Baby Hiccups

This morning when I woke up, I think the baby had the hiccups.  There were little pulsing bubble movements spaced evenly apart and in rhythm for a couple minutes before I got out of bed.  I guess it’s hard to tell or know what’s going on inside my belly but I’m guessing the baby had hiccups based on the pattern and feel of the movement.  It was the same feeling consistently every couple of seconds.  It stopped after a couple minutes.

Joe always makes it a habit to tell me how pretty I am and how good I look.  He’s very sweet and supportive.  This morning he mentioned how I’m definitely bigger.  He didn’t mean it as in insult but I joked about it and gave him a hard time asking him if he was saying that I was fat.  It was funny because for a split second before he realized I was joking he seemed worried he’d offended me.  Whenever I mention that I think I’m fat, he always says, “You’re not fat, you’re pregnant.”  He says that he thinks I look exactly the same, I just have a belly and if not for my belly you wouldn’t be able to tell I’m pregnant.  I don’t really believe that but it’s sweet to know how he sees me.

Leaking Milk

This morning I actually had some leakage.  All of a sudden I felt wet on my right nipple and looked down to see a small wet spot.  I wondered if maybe I could have dripped some water there when I washed my hands or maybe spilled milk when I ate my cereal earlier but no, I think I actually did leak some milk because it’s not a water stain and I had eaten my cereal forty minutes earlier.  I’m 23 weeks now but I guess leakage could happen at any time.  I looked it up and apparently it can happen as early as 8 weeks according to some people.  It seems to be most common during the 20 something weeks.  My breasts have gotten a little bigger since I bought new bras so I’m wondering if I have to go up a size again.  I also got some nursing bras in preparation.  Though I don’t have to wear them yet, I think I found a pretty comfy brand.  I got iLoveSIA off of Amazon.  It’s twenty dollars for a two pack and it comes with a black and nude.  Obviously I’m not going to need to wear them until I’m nursing but I tried them on and they definitely provide support and feel comfortable.  I also got nursing pads but I didn’t think I’d need them until after the baby came.  I guess we’ll see if I have any more leakage but at least I have them if I need to start using them now though so far the leak was only a tiny amount.

Walking on the Treadmill

My Dr suggested I walk for 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night so today I got on the treadmill.  I did the 15 minutes this morning.  Joe put on some scenic treadmill walking video on YouTube to help.  Apparently people just filmed scenery as they went out jogging and you can watch it while running or walking to feel like you’re outside.  It’s kind of funny.  Joe started watching it during his runs.  We’ve been watching The Treadmill Runner channel but apparently there aren’t that many videos.  I went over to my friend’s house and we went for a walk down Ventura so I think I got my other 15 minutes in.  We had a Jamba Juice (which I’d been craving) and just chatted and hung out.  It was nice to see her.  She lives so close to me but I don’t think I visit often enough.  When we got back to her place she made oatmeal cranberry chocolate chip cookies and they were delicious!  I am going to try to cut back on sweets but it’s super hard.  At least I did some walking today.

Thanksgiving with Family

I usually cook a turkey every year.  Sometimes I invite friends over, once I invited Joe’s parents over and sometimes it’s just the two of us.  I actually do enjoy cooking Thanksgiving dinner.  I always brine my turkey overnight.  This year we were invited over to Joe’s brother’s house.  It was really nice to be with family and enjoy the Holiday.  They had actually ordered all of their food from Whole Foods and it was all pretty good.  There were also a bunch of desserts.  I was so stuffed by the end.  The baby was super quiet (not moving much at all) and I joked that the turkey must have put it to sleep.  We all sat around telling family stories.  It was a good time.

Ninja Baby

The baby has been kicking me kind of hard today.  To the point where it actually kind of hurts.  Strong kid.  I was laying on the couch and there were hard thumps real low.  The kicking low near my cervix was always kind of uncomfortable but the harder ones actually do hurt a little bit.  I rearranged positions to see if that helps.  I find that the baby moves the least when I’m standing upright or walking.  It moves the most when I’m sitting or laying down.  Or maybe I just feel it more.  I keep joking with Joe that I think our baby is a ninja practicing martial arts in there.  The first trimester I used to joke that our baby was a rabbit since carrots were the only thing that seemed to cure my nausea.  Now the baby’s just restless.

Star Wars

Joe wants to go see the new Star Wars movie with me when it comes out but he’s a little worried it will be very loud and the loud noises might disrupt the baby since it can hear.  I heard that I shouldn’t go to horror movies but I don’t know about loud action movies.  I’m more worried about having to constantly keep leaving to go to the bathroom.  As it is, I can’t make it an hour without having to go at least once.  He hasn’t gotten tickets yet but we’ll see.  He thinks El Capitain might be a good place to see it since they have the costumes on display there.  There’s also a kids showing there which has the audio at lower levels but I kind of don’t really want to be surrounded by a ton of other people’s kids.  I’m just going to say this, for the most part I don’t really like kids because I find that most are not well behaved.  I always did want to be a mom and wanted kids of my own but I’m not going to lie, I didn’t particularly like being around children in public but then I honestly think most parents don’t do a very good job of raising them.  Far too often in public I see parents giving in to tantrums or not correcting their kids when they are exhibiting bad behavior.  I honestly think most people shouldn’t have kids and you should only have them if you’re willing to put in the time and work it takes to raise them properly.  

