Thanks for all your nice comments about my last post. I will confess to feeling a little freaked out earlier this week, but have since simmered down. Your comments actually helped. I haven’t had any of the weird pains since Tuesday morning so I’m left guessing that they were a muscle spasm or something else random. I also found out yesterday evening that I do have a mild bladder infection (apparently my little cup of pee changed its tune after another 24 hours!), so the whole scary urine test results are explained and I’ve started on the antibiotics. Hopefully this means that all will be resolved before I hop on the plane for DC next week. I also find a slight amount of reassurance in knowing that 80% of my conference attendees next month will be doctors.
I told my parents our name choice last night so I feel like I can probably put it up here now too.
The name we’ve chosen is Edie Bee Culver. Edie being pronounced like Eee-dee, which was hopefully obvious, although I’m sure we’re fating her to many teachers calling out “Eddie” on the first day of class and her needing to correct them. We picked Edie because we love it and Bee because it’s my Grandmother’s middle name. I also like that Bee can stand for the first initial of my maiden name (Bruton) and the first initial of Jeff’s middle name, which also happened to be his grandmother’s last name (Barnes).
Last night while watching Lost, Edie was kicking so hard into my left side that I was almost more entertained by watching my stomach undulate than I was by the show. The kicks (punches?) still aren’t strong enough to hurt, but some are getting swift enough that I can’t help but stop what I’m doing in shock. I can’t imagine what they’ll feel like in another month or two.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Daily Note: April 28, 2009
Hi there. It's been a while since I last posted. Work is really busy prepping for my Spring conference in Washington DC and I tend to get home pooped. The conference is the week after next, but I leave next weekend to head over early and get prepped.
I always hate flying to DC for work, but this time around I'm dreading it even more. By the time my flight was booked, all they had left were window seats, so that should be awesome. I'm also a nervous flyer and will miss my little muscle relaxer that I always took before boarding the 5 hour flight. Lastly, I'm super not looking forward to coping with the time difference and crazy long days with nothing more than a Tylenol. Oh Lorazapam, how I will miss you.
Today I welcome in week 22 with a renewed gratitude for feeling the baby's movements. I had a teeny tiny scare yesterday morning when I started getting weird, sporadic shooting pains down my right side, from my ribs down to my hip. When I called the doctor's office they had me zip over to double check everything. Well, the baby's heartbeat sounded strong (although the 10 seconds it took her to find it was not my favorite part of the appointment) and when they poked me all over, everything with me seemed fine too. Then of course the pains stopped and I felt crazy. Until the nurse came back in and said they'd found minute traces of blood in my urine. Overshare? Probably. But too late! Well, this is apparently a common indicator of a bladder infection (which are common during pregnancy because of the increased pressure the baby puts on the bladder), so now I'm waiting for the more complete results of the "urine culture" (gross).
As of this morning, the results were negative for a bladder infection, but they said sometimes it takes another day or two to be sure. I imagine them checking back on my little cup of pee every few hours, waiting for it to talk to them and say "Actually, I was wrong yesterday - turns out it IS a bladder infection!" In the meantime, they've called in a prescription for me anyways and I'm now totally paranoid that my frequent bathroom trips mean something more than they probably do. ANYWAYS, my point is that at least I have the regular movements of the baby to remind me that she's still doing fine.
After only one more weird, shooting pain yesterday afternoon (they literally last like 1 second), I didn't have any more after my appointment yesterday morning. Until this morning! When they came back and scared me all over again. On a whim, I went home for lunch to lay down on my left side for an hour and I'm not sure if it was a coincidence or not, but the pains stopped right away and I haven't had one since. Maybe these are a new kind of ligament pain? Gah! So frustrating to not know.
So as not to be a total Debbie Downer, I am including a few photos from week 21 in my post. First up is a photo illustration of my haircut on Saturday. My hair was getting ridiculously long and thick lately, which sounds like a conceited thing to say, but if you'd seen it, you'd know that it wasn't actually pretty like a shampoo commercial. It was more like a horse's tail. I asked Jeff to document the new cut so that when I hated it the next morning, I could have this to remind me of how it could be, if only I had blow drying skills:
We didn't really do a traditional "belly shot" this weekend, but we did take this photo on Sunday afternoon after my Mom took me clothes shopping for some spring appropriate maternity gear. Thanks Mom! Here I am modeling my new spring uniform: the most comfortable cotton jersey skirt with a giant maternity panel (Jeff wanted to take a picture with my shirt tucked into this panel, but I refused) and this shirt which we bought in two colors. Now if it would just stay warm enough for this to be appropriate attire every day, because these clothes are so much more comfortable than my jeans:
Other pregnancy related updates:
And lastly, here are the random pictures of Maurice for the week. After Betsey said something last week in the comments about putting a bib on her dog, I felt inspired. Here's Maurice sporting a hand-me-down bib that my coworker gave me last week.
