info on pumping and storage

found this online and want to save it. i figured other people might want to know this too:) we've read varying information, but most of this matched up with other sources. please don't think that these are the definitive answers.

Breastfeeding: How to Pump and Store Your Breast Milk
Learning how to pump and store breast milk can make returning to work easier and less stressful. It does require some work and careful planning, but it can be done.
When should I start to pump my breasts?
If you will be pumping your breasts when you return to work, practice for 1 or 2 weeks before you actually go back to get the hang of it. You can try pumping just after your baby eats or you can pump your breasts between feedings.Practicing at home will help you learn how your pump works. During this time, you also can start to collect and store breast milk to be fed to your baby when you return to work.

How much milk will I get when I pump?
You may not get much milk when you first start pumping. After a few days of regular pumping, your breasts will begin to make more milk. Also, the more milk you pump, the more milk your breasts produce. You should drink lots of fluids to stay hydrated (which will help your milk supply).

How long should I pump each time?
Pumping your breasts takes about the same time as breastfeeding, but with practice and a good pump, you can pump your breasts in as little as 10 to 15 minutes. While you are at work, try to pump as often as your baby usually feeds or for about 15 minutes every few hours. To keep up your milk supply, give your baby extra feedings when you are together. You can also pump right after your baby feeds, which will help your breasts make more milk.

Will there be times that my baby will need more milk than I have ready?
Yes, your baby will probably want more milk during growth spurts. The best way to increase your milk supply for a growth spurt is to breastfeed or pump more often.

How should I store my breast milk?
Breast milk can be stored in a plastic or glass bottle with a sealable top, or in a sterile, sealable bag. Store your breast milk in amounts that you use every day to avoid wasting it. For example, if your baby eats 4 ounces in a feeding, put 4 ounces of breast milk in the storage container.

Where should I store my breast milk?
Pumped breast milk should be cooled in a refrigerator or other cooler as soon as possible. The milk can also be frozen if you aren't going to use it right away.

How long can I store my breast milk?
The following are some general breast milk storage guidelines:
At room temperature (less than 77°F) for 4 to 8 hours
At the back of a refrigerator for 3 to 8 days
At the back of a freezer for up to 3 months

The breast milk I have in my refrigerator looks funny. Is something wrong?
Breast milk can vary in color. It can be bluish, yellowish or brownish. It is also normal for breast milk to separate (the fatty part of the milk goes to the top). Shake the bottle or sealed bag, and the fat will go back into the milk.

How should I thaw frozen breast milk?
Thaw the milk slowly by swirling the container of milk in warm water or by putting the container in the refrigerator the day before it is to be used. Don't use hot water to thaw breast milk. Never thaw frozen breast milk in a microwave oven. The milk could get too hot and burn your baby's mouth. Microwaving can also damage valuable proteins in breast milk. Thawed breast milk can be refrigerated for up to 24 hours, but it should not be refrozen.

pumping and bottle-feeding

sometimes arden wants to eat every hour. this is just a bit exhausting, especially at night. anna wants to help relieve some of this burden (what a wonderful wifey) so today i pumped with the intention of anna giving arden a bottle.

we haven't actually gotten to the bottle yet. we needed to clean and sterilize things first. and we didn't to try when she was starving. and we wanted to go for a walk. and and and :)

suffice to say, i am excited to try. also any tips are greatly appreciated regarding pumping, storing, and feeding. we've read-up all the info in our books, and lots of things online, but first-hand experience could be more helpful. like regarding my sore right nipple. i think i just pumped too long on it, or something, but it's making feeding arden on that side painful.

ok, i hope everyone enjoys their new year. arden, anna, and i wish you all the very best in 2010. :)

baby arden says "happy new year!"

9 lbs 5 oz

miss arden is gettin' big :) we had our 4 week appointment today. arden has gained about 1/2 lb per week since regaining her birth weight. perfectly average :)

we're doing well around here still. our christmas was full of family. we went to anna's family christmas party. i think just about everyone there held her. she slept pretty much the whole time. arden also gave us a wonderful christmas present. she slept for a 3 1/2 hour stretch on xmas eve, and didn't fuss at all when falling asleep. it felt so nice,

she does seems to be getting better at night. she is still doing just 2 hour stretches, but she only has one fussy period, if any. we still aren't expecting anything to be permanent though.

i'm feeling a bit sleepy myself right now. so how about some pictures:) as requested by lynn, here are some cloth diaper shots. we're using primarily bumgenius, with a few random ones.

peaceful moment

while the family has vacated the house, and arden has found the joy of the pacifier, i'm going to attempt a one-handed post:)

i'm managing to, somewhat, figure out arden's sleep/eat schedule for the day. there is no semblance of a schedule during the night, of course. we have good nights and bad nights. fortunately nothing as bad as our first weekend home. i think now that we are using a paci the nights might go a little smoother. she really likes to comfort suck. this exhausts all three of us. she wakes up often in the night, thus waking us. then it's the struggle of the nipple:) she wants to suck, but she doesn't want more food. oh so confusing.

she's getting bigger already. we've discovered a few outfits that she can fit into now, but by next week will most likely be too large for. i love seeing her little double chin:)

we switched to cloth diapers around a week and a half ago. it's going great (thanks stephanie and jenny!!). lots of laundry, but oh well. i think it's unavoidable with a baby even if you're doing disposable. the only issue i've had is the occasionally leak out the side when i'm feeding her. no biggie though. it's sterile :)

our dog, olive, loves arden. i'm sure if we allowed unsupervised access, arden would be covered in puppy kisses. for now, olive has to content herself with being in the same room as arden at all times. when she hears arden start to fuss in her crib, she immediately goes to her door and waits for us to let her in to check on arden.

we are co-sleeping at night. it's comforting to me to have her right there. also, it makes feeding and soothing her easier. she seems to like her crib though. she has no problem sleeping in there for naps. we'll see if that continues as she gets older and more aware of her surroundings.

anna has been absolutely fabulous. she's been off work since arden was born, and doesn't go back till the beginning of january. i know arden and i would do fine alone, but not nearly as well as we've been with anna. to have that constant support is making the transition to life with baby easier. i don't worry about waking her up to help at night. she's been taking care of the laundry and most of the food. i wish she didn't have to work, but i suppose one of us needs to:) she's such a wonderful mommy too. i love seeing her with arden. they fit so well together. i worried about them creating a bond, but i didn't need to. anna knows exactly how to soothe arden. she loves to take photos of her. she actually took a photo of her in each different color diaper:) too cute! she has been deemed the swaddle-poop mommy (i'm the boob momma) because those are her primary care tasks :) looking at the two of them, you can tell anna is totally in love with arden.

well the fam has returned. i'll leave you with pictures :)

happy baby!

my two burritos :)

birth story

this is a long one, so you might want to go get a snack and a drink:)

monday, november 30th, i woke up after an odd dream. i was shopping with my mom and i told her i was having a cramping feeling. she responded with great concern that we needed to leave. as we were walking across the parking lot, i started crying. i had inferred from her response that i was going to need a c-section, and that meant the end of our birth plan. it went on to get a little weirder, but didn't relate to the baby/birth.

