First Baby Pictures

So, it looks like mommy is posting the pics.

It's a..........

So, did you log on this evening hoping to find out what we found out at our ultrasound today? Are you wondering if it's a girl or a boy? Hmmmm......do I tell you?

Well, some already know, so we might as well spill the beans. We are having a girl. The daddy will be putting some pics from the ultrasound on later, as the doctor burned some pictures to a CD for us, which is really cool. The doctor says he's 99% sure it's a girl. We'll still pick out a boys name just in case of that 1%.

She's an active little one. Always moving around....hmmmm....wonder who she gets that from......could it be from mommy?

We went to Target tonight and the daddy bought a bib that is purple w/ flowers that says I Love My Daddy. How sweet! I think she'll be a daddy's girl.

You better believe that grandma Miller is pretty happy.

Surprise!

Ok - I know people are waiting for Thursday and me to post if we know what we are having or not.

You know - being open to the fact that we woud like to find out the sex of our child has been met with quite a bit of criticsm. There are many people out there that feel strongly that you need to be "surprised" and will go on to lecture me about why I should wait.

Well, screw you! This is our kid and we'll do what we want.

I usually meet those arguments by saying that I will be surprised on December 29th and I am sure I don't need any more at the birth than will already be there (you crap on the table you know -- did you know that? If you didn't that would sure be a surprise.)

This last week has been torture knowing I can find out soon, but I am just not quite there. No one can tell me I will not be surprised. The anticipation is already built and building more. I compared the wait to Christmas presents (since that was recent). I feel like when I was a kid and my brother & I would cut the tape (or remove & replace it gently) in order to take a peek at our presents. I was still going to like the present just as much and there were going to be presents from Santa that I didn't know anything about, but that present from mom & dad I could find out and enjoy thinking about for the upcoming days until I could actually open it and play with it.

Now, on Thursday I get to take a peek at our baby and make sure there is only one in there. Now wouldn't that be a surprise if there are two. We get to find out what sex the child is and plan for that and dream about that little boy or little girl for the next 20 weeks). We get to find out if we are on target for May 21 due date or if the doctor will change that. So, many surprise in one day -- gosh! I'm excited! Seriously.

At the birth I'll be surprised by the contractions -- have no idea what that's going to be like -- and we have no idea how the father will respond to those things. Plus, the biggest surprise of all will be what day will it all happen; there are so many it could be. I mean, I could be in the middle of a therapy session and need to go (although the kids are kinda hoping I have to leave from work and will know that I am going into labor.) I'll have finger & toes to count on the day of the birth, and will the baby have no hair, lots of it, just a little? I don't know. It'll be a surprise.

Plus, there are lot of surprises that could happen that are not exactly favorable. Like problems with the birth or tearing or needing an episiotomy (ouch - some not so fun surprises). Or will my milk be in and I can nurse right away - I don't know. Will I have my own doctor or will it be in the middle of a Saturday night and I get some other doctor? Will I be nice to the daddy or will I yell at him a lot for making me go through all the pain? Maybe the daddy will pass out like some daddies do. Wow -- so many surprises. Some that will be surprises for sure, and so that may or may not happen. All in one day.

So, we are taking the time to enjoy the surprise of finding out if we are having a boy or a girl now. Although I am tempted to keep it a surprise from all of you. Teehee!

Actually, it has not been the immediate family that has lectured me. I think they understand it doesn't matter what they say, we decided to do this and we will. So, why bother lecturing us (plus, I think they all want to know too.)

We'll see who is right. The daddy's family is pretty much convinced it will be a boy unless they are proved differently (see, daddy is the youngest of 4 boys with 2 nephews -- odds are in the favor of a boy in that family.) But my family, on the other hand, is convinced it's a girl, mainly because I was so sick, plus that fast heartbeat is supposed to be for a girl (doctor says that by 20 weeks it slows a bit, we'll see how much).

So, in 2 more days we'll find out our surprise. I wish I could move it up. I have nothing to do these next coupld of days.......but no, I have to wait 2 more days. Maybe the baby is not going to be cooperative and we won't find out. If that happens I will be convinced that the baby just wants to torture mommy. I'm already convinced the baby doesn't like me because it made me so sick for about 4 months and now that is pretty much gone (not quite though, some still comes back) I have awful constipation and heartburn (every day!, heart burn in the evening mainly.) If that is the case and the baby likes screwing with mommy, I could be in for A LOT of surprises.

Probability

So, here I am before 7 am on a day off and I find myself dreaming about eye color probablility because of something my MIL said. She commented about hoping to get a blue-eyed, blond-haired grandchild. When you consider that her other grandchildren had parent(s) with brown hair & brown eyes, we are the first chance at that happening (she could have another chance at it if Tony & Carol decide to have children).