And this is how I find Maurice each morning after getting out of the shower. That's Jeff's body on the left, under the blankets. He likes to spoon this grey blanket that Jeff's Mom wove like his own personal body pillow while also maintaining maximum closeness to Jeff.
I always hate flying to DC for work, but this time around I'm dreading it even more. By the time my flight was booked, all they had left were window seats, so that should be awesome. I'm also a nervous flyer and will miss my little muscle relaxer that I always took before boarding the 5 hour flight. Lastly, I'm super not looking forward to coping with the time difference and crazy long days with nothing more than a Tylenol. Oh Lorazapam, how I will miss you.
Today I welcome in week 22 with a renewed gratitude for feeling the baby's movements. I had a teeny tiny scare yesterday morning when I started getting weird, sporadic shooting pains down my right side, from my ribs down to my hip. When I called the doctor's office they had me zip over to double check everything. Well, the baby's heartbeat sounded strong (although the 10 seconds it took her to find it was not my favorite part of the appointment) and when they poked me all over, everything with me seemed fine too. Then of course the pains stopped and I felt crazy. Until the nurse came back in and said they'd found minute traces of blood in my urine. Overshare? Probably. But too late! Well, this is apparently a common indicator of a bladder infection (which are common during pregnancy because of the increased pressure the baby puts on the bladder), so now I'm waiting for the more complete results of the "urine culture" (gross).
As of this morning, the results were negative for a bladder infection, but they said sometimes it takes another day or two to be sure. I imagine them checking back on my little cup of pee every few hours, waiting for it to talk to them and say "Actually, I was wrong yesterday - turns out it IS a bladder infection!" In the meantime, they've called in a prescription for me anyways and I'm now totally paranoid that my frequent bathroom trips mean something more than they probably do. ANYWAYS, my point is that at least I have the regular movements of the baby to remind me that she's still doing fine.
After only one more weird, shooting pain yesterday afternoon (they literally last like 1 second), I didn't have any more after my appointment yesterday morning. Until this morning! When they came back and scared me all over again. On a whim, I went home for lunch to lay down on my left side for an hour and I'm not sure if it was a coincidence or not, but the pains stopped right away and I haven't had one since. Maybe these are a new kind of ligament pain? Gah! So frustrating to not know.
So as not to be a total Debbie Downer, I am including a few photos from week 21 in my post. First up is a photo illustration of my haircut on Saturday. My hair was getting ridiculously long and thick lately, which sounds like a conceited thing to say, but if you'd seen it, you'd know that it wasn't actually pretty like a shampoo commercial. It was more like a horse's tail. I asked Jeff to document the new cut so that when I hated it the next morning, I could have this to remind me of how it could be, if only I had blow drying skills:
We didn't really do a traditional "belly shot" this weekend, but we did take this photo on Sunday afternoon after my Mom took me clothes shopping for some spring appropriate maternity gear. Thanks Mom! Here I am modeling my new spring uniform: the most comfortable cotton jersey skirt with a giant maternity panel (Jeff wanted to take a picture with my shirt tucked into this panel, but I refused) and this shirt which we bought in two colors. Now if it would just stay warm enough for this to be appropriate attire every day, because these clothes are so much more comfortable than my jeans:
Other pregnancy related updates:I'm still feeling the baby move pretty much on and off all day, every day. One of her kicks even woke me up last night. In the last few days, I've noticed that many of the movements are being felt up around my belly button, so things seem to be shifting slightly upwards as the baby grows. The girls have now each felt her kick at least once from the outside and last night they validated my theory that some kicks can actually be seen by the naked eye. The doctor said I have an active baby, but it mostly has to do with my frame (I'm assuming they are politely referring to the fact that I'm 5'2").
We've also chosen a name! This is very exciting and I would like to share, but the appropriate people must be told in the appropriate order. Sorry dudes.
And lastly, here are the random pictures of Maurice for the week. After Betsey said something last week in the comments about putting a bib on her dog, I felt inspired. Here's Maurice sporting a hand-me-down bib that my coworker gave me last week.
And this is how I find Maurice each morning after getting out of the shower. That's Jeff's body on the left, under the blankets. He likes to spoon this grey blanket that Jeff's Mom wove like his own personal body pillow while also maintaining maximum closeness to Jeff.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Daily Note: April 23, 2009
Sadly, Jeff's Grandmother (affectionately known by grandchildren as Gama) passed last week at the age of 94. She was a pretty amazing woman and definitely hilarious. I will choose to remember her in her Chanel suit at Christmas dinner, sporting these awesome glasses and throwing back a cocktail.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Daily Note: April 22, 2009
I'm totally geeking out - on Monday I got to write a senior official at The White House and ask him to attend a conference I'm planning for next month in Washington DC. He just wrote me back! And it's NOT a form letter - it's a personal email using casual language and he signs off with an exclamation point and his first name only! He says he wants to come and I should check back in later this week. I think it's been too long since my last brush with celebrity because I'm sure this doesn't count as a celebrity, but I'm still kind of pumped.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Daily Note: April 21, 2009
Today I welcome in week 21. Here is a masterpiece I call "Week 20 in Mediocre Photos":
This first photo I call "GUT". It was taken last night, last day of week 20.