i did have an odd feeling in my uterus when i woke up, but didn't really pay attention to it. just took notice. i went on to have that feeling occasionally all day. i didn't tell my mom or anna. by the time we were having dinner, i was noticing the contractions had some regularity. i told them, and we began timing at 8pm. the contractions were around 5 mins apart and 30-45 sec long.
i called the midwives around 10:30. she, of course, told us to go to bed. that was a joke:) i tried to go to sleep at 11:30, didn't happen. anna didn't come to bed until 12:30, she slept a bit. mom was the only one able to sleep for real. i tossed and turned as my contractions increased.
around 2:30 i had to get up to throw up- unfortunately this became a theme for my labor. i woke anna up after that. we called the midwives to check in. she said to hold on a bit longer, and that, when i notice a "shift" in my contractions/over-all state, that would be the time to come in. we woke my mom up at 3:30 to get things together. i noticed that i was no longer able to focus on the outside world as well as before. this was the shift.

we moved into high gear and got out to the car. we made sure to have airline puke bags on hand, as well as water and saltines. i wasn't feeling very well. we got on the road at 4:15 and called the midwives. this was a bit out of order; we should have called from the house. we found out the on call midwife was at the hospital with another birth and that the second on call would need 45 mins to get to the birth center. we were going to beat her there for sure. i figured i would be fine laboring in the car for a while.

we got to the parking lot at 4:45. the time in the car ended up feeling like forever. i got sick again and really just wanted to go to bed. finally at 5:15, our midwife (we'll call her S) let us in. she had already prepared our room. the lighting was dim, candles were lit, and the bath was running. it was instantly comforting. i stripped down and got into bed.

S did an internal exam to determine were i was in labor. as she was checking my cervix, which hurt a lot, i had a strong contraction... and i threw up all over the floor. bad news. S said that during that contraction it felt as though i had gone from 4 cm to 6 cm.

the next five hours were a blur of laboring in the tub, on the toilet and in the bed. i was sick some more. they kept trying to feed me saltines and give me water. a big mistake we made was not bringing a drink with electrolytes.

around 10 S wanted to check me again, and asked if i could sit on the birth stool. when she checked me, she discovered that there was a bubble of my bag next to arden's head. i had thought my water had broken when i was on the toilet at one point, but it wasn't all of it. S moved the bubble and the rest of my water spilled out. this is when we discovered our first problem. there was meconium in the water. this meant an instant transfer to a hospital because they don't have the equipment to handle the potential problems related to meconium.

this was very hard to accept. i had always wanted to do a natural birth outside of the hospital. i felt that the transfer to the hospital was the first step towards interventions i didn't want. it needed to be done though. i didn't want anything to happen to arden.

we were transferred to a hospital that had a good midwife staff so we would have a chance of continuing the birth the way we envisioned. i managed to nap a little on the drive because i was given a shot that eased contractions for a short time.

at the hospital, i remember getting into the room and instantly throwing my clothes off. :) i don't think they were prepared for that, but i wanted to be comfortable. i got an iv, since i had been throwing up the whole time at the birth center. they strapped on fetal and contraction monitors. i had another internal, and found out i was at 5 cm. i hadn't progressed at all. the midwife mentioned pitocin, but wanted us to have time to continue unassisted.

i labored till the early afternoon. though i had the iv and was feeling better, i was exhausted. i hadn't slept since 8 the previous morning. the midwife (we'll call her M) came back and again suggested pitocin. i conceded. i was so tired and hadn't progressed beyond 5 cm still. so i got an epidural and pitocin. then i slept and it felt soooo good. unfortunately, my appetite came back then too, and i couldn't have real food. i ate loads of jello and drank oodles of apple juice. :)

time gets a little fuzzy here for both anna and i. at some point i had another internal and they discovered that arden was face up. i tried doing different labor positions to move arden naturally, but to no avail. they brought in an OB to try to turn arden face down. i was told the doctor had the smallest hands. they didn't feel so small when she was up there. damn that hurt. i did allow them one more try later on in the evening. arden wouldn't cooperate. the doctor said that arden actively turned her head back into the face up position. she's never had a baby do that before. we have a stubborn girl on our hands:) by this time i had completely dilated.

finally, at 9 pm the midwife said it was time to try to labor arden down, since she was a bit high still. i did this for an hour. arden moved down some with this. the midwife wanted me to start pushing at 10 and coached me on how to do this since the epidural erased any urge to push.

i pushed for three hours. i ended up with incredible shoulder pain that was distracting me from pushing. i've neglected to mention what mom and anna were doing through all this. they were being a great team. encouraging me, feeding me. anna was awesome at coaching me on breathing during pushing. i ended up needing them to hold my legs while i pushed because the shoulder pain was too great. i labored on my back, on my sides, and sitting up. the sitting caused major tailbone pain.

i was told that i pushed very well and effectively. i pushed hard and strong for three hours, and arden wouldn't come. she would move down a bit and then back up. by this time, i was feeling my contractions again. i was beyond exhaustion. the contractions were often coming right on top of each other so i didn't get much of a break.

the midwife decided to mention what we feared the most: c-section. anna and i started bawling. even now i makes me get choked up. i could still continue to push and hope to get arden out, but that hope was very, very slim. i couldn't continue. it was 1 in the morning and i was physically and emotionally spent.

i went into surgery at 3:30 with anna at my side. the local anesthesia didn't numb my right side. i had to have general anesthesia. that meant anna had to leave the room. that was hard. but at 4:14 on wednesday, december 2nd, our little girl came out into the world. she was nice and healthy. the meconium had caused to problems. she was very sleepy though and wouldn't cry for the doctors no matter what they did:) again, our stubborn little girl.

i woke up to anna handing me a little bundle she called our daughter. i was so out of it, but so happy. she took to nursing wonderfully. and i couldn't stop staring at her.

we stayed in the hospital till friday. she was cleared, i was cleared. we've had some rough patches since being home: the night before my milk came in, the night my milk did come in. trying to figure out what she needs to calm down. trying to get a semi-adequate amount of sleep.

it's such a new world we have now. i could keep writing on this subject, but i should probably end this incredibly long post:) i do intend to keep this blog up, and i hope you'll all bear with me while i try to figure out time-management with a baby. i know we have a lot to share with all of you:)

before the fun story

some sad news. my pepere (pep-ae: means grandpa in colloquial french) passed away today. he went into the hospital early this week. it was determined that his kidneys were failing. they did dialysis. though i wasn't told directly, my assumption is that it didn't work. he was put on life support because his heart and lungs started to fail. this morning they determined that the best thing was to let him go.

all the kids gathered (my mom is the oldest of eight), and they took him off support this afternoon. i really wish i could have been there. they were in new hampshire. if i could travel with arden right now, i would jump on the next plane. the funeral is tuesday. everyone else will be there. imagine 8 kids, all married, most with kids. this is tearing me apart.

