Maternity Clothes

This week we are 22 weeks along. So far, I have not needed to wear any maternity tops. I can't wear any nice collard button up shirts anymore but all my other tops are fine. I have 2 pairs of maternity pants I wear to be comfortable for work but I can still wear most of my regular pants. This past weekend, I tried one pair of pants and I have officially outgrown those. I can't wait until summer when I can wear dresses the majority of the time. Anything around my waste is generally uncomfortable these days.

My question for the universe is why, oh why does every single maternity top have to have something that ties in the back? I think it is ugly and it is so uncomfortable when you lean back on a seat. Just make it elastic instead, or at the very least tie in the front.. Also, I think maternity clothes should be cheaper than normal clothes. Everybody knows you will only wear them for a few months so they should only be worth a fraction of the cost of clothes you could wear normally.  Especially since women have to basically buy a whole new wardrobe during that time.

What makes it even a bit trickier is that I will have several wedding showers to attend for Spencer's fiance Lyndsey. Finding cute outfits for those will be interesting. There are also several weddings we got invited to for this summer. I found one wedding-appropriate maternity dress so far and that will probably be worn to all those weddings. Don't judge!

After much searching I found some maternity clothes that I like and are decently priced at Old Navy. They recently had a sale so I was able to get a lot of summer stuff that I will have to wear when I get bigger. Below are some my finds (oldnavy.com). Nothing was more than $20.

Hopefully I will be able to hold out a bit longer and make my current wardrobe last as long as it can. We will see.

We've Got a Wiggle Worm on Our Hands

Our little P-Nut is quite the wiggle worm! Now that I know for sure what I am feeling is kicks, they are non-stop, all day long and I LOVE it! The kicking and punching have really ramped up since, I would say, around 19 or 20 weeks. I remember going to the doc at 18 weeks and her asking if I felt anything and I remember saying "No, not really." As I mentioned previously, Ryan got to feel for the first time last weekend. Now, I can even see my belly jerk when there is a kick or punch which is even cooler. It is all so real now!

Along with the kicks and punches, I am pretty sure P-Nut is doing somersaults all day. I will be laying down and feel a nudge on one side of my belly and then the next minute there is another one on the opposite side, in a place that could only suggest he/she has moved positions.

The time when P-Nut is most active is in the morning when I am working at my desk (which helps calm me down quite a bit when I get stressed) and at night a little bit after dinner and before I go to bed. Also P-Nut especially loves church. It must be all the music but every Sunday when I am there, the baby is moving and kicking all over.

The kicking also helps reassure me that everything is going well in there. Before I could feel movement, I was always so anxious to go to the doctor and make sure there was still a heartbeat. Now, I know because I can feel it.

Each time I feel a kick I am reminded of how blessed we are and how thankful I am that God allowed me this opportunity of carrying a baby. I had never wanted anything more than to be pregnant and I know so many don't get that opportunity. God truly is amazing and His works are unparalleled. He has blessed us with the most precious gift and we cannot wait to meet our little P-Nut!

My First Attempt at Yoga while Pregnant

At my gym I use to take a class called Body Flow pretty regularly  It is a mixture of Thai Chi, Yoga and Pilates and there are routines set to different songs. I got into it because Ryan's cousin Sheri teaches the class. Last year, Sheri was pregnant and taught up until she was about 8.5 months. Obviously there were some positions she couldn't do but for the most part she did it all. So, I thought I would get back into it because Yoga is suppose to be good while pregnant. How hard can it be, right?

Well....let's just say it wasn't terrible but it was pretty humorous. There is a lot of bending over in front and that is what killed me. My belly was so sore that night. Sheri was quick to tell me what not to do and how I could supplement some of the moves. There are a lot of balance moves which I found a bit trickier now. I think I will continue to do it but I have NO idea how she did it for so long. Once I start to get any bigger, it will become nearly impossible.

And let's just say, I will NEVER, EVER be doing this position. Cray Cray!

P-Nut's Pictures

Last week we had our mid-pregnancy ultrasound and it was soooo much fun! My mom and dad and Ryan's mom were able to come and watch as well. We got there and the first thing I said to the tech was that we didn't want to know the sex. At which point Ryan piped in and said.... "Well, can you at least write it down and put it in an envelope for us?" That by the way was not in our original plan. So she was careful not to zoom in on any body parts that would give it away. At the end, she started to hand me the envelope that had the sex in it and I wouldn't even take it from her. She gave it to Ryan. I made him promise me he would not look and I told him I didn't even want to know where he hid it. So the envelope is somewhere in our house but I don't know where and surprisingly, I haven't been tempted to find it. I am still excited to find out at the birth.

The tech scanned for about 30 minutes and she pointed out all the body parts. At one point she showed us a hand and it was waving at us. That was the point I started to cry and I realized, there is an actual live baby in there now. So surreal. She would explain things and measure them and each time I would ask "Is that normal" after a couple dozen times, Ryan told me to relax and that everything looked fine. I need him to keep me in check sometimes.  

