In vino veritas

Grace: Two months

2011-09-09T18:49:00.000-06:00

9/9

All right, so I had a baby two months ago. I have been a mom of two for two months! And as you can probably surmise, this is why I haven’t written more. The kids are great. Fletch is a wonderful big brother and loves his little Gracie so much. And Miss Gracie is my little rock star. She is doing fabulous. Eating well and sleeping well and growing like a weed.

We had her two month appointment today. She weighs 12.5 lbs – Fletch only weighed 10 at his 2 month! This puts her in the 85^th percentile. And she is 22.5 inches long, putting her in the 54^th percentile for height. And 15.75 inches around her head, which is 79^th percentile. So she’s growing well and doing great in general.

She does have some icky baby acne on her head and chest and arms but the doctor said it’s nothing to worry about and should go away on its own soon. And all four of us have got a cold – already Grace’s second! Jack and Fletch were both sick right when she was born and so of course, she got it too. So she’s been pretty snorty and snuffly since day one but that doesn’t seem to have really bothered her or anything.

Grace also got her first round of shots today. We totally weren’t worried about it since when Fletch got his, basically he cried a little bit, I put him on the boob and he was happy again. Not so much with Gracie Girl. She howled and cried much worse than Fletch ever did, and then when I tried to give her the boob, she wouldn’t have any of it. They also had this sugar water stuff that they normally dip the pacifier into, but since, like her brother, G won’t take a paci, we tried dipping our fingers in and seeing if she would take some that way, but no dice. We just had to hold her and talk to her and bounce her until she calmed down. Then she had some boob and snuffled some more and eventually fell asleep in the car on the way home. She’s slept a lot today which is to be expected.

In general, things have seemed much easier this time around. We are not nearly so jumpy and worried about Grace as we were with Fletch. I have been sleeping in her room so I can feed her at night. But unlike what we did (were told to do) with Fletch, we haven’t been waking her up to eat at night. With Fletch, his doctors told us he need to be woken up every 3 hours at night to eat and he pretty much never learned to sleep longer than 3 hours until he was almost two years old. And that’s only because I finally weaned him after I got pregnant. He is still not a great sleeper and is high-maintenance at bedtime and gets up at least once a night. So with Grace, we decided that once she regained her birth weight, which she did by two weeks, we wouldn’t wake her up to eat. As a result, she is a much better sleeper than Fletch ever was! She’s already going 5-7 hours a night which is awesome for me.

And we are also avoiding the other big mistake we made with Fletch, which is always putting him to sleep with the boob. Which worked like magic but also meant it was incredibly difficult for over two years for anybody but me to get him to go to sleep either for nap or at night. Miss G can fall asleep in a variety of ways, but most astoundingly, I am sometimes able to just lay her in the crib awake (but drowsy) and let her fall asleep on her own – something that Fletch never did as a baby. So I feel really good that we are putting our experience to work for us. And also that I am actually getting some sleep which is totally unexpected and awesome.

Unlike her brother, Grace is not happy at all to have a dirty diaper. Where Fletch wouldn’t even blink at a dirty diaper, GG starts fussing the second she’s even a little bit wet. So hopefully that means an easy road when it’s time for potty training! Also, she doesn’t cry much, even when she’s hungry. Fletch would go to Defcon 5 wailing pretty quickly when he wanted to eat, but Grace mostly starts a low-level fussing, followed by chewing on her hand, which turns to a very loud slobbery chomping on her hand and that is the thing that will actually wake me up at night. So far she is a pretty easy baby, although some of that must be attributed to this not being our first rodeo.

Week 38 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-06-26T18:47:00.001-06:00

6/26

TMI Alert: Lost the mucous plug yesterday afternoon. So things are moving! I predict a baby before the 5^th. Maybe the 2^nd?

Pretty quiet week. Saw the midwife Tuesday since Dr. O is on vacation. Dr. O said I was not allowed to have the baby this week because she didn’t want to miss it. She wasn’t on call for Fletch, so she didn’t get to see him until the next day. I see Dr. O again this coming Tuesday.

Midwife said there was a little dilation, maybe 1 cm but hopefully we’re further along now. Been having a lot of prodomal contractions. Not Braxton Hicks – real contractions but they stop after a little while before things actually get going. Right lower back and hip are still killing me so I am still hobbling around a lot. But Heidi took me for lunch and mani/pedi on Thursday and it was SO relaxing. My back didn’t hurt the whole day. I keep thinking maybe I should go and get a prenatal massage but wonder if it’s too late in the game – if anyone would still do it. The good news is that Mr. Fantastic brought up my comfy chair from the basement and it really helps my back. I may actually start sleeping in it since I am waking up every morning pretty stiff even though I’ve got a thousand pillows and things propping me up.

No, really. He did.

2011-06-19T11:52:00.000-06:00

Dear asshat in the big truck in the King Soopers parking lot yesterday:

What kind of jerk yells at a pregnant woman for crossing the street too slowly? SO sorry you had to wait that extra minute for me to waddle myself into the grocery store. Sheesh.

Things a pregnant woman thinks about

2011-06-16T16:01:00.000-06:00

Things a pregnant woman thinks about:

1. How comfortable are these shoes vs. how silly do they look?

2. Are these the underwear I want to be wearing when I rush to the hospital in labor?

3. How important is it that I pick up the item I/my child has just dropped?

Corollary to #3, I generally use the following decision tree to determine if I really need to pick the thing up. If at any time the answer is No, the appropriate course of action is “Ask Mr. Fantastic to get it/see if I can convince Fletch to pick it up for me.” Also, this is also usually the first course of action any time the answer is Yes but sometimes needs further consideration if Mr. F or my toddler is not readily available to pick things up for me.

Will dropped item hurt somebody/trip me if left? If yes and husband/child not available for retrieval, kick item until near something I can brace myself on to bend over and pick up. Grunt/sigh loudly.

Is dropped item food? If yes, will it become poisonous/dangerous by the time Fletch decides he wants to eat it off the floor? If yes, call Mr. F. If no, leave it. Fletch loves stale froot loops and hardened chunks of hot dog at snack time.

I have routinely considered buying one of those grabber things they make for old/short people. I should probably have one anyway since I can never reach anything with my alligator arms even when I’m not pregnant.

Cute pics

2011-06-08T10:40:00.001-06:00

Fletch and Brody at Cherry Hills for Mother's Day brunch. Ain't they cute?

Week 36 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-06-08T10:38:00.002-06:00

Week 36

We are coming down the home stretch! I can’t believe b-day is less than a month away. It all went by so fast. Although, right about now I am feeling huge and hot and ready to pop any time, so I wouldn’t be too sad if this baby came before her due date.

Had another growth ultrasound today because two weeks ago I was measuring small…but at yesterday’s appointment, I was actually measuring a week big. I asked Dr. O if I still had to go and she wanted me to anyway. So as always, it was nice to see JellyBean on the big screen – and we got some cute 3D pics this time. The tech thinks she has my lips. We’ll see!

So JellyBean looks to be fine, everything was great and they estimate she’s 6 lbs 7 oz right now, which is 59^th percentile. Right on target, but hopefully she won’t get too much bigger! She is all crammed over into the right side of my belly, which is why I think I keep measuring small. It’s hard to see looking at me straight on but when you look down at my belly from my perspective, you can see how lopsided it is. So when Dr. O measures my fundal height straight up and over my belly button, she’s missing ¾ of the baby, so obviously it won’t be as big. Anyway, all went well at the scan today and that should probably be the last one.

Yesterday’s visit with Dr. O was fine also. Did the group b strep test, which I’ll get the results for next time. I was GBS positive with Fletch, which just meant I had to have IV antibiotics in the hospital before delivery so it wouldn’t transfer to him.

Dr. O also did an internal check and was sorry to tell me that despite the fact that I swear this baby is coming early, there was no cervical activity going on right now and that baby’s head has not dropped and engaged in the pelvis. Not surprising – I am carrying really high still right now.

So far at least JB is cooperating and still in a good position for delivery. She is laying on her right side with her back facing to my right. So the big hard lump we can feel in the top right is her bottom. And I had asked Dr. O yesterday what the horrible pain I keep getting up under my right ribs was and she felt my belly and said most likely JB has one knee bent and that’s her heel sticking me in the ribs. And on the ultrasound today, you could totally see her little foot up there! She was dead right and I can’t believe she could tell that just from poking me in the tummy. Guess that’s what years of experience will do for you.