my pepere was a wonderful, kind, and funny man. one of my favorite memories is of him making a funny face where he would pop his top dentures out half way and be goofy. it cracked us up:) i think i made him make that face until i was a teen. he started to fade these past years. his memories got a little mixed up. when i saw him the past two summers he often called me my mom's name. i really wish he could have met arden, but at least he got to see me pregnant and meet anna.

it was his time to go, but i'm going to miss him terribly. i love you pepere.

and....

we have our baby! arden rose was born at 4:14 wednesday morning. she weighed 7 lbs 13 oz, and was 21 1/2 inches long. i ended up having a c-section. we are all happy and healthy.

i will post the birth story as soon as possible. finding time is hard, as a lot of you know:) i'll leave you with photos for now.

anna and arden right after birth

could it be...

well folks for a few hours now i've been having contractions every five minutes. i haven't been timing for the past 1/2 hour though, and they seem to be increasing in intensity a wee bit. i need to get to bed ASAP.

but... Family Style Love, the blog i've been calling my pregnant twin because of our matching due dates and living in the same city:) suggested a final belly shot. of course, i need to appease my readers. i actually have a ton of photos to post, but again bed is calling.

photos from tonight:

nothing yet

still preggo. arden hasn't dropped yet. i've been walking a lot the past few days. whenever going up our big hill, i do lunges. need to blow up the birth ball so i can do some hip rotations.

at our mw appt. on wednesday, i asked for an internal exam because i was curious. she told me my cervix was soft. i was dilated 1 cm. man was the exam uncomfortable.

my mom got into town wednesday afternoon. she's been a great help. i've been more tired the past few days. thanksgiving was low-key for us. just anna, mom, and me.

sorry this is short and kind of random:) i just wanted to get a quick post in between errands.

still cookin'

LOVE IS LOVE had their little boy (congratulations!!), 12 days early. Family Style Love is feeling ready, and trying to move things along. we have the same due date.

arden and i, on the hand, are sittin' pretty. she doesn't seem ready to come yet. i've got things to do, and i'm still feeling good. we can wait another week and a half.

so there you go:) just thought i would let you all know since it's getting later in the pregnancy.

not very motivated

i've gotten so far behind on this blog. i keep intending to write but feel overwhelmed by the task. (brief side note- i'm at the library and the space bar on this keyboard sucks! i almost need to use both thumbs to push it down) i'm going to sally forth though and try to spit something out for you readers:)

according to the ticker, i have 20 days left right now. holy crap! at our mw appointment this past wednesday, i asked for an estimate of how large arden is. i was told she feels like 6lb 3-4oz. i'm measuring right on target now, and have gained 18 or 28 lbs (remember i lost 10 in the first tri.). this puts me at 192 lbs. that kind of freaked me out. i know i'm not fat, i'm pregnant-- but getting close to 200 lbs is... weird. i'm not going to limit my calorie intake or anything. it's just an odd thing to experience.

eating has become a bit of a challenge though. i'm not feeling hungry most of the time. if i don't watch it, i wait too long to eat and i feel like crap- which makes it hard to finish a meal. i've been burpy all pregnancy, but the burps are feeling worse now. i had a really scrumptious meal last night at our friend erik's house. roast chicken, pumpkin stuffing, potato and leek soup, brussel sprouts. yum! but i was burping up the dinner the rest of the night. not so yum. that didn't really stop me from having his homemade pear tart with vanilla ice cream, hehe:)

the burps are uncomfortable but i'm not having symptoms that make me feel like arden needs to vacate the body ASAP. i'm still feeling alright. that's not to say i'm not feeling anxious to regain my body in some form. i can't wait to sleep on my stomach again. to have a regular appetite. to start working out again. but, currently, i feel like we can still wait three weeks for our little one.

we've got a lot to do in the meantime. we moved into our house last sunday. we haven't done much in the way of unpacking and settling in yet. the move wiped me out, even though anna and the movers did most of the work. we took it easy the first few nights, and then anna left for san fran on thursday for rugby nationals. work has been taking more of a toll on me so i haven't done anything while she's been gone. today i have goals though:) i also have monday off, as usual, so i can get two days of good work in without feeling harried.

we already have our first homeowner problem. we had crazy rain here the past three days. when i went downstairs friday morning to feed our cat, i discovered a trail of water coming out of the guest bedroom. the downstairs is a finished daylight basement. the leak is coming from the base of the largest wall in the bedroom. i can't determine where exactly. all i can do right now is keep putting towels down. i can't even move the mattress that is leaning against the wall right now. i stood it upright and managed to move it a little bit away from the wall, but it's still gotten damp. our cellar is damp too. it's a separate space with it's own door. one wall though is shared with the laundry room and the concrete was damp along that wall. we have a contractor coming to look at our deck, which needs to be partially replaced, hopefully he can help us with this situation. i can't wait for anna to come home and help with this. it's overwhelming me a little right now. i think it's just because i don't know what action to take.

anyways, the rest of the house is great:) anna and her sister are going to paint the nursery this saturday. i can't wait. i haven't had a real "nesting" impulse yet, but i am itching to organize her room. it sounds like more fun than organizing the bathroom:)

my last day of work is this coming saturday. i can't wait. i've already turned off my manager brain. it's getting harder and harder to give a crap about the daily work. my colleague that will be taking over for me will ask my opinion on things (like the xmas decorations we've been putting up) and i just don't care about it. i tell him it's his store and his decision to make. it's a cop out but also the truth.

well i think i've caught up on all the big things going on. i still don't know where my camera charger is so i haven't taken pictures for a while. i'm hoping to find it this week with all the unpacking. think you guys can hold off a little while longer? :)

guess who...

OWNS A HOME!! yah! we finally got it. we signed the papers yesterday. we get the key at 4:30 today. i bought the crib yesterday and that is going to be the first thing we move into the home. i can't find my camera battery charger anywhere, so i'm going to buy a disposable to take pictures of everything.

we are doing the official move on 11/1. i can't wait to empty all the boxes. it's been such a pain to have these boxes hanging around for over a month. i also can't wait to have a place to put all the baby things.

we're really lucky to have so much family, and many friends. we've had 3 baby showers, and one coming up in november. everyone has been very generous. we've gotten a lot off our list and numerous hand-me-downs/used items. when we're in the new house, i'll take pictures of all we've gotten.

after our shower this past sunday, we went to target and purchased plastic, lidded storage bins. we've organized all the clothes, 0-3, 3-6, etc.... it was nice to get those items out of cardboard boxes and into more permanent storage. we were also able to see what sizes we need, and don't. i think it was the 9-12 that we are lacking. we definitely have enough 0-6. it's kind of overwhelming how much we have:) the things we have left to get are a swing, exersaucer, and toys (rattles, teethers, blocks...).

ok, i've gotten distracted by work, so i'll wrap up with pictures from this past sunday's shower.

