Third Prenatal Dr Visit

Today Joe and I went to our third prenatal visit.  I’m 10 weeks and six days but they said I’m reading 11 weeks.  The baby looks so human now.  It doesn't have much in the way of features but we could noticeably make out it's head, body, arms and legs.  It's like a little shadow baby.  We saw it moving all around and heard its heartbeat.  It was kicking its little froggy legs and waving it’s arms around.  Joe tried to record it but the baby stopped moving around so much as soon as we started recording.  It was so incredible to see our baby!  I started crying again.  I love our baby soooo much, even though it isn’t born yet.  We could see the heart beating too, 163bpm.  On the way back from the doctor we stopped to tell his parents.  His mom started crying which made both of us cry. 

My nausea also returned today.  It started this morning and lasted all day.  Just when I thought I was in the clear.  I’m still thankful that it’s less frequent and seeing our baby healthy and moving around makes everything worth it so I can’t complain.

Pool Partying at Nearly 3 Months Pregnant

Today I went with my friend to a pool party at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood.  Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean your social life has to end, plus you can have a lot of fun without alcohol.  I’ve been to a couple other pool parties but I really enjoyed this one.  The pool was big and not very crowded.  They had a bunch of swan floats and my friend was dying to get on one.  We managed to kick some other girls off for a few minutes to get one before we were thrown off.  Otherwise it was just a nice summer day to hang out and swim.  Everyone in our group just figured that I didn’t drink so it wasn’t a big deal.  I guess you still can’t really tell I’m pregnant.  Though my breasts are a bit bigger.  It was about half a mile away from the friend’s house where everybody met up so I got a little walk in as well when I decided to leave. 

Online Shopping for Baby Gear

I started to compile a list of baby gear that we’re going to need.  I subscribed to Pregnancy and Newborn Magazine and they have tons of suggestions for crap.  I figured it’s best to keep a list of things needed.  We have a long time to get everything but I want to make sure we’re prepared.  My lists ended up being baby registries on Amazon and Target.  I honestly don’t expect anyone to buy us anything because I honestly don’t think anyone will, but it’s good to stay organized and who knows maybe someone will feel generous and surprise us with a gift for our baby.  The good part is we can buy things off the registry ourselves over time.  We decided we didn’t want to know the sex of the baby until it’s born.  We prefer to be surprised and I’d rather have all unisex things anyway to keep and use for our future second baby.  Plus I’m don’t like pink at all.  If we have a girl I’ll want to get purple and yellow things.  If we have a boy, I like aqua blue and sea green.  Most of my baby registry things are aqua blue, yellow and green anyway.  They’re neutral colors that work for either gender.  I definitely want two children but I joked around that maybe I should rethink it when my nausea was so bad.  The magazine actually came with coupons for free baby gear.  I got a free nursing pillow, nursing cover, baby sling and carseat cover.  Of course I had to pay for shipping so it wasn’t really free but nursing pillows are usually 40 bucks so paying 14 instead is worth it.  I also ordered a diaper bag I really liked.  I saw it at Target and then they didn’t have it anymore but I found it online and figured I’d better get it.  It’s black with sea green trim.  Can’t wait for my goodies to come in the mail.  I got a baby book off Amazon as well but we haven’t started to fill it in yet.  I actually even entered the magazine’s contest to win free baby gear.  I honestly don’t think anyone ever wins those things but I figured it’s worth a shot.  Any help we can get would be worth it.

Nausea Subsiding?

I haven’t had any nausea in a few days and have stopped taking Diclegis.  I’m feeling kind of great!  I’m so excited to move on to the next stage of my pregnancy.  I’ve been reading a pregnancy and child care book and it’s gotten me so excited to meet our baby! 

I invited a friend over to go swimming.  We just hung out in the pool.  It was so hot out that the cool water felt great.  It was also nice to get out for a little bit.  That night, I went to my other friend's art show in Hollywood and it felt really good to go out and spend time with friends.  It was Alice in Wonderland themed at Meltdown Comics.  She’s had a few shows there before already, Back to the Future and Sailor Moon.  The best part is, I wasn’t feeling sick!  Like at all! 

One a side note, I think my sex drive has finally returned.  Ever since I got pregnant I honestly had no interest in sex what so ever.  But now I’m starting to feel normal again.  Maybe all my hormones are balancing out.