It was really funny because while we were in Greece trying to conceive it was at the ultimate test.  There were horribly misbehaved children everywhere we went.  Especially in the airports and on the cruise where we had to listen to them for hours.  Besides Niagara Falls, there really hadn't been a noticeable abundance of loud obnoxious children on our travels until then and it was at the time when we finally decided to start our family.

Sixth Prenatal Dr Visit

We had our sixth prenatal Dr visit today.  The baby is healthy and we got hear the heartbeat again with the Dr’s handheld machine.  She measured my stomach with a tape measure.  Apparently my uterus has stretched up to being above my belly button now.  However, I’m still gaining weight too quickly.  In fact, there hasn’t been a change in my weigh gain since last month.  I gained 5lbs last month and 5lbs this month.  I actually did alter my eating habits this past month to eat more salads, cook at home and cut out fruit juices going back to water but I guess it didn’t help.  I don’t think I’m capable of cutting out sweets completely but it’s not like I eat them everyday.  I could try cutting back portion sizes but I’m not supposed to diet. 

I started out at 135lbs and am now 148lbs.  So, I have gained 13lbs total since becoming pregnant.  My Dr said that the bulk of pregnancy weight gain is supposed to happen after 24 weeks which I’m not even at yet.  It should be one pound a week starting at 24 weeks for the duration of the pregnancy.  I’m supposed to gain a total of 25 to 30 pounds during the entire pregnancy. My Dr suggested cutting out fruit and taking 15 minute walks in the morning and evening so I’m walking at least 30 minutes a day.  Too bad my neighborhood sucks for talking walks.  What with the drug dealers on the corner and all.

Joe mentioned how much our baby was moving and kicking and our Dr said to wait until the third trimester when it’s bigger.  It’ll feel like full blown punches.  Then she mentioned that she has one spot where her baby keeps kicking her that kind of starts to hurt after a while.  She just wants to tell it to get out of there.  It’s pretty interesting because it feels kind of strong now.  She got all our second trimester ultrasound results back and knows not to reveal the gender of our baby but it’s still exciting to know that she knows and could tell us if we asked.  The anticipation has already set in and I had to keep myself from asking her.  Just have to make it 18 more weeks or so and then we’ll get to meet our baby!

Baby Traits

While Joe and I were laying on the couch holding each other he said, “There’s three of us laying on the couch.”  Then he said he hopes that the baby has my eyes because they’re so beautiful and sparkly.  I told him that I hope our baby has his creativity and kindness.  He felt the baby kicking for a little while.  It was moving quite a bit and pretty strong too.  It’s pretty funny because often times when he feels for the baby it doesn’t move but this time it was going strong.  I most often feel it moving whenever I lay down either on the couch or to go to bed.  Joe jokes that it’s probably trying to get comfortable just like I do whenever I lay down.  We often wonder what the baby will be like.  Which of each of our traits it will have.  I joke that it’s going to be a night owl like him and never sleep at night and be stubborn like me.  Often times when we’re talking about the baby it’ll start kicking.  Almost like it knows we’re talking about it.

Singing To My Belly

I heard that at 20 weeks the baby can hear inside the womb.  Some research has shown babies can recognize sounds that they heard in the womb after they’re born and will be familiar with the parents’ voices.  I even read that if read to your belly, when your baby is older it may gravitate toward those same stories you read to it.  Lately, I’ve been singing to my belly and telling the baby that I love it.  It’s funny how the baby isn’t born yet but I’ve already grown so attached to it.  I’ll probably start reading to my belly when it’s a bit bigger.

I had to run an errand and while I was in the car I had the radio on.  I could almost swear the baby was dancing inside my belly.  It was constantly kicking me almost in rhythm.  Some songs it seemed to like more than others but it lasted almost the whole car ride (though it wasn’t a very long ride).  I was stuck in 5pm rush hour traffic in LA which used to enrage me and drive me insane.  But this time instead of being angry or annoyed that I was sitting in stand still traffic not moving for a long time, I just put my hand on my belly and felt my baby dancing in there.  I was so happy to feel my healthy active baby that I cried a little bit.

Laying in bed getting ready to fall asleep my baby was moving around again.  Almost as if trying to get into a comfortable sleeping position.  I could actually see my stomach being raised by the kicks.  Not only is it strong but visibly noticeable now.  It’s so amazing that there’s a tiny little baby moving around in there.

Eco-Friendly Diapers

This morning I woke up at 6am with nausea for the first time in weeks.  I had a snack just to have something in my stomach hoping it would settle but it didn’t and I wasn’t able to fall back asleep.  I busied myself by looking up reviews on baby products.