Here is me admiring my first (and only) baby purchase thus far.
It arrived from Etsy late last week:
If you needed more evidence of why Jeff and I are ready to have a baby, I give you this photo of Maurice. We are officially the crazy people who have daily photo shoots with their cat. I suppose it could have been worse, I could have dressed him in the onesie pictured above. We tucked him into the guest bed where I feel he looks a little like the king of the skeksies from The Dark Crystal. All he needs is a crown and a cape. This cat is in for a RUDE awakening when we dismantle this bed to make room for the baby.
On Sunday I baked a cake! I'm proud. Can you tell? Um, I also ate a big piece of it before Jeff had a chance to take a picture. But let's pretend that I did it so that you could see inside to the beautiful butteriness of the yellow cake.
In other week 20 news, I actually saw my stomach move last night! I don't have a photo of this event, but let me tell you - it was cray-zee. It was sunny and warm yesterday for the first time in forever and Jeff and I walked up to The Jones on Roosevelt for burgers on the patio. Afterwards, I was lying on the couch in a clingy cotton sundress and Bernice was doing a hamburger dance of sorts. I happened to look down and I'm not exaggerating - my stomach literally looked like it was suffering minor earthquakes every time I felt the baby move. I was so stunned by this development that I accidentally kept the TV on Rock of Love for like 10 minutes while I stared at my gut.
We also may be honing in on a first name. We're trying on middle names for size.
What else? Well, this is totally not baby related, but I've been meaning to summarize a few recent TV observations for feedback:
1. Why do all the female "newscasters" on E! wear the SHORTEST MINI DRESSES EVER? They are WAY too old to be wearing dresses that short and it literally looks like they might have borrowed their daughters' dresses (because seriously, some of them are easily in their late 30s).
2. Why did no one tell me about The Rachael Zoe Project? I'd never heard of it, but a marathon last weekend proved to be one of the best things that ever happened to my rainy Sunday. Love.
3. Since when did CMT get a new director of programming? I feel that they hired someone new and they were all, "Let's not waste money on new content, let's just alternate reruns of Extreme Makeover Home Edition, Nanny 911, and Wife Swap." Because seriously, they play nothing else. And before you judge, remember that CMT is exactly between VH1 and Comedy Central, so I have every right to notice this change in programming.
4. Speaking of VH1, has anyone seen "Tough Love"? I actually really hate VH1 and all those horrible shows they play, but Tough Love? Kind of funny.
5. Every time they play a rerun of that episode of Rob and Big on MTV where Rob's Midwestern family comes to visit and they go to the magic show? I cry with laughter like it's the first time.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Daily Note: April 19, 2009
Before I got pregnant, "laundry day" meant wearing my oldest, saddest underwear. Lately, laundry day has taken on a new meaning when it comes to underwear. It means wearing my smallest pair, which dig into my hips and make me uncomfortable. On Friday night (aka laundry day) I had been lying on the couch for a while, feeling uncomfortable and putting off the inevitable - a trip to pee. I finally kicked the cat off my lap and went. While in the bathroom, I took off my underwear in a fit of rage and put my yoga pants back on.
A conversation yesterday:
Jeff: Um, do you want to tell me anything about why there's a pair of underwear on the floor in the downstairs bathroom?
Me: Ah, it's a long story...
silence
Me: What?
Jeff: Nothing, I just hope that story ends with someone picking up their undies and putting them in the laundry basket upstairs.
pause
Me: Yeah, me too.
A conversation yesterday:
Jeff: Um, do you want to tell me anything about why there's a pair of underwear on the floor in the downstairs bathroom?
Me: Ah, it's a long story...
silence
Me: What?
Jeff: Nothing, I just hope that story ends with someone picking up their undies and putting them in the laundry basket upstairs.
pause
Me: Yeah, me too.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Daily Note: April 15, 2009
Happy Tax Day! Hopefully this means my Father the accountant can finally get some rest.
The girls are coming over tonight for a belated Easter meal - Amy's bringing the ham, I'm making the scalloped potatoes, Heidi's on vegetable duty and Darrah's bringing dessert. Jeff has to serve himself up and eat in his office. Which, if we're being totally honest, is his favorite way to eat dinner anyways.
Pumped.