Sickening Smells

Joe and I went grocery shopping today at Ralph’s and all I could smell was the roast chickens that they sell in the front of the store.  The smell was gross and overpowering.  I got really sick and came the closest I have so far in my pregnancy to actually throwing up.  I started to gag.  I had to sit in the car and eat some bread.  I’ve always been kind of sensitive to smells but that was so sickening.  Joe ate eggs one morning and that smell made me really sick too.  I had to leave the living room to get away from it.  The only other smell that really bothers me is the chemical caulk smell coming from our kitchen window.  We had double-pained windows installed in our kitchen because of the loud obnoxious kids next door over two months ago and the caulky smell has not gone away.  It makes me feel really sick any time I go into the kitchen.  I tried spraying it and putting good smelling soap nearby but the smell doesn’t seem to be going away.  I’m also still having a lot of trouble eating meat.  I have the least issue with chicken so far but red meat in particular is very unappealing to me.  And I’m still having trouble drinking water.  Though mixing half water and half lemonade with ice really helps.  I think I'm going to try switching to bottled water to see if that's any better.  The good news is that I’m craving mostly fruits and vegetables so I guess I’m still eating pretty healthy.

Getting Fat

So I’ve definitely gained some weight.  Or actually I haven’t.  I basically still weight the same on the scale, 135.  In fact I think I was usually around 138 so technically I lost some weight.  But I realized that I’m just losing muscle now since I’ve stopped taking Aerial classes.  The size of my waist has definitely expanded.  I can’t fit into any of my jeans comfortably at all.  There’s only one pair that is comfortable and that one used to be super big on me.  I don’t actually like having much pressure on my stomach so I’ve been wearing a lot of skirts and sundresses lately.  I love the sundresses because my breasts have definitely gotten bigger and my bras are all uncomfortably tight now.  My sundresses are all tube tops so I don’t have a wear a bra with them.  I bought a couple more online since it’s my go to outfit.  I guess I need to go buy some clothes and bras.  I think it’s still too early for maternity clothes.  Even though I have a tiny bit of a tummy my stomach really hasn’t expanded much.  I think I want to wait until I have more of belly before getting all new clothes.  I did go to target and get a new pair of stretchy jeans though.  Size 14.  I got them a little big so there’s room for baby belly to grow into them.  I’m normally a 10 in jeans but I have on occasion been able to squeeze into an 8.  I’ve definitely noticed my boobs are huge and sensitive now but shopping for bras is always such a pain in the ass.  I went to Target today but I only got the jeans.  It’s hard for me to find things I like and I didn’t really feel like shopping.

Family Reunion

I went to my Uncle’s wife’s daughter’s wedding in Virginia. I like my uncle and wanted to visit him.  Plus, I figured it would be good to see my parents and tell them about the pregnancy.  I'm somewhat estranged from them and only see them every 5 years or so at my uncle's when they're on their best behavior.  I would never ever go visit them in their home or ever stay in their house but my uncle is a good mediator to keep them from acting rude and crazy.

At first my dad seemed happy about it.  My mom usually doesn't react to anything.  My dad has the same five stories about me and my brother from when we were infants that he always tells when he's happy and reminiscing about us.  I honestly think it's all he remembers about us.  As the night progressed his behavior worsened and it really reinforced why I stay away from them.  Neither one of my parents can relate to me at all as an adult.  They don't know me or understand how to interact with me now.  My dad just kept treating me like a child.  At first he started to yell at me for not inviting him to my wedding and said I hurt him by not letting him give me away.  That's a whole other story but I don't believe in giving the bride away and I don't feel that my father had earned the right anyway.  I had been engaged before and both my parents and my brother had been rude and uncaring.  My parents have a very negative view of marriage and I didn't want them at my wedding.  Honestly, my wedding wasn't about my parents and I was happier that they weren't there.  I had to keep reminding my dad that we were at someone else's wedding and it wasn't the time to argue with me or have an outburst.  Later after he'd calmed down he kept rubbing the top of my head and messing up my hair.  Something you would do to a grade schooler.  I told him to stop several times and when he didn't I moved chairs.  I decided that the best way to handle them was to just walk away whenever my dad started to treat me rudely.  My brother sat with my dad and tried to explain to him that we're grown now and he can't treat us like kids anymore and he has to respect us.  My dad kept insisting that we were still his kids no matter what.  The night was a pattern of me walking away to enjoy the wedding, my dad calling me back to try to spend time with me but saying something mean or inappropriate and me walking away again.  The final straw was when he started criticizing my weight again and telling me that my legs were fat.  I wish I could say I was surprised that he would criticize his pregnant daughter's weight, but I wasn't.  I told him that I would not talk to him or interact with him again for the rest of the night and if he couldn't say anything nice to me I wouldn't talk to him at all.  My dad is just a bully.  He can't talk to someone without putting them down and I'm really just not going to stand for it.