When I told Dr. O how hard it’s been for me to walk – seriously, I can’t even do the grocery shopping anymore or the whole belly and ladyparts gets very unhappy – she said I should be walking even more! Ugh, it’s seriously painful to walk and I can’t imagine just walking with no purpose. Well, I suppose the purpose would be to get JellyBean moving, but still, the last thing I feel like doing is going for a walk.

In general, I’m feeling ok. Having a hard time sleeping still. Not so much falling asleep but staying asleep. Seems like I’m up every hour to pee. Plus my right side hurts pretty much constantly – it’s being stretched (kicked, poked and otherwise maltreated) way more than the left. I was hoping that sleeping pretty much only on my left side would help move the baby back into the middle some but Dr. O said she is floating in her own little bubble and how I sleep won’t make her move.

Also, my feet are swelling. I think a lot of that has to do with the recent heat. But it’s crummy because even my flip flops get uncomfortable after a while! And I can’t wear the same pair of shoes two days in a row because I need to let the parts that got all rubbed wrong rest before I put the same pair back on. I never realized, but my shoe wardrobe has very few pairs of middle-of-the-road shoes. It’s either cheap flip flops and tennis shoes or 4 inch heels. I do have a few pairs of wedges that are comfy enough to wear to work (yet still high enough to make poor Mr. Fantastic cringe when I’m wearing them) so I’ve been wearing those to the office and switching to flip flops when I get home. It will be nice not to have to dress for the office for a while, that’s for sure!

Speaking of the office, my awesome boss has said that after my maternity leave is over, it’s ok for me to work full time from home for at least a couple of months before I start going back to the office. That rocks! I am still dreading when I’m going to have to drag the breast pump to the office and deal with all that, but at least I’ll have quite a bit of time at home before I have to worry about it. Being able to work full time from home with Fletch played a huge part in how smoothly breastfeeding went for us. Since he would never drink even a drop of formula AND my milk had excess lipase so we couldn’t build up a freezer stash, it would have been incredibly difficult to keep him fed and happy if I had to be at the office all the time.

Of course it goes without saying that hopefully JellyBean will not be quite so picky as big brother and maybe take some formula now and then if we need to, and hopefully I won’t have the lipase problem again. But if we can get to 6 months before I have to go back to the office, even if we have the same problems, she’ll hopefully be starting solids by then and can be appeased with some smushed peas if the boobie juice (or the boobie) is not available.

So excited for this baby to come! (And also pretty much ready to not be pregnant anymore…) Lots of things we still need to do…wash some clothes for JellyBean, pick out a going home outfit, pick a NAME for heaven’s sake, get her room organized and finish decorating. Wrap Fletch’s present from JellyBean, pack hospital bag, go to the grocery store and stock up on some frozen essentials so we don’t starve after she’s born, dig out the breast pump & wash all the bits and pieces, find the baby bath tub, swing and bouncy seat, set up the pack n play downstairs. I’m sure there’s plenty more I haven’t thought of yet!

Week 34 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-05-24T11:41:00.002-06:00

Week 34

Routine Dr visit today. Nothing exciting except that I’m measuring 32 cm this week, which means I’m 2 cm small…and so Dr O wants me to have ANOTHER growth ultrasound in two weeks. Seriously, this must just be her thing. Whatevs. The funny part is that I feel HUGE – or more like, the baby feels huge. My belly just feels like it’s already at capacity and I can’t imagine JellyBean NOT being big enough at this point. Guess we’ll see, but my gut feeling is that the scan will tell us the same thing as last time.

For some reason – maybe wishful thinking, maybe just because I feel huge or whatever – but for some reason I just keep feeling like JellyBean is going to come early. At the very least, I don’t think she’s going to go a week overdue like Fletch did.

I do feel like everything in my belly is totally crowded. Am out of breath all the time, still can’t eat much at once and boy oh boy, is she walloping me some good ones. Her small parts (feet, hands, arms, legs etc) are all over on the right side and boy is she shoving things around in there. We are now at the Alien stage, where at any given time, you can look at my belly and see it lurching around independently. The bad part of this is that this is one strong kid. She is kicking my ass with some of these movements. It’s less kicking now and more slow, fluid movement and so there is a lot of pressure. VERY FIRM PRESSURE. What is it over on your right side, your liver? Appendix? Diaphragm? Whatever it is, JellyBean is stomping the crap out of it.

The worst part is of course, that she acts up the most when I lie down to go to sleep. Then all of a sudden, it’s rodeo practice time. The other night it was hurting so much I was crying. It was never like this with Fletch since he was faced differently. JellyBean also doesn’t like when I sit too slouched so a lot of times I’m sitting in whatever chair all leaned back and as stretched out as I can, otherwise she starts pushing at me to make some room for her. Ugh!

Um, good news is that the ANGRY LADYPARTS have calmed down somewhat. I ended up getting a maternity support belt that I wear sometimes which helps TREMENDOUSLY. But I can’t wear it all day long or it just makes other stuff hurt. It sure does take the pressure off the ladyparts and hoists up the heavy belly, which is nice. Also still no heartburn or back pain, yay. Sleeping is still hit or miss, though.

So this week, JB should be about 4 ¾ lbs and 18 inches and gaining fat. Central nervous system is maturing but generally babies with no other health problems born starting now do well. So if my gut feeling that JellyBean is coming early turns out right, she should be a-ok. However, we should probably get the crib put up and get some clothes washed and such so I don’t have the naked-baby-sleeping-in-a-drawer syndrome I did with Fletch. I did at least buy curtains for both kids rooms this weekend, so that’s a start.

2011-05-22T09:27:00.002-06:00

How to say no without being confrontational:

Acronym BRAND

Benefits - what are the benefits of this course of action
Risks - what are the risks of this course of action
Alternatives - what are the alternatives to this course of actions
Nothing - what happens if we do nothing
Decision - I would like to discuss this with my partner/support and will let you know what our decision is.

Week 32 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-05-13T11:57:00.002-06:00

Week 32

Had the growth ultrasound last week. Everything was great – baby girl is right on target size-wise, in the 53^rd percentile. She was about 3 ½ pounds (although this week, she should be closer to 4) and should be around 16 inches long. No wonder things are feeling crowded in there!

I’m supposed to be gaining a pound a week from here out, and even though half that goes to the baby, I still feel like PLEASE PLEASE NO MORE WEIGHT GAIN. Ugh! I only gained 15 overall with Fletch – this time I’m already at 25. I am feeling pretty paranoid about gaining any more weight even though Dr. O keeps telling me IT’S FINE. I just don’t want to have to struggle to lose it after. I know the breastfeeding will help – it certainly did last time – but still. I think I will always be worried about weight, pregnant or not.

But, from here out, JellyBean is supposed to gain a third to half of her birth weight during the next couple months. Also, she now has finger and toenails and is supposed to have hair (but we’ll see if she’s born bald like big brother! I hope not.)

Thankfully, I am not having heartburn due to JellyBean crowding all the organs and pushing up on my diaphragm. It is definitely harder to breathe though, and I can hardly eat much at one time because there’s just no room. I have noticed some definite foot swelling this time around – maybe that’s because the weather’s warmer. Also still having the ANGRY LADYPARTS wah wah wah because that totally makes up for the lack of back pain ouch. I swear it’s worse this time. At my visit this week, Dr. O mentioned that a lot of times the second pregnancy seems to hurt worse because all the novelty that you had the first time has worn off. Probably true!

Having tons of BH contractions. Especially when I’ve been on my feet for even a short period – a trip to the grocery store is enough to make the whole belly tighten up for a good long while unless I sit down and take it easy. Same with the ladyparts – I have to sit down a lot and get some of the gravity and pressure off. I feel bad because it means Mr. Fantastic is doing a lot of toddler chasing and dishes and laundry and everything. Maybe I can lure some unsuspecting loved ones into some domestic help after JellyBean gets here to help him get a break.

I’m still not having the back pain like I did last time with Fletch, which is a good sign since for him it meant he was faced the wrong way. But my hips, butt – the whole pelvic region really, really hurts. And my belly hurts – the sides are really stretching. JellyBean is way up high and way out front. I keep bonking my belly into things because I’m not used to how far it sticks out. But in general, I am just super sore and achy and wish we had a pool downstairs like we did when I was pregnant with Fletch. I’m going to have to resort to hot baths to relieve some of this ouchy business.

I have finally found a pretty good sleeping position at least. And we’ve also finally got Fletch sleeping in his own bed (JellyBean, take note – you are on your own!) so I am getting much better rest at night when I can actually stay asleep.