34w1d

34w1d belly comparison :)

i am alive

life just got incredibly stressful at the end of september. our house purchase turned into hell, and, suffice to say, i cried for a week. fear not, we are still trying to get the house. we just had to do some major readjusting.

arden is doing well. i'm a little concerned about her size right now. for two appointments, my uterus measured the same size. at my appointment yesterday, i had grown, arden felt about 4 lbs. and the mw said the amount of amniotic fluid felt right. but i'm still nervous. the mw did write up an ultrasound, but i haven't scheduled it. i might use it in the future if i continue to worry. i did schedule to go to the midwife's before my next regular appointment and just be measured for assurance.

that's the quick and dirty update :) does anyone still read this?? haha:)

you want pictures?

i give you pictures :)

dad, little sister, and me on orcas island- 25w

26w4d

beach in massachusetts- 27w4d

beach!

beach belly!

anna very excited about the beach :)

i love her energy. we have so much fun together. before all this romping, we played in the waves till we couldn't feel our extremities. i think arden liked it too:)

beach beauties

29w6d

been a while

first- congratulations to raene and river on the birth of their little one, cedar. may she have a happy and healthy life :) we're rooting for her.

anna and i went on vacation last week for about 10 days. we went to new hampshire to see my relatives and to boston for her gaelic football tournament. it was a good vacation, but i was ready to come home to my bed and food. i was very tired by the end of it all. we did go to the beach one day and took some pictures. i don't have my camera with me now, but i'll post pics as soon as i can. that was probably my favorite day:)

it's hard to believe i'm at 29 weeks now! it's crazy. time is flying by so fast. we start our birth class this coming thursday. i'm excited for that. i like learning:) if i had time to take classes whenever i wanted, i so would.

just before vacation i got my glucose and iron results back. i passed my glucose test "by the skin of my teeth" according to the midwife.... oops :) also, my iron was low, just like expected. i'm trying to be diligent about my floradex, but i often forget to take it before dinner. i'm also trying to increase my intact of iron rich foods.

we got a few things from our registry already. we got our pack and play (thanks mel!), as well as a couple bedding items and a swaddler from jane's parents (thanks toni!). we really need to go finish the registry:) we ran out of time, and we were tired by the end of it. we also went to a consignment shop a few weeks ago. we got a rocker (i'm going to replace the fabric), a bouncer, and a palm tree wall hanging- it holds photos and such. we also bought our wall decals for the nursery from whatisblik.com. i'll post photos of those at the bottom. i should also take photos of all the great things my sis-in-law has gotten us. it's great to have such a thrifty person in the family:) i'm sure she's saved us a ton of money with her finds.

i'm finally showing enough for my customers to notice. it still depends on the shirt i'm wearing though. it's fun to start getting the typical questions. no one has tried to touch me yet, except for friends and team mates. i have to admit i'm curious about this senario. i don't want to be touched by strangers. how am i going to react? hmm... :)

i'm feeling fairly normal, today, haha. my middle to lower back are hurting more. i'm trying to focus on my posture, but it's hard. some days i have rib pain on the right side, actually it's not really pain. it's more of an annoyance. like some little baby is just pushing up all day. booger. my stomach feels tight and uncomfortable sometimes. like my muscles just are tired of holding it up. i'm fortunate that i can sit down pretty often at work, but i'm still tired at the end of the day. it feels so good to get home and lay down on the couch. i haven't had any swelling yet. i thought i would have some because of our cross-country flights, but i did fine. considering the crappiness of the first trimester, i feel like i'm getting my reward for getting through it by feeling relatively great now:)

as for the house, we've had a little technicality set back. nothing due to us. it's all the lender shit. the first lender pulled out becaue they were satisfied with the appraisal (they wanted three different appraisal comparisons- only got two). lender two agreed to lend to us this past thurday (the day we were supposed to sign the papers). we are currently waiting for their appraisal, then all the paperwork business. we had to file an extension because our original closing date was the 16th. nothing will be done by that date. little stressed-out, but we can't do anything about it. everything has been marked as urgent/rush. keep your fingers crossed for us.

we really want to get in there as early as possible. we want to be able to fix/paint/clean before we more our things in on the 25th. that's just two weeks away. ack! deep breath. fortunately, mom, sister, and sis-in-law will be here at the beginning of october to help us settle in.

that's all for now. hope everyone is enjoying the end of their summer.

decals for arden's room:

cool baby brains

my friend sent me this link to a ny times article: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/16/opinion/16gopnik.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&em

also, seattlites, there is a town hall presentation on sept.9 (wednesday) discussing "breakthroughs in infant development." http://www.townhallseattle.org/calendar.cfm if any of you think you'll go, it might be neat to meet there, if you're interested.

have a great weekend!

bad kat

i've been a touch neglectful of the blog recently. i just haven't felt like i've had the time to write, and there are so many things to share. where to start....

anna and i are buying a house. we just had the appraisal. it was appraised $5,000 above the sellers asking price. phew. we had the inspection this past sunday and that went smoothly. the deck needs to be replaced. hopefully the sellers will approve that request. the deck could cost $5,500 to $7,000. not small change.

the house itself is great. 3 bdrm, 1.75 bath, two stories. we'll have our bedroom and the nursery on the main level and the guest room in the finished basement. the basement actually is set up so you could potentially have a renter. we'll be using the kitchenette as a wet bar:) can't wait to actually have a place to put my family/friends up instead of sticking them on an air mattress. the yard is super. we have plum, pear, and apple trees. there is a tiered, raised bed garden in back. we've already been snacking on the cherry tomatoes that are exploding back there. the onions are ready too. next summer we'll be able to make fresh strawberry rhubarb pie with our own supply. i'll be able to eat as many raspberries as i can fit in my tummy:) there is a covered patio too. we don't really have close neighbors either. i think it will be fairly quiet. the neighborhood is one we're really excited about. it's called columbia city. it was a bit run down, but it's been improving. there are some great shops and restaurants just a couple blocks from the house. i can see the library from my front door. there is a lot of green space around too. i can't wait to bust out the bob stroller with little arden.

if you can't tell, i'm really excited about this move:) it's turned out a lot better/easier than i expected. i had mentioned a long time ago that i wasn't sure about moving/buying while pregnant. my worries are very small now compared to my excitement for this adventure.

speaking of pregnancy, it's going well. i've been slowly decreasing my unisom intake. last night i tried going without. man, i had no idea how active arden could be. she wouldn't stop squirming and punching/kicking me. it was exhausting by 1 am, so i ended up taking a tablet, after trying to pee and eat PB toast with a banana. another night, i suppose. i think we're going through a growth spurt this week. on monday, i was going to go into work to make up for some time off i took last week. i ended up staying home and sleeping from 10 to 1. guess i was tired:) also the night before last, i slept straight through the night. that rarely happens now. i've been feeling tighter in the abdomen. i felt my uterus last night and it is just a few fingers below my ribcage. according to one book, my uterus is the size of a soccer ball:) all this growing has started causing me some pubic bone pain (pubic symphysis diastasis). for those that don't know what that is- "the hormone relaxin causes the pelvis, particularly at the pubic bone, to loosen. In general, this is a good thing as it makes birth easier for mom and baby. However, sometimes the separation is exaggerated and can become quite painful for the mother at the end of pregnancy or in the early postpartum period." right now it's bugging me. not so much that walking hurts. i hope it doesn't get worse.

