Week 25: June 8-14

Fetus at 25 weeks from  ehd.org

I got the picture here and they have some cool pics for each week - you might want to check it out! There is also a neat video covering these weeks on this page at at babycenter.com. 

So Sprout is getting awfully big, and he is a crazy active, insane boy! He does have his quiet moments, but when he is moving around it's several minutes of non stop action. It makes me wonder what he will be like when he comes out of there! 

We've been talking a lot about names and are narrowing them down but the process has been a lot more difficult than it was with Kian. The middle name especially is giving us fits, as Brian doesn't like the one I love and he doesn't have any great ideas of his own. I hope we get it figured out before he's born :).

Though my OB appt was technically in week 26, I am happy to report that all is well, with a heartrate of 158. I am still measuring a couple of inches large, but that is 'normal' for me. I went to get my blood drawn FINALLY, figuring the gestational diabetes test was coming up and I needed to do them separately. Come to find out, I could have done them together :(. Oh well, one more blood draw won't kill me I suppose. The other interesting note is that I only gained one pound in the last month. Dr D gave me a kind of funny look and I told him it makes a difference when there's no trip full of amazing food in the month!

That means I am +16 pounds for the pregnancy, which is actually on the lower end of normal. Let's not talk about the fact that I am THREE pounds away from my Kian delivery weight. Eep. I am not really worried about it, but it does make me cringe just a tiny bit. Brian was asking me how much more weight I anticipate gaining, and of course it's really hard to tell. But I gained 29 pounds with Kian, and I have 14 weeks to go, so that's close to a pound a week and probably not too far off. We'll see!

The other big news is that I am finally getting a referral to a physical therapist for my back issues, thank goodness. I should have pushed to talk to Dr D himself when I called about the issues, I guess, because his front desk staff is not very good. The woman I spoke with supposedly talked to a tech and said I could see a prenatal massage therapist but had no recommendations and I didn't get very far trying to track one down. I feel much better about a doctor recommended, insurance covered physical therapist who specializes in peri-natal therapy. Phew!

In other news, I have started papercrafting again. Being able to get to  my desk makes a huge difference! I've made 4 cards in the last couple of weeks, and it is such a nice, peaceful past time. I didn't realize how much I had missed it. Now, if I could sit at the craft desk for more than a few minutes without back pain that would help! But luckily it's something I can do a bit at a time. Part of it has been learning some new coloring techniques, so Kian and I color together and it's pretty fun.

Let's see what else? Brian has his official orders and has put in a request for packers/movers. They come this week to do a weight estimate on our house. Yikes, I hope we come in under the limit! Especially since we're about to buy MORE bedroom furniture in Alabama and will have to move all that too next year :).

We have an appointment set with a realtor this week as well to discuss options. It looks like we will likely do a short sale, but we'll see.

I am trying to plan Kian's birthday party and I think we're going to do Chuck E Cheese. Now I just have to try to estimate how many people will come, without getting RSVPs because I need to reserve the space. Umm... ok. Well it will be an adventure, anyway! We are getting Kian a trampoline in AL at his 'second birthday' - we are asking family to send gifts after the move, and playing it up that he gets TWO birthdays this year. The last thing we need is more stuff to move!

All in all the pregnancy continues to be a difficult one, and my main stuff right now is the back pain (tailbone and rib/mid back), insomnia and heartburn. I am hoping some stronger meds on the latter two and the PT on the former will make me more comfortable. It's more real that there's really a baby coming, but I wish we all had more energy, time and focus for him. I feel like all the STUFF going on and the move take a lot out of us, and that it isn't really fair. Poor little Sprout. So I am trying to take some time each day to talk to him and think about him and get excited for his arrival. Right now I just keep focusing on and dreading the logistics, and my heart needs to overcome my brain!

Week 23: May 25-31

At this point some of the pictures start being pretty crazy. Technically, some babies survive if born at this point so you end up with a lot of pictures of teeny preemie babies with all of the life supporting equipment they require. A big part of pregnancy at this stage tends to be high anxiety, which I have, and looking at all of those pictures is freaking me out. So no pictures, but you can Google it :).

Essentially, Sprout is pretty much all put together but his brain and lungs need lots of time to develop, he needs to get bigger, and he needs to put on weight. He's pretty much proportional though, just small and skinny.

Babycenter.com says:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With his sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that he's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing him for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze him when he hears them outside the womb.

This week has been awesome because my parents have been here. They got in on Friday afternoon and just left this morning for the next leg of their trip. The week really flew by! We swam and just spent time together, we cooked and ate too much food, and they got to drive around with me trying to get my car emissions tested so we could register it. Long story short, I have a faulty sensor that makes my engine light come on, and if you have the car parts place clear it, the emissions test knows you did that, and you don't pass. Plus no A/C while you wait in line (twice) in 100 degree weather, yay! We're going to pay the $8 late fee and get it sorted next week sometime instead.

I am feeling more movement all the time! I don't think Sprout could really get a lot more active, so it's probably just that he is getting bigger and stronger so I feel more. There are times during the day when he is quiet, but there's a pretty consistent sense of movement at least if not actual thumps, bumps, or kicks. If I am laying still and he isn't, I can actually see his harder kicks through my skin, which is awesome. My mom has gotten a lot of time feeling him roll and kick and 'play with Grammy', but my dad has a harder time feeling him. Still, pretty cool!

Symptom-wise, I am totally having the anxiety that I remember from last time. A little is baby-based, a lot is move-based, and some is just random overwhelming anxiety for no reason.

My tailbone continues to plague me and is definitely hurting pretty much anytime I am sitting in a chair, or on a bench, even if cushioned. My couch is good, and sitting cross-legged seems to help as well as some stretches my mom showed me. Usually if I can get that bit comfy, my mid back hurts. We think I might have a rib that's doing something weird because it really hurts both near my spine and near my sternum. It's been giving me fits for a few months now, but the pain is officially constant this week and getting worse. I have the names of a few prenatal massage therapists but it's causing me (get ready for it) anxiety so I haven't called yet. I guess I need another day or two for the pain to outweigh the discomfort of having a stranger touch me, either in some place I've never been, or to have said stranger in my house. I can't decide which is worse.

I am big enough now that my balance is all kinds of out of whack, and when you combine that with the back/tailbone issues, it's a real hoot watching me get up and down. Or at least that is how it seems, since everyone keeps chuckling at me! There is also an occasional waddle sneaking through, and it's just going to get worse!

Sprout is taking up too much space in my abdomen now, leaving less room for food. I'm still eating plenty I am sure *eyes the scale* but sometimes I stop because my skin is stretched more than because my stomach is full. And if I do eat too much, Sprout lets me know, lemme tell you! He kicks and squirms and pushes, either because he doesn't like being squished or I am just able to feel him better with the extra pressure. Based on how he reacts to people pushing on my belly/doppler/ultrasound/etc, I am betting it's the former.