Last week, the night before the ultrasound, I got sick and ended up throwing up. Afterwards, I felt this huge painful movement from JellyBean and figured she must not have liked me barfing and flipped herself over. Sure enough, at the scan the next morning, they said she had moved from breech to head down (where she’s supposed to be.) Yay for that! Dr. O said it was too early to worry about how she was positioned but after the complications with Fletch being face up instead of down; I really wanted this one to go how it’s supposed to.

Fletch did NOT like being born and was in some distress during his birth. Even though I had an epidural, I was very active during his birth – flipping back and forth from my back to hands and knees because his heart rate kept dropping during the pushing but he was happy when I turned over. At one point, there was a bunch of blood and they handed Mr. Fantastic some scrubs and told him to get ready for us to go to the operating room for a c-section. (Which I really, really didn’t want to do) Bless my OB, because she decided that I was pushing great and was strong enough to get him out and shortly after, I did. But it scared poor Mr. F to death – things were happing really fast and with all the blood, he had a brief period where he thought he might lose one or both of us. SO. This time around, I would like a little less drama. Because I’m sure, being my daughter, and being a Haley woman, there will be plenty of drama in her life to come.

From Twitter 05-11-2011

2011-05-12T04:19:00.000-06:00

20:19:09: Dear May weather: this "rain" is starting to look suspiciously like snow. DO NOT WANT.

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From Twitter 05-09-2011

2011-05-10T04:17:00.001-06:00

11:46:38: Am starving. No food/All food sounds good. Actually, you know what I really want? Movie theater popcorn. Can I just go buy some at theater?
16:40:52: OMG MY FEET ARE SWOLLEN
20:58:43: How is it possible I am even clumsier than my non-pregnant self? Also, my feet did not swell like this last time. Horrifying!

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Ugh.

2011-05-09T11:03:00.001-06:00

A woman in the office restroom just now was on the phone the whole time while she did her business, flushed, washed hands etc. That's bad enough but there were FOUR OTHER WOMEN doing the same thing at the same time. How is this something anyone wants to be a part of?

I swear, the people who work in my office...

From Twitter 05-08-2011

2011-05-09T04:11:00.001-06:00

20:21:44: Lovely day...fabulous brunch with H3 & her
fam, nap, sun, then BBQ with the Fantastics. Happy Mother's Day!

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From Twitter 05-06-2011

2011-05-07T04:12:00.001-06:00

15:29:46: Baking cookies again...and trying to remember what I did wrong last time because they came out weird.

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From Twitter 05-05-2011

2011-05-06T04:12:00.001-06:00

20:18:23: Reading a very engaging book - Stockett's The Help. Very entertaining but every time I put it down, I want to start talkin' Southern y'all.
22:23:45: Waiting for the benadryl I took an hour ago to kick in & make me sleepy and less stuffy & realize I never took it. Thanks, pregnancy brain.

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From Twitter 05-04-2011

2011-05-05T04:12:00.001-06:00

07:14:32: RT @Ionaonie: I'm really trying not to say 'May the fourth be with you' but I feel I failed dismally.
07:15:57: May the Fourth be with you. Lol!
15:19:14: What is this I don't even...http://www.violentlips.com/

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From Twitter 05-03-2011

2011-05-04T04:11:00.001-06:00

10:20:23: What are Corn-Nuts actually made of? Nuts? Corn? Bird food?
20:09:50: Eurgh. Ate ice cream, got sick. Now JellyBean is doing serious acrobatics, making me feel even sicker...rinse and repeat. Eurgh. Also, OUCH.
20:54:41: Seriously, it's like she's trying out for the rodeo or something in there.
21:37:41: Aaaaand, now I just had a major blood sugar crash. Glucose check at 50. Ugh, no wonder JellyBean's all riled up. Thank goodness for PB & OJ.

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From Twitter 05-02-2011

2011-05-03T04:12:00.001-06:00

16:00:10: OMG, went to Target & didn't buy anything! Apocalypse imminent?

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From Twitter 05-01-2011

2011-05-02T04:13:00.001-06:00

20:20:22: RT @jimmyfallon: Got Bin Laden AND interrupted Celebrity Apprentice? Win for Obama all around.

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From Twitter 04-30-2011

2011-05-01T04:12:00.001-06:00

20:34:32: "But Can They Really?" http://t.co/VTQi8eG via @GraphJam

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From Twitter 04-29-2011

2011-04-30T04:10:00.001-06:00

06:49:29: RT @BorowitzReport: According to newly released birth records, Donald Trump was born with his head up his ass.

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From Twitter 04-28-2011

2011-04-29T04:11:00.001-06:00

14:13:10: P.F. Chang’s Discounts Take-Out Orders, 4/28 http://t.co/6DCTwlX in honor of Michael Scott's last day at The Office.

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From Twitter 04-27-2011

2011-04-28T04:12:00.001-06:00

08:05:28: RT @TomatoNation: "President Obama's long-form birth certificate is being released, the White House announced today." For chrissakes, Am ...

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From Twitter 04-26-2011

2011-04-27T04:12:00.001-06:00

22:25:49: Piers Anthony is totally unreadable now. Shame, because I loved his early books as a kid. Now they're just ridiculous and WAY too puny.
22:27:30: I wish we got to keep Terry Pratchett forever instead. *sniffle*

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Week 30 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-04-26T13:17:00.001-06:00

4/26 Week 30

TMI ALERT: Well, hello, ANGRY LADYPARTS, my old nemesis. I had hoped not to see you this pregnancy. Alas, it looks like I’m going to have to attempt to foil you with judicious application of swimming, hot baths and Tylenol. Curses.

This week JellyBean is around 15.7 inches long and about 3 pounds and she is working on eyesight some more – although babies are only born with about 20/400 vision. Supposedly I should be feeling more clumsy, although I don’t really think it’s possible for me to feel or get any more clumsy than I already am.

Having a 3 pound squirming human inside you, while magical and miraculous blah blah blah, is also darned uncomfortable. I can’t breathe anymore and can’t eat very much at once because the baby has dibs on all the real estate. And I am totally uncomfortable sleeping now so I am feeling pretty tired these days. Plus, we have circled back to having to pee all the time, however now it’s due to the baby sitting on my bladder and not hormones.

Had another doctor visit this morning. I am now measuring 28 cm, which is about two weeks behind – despite the fact that I gained a couple more pounds and am now tipping the scales at 170. So I’m supposed to go in for a growth ultrasound in two weeks. I think maybe Dr. O just likes the growth ultrasound, because I had to do it with Fletch too, although that was because she thought I was too big. Anyway, yay, another chance to see my perfectly normal, healthy baby, which is always nice.

I also had a concern because last week Fletch jumped on me when I was laying in bed and his hand (and all his weight) landed on my belly right around where JellyBean’s head is. It hurt something awful – made me cry – but the baby has been moving fine ever since so I haven’t been terribly worried. But I had some slight concern because I still have a sore spot right where Fletch’s hand went. Dr. O did a quickie ultrasound and said everything looks fine and she’s not worried. Of course, then she ordered me in for the growth ultrasound, so who knows. She said it’s really hard to hurt the baby with external trauma to the belly due to all the fat, muscle and fluid protecting her and that the thing you have to worry about is actually disrupting the placenta. Fortunately, mine’s around back so nothing to worry about there.

I asked her about the ANGRY LADYPARTS and she said it’s normal (as she did last time) and that really there’s not a whole lot you can do aside from what I’m already doing. I have resigned myself to unhappy pants for the next ten weeks. (Note to self: use heat, not ice, as we learned last time around.)

Speaking of which, TEN WEEKS left! Aack! It’s coming up so fast. It’s already Spring and almost May – July will be here in no time. I have already made the switch from being freezing cold all the time to being hot all the time, so hooray, can’t wait for summer to get here and make me even hotter. Blecch. I have to go find some maternity shorts or capris to wear because everything I have now is long pants and I don’t need to sweat any more than I already am.

From Twitter 04-24-2011

2011-04-25T04:11:00.001-06:00

17:12:32: RT @ConanOBrien: On this day, Jesus broke free from the giant chocolate egg and led his bunny army to victory against the Nazis!

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From Twitter 04-21-2011

2011-04-22T04:11:00.001-06:00

22:48:34: RT @badbanana: My cable company moved all the channels around. Man, if I wanted to learn new things I wouldn't be watching TV in the fir ...

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How big a nerd ARE you?

2011-04-20T09:45:00.002-06:00

So Mr. Fantastic and the boy and I went out to eat last night. As we were waiting to pay the bill, we let Monkey wander over to this little waiting area where there were some toys to play with.