Anyways, the daddy has blond hair with blue eyes; I have blond hair with green/hazel eyes. Had we both had blue eyes, there would be a very good chance of having a blue eyed child. It all has to do with the amount of melanin in the eye iris. (Blue has very little; brown has a lot; other colors fall in between on a spectrum.) Check out this to read about it. It says that most babies to a brown-eyed parent and blue-eyed parent will have brown eyes, but that was not true in our family (dad=brown, mom=blue). If I am not mistaken, I believe both my sisters have blue eyes and my brother has brown and I have green/hazel. Which makes me believe that my father was not homozygous for brown (I believe his parents were brown & blue) and making my father fall on the spectrum.

So, because the daddy has blue and I'm on the spectrum -- we really could have a child with any eye color. And you can't tell at birth because most caucasian babies are born with blue eyes and they can change if/when their eyes begin to produce melanin.

Now hair color is a little different, but not much. We were both born with blond hair naturally. Actually, mine was pretty platinum as a child and darkened into a dishwater (dark) blond as I grew older. The daddy has blond hair (darker blond now) as well. Blond hair is a recessive trait and since we both have it, there is a pretty good chance that our children will have blond hair when they are younger (and will get darker as they get older as we did and most people d0.)

Blood type -- well, this one is very easy. We are both positive, so the baby will be positive. And we are both O, so there are no other options for all of "our" children to have O+ as their blood type, that is unless I'm doing the mailman, but our mailman is a woman, so that wouldn't work out either. :)

So, yes, there is a chance of having a blue-eyed, blond-haired child, but also not. Isn't science fun?

Feeling the Baby Move

Ok - I know I just felt it for sure just a bit ago. It was several kicks or whatever. Last time I was in to the doctor he asked if I had felt it yet and I was not sure. And I have been very diligent about trying to pay attention if I feel the baby. I have thought maybe I felt the baby when I was lecturing in my class or driving home from classes & was singing xmas carols in the car. Actually -- all those times are around this time......around 6:30......which is precidely what time it is now.

But this time it felt different, maybe because I am lying down, there the other times I was standing up or sitting.

It was kinda neat.

I am Sooooooo Normal.....

Ok - if the doubt was ever in my head that I was experiencing things that were normal - well, after reading Belly Laughs - I realize my pregnancy is Sooooo normal.

I've never been through this before, so how was I to know.

I blogged about the recommendation to read this book and I am so glad I did.

Don't think you have time to read it? Think again. It took all of an hour and half to read her series of short essays. They were right to the point, can't really say short & sweet, because frankly they were anything but sweet. I like her crudeness and frankness. Finally! Someone says it just how it is.

I am about halfway through my pregnancy and have experienced about 75% of it; I could totally relate.

I had been reading other books to gather more information and honestly -- this short crass book gave me as much information -- maybe more. You definitly have to read it!

I have her next book requested from the library and should be arriving any day now, something to read over xmas break.

I like that the last 2 pages are advice to the daddies. I photcopied it and left it on the daddy's computer keyboard -- some place I am sure he will see it very soon.

Thanks for the recommendation Steph!

Family Baby Blessing

I put this out there once before about baptism (on my other blog), but that was before we got pregnant. The daddy & are not practicing any organized religion, and do not feel it is right to baptize our children into an organized religion that we are not practicing. We will not start practicing just so that we can baptize our child either, that just seems silly.

Having grown up with the Catholic guilt, and working hard to shed that guilt, I struggle with the fact that we will be "expected" to baptize our children. The daddy and I have spen much time talking about this over the years, and now that in another 5 months there will be a child in our lives we have to decide just how we want to approach this.

I know that not baptizing will be upsetting to some family members, but we have talked about doing a Family Baby Blessing instead. I am reading up about it. We do want to raise our child to have faith, be spiritual, and strive to be a good, honest person in all that they do. We don't need an organized religion to teach that to our child.

We believe in the basic fundamentals that most religions (Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Islam, Jewish) have in common. These religions just might use different words or names to describe them. We plan to teach our children these fundamentals.

A lot of our beliefs will probably have a Christian influence, as that is what we were raised, but we do not discount the beliefs of parellell religious influences. If later on in life our child chooses to be baptized or join an organized religion they will have the learned they core fundamentals from us and can make a choice that is best suited to them.

19 weeks

I have started my 19th week. Almost halfway there.

The baby is supposed to be about 6 inches long now. Pretty amazing to think that there is something 6" inside of me and weighs about 8 1/2 ounces.

Next week the baby should be about 6 1/2" long and 10 1/2 ounces.

They measure the first 20 weeks from the crown to the rump -- so in actuality, the baby is longer than 6".

Seeing Double

No, nothing is wrong with my vision. I'm not exactly seeing double, expect on the size tag of the new bras I had to buy. Yes, I am now carrying around DD's. I was spilling out of the regular D's and there is just the tiniest bit extra room in the doubles - so I guess I get a little room as my milk keeps coming in. Hopefully these will be the only new ones I have to buy until I have to get breastfeeding ones.