I haven't weighed myself today and I ate a bunch of oatmeal, so I'll just report the findings at the BEGINNING of this week. Which is that I lost 2 pounds of the 6 I gained on the trip. That puts me up a total of 12 for the pregnancy, and just 7 tiny pounds away from my delivery weight with Kian. I am, of course, not using that as a goal. And my OB said my weight is just fine! My appointment was the day before this 'week' started, but I'll just also report that I am measuring 2-3 inches larger than 'average' at this point. Since that was how I carried with Kian too, and I have had 2 ultrasounds, she said it must just be my body. But I am bigger than a lot of other pregnant women at this stage - it's not in my head!

Other highlights of the week included Family Fun Day at Purple Heart Park with Kian, Grammy and Papa on Saturday, brunch at Sweet Tomatoes and The Avengers with just the adults, and my 10th anniversary! Grammy and Papa watched Kian so Brian and I could go see Dark Shadows and go to Melting Pot for dinner. All in all it has been an awesome week in spite of all the physical discomfort. And yeah, I know I can't whine if I don't call the massage therapist to do something about it. Kian had his last official day of preschool a week ago and is now doing 'inter-session' classes. He's still going 3 hours a day, 3 days a week but a bit later in the day. Which means I have to pack him a lunch, so we are going to get him a real big boy lunch box this weekend!

Weeks 16-18: April 6-26

From the Texas Department of State Health website

Baby Center has some awesome info including a video about this stage of development  if you're curious.

By the end of week 18 (from smartmomma.com):

Week 18 shows the baby measuring about 5 ½ inches long, with a weight of almost 7 ounces. Along with the lanugo (downy-like hair covering baby’s body), the baby has accumulated vernix (a white cheese-like protective coating) on his body. This protects the baby’s skin by keeping it moisturized in your amniotic fluid.

This is the time when his vocal cords are forming, and he begins to practice vocalizing. Hhe will begin to cry, although without air, no sound will escape her. This is strictly for practice.

If you have a pregnancy ultrasound this week, the technician should be able to make out the baby’s heart well, including the ventricles and chambers. His brain is growing rapidly as well, and all the major areas will be differentiated. He is starting to respond to stimuli, and in the coming weeks, he will love hearing your voice.

An ultrasound will also now reveal your baby’s sex, unless he is shy and has his legs crossed. A girl will have her uterus and Fallopian tubes formed, along with her genitals and a boy will have pronounced genitals as well, visible with an ultrasound.

Weight: At my April 12th appointment I was up 5 pounds (total) and now at the end of week 18 I am up 6-7 depending on the day. According to the doc, that's all totally normal especially since I am really showing now. He would be happy with 5 pounds of gain every 4 weeks, and typical weight gain at 17 weeks is 5-13 pounds so I'm right where I should be. Phew.

Symptoms have been weird and I think I am getting the shaft this pregnancy! Off and on over these weeks I have had bouts of nausea that don't seem to be related to anything. My doctor theorizes it's just hormone surges, which may continue throughout the pregnancy. Does someone have pom poms I can borrow? One day it was bad enough that I had to pull over and vomit on the side of the road. That was definitely a low point. The last week it seems to be mostly better, though slight queasiness in the afternoon isn't unusual.

The round ligament pain continues, and is another thing that will likely remain throughout the pregnancy. I am learning how to make it a little less likely when rolling over and getting up and things, but it still gets me sometimes. My tailbone is way worse though, and sitting in an actual chair pretty much always means standing up will be extremely painful. Not looking forward to a cross country drive this summer!

Sleep is still either elusive or overwhelming. I don't seem to sleep very soundly at night and tend to get my best sleep after Brian is awake and there aren't two restless people in bed. Naps are also hard to come by some days, even if Kian lays down I can't always get to sleep myself. I tell myself it's just practice but I spend a lot of time pretty worn out.

A new symptom is mild Braxton Hicks contractions. I thought it was just weird pressure, but one happened during the ultrasound and the tech told us what it was. She said my body is just going to be super ready when the big day comes! It's not painful, just uncomfortable so no big deal.

I am definitely feeling movement regularly now, both pressure/rolling sensations and little feet and fists. Brian has felt some of the larger rolling movements but I can't seem to catch a kick so he can feel it. Since I sit with my hand on the baby a lot, I have felt a few from the outside, so it's just a matter of time.

Let's see... April 13th we took Sprout to his first air show, and Kian had a great time. We got to see some cool aerobatic stuff I've never seen before so that was fun. That evening my MIL Becky came in to town and stayed for four days. We went through the Saguaro National Forest, finally made it down to Tombstone, and had a date night to go see Hunger Games. All in all a really fun weekend! It's great when Kian gets to spend some real quality time with a grandparent, but always makes me wish we lived closer.

I have been spending a lot of time planning, researching and preparing for our big trip May 7-19, which includes a trip to Florida and our first ever Disney cruise! I am quite certain that it would have been a fun time with far less planning, but I've (mostly) enjoyed the research. Now we're coming down to final details and I'm starting to be anxious but I am sure we'll have an amazing time. It's sort of like a babymoon! Time to focus on Kian while he's still an only child.

The ultrasound gets its own post when I scan the pics in, but suffice it to say that all is well and Sprout is officially a boy! Though I am still not great at keeping this silly thing updated, here we are, all caught up. :)

Week 15: March 30-April 5

Baby at 15 weeks

Baby at 15 weeks:

Your baby is a about the size of an orange by pregnancy week 15, between 4 and 4 and ½ inches long and weighing more than 1 ½ ounces. This week your baby will start producing lanugo, which is fine hair that will cover your baby's body up until a few weeks before birth.

Your baby's bones are starting to get harder during pregnancy at 15 weeks and will continue to do so throughout your pregnancy. Your baby is spending most of his time practicing breathing, by inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid. This helps your baby's air sacs develop during pregnancy.

Your baby continues to form taste buds at this point in time. Your baby’s legs are longer than his arms at this point. Eyebrows and hair may appear, and if your baby is going to have dark hair the hair cells which color it will start to produce their color.
(From http://momswhothink.com)

Weight: Vegas KILLED me on my super amazing no weight gain track record. I gained 5-6 pounds on that week, and though I thought I might shed a bit, I totally didn't. So, up 4 pounds!

The week after Vegas I was totally exhausted. I am sure part of it was due to the trip, but I firmly believe a big part of it was explosive Sprout growth. My abdomen is trying it's very best to stretch and grow appropriately, making for tons of round ligament pain as the ligaments thicken and strengthen to support the growing weight of my abdomen.

I also had a day with heart palpitations this week, which is a first for this pregnancy. It wasn't bad at all but I was a little dizzy and a lot tired. Dandruff is in full force, and the tailbone is still really bothering me. It's not too bad when I am sitting still (a little stiff or sore sometimes), but then it's excruciating to get up or walk. So reclining is best. Poor me, right? XD

I thought I might have felt a few tiny flutters of movement this week, but nothing significant or consistent and let's be honest, it could be digestion! I am eagerly awaiting the days of movement, because it still seems pretty unreal that there's a baby in there. In spite of all the other symptoms, I mostly just feel like it's been a really long and bizarre sickness. It isn't that I'm not happy, I just still can't wrap my head around the end result.