It's a three-sided little space, so he couldn't go anywhere without our seeing him - but there was still a blind corner where he could stand and I couldn't see him from where I was sitting. Despite knowing that he couldn't go anywhere or get hurt, it still made me nervous. I said as much to Mr. F.

Mr. Fantastic: Honey, he's fine. Nothing's going to happen.
Me: But what if a wormhole opens up back there?
Mr. F: ... How big a nerd ARE you?

From Twitter 04-19-2011

2011-04-20T04:12:00.001-06:00

16:30:16: RT @kellyoxford: Crazy to think that the money I saved by breastfeeding will end up being spent on a breast lift if my husband dies and ...
19:19:28: RT @altgeldshrugged: Listen up, Spring. If I don't get to start going sockless soon, something very bad is going to happen.
20:06:13: Can't believe I had a 2.5 hour nap today and am still ready to crash at 9pm. Hello, ~7 months pregnant!

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From Twitter 04-17-2011

2011-04-18T04:11:00.001-06:00

16:02:59: $55 to fill up my gas tank. Somehow I feel like I'm getting off cheap!

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From Twitter 04-16-2011

2011-04-17T04:14:00.001-06:00

08:21:29: How often do I wish everything in the whole world came with "Like" and "Dislike" buttons?
22:14:57: don't know what's worse - that someone wrote this down or that I understood it.
How 2 solve Rubik's Cube in a few mins http://t.co/57gejB6

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From Twitter 04-15-2011

2011-04-16T04:11:00.001-06:00

20:41:35: Have been so busy playing with new iPad, have forgotten to use it to tweet. It's love!
21:29:33: Mmmm...vanilla Zinger. The new cupcake.

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From Twitter 04-14-2011

2011-04-15T04:19:00.001-06:00

07:26:00: My iPad2 is in town! I should get it today. Can't wait - it's like Christmas!
08:23:45: It's pretty funny how obsessively I'm following the "track your package" on FedEx to see where my iPad2 is. (Good news, it's on the truck!)
12:28:17: The Best Time I Learned a Lesson From Doing My Taxes | The Hairpin http://t.co/R7WE1FK
12:42:48: It's here! It's here! Oh, sweet, beautiful technology, how I love you.
15:23:14: How can I have ice cold hands and sweaty armpits at the same time?
18:50:55: RT @ebertchicago: James Cameron predicts all 3D in five years, on which date I will stop attending new movies. http://bit.ly/hxXc2W

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From Twitter 04-13-2011

2011-04-14T04:11:00.001-06:00

10:16:52: Hurry up, iPad! Why are you still in Alaska?
18:13:27: 28 weeks pregnant...feels like 48 today.
In vino veritas: Week 28 of the JellyBean Progression http://t.co/tjwuhb6

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Week 28 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-04-13T11:29:00.000-06:00

Week 28

Well. Just after last time I got super sick – horrible chest cold that Fletch got also. We are both finally better but now Mr. Fantastic has it, so we are all still living in plagueville. Blecch.

Aside from some lingering stuffy nose, I feel pretty good. Have noticed a lot of Braxton-Hicks contractions when I am on my feet too long or doing too much around the house. When I feel it I say, “JellyBean says it’s time to sit down!” and I put my feet up and have a glass of water. Of course, with Mr. F sick, that means not a whole lot is getting done around the house – seems like we constantly have dishes and laundry piled up.

Saw Dr. O this week. Visit went fine – for all of last week I did the self blood checks 4x a day and gave her the numbers. She was very pleased to see I had done it proactively and all my numbers looked great so she doesn’t feel like I need to do anything else. Yay! I was getting tired of the finger sticks and it was only a week. I had to do it for so much longer with Fletch.

Haven’t had an ultrasound since the 20 week, which is different from Fletch too. With him, I was measuring a little big – maybe 3cm, but that combined with Dr. O’s unfounded concern that I might have had gestational diabetes led them to do more ultrasounds than usual to check for baby’s size. One of the things with GD is that the baby grows too big too fast, so they wanted to keep an eye on his size.

Of course, Fletch ended up weighing less than 8 pounds at birth so they really were worried about nothing – but it did mean I got to see him on ultrasound all the time. So at my appointment this week, I just told her I was sort of concerned since I had been sick and taking cough medicine and everything and she was like, no problem! We’ll take a look!

So that was nice and I got to see little JellyBean moving around. I haven’t been feeling her nearly as much as I did with Fletch – he was a raging rock star by this time. JellyBean hasn’t seemed as active, but it turns out that’s because she’s been sitting breech. Her head is up to my right and her butt is at the bottom and she’s kinda tilted but facing forward. So that’s why it’s been hard for anyone else to feel her from the outside, because of where the feet and hands are, I mostly just feel it way low on the inside.

So now I am just hoping she flips herself around before b-day because I would like ONE of my children to cooperate during birth and do it like they’re supposed to. I don’t think doctors will even attempt to deliver a breech baby vaginally anymore and I really don’t want a c-section.

This week JellyBean weighs around 2 ¼ pounds and is 14-15 inches long. (Just like a Chinese cabbage, which I had no idea what one was until I Googled and it turns out to be something I have seen before! It’s also called bok choi which is funny that that’s the name I know.) She is practicing blinking, growing neurons, adding fat and already has her eyelashes. I hope they look like Fletch’s.

I’ve gained 18 pounds so far – sure hoping I don’t gain a pound a week from here out like they suggest. It was easy to lose the weight after Fletch – breastfeeding really helped with that – but I’m still nervous about any weight gain at all. I’m sure it will be fine. I’m still 10 pounds behind what I weighed this week with Fletch so Dr. O says to quit worrying about it.

We switch now to visits every two weeks instead of once a month – that means the end is nearing. Can’t believe we’re going to have another little one so soon.

From Twitter 04-12-2011

2011-04-13T04:12:00.001-06:00

10:56:09: Sitting at your desk: The Most Dangerous Thing You'll Do All Day http://t.co/JNMrm3B
16:20:14: RT @kellyoxford: CNN: "Should ignorant people be allowed to vote?"

Can't we start with 'Should ignorant people be allowed to run for o ...

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From Twitter 04-11-2011

2011-04-12T04:12:00.001-06:00

08:00:55: YAY! My iPad2 is being delivered early!
18:16:02: RT @kellyoxford: Today my son said "Whoa, Beyonce looks like she's black on that magazine cover" and now he's my favorite.

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From Twitter 04-10-2011

2011-04-11T04:11:00.001-06:00

08:04:43: RT @BoingBoing: English school principle announces zero tolerance for mismatched socks http://bit.ly/dJsWNT
18:03:22: It's official. Now that I'm on the mend, Mr. Fantastic is down for the count with the plague. Poor guy. I know exactly how crummy he feels.

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From Twitter 04-09-2011

2011-04-10T04:22:00.001-06:00

07:47:10: RT @ebertchicago: House votes against Net Neutrality. No good can come of this. http://nyti.ms/fiI3yX
18:56:53: Plague seems to be abating for me and Fletch. Unfortunately, sounds like Mr. Fantastic is getting it now.

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From Twitter 04-08-2011

2011-04-09T04:13:00.001-06:00

14:07:12: Chart of the Day: What Planned Parenthood actually does http://tumblr.com/xlv21i7twy
18:55:03: RT @wilw: Dear Everyone Who Paid Money To See Charlie Sheen: Nelson Muntz would like to have a word with you. #haha
18:55:50: RT @cleolinda: RT @sallamandersam: MSNBC is reporting that Congress has apparently reached an agreement & Planned Parenthood will still ...

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From Twitter 04-06-2011

2011-04-07T04:13:00.001-06:00

18:13:55: Ugh. Plague getting worse, not better. And don't even ask me what the worst thing about having a chest cold while pregnant is...TMI.

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From Twitter 04-03-2011

2011-04-04T04:15:00.001-06:00

08:50:35: RT @kellyoxford: People who bought tickets to see Charlie Sheen don't have the right to boo.
08:53:50: Ergh. Feel HORRIBLE today. Hope this kid-induced plague doesn't last long. If things don't improve, I'm calling in sick tomorrow.
12:06:34: RT @badbanana: Stop judging. We're all just sixty million dollars, thirty porn stars, and one ton of crack away from being Charlie Sheen.