Xmas Baby Presents

We had xmas with the in-laws last night and there was a present under the tree for the new baby from their new grandparents -- a Carter's recieving blanket (yellow w/ duckies) and a book called Baby: An Owner's Manual (it's a book that reads like a car manual, specifically bought for car-minded daddy).

And my gift from Lisa, Chris, & Travis was a gc to Babies'R'Us. Guess I'll be picking up some stuff there. I did register @ Babies'R'Us on Amazon and @ Target.

Expanding......

I think it's about time I went and bought some new bras. I was doing ok with my normal ones for a while, as I had lost weight before getting pregnant. And as we all know that when you lose weight the first thing to go is your boobs. So, I was able to fit into them for wuite a while as I filled them out again, but now I am spilling out. It's frustrating that I will buy a couple new bras and my boobs will only get bigger as my milk comes in and I nurse and I'll have to buy more (but then it will be nursing bras.)

My stomach is rounding nicely. You can't tell as much when I am fully clothed, but take the clothes off and I am all boobs and belly and I am only going to get bigger.

Baby Classes

Well, the daddy was registered for an Expectant Fathers class, but the instructor fell ill and they are rescheduling. This is in Edina.

I just registered us for the Birth, Babies, & Beyond class -- a childbirth class. This will be the class we learn Lamaze in. We are registered for 2 all-day Saturday classes. The April Tuesday & Thursday classes just would have been inconvenient. This one is in Owatonna.

We might also register for a Child Passenger Safety class (1.5 hours) and a Breastfeeding: Good Start class (2.5 hours). They are both up in Burnsville.

There are tons of classes out there. We can do Child/Infant CPR, classes on C-sections, lots of classes to do afterwards with the baby, and a Safe Baby Class (on preparing the house for the baby).

S0, we'll see. We'll just start with the Expectant Father and the Birth, Babies & Beyond classes and go from there.

Cloth Diapers (Places to Buy)

This post is basically for me to remember (or for you is you wish to buy us cloth diapers):

Fitted Cloth Diapers
Kushies @ Kidsurplus.com $7.94 (Infant 10-22 lbs.)
Kushies @ Kidsurplus $5.59 (Infant 10-22 lbs.) (Toddler, 22-45 lbs.)
Kushies @ Kidsurplus $6.30 (Infant under 22 lbs.)
Infant Diaper (10-22 lbs.)$6.00, Toddler (22-45lbs.) $6.50 @ Chooseydiapers.com
Kissaluvs Contour @ softbunz.com (any size $5.99), Not Sure I Like These, need pins
Fitted Diapers @ Clothdiapers.com (Small $7, Medium $7.50, Large $8)
Cutie Baby Diapers @ usdiaper.com ($4-$8)
Kushies @ Thanksmama.com $5.49 (Infant & Toddler)

AIO (All-in-One's)
Kushies Newborn (4-10 lbs.) $7.95 @ Chooseydiapers.com Kushies Infant (10-22 lbs.) $9.25
Small All-Together $9, Medium $9.50, Large $10 (with snaps, not velcro, 7-13 lbs.) @ Chooseydiapers.com
All-In-One's @ Clothdiapers.com, Small $9, Medium $9.50, Large$10)


Diaper Liners
Kushies 10-pk Diaper Liners @ Kidsurplus $8.15 (Newborn)
Kushies 10-pk Diaper Liners @ Kidsurplus.com $10.15 (Infant/Toddler)
Cloth Doublers @ Clothdiapers.com $8.95 for 12
Ecobunz Heavy-Wetter 4 Layer Doubler - Small $2, 2-Layer Small $1.50

Diaper Wraps
Kushies Infant Wrap ($6.39) @ Kidsurplus.com
Gerber Vinyl Wraps (3-pack, $3.99) @ Clothdiapers.com
Green Earth Diaper Covers ($6.00) @ babycottonbottoms.com

Belly Laughs

I requested this book from the library. Sister Steph says it's very funny and I should get it. They don't have it at our library (they have it on order), but one is being sent from another library, so I should have it in a few days.

Cold Remedies?

So, what cold remedies can I take being pregnant? My head is all stuffed up and my nose is constantly running. I will have to get out my books and see what they say.

I normally would take some echinacea and I read a bunch of articles that say taking it is NOT linked to birth defects or any issues with birthing. Right now it's just been head cold stuff and I do't want it to get worse.

On a positive note, the doctor called yesterday to tell me my results were negative from my quad-screen, which is good. So, no further testing is needed to look for a bunch of stuff, like down syndrome spinal bifida, trisomy 18, etc. Out of all the number he rattled off at me, the one that had the biggest risk was down syndrome and I have less that a quarter of 1 percent (.23% chance to be exact) of having a baby with down syndrome. The rest were even less that that (like 1 in 5000 and 1 in 1000, etc.)