Brian flew nights most of the week, which just wreaks havoc with all of our schedules. He is home until 12 (or in some cases as late as 2pm) and then doesn't get home until midnight or later. It's hard on Kian when he finally leaves, for one thing. For another, I don't sleep as well without him here because I wake up at every tiny sound - and there are a lot of sounds in our house! This is hilarious because he generally sleeps like the dead and doesn't wake up to Kian screaming his head off, so on a normal night if one of these tiny sounds was a burglar or something, we would all be toast. :P Then he gets home in the wee hours and though he's quiet he almost always wakes me up. He turns on the TV, he can't get comfy, and then when he does he snores (sorry honey). And of course with or without pre-school, Kian is up no later than 6:30, which cuts my sleep short and interrupts Brian's cycle too. It's just not ideal and we have another week of it ahead!

The other big side effect of Vegas is that Brian took several days off and Kian was totally spoiled and stimulated almost every day! They went to the desert museum, they had a picnic on Mt Lemmon and played in the snow/went hiking, they spent a lot of time at the park and they went to a baseball game. They talked about going to Phoenix for ice skating and I think Brian is glad they skipped it because it was a lot for everyone concerned. The boys had a blast but Kian has been needy, bored and cranky all week. Having B here in the early day makes it rough too, like I said, because we are creatures of routine normally.

Weeks 11 and 12: March 2-15

It is official, I missed a week! I was waiting for pictures from my friend Ashleigh and then I just... didn't post. Oops. So let me think back.

I know that starting on the first day of week 12 my nausea magically disappeared! It was amazing. I still can't handle turkey lunchmeat (not even just the smell) so Brian is stuck adding it to his own sandwiches for now. Outside of that I'm often very hungry all the time, which is actually a nice change. The insomnia continues and the ligament pain is getting worse. I had an OB appt on 3/13 and she assured me it is totally normal, including acting out how it feels (or how you look when experiencing it) and even Brian agreed that looked about right. Sprout's heartbeat was a steady 150-155, doing great!

Weight: I am still -2lbs on my pre-pregnancy weight. Rita (the OB's assistant who did our appt) says that means I get to eat my way through my upcoming trips. Score!

I am also cleared for flying next weekend and doing the cruise in May, which is awesome since both are non-refundable at this point.

Today is the beginning of my second trimester and I am looking forward to the supposed energy boost, since I am exhausted all the time.  I caught a cold from Kian which is probably not helping at all. Thank goodness it's Friday and tomorrow I get to sleep in!

Sprout is the size of a peach, about 3 inches long! Sprout's intestines are moving from the umbilical cord into his/her abdomen. Fingernails are there, and the head is starting to be proportionate, so more and more all the the time it looks like there's a tiny human in there instead of a big-headed alien embryo with a tail. XD

I have a lot coming up - Vegas next weekend which should be awesome. An adult trip, with no Kian, and lots of time to have a leisurely meal or sleep in as late as I want. I got some "grown up coloring books" on Amazon today and I plan to make good use of those too.

Now, for some pictures! All from 12 weeks - 3/11/12

Week 10: February 24-March 1

Fetus at 10 weeks

From babycenter.com:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Pretty incredible!

Symptoms:

I keep waiting for the whole "around week 10 morning sickness goes away" thing. I have great days that are totally nausea free, and then I have days where I am sick as a dog (see the previous post). The good days are starting to outweigh the bad. Post-breakfast seems to be the most commonly bleh time, and I've gotten in the habit of lunching late to accommodate that.

Fatigue - always! I am still not sleeping very well at night, and am trying to employ pillows to help. They don't help! Brian is great about letting me nap though... when he's around.

Aches and pains - See previous post for cyst madness. In between I'm still having lots of ligament type stretching/growing pain. And sneezing hurts like heck! So does things like, oh, Kian laying down and sticking an elbow in my (VERY SENSITIVE OW OW OW) boob. Then I lift up and scooch back and OW OW OW tummy muscle strain weird, OK Kian how about you not lay with me for a second while I try not to cry.

Speaking of the 'girls', they are growing again. It's about time for me to go get some new bras. OMG seriously? I remember this happening last time but I still swear it didn't happen so early. Maybe I am wrong!

Events:

We went to a "Family Friday" on base. My first burger was medium rare at best so I had to get a new one. Cooked to a crisp burger with American cheese and ketchup? Hello heaven! I keep craving them now.

Kian was great and made a new friend who was 6 and clearly Kian's hero.He could draw A-10s, he is good at math AND he likes Star Wars. Luckily the little boy was very nice and let Kian (and I) tag around behind him for most of the party.

We also got to see a bunch of the babies who were at Kian's birthday and are now SO BIG. I forget how fast it happens. And I officially have the pregnant, I want to see and touch all the babies so I remember good things are coming, thing. I don't know any of the moms of little babies well enough to ask to hold them, but I looked a lot.

The rest of the week was fairly uneventful outside of my one really bad night. Brian and I had a few really good conversations in the evenings, which is always awesome.

We also booked our Disney Cruise! 5 night Bahamian on the Magic starting May 9th. Which is cutting it close for a lot of things, like planning. Who  knew there was so much info on cruising!? They also have a 24 weeks pregnant cut off date, and I will be 21 weeks. I will probably be the most pregnant woman on board! Now to try and figure out what to wear without spending a million dollars. XD

I suck and we did not take a belly pic this week, but a friend is coming to take a bunch next weekend!

Week 9: February 17-23

9 week old fetus

From TheBump.com (who is using 'she' for this post, and I'm to lazy to change it to she/he. Not an indication of what I want or think Sprout is or anything)

• This is a milestone. She's no longer an embryo -- now she's a fetus!
• She's developing more distinct facial features.
• And she might now have a strong enough heartbeat to be picked up by a fetal doppler.
• She's gaining steam! At 9 weeks, your baby measures around .9 inches and weighs about .07 ounces.

So I have realized that I am doing these updates weirdly. Like, I am trying to post at the beginning of week 10 (though in this case I am a few days late), and post about week 9. But by the time I post, the baby isn't 9 week size/development anymore because all of the info talks about how the baby is at the beginning of Week X. I didn't really talk about development stuff last time, and to be perfectly honest I feel like my brain is full of oatmeal today so maybe this isn't the best time to be trying to figure this out. If you have any thoughts on whether I should be posting the 'start of week 10' info with my week 9 update, or the 'start of week 9' info with it, let me know! Maybe I'll change it next week.

But for now! At the end of the week, I have gained 1-2 pounds. That's what less vomiting'll do for you. So now I am -2 or -1 compared to my pre-pregnancy weight.