i have my next midwife appointment on monday. i'm doing my 1-hr glucose test. i hope it goes well. they'll also test my iron, which i think is what i'll actually have an issue with. i'm trying to get my protein, but i'm always tired. i fear low iron could be the culprit (besides the obvious growing baby).

i hope the results come back before we leave for vacation. we're going to the east coast to see my mom's side of the family, and go to the national gaelic tournament in boston. we'll be gone for 10 days (w/ travel). i can't wait to be off work:) i can't wait to get a big dose of family. my grandparents were the last to find out i'm pregnant. my mom told them a few weeks ago when she was out there. they're strict catholic. we had some bumps with introducing anna to them, but they were very kind last summer when we saw them. they handled the baby news well. we'll see what it's like around them.

my sister, dad, and step-mom just visited last week. it was good to see them all. we went for a couple 2 mile hikes. i faired well. hills are so damn hard! haha :) i got to go to orcas island, and can't wait to go back. we found a spot that i would love to go camping at. right at the beach. gorgeous. ate way more food than we all should have. didn't stay up too late most nights. they were just as excited about the house as we are. good trip overall.

my mom, sister-in-law, and sister will be here at the beginning of october to help us settle into the house. i'm hoping we can do a baby shower at that time and get the ladies from anna's side there too. my sis-in-law hasn't gotten to see me at all during the pregnancy. it'll be fun to have her here. she's been sending us great things for arden. she's a pro at bargain hunting :)

i think that's all for the update. i've got photos to show also:) enjoy!

the house

the belly- 22w4d (guess it was too hot for a shirt that night)

and the newest belly shot- 25w

busy busy busy

i have a lot to write about: buying a house, being 6 mos preggers, family trips. but i have no time!! sorry folks. hopefully i'll be able to write a full post (maybe with pictures!) next week.

back to work!

just a little whine, please

i'm tired of not feeling completely like myself. i don't sleep through the night, and there seems to be no particular reason i'm waking up. i don't have to pee, my back doesn't hurt, i'm not large enough that moving my belly wakes me. it's frustrating.

i don't have as much energy. i think this is a combo of not sleeping well and being incredibly bored at work. i just don't care about work anymore. there isn't enough business coming in the door to make be more active, so i waste a lot of time. i do what needs to be done, then i sit on my duff.

i don't know what's going on with my stomache. it just doesn't feel right. not like my morning sickness, just off. am i hungry? am i getting squished in there? why is it bothering me?

where did i go? people tell me i look great and have a glow about me. i call bullshit cause that's not how i feel.

congratulations!

yeah for amy and emily at the amily diaries on the birth of their son, daniel. can't wait for more photos ladies!

acting like an adult

feel a bit like poop right now. i have a cold that is making head feel like it's stuffed with cotton. i really just want to go back to bed, not work. even if i was at home though there wouldn't be much relief since we are in a bit of a heat wave for the pacific nw. no air conditioning at home means sweaty uncomfortableness. blech.

we have done some pretty exciting things the past couple days though. we met with a real estate agent on sunday morning. very nice guy. seemed very competent. had the most gorgeous green eyes :) haha. we gave him the general idea of what we're looking for and our price range. he's supposed to send us a list of places today. i can't wait to see it. hopefully we'll tour some homes next week. wow. big stuff.

we checked out a neat neighborhood in seattle sunday afternoon. anna had been talking a lot about the columbia city area, how it's up and coming, good prices, etc. i totally loved it. it has a nice little "downtown" with a gallery, theatre, restaurant, shops. there were public bulletin boards up for people to post events. we found one for a glbt parent group that meets once a month. awesome. we walked a few blocks away from the downtown and really liked the houses. hopefully our guy can find us a house there.

the second big thing we did was meet with a lawyer last night (thanks for the recommendation jenny and stephanie!!). we talked about second-parent adoption for anna, and our wills. second-parent adoption seems like a breeze. the wills are a bit harder. we had to prepare a list of our assets. if you've never done that before, give it a try. basically you analyze everything you own and give it a price. very hard. funny thing, we found out our art values higher than our cars combined! ha :) i'm perfectly fine with that.

the really hard part to decide upon for our wills was who would be the guardian of our kids and our finances in case anything happens. we had decided on one family member to take care of the kids, but we didn't thing of a secondary person. i feel like we winged it a little bit with our decisions, but we can edit things before it's all finalized and written up. we can also change it in 10 years when we have a better perspective of our futures and our kids. i felt a bit like a kid acting like an adult making these decisions right now, but i'm happy we did it. being prepared in some manner in better than nothing.

tomorrow i have a crazy appointment day. i've got acupuncture in the morning, a massage early afternoon, and a midwife appointment in the evening. i decide that i'm not going to really work tomorrow except for between the acup. and massage. last time i had a massage i went back to work afterwards. totally a waste of a massage. so tomorrow, after the massage, i'll go home to our sauna of a house and take a nap probably. i feel like a need a little pampering with this awful cold.

i'm a little be anxious for our mw appt. because last time they did a blood draw. i'm a bit nervous about finding some deficiency, like low iron. i know i can adjust my diet etc. to fix most things, but still anxious. arden is being a good little kicker, so i feel like all is well with her :)

"garage" sale

anna and i got up a bit early so we could hit the REI garage sale by my store before work. we managed to get a BOB stroller and a Kelty baby pack. we had hoped to find a cool bag we could use as a diaper bag, but the only one we found had the strap virtually ripped off.

the BOB had been returned because the foam on the handle was ripping off. barely noticeable, we don't care about that. it was marked down from $390 to $250. the pack had been returned because it hurt the owner back. anna tried it on and i loaded it up with 15 lb sand bags from the regular backpack area. she wore it around the store the rest of the time. she admitted that it did make her back sore, but more because she was using her muscles. it's a nifty apple green that i like. this was $150, marked down to $75. good deal man! :)

these are the first big baby items we've bought. i've been getting a little nervous because we haven't been talking about specifics and doing research on stuff. we don't even know if we'll be in our rental house or in a our own purchased house. that means we can't really plan the nursery. that's one thing i really want to do because that's my kind of thing. one step at at a time. i do feel good having the stroller.

you want pictures...

well, i tried to give you pictures. i tried to embed a slideshow to this post. several times. several formats. i failed. my ass hurts now from sitting on this crappy work stool. i'll try again later. for now look at this cute picture of olive from a hike last summer.

another photo

this is from last night, 20w5d. look at yesterday's post to see the difference in my bump. eek:) hehe

don't cry at work

i'm reading "my sister's keeper". i'm at work. bad news cause the book makes me want to cry. i want to cry for the family, but i also want to cry for myself.

there isn't really a way to know if your baby is going to get sick. of course, there is genetic testing, there's family history, but you don't know. we didn't know my beautiful niece would be deaf due to strep b and the medicine they gave her (this was in '95. just when they were trying to figure out strep b.). there are so many scary things out there we can't control.

i know a lot of these scary things are not the end of the world. my niece is a well-adjusted, regular teenager. my sis-in-law went to school and became an interpreter. i know deafness is not the end of life. this actually isn't something i fear, i'm just using it as an example of the unknown in the world. i'm just feeling that maternal fear, and trying to figure out how to express it. :)

when i posed the question of baby gender to folks, my brother asked me what i am really wishing for. i just want a happy, healthy baby. simple as that.

more photos

i've promised to post so many pictures. this post should remedy most of that:)

the "special" package from cryolab.

anna removing the canister

me preparing to open the canister

the wee little vial

the lovely surprise 2 wks after the "special" package

me at 17w1d, ignore the cheesy tattoo that i got when i was 18 -smacking head-

photos

here are the promised photos. i'll try to upload belly shots soon, and the ultrasound videos. amazing how she's changed.

this one is 12 weeks. we were amazed how much more human than gummy bear this little one looked.