I really want to get eco-friendly diapers.  A newborn baby will go through 8-10 diapers a day and between 5,000 and 6,000 in their baby life span.  That’s a LOT of diapers.  I read that diapers represent 30% of non-biodegradable waste and about 18 billion diapers are thrown away in landfills every year.  I really care about the Earth and want to reduce my impact on the environment and landfills but I’m not really willing to do cloth diapers.  Plus, cloth diapers will create water waste that gets treated and eventually dumped into the ocean.  I am seriously against ocean dumping.*  I read up on all the eco-friendly diaper brands and most reviews complain about leaking.  I found the highest rated eco-friendly diaper is Bambo (made in Denmark).  Baby Gear Lab did an in depth study of various diaper brands and found Bambo to be the best eco option that holds up to Pampers and Huggies.  It’s also the highest rated in consumer reviews.  So I’m definitely going to give them a try.  I figured I should try them along with a regular brand like Pampers the first month to see which works best.  Obviously eco-friendly are a bit more expensive but I’m willing to pay a little more to do my part to help the environment.  I looked up eco-friendly wipes as well and most had bad reviews that they don’t clean well or cause rashes.  I found that Jackson Reece (made in the UK) and Bum Boosa (made in China) have the highest reviews so I’m going to give them a try and see which works best.

I also read that if you’re getting eco-friendly diapers you should get eco-friendly diaper pail bags as well since putting biodegradable diapers inside of a non-biodegradable plastic bag kind of defeats the purpose.  I received a Diaper Genie as a gift so I was going to use that but the brand doesn’t have a biodegradable bag option.  However, people say you can just take any bag and wrap it over the insert of the diaper genie ring, secure it with a rubber band and it’ll work just the same so I’m going to try that.  I only found Diaper Dekor in the way of biodegradable diaper pail bags.  I’ll definitely give them a try along with the Bambo diapers.  If I like them and can’t get the bags to fit the Diaper Genie I’ll just get the Dekor brand diaper pail.

*I don’t necessarily consider myself a tree hugger but I do care about the environment and my impact on it.  Humans create a lot of trash and waste and I think there are a lot of ways to reduce that very easily.  I think everyone should be conscious of the environment and do their part to reduce waste.  I used to recycle but the new apartment building I’ve moved into doesn’t have a recycling pick up service.  I tried contacting the manager of the building to enroll us in it (it’s completely free) but they don’t want to.  For a while we were taking our recyclables to Joe’s parent’s house every time we visited since they have the service but that wasn’t always practical.  We found someone in our building who likes to take the recycling in to collect the five cent rebate on the plastic containers so now I just separate out the glass and plastic and leave them for him to take.  I just can’t in good conscious throw a plastic bottle away knowing it’s going to sit in a landfill forever.

We live near Lake Balboa Park which uses reclaimed water.  After the water is treated, it’s used to water the golf course, plants at the botanical garden nearby and fill a huge lake in a park full of fish and ducks.  It’s a beautiful park and a perfect use for treated water.  I used to go to Hermosa beach with my friends and they have a water treatment plant near there too.  After the water is treated it’s just dumped into the ocean.  The water at Hermosa beach is filled with bacteria and you are not able to swim there.  It’s a lounging sand beach only.  It’s a beautiful beach but it’s sad you can’t swim there.  We dump a lot of trash in the ocean that people aren’t always aware of.  When they are done using metro and subway cars, they just dump them in the ocean instead of recycling the metal to make fences and guard rails.  I love the ocean and ocean life and I don’t think we should be dumping anything in it.  Everything that can be recycled, should be recycled.  Any amount of waste we can reduce, we should reduce.  There’s no reason we shouldn't be automatically sorting our trash into Landfill, Recycling and Compost like San Francisco does.  All water treatment facilities should find better uses to recycle the treated water like Lake Balboa Park does.  Treated wastewater is not potable but it can be used for irrigation and agriculture.  Considering how much of a problem California has with the drought, it actually seems wasteful to dump water that can be used to grow crops.  And honestly, I don’t think I want to live in a world or raise children in a world where the ocean is so polluted you can’t swim in it.

Reading Up on Baby Care

I’ve been reading up on infant and childcare.  I started with a textbook called Baby and Child Care.  Pretty basic stuff.  It covers a lot but doesn’t go into detail with everything.  It also has some religious undertones I’m not crazy about.  I don’t really need a childcare book to tell me to thank God everyday for my blessings.  That’s just condescending. I also still have my Developmental Psychology textbook from my child psychology college course that I can revisit.  That was a great class and I learned a lot from it but I can brush up on it. 

I met with a friend for lunch at The Grove today which was really nice.  After lunch I walked around the shops.  They have a World Market there.  I really love that store.  It has a nice selection of soaps and candles (though I can’t justify spending five dollars on a bar of soap and I don’t really use candles).  They also have an imported beer and wine section and a nice selection of imported foods.  They even have Kona coffee from Hawaii.  Of course coffee and wine are off the table for me until I’m finished breastfeeding which will be at least another year.  I did get some Winter Dream tea though.  It’s chamomile based with cinnamon spices.  Pretty yummy. 