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From Twitter 04-01-2011

2011-04-02T04:10:00.001-06:00

07:41:41: I think I liked it better when my two year old didn't have OPINIONS.
14:54:20: I wish the pregnancy newsletter would stop emailing me about "how to look great during any trimester!" It's like they can see thru my laptop

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From Twitter 03-31-2011

2011-04-01T04:11:00.001-06:00

07:08:56: RT @kellyoxford: Jealousy is something you're good at when you think you suck at everything.
07:17:27: A quintessence of dust: Roger Ebert http://j.mp/aqbgM4 Who knew he was thinky about stuff besides movies? Like the immensity of the universe
07:40:38: It's disconcerting when your toddler runs up to you shouting "Bugs, Mommy, bugs!" Thank goodness he was talking about the picture on the DVD
19:31:51: Ugh. Baby boy caught a bug from his cousin when we babysat her this week. If she's sick, don't bring her over & get our kid sick too!
21:27:34: Hormonal pregnant women should NOT be watching tonight's Grey's Anatomy. *sob*

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From Twitter 03-30-2011

2011-03-31T04:12:00.001-06:00

11:11:06: Me too. Suburban Snapshots: Black and White: http://www.suburbansnapshots.com/2010/11/black-and-white.html
15:22:04: Mmm. Sonic's jr Frito chili cheese wrap. Well worth $1. Or maybe I'm just pregnant.
15:33:38: 26 weeks pregnant already! Week 26 of the JellyBean Progression http://t.co/SXK5rwI
19:41:11: Mr F took me to Krispy Kreme tonight. I was one of THREE pregnant women there at the same time. Lol!
21:43:26: Oh JellyBean...why must 10:30 every night be party time? Mama's TIRED.

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Peanut is 2!

2011-03-30T14:11:00.001-06:00

Yes, yes, he turned 2 just over a month ago. We've all seen how well I've kept up with posting about him, so nobody is surprised are they?

My little boy is an absolute treasure and a joy and keeps us very busy! And as always, my lament over the past two years has been, "where does all the time go?"

So while I spend lots of time enjoying his actual awesomeness, that means I don't have a lot of time to write in depth posts about what he's doing now. I don't know how other moms do it. I seem to have found enough time to Twitter a few times a week but somehow, 140 characters doesn't seem enough to tell you about how great my little Monkey Boy is.

But he is - great, amazing and wonderful. He learns new things every day and teaches me something every day. He runs and jumps and plays and loves trains and balloons and his family. He is mostly a good eater and doesn't hassle us too much at meal times. He is still a terrible sleeper although we're down to usually only waking up once at night. He's 3 feet tall and weighs almost 30 lbs. And growing fast! Must be all that Mama Milk.

Speaking of Mama Milk, with little fanfare and a few tears (on my part only!) I weaned him in January, 6 weeks shy of his 2nd birthday. Being pregnant, it got to be too painful for me to continue any longer. Considering he was only nursing occasionally at night it was an easy transition for him and it surprised me at how much he didn't seem to notice it had even happened.

Peanut loves tunnels and is constantly wanting us to come play trains and build tunnels with him. When he wants you to come somewhere with him, he will tug on you and say, "Pull!" When something is out of his reach or too high to climb on he says, "Too big, mama!"

He talks so much now and one of his favorite questions is "Whatcha doin' dere?" and he is CONSTANTLY asking it. How many times a day do I say, "I'm making breakfast, buddy." "Putting on your shoes." "Mommy's going potty, baby."? I feel like I am my own narrator sometimes!

He still has some trouble with F and L, and so says "I yove you" and "yeyow" (for yellow) and his own name has become "Betcher." When he sees a picture of himself he excitedly exclaims "Betcher!" or sometimes "Brody!" which is his cousin who is two months older.

Cousin Brody and Auntie Heidi are two of his favorite people EVER. He is constantly asking, "Go Brody house?" Auntie always lets him borrow one of Brody's trains when we go home, and so at our house Monkey is always asking, "Where Brody trains?" which is so cute because he really does know and specify which ones are his and which are Brody's. And he also knows all of the Thomas trains by sight, whether on t.v. or in the books or his actual toy trains, as well as the "supplemental" cars that come in the sets - one of my favorites to hear him say is "BAGGAGE CAR" in this funny little voice.

And of course, aside from I love you, one of my favorite things to hear him say is something he says all the time: "HI MOMMY!" Even if he's already sitting on my lap, he will often turn an look at me with delight and say HI MOMMY! I love his little voice, but even better is his laugh. He laughs often and heartily and has even inherited Mommy's laugh-snort if you get him going.

He loves tickles and will scrunch his fingers on your side and say "Tickle you!" and then look at you and go, "Tickle me!" One of our favorite games is when Mr. Fantastic does "Everybody tickle!" and we all tickle whoever's name Daddy says. He loves Mousey Mousey and Bumble Bee and any other tickle game you can come up with.

Peanut also loves his books - especially when we point to the pictures and ask who that is and what color and what sound do they make. He knows his animals and animal sounds and colors very well but is still working on numbers and letters. He knows the numbers - just not the order they go in past 3, and so will sometimes say "1,2,3...7!"

I could keep going on and on (and on...) so I'll just say it's been amazing becoming a mom. Fletch has taught me so much about myself and about how much you can love another human being. I finally understand now how my parents felt about me. And I can't believe that come July, we get to do this all over again with a little girl.

Hard to believe in two years he's gone from a little 7-pound-something burrito...

to this amazing ball of energy and inquisitiveness.

Week 26 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-03-30T11:31:00.002-06:00

Week 26

Time marches on! And there’s no hiding that there’s a baby in here anymore. Not that I ever was, but nowadays the baby bump is more mountain than molehill and JellyBean is making her presence known well and often. Plus this week her hearing is developing further and she weighs about a pound and two-thirds and measures 14 inches (an English hothouse cucumber) from head to heel. Well, at least the cucumber reference is a lot more relevant than last week’s rutabaga.

In general, I am feeling pretty good. Still no persistent backache and I am sleeping okay – still using the multiple pillow/flying buttress system I developed with Fletch and so despite multiple waking in the night, I am usually able to go right back to sleep. (Even sometimes when there is a surprise two year old climbing in to be with me!)

Mr. Fantastic has gotten to feel JellyBean kicking a few more times which he always enjoys. And I am still feeling HUGE, mostly because I can’t bend over anymore and have the grace of a hippo getting in and out of the car. At least this time around we have a different car, which is not so low to the ground and so Mr. F doesn’t actually have to hoist me in and out. So far I can still do it by myself. And we are working with Fletch to have him climb into his carseat himself so I don’t have to lift him in anymore. He is surprisingly cooperative with this endeavor (so far – I’m sure just until the novelty wears off!). Fletch weighs almost 30 lbs now so he is getting to be a bit of a chore for me to lift. And also to hold or carry – it’s kind of funny to see him try to get situated on my hip like he’s used to doing because now he can’t get his little leg around my front to hold on. So a lot of time when I pick him up, he seats himself waay high up on my waist so he can sling his leg around my front over my belly. But this places him way up high so that his head is higher than mine. He’s not used to being so tall when Mommy carries him!

Next appointment isn’t until 4/11, when I’m supposed to do the glucose test. Still looking into alternatives for that. One thing I may have to end up doing is just a basic blood sugar check 4 times a day for a week. Since I still have all the testing stuff left from when I was pregnant with Peanut, that shouldn’t be a big deal. In fact, I may just go ahead and do it proactively the first week of April and bring my results to Dr. Owens on the 11^th and see what else she might want to do.

From Twitter 03-28-2011

2011-03-29T04:13:00.001-06:00

21:26:30: Loving the heck out of watching The Karate Kid on Dancing with the Stars!

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From Twitter 03-25-2011

2011-03-26T04:11:00.001-06:00

07:13:32: This is awesome. (And yes, also nerdy.)
Periodic Table of Fictional Materials http://www.fictionalmaterials.com/

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From Twitter 03-24-2011

2011-03-25T04:11:00.001-06:00

07:52:52: RT @GeorgeTakei: SNL's Victoria Jackson thinks Glee is turning boys gay. Frankly, I think Victoria Jackson is more to blame for that.
11:36:49: Ugh, why would you ever buy fish in the office cafeteria? And then why would you take it in the elevator to the 11th floor?! BLECCH.
20:12:20: Have ordered my iPad2. Now how am I supposed to wait 3 weeks for it?!