Ok - that's it.

I do have to say that I impressed that the doctor called again. I have had a good experience with this doctor. Sometimes it's a pain when you have to talk to the nurse and she can't answer questions you have and had to check with the doctor and get back to you. So, phone communication directly from im has been nice.

First Baby Present

We got our first present for the baby last night from Rebecca & David titled Guess How Much I Love You. I read it to the baby last night. They are supposed to be able to hear now. I try to sing in the car too or when I listen Xmas music. I enjoy singing.

I think I have been feeling the baby kick.....or maybe punch me (it makes the daddy laugh to think of the baby sitting there punching me). I don't think the baby likes me much.....keeps making me sick (although I was fine yesterday and so far so good today!). I was feeling the baby last night when I was teaching......maybe the baby was trying to sleep and I was talking to much......

The daddy thinks it's funny that I say that the baby doesn't like me very much. I think he figures he'll have a partner against me. Wait til that baby & the daddy realize where the food supply comes from....then we'll see who does some partnering. I'm just kidding. I don't really believe the baby doesn't like me, but on those days I am sick it sure doesn't feel like it.

Drano Test

I thought I would try it as we had some Drano here. So, I peed in a cup first and then poured it on top of the Drano in a different cup. I covered my nose and mouth because of the fumes I have read about.

But I think I will keep the results a secret until we find out from the doctor what we are having. I will tell the daddy of course.

Everywhere out there was conflicted on whether or not this works. I was reading out there that scientifically Drano could not produce sex prediction results.

It's an interesting concept. Maybe next we'll have to try the needle or wedding ring hanginng from a string.

I could take a tally or the different results and see what they say. So far I have heartbeat results and Drano results.

They say cravings are based on sex as well, like salt for boys, sweets for girls (I like sweets a lot more and they go down easily, but I wouldn't say I am craving it more, I just like eating it, not really craving them), sour for boys, fruit and OJ for girls, meats and cheeses for boys, and so on.

Where does craving California Rolls fit? I don't think it fits under either.

Here's a whole list of Ways to Tell. Some of those are way out there. Like what does where my pillow is have to do with anything. It's in the same place as before. It would not be goof Feng Shui for me to change the bed to a different area. The flow would totally be off. And it's winter -- my feet are cold and my hands are dry. And "Pregnancy has you looking better than ever", well, not today. I told the daddy he looked nice today and he said I didn't (I am home ill today, slept like crap last night and stomach still doing flips, and awful headaches too) and that I was all puffy and blotchy -- Gee! Thanks.

I think with that list I will get an equal chance of having a boy or a girl.

No Bacon!

OK....I tried and it just won't work for me during this pregnancy. The first time I made it I ate one piece with some pancakes, felt fine eating it, then puked it up. Well, that first time was in the evening, when I usually feel my worst, so I thought that might have something to do with it. I've eaten pancakes since then and been fine. But today I made bacon again, the smelled bothered me a little but not too terribly bad, although my whole house still smells like bacon and I made it almost 6 hours ago. I made bacon and then cooked eggs in the bacon grease and then drained most of the grease and made pumpkin pancakes in the pan. It all tasted good. I just ate eggs and a pancake, no bacon except for the grease. And whoops, 10 minutes after eating it all came back up. Boy did that suck.

So, no more bacon at all. And still no garlic. And no smokey restaurants. Guess those are the 3 main triggers that have consistently resulted in me getting really sick.

Other than that, I had not puked since Thanksgiving. So, I made it over a week this time and was pretty happy with that. And generally have been feeling better than I had the previous 3 months.

16 Week Doctor Visit

It was a short good visit to the doctor. I heard the baby's heartbeat again, this time 170 beats per minute. He said that the heartrate will slow over the next month and will be slower for the 20-week check-up.

I gained weight this month. Basically gained the weight I needed to for this month and what I lost from the 1st trimester. So, I am still supposed to gain a pound a week (average) for the rest of my pregnancy. That should be fine -- the ice cream is going down really easy.

Next month, actually it's this month in 4 weeks, on December 29, we will get to see the baby for the first time. Then we find out for sure that there is only one in there. By the end of December I should really be showing. I teach a couple ladies in my Stress Management class that are pregnant (due 4 and 8 weeks before me) and they started to pop out around 18-20 weeks with their first kid.

I have not seen my family since before we got pregnant, so it might be a little weird that they will see me with a little pouch sticking out.

I also had blooddrawn for the Quad screen. The doctor or his nurse will call me in a week to discuss the results, he says it usually takes around a week to get those results. It's a blood test to look for Down Syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis, Spina Bifida, etc. They will call regardless of the results.

And then at 28 weeks they will do a glucose check, where they check for gestational diabetes.