I also got to talk to my brother a bit and meet his girlfriend.  My brother and I are also estranged.  After I left for college he fell in with a party crowd and became an alcoholic.  A lot of bad stuff happened to him because of his alcoholism (including jail time) and at first I tried to help and talk him out of doing what he was doing but he refused to change or even admit that he had a problem.  Eventually I realized you can't help a person unless they actually want to change.  The only thing I could do was protect myself and distance myself from him and the whole situation.  He seems better now (at least more positive, he was a huge jerk when he was drinking before) but he still drinks a lot and an alcoholic is either drinking or not drinking.  I think before he was an angry drunk but now with his girlfriend he seems like a happier drunk.  I guess that's something. 

Everything about traveling to Virginia for the wedding was a little stressful and really uncomfortable.  My uncle let me stay with him but there were a lot of other family members staying with him as well for the wedding.  It was a full house and everything was loud.  Plus, I was feeling sick and nauseous the entire time.  I tried to be as low maintenance and courteous as I could because the other family members staying there were all definitely high maintenance and there was a lot of stress in the house.  I kind of felt bad for my uncle because he couldn't please everyone and it was pretty much a mad house.  My birthday was also the day before the wedding.  I kept joking with everyone before I left that it was going to be my own real life version of the Sixteen Candles movie.  And it totally was.

A Night at the Holllywood Bowl

Today Joe and I went with a bunch of friends to the Hollywood Bowl.  We watched 2001 Space Odyssey with the music played live by the LA Phil Harmonic Orchestra.  I’ve only been to the Hollywood Bowl once.  It was back in 2006 when I saw Video Games Live.  I loved it!  I’d never seen the 2001 Space Odyssey movie before but I’m not the biggest Stanley Kubrick fan.  The movie was long as expected (too long in my opinion).  And the music was far and few between.  There were very long stretches without any music so it almost seemed like a bit of a waste to me.  It kind of seemed that the movie had three parts to it and I only liked the middle part.  After the movie we walked with one of our friends to Mel’s Diner for milk shakes.  Originally we were just going to walk to Hollywood to catch an Uber but decided to have a milk shake while there.  It was fun.  We joked about how our baby probably looks like a little T-rex inside my belly and our friend who's an artist drew a lady that was pregnant with a dinosaur on a napkin for us.

Escape Room

Today a bunch of us went to an Escape Room in Downtown LA.  I organized the shindig and got a group together.  You need 12 people to fill the room and if you can’t fill it, they just throw strangers in with you so I figured it was better to be with friends.  I got 9 of my friends to go and one of my friends got 3 others.  My friend Dan’s apartment was in walking distance to the Escape Room (literally a block away) so he invited everyone over to go swimming in his rooftop pool and have some home brewed beer.  I let everyone know but of my group, only 2 of us ended up going.  Obviously no beer for me but it was cool to hang out beforehand.  The Escape Room was fun but super hard.  There were 25 puzzles.  Everyone basically scattered and started working on all different puzzles at once.  It was hard to concentrate and basically you got stuck on one puzzle and missed the rest.  We all agreed toward the end that there were too many people.  It was chaotic and everyone had a period of nothing to do since everyone else was covering everything.  Plus, everyone only really got to solve one puzzle and missed out on all the rest of them.  We had an hour to get out and almost made it.  We were 3 steps away from escaping before time ran out.  Afterward we went out for drinks and apps at an Asian place down the street.  Joe told his friend Erik that we’re expecting and he was pretty happy.  Dan figured it out really easily since I wasn’t drinking.  I think we’re at a point where we’re comfortable with everyone knowing.

