thing that’s popping these days, my lower belly is popping out like a pot belly pig.  I feel like a pot belly pig too.  My exercise routine was going great until Alexa and I came to France earlier this week… now, it is nil mostly because my life is completely revolved around Alexa at the moment.  Sure, I’ve gone on some long walks, a bike ride with Alexa on the tot seat, and lifted a little light weight, but nothing like the running I was doing.  I feel fat.  Maybe it’s the French pizza, bread, and gelato I’ve been eating also.  Well, baby likes it.

16 Weeks, 2 Days

I went for my 16 week check up on Wednesday and boy was it a relief to hear that little heartbeat again… thank God!  I was getting a bit nervous wondering how the baby could have escaped my uterus without me knowing.  Then, last night I definitely felt him move.  Definitely.  No doubt in my mind.  She rolled a bit in slow motion scraping the inside of my belly with her little knee or little butt or head, maybe.  She’s only the side of an avocado right now, so it’s pretty hard to tell from the outside what I’m feeling.  It’s important to note that many women don’t feel their babies move until 20 or even 22 weeks… but I’ve been freaking out cause I no doubtedly felt Alexa move a whole lot beginning at 13 weeks and this one has been quite a bit more sporadic.  All this is reassuring, but I’m still not out of the woods yet… I’m still nervous about this little guy’s health because I am going to be of “advanced maternity age” when the baby is born.  Yes, 35 is “advanced maternity age” apparently and has a higher risk of complications like down syndrome.  Eek!  I’ll barely be 35, but still!  I am waiting on the test results for the nuchal translucency screen and the plasma protein-A / HCG test which give me the “estimated risk”… I am supposed to hear by this Tuesday.

What is bothering me just as much as the lack of consistant movement, (little movement in comparison to uterine karate expert Alexa), is the fact that both my ultrasounds, conducted 4 weeks apart, showed this little guy lounging in a suspended invisible hammock.  Yeah, I know what you are sayin'... why is that worrisome? It was super cute the first time with his little hands behind his head, knees bent, just chillin’.  I wanted to give him a frozen cocktail to complete his experience.  But the second time he looked exactly the same in the ultrasound a month later, it concerns me.  Why isn’t he moving much?  Are his hands fused to the back of his head or something?  Maybe she’s just a more chilled out baby than bouncy Alexa was.  I asked the doc, she told me the baby is fine and to stop worrying.  I guess I will feel much better when I feel her move more, I get healthy results back from the down syndrome tests and when I see the baby in any other position besides hammock in the next ultrasound 4 weeks from now.

15 Weeks, 6 Days

I swear I woke up this morning and my stomach is as flat as a board.  Well, flat as a board who looks a bit like someone’s been drinking too much beer and eating too many pizzas.  Of course the beer and pizza part is NOT the case… I’m more than 4 months prego for Christ’s sake, aren’t I?  I never thought these words would come out of my mouth, but this stomach flatness is really disturbing.  Where did the baby go?  I wrote in my last blog that I felt the baby move loads of times, but now I haven’t felt him/her in a while and I am beginning to second guess those previous movement feelings.  Was it maybe just air bubbles maybe?  I am freaking out!  What if something happened to the baby!?!?! Is he/she still alive?  I’ve been running light 5k runs in the A/C a few times a week, eating pretty well, no bleeding or other weird cramping or anything else strange going on… so, why at 16 weeks prego do I have pretty much no more pregnancy symptoms?!?!  My boobs don’t even hurt anymore!

14 Weeks, 6 Days!

What?!?!? 14 weeks, 6 days already! I’m already in the 2^nd trimester and failed to blog about my pregnancy experiences over the past month plus?!?  Oops.  I apologize… to myself… since I am the only one who currently reads this blog.  We plan to tell everyone after my June 1^st blood work and 16 month check up appointment results come back.  But, then G will be half way across the Atlantic ocean on a yacht incommunicado!  Ok, so maybe everyone won’t know until mid June when G steps foot back on land and joins Alexa and me in France Juan les Pin when I’m almost half way through the pregnancy!

To sum up the best parts of the first third of this pregnancy:

• I gained 5 lbs, maybe 6.  (weight gain already on the higher end of the scale.  Note to self, must be careful)
• I practically stopped working out besides some sporadic cardio binges due to severe exhaustion and time restraints (still planning to change this)
• My face is teenager oily
• I cry when I see a diaper commercial
• My leg hair is growing so uncontrollably I’ve almost retired my raiser for the remainder of the pregnancy.  What’s keeping me shaving daily is knowing the only thing worse than having sex with a fat pregnant lady is having sex with a hairy fat pregnant lady.  G can thank me later.
• I am still completely disgusted by most animal products, protein powders, and nuts… AND afraid to eat/drink soy, so I’m worried about my protein intake
• I’m pissing like a race horse all the freaking time, especially at night
• I’m not sleeping very well
• My boobs are still getting bigger and more sore
• I sneezed the other day and pissed my pants just a little.
• My energy is back, mostly
• I’m craving gazpacho and grapefruit juice
• My nausea has subsided
• The top part of my inner thighs are already very close to rubbing together when I walk, ugh!
• I’m already retaining water randomly throughout the day, then I’m suddenly not for no apparent reason
• I’m as horney as a peacock in heat
• And the very best part… I FELT THE BABY MOVE!!! Already more times than I can count.  Sometimes little rolls, sometimes little butterfly flutters, sometimes a small light finger flick feeling… so amazing.  It started around 13 weeks.