Symptoms: Fatigue is still a big one. I could sleep all day every day, and sometimes if I lay down to read I wake up thirty minutes later. Of course, I am still not sleeping soundly even at night. It's like this light, restless sleep that wants to happen all the time. I feel like it's sort of like the Fight Club insomnia thing. Never really asleep but never really awake. It is not as cool as Ed Norton and Brad Pitt make it seem :).
The nausea is getting better all the time. It's pretty common for me to feel icky between like 9am and 2pm, but breakfast and dinner are easier. Some days there's no nausea at all! And then I think, "Am I done? Maybe it's gone!" Only to feel awful the next day. No more getting my hopes up.
Ligament pain is a constant thing. Twice this week I have sneezed and it hurt nearly badly enough to make my cry. But I am a wimp! There's all sorts of weird stretching and growing going on down there.
Pregnant brain is such a real thing for me. I am always forgetful but now it's way worse. And I can't focus, or think of words, or type. And I forget things like... I fill the washing machine with clothes and detergent and dial the setting but don't his start. Or Brian asks me to make a phone call and I rack my brain all day and can't remember what it is. It's frustrating. See comment about my brain being filled with oatmeal, above.

Events: We went to a party at the house of one of the guys Brian was working with (he just transferred to a different area) last Sunday, where I chowed down on all kinds of food! Including the best ribs I have ever eaten. Brian was super helpful with Kian so I was mostly able to just sit and talk, which was nice.

I feel like this week passed in a haze of exhaustion and pregnant brain (it's a real thing). Kian had his big field trip last Wednesday and no school for the rest of the week, so we just took it easy. I feel like I have nothing to report!

I guess the biggest weird thing I am experiencing is my mental state. I am showing more all the time and I feel like crap so much of the time, but it still doesn't quite feel... real. Like in the end I'll have a baby. What? The novelty of the situation has worn off and I am not feeling well, but the end is so far down the road, it's like I'm in a weird miserable limbo state.

Brian continues to tell  me he thinks my first trimester with Kian was worse. I think some of the smell sensitivity was worse, but I know I didn't actually throw up nearly as much. I slept a lot but it seemed somehow easier, and I am sure there wasn't this level of ligament (or whatever) pain at this stage. We were talking about it and I decided the difference was that we didn't have Kian then. So I was the Pregnant Princess and it was all about me! So I whined when I didn't feel well and I slept when I wanted, and hardly got off the couch when Brian came home. He didn't have a 4 year old to entertain so he did a lot more cooking and laundry and helping out around the house, where now he feels like 'entertaining Kian is enough helping' (his words not mine) or 'all he has energy for'. So I think it's less that this time is easier and more that I  expected/anticipated the discomfort, I don't tell him as much when I feel rotten, and I know that if I don't do stuff it's not getting done. Kian needs to eat. He needs clean clothes. He needs to be watched and entertained and taught and taken to and from school. He needs a bath. And all these things are my job and mine alone. So I suck it up and get it done, and I try to maintain the rest of my jobs as well. Brian agrees that's probably true, and then thanked me for not whining (though not for doing more around the house necessarily).

So I think that sums it up. Sick, tired, hurting, brain dead, but trying to suck it up. And looking forward to the second trimester and feeling the baby kick and all the things that made me love being pregnant last time. It's coming, right?

Week 8: February 9-16

Fetus at 8 weeks

From MedicineNet.com (the picture is from this article as well):
The baby is now about the size of a grape - almost an inch in size. Eyelids and ears are forming and even the tip of the nose is visible. The arms and legs are well formed. The fingers and toes grow longer and more distinct.

My weight: Still -3 lbs in spite of the visible bump and my uterus being larger than usual at this stage. Nausea, I guess!

Since I did a mid-week post and the ultrasound changed my due date a little, this post will be pretty brief!
My goal is to do a recap like this once a week regardless of other midweek posts. Reading back over the blog when I was pregnant with Kian I really like the recaps. And as much as I thought "OMG I was crazy to post my weight the whole time," it's kind of nice to be able to see it and possibly compare. So for now, I'll be tracking that too. Yikes.

2/17/12 - end of 8 weeks

2/17/12 - bare belly end of 8 weeks

This was truly a week of ups and downs. The cyst pain diminished considerably but I started having more general ligament pain. It is hard to articulate but the difference in the sensation is very obvious. On Thursday, the phone rang while I was laying down and I rolled over to get it and the sudden pain was enough to bring pain to my eyes. Even though it's not every time I bend or stretch or roll over I am trying to be more careful now.

I continue to crave fruit but have added salty things back into the mix. Pickles are fantastic right now (no, not with ice cream) because they are crunchy and juicy but also sour and salty! What a great invention. I am still experiencing some nausea but it's a lot less frequent and seems to happen mainly in the morning and anytime I let myself get hungry - so snacks are good! Other than that, smells are getting more and more pronounced and it's starting to affect my sense of taste a little. This is hard to explain too though I remember it from last time. Some things just don't taste quite like I expect them too, and I am pretty sensitive to salt. So even though I want salty things they can't be too salty. And I want fruit, but some of it tastes like the refrigerator and then it isn't good. Don't ask. Yes, in other words I am a totally picky pain in the butt. At least I am buying, fixing, getting my own food so it's not like this whole thing is bothering anyone else.
Other symptoms: Occasional headaches, peeing all the time, tons of fatigue and insomnia. The insomnia started in earnest this week, leaving me awake in bed for half the night. I told Brian I think maybe it's my body reminding me that four hours of sleep is plenty, in preparation for the Sprout's arrival. Oof.

After our appointment on Monday, I spent a lot of time first worrying about and then trying to prepare myself for the possibility of twins. I am going to do a post with ultrasound info next, but suffice it to say that was a big waste of time :). I also did some web surfing for other pregnancy blogs and things, which is fun. I should have been working on organizing stuff (since I have tubs of clothes and bags to go to Goodwill in my room from last weekend) but the fatigue is killer. I admire all of you pregnancy buddies of mine who are working full time! I have no clue how you do it.

2/12/12 New "pointy hair"

Kian had his Valentine's Day party at school and had a great time. I got him a Valentine's sock monkey that talks and he loves it and cracks up at everything it says.

Kian quote of the week:
After eating a huge lunch, I asked him if he was going to explode. He looked at me with very serious, big eyes and said:

2/12/12

"If I exploded, my body would go *kaboom sound effects* and there would be goo and blood everywhere! My skin would come off and you would see down to my bones, and I would probably be dead. So no, I am not going to explode." Right!

Pregnancy Week 8 (Feb 11-17 2012): Showing Already?

8.5 weeks - 2/15/12

Over the weekend my belly officially started popping out. On Friday (2/10), one day before 8 weeks along, I decided my normal jeans were finished. My belly was already starting to curve but beyond that I was just so uncomfortable. Brian dragged my bin of maternity clothes out of the attic, and even though I thought my butt was going to be too big, all the early stuff fit! We also went to Ross and got a pair of yoga pants and an extra pair of jeans. Sweet relief.