Goodbye Alfredo

Today I had sweet and sour chicken and potato chips with French onion dip for lunch.  More just eating whatever’s in the house than craving.  I met my friends for afternoon tea earlier in the day which was nice.  Afterward, we took a walk around Pasadena City Hall just to have a walk.  The architecture was beautiful and it reminded me of when Joe and I took wedding pictures there over a year ago.  There were brides taking wedding photos everywhere we turned.  There were at least 5 brides plus 2 quinceanera parties.  Quinceanera’s kind of confuse me.  I get having a big birthday party for a girl, similar to a bat mitzvah or a sweet 16 but I don’t really understand why it so closely resembles a wedding.  15 year olds aren’t getting married, nor should they.  I think it would make more sense if it was just a big princess party.  The alarm at City Hall ended up going off randomly so we left.  It was so freaking hot out I just wanted to go home and jump in the pool anyway.

At home I was so tired I just ended up taking a shower and laying down.  Alfredo started acting strangely.  He randomly started convulsing and then died.  I had texted Joe when he was acting strangely and Joe called me.  Alfredo died while I was on the phone with him and I started crying.  Joe was really upset.  When he got home we both cried.  Silly to be so attached to a fish but he was a part of our lives for so many years.  Joe kept talking about how he was there when we got married and how he took care of him everyday and loved to take care of him.  It was just sad to see him like that, laying there and not moving.  We decided to bury him in his parent’s back yard next to Joe's pet cat.  I put him inside a jar filled with flowers.  We’ll bury him on Tuesday when Joe’s off of work.

A Walk in the Park

My blood test results came in.  My doctor told me that my Vitamin D was low.  When I did my pre-conception bloodwork they also said my Vitamin D was low and told me to take a supplement as well as B-12.  I was kind of surprised because there is Vitamin D in my pre-natal vitamins.  It’s says 100 percent of my daily needs.  Obviously I need to get outside for walks more.  Joe took me to Lake Balboa Park where we went for a walk around the lake.  It was pretty nice to get out.  I wouldn’t mind going out for walks everyday but it is really hot out.  Plus, our neighborhood really isn’t that great or safe for walking around alone.  I went to the 7-11 on the corner once and Joe was worried about it since shady weirdos and drug addicts always hang around out front of it.  He doesn’t really want me doing that.  But maybe I’ll try to go to the park more often.

More Changes in My Body

I’ve noticed more changes in my body that are actually pretty unpleasant.  Besides feeling constant nausea and often fatigue I’ve become very gassy.  I keep belching very loudly and often.  At first I was okay as I’d rather be burping than farting but I’ve started farting too.  It’s gross and I think it’s been causing unpleasant feelings in my lower abdomen.  On top of that I have more discharge.  Apparently it’s normal to have more discharge than usual while pregnant.  It’s because of the increased estrogen and blood flow in the vagina.  It’s kind of hard to deal with all this.  I honestly can’t wait until my second trimester starts and things start to balance out.

Watermelon and Clam Chowder

I've started having some odd cravings.  I keep craving random things like Okonomiyaki, calamari, Chinese food, pizza, corndogs, melons, garlic bread, mashed potatoes, biscuits and gravy, fried chicken, beef jerky and salads.  I don’t know, just any food.  I didn’t actually eat all of those things, just craved them.  Today I ate clam chowder and watermelon.  It was delicious!  In fact I want some more clam chowder right now.  It's kind of funny because Joe doesn't have any idea what odd request for food I'm going to have next.  I had literally called him while he was at the grocery store and told him to pick me up some clam chowder and watermelon.

First Trimester Blood Work

I went and got some blood work done today.  Joe came with me in case I started to feel faint.  I don’t do well giving blood.  The first time I tried to donate blood I got all covered in a cold sweat and blacked out for a second during the procedure.  The second time I was able to donate blood but as soon as I finished I fainted for a second.  The doctor asked me to hold the cotton ball and I was so weak I could barely lift my arm or put any pressure on it.  I did a pre-conception blood test right before Joe and I started trying to get pregnant.  I got very faint as soon as they finished and had to lay down for a few minutes with a cold pack on my head.  So I really don’t do well giving blood. 