She also told us that the baby is measuring about a week early but that was only because the leg bones were measuring so long. Imagine that, Ryan and I making a human that has long legs....nah! :) She also told us P-Nut is weighing in at 14 ounces. I went home that night to see what the average was for a 20-week baby, yeah it is 10 ounces. Needless to say I think we will be having a rather large bundle of joy. I was 8 lbs 2 oz when I was born but Ryan was a preemie and weighed about 6 lbs so its hard to gauge what the baby might actually weigh.

Below are about a third of the pictures we got. They are on our refrigerator now and I find my self just stopping and starring at them. 

4D - My dad said "She is showing off her guns" I said - you think its a girl now, and he said "Oh Yeah, I am pretty sure I am having a granddaughter" Like father Like daughter I guess. 

This is looking down on P-Nut's face and 2 little hands

Most precious chubby little foot I have ever seen. And we counted - all 10 toes accounted for

My favorite - the profile. I couldn't believe how detailed this was. You can see P-Nut's HUGE brain, nose and lips. 

I loved seeing these pictures and I am sad these are the last ones I will get until we actually see P-Nut in person. We are considering going to a place in town that will do ultrasounds for a fee just so we can get another glance.

We are 21 weeks today, officially on the "back end" of the pregnancy. Besides the ultrasound this week, another milestone happened. On Saturday night, Feb. 16 - Ryan felt P-Nut kick for the first time. It was awesome! I could tell the kicks were all more "forceful" than usual so I went and laid by him just to see if he could feel it. And right away P-Nut kicked a couple times in a row, like he/she knew it was Daddy. Such a neat experience for both of us.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to the LOVE of my life. The past 5 years have been amazing and I can't wait to see where life takes us. I love you always and forever. 

Half Way There!

I can't believe P-Nut is 20 weeks today which means we are halfway through this crazy ride! The first 12 weeks seemed like an eternity - we couldn't tell anybody and we were praying we would actually make it to 12 weeks with a healthy little one. The last 8 weeks have flown by! I can only imagine that the last half of pregnancy will drag on because we will be so anxious to meet P-Nut.

I had the "maternity leave" chat with the HR department at my office today. I have up to 12 weeks non-paid leave. I plan on taking 8 weeks off right after the birth and saving the other 4 weeks for an emergency if for some reason I should need it. She told me I have 30 days after the birth to add the baby to my insurance. Yikes! I hadn't even thought about that. What else have I not thought about yet? Ah!

Side note: P-Nut is the size of a banana now. That is kind of crazy.

Here is a 20-week picture. Still not showing much but there is a noticeable bump.

Tomorrow is our mid-pregnancy ultrasound and we can't wait! My parents and Ryan's mom will all be there with us. I will post our new pictures of P-Nut later this week. Again - CAN'T WAIT!

The Daycare Search

I foolishly realized a couple of weeks ago that I was behind on researching and choosing a daycare for little P-Nut. I am not usually one to procrastinate so not sure how it happened but once I realized, I kicked it into high gear.

I would love to stay home with the baby and be just a mom for a while but that wasn't really realistic for us. I get 8 weeks maternity leave which means I would be going back to work sometime in September.

I knew from the start I was probably going to be on my own when it came to visiting and subsequently choosing a place. Not because Ryan didn't want to, he just works in Bentonville and he couldn't take the time off to go with me.

Once we started talking about it, we did not care if it was a private home or a large center. We were going to look into both options. We also were going to look into both full time and part time because Ryan's mom will be retiring.

So I first started with recommendations from friends - 12 different centers and 3 private homes were on the initial list. Once I got that list I devoted 4 hours on a Saturday to researching each online. From that, I was able to find prices, accreditation, parent testimonials, opening/closing hours, etc. I also called all 3 private homes and found out that none of them would have room for an infant in September. That really started to stress me out. Was I that far behind?

After my research and discussing with Ryan, we were able to knock the most expensive places off the list. No matter how good they are, if you can't afford it - you can't afford it. After that we looked at our remaining options and we were pleased to see that the ones closest to our house were actually in the running.

So we got it narrowed down to 4 that I would visit and tour. Since none of them are open on the weekends, I knew I would have to visit during the week so I decided to take a morning off of work on Wednesday and do all at once - a whirlwind daycare tour. I was hoping after my visits, I would "just know."

The first I visited, Daycare A, was ok. I had never been to a daycare before so I wasn't sure what to expect. Because of that I kept my scoring method at mediocre. It got the best marks for price - the cheapest of our 4 options.

Daycare B opened my eyes. I liked it so much more than Daycare A and knew immediately Daycare A was off the list. Daycare B made me realize that Daycare A was missing SOOOOO many essentials. I really loved the director at B - she was a sweet small town lady. Daycare B is also in closest to our house.

Now down to 3 options. Feeling good so far.