Speaking of relief, every time I think I am getting some I end up being mistaken. Reading back over this blog I see that B is right and I did suffer from a lot of nausea last time too. I keep feeling like it was only the first few weeks and then it was really intermittent, but maybe I am wrong! It's that thing where your memories are all rosy and happy so that you'll go through this whole pregnancy thing again. So this time I have been dealing with major fatigue and nausea, and more vomiting than last time. Any time I get even a little hungry? Nauseous. Lots of smells, sometimes just the thought of food - nauseous. And of course in the morning, and sometimes all day, and even sometimes after I feel fine and eat and get happy and full and then... nauseous. I am looking forward to the second trimester.

Comparison photo - 12 weeks along last time

Which might be sooner than I thought! Like I said, this week I've already started showing quite a bit. The picture posted here (from today 2/15 - 8.5 weeks) is early morning before breakfast, so it's as small as I get. Food/bloating/evening all makes it more pronounced. Come to find out, it's not just my opinion! We had our first OB exam on Monday and he agrees that my uterus is high/large. So there's an ultrasound scheduled for Friday to determine exactly why that is. Could be that I am further along than I think, that things didn't shrink all the way down after Kian, or of course the big doozy that it could be twins. I am not going to freak out until we know for sure, but really anything but the not shrinking version would have its share of difficulties. I know we'll get through anything though!

On the plus side, the cyst/ligament pain is almost completely gone now, other than an occasional little twinge and I am having more good periods and even whole good days with more energy and less stomach upset. We've started chatting about names a little, though B doesn't want to get down to the nitty gritty until we know if it's a boy or a girl.

Kian is very excited and is already telling people he is a big brother. He talks daily about the baby and things he will teach him/her when it arrives. He wants a baby girl and has asked for butterfly wings and a sparkly pink headband if it is a girl. Of course he also asks for two babies (I want TWINS) several times, so hopefully he understands he may not get what he wants.

He is getting so big! We went to get his hair cut this weekend and he requested 'pointy hair' so I have been styling it with a little bit of product since then. It's a big hit but he looks like he's about 8 years old! I get that twinge of 'my baby is getting so grown up!' and then I think again that the timing of this pregnancy is good.

Ultrasound pics in a few days!

Week 9: September 7-13

Kian's 8 week birthday was an eventful day for us! Running errands and doing things with him in tow seems to get a little easier all the time. Not that we haven't had our difficult moment of course. And now I am frantically knocking on all the wood I can reach!

A week or so prior to this Brian noticed a little bump on Tinkerbell's (our schnauzer) rear leg. A few days later he found a smaller one, and then a third small one on her neck. That Thursday I finally arranged to bring her to have it checked out. Having worked at a vet clinic definitely has its benefits, one of which is not actually needing to have an official appointment to be seen. This is especially nice with my wee one because it gives me lots of flexibility. As it was, it wasn't nearly as difficult as I anticipated it would be, packing up both baby and dog and myself. Tink was a perfect angel on the ride, sitting nicely in the passenger seat and not barking at passerbys even once. In case it's not obvious, this is very unusual for her. When we arrived, Marc (her vet and the doctor I worked with when I was working) took a quick look and said they were just cysts or little warts, both of which are very common to schnauzers. In other words, nothing to worry about, phew! I thought I was going to have to drop her off for him to look at when he got a chance, and was planning on running a few errands in the meantime. When I mentioned that, Marc said to just put her in a kennel, so Tink hung out there while Kian and I ran around for an hour or so.

We hit Babies R Us first, and I had a few large items to return which was originally making me nervous. I found a parking spot right next to the cart corrall though, and got Kian arranged in his carrier, then dumped my returns in. Unfortunately it took the customer service an age and a half to take care of our stuff, so I ended up leaving them to figure out how to credit my gift card while I shopped. We were mostly looking for some staples, but also for a larger size of Swaddle Me. They carry smalls and larges but no mediums, leaving us out of luck. Luckily as I said last post he was doing alright without a swaddle, and has remained unswaddled up until now, a few weeks later. We made it out with Kian's attitude intact, and made a quick swing through the craft store next. Then it was back to Valley for a very happy to see us schnauzer before heading home. He made it almost 3 hours without eating on top of everything which is really pretty miraculous, and I was quite proud of myself if I do say so.

The next day was a 'First Friday', which is a little party at the squadron, generally held on the first Friday of the month - imagine that. When the turnout is good, it tends to be a pretty loud and boistrous time, and it's in the evening when Kian tends to be fussy so I was a little nervous. The turnout WAS good and there were a ton of people there. It was the first time that all the babies born in the last year have been in one place. In my humble and not at all biased opinion, Kian is definitely the cutest one. That seemed to be confirmed by the fact that I hardly even SAW Kian the whole time, as folks passed him around and snatched him away from me as soon as I got him back. I didn't see any of the other babies with anyone but their parents. Maybe it's just because I'm more laid back about it, and he pretty much slept the whole time which made him fun to hold. Yes, I am puffed up like a peacock :). The food was good too, and it was nice to be able to socialize and eat with both hands and just hang out for a while, even if I did spend half the time anxiously checking on folks to make sure they were OK with the kidlet.

The rest of the week passed in a blur. Brian was finishing up his upgrade at work, which made him incredibly busy and included working long hours. Not only does that leave me missing him, but even when he's home (which is rare enough) he's exhausted and busy prepping for the next day. Luckily, Kian has generally been happier this week and a little lower maintenance. He's also been a lot more interactive, smiling some at his mobile and really paying attention to songs and storybooks. Just the same it was a tiring week, and most of Kian's downtime was spent on laundry and some cleaning. We made it through though, and he's one week older! Plus, my family was scheduled to arrive so that made it all easier.

Week 8: August 30-September 6

Thursday was Kian's 7 week birthday. I can't believe it's been 7 whole weeks. Wow. He was actually happy this day, smiling a ton and generally being low maintenance and easy. I actually looked at him at one point and said... "Hey, you got cute again. Imagine that!" Not that he really wasn't cute, but lack of sleep and abundance of fussing can sure skew your perspective. I took the opportunity to run some errands that evening and Brian did really well with him.

Since it was Labor Day my mom offered to come and see us for the four day weekend. Of course she always misses Kian, but in this case it was more for me. I had a really rough couple of weeks, and she is always willing to drop everything and come help out. Thank God for my mother, my angel! This weekend Brian really wanted some just us time though, so my parents ended up going to their motorcycle rally instead. All in all that was good, and I'm glad they got to have their fun on the bike instead. Still, we missed them something awful!