8 and a Half Weeks!

I had my first Prenatal Doc appointment on Tuesday, April 5th.  On the way there I began to pray to God that there is only one in here.  Since the nausea is so much more intense this time and I feel like I’m showing more quickly, I couldn’t help but think there could be two in there, or more.  Thankfully, the Doc and I only saw one little blueberry all snuggled inside with a blinking little heartbeat.  Thank you!  Thank you for blessing us with another beautiful child!  We are soooo grateful!  Surprisingly the baby is measuring 5 days ahead of what I thought we were at.  This is GOOD.  The due date is now November 15 instead of November 20, so less time to be pregnant and hopefully this nausea and fatigue will go away sooner than previously expected.

I know it is not good to compare pregnancies, but all I know is to compare it to my first pregnancy…  When I was pregnant with Alexa in the first trimester, I was a basket case.  I remember crying hysterically just because George was drinking some wine in front of me one night.  I remember calling in sick to work a couple of times, because I was an emotional wreck.  This time, my emotions seem very steady, but my nausea is worse.  My face seems oilier than normal, which happened the first pregnancy too, and so I've fought off a few zits lately.  I still can't eat any meat at all including fish (which is probably a good thing), but I can eat cheese here and there now.  Seems like I have bad days and better days as far as my nausea and fatigue go.  I began exercising again this week, a little… two days of weights and 2 days of cardio, so far, but that’s far from good enough, so I plan to get a couple more workouts in this weekend.

G is still gone in Europe, Germany now, and Alexa and I miss him tons.  Sadly, when he’s gone for long periods of time like this we actually start to get used to him being gone.

Work has picked up a lot for me between my two freelance jobs and school.  Every day I knock off one or two extra things off my massively long and very important “to do” list… will I ever get all these things done??!?! I’m also determined to learn French and to stay in shape throughout this pregnancy.  Oh, and I’m searching for a new house… a house that fits a family of four… “with two cats in the yard, life used to be so hard, now everything is easy cause of you…” – showing my age.

7 Weeks, 3 Days

I told Alexa today there was a baby inside mommy’s tummy, a really tiny baby the size of a blueberry.  She pointed to my belly, said “baby” and then giggled as if to say, “really Mommy?!?!? There’s a baby the size of a blueberry inside your tummy?!?!? Stop pulling my leg.”

The last couple of days my nausea has gotten a bit better, actually, dramatically better.  In fact, this weekend I ate a variety of vegetables, an egg/cheese/bagel sandwich, eggplant parm, cottage cheese, oranges and some bean soups with no problems at all.  Today I was a little nauseous, but nothing compared to what it was like every day the entire 6^th week.  I hope that was it.  One week of extreme nausea and I’m done for the duration of the pregnancy.  I could totally handle that.  I feel pretty bloated and my energy levels are still very low, but I am motivated and dedicated to kick off a full-on exercise routine beginning first thing Monday morning (tomorrow).  Mondays are always good days to start things.

MONDAY	TUESDAY	WEDNESDAY	THURSDAY	FRIDAY	SATURDAY	SUNDAY
30-45 Mins Cardio (Swim, Bike, Run, or Stairmaster)	45-90 Mins Yoga	30-45 Mins Cardio (Swim, Bike, Run, or Stairmaster)	45-90 Mins Yoga	30-45 mins Cardio (Swim, Bike, Run, or Stairmaster)	45-90 Mins Yoga	Rest
Leg Curls, Leg Extensions, Calves, Interior/Exterior Thighs, Ab Machine Crunches	Abs, push-ups	Bench Press, Tricep Pulldowns, Bicep Curls, Dumbbell Shoulder Press, Back Pulldowns, Back pullsbacks	Abs, push-ups	Leg Curls, Leg Extensions, Calves, Interior/Exterior Thighs, Ab Machine Crunches	Abs, push-ups

*It's important to note when doing yoga while pregnant, avoid hot yoga (bikram), twists, pranayama breathing, full wheel pose, and boat pose (navasana).  Avoid Cobra and lying on the back after first trimester.

I’m still struggling with consistent babysitter help, but I have a plan.  School work and Rybovich work at night and while Alexa naps, use babysitter when I work at Boston Proper during the week, and take Alexa with me to the gym early in the mornings a few days a week.  There’s a gym daycare.  I’m also hoping to get a toddler bike seat for my bike and a jogging stroller one of these days soon.  An underwater iPod case and headphones would be cool too.

Spiritually, I’m struggling.  I’m alone with Alexa a whole lot lately which is a blessing, but it’s also starting to get to me.  When I do have company, it’s common for my company to make comments and observations quietly to me about other people in negative or derogatory way all day long day after day.  I try to refrain from responding or engaging in superficial conversations like that, but sometimes I’m sucked it.  It’s draining my energy and it’s hard to disconnect from it.  Already because of my pregnancy hormones, my energy levels are super low right now, so I find myself moping around shoulders curled forward like a hunchback.  Time to stand up straight, zap energy back into my step and be grateful again.