The girls are coming over tonight for a belated Easter meal - Amy's bringing the ham, I'm making the scalloped potatoes, Heidi's on vegetable duty and Darrah's bringing dessert. Jeff has to serve himself up and eat in his office. Which, if we're being totally honest, is his favorite way to eat dinner anyways.
Pumped.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Daily Note: April 14, 2009
Hello week 20, nice to finally meet you.
I've been a little remiss about taking precise weekly photos of my growth. Tuesday is when I ring in the new week, but sometimes Jeff works late, or I'm out with friends and by the time I remember to take a picture, I've taken my makeup off and am wearing sweats and I don't know... I'm just not in the mood to be photographed. So we've started trying to take a picture each weekend instead. This means that these pics are usually taken close to the end of my "week". Despite my pleading, Jeff refused to crop my head out of these photos.
Here's a pic from week 18 that I hate, but oh well:
And one from week 19 that's slightly less horrible:
New developments in the pregnancy include Jeff feeling the baby move. Sometimes he lays next to me with his hand on my stomach and if we're patient enough he can definitely feel the kicks and flips. He says it feels like someone knocking on the other side of the wall. The baby is still very active, with her primary rest period being in the morning. I usually feel a small kick or two during breakfast, then she's still until lunch time. After lunch she typically gets moving and stays active well into the evening. The movements are still not strong enough to keep me awake at night, but sometimes when I'm rotating on my pillow mountain in the night I will feel her shifting with me so I know she's having a tough time sleeping too.
Maybe just as exciting as Jeff feeling the baby move is the fact that I *think* my long time companion, Barfy may have (FINALLY) taken a leave of absence. I will admit to feeling kind of sorry for myself lately, because it seems like everyone in the whole world stopped feeling nauseous around week 14. I had actually resentfully resigned myself to being one of the unlucky few who would feel this way the entire time. But for the last 3 or 4 days I've felt a definite absence of nausea that I haven't experienced in 5 months. I'm hesitant to call it a permanent recovery, but it really feels different from all the fake-outs I've had in the past. It's not that the nausea has faded, it's that it's GONE (currently knocking on wood and throwing salt over my shoulder in every attempt to not curse my luck).
We bought a baby name book this weekend and have now accumulated a list of about 20 names that we spend our evenings debating. We had a boy name all picked out, but this business of girls names is harder.
In non-baby related news, Jeffrey took me out to a really lovely dinner at Boat Street Cafe on Saturday. Last time we went I ordered the scallops and Jeff ordered the pork loin chop. I was so jealous of his chop that I ended up eating half of it. So this time, we both ordered the pork chops and loved it. Photo illustration of my love for the pork chop:
Then I ordered the citrus pound cake with poached rhubarb for dessert and oh my god. It definitely goes into the top 10 things I've ever eaten category. I wasn’t interested in putting my fork down long enough to pose for a photo:
And with no transition (or reason really), I offer you this adorable photo of Jeff and Maurice, looking out our open bedroom window last weekend when the sun came out.
I've been a little remiss about taking precise weekly photos of my growth. Tuesday is when I ring in the new week, but sometimes Jeff works late, or I'm out with friends and by the time I remember to take a picture, I've taken my makeup off and am wearing sweats and I don't know... I'm just not in the mood to be photographed. So we've started trying to take a picture each weekend instead. This means that these pics are usually taken close to the end of my "week". Despite my pleading, Jeff refused to crop my head out of these photos.
Here's a pic from week 18 that I hate, but oh well:
And one from week 19 that's slightly less horrible:
New developments in the pregnancy include Jeff feeling the baby move. Sometimes he lays next to me with his hand on my stomach and if we're patient enough he can definitely feel the kicks and flips. He says it feels like someone knocking on the other side of the wall. The baby is still very active, with her primary rest period being in the morning. I usually feel a small kick or two during breakfast, then she's still until lunch time. After lunch she typically gets moving and stays active well into the evening. The movements are still not strong enough to keep me awake at night, but sometimes when I'm rotating on my pillow mountain in the night I will feel her shifting with me so I know she's having a tough time sleeping too.
Maybe just as exciting as Jeff feeling the baby move is the fact that I *think* my long time companion, Barfy may have (FINALLY) taken a leave of absence. I will admit to feeling kind of sorry for myself lately, because it seems like everyone in the whole world stopped feeling nauseous around week 14. I had actually resentfully resigned myself to being one of the unlucky few who would feel this way the entire time. But for the last 3 or 4 days I've felt a definite absence of nausea that I haven't experienced in 5 months. I'm hesitant to call it a permanent recovery, but it really feels different from all the fake-outs I've had in the past. It's not that the nausea has faded, it's that it's GONE (currently knocking on wood and throwing salt over my shoulder in every attempt to not curse my luck).