Friday we hit yet another milestone. Brian was home from work and we went to Olive Garden for dinner with Kian in tow! It was really nice to get out and I crave Olive Garden really bad every once in a while. I did feel a bit like I had a ticking timebomb in the seat next to me, and I ate pretty quickly with one hand jiggling him off and on, but it was still good. He did not have a meltdown and the service was fantastic, so it went really well! We'll have to do it more often now. Choosing a family friendly restaurant and going at 4 were definitely key.

On Saturday Brian took Kian when he woke up, leaving me in blissful silence. He even gave him a bottle, so I got to sleep all the way until 11:00! It was 4 straight hours of sleep (almost) and more importantly, I woke up because I felt like it. It is the first time since Kian was born that I woke up on my own, and not because he needed to eat. Heaven.

We had a nice relaxing day together, which was also very nice. The one bump in the road came at the beginning of our bedtime routine. A minute after I lowered Kian into his nice warm bath water, it filled with a cloud of mustardy yellow. Oh no! He totally pooped in his bath! Now, every once in a while I notice a few little yellow bits at the end of the bath, but this was like, a whole poop all at once and the bath tub was FULL. I must have a dose of my mother's sense of humor because rather than getting frustrated I just cracked up. I dragged him out, slapped a diaper on him, and went to refill the baby tub. Brian came in to make sure everything was OK because there was all the clanking of the tub being emptied and refilled, plus Kian was really mad and screaming. I thought about just taking him to bed, but of course he was all covered in floating poo by then, so I HAD to bathe him. Bathing a screaming baby is never fun, but it all worked out. I guess that counts as yet another milestone. Or something.

Sunday, instead of sleeping in his swing, we tried putting Kian in his Pack N Play again. He actually slept really well, and slept 4 hours straight! In the road to recovery. Of course, now that it's 2 weeks later I know that he still isn't 100%. So.

Monday was Labor Day, and it was nice to have all 4 days off together as a family. Brian ended up drinking coffee late on two different nights and staying up late 'being irresponsible', and he also played XBox for quite a while, so on this day he took Kian quite a bit so I could get things done. I managed to clean about half the house and do some laundry, so it was a productive day. Happily for all concerned, Kian went down easy and slept decently well too.

Tuesday my big job was to line up a landscaper to do some work in our backyard, and he ended up coming that very afternoon to give us an estimate. Since I didn't hear back from anyone else and he's the guy who came out before Kian was born, I hired him. Wednesday he and his guys came and started work. Though I'm glad to have the stuff done, it's annoying because the dogs can't go out while they're here, AND they bark incessantly. Luckily it should only take a few days. Wednesday night we put Kian to bed with no swaddle and he seems to like it better. Sometime this week he started reliably finding his own hands and sucking on them, and the added restraint seems to really upset him. I guess the time for swaddling might be done. It's a good thing too, because his swaddle things are too small and they don't carry the next size up at our Babies R Us. :)

Week 7 Part 2: August 25-29

After the ER visit our weekend was looking like it was going to be shot. We tried to get some sleep on Saturday, and Kian continued to seem pretty much the way he was before we started the albuterol.

I had an appointment to FINALLY get my hair cut that night, and though I thought about cancelling it I finally decided to go ahead and go. I couldn't get in with my usual stylist because she works limited hours on the weekends, but the guy who cut my hair usually does HER hair, so I figured it would be a safe bet. I was so terribly in need of a cut, it was getting really long and shaggy. All in all I really liked what he did, though he left a long piece in the back on each side. Apparently this is really in, but it reminded me of the mom on The Brady Bunch. Since the length at the back was the part that was driving me the most crazy, I ended up trimming it up myself a few days later. Once I did that I really like it, it should grow out well, and I get lots of compliments. Yay for 'me time'!

Monday was my rescheduled post-partum appointment. Kian was fussy all day, making me even more apprehensive about the appointment than I already was. As usual I waited forever to get in, then to be seen. The actual exam was quick and painless, and Dr D said I was cleared of all restrictions, and that everything healed up well. Phew. I asked him if he meant for Kian to come shooting out the way he did, and he said no. First he tried to blame it on his size until I reminded him he was 6 pounds, then he said it was because my pushing was so fantastic. Ha. I got a perscription for "Errin" which is a mini-pill that won't effect my breastmilk, which is great. Dr Decker is moving to his new office in a few weeks, but I shouldn't need to see him again anyhow. Glad that's over.

I needed to feed Kian at the end of the appointment, but they were really busy and I didn't want to take up an exam room. I ended up sitting in the car with the A/C on and the baby under a receiving blanket. It was the first time I've nursed 'in public' and it went really well actually.

All day Tuesday I had a horrible migraine. By mid day I was struggling to get up to change the baby because it hurt so bad. Tylenol with codeine didn't even touch it! Around 2pm I threw up, and that was the last straw. I called Brian and asked him to come home. I guess my words were even slurred a little and he left work right away. It didn't go away until the middle of the night. Yuck!

Wednesday Brian worked until really late, which made for a long day for me. Luckily the headache was gone and Kian was a little less fussy than he had been. I keep hoping and praying for more sleep and a less miserable baby. What a long week!

On the plus side, Kian started smiling this week! Just little brief smiles at first, but they're getting more frequent. I'm quite sure they're real and not just gas. How adorable. The other special thing he has started is something he does while nursing. He wraps his little legs around my arm, and snuggles my skin with his feet. It just melts my heart and makes all the rest totally worth while. *sigh*

Week 7 Part 1: August 23-24

Kian's 6 week birthday brought with it a milestone of my own - the postpartum doctor visit. I dreaded this all week... well, longer than that really. Not only is the visit itself generally unpleasant, but it's a 40-50 minute drive. Kian was still very fussy and was only going about 2 hours max between feedings. If you do the math you'll see there was no way for me to get out and back without a feeding, and I haven't fed him in public yet. I'm not so good with the receiving blanket covering method, and the whole idea sort of freaked me out.

I managed to get myself and Kian and all our junk ready in a timely manner, and off I drove. I'm so glad I have a mirror in the backseat so I can watch him, and that he's generally very happy in the car. I got there and signed in and got all situated, when the receptionist called me up. Did I know the appointment was with Dr P? Um... no. I've never seen him before. That's just incredibly akward, but I'm all the way up here so I guess I'll see him *shudder*. At that point she informs me that they don't see each other's patients and I'm going to have to reschedule. She's sorry, she knows it's hot outside. I couldn't resist a little snipey "Hot outside? Yeah, and I live 45 minutes away, with a sick 6 week old. But I don't have a choice do I?" No I do not. So I get to pack everything BACK up and head home with a new appointment scheduled for Monday. Kian was having none of this back in his carseat stuff though, and he had a total meltdown. I called Brian to fume about the appointment mixup, and after a few minutes of Kian screaming I decided to stop somewhere and walk him around. I was driving past Michael's (the craft store), so I pulled in there. I picked him up out of the carseat, and we wandered around looking at all the fun colors until he fell asleep. Everyone we passed stopped me to tell me how precious and cute he is. I guess it's not just me then, since they could have just kept walking! Two people asked me if he was mine in this weird tone, too. The first time I was really put off and a little defensive - what a strange question! Then they asked how old he was... 6 weeks. Then came the punchline. No way! You look FANTASTIC! Oh. Gee. Thanks. *blush* Once he was quieted down we made it the rest of the way home just fine. Phew.