I also went into the Barnes and Nobel.  I’m kind of looking for an in depth book about feeding during the first year.  How much, how often, when to introduce which foods and how much.  I ended up finding Confident Baby Care by Jo Frost.  I used to transcribe her show back in the day when I first moved to LA at my first job.  I actually really liked her show and I’m enjoying her book quite a bit.  I almost finished reading the entire thing in one day.  It goes into a lot of detail about what to expect from your baby at each stage the first year home, how to play and care for the baby and how to keep the baby safe.  It also has feeding information and suggestions for things you need for the baby so I revisited my baby registry.

Vanilla Almond Milk and Lemon Pound Cake

I’ve been craving vanilla almond milk and lemon pound cake so I got some.  Yum!  Also, the supermarket had freshly baked cheese bread so I got that as well along with some cream cheese spread.  I’ve actually been craving bagels lately and something about cream cheese on a cheese bread roll sounds pretty appealing.  I think I figured out that our Ralph’s supermarket restocks on Tuesday and our Trader Joe’s restocks on Monday.  So those are the best days to go.  I won’t buy bread from the baked goods department unless it’s freshly baked.  The only problem with freshly baked breads is that there aren’t any preservatives in them so they get moldy very quickly.  We have to store them in the fridge after two days which takes a bit of the fluffy freshness out.

Joe got the office room pretty cleared out for the nursery today.  There’s a bookcase, a desk and a bunch of other stuff we need to donate.  We debated on buying the crib now to judge spacing but it seems based on the dimensions that once the crib is assembled it won’t be able to fit through the doorway without being disassembled.  I want to have the carpet professionally cleaned before we move baby furniture into the office so we’re going to hold off.  Right now the plan is to have half of the room as his computer/keyboard space and the other half as the nursery and everything set up by the end of December.  Lately, Joe’s been practicing Disney songs on his keyboard to play for the baby which I find very sweet.  We also debated starting with the crib in our room for the first 3-4 months and then moving it to the nursery but it won’t fit through the doorway so we’d have to disassemble it and it’s big.  I was wondering if we really need to buy a bassinet just for four months use but it’s not recommend by doctor’s that babies co-sleep in the Pack n Play and I’ve read that long sleep periods in the Rock n Play result in baby having a flat head.  So I think we’ll have to get the bassinet.

Annoying Bladder and Hairy Belly

I’ve basically spent all day in the bathroom today.  I am urinating twice every hour.  I don’t even really feel like I drank that much water but I really don’t want to be very far from the bathroom.  It’s getting kind of annoying.  Yesterday I kept having to go too.  It was a little bit each time but I had to go every hour.  Today it’s like twice an hour.  Nothing really hurts or seems abnormal though I think my urethra is getting tired of being over used.  I know that whenever I go into my doctor’s office for a check up they ask for a urine sample to test for any type of bacterial infection, proteins that could signify early signs of preeclampsia and sugar levels for gestational diabetes.  My next appointment is in a week.  I was told the baby is sitting right on top of my bladder so I think everything is normal but man is it annoying.  I have a whole new sense of compassion for pregnant ladies waiting in line for the bathroom.  From now on, I’m letting them in front of me.

I found a new and unpleasant pregnancy discovery.  My belly has gotten hairy.  It’s light and thin but there is kind of a lot of it.  It’s hard to tell from far away facing a mirror but if I look down at it I notice a lot of hair.  This is also apparently normal and the hair should fall out after I have the baby.  It’s all part of the hormones.  The old wives tale is that if you get a hairy tummy you’re having a boy but a lot of people on forums I’ve read had hairy bellies with girls too.  The people on the forums advise against shaving it.

On the plus side, tonight I was craving an In-N-Out Burger so Joe took me out to get one.  I know my cravings are often pretty random and sudden but he’s been so great and sweet about getting me whatever I want.  He’s always been caring and attentive but more so since I got pregnant.  I feel pretty lucky to have such a great partner.

Date Night

Today Joe and I had a date night where we went to dinner and a show.  We went to try a new seafood restaurant that opened up near us called The Drunken Crab.  They sell seafood by the pound in a bag filled with a seasoning sauce of your choice.  We got snow crab legs in garlic butter sauce and shrimp in their special house sauce.  Both were really delicious although messy as you can imagine.  We also got a side of sweet potatoes fries.  Now that we’re expectant parents we always notice people with kids and babies everywhere we go.  There was a couple there with a baby in a high chair and of course we imagined that being us in the near future.

Afterward we went to The Aerial Classroom’s production of Snow White.  My old aerial school puts on some really great performances.  I had caught their Sleeping Beauty show two years ago and loved it!  It’s a fairy tale love story with an aerial twist.  They use the different apparatuses to convey emotions.  This one had a flaming cube, lyra, Spanish web, bungee cords and double trapeze and double tissu routines.  All pretty cool.  And it was nice to see my old teachers and classmates and catch up with them.  They haven’t seen me with my baby bump.  It also reminded me of how much I miss class but it’ll still be a while before I can go back. 