Joe took me to breakfast at our favorite donut shop.  I got a bacon, egg and cheese sandwich.  I think eggs really help before I have to give blood.  At the office I was kind of scared to learn that they wanted eleven tubes of blood.  Eleven tubes! Three big and the rest small.  I made it through fine this time.  The only problem I actually had was toward the end of the procedure my vein actually started to really hurt.  Filling those last couple of tubes was kind of painful.  But I didn’t feel too faint.  I just drank some water and Joe drove me home.

Second Prenatal Dr Visit

Today Joe came with me to my second prenatal appointment. We got to see the baby.  It was quite a lot bigger and a huge difference from 3 weeks ago.  Though it doesn't really look like anything but a blob yet.  There was a small squirming part that was wiggling all around.  The doctor told us it was the heart and then let us listen to the heartbeat.  It’s 168bpm!  It was so incredible.  I tried not to cry but a little tear did escape down my cheek. The doctor confirmed that I’m 7 and a half weeks and due on March 24th.  Joe kept saying it was incredible. On the way home he kept saying he wished he’d recorded the heartbeat.  We only got to hear it for a few seconds.  Our next appointment is in 3 weeks since I’ll be at my cousin’s wedding in 2 weeks.  I can’t wait to see it again.  It grows a lot in 3 weeks.  We got a pizza on the way home and stopped at his parent’s house for a quick visit.  We decided to tell his parents after the next visit when I’ll be over 10 weeks.  It’ll officially be a fetus then.  We figure his mom is going to tell everyone about it once she knows and this early we’d still like to keep it quiet.  I’m planning on telling my parents when I see them at the wedding.  I’ll be 9 and a half weeks then.  I need to get some blood work done tomorrow too.

Carrots Cure Nausea

I think a found the best option to help me with my nausea, carrots.  When I start feeling sick, if I eat a carrot it seems to go away.  I better pack some carrot sticks when I get on the plane to go to my cousin’s wedding next week.  I’ve also been having trouble drinking water.  I normally love water and drink it all the time but for some reason it’s become so unappealing.  The smell turns me off which is so odd since water doesn’t smell or taste like anything.  I found that putting some lemon in my water helps and I can drink it more easily.  Also if I put a lot of ice cubes in it and make it super cold helps.  I’ve mixed lemonade with water too and enjoy it more that way.

Vacation In Cancun

Joe and I just got back from Cancun, Mexico!  We stayed at a luxury all-inclusive adult couples only resort right on the water called Sun Palace.  It was expensive but pretty luxurious.  They had cabanas on the beach and four different restaurants.  We spent most of the time just lounging around in our hotel room and on the beach or by the pool.  I was nauseous most of the time so I didn’t want to do much anyway.  The one thing I realized being pregnant is that I have an aversion to meat.  Especially red meat.  It’s very unappealing and makes me feel really sick.  The first night we ate at a Mexican food restaurant and as soon as I started to eat meat I got really sick and had to go back to our room to lie down.  We spent the first day lounging on the beach in a cabana.  Swam in the ocean and then ate at the Thai restaurant they had at the hotel.  It was delicious and the only meal that didn’t make me sick.  There was a hot tub in our room so we made use of that and ordered some room service later that night.  Even the room service was included! 

The second day we went on a private tour to see Chitchen Itza.  It was a hot day and I wasn’t feeling great so it was a little hard to walk around.  The whole area of Chitchen Itza is pretty big.  We didn’t explore the northern most part but we saw everything else.  Then we went swimming at a Cenote but the pool was really deep and I didn’t get a life jacket so I couldn’t really swim for too long.  There were some rock ledges around the Cenote so I was able to rest there.  There were so many fish I was hitting them as I swam through the water.  Then we had a buffet lunch which once again made me feel sick.  Last we went to some ruins that we could climb on before returning to the hotel.  We had dinner at a nice Italian restaurant in the hotel but I wasn’t crazy about the food. 

The last day was another beach lounging day at the cabana.  We had nachos by the infinity pool and hung out.  For dinner we went to the last restaurant which was an outdoor steak place.  The steak was good but the servings were huge and I couldn’t finish much of mine.  They had events every night but this was the only night we ended up going to one.  It was called an Anything Can Happen Party in the lobby bar.  There was music and dancing.  Joe and I decided to play a couple games of chess just for fun.  And that was basically it.