We bought a baby name book this weekend and have now accumulated a list of about 20 names that we spend our evenings debating. We had a boy name all picked out, but this business of girls names is harder.
In non-baby related news, Jeffrey took me out to a really lovely dinner at Boat Street Cafe on Saturday. Last time we went I ordered the scallops and Jeff ordered the pork loin chop. I was so jealous of his chop that I ended up eating half of it. So this time, we both ordered the pork chops and loved it. Photo illustration of my love for the pork chop:
Then I ordered the citrus pound cake with poached rhubarb for dessert and oh my god. It definitely goes into the top 10 things I've ever eaten category. I wasn’t interested in putting my fork down long enough to pose for a photo:
And with no transition (or reason really), I offer you this adorable photo of Jeff and Maurice, looking out our open bedroom window last weekend when the sun came out.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Daily Note: April 13, 2009
You know how when you move in with someone you learn all sorts of weird things about them? One thing I learned about Jeff is that in his family, they don't refrigerate the ketchup. Every time I made a veggie burger, I would spend 5 minutes rooting around the fridge looking for the ketchup before remembering that Jeff had probably used it last and put it in the cupboard again. Then Jeff would find the ketchup missing when he went to look for it in the cupboard, only to find it in the door of the fridge. Since moving in together in 2000, a silent 9 year battle has raged that we rarely discuss but are both very aware of.
So on Saturday I was making a tray of tots for us to share as an afternoon snack. He came down when he heard the buzzer go. I pulled the new ketchup bottle out of the cupboard and opened it, squirted a pile of it on the plate and then saw that on the wrapper it said, "Refrigerate after opening" which motivated the following exchange:
Me: Hmm, that's weird. This ketchup bottle says REFRIGERATE AFTER OPENING on it. (said in totally sarcastic but light hearted tone)
Jeff: Yeah well, I guess that particular ketchup requires it.
Me: I'm not really sure I see what makes this ketchup so different from all others.
Jeff: (totally deadpan) Well the main difference is that this one requires refrigeration after opening.
The battle continues.
So on Saturday I was making a tray of tots for us to share as an afternoon snack. He came down when he heard the buzzer go. I pulled the new ketchup bottle out of the cupboard and opened it, squirted a pile of it on the plate and then saw that on the wrapper it said, "Refrigerate after opening" which motivated the following exchange:
Me: Hmm, that's weird. This ketchup bottle says REFRIGERATE AFTER OPENING on it. (said in totally sarcastic but light hearted tone)
Jeff: Yeah well, I guess that particular ketchup requires it.
Me: I'm not really sure I see what makes this ketchup so different from all others.
Jeff: (totally deadpan) Well the main difference is that this one requires refrigeration after opening.
The battle continues.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Daily Note: April 9, 2009
Some photos (compliments of Katherine) from my birthday celebration follow. First is me opening my present immediately upon being picked up in Katherine's giant rental car.
The girls dropping me (and my double chin) off at the spa for my day of treats.
My friends freaking out and posing glamorously upon discovering the ridiculous size of our hotel suite.
My two favorite desserts of all time. Dahlia Lounge coconut cream pie and a giant lemon tart.
All of my stylish friends having drinks and dessert in my ridiculous hotel suite.
My two favorite desserts of all time. Dahlia Lounge coconut cream pie and a giant lemon tart.
All of my stylish friends having drinks and dessert in my ridiculous hotel suite.
Me with my handsome husband.
Tuesday, April 7, 2009
Daily Note: April 7, 2009
It's a girl!!!!
I didn't really tell the whole saga that was our ultra sound yesterday in my blog post, but now that we have a happy ending, I think it adds to the story. Basically, when I made my ultrasound appointment, I was lectured that I couldn't be even a minute late or the technician would cancel the whole thing - they said she is very strict about arrival times and sticking to schedule. So we arrived at exactly 7:15am on the dot. Only to find the doors locked and the lights out. To make a long story short, we were made to wait over an hour for our appointment. This semi-crazy seeming woman finally came out and said she was our tech, but that it was her first day and she'd just flown in the day before. Apparently, they were having problems logging her into the computer. We finally got cranky enough to leave our phone number and finished waiting in the Starbucks downstairs. Eventually, at 8:30 or so, they called us. The lady was clearly unfamiliar with the computer system and couldn't get any of the images to save, so she decided to print everything instead. This caused her to run out of paper midway through my already harried ultrasound, so I sat around with cold gel on my stomach while she frantically tried to find more paper and load the stupid printer. On top of that, I wasn't a big fan of her personality, the whole thing got cut short because of the late start, and then I felt like she tried not at all to see the gender. Basically, I left kind of pissed in addition to disappointed.