Beauty Regimen

I decided to start trying some beauty treatments.  My skin has been looking pretty bad lately and my eyes are looking really weathered.  I know having a kid ages you so maybe it’s time to start trying to take care of my skin.  I have never worn make up except on very special occasions out in recent years.  Make up seemed like a hassle to get on and off and not worth the effort to deal with every day.  On top of that I didn’t like the feel of oil or gunk on my face.  It actually probably helped my skin by not putting oil or powder in my pores.  I was happy with the way I looked so I didn’t care to wear make up.  I never really used lotion because I never felt I needed to. I never used moisturizer or facial cleanser.  I’ve been simply washing my face with soap and water for nearly 30 years.  But I think it’s time for me to try some anti-aging treatments.

I already switched to Aveeno oatmeal soap and moisturizing lotion.  Now before I shower I rub coconut oil all over my belly, thighs and breasts.  It’s supposed to help with stretch marks.  I do it before I shower because I don’t want to be covered in oil all day.  I just give it a few minutes to set in.  I also rinse my hair with coconut oil before I wash it too.  I think it helps soften it.  After my shower I put stretch mark cream on my belly, thighs and breasts.  I’ve tried two brands so far.  I started with Mother’s Select Advanced Stretch Mark and Cellulite Complex lotion.  It had high reviews but the bottle was small and expensive.  It only lasted about seven uses before I ran out, not enough time to even see if it was working or not.  Then I tried Palmer’s Cocoa Tummy Butter for Stretch Marks.  It says to use it three times a day but I only use it after showering.  It smells really good but takes a long time to absorb in.  So I’m kind of walking around covered in oil.  The very thing I wanted to avoid.

I’ve also started to use L’Oreal Paris Age Perfect Golden Balm on my face on Monday, L’Oreal Paris Collagen moisturizer on my face on Friday and I use anti-aging collagen eye masks on Wednesday.  I’m using Purederm Collagen Eye Zone Wrinkle Care masks.  So basically every other day I’m putting something on my face, particularly under my eyes.  That’s where I’m seeing the wrinkles.  If my face looks dry on days when I’m not using the L’Oreal I just put some of the Aveeno moisturizing lotion on instead.  I don’t know if it’ll work to help my skin or make it worse.  I’m always weary of beauty products wondering if it’s like chapstick and actually dries your skin out after use so that you need it more and more.  For the record, the only chapstick I use is Island Candle and Soap Works from Hawaii.  It’s only nut, palm and olive oil and beeswax.  I just doubt how healthy it could be to put chemicals on your face.  The creams all say to apply twice daily but I’m definitely not doing that.

So far I haven’t really noticed much difference with the L’Oreal Age Perfect Golden Balm or the Purederm Collagen Eye Masks, but I kind of like the L’Oreal Paris Collagen moisturizer.  I do kind of think my skin looks a little smoother right after using it.  As for the stretch mark creams I haven’t noticed the stretch marks I have get any better, however they haven’t gotten any worse either.  And I haven’t noticed any new ones appear.  So maybe it’s doing something.  I would prefer to use the Mother’s Select because it absorbs into the skin better but the smell isn’t great and it’s too expensive for the amount you get.  The Palmer’s smells really good but takes a long time to absorb into the skin leaving me feeling oily.

Heart Burn

For the past couple nights I’ve had hearburn while trying to sleep.  I even had some acid reflux come up into my throat.  I haven’t had any heartburn until now.  I guess I should make sure I’m not eating or snacking too close to bed time.  I usually have a glass of chocolate milk before bed but I guess I should space it out more before laying down.  I’ve been somewhat alternating between sleeping on the couch and in bed.  My neck is more elevated on the couch than in bed but I’ve had the heartburn in both places.  I only get back pain in bed.  I somehow always end up sleeping on my back even though I’m trying to avoid it.  My back is usually fine on the couch although last night it started hurting a bit so I switched to the bed.

My belly is getting bigger.  I’m wondering how much bigger it’s going to get.  Sometimes it feels kind of heavy.  I guess besides the baby inside there’s also the water weight I’m carrying around.  I’m only supposed to be gaining one pound a week but I think I’m gaining more than that.  It doesn’t help that I’m so addicted to sweets and not really exercising.  I should focus more on maintaining a healthy pregnancy weight.

How Pregnancy Has Affected My Marriage

Since getting pregnant I’ve grown so much closer to my husband.  We grew closer and I think even more in love after we got married but after getting pregnant it feels like a whole new level of bonding.  I’ve never felt so close to him before or so happy, loved and comfortable.  He has been super supportive my entire pregnancy thus far.  He’s always been a kind and caring partner and it’s something I’ve always loved about him.  It’s hard to describe but now I feel like we share an even deeper bond than we ever have before.  I’ve heard a lot of stories about how marriage changes after having a baby.  Most of it is negative.  The baby hasn’t been born yet but I can honestly say that I think my pregnancy has made us a lot closer to each other and that’s a great thing.