Friday he was still wheezing occasionally, coughing some, and sounding congested off and on so I called around 8 to schedule an appointment. They gave me one for 10:20 which I blithely accepted. And then I started counting. Two feedings, a shower, getting myself dressed and hair fixed and makeup, and Kian changed and dressed, and the dogs fed and taken care of, and the car packed... and did I mention two feedings? Plus the drive there. Oh, crap. I somehow managed to arrive only 5 minutes late in spite of all this, and Brian arrived pretty much just as I did.

We got in promptly as usual and answered all the same questions we always do. When the doc himself came in he did his usual exam and in the end seemed concerned about the high rate of Kian's breathing, a hint of a wheeze on exhalation and the fact that his little chest was pulling in with his breaths, especially when he was a little worked up. He had mentioned trying Albuterol at our last visit, and this time he decided he did indeed want to try it out on him. This is an inhaled drug, and you use a nebulizer to turn it into a fine mist that is pumped through a mask and then breathed in. It is a broncho-dialator that they use commonly for asthma, so I've heard of it before and felt OK about trying it. The doctor was mainly concerned that it might not be very effective, as it sometimes doesn't work well for babies as young as Kian. The tech brought in a nebulizer and the medication and we held the mask over his nose and mouth while he breathed it in. Within minutes he seemed to be breathing a lot easier and the retractions were gone, so the doc decided to prescribe it for us to give at home. The main side effect we noticed right away is that it made him really jittery. His little legs would just shake and tremble uncontrollably. The doc assured us that it is normal as the drug is almost like adrenaline, and nothing to worry about. I asked him what else to watch out for and he said that in general he didn't want his resp rate to get much higher. It was around 70-75 and he said if it hit 90 we needed to take him in the ER. Yikes.

We went to the pharmacy to get the albuterol, which we were to give 3 times a day. For that day we were told to give a dose at 4pm and one at 10pm. Then I had to go into town to get the nebulizer itself. The cool thing about that is that TriCare actually just pays for the machine, so rather than renting and returning it we actually purchased it. Kian was pretty done with being in his carseat by this time, so when I drove by Valley Animal Hospital (where I worked until I got pregnant), I decided to swing by and introduce the little guy around. After a visit and a diaper change we headed home and relaxed for the rest of the afternoon. The 4 o'clock dose of albuterol went just fine.

That night Kian had a bath and it was a while until his next feeding, so we did his final treatment for the night. He was pretty awake but so was Brian, so I went to sleep and handed him over to his dad. Within a half hour Brian woke me up, really concerned because he was breathing super fast. At first I thought he might just be worked up and fussy because he was hungry so I tried to feed him. He couldn't eat, he was just panting frantically and trying to eat made him splutter and scream. I tried to quiet him and counted his resp rate - well over 100, maybe even 120. He was gasping and occasionally grunting and seemed really scared... I was quickly getting pretty scared myself. It was a hard situation though. Did the albuterol cause it? If so we shouldn't give him any more. Was the albuterol helping? If so it might get even worse when it wore off. In the end we called the triage line. It was a while before we got a call back (as usual), and the nurse asked a bunch of questions and ended up listening to him breathe over the phone. Trying to keep me calm in the process, she told me he needed to go to the ER and that we needed to call 911. That way if he got worse he'd be in an ambulance with oxygen.

I tried my best not to panic, told Brian what she said and made the call. I've never actually called 911 before, and I really hope I never have to again. The fire department arrived within a few minutes and started assessing him. They recommended that we go in an ambulance, so they called one in. In the meantime Kian was slowly improving, and the whole time he never turned blue or anything, so by the time the ambulance arrived I was feeling much better. Still, we decided it was best for a doctor to look at him, and I knew I'd be up all night watching him otherwise, so off we went. I rode with Kian and Brian drove behind us. The baby fell asleep in his car seat, and never moved through the whole bouncy ride to the hospital.

By the time we got there he was fine again, leaving me to surmise it was a reaction to the Albuterol. This entry is already pretty long, so suffice it to say we were at the ER until 5:30am. They took x-rays and monitored him and came to the same conclusion I did. It was stressful and irritating in a lot of ways, and I couldn't get any sleep because they didn't have a bassinet or anywhere for me to put him down. Brian caught a few hours of dozing off and on in the bed around 3 or so, but it was far from pleasant for any of us. Kian, being held, slept for 5 hours straight. Go figure. We were released with instructions to discontinue the albuterol and bring him back if we were concerned.

The most annoying part of the experience was the way everyone condescendingly asked me if he is my first baby, and basically implied that I freaked out for no reason. I kept having to explain that I know they breathe through their nose, that I know how to count resperation rate, that I KNOW he seems fine now, but a few hours ago he COULD NOT BREATHE. Grrr. As if I wanted to spend all night in that awful room for no reason. I suppose all is well that ends well though. Thank goodness he is OK.

Oh, also, he weighed in at 10 pounds 0.3 ounces today. What a big boy!

Week 6: August 16-22

Thursday was Kian's 5 week birthday, and the poor little guy spent it sick! I continued to sleep with him in the nursery, and he sounded better intermittently. The night time and early morning seemed to be the worst.
In the middle of Thursday night, I woke up with Kian to feed him as usual. When I went to burp him, I noticed his back was wet. Weird. I thought, "Oh no! He must have peed out of his diaper." He hadn't done that in weeks, not since his circumcision healed (and we started pointing his wee wee down), so I was surprised. Then I realized... even worse. When he peed out of his diaper, either his side or stomach would be wet, and really if his legs were wet I wouldn't be surprised either. This was the middle of his back. Uh oh. Sure enough, he had pooped right up and out the back of his pajamas! I knew it would happen sometime, but having a poo-juice smeared hand in the middle of a night so short on sleep was not my idea of a good time. Luckily, whether because I have my mom's sense of humor, or because I was sleep deprived, it made me laugh :). We already knew that we were going to need to move him to a larger sized diaper, but this incident showed me the time had come!

So the morning of his due date he hit two milestones. Size 1 diapers, and pooping up the back of his last newborn sized diaper! It was so totally bizarre to realize I was just now supposed to be having him. Here I have this 9 pound, 5 week old baby looking up at me, and I should be in labor! Among other things, looking at the size of my pudgy little man I am SO grateful that he came early. Since he ended up being basically healthy, I get to be happy he arrived when he did. Besides, these past few weeks were bonus time where we got to know him better and see his beautiful little eyes and kiss his tiny fingers and toes!