BUT. Today, the nurse called and said that the doctor was having a hard time reading some of the images taken yesterday and that they needed me to get another scan. I'm not really sure if this is true (it wouldn't surprise me given how frantic the tech was), or if they had to say that in order for my insurance to cover the re-do. Either way, I told them I was available all week and to let me know when something opened up. She said she'd get back to me. Then she called me right back and said they could fit me in at 3:00 today. Jeff was available so we jumped at the time slot. At 2:30, I started by taking a tip from Betsey and eating an entire package of Mambas (and drinking half an Aranciata for extra measure).
And today was soooo much nicer. First, the appointment today was at the fancy office where we'd had our 12 week scan and they have giant plasmas and high res equipment. Second, my technician was the nicest lady ever. When I told her about not getting to see the gender yesterday, she said, "Well, we'll have none of that today!" We got the bonus of seeing the baby kick and squirm all over again, this time in high definition. We even got to watch as it extended it's arm, made a thumbs up and then stuck her thumb in her mouth. When she'd taken all the necessary pictures, she then scanned all over trying to see the gender of the baby. Bernice wasn't cooperating at first, and I said, "If you really can't see the gender, it'll be okay." And her reply was, "Oh, we'll find it. We're not leaving until we do!" I almost hugged her. Instead I turned on my side at her request, giving Jeff a prime view of the top half of my butt hanging out of my rolled down pants. She tried a tricky angle with me on my side and then froze the screen. She said she'd been pretty sure before hand, but that this view was definitive - it was a girl.
I'm so tired and ready for bed, but I do need to mention that my parents had planned to come to Seattle for dinner last night. The timing was such that we had hoped to have news to share with them, so it was a little anti-climactic to not have the gender to report. But my parents were troopers and splurged on dinner at Wild Ginger anyways, which was fantastic. Also, my Dad brought his coworker's magic eight ball. He said it had never failed. So we asked the ball whether we were going to have a girl. I believe the answer was "It is certain". Then we asked if this baby was going to be a boy and it replied no.
I have endless respect for those with the patience to wait 9 months for the gender, but for me, today was SO worth it. Jeff and I both feel like we got a burst of enthusiasm and excitement for the process. We're going to have a daughter! And we really need to pick a name soon because I'm not a huge fan of Bernice.
I didn't really tell the whole saga that was our ultra sound yesterday in my blog post, but now that we have a happy ending, I think it adds to the story. Basically, when I made my ultrasound appointment, I was lectured that I couldn't be even a minute late or the technician would cancel the whole thing - they said she is very strict about arrival times and sticking to schedule. So we arrived at exactly 7:15am on the dot. Only to find the doors locked and the lights out. To make a long story short, we were made to wait over an hour for our appointment. This semi-crazy seeming woman finally came out and said she was our tech, but that it was her first day and she'd just flown in the day before. Apparently, they were having problems logging her into the computer. We finally got cranky enough to leave our phone number and finished waiting in the Starbucks downstairs. Eventually, at 8:30 or so, they called us. The lady was clearly unfamiliar with the computer system and couldn't get any of the images to save, so she decided to print everything instead. This caused her to run out of paper midway through my already harried ultrasound, so I sat around with cold gel on my stomach while she frantically tried to find more paper and load the stupid printer. On top of that, I wasn't a big fan of her personality, the whole thing got cut short because of the late start, and then I felt like she tried not at all to see the gender. Basically, I left kind of pissed in addition to disappointed.
BUT. Today, the nurse called and said that the doctor was having a hard time reading some of the images taken yesterday and that they needed me to get another scan. I'm not really sure if this is true (it wouldn't surprise me given how frantic the tech was), or if they had to say that in order for my insurance to cover the re-do. Either way, I told them I was available all week and to let me know when something opened up. She said she'd get back to me. Then she called me right back and said they could fit me in at 3:00 today. Jeff was available so we jumped at the time slot. At 2:30, I started by taking a tip from Betsey and eating an entire package of Mambas (and drinking half an Aranciata for extra measure).
And today was soooo much nicer. First, the appointment today was at the fancy office where we'd had our 12 week scan and they have giant plasmas and high res equipment. Second, my technician was the nicest lady ever. When I told her about not getting to see the gender yesterday, she said, "Well, we'll have none of that today!" We got the bonus of seeing the baby kick and squirm all over again, this time in high definition. We even got to watch as it extended it's arm, made a thumbs up and then stuck her thumb in her mouth. When she'd taken all the necessary pictures, she then scanned all over trying to see the gender of the baby. Bernice wasn't cooperating at first, and I said, "If you really can't see the gender, it'll be okay." And her reply was, "Oh, we'll find it. We're not leaving until we do!" I almost hugged her. Instead I turned on my side at her request, giving Jeff a prime view of the top half of my butt hanging out of my rolled down pants. She tried a tricky angle with me on my side and then froze the screen. She said she'd been pretty sure before hand, but that this view was definitive - it was a girl.