20 weeks

20 weeks with legs over head

it's a girl!!

we had our ultrasound yesterday afternoon, and the baby was good enough to give us the perfect shot right away :) now we know that there is the chance that they're wrong, but it seemed pretty clear to all of us that there was definitely nothing between the legs.

she was a wiggly, squirmy thing yesterday. pulling some amazing contortionist moves. she seemed to prefer having her legs and arms over her head. made some of the tasks for the tech difficult. they were able to see everything they needed though. she is a very healthy, and growing well. they estimate her weight is 13 oz., which is in the 59th percentile.

i had been a little concerned about her growth since i had lost 10 lbs in the first trimester and my gain has been very slow. i weighed myself at the midwives 2 wks ago and was at 166. yesterday, i weighed 169. total weight "re"-gain from my lowest weight is 5 lbs.

we have a bunch of pictures and a video. i know i never did post our first ultrasound. i'll bug anna to show me where she saved these things:)

what will it be...

sorry i haven't had time to post recently. busy with vacation and work :)

so just a quickie: we are having our next ultrasound on monday and hope to find out what the baby is. i thought it would be fun to see if you all have a guess/intuition/feeling as to what gender it will be.

can't wait to see the comments!

movin' munchkin!

the little munchkin moved for us last night and we felt it! when we went to bed, anna laid her head on my belly and was taping her fingers, kind of coaxing the baby to move. it did:) it kicked just to the side of her face. it was so neat. we got her/him to do it a few times. it seemed it just needed to be squished a little bit to be persuaded to kick.

i have felt her/him move a few times today just while sitting here. maybe i just didn't realize what the feeling was until it happened last night. now i can't help but notice it. it feels like little nudges in my belly. eeee:)

here's a photo of me and my friend jess at her baby shower a couple weeks ago. i was 16w1d. we do have belly photos from 17 weeks that i'll upload later.

what to write about....

i feel like i don't have anything interesting to say right now... don't know what to really write about. i'm feeling pretty well. still some days that i wish i could just stay home and sleep. i'm eating almost regularly and am wanting water again. that's a very good thing because it's been unusally hot for seattle.

i've pushed myself a little hard a couple times this week. i went to prenatal yoga on tuesday. it's the first time i had been in 10 weeks. it was freakin' hard! i was sweating like crazy and at one point i had to sit because i felt dizzy. oops :) it's hard for me to ease up on physical activity if i'm not sick. i forgot the little munchkin is busy sapping my energy all day even if i don't feel it. i felt a bit ill on wednesday i believe because of how hard i worked.

yesterday, i had an installation job for a restaurant that's opening by my store. we did all the artwork and they hired me to put everything up. i worked for 4 hours and wiped myself out. it was exhausting. i even took a half hour break in the middle. aside from the physical work, it was mentally challenging too. i was using security hangers so the artwork won't fall or be stolen from the restaurant. those little buggers are a pain in the ass. you really can't fuck up where you drill the holes in the wall or you mess everything up. i stupidly saved the most difficult 4 for the last project. stupid, stupid. it almost made me cry because i had to make sure all 4 were straight across and it was in a prominent area. i decided right then that i'm not doing any more installations while pregnant. too much for me:)

it was no surprise to me when my acupuncturist said i'm suffering from exhaustion at yesterday's appointment. he was reading my pulse and said that my liver blood is low. this means exhaustion and pre-anemia. he recommended more red meat. not so keen on that. i'm still having a difficult time with meats. so i'm going to work on upping my dark greens and try to take an iron supplement. i've been really bad about taking any vitamins/supplements. i got out of the habit when i was sick. i've been trying to take at least folic acid at night. i know i should be more aware since i don't eat a lot of meat or eat/drink dairy. i know the munchkin is depending on me for all it's nutrients, so i need to step it up.

i'm noticing a few things changing with my body. my hips have been sore. a few nights i've had some trouble falling asleep because my hips and knees were bothering me. i felt like i had to keep moving and stretching. i'm getting a bit more of a baby pooch. i don't really think i look pregnant yet, but anna and i notice my body shape changing. she took some photos of me with her phone and i thought i just looked fat. you're all going to have to wait a bit longer for photos:)

some people might want to skip this paragraph. i'm going to talk about sex:)
we had sex this week for the first time since the day we conceived the little munchkin. i hadn't been feeling very amorous, and anna, as always, was patient, sweet. she knew things would change eventually, and she could wait. we were both a little nervous and hesitant, but it was like riding a bike:) i didn't know if i would be able to orgasm because i heard it could be difficult or different for pregnant women. worked out fine and dandy for me ;) it was nice to be so intimate with anna again. of course, we've cuddled and been lovey these past few months, but it's nothing like sex. i still haven't had that libido rush i've heard about. hope i don't miss that boat!

looks like i had more to talk about than i thought:) hope everyone has a wonderful summer weekend.

good news

congratulations to my irl friend mel on another successful/short birth of a healthy baby boy. her water broke at 6:20 pm and avery was born at 7:34 pm. wow!! http://melsmelange.blogspot.com/


congratulations also to amy and melissa for a big BFP!!! awesome news. http://amyandmelissa.blogspot.com/

hope everyone has a great weekend!

what's up yo?!

:) well i've made it through a week of feel great! a couple hiccups, but i think that was due to staying up late and not eating properly. i have to admit the food i've been eating this week hasn't all been the best foods, but i wanted them and i was bound and determined to eat them:) i.e- i had gyros two days in a row. mmm, that yummy tzatziki. cheetos, payday bars, pickles, chips... oh my. i didn't eat like this before i was pregnant. i think i'm just overcompensating for all the bland/boring food i have been eating. that's not to say i'm totally able to eat whatever i want. i'm still feeling a bit reserved and cautious.

i'm still craving tangy things. like the aforementioned pickles. i can just keep chomping down on those. and i love the combo of pickles and plain potato chips. i really would love to have this right now. damn work. even though i had those gyros, with real meat. i'm still very hesitant to eat a burger or chicken. i think the gyros were ok because it wasn't very meaty tasting to me, just spiced goodness. i'm totally in love with larb gai too (a laos dish of minced chicken, green onions, lime juice, fish sauce, mint, etc.). i really liked this before pregnancy, but the flavors are just what i'm looking for now. and i don't tasted the chicken. all this food talk is making me hungry (yah!!)