Friday we returned to the bedroom, bringing his swing along for him to sleep in. I just wasn't getting much sleep the other way, and daddy missed us. I felt like his nasal congestion was getting much better, though he wasn't 100% yet. We both seemed to sleep better that way.

Saturday was another big day in the O'Grady household. I went and ran errands for about 3 hours, and left daddy all alone with Kian for the first time! I was a little teary eyed the whole time, and by the time I was coming home I missed him so much. He was pretty much the way he's been for the past week - fussy and needy. It's hard to set him down because he absolutely screams, and when he gets too upset he gets all snotty and then he can't breathe, and it's a bad scene. Poor Brian did really well and said he enjoyed having alone time with him, but it was pretty rough. In some ways it was actually good I think, because it let Brian see how frustrating and stressful it can be to be tied to a needy, fussy, sick baby. It's not like it's physically hard work, but when you have things you want to do and you can't get anything done, it is far from easy. That feeling is hard to communicate adequately, and I think sometimes it probably seemed like Brian came home and I was STILL on the couch holding the baby and nothing was done. He never complained, but I wondered sometimes if he really understood that my "job" is difficult. He's not the only one who works all day. So, while I felt a lot of empathy for his frustration, I thought it was good for him to get a glimpse into my every day life. On another funny note, that was the first time I drove in FIVE WEEKS! Luckily I still remembered how to drive a stick! :)

Saturday was the baby shower of the girl in our squadron due next. One of the errands I ran was purchasing a gift for her. I really considered dropping the gift off with a friend who lives nearby, but decided in the end to go. Brian asked if I was planning on taking Kian with me or leaving him home. He asked as nonchalantly as he could, but I thought I caught the shine of fear in his eyes! I figured it would be a good time for me to go somewhere alone with him, since he's old enough to be in his car seat without someone in the back with him now, so off we went! He did really well even if I was a nervous wreck. Milestones galore this week! The shower was fun and of course everyone had to coo and fuss over him and pass him around. Everyone agrees that he is huge and really noisy! Luckily the baby who was born before him and is almost a month older grunts and groans all the time too. And the woman who was hosting the shower said that her second girl made that same sort of noise, so she ended up sleeping in her own room when she was only a few days old!

That night we had another surprise, this one not so good. In a rare moment Kian was content to nap in his bouncy seat, so Brian and I were running around trying to get a few things done. We still have a stack of boxes to break down and recycle from all of the baby items we have, so Brian was out breaking down this week's share. I was cleaning up the kitchen and doing dishes. Cita (our chihuahua mix) started barking. I figured she was barking at Brian out in the garage, so I yelled at her to be quiet. A little later Brian was inside and she was STILL barking. Stupid dog, she was going to wake the baby! I yelled at her again, and Brian rolled his eyes and went to see what she was barking at. Sometimes she wedges a toy under the couch where she can't reach it or something, and she barks. Brian went around the corner and there was a beat of silence. Then...

"Babe... there's a snake."

I freaked out. In our house!? Oh my gosh! Is it by the baby?! *squeal* He assured me it was the same harmless, docile type we found in our pool not too long ago, but I was in a panic. Yes, me, Miss Vet Tech who handled all sorts of reptiles, I was FREAKING OUT. No, it was nowhere near the baby but I had to go scoop him up just the same. We have had a TON of rain, and we think that all the moisture had it seeking a dry place. It was a little tiny juvenile, probably 15 inches long but very thin, and we think it slipped in under our front door. It was writhing around in our tiled entryway, trying to figure out how the heck to get out again. Brian very calmly swept it out, then ended up ushering it out into the wash because it couldn't figure out how to get out of the outside entryway either. We have a towel rolled up against the door now, and I think it's staying there until Brian puts in some new weather stripping. Holy crap. *pant* Even now it gives me the willies. What a weekend!

Monday Kian was still seeming sick, and I considered calling the doctor, but I somehow managed to sleep in a bit (or rather, we both went back to bed instead of getting up after what is usually his last morning feeding) and then he was fussy so I didn't call the doctor. In the evening when I gave him his bath, I noticed his belly button was really bulging. It's always been sort of an outy, but this was... weird. I gently put pressure on it and sure enough, it seemed just like an umbilical hernia. I mentioned it to Brian and he said he noticed it a little earlier in the day too. I read a little about it and decided it wasn't an emergency, but we were DEFINITELY going to call the doctor the next day.

Tuesday we called in and managed to get an afternoon appointment. Brian came along, but met me there so I had to get both of us ready and load the car with stroller, diaper bag, and car seat by myself... with a time limit! It was pretty stressful but we got there on time and it all worked out. Kian weighed in at 9 lbs 13.8 oz! Holy smokes, he's huge. He definitely has an umbilical hernia, but they are common and nothing to worry about. They usually go away on their own, and only 1-2% need surgical repair.The doctor was concerned with the speed of his breathing and some slight "retractions" where the chest really seems to suck in with each breath. He was breathing fast at least partly because he was upset and naked, but still. The doc ordered chest X-rays, which had me worried but I really wanted to make sure he was OK.

Have you ever seen a baby X-rayed? If you had asked me, I would have figured it would be done like we do dogs. The techs would wear a lead vest and hold him in place... right? Wrong! I swear, this restraining thing is a medeival torture device! Look at this - http://www.pediagraph.com/. Now picture a tiny baby, whose head is INSIDE that plastic tube instead of above it. Horrid thing. The fact that he was sitting on a little bicycle seat probably didn't help either - not exactly secure for a baby who is cuddled all the time. The stroller is big and the area behind the lead wall is small, so I waited in the hall. It wasn't far enough to keep me from hearing him scream and scream. My poor little man! I cried, but Brian thought the whole thing was sort of amusing. I guess he did look a little funny all squished with his hands above his head. We waited a bit, then I snuck back to check with the techs - should we head back to the doc, did we need another shot? They were both looking at the digital pictures, seeming sort of confused. The side view was fine but the front to back view was dark, and they used the same technique. I used to take X-rays of course so I thought this was like... duh. They tried to say it was a computer problem, and called another guy to come look at it. He suggested they use a different technique and that they center it better. This shot worked out much better so we were all set. It was neat to see the X-rays, though I was hoping to get a good look at the hernia and they were too high up. I've seen a lot of pneumonia and they looked good to me - what a relief. The doctor agreed and ended up sending us home to keep on as we've been, but with instructions to bring him back before the weekend. Phew.

Yet another eventful week, and he just keeps growing! This week I really started to feel worn out. A newborn is tough enough, but a sick one is just wrong. Of course I love him to pieces, and it just breaks my heart that he doesn't feel good, but I was SO TIRED. Brian and I both ended up saying he might end up being an only child. I can't imagine doing this again, let alone doing it with the active, opinionated toddler Kian is sure to be. I guess time might change that, but we'll have to see. Right now I'm trying to cherish these moments when he's small, but I'm sort of looking forward to him being a little older. Three months is starting to look mighty good. Five years... even better. ;)