I'm so tired and ready for bed, but I do need to mention that my parents had planned to come to Seattle for dinner last night. The timing was such that we had hoped to have news to share with them, so it was a little anti-climactic to not have the gender to report. But my parents were troopers and splurged on dinner at Wild Ginger anyways, which was fantastic. Also, my Dad brought his coworker's magic eight ball. He said it had never failed. So we asked the ball whether we were going to have a girl. I believe the answer was "It is certain". Then we asked if this baby was going to be a boy and it replied no.
I have endless respect for those with the patience to wait 9 months for the gender, but for me, today was SO worth it. Jeff and I both feel like we got a burst of enthusiasm and excitement for the process. We're going to have a daughter! And we really need to pick a name soon because I'm not a huge fan of Bernice.
Monday, April 6, 2009
Daily Note: April 6, 2009
Well. We had our big ultrasound today and everything looks to be smooth sailing so far. The baby is growing at the right rate and we could see Bart punching and twisting all over the place. What Bart refused to do however, is uncross his legs to show us “his” gender! I am inappropriately disappointed. I was so excited to find out if it was a boy or girl this morning that Jeff had to remind me of the most important thing – the baby is healthy.
They said they’d try to squeeze us in again soon for a quick re-do, so that we won’t have to wait another month for my next regularly scheduled appointment. Keep your fingers crossed it works next time.
They said they’d try to squeeze us in again soon for a quick re-do, so that we won’t have to wait another month for my next regularly scheduled appointment. Keep your fingers crossed it works next time.
In the meantime, here's the best pic of the day. This is his/her left face profile and chest.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Daily Note: April 2, 2009
Starting on Tuesday - exactly the first day of Week 18 for me - I started feeling Bart move like crazy. The fluttery movements I'd been feeling the week or two prior were nothing compared to the strength with which I feel his flips and kicks now. I'm not saying they hurt or anything, he's way too small to make that much of an impact. But it feels less like gas and more like popcorn popping lightly inside me, or sometimes the movements feel exactly like the sensation of a large eye twitch, but in my gut. On Tuesday and yesterday, I felt him almost every 15 minutes, all day long (unless I was moving around - but embarrassingly, this isn't very often). I started to think this was just par for the course. I loved feeling it, but at the same time it got a little relentless, like having the hiccups all day. Then today I didn't really feel much of anything all morning. Of course after wishing last night that he would simmer down, today I kept urging him to wake up and say hi. Despite knowing that it was normal this early for me to not feel movement every hour, or even every day, I got a little worried without my "hiccups". Then after my burrito and jelly bean lunch, he finally made an appearance and hasn't left me alone for long since. Now I know to always welcome his appearances and have vowed that as long as he's not breaking a rib, to never resent them.
On a related note - my doctor's office left a message today confirming my ultrasound for Monday morning. I made the appt for 8am, then my regular doctor's visit at 9:15am (they said the ultrasound takes 75 minutes). I even have the little card they gave me with the times written on them by the scheduler in my purse. But the message today is confirming my 7:30am appointment with a 7:15am check in! I just called to contest, but it's after hours so I only got to talk to the OBGyn operator who was nice, but not helpful. I'm sure I'll be laying awake staring wide eyed at the ceiling with nerves and excitement starting at 5:30am anyways, so the 30 minute time difference means little to me, but Jeffrey will not be happy. Oh well. At least he'll have been able to sleep. I'm such a mess at night these days. I don't know why because I'm not ungainly yet or anything, it's just that my hips hurt so bad and I HATE not being allowed to sleep on my back. I literally rotate like a rotisserie chicken all night on my mountain of weirdly arranged pillows, breaking only for bathroom trips.
On an unrelated note - this weather sucks. HARD.
On a related note - my doctor's office left a message today confirming my ultrasound for Monday morning. I made the appt for 8am, then my regular doctor's visit at 9:15am (they said the ultrasound takes 75 minutes). I even have the little card they gave me with the times written on them by the scheduler in my purse. But the message today is confirming my 7:30am appointment with a 7:15am check in! I just called to contest, but it's after hours so I only got to talk to the OBGyn operator who was nice, but not helpful. I'm sure I'll be laying awake staring wide eyed at the ceiling with nerves and excitement starting at 5:30am anyways, so the 30 minute time difference means little to me, but Jeffrey will not be happy. Oh well. At least he'll have been able to sleep. I'm such a mess at night these days. I don't know why because I'm not ungainly yet or anything, it's just that my hips hurt so bad and I HATE not being allowed to sleep on my back. I literally rotate like a rotisserie chicken all night on my mountain of weirdly arranged pillows, breaking only for bathroom trips.
On an unrelated note - this weather sucks. HARD.