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From Twitter 03-23-2011

2011-03-24T04:11:00.001-06:00

06:57:03: Screen icon Elizabeth Taylor dies - http://bbc.in/fmFUtS
08:58:27: Do you know how happy this makes me?! Terry Pratchett's Discworld Being Adapted To Crime-Of-The-Week Mystery TV Series http://t.co/vTxsILZ
11:16:18: RT @danhaleyDP: An important step for Colorado. What say you House? RT @lynn_bartels: Civil unions passes on initial voice vote. #COLEG
14:50:56: Barefoot Contessa says Russian dressing is just mayo & ketchup. I feel way less white trash now!

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Week 25 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-03-22T11:05:00.002-06:00

Week 25

Funny, last week the doc said I was measuring 3 cm big and it was nothing to worry about. But with Fletch, by week 25 I was also measuring 3 cm big and they decided to do a growth ultrasound just to check on his size. I wonder why they were concerned last time and not this time? Maybe not this time because it turned out to be nothing last time. But of course now I wish I had the chance for another ultrasound because I want to see JellyBean again!

So this week, JB should be around a pound and a half and 13 ½ inches long. She certainly feels bigger! (The website compares her to the average rutabaga…which is so helpful because we are all so familiar with rutabagas. I think possibly the rutabaga is the Brazil nut of vegetables.)

She has really been moving around a lot, and finally this weekend Mr. Fantastic was able to feel her kick. I was going to bed and he came to say goodnight and I told him JellyBean had been really ruckin’ around and he might be able to feel her. So he put his hand on my belly and we waited a minute and sure enough, she gave him a good kick. And we both looked at each other like, “Hee! Did you feel that?!” Now I can’t wait to have Fletch feel it too.

Also this week, JellyBean is starting to get some baby fat and growing hair. (Or, NOT growing hair if she’s anything like her bald big brother who had hardly any hair to speak of for the first 6 months and then a natural mohawk for the next.)

From Twitter 03-21-2011

2011-03-22T04:12:00.001-06:00

06:34:00: Mr. Fantastic got to feel JellyBean kick for the first time last night. It's going so fast!
07:58:23: LOL...a quote from EW.com this week: "Wait, the brontosaurus isn't real? Oh, cruel Science, wasn't it bad enough when you stole Pluto?"
21:33:10: Mr. Fantastic rules...just brought me ice cream in bed. Yum!

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From Twitter 03-18-2011

2011-03-19T04:11:00.001-06:00

07:12:05: RT @BreakingNews: Slim majority of Americans now support gay marriage, finds new Washington Post-ABC poll; 53% say it should be legal ht ...
07:51:27: Antarctica, 1961: A Soviet Surgeon Has to Remove His Own Appendix - The Atlantic http://t.co/rEUN82a via @AddThis

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From Twitter 03-17-2011

2011-03-18T04:10:00.001-06:00

07:33:00: Does anyone actually EAT brazil nuts? Or are they in there just to take up space? I just tried one and ICK.

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From Twitter 03-16-2011

2011-03-17T04:11:00.001-06:00

09:04:28: Note to self: WD-40 gets purple crayon off both kitchen walls AND stainless steel fridge.
19:28:28: Now that Mr. Fantastic is not opposed to me buying an iPad2 with some of my bonus money, naturally nobody has them in stock. PITIFUL SIGH.

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From Twitter 03-15-2011

2011-03-16T04:10:00.000-06:00

10:35:28: RT @ConanOBrien: Why did that soothsayer tell Caesar to “Beware the Ides of March” when he could've more helpfully said, “Beware the kni ...
10:44:55: RT @ebertchicago: Self-indulgence is said to be a fault, but can you deny it's one of life's great pleasures?
15:29:08: In vino veritas: Week 24 of the JellyBean Progression http://t.co/IYmg0te

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Week 24 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-03-15T15:14:00.000-06:00

Week 24

Six month checkup today! Saw Dr. Mahoney since Dr. Owens is on vacation this week. Everything is great; although she did freak me out a little bit by telling me that starting this week, if the baby were to be born, she’d be viable. Whoa. So I am supposed to start paying extra attention to movement – I should be feeling more and more, so if I start feeling less, I’m supposed to call right away. Also am supposed to pay attention for signs of preterm labor and call if there’s anything weird.

Little Baby Josie Duggar was born at 25 weeks and has done okay so far - she celebrated her 1^st birthday in December 2010. Of course, her mom was 40+ years old and had previously delivered 18 other children and had to deliver so early due to severe preeclampsia that was endangering the health of both mom and baby. Though our circumstances are different, I am still crossing all my fingers, hoping that everything continues to go smoothly and that JellyBean goes all the way to 40 weeks. And not 41 like her brother.

I have been worried about my weight gain the last two months because it seems like I’ve gotten really huge really quick. I’m not seeing changes anywhere but my belly, so it’s not that I think I’m in general just eating too much or anything, but have a little concern that the baby is getting too big too fast or ahead of schedule or whatever. Dr. M said although I am measuring a little bit big, my weight gain is fine and that at this point with Fletch I weighed 172 - ten pounds more than I do now. She told me not to worry about it at all and that right about now what she calls “mushrooming” happens – that basically you really start popping out. Looking back, by week 25 with Fletch, I was measuring 3 cm big and felt the same way – all belly. So probably just me worrying about nothing, especially since Fletch ended up weighing less than 8 lbs at birth.

Next month I’ll see Dr. O again and am supposed to have my glucose test to check for gestational diabetes. I have a call in to my bariatric doctor to see what the alternatives to the normal glucose test are because there is no way in heck I am doing that again after the disaster it was last time.

Last week JellyBean’s hearing started to get better, so now she can hear sounds from outside. Guess we need to start singing! This week she should be just over a pound and just about a foot long. We are supposed to picture her as an ear of corn. (Apparently, long and skinny?) She is growing more brain and developing taste buds and lungs this week as well.

I can’t believe we are over halfway now! It’s gone by so fast. It’s been relatively easy too – maybe that’s because it’s the second time and I know more. (Like that Fiber is Your Friend and Breathe Right Strips are Awesome.) Really the only lasting complaint I’ve had is the Rhinitis of Pregnancy (aka, Stuffy Nose) that you get when you’re pregnant due to all your mucous membranes swelling up. And while I learned last time that Breathe Right Strips are AWESOME, I have learned this time that supermarket brand nose strips SUCK and give you pimples across the bridge of your nose as well as a red stripe that won’t go away. (Note to self: Shell out the extra clams for name brand next time!)

From Twitter 03-14-2011

2011-03-15T04:17:00.001-06:00

Forecast for 60+ temps all week. Yay! I am a happy (and hopefully less cold) girl!
One of our neighbor's dogs is wearing a cone. He looks so pathetic and I think the other dog may be laughing at him.
RT @sesamestreet: Count von Count: Pi day? Three point one four one five nine two six five three five eight ... I may be here all day!
Hey, I forgot! Happy Pi Day! 3.1415926535897932384626433832795028841971693993751058209749445923078164062862089986280348253421170679821480...
Just another reason to hate Big Pharm: $10 drug now $1500 after FDA grants monopoly - Boing Boing http://t.co/vcU9d7r
Mmm...circus animal cookies. Nope, not spoiling my dinner!

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From Twitter 03-13-2011

2011-03-14T04:11:00.001-06:00

Sigh...another weekend over already. Sure did enjoy the warmer weather, though.

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From Twitter 03-12-2011

2011-03-13T04:11:00.001-06:00

Remember when you didn't have kids and therefore still had a concept of "sleeping in" on the "weekend?"...yeah, me too.

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Cold. Coldcoldcold. COLD.

2011-03-07T19:27:00.000-07:00

Yes, I am cold. SO VERY COLD. I am over the winter. I am over below 60 temps. I am OVER dressing like a clown in my own house just to try and stay warm. Right now I am wearing slippers, socks, sweats, a night gown, a sweatshirt, a giant pink fuzzy bathrobe and a scarf. I have talked Mr. Fantastic to letting me set the thermostat to 70. And I am STILL COLD.

I would also be wearing long underwear if I were not too pregnant for them.

Where is the myth that pregnant women are hot all the time? I WOULD LIKE SOME OF THAT NOW, PLEASE.

I am warm in three locations:
1. In the shower.
2. In bed, but only after I have been running the space heater at 80 for a half hour with the bedroom door closed.
3. At my desk at work, because I sit under a heating vent, wear a blanket on my lap and run an illegal space heater under my desk that the Facilities Police have been grumbling at me about for nine years.

I am now going to sit in front of the t.v. in my clown clothes, wrap up in a comforter and shiver until it's bedtime.

(And when I am bitching about being hot in June, please kindly disregard this note.)