Daycare C is brand new and had a bunch of fancy gadgets. I really liked its security measures and the people were nice. I liked them just as much as Daycare B but this one was more expensive and a little bit further away.

The 4th and final stop was Daycare D. They were a little newer but I wasn't a huge fan of the director there - nothing wrong with her I just got a weird vibe. It was a solid option, offered full time and part time but was the most expensive full time option.

Three hours later I was done with my visits and could confidently rank them:

1. Daycare B/Daycare C tied for 1st
2. Daycare D
3. Daycare A

That night I went home and described each to Ryan - what I liked, what I didn't, etc. We are still discussing but I think we decided on Daycare B. It was a good price (relatively speaking of course) and close to our home.

We have to make a decision quickly because all of the centers basically told me they are booked through August - Yikes! Such a hard decision. Trying to determine who your child will spend half of their day with, who will teach them, who will protect them, who will make sure they are developing correctly. Just thinking of that makes me sad but it is something that has to be done and therefore it shall.

We are praying about it and hopefully we will find a peace about this decision -our first decision as parents. Ahhh!

Pets in the Home = Healthy Baby

I stumbled upon this article on somebody else's blog today from The Week Magazine:

How Pets Benefit Babies

Living with a dog or a cat may bolster babies’ health. After surveying the parents of nearly 400 infants over the course of a year, Finnish researchers found that children who lived with a dog were 31 percent more likely to be in good health than those who didn't  They are also 44 percent less likely to have developed an ear infection and 20 percent less likely to have needed antibiotics. Owning a cat offered similar, though less significant, benefits. The more times pets spent outdoors, the healthier the babies that lived with them were, which suggests that dogs and other pets may track in dirt and germs from outdoors that “stimulate the immune system” of babies “to do a better job of fighting off infection,” Danelle Fisher, a pediatrician at St. John’s Health Center, tells the Los Angeles Times. Previous studies have shown that babies who are exposed to pets and dust are less likely to develop allergies and asthma.

People ask me what we are "going to do about the dogs" once the baby comes. Um - nothing. They are our babies too but obviously the human baby takes priority. I am happy to see this article about how they improve the health of babies. I especially like the part about there is less likely of a chance that the baby will develop allergies because of pets. As a sufferer of allergies ALL MY LIFE, I don't wish them upon my worse enemy, much less my own child. 

Ryan and I have talked about how we don't want to be the germ-a-phobic parents that keep their kid in a bubble. We have both read several articles about how they need to be exposed to germs so their immune systems kick in. Let's also mention that I say all of this now, but who knows how I will feel after the baby is in my arms. I might go into full Mama Bear mode and want to defend off any evil that could harm my cub. 

The blog had this picture in the post with this article. It looks just like Tackle, especially since he is starting to get gray around his mouth now. Don't think I won't try to pose my babies like this :)

 

19 Weeks with Flutters, Bubbles and Kicks?

Today marks 19 weeks for P-Nut and I think I am actually starting to feel a little bit of movement. It is not constant but every once in a while I feel something and it makes me wonder.

For everybody it feels different, to me it feels like little bubbles popping in my belly or tiny little flutters. And I feel them all over, not in just one place. I still wonder if it is the baby or some other bodily function but I am leaning towards P-Nut. Very exciting.

Some people have been asking about my symptoms as well. So far, the 2nd trimester (only 6 weeks into it) has been great. I have no more nausea and my energy level, for the most part, is back to normal. In all honesty, the worst symptom these days is the face breakouts. My face has not broken out like this since I was a preteen and it is not only disgusting but embarrassing. Yuck! I am hoping that will start to subside but it hasn't yet.

I am also having a few abdominal pains which means all the ligaments are starting to stretch out to make room for growing P-Nut. I have also noticed a bit more back pain. Last night I went to watch my cousin coach his basketball team and I realized I am very glad I am not pregnant during football season. Me and my back would have never lasted through a whole game on bleachers. Being pregnant has also brought to my attention that I lean over my desk while working which becomes uncomfortable after 8 hours.

Also, for the past couple of weeks I have been training myself to start sleeping on my side. Pre-pregnancy I slept on my stomach or my back which are both "forbidden" now. Obviously I can't lay on my stomach and somehow if you lay on your back, you are cutting off oxygen and/or blood flow to the baby which terrifies me. Sleeping on my side is very uncomfortable to me but I am slowing starting to get use to it. I told Ryan his job is now to remind me when we are laying on the couch watching TV to not lay on my back. I usually remember when I am in bed but don't when I am on the couch.

Other than that, nothing too major. Everything is going well and I feel lucky that I feel pretty normal these days.

Baby Facts at 19 Weeks (via TheBump.com - notice the website even thinks I am having a girl with its reference to "her"):

• Size of a mango, about 8 ounces
• Developing a protective coating over her skin, called vernix caseosa. It's greasy and white and you may see some of it at her birth.
• Working on her five senses. Nerve cells for her sense of taste, hearing, sight and smell are developing in her brain.