in terms of work, it's driving me up a wall right now. it's been gorgeous out for the past week, and i would love to just be outside. i take as many chances as i can when i have my colleague with me. on my days by myself, the hours seem to drag by. we still aren't getting much business, which makes me nervous. so far today i've had just two people in asking questions. i've been here for 6 hours! that's ridiculous. the colleague i have working with me is newer. i'm constantly trying to dredge up something for him to do, when all i want to do is tell him to go home (or do so myself) and read a book. sigh. i'm doing what i can to keep myself occupied also. it's all really tedious work though. brain-numbing.

enough bitching. i have a three day weekend because we have our rugby rookie party this saturday. it's when our rookies "graduate". no this doesn't involve embarrassing hazing. we just have them do a skit and answer questions about veteran on the team:) it's great. i always have a good time. it'll be different since i can't drink, there always copious amounts of alcohol. i'll just have to be the sober observer this year. the camp-out is being held at a teammates parents house that is on the water. kayaking and other fun water play are promised. can't wait. i've been wanting to go swimming really bad recently and don't have a means to do so. summer here i come!

more good news, i just found out that we are going to start closing my store an hour earlier, like all the other stores. woo hoo!!!

ehh

i'm not very inspired to write now, but i feel a little obligated to since it's been a week. that's not to say i'm not excited to show of our first photo of the munchkin. we had our ultrasound on monday, at eight am . it was amazing though. i had been a little nervous beforehand. i kept having this little fear that there would be twins. although i would be happy with any sort of baby, i didn't feel prepared for twins. we are not having twins:) there is just one happy, chill, very cooperative munchkin in there.

the office we went to was very nice (i like their artwork). the blood draw was quick and efficient (i hate doing that). the tech for the sonogram was very nice and seemed to enjoy her job. the lube was warm! i didn't expect that. i thought i would have this cold gel all over my belly, but they warm it up in these little compartments. we got some great photos. everything looked normal, and i found out today that everything is very normal. we were given a dvd for free that recorded virtually everything. we found out once we were doing the scan that they do 3-d along with regular. the heartbeat was 159bpm. the munchkin seemed very relaxed, just layin around in my uterus. the tech actually poked me a bit with the wand to get the munchkin to move to get some better angles. it was so cool to see it wiggle around.

anna scanned one of the prints they gave us. we are trying to figure out how to download the dvd so i can post that too. it's really neat, you can even hear the heartbeat.

i'm feeling alright now. yesterday was pretty decent. today i didn't get a chance to eat a snack in the early evening when i was at work because i had customers. that made me not feel so good. i had acupuncture yesterday morning and he did a little cranio-sacral (don't know how to spell) on me. i think of it like healing hands:) basically he put his hand on my diaphragm, belly, and then upper chest areas with his other hand on my back in the same area. i don't understand it all. another thing i changed was i'm taking ipecacuanha. it's homeopathic and recommended by the midwives. i'm still taking 100mg of b6 each day and unisom. don't know what is making me feel better, but i like it:)

now i'm chillin' on the couch while anna walks olive. i'm hoping this goodness continues. i'm exhausted by this morning sickness.

morning sickness

i've been feeling a bit down recently. i'm really tired of feeling ill. i'm not really noticing an improvement. my last two acupuncture appointments have helped. this is all just dragging me down.

i decided to take tomorrow off work to relax, sleep in. that means i've got a three day weekend. i need it. my plan is to not do a whole lot (i will do the dishes, anna, i swear). on monday, we have our first ultrasound. totally not necessary, but i want the little photos:) i want to see a visual of the little munchkin that i'm growing.

that's my little update for now. please send me positive thoughts. i really want to start feeling better.

of boobs and dairy

currently not related topics:) i had to buy a new bra yesterday because i've grown too much for my regular bras. i've gone from a 36B to a 38C. it's funny seeing my new bra next to my old ones. the cups are bigger than my cat's head, yes i checked:) i wonder how much bigger they'll get. i also bought some little extender straps for bras that will hopefully make things last a little longer.

as for dairy, i was bad yesterday and had too much. i've been good for the most part. i haven't been craving cheese necessarily, but i miss it. i had a bagel with cream cheese for a morning snack, a veggie sandwich with cheese, and creamy tomato soup. oops:) i was feeling it in the evening. ugh.

i did have acupuncture yesterday, but i wasn't feeling as wonderful as i had the week before. that sucked. i was really looking forward to it. i did feel better than usual. i guess i should be thankful for that. i wasn't able to really eat dinner last night, could have been the dairy thing though. today, i woke up ill and lost my breakfast. i'm still not feeling great right now. hopefully it will improve this afternoon like it usually does. i'm getting really tired of this.

chug-a-chug-a

we heard the heart!! we had an appointment with the mw yesterday evening. just a basic "how ya doin'" kind of thing. we had been told at the first appointment that we might be able to hear the heart. i was trying to not get my hopes up because it was still a little early. wow, it was so cool to hear. there really is something in there, growing:)

i'm not feeling so great today. it seems each day away from my acup. appt. last week is a little worse. i'm anxious for thursday morning. i might start going two days a week until the morning sickness really passes. i really dislike feeling so "blah" and kind of helpless. all my good intentions to do work around the house goes out the window when i can stand for more than 15 minutes without feeling ill. and i get exhausted when i try to push through.

this little munchkin better be a beautiful athletic genius rockstar :)

3 min blog :)

acupuncture kicks ass! i had a treatment yesterday morning before work and i felt TERRIFIC all day. i even had a dinner craving, a thai soup called tom ka gai. so so so good. and my lovely wife of course made it for me when i told her i was craving it. it hit the spot. i had no trouble eating it and even had some for my before bed snack!

today i've felt just as well. i was worried when i was getting up that it would be the save old thing, but after my cereal i felt good. i had a business meeting with my boss and a client at a great pizza restaurant. i had a margherita pizza, pretty plain. ate the whole thing! it was like a 12 inch with 8 slices. i also had a little salad, and later a small scoop of gelato.

i'm very happy right now:) oh and it's sunny!!

gotta close the shop, hope everyone is doing as well as i am.

life currently

things are a bit busy at work because i have a brand new colleague i'm training, so i don't get as much computer time as i usually have. good and bad. i feel like i'm missing out on stuff, but i'm sure that the time away from the screen is helping my eyes.

i'm feeling pretty good today. i managed to not throw up at all- which has been happening more ofter recently. it's funny how i could not even have energy to write a short blog, but i just didn't. i didn't care to sit and write basic words:) i'll try to blog whenever i'm feeling well- which will hopefully increase.

my nausea is worst in the morning. my lovely wifey, man she's great:), brings me scrambled eggs and toast whenever she's home in the morning while i'm still in bed. that's love i tell ya'. she's taken it to heart that her job currently is to make sure i'm fed. :) i usually feel better after i eat lunch. i try to snack through the morning, but it's hard. i'm typically exhausted when i get home from work after 7 and sometimes my nausea comes back.

i'm taking b6 with each meal- approximately 75 units (can't remember if it's g or mg) total and a unisom at night. this has helped. i can't imagine how bad i would be feeling with out this help. i am thinking i need to increase the b6 to 100 (which is a regular pill). my nausea had seemed to be improving last week and then got all wacky this weekend again. i didn't get to have an acupuncture appointment last week. i'm going to try to squeeze one in on friday. i know he'll be able to help me too (raene- he hasn't done moxa yet, i'm going to ask. i had that done pre-preg. and loved it).