"Do you think he knows about second breakfast?"

2011-03-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

THIRD breakfast is ok when you're pregnant, right? It's not even 11 yet and I've already eaten breakfast twice. STILL HUNGRY NOM NOM.

Also, for first breakfast I was a good girl and ate my grownup Fiber One cereal. But I mixed it with Crunch Berries.

Week 22 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-03-02T16:54:00.003-07:00

Week 22

Hey, have I mentioned my skin has finally mostly cleared up? Hooray. My skin does not like being pregnant. I am so glad to be over that stage. Urgh.

So, 22 weeks already! I can’t believe how fast it’s going. And maybe the difference between being knocked up the first time and this time is that with Peanut, I spent most of the time on the couch in sweatpants and with JellyBean I am in the office and chasing around after a two-year-old, but I swear either this pregnancy is easier or I am just too busy to notice.

Also possibly things are easier this time around because I am not in the middle of trying to sell a condo and buy a house and driving Steve to 37 doctor’s appointments every week. Things are a little less stressful for me and that itself is probably making the biggest difference.

Once I passed the food aversion stage, which was much milder this time around, I really have had no complaints. JellyBean is being much nicer to me than her big brother was. Let us all keep our fingers crossed that this means she will be a better sleeper than Fletch.

Though there have been just as many Conversations with JellyBean as there were Conversations with Peanut, they are of much less interest because they mostly consist of JellyBean being sweet and agreeable, as opposed to gleefully evil.

For example, an early food-related conversation with Peanut went like this:

Me: *rummaging through kitchen* How about...a cracker?

Peanut: No.

Me: Hmm. Slice of ham? Toast?

Peanut: No and no.

Me: Peanut butter?

Peanut: ...

Me: Sorry. Um, how about some chees-

Peanut: GOD, no.

Me: Okay, how about this other kind of cheese?

Peanut: Yes.

Me: Oka-Really? All right! *nom nom nom*

Peanut: Just kidding!

Me: *is queasy*

Peanut: *gleefully evil cackle*

Me: Sigh.

Whereas, a similar conversation with JellyBean went like this:

Me: *stares morosely into cabinets and fridge* Meh. How about...this? *holds up random piece of food*

JellyBean: Meh. *shrugs tiny shoulders*

However, in the context of teasing Mr. Fantastic, JellyBean is just like her brother. We have this same conversation daily, in which you can replace “Peanut” with “JellyBean”:

Peanut: *twitch*

Me: Oh!

Peanut: *twitch twitch twitch*

Me: Hee!

Peanut: *twitchtwitchtwitch twitchtwitchtwitch*

Me: Heeee!

Mr. F: Really? *feels my belly*

Peanut: *crickets chirping*

Mr. F: *sad* Darn.

Me: Sorry, honey.

Peanut: *gleeful cackle*

Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, we’ll be able to feel JellyBean from the outside and Mr. F will get a chance to feel her. Although I hope he will still keep putting his face on my belly and talking to her because it is darn adorable.

Also adorable is when Fletch says hello or goodnight to JellyBean and kisses my belly. I don’t know how much he really gets that the baby inside will be coming outside and staying with us. But in the mean time, it’s so cute when he pats my bump and says “Baby! In dere!” in his sweet little voice. We have a couple of books about Mommy Having a Baby that are hopefully being helpful in preparing him. He also has a Little Peanut stuffed toy that is basically a little sleeping baby that goes inside a peanut shell. He calls it his “baby” and sleeps with it and so we talk a lot about how Mama has a baby in her belly just like his baby. (It is freaking adorable, let me tell you, and I plan to get the Sweet Pea version for JellyBean)

This week JellyBean is almost a whole pound and around 11 inches long. She is working on refining things like eyelids and eyebrows and has started sprouting tiny tooth buds under her gums. Still a work in progress but if we could see her, she’d look very much like a teeny tiny newborn.

Update on Dad

2011-03-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

Haven't talked much about my dad lately...it's been mostly babies and Steve, so I thought I'd throw a little love Dad's way. (Or, as Fletch calls him, Paw-Paw.)

Waaay back in October '08, Dad got diagnosed with "moderately aggressive" prostate cancer. At the time he had no health insurance and so his doctor decided on a treatment course of something called Lupron, which is in short a hormone shot that turns off the production of testosterone thereby giving the cancer nothing to feed on so it can't grow. The idea was to basically hold the cancer at bay until Dad turned 65 in August '10 and started Medicare.

A major drawback to the Lupron is that it causes menopause-like symptoms, the worst for Dad being weight gain. It's made him hungry all the time and he's gained probably 50 pounds which is really bothering him. However, the Lupron has done its job and the cancer has not progressed, so Dad had his last shot a few months ago. He recently started what I consider to be the "real" treatment - radiation and implants. In February, he got the radioactive seeds implanted, and this week he went in for the first of 25 radiation sessions. He goes five times a week at noon for the next five weeks.

We’ll find out in a couple months how it goes. He's been told side effects should be minimal, including the possibility of a sunburn-like effect on his abdomen. It’s only been a few days, but so far, so good. He’s feeling fine and I think, like me, relieved to be doing something more proactive. I know he’s happy to be done with the Lupron, although they did say it would take a while – at least 6 months or more, for it to clear his system. Hopefully once it does, he can start losing some of the weight he’s gained and will be feeling generally better.

In addition to quitting drinking in June ’08, Dad also quit smoking probably a year ago and I am so proud of him for doing both those things. I have always worried about his health and cutting out these two things is the best thing he has done for himself. And aside from the major health benefits, I feel like I have my dad back.

When he was drinking, you just never knew which Dad you were going to get. Some days would be good and I’d love spending time with him and other days I wanted nothing to do with him. Now that I have my son, and a daughter on the way, I am so thankful to have all my days with Dad be the good ones. I am so happy they will get to know their grandfather and hopefully have a lifetime of wonderful memories of him like I do with my own gramps.

Week 20 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-02-16T09:19:00.003-07:00

Look! A Bump!

Week 20

So first off…officially, IT’S A GIRL! Yayyayyay! Pink frilly things! Pigtails! Sugar and spice and everything nice! Time to start thinking of names that aren’t Wilma.

We had our 20 week anatomy survey on Tuesday. Everything looks great; all the pieces parts are where they should be. Additionally, all my blood work and tests have come back with good numbers, so as with Fletch we will not be doing any more testing (like amnio, etc.) unless it becomes necessary. Despite my ADVANCED MATERNAL AGE of 37 (not enough rolleyes in the world) all is well and JellyBean progresses apace.

JellyBean is finally stretching out and should now measure about 10 inches long from head to toe, and weighs about 10 ½ ounces. You may compare her to a banana if you like. We are now halfway through the pregnancy – very hard to believe! It seems like July is zooming up on us quickly. I’ve gained about 8 pounds and can expect to gain another pound a week from here out. However, with Fletch, I only ended up gaining about 15 overall, so that’s more like what I’m expecting this time around. It is recommended I eat plenty of steak to keep up my iron – I can get on board with that! (Never mind that I take an iron supplement and eat plenty of spinach and soy…I will happily take some extra steak! Pass the filet.)

Interesting (for me alone, no doubt!) to note that by this time with Fletch, I had already started experiencing the low back pain that plagued me throughout the pregnancy, and which ultimately turned out to be a sign that he was “sunny side up” – or in the less-desirable for birth occiput posterior (OP) position. Basically, he came out face up instead of face down like most babies do. The back pain (and resultant back labor, which OMG DO NOT WANT AGAIN) comes from the back of the baby's skull putting pressure on your lower back and pelvis.

Despite all the measures we took during the last trimester to turn him, Fletch stayed stubbornly face up and made for a long, ouchy labor (much of which I spent eating popsicles in the bathtub) until it was finally time for the epidural. (Bless!)

All this to say, my back is fine so far, yay! Near the end, I was living on the heating pad and spending as many 10 minute intervals in the hot tub as Mr. Fantastic would allow (and accepting as many backrubs as Mr. F could give before his hands gave out) in an effort to relieve the back pain. Hopefully this lack of back pain now is a good indicator that JellyBean will not be as obstinate as her big brother and behave in there.

Week 19 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-02-08T16:47:00.004-07:00

Week 19

Not a lot new going on. Just eating a ton and trying to keep up with little JellyBean – who is not so little anymore! I’m finally definitely showing, and the baby is about 8 ½ oz and 6 inches long – bigger than a bell pepper.