He jokes around a lot about my specific cravings and how he has no idea what’s going to come next but he tries to accommodate me any chance he gets.  I know it’s still early in my pregnancy and I’m not even that big yet but it’s getting harder to get up from sitting down on the couch or in a car.  Joe’s been helping me up and helping me out around the house even though it’s not necessary.  I made chicken salad sandwiches while he made a salad for lunch and we had a nice time eating together.  Sometimes it’s the little moments in family life that really matter.

The baby was kicking up a storm and Joe came over to put a hand on my belly to feel it.  He got to feel some super strong kicks for a long time.  It was really sweet.  Especially considering the baby usually stops kicking once Joe comes over to feel it.  The kicks were the strongest I’ve ever felt.  It doesn’t really feel like a bubble anymore.  More like a rumble or a hard thump.  I’m wondering how much stronger the baby is going to get.  I keep joking it’s going to get so strong it’ll punch it’s way right out of my womb.

Pregnancy Update 2

Last night I slept on the couch and it ended up being pretty comfy.  I slept through the night without waking up.  Not even to go to the bathroom.  I realized that since I’ve been having to go to the bathroom so much, we have to up our toilet paper game.  This morning I woke up at 10am and I wasn’t even sore.  My legs and back felt just fine.  I don’t really want to spend the rest of my pregnancy sleeping on the couch, but it was probably the best night’s sleep I’ve had in a month.  My friend suggested getting a body or pregnancy pillow but I just don’t know if it’s worth buying something that might not work or do anything.  I’d rather spend the money on things for the baby.

My face has cleared up.  I don’t have acne anymore but my eyes look kind of tired and weathered and I often have dry skin on my face.  I also noticed that I don’t shed hair as much as I used to.  I heard that women usually shed one hundred strands of hair a day and you stop shedding while pregnant.  Then after you have the baby you lose all the hair that you would have normally shed so it can seem freaky when it happens, like you’re going bald all at once.  I still shed hair but it seems pretty minimal.  I also noticed that there’s a dark line from my belly button down to where my pubic area is.  The line has actually always been slightly visible on me but I read that while you’re pregnant around week 23 it gets darker.  It’s called linea nigra.  It’s in relation to the pregnancy hormones that darken your areolas.  An old wives tale is that if it only goes up to your belly button you’re having a girl and if it goes past the belly button up to your rib cage you’re having a boy.  Mine actually doesn’t go all the way up to my belly button.  It kind of starts about three inches below my belly button.  I actually googled images of linea nigra and the results are kind of gross.  Take my word for it, it’s not something anyone wants to see.

The Garanimals unisex baby set I ordered from Walmart came today.  There’s so many cute clothes in it!  It’s a great variety set for only thirty five dollars (5 onsies, 4 pants, 4 mittens, 3 gowns, 3 caps and 2 sleepers).  Now we have some really adorable outfits for the baby.  I’m not really sure how many clothes we need for the first three to six months.  I know that he/she going to grow very quickly and that with all the spit up and mess the baby’s going to make I’ll probably have to change his/her outfit more than once a day and do laundry pretty often.  My Pregnancy Newborn Magazine Buyer’s Guide has a table in the back that has a baby steps bare necessities list that tells you all the things you will need and how many of each thing to get.  So I’m going off of that.

The baby moves everyday so I think I’ve definitely gotten used to the feeling.  It never seems to move whenever Joe tries to feel it though.  Joe’s gotten into the habit of just calling our baby Athena.  We still haven’t narrowed down a name for a boy yet.  I kind of thought of some additional maybes, Kyle, Aaron, Luke or Harrison.  Joe doesn’t have any new ones.  I’m pretty set on my top two names for a girl but we were playing God of War and I looked up a bunch of Greek Goddess names and I liked Eris a lot.  There’s also an Aeris in Final Fantasy VII (I actually have a friend who named her daughter Aeris after that character).  I never realized naming our baby would be so difficult.  Joe thinks it’s best to have a list of names picked and then decide when we meet the baby what would be the most fitting.  He says people always end up fitting their names.

Fall Baking Brunch

I had my annual fall baking brunch with my friends today.  It’s always tough to figure out a day that everyone is free but I love having potluck brunch get togethers.  I try to always have one in the summer and one in the fall.  I usually theme the summer one after whatever trip I’ve just gotten back from (I’ve done Italian cappuccino and pasta, Japanese tea and cakes, Spanish tapas and sangria, Vienna tea with Belgian chocolates and cookies, Thai ice tea and appetizers, etc).  Usually I'll give them all a small gift I got for them while abroad as a party favor.  I didn’t have a chance to do a Greek brunch this summer though.  Still the fall one was nice.  One year I did apple turnovers, another year I did pumpkin soup and pumpkin cheesecake, another year I made strawberry blood orange popsicles and this year I made corn soup with cornbread and key lime pie.  It’s really nice to have company over.  I love getting everyone together and the food is always great.

Pickles and Pineapple

I was supposed to go to Yoga again this morning but I had uterine cramping and my breasts were feeling super sore so I didn’t go.  It honestly kind of felt like I was on my period.  It lasted a bit longer than usual pains and sores but it did go away.  I got the kitchen cleaned up and then went grocery shopping.

