November 06 Mommies ~ The 2nd Trimester!!!

[Lydia]

Meredith That's the plan! This "southern living" just isn't for us when we've come from the North. We're Yankee's at heart (well, Red Sox fans when they're doing well :D ) and while we've gotten a lot out of living here, it's just about time to go home and be near family. I'll keep you posted though. Her MRI isn't until July 10th, so a few more weeks to go. Fortunately, she's been seizure free since the first episodes so we're happy about that. Thanks for asking.

Woo hoo!

[mermccau]

Quick update:
Went to the doctor's for my monthly check up. I have gained 8 lbs which the dr was happy with. My belly measure 20 inches which is right in range - she was happy with that too. We heard the heartbeat - 148 bpm – consistent of all the other times we have heard it. It is always around 150.

She mentioned that my placenta is in the front which is probably the reason I have felt no movement yet. She said that 22 weeks or so will be the time. I am 20 weeks on Saturday!

Ankle swelling? Well, it is all due to summer and my recent "salt binge". My blood pressure was low (104/60). I have always had really low blood pressure and it has not changed since. No protein in the urine either. I was not worried but I was thinking last night how much it would suck to find out I was at a risk for preeclampsia and toxemia.


Ausi – congrats on passing the glucose test and the great results on the screen.

Ellidew – why are you debating about Target? Good luck with the vision testing. I hope you feel better.

Ppwgal – good news!

Mimieliza – great find!! So cute too. Are you going to paint the walls? If so, what color?

Catgirl – thanks for the advice and info :) Come to find out, it was the salt.

Lisainpink – great bedding. Gotta love BPK and their cute stuff.

Brio – cheers for seizure free!

Franni – yay for your girl!!

Nic – I hope you are feeling better soon.


Breastfeeding – I have decided to not breastfeed at all. The sooner I can get back to boozing, the better! Ah, I am just kidding. ;)

[ellidew]

Not to keep rehatching the stroller issue but How the heck did you decide? I've narrowed it down to 6 strollers.

Stroller Info

All 6 meet this criteria:
*Compatible with an infant car seat
*Light weight
*Can be used for a child long term (eliminating the need for a 2nd stroller)
*Full seat recline.

Any opinons? The Combi appears to be the cheapest for a stroller/car seat combo but is it worth the extra money for the other models?

COMBI:

Cosmo DX: $100.
5 pt harness
Full seat recline
Tri fold
Removable and washable seat cushion.
Weighs 13 lbs
Holds a child up to 45 lbs
Compatible with the Centre DX Car seat


City Savvy: $100
5 pt harness
Full seat recline
Tri fold
Removable and washable seat cushions
Weighs 12 lbs
Holds a child up to 45 lbs
Compatible with Connection car seat
Taller handle than the DX

Combi Compatible car seats
Centre DX: $130
Connection: $150

PEG PEREGO

Aria: $150
Aluminum
5 point harness
Full seat recline
Hand wash seat cushions
Weighs 10 lbs
Weight limit?
Compatible with Peg Perego car seat

Pliko P3: ($250-300)
Aluminum Frame
5 point harness
Full seat recline
One hand umbrella folding
Hand wash seat cushions
Weighs 16 lbs
Weight limit?
Adjustable handle bars
Compatible with Peg Perego car seat and other name brands

Peg Perego Compatible Car seat
Primo Viaggio $150

Inglesina:

Zippy: $250
Aluminum with some plastic parts
5 point harness
Full seat recline
One hand umbrella fold
Hand wash seat cushions
Weighs 17 lbs
Holds a child up to 40 lbs.
Compatible with most car seats