i haven't been sleeping so restfully, even though i'm taking unisom. i wake up once or twice each night for no reason. i usually get up and pee just because, but i haven't actually needed to. i'm dreaming a lot too, so i think when i am sleeping i'm not completely out of it. i was taking naps in the afternoon when i had a regular colleague here during the day, but i can't leave the new guy alone for an hour so i can sleep:) i'm praying i can within another week though (please, please, please!). i still have night sweats but i'm just ignoring them. my acup. tried a treatment two weeks ago for my sweats and i got really ill after the treatment. i'm going to tell him that i'm not going to bother with fixing the sweats now. i just want the morning sickness to be dealt with.

my clothes still technically fit me, but i cannot stand to have anything press against my abdomen. it makes me really uncomfortable. so i'm been over-wearing a pair of gaucho pants i have. i need to find some more pants like them. i don't want my colleague to catch on that i'm wearing the same pants 3 out of 5 days, hehe:)

eating wise i'm totally different than before pregnancy. i loved spices and hot food. now i can't stand anything above bland and virtually flavorless. so sad. i don't really want meat, i can't eat dairy (haven't really been missing that a lot), i don't want fresh greens. mostly i eat plain pasta/rice, a cooked veg (i really want cooked greens- broccoli, chard, etc.), and some kind of protein source. the protein source is the hard part. i can eat fake chick patties (morning star). erm- we haven't found much else. the pasta i eat is a protein pasta. i eat some almonds during the day, but i know i'm lacking protein. i just don't want it now from my traditional sources. i've also been having trouble drinking enough water during the day. especially in the morning it makes my belly feel worse. i think i'm only drinking like 20 oz/day right now. the thing is i want ice cold water, but can only stand drinking a bit at a time.

enough of my food woes:) i'm happy and healthy today. i'm excited about this little baby, even if it is rather surrealistic right now. i can't wait for our next mw appoint. we are going to try to hear the heartbeat. i think it will be a little more real then.

i'm still here

i'm just feeling really sick. i haven't had enough energy to do stuff and am basically putting the blog on the back burner a little bit. i'll update later. please send me lovely thoughts of a happy belly.

IT'S A GIRL!!

kidding, of course:) it's april fool's day you know. we won't know the gender until around 20 weeks, if we're lucky. although, i have a feeling it is a girl. we'll see.

our midwife appointment went well. everyone was happy and surprised to see us so soon. they had helped with getting our paperwork in to the sperm bank. the midwife we met with, let's call her midwife S, was very nice. she was the same one that we met with for our consultation in january. she answered all our question. it seems like everything is moving on the right track. this visit was more preliminary. we needed to fill out my health and family history. we'll need to give the donor history too. basically, we just chatted for an hour, and she took my blood pressure :)

we made our next appointment for five weeks, instead of four weeks. usually during the first trimester, appointments are for every four weeks. we want to hear the heartbeat though, and we might have a better chance if we wait a little longer. if we don't hear it, it's ok. it will still be early.

we decided also to not do genetic screening. i didn't feel that it was necessary. we will love this baby no matter what. i understand that some people want to be prepared, but i'm ok with waiting. you never know what will happen, and i believe, whatever it is, is for a reason.

otherwise, things are ok. i've been nauseated for most of the day. annoying. i finished inventory at work early and since there was nothing to do, i came home at 2 for a nap before our appointment.

i found out my colleague is going to be semi-leaving me. as a refresher, i'm an art framing manager for a retail shop. i have one employee (called "colleagues" at this company). she's terrific. she's almost 60, has been with the company for 7 years, and is very caring. she has been up to date from the beginning regarding anna and i making a baby. she's very supportive. she's always there to listen and give advice on her pregnancies, and her daughters'. her daughter that lives in town had her third child about a year ago. she's decided to go back to work and asked linda if she would nanny for them. they would prefer this over hiring a stranger. linda did it a little bit before for them. anyways, next week will be her last regular week. then, she'll just work on sundays, one of my days off. i won't really see her, unless i make a special trip. i'm going to miss her :( i really felt that being pregnant and working would be easier because i had such a great colleague. now i'm crying. ok, i'll be alright. -sigh-

i fear weight gain

really, i've had issues with my weight since high school. i've often felt i was bigger than i should be, even when i was underweight. when i started college, i started gaining weight and old high school friends said i actually looked healthy instead of like a stick. i became mostly comfortable with my weight when i started playing rugby, because you need to be strong and have some cushion :) except i kept gaining weight until i was over 185. that scared the crap out of me.

i started doing kickboxing and watching what i was eating more. no more sneaking over to mcd's for fries after work. naughty, naughty. i lost 15 lbs. i really wanted to get down to 165 before we got pregnant, but things worked faster than we though :)

now i'm stressing about gaining unnecessary weight. i know that i will gain weight because of the baby growing. but i am sooo afraid of getting close to 200 lbs. i also afraid of after the pregnancy, will i be able to loose it all? this stress is aggravated by the fact i'm hungry so much. yesterday, i was hungry all day, seriously. nothing could satisfy me. i'm being good and not grabbing unhealthy things, but it's hard.

if anyone has suggestions, i would greatly appreciate it. i'm not eating dairy right now. the only allergy i have is to walnuts. i need variety. help! :) off to eat some carrots. oh and that's a picture of me up there as a hungry monkey:)

not so motivated

sorry i've been quiet recently. there isn't much to share. i'm tired. trying to get to bed early (like 9:30). my night sweats are really bothering me. i'm off dairy for a week, as recommended by the accup, for my bloating. otherwise, i am feeling pretty good.

we have a midwife appointment next week. i'll probably have more interesting things to write then :)

sooo tired

oh my god, i just want to sleep all the time. i don't feel like doing anything at work, but i have to because my colleague is gone on vacation. blah. i've done a few things. mostly, i've been sitting, reading or messing around on the computer. oh and peeing. i am peeing so much! i'm trying to drink at least three full bottles at work. my water bottle is 20+ oz. that's a good bit of water, and i feel like i'm peeing every 5 oz. haha:)

also, my jeans are bugging the crap out of me. i think i'm bloated and even though i want to sit down, the waist is digging into my abdomen and annoying me. i feel like wearing a mu mu already. damn what's it going to be like when i actually start growing.

another thing, my abs are sore. in my obliques and right under my ribcage. what's that about? i know that i'm not growing yet. i don't believe it's due to an ectopic pregnancy (i already obsessed about that today). it feels like i did a lot of crunches yesterday and feel the pain today.

i'm actually doing rather well though:) this things are just little annoyances right now, and partly fixable. i think i've figured out my nausea. i just need to treat it like when i had big issues with hypoglycemia. i have a stock pile of things to eat at work. i need to figure out a good variety though. i know i'll get sick of nuts, fruit, carrots and hummus eventually. oh and i'm never eating popcorn again. i felt like a hot air balloon.