I’ve been craving pickles and pineapple today so that’s what I ate.  I had some frozen chicken patties in the freezer so I heated one of those up and loaded it with pickles and cut up some pineapple to go with it.  Besides the clam chowder and watermelon I really haven’t had any crazy cravings during my pregnancy.  It’s more like I’ve just been craving very specific things.  I also haven’t been any hungrier than normal.  My appetite is the same.  I read you only need 300 extra calories a day when pregnant so that whole eating for two idea is a myth.  Plus, the average American diet consists of way more than 2,000 calories a day anyway so I figured to just eat normally.  Earlier in my pregnancy I did pig out some though.  I once ate an entire tray of vegetables and dip by myself but at least it was vegetables.

I’ve been trying to eat healthy but I’m still craving sweets.  I went to the mall on Wednesday and got four cupcakes from my favorite cupcake place, Velvet Cupcakes.  I got two chocolate for Joe, one chocolate and one vanilla for me.  We both ate a cupcake when I got home and saved the other two for Thursday.  But while Joe was at work I couldn’t help myself and ate his cupcake and only left him half of the vanilla one.  Joe only likes chocolate.  He joked that there should be no other flavor of cupcake in existence but chocolate.  When Joe got home from work he went to get his cupcake and as soon as he opened the box I saw his face drop and he screamed, “Ahhh!”  It was sooo funny, his reaction was priceless, but I also felt really bad that I ate it.  I honestly couldn’t resist.  He wasn’t upset with me but kept joking about how I ate his cupcake.  Other than that, I’ve really been trying to eat healthy.  I had a salad for lunch on Wednesday and made a chicken stir fry with all the vegetables left in the fridge yesterday.  I got another salad at the grocery store today and a ton of vegetables.  Once the food left in the freezer is all eaten up I’m not going to buy anything else frozen.  Whenever I get a craving for something it seems to last for two meals.  Like, when I was craving chicken pot pie, I bought a four single serving frozen pie pack.  I ate two and then left the rest in the freezer.  The other two are still in there.  Same with the corndogs.  I bought a four pack but after two meals my craving was satisfied.  So my cravings usually last for two meals until I move on to the next craving.  This doesn’t apply to sweets though.  I feel like I could eat a cupcake or candy every day.

Naming Baby

For the past few nights, Joe and I have been trying to think of baby names for a boy before going to bed.  We both already have names picked out for a girl but no clue for a boy.  Joe still likes Athena for a girl and I like Avery or Ariel.  For a boy, we’re both unsure and can’t come to an agreement.  I kind of like Alex or Aiden but I’m not really in love with those names.  Right now Joe likes Bishop, Cid, Draven or Gavin.  I pretty much hate Bishop and Cid so those are a no way.  Recently, Joe went back to thinking maybe Joseph the IV.  When we first started talking about kids back before we got married he said he thought it would be cool to have a IV in the family since he’s the III.  He said he thought it sounded like royalty.  And he really loves his name.  I wasn’t crazy about it then and I’m still not.  I think it’s too confusing and we don’t need every male in his family to be named Joseph.  What if we have a second son.  That wouldn’t be cool to have one son named after the family legacy and not the other.  Plus, we’d have to call him something else since Joe would also be named Joe and his grandfather is named Joe.  Joe said we could call him by his middle name but then why not just name him his middle name?  I just don’t like it.

I mentioned to Joe that I’m secretly hoping for a girl.  Joe said we should never say that out loud because it’s horrible to admit in any way that we preferred a different child than the one we’re having.  That he never wants to say that he hopes for one or the other.  He’s happy no matter what and he’ll never be disappointed in our baby.  Now I feel bad for admitting that I want a girl.  But I’ve always wanted a little girl.  I’ve had her name picked out since I was in high school.  I always dreamed of dressing her up like a Disney princess and taking her to Disneyland.  Boys scare me.  They are so rowdy.  I’m not sure I’d know what to do with a boy.

Second Trimester Ultrasound

This morning Joe and I went to USC for our second trimester ultrasound.  The waiting room was packed.  Something you never want to see in a doctor’s office.  We ended up waiting over an hour.  My appointment was at 10:15 but I didn’t get in until 11:25.  They had two doctors on staff and the one I was supposed to see was backed up.  I complained about the wait because people who came in after me only had to wait 30 minutes before seeing the other doctor.  So, they got me in to see him instead and they validated our parking which they normally don’t do.  I don’t condone being rude or impatient but sometimes it’s worth it to ask.  I feel like I am patient for a reasonable amount of time.  But then my patience runs out.  I was very thankful to see the other doctor because I have no idea how long we’d have had to wait if not. 