Been feeling some little flutters in there the last couple weeks, and the last day or two I’ve really been feeling it. Also feeling pretty good, aside from hungry all the time. Just a little tired and thankfully haven’t been sick again. I think Mr. Fantastic and Fletch may be coming down with something, though. Let’s hope it’s not too awful like last time! At least Mr. F escaped the strep-plague we had back over New Year's.

We’ve had tons of snow lately and it’s been super cold – below 0 during the day. So we haven’t gotten out a whole lot but we have been trying to spend time with Heidi and Brody, either at our house or theirs just to get the boys some play time. Poor Fletch keeps asking to go to the park. We feel so bad when we have to say no but it’s hard to do when there’s a foot of snow!

Looking forward to next week’s appointment for the anatomy scan. Keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll see for sure if JellyBean is a boy or girl – and then we can start thinking about names! (God love you, Mr. F, I’m sure your grandma was a fabulous woman. But we are not naming our baby Wilma. Much as I loved my gram, I am not naming any kid Juanita either.)

Last night Fletch fell asleep across my belly and I guess JellyBean could feel the weight or the warmth or something because s/he was going crazy in there, bumping against him. It was kinda sweet. I forgot how amazing it feels when you really start to notice that you have a living person growing inside you. I sure hope my little ones are always two peas in a pod.

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

2011-02-03T08:00:00.000-07:00

Week 16 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-01-18T16:45:00.000-07:00

Week 16

Had my follow up visit at Platte River today. Just a blood draw and a super quick ultrasound just to see if we could tell gender yet. No guarantees, but they’re leaning toward girl! Mostly because they could see no evidence of any dangly bits.

Looks like we’re gearing up for a growth spurt – right now JellyBean's the size of an avocado and weighs about 3.5 oz, but in the next few weeks will be doubling in weight and adding inches to length too.

Week 15 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-01-16T16:44:00.001-07:00

Week 15

Hoo boy, I do not know what is going on with me. Maybe it’s part recovering from being sick, maybe it’s part JellyBean doing a lot of growing , but the last few days I have been starving. Like needing to eat a sandwich every two hours and still feeling like snacking in between. Yikes. The scale still isn’t moving much though, so I’m not too worried. I think to date I’ve gained less than 5 pounds. However, it’s hard to keep up with my metabolism. I’ll eat until I’m full and then two hours later start feeling a major sugar low is coming on, which means I need to eat again. I remember feeling this way with Fletch, too, so it’s par for the course.

JellyBean’s about the size of an apple now, weighing around 2 ½ ounces. Hopefully I will start feeling movement next week – that’s always so exciting. And we have two doctor visits next week. One is my usual monthly check up and the other the follow up to the first trimester screening I did a few weeks ago. Hopefully JellyBean will cooperate and we will be able to see the gender!

Thank heavens we are over the plague – poor Fletchie was not a happy camper. But we are feeling much more ourselves now and have stopped quarantine. Fletch really missed Brody and asked for him a lot while we were locked up trying not to spread plague. We had some great snow early in the week so Heidi and Brody came over to go sledding with us. It was a lot of fun but cold so we didn’t stay out very long.

Week 14 of the JellyBean Progression

2011-01-04T16:41:00.004-07:00

Week 14

Things were busy and fun over the holidays, with the added bonus that somewhere in there, I got strep and Fletch got strep, an ear infection, pink eye and diarrhea to go along with the cough/cold/general plague he was already working on. Needless to say, things have not been pretty around here. Mr. Fantastic has been a trooper so far but I think he may be starting to succumb to the combined plague of his wife and child.

Fletch and I both saw our doctors yesterday and are on antibiotics, plus Fletch gets eye drops also. Hopefully we’re both on the mend and maybe daddy won’t get as sick as the two of us. You should see the poor kid – he’s a walking disaster and just looks so terrible. He’s not sleeping much, so his eyes are all puffy, plus red and crusty from the infection, and he’s sneezing and covered in snot all the time. Nevertheless, he is still a joy to behold. :)

Despite being plague-ridden, otherwise I’m doing pretty well. Still really tired but that may be due more to the plague than to being pregnant. Been able to eat okay lately, although being sick lost me a few pounds again. JellyBean’s about the size of a lemon now – so hard to believe something that big is in there and I can’t feel it. It should still be at least another couple of weeks at the earliest before I start feeling movement. My pants are definitely uncomfortable now and I’ve gotten out all the maternity clothes to see what I’ve got. Unfortunately, most of the pants I have are for when I’m MUCH bigger. I’m going to have to dig around and see if I’ve got some jeans up a size or two hiding somewhere that might work.

God, there are days – even days like today, with his crusty, puffy, sticky little face – when I look at Fletch and my heart just clenches and swells with pride and love. And then I think, oh boy, I get to have another one of these?! How did we get so lucky? Whether JellyBean is a boy or a girl, it won’t matter because he or she will be ours – that we made! And grew and bore and have the opportunity to teach and love every day.

Overcome by plague.

2010-12-31T20:47:00.001-07:00

Overcome by plague. Going to bed. Happy New Year.

Week 11 of the JellyBean Progression: Continued

2010-12-20T16:39:00.002-07:00

Still Week 11

We told the family this weekend! Dad, JT & Sherry came over for dinner on Friday and were very pleased to find out. We had been trying to plan a trip to Vegas for all of us in the Spring and I was bummed to tell them we won’t be going. I know I could go to Vegas but honestly, after going when I was pregnant with Fletch, it’s definitely one of the last vacations I would pick to go on while pregnant. Can’t drink and wanting to be in bed by 8 pm means I wouldn’t really get much out of the trip. Especially since I’m not much of a gambler either. We’ll all just have to plan another trip, maybe for later next year.

Told all the Farleys on Saturday night and they were just as thrilled. As I expected, Katie and Kathy had their suspicions but were just waiting for us to announce it. I know Kathy is excited to have another grandbaby to add to her flock.

Also told the Clark girls at the brunch at Ginger’s on Saturday morning. Also as expected, that announcement got the biggest reaction. Heidi and I had discussed how to tell them and decided that I would make a toast, thanking Ginger and saying how nice it was to see everyone and here’s to a healthy baby in July.

It was really funny to watch the reactions – everybody just looked confused for a minute and then there was an explosion of exclamations. Hayley especially was so excited and happy for me – she was shaking when she hugged me. I love that they love me so much.

So, phew. Cat’s finally out of the bag with family. Now I need to tell work but am trying to decide when the best time is. With the holidays it’s hard to find a good time to schedule a call with my boss. I may just wait until next week.

Had my first trimester screening at Platte River Perinatal this morning, which included an ultrasound so I got to see little JellyBean. I remember from my last pregnancy around this time feeling like there’s nothing happening – you’re not showing, you can’t feel the baby moving – and like last time, I have this tiny little worried feeling like maybe something’s wrong. No reason for it, I feel great; I’m sure every pregnant woman goes through this.

Anyway, it was nice and reassuring to see the ultrasound today. The heartbeat was fluttering away – 155 BPM (and the old wives’ tale is that anything over 140 means girl!), and JellyBean was hopping around in there, happy as a clam. Since I’m 37, I’m considered higher-risk than younger women but they were careful to tell me that I’m not an actual high-risk pregnancy. However, initial test results look good, although they also did a blood test which we’ll get results of in a few days, but initially they said everything looks great. And I have to go back again in a month where they’ll do another blood test and I can ask them to do a “gender peek” while I’m there. Can’t wait to find out who our little JellyBean is going to be!

Week 11 of the JellyBean Progression

2010-12-15T16:37:00.001-07:00

Week 11

11 weeks already…can’t believe it. We are telling the family this weekend…Dad and JT & maybe Sherry are coming for dinner on Friday so we can tell them, and then the big Farley Girls (with boys) Christmas party is on Saturday night, so we’ll tell all the Farleys then. And also on Saturday morning, I’m having brunch at Ginger’s, so I’ll tell the H’s et al then too. Heidi is VERY glad that the cat will be out of the bag soon so we can talk about it openly (and so she doesn’t have to worry about slipping up!)

I was starting to feel the teensiest bit less tired and then I started getting the plague this week, so I’m back to feeling exhausted. I also forgot that something about pregnancy hormones makes it hard to sleep, which is a bummer because lately I’ve been waking up at 4-5 a.m. and haven’t been able to fall back asleep until it’s time for the alarm to go off. Sigh.

Still pimply, right now it’s mostly my temples and the sides of my forehead. I do seem to have escaped so far with hardly any neck pimplage, so that’s nice.