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Daily Note: April 1, 2009
Lately, I’ve been made slightly more aware of my cursing habit by pregnancy. Apparently, Bart can hear me now. And while I’m aware that he can’t actually *understand* me, it’s still a reminder that I should probably learn to get my shit – I mean act – together soon. In particular, I tend to curse the most while driving. In my defense, it’s not the scary, road rage type of cursing and there are never hand gestures involved. My car-cursing is more of the super annoyed variety. For example, I really like to mutter “Oh for fucks sake” When someone is driving WAY too slow or when someone doesn’t go and it’s their turn at a 4-way stop.
I also take the lord’s name in vain. I’m not really worried about going to hell, since I’m not such a “believer”, but it's still rather crude. I live a block and a half off of Roosevelt and I work on Eastlake, just north of REI. This means that I have what should be the easiest route to work ever. I literally turn onto Roosevelt and take it all the way through the University district, across the bridge and stay on it when it turns into Eastlake. YET, this drive starts me off super cranky every single morning.
Things that make me say bad words on the way to work:
1. Bikers who want all the privileges of being a car, but none of the restrictions.
2. Drivers who try to pull out on to the University Bridge from the short on-ramp without the appropriate amount of space. Even more annoying – the ones who inch out like they’re going to cut me off, but then chicken out and slam on the breaks. This causes me to slam on the breaks to let them in, then say bad words when they chicken out.
3. Drivers who use the imaginary “right lane” on Eastlake to try and pass me on the right, but then get thwarted by parked cars or the bus (because it is NOT an actual lane a-holes!) and zoom in front of me. I have learned to predict these jerks and I now pull the famous passive-aggressive move of driving just fast enough to not let them pass me.
4. Loading trucks parked in the left lane on Roosevelt near the medical office so that I have to stop behind them and put my signal on and wait 5 minutes for someone to let me in to pass the truck.
5. When a giant Metro bus pulls out into my lane with less than one second of signaling to warn me.
6. When it’s raining and windy and cold and I can’t find a parking space close to my building. Oh wait, that’s EVERY day! Then I say bad words about the company that employs me for charging a ridiculous fee for parking in the garage. Ridiculous, I say!
7. When I spot someone pulling out of a prime parking spot near my office, so I stop and signal and then someone else comes out of nowhere and swerves into MY spot. This happened this morning in the pouring down rain and let me just tell you that Bart or not, some VERY rude words were said about that woman in her stupid SUV. Still hating her.
8. Drivers who don’t stop for the large, clearly marked cross walk by Azteca when pedestrians are waiting to cross the street. Particularly when it’s pouring down rain, which is pretty much always these days.
Wow, typing this list made me super cranky! Also, it was hard to type this and not insert many, many bad words.
I also take the lord’s name in vain. I’m not really worried about going to hell, since I’m not such a “believer”, but it's still rather crude. I live a block and a half off of Roosevelt and I work on Eastlake, just north of REI. This means that I have what should be the easiest route to work ever. I literally turn onto Roosevelt and take it all the way through the University district, across the bridge and stay on it when it turns into Eastlake. YET, this drive starts me off super cranky every single morning.
Things that make me say bad words on the way to work:
1. Bikers who want all the privileges of being a car, but none of the restrictions.
2. Drivers who try to pull out on to the University Bridge from the short on-ramp without the appropriate amount of space. Even more annoying – the ones who inch out like they’re going to cut me off, but then chicken out and slam on the breaks. This causes me to slam on the breaks to let them in, then say bad words when they chicken out.
3. Drivers who use the imaginary “right lane” on Eastlake to try and pass me on the right, but then get thwarted by parked cars or the bus (because it is NOT an actual lane a-holes!) and zoom in front of me. I have learned to predict these jerks and I now pull the famous passive-aggressive move of driving just fast enough to not let them pass me.
4. Loading trucks parked in the left lane on Roosevelt near the medical office so that I have to stop behind them and put my signal on and wait 5 minutes for someone to let me in to pass the truck.
5. When a giant Metro bus pulls out into my lane with less than one second of signaling to warn me.
6. When it’s raining and windy and cold and I can’t find a parking space close to my building. Oh wait, that’s EVERY day! Then I say bad words about the company that employs me for charging a ridiculous fee for parking in the garage. Ridiculous, I say!
7. When I spot someone pulling out of a prime parking spot near my office, so I stop and signal and then someone else comes out of nowhere and swerves into MY spot. This happened this morning in the pouring down rain and let me just tell you that Bart or not, some VERY rude words were said about that woman in her stupid SUV. Still hating her.
8. Drivers who don’t stop for the large, clearly marked cross walk by Azteca when pedestrians are waiting to cross the street. Particularly when it’s pouring down rain, which is pretty much always these days.
Wow, typing this list made me super cranky! Also, it was hard to type this and not insert many, many bad words.
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