The appointment didn’t take that long.  Maybe 15-20 minutes.  He waved the wand around my tummy and made all kinds of measurements.  He explained what we were looking at each time.  It was really funny because I liked the way he said “your baby.”  He would say, “Here’s your baby’s head, Here’s your baby’s body, Here’s your baby’s leg, Here’s your baby’s arm, Here’s your baby’s umbilical cord, Here’s your baby’s spinal cord and rib cage.”  It was so cool.  We got to see detailed shots of our baby’s mouth and nose and fingers and toes.  And we could see its bones and brain.  Its hand was sticking up by its face.  It took the doctor a while to get a good shot to measure the head and I almost got a little bit concerned but the baby was just moving around a lot.  Joe even asked, “Is the baby really moving around that much or is that the wand.”  No, our baby really is squirming all around that much.  Joe said it already sleeps like me, always moving around.  If we’re ever all in the same bed, he said he’s going to sleep on the couch.

The doctor said all the measurements were normal and I’m right on target for my due date, March 24th.  He said I’m 19 weeks and 6 days so tomorrow I’ll be 20 weeks.  My regular doctor had told me Tuesday was when I’d be 20 weeks but the USC facility has more detailed and precise machines so I think they’re more accurate.  The doctor even explained where the baby was sitting in my belly.  It’s right on top of my bladder, which explains why I have to go the bathroom so often.  The head is just below my belly button.  It was looking toward my right side.  The back is resting toward my left side and its feet are down low.  So it’s basically sitting kind of up right.  I knew it felt like I was being kicked super low.  Now I know it really is kicking me down there.  We got a print out of the baby and a profile shot of the baby's head.

Baby Kicks and Cravings

Lately I’ve been feeling the baby moving super low.  It feels like it’s kicking me in my cervix.  I’m wondering if the baby is sitting really low.  I think babies are supposed to be upside down so is its head moving around?  It feels more like a kick to me.  Kind of strong to be a punch.  I love the baby and it’s so cool that its moving around but the low movement isn’t really all that comfortable.  It feels like I’m being poked in a sensitive area.

Sleeping has been about the same.  I’ve been trying to avoid laying on my back so it won’t be sore in the morning but my hips and legs hurt when I lay on my side, even with a pillow in between my legs.  I keep switching sides all night long.  Plus, I still have to get up to go to the bathroom twice during the night.  I don’t imagine that will go away but I hope it doesn’t become more frequent as the baby gets bigger.  I’ve also been craving candy, chocolate and sweets like crazy.  My first trimester was all about fruits and vegetables.  My second trimester is all about chocolate candy bars, cupcakes and donuts.  This is not going to help my fast weight gain so I have to try to fight off my sweet tooth.

Stroller Assembly

Joe assembled our Graco Pace Travel System stroller today.  It was way easier to put together than the pack n play.  Just the wheels needed to be put on.  The rest was already done.  I think Graco is a good brand.  I got a travel system that comes with a car seat.  The base goes in the car and the carseat snaps in or it can snap into the stroller.  Once we got used to all the snapping it was quite easy to use.  The wheels move very smoothly.  I wanted a three wheeled stroller because I feel like four wheels always end up with one uneven wheel somehow and then it gets wobbly.  Plus it's a little bit smaller with better maneuverability.  It also has a tray on top for our things.  I called it a mommy tray and Joe corrected me saying it was a parent tray.  I thought that was kind of funny.  We decided to get the stroller and carseat to gage sizing before we buy a new car to make sure it has enough space.  Joe’s convinced we need an SUV but I’m opposed to having one in LA.  I think it’s best to get everything figured out before the baby gets here which is good because at first I had a lot of trouble with the snaps and was jerking the car seat around.  Joe helped me get the hang of it.  He even put an eight pound weight in it so we could get a feel for how much it would weigh with the baby in it.

Shopping for Baby

I’m having some trouble finding unisex baby clothing.  We'll at least need some newborn clothes when the baby arrives and I’d ideally like to have a few outfits but everything is either boy or girl oriented.  I found a gift set made by Garanimals but it’s only sold at Walmart.  Joe and I went to see if we could find it but didn’t have any luck.  Then we went to Target.  I had purchased a Graco Pace stroller so we could get a feel for how much space we need in the car for everything and Joe wanted to check out a few other options before we opened and assembled it.  We looked at all the strollers in Target and determined that Graco is a pretty good brand.  I think the one I picked will be okay.  Then we went through all the baby item isles and looked at different clothes, toys and necessities.  There were so many cute things.  Joe found a Baby Einstein piano that he liked and decided to buy it.  He can’t wait to play with it with the baby.  We took a selfie picture of us since it was our first time together shopping for baby items.  It was pretty funny, Joe kept gearing toward Ninja Turtle and Star Wars themed items and I kept looking at Disney princess and cute animal items.

We had lunch at the nearby Chili’s and then went to Lake Balboa Park.  I had asked him if he would take a couple of pictures of me at my 20 week halfway mark.  I haven’t really posted anything about my pregnancy on Facebook but decided I wanted to do a status update at 20 weeks after our appointment on Wednesday.  I think it’s worth celebrating.  He always takes really nice pictures of me so I wanted him to take some that I could share with my friends.  I know I've been looking kind of worn these days and I contemplated wearing make up for the pictures but ultimately I decided that I just wanted to be my natural self and show what I really look like (I never wear make up normally).  I think down the road it'll be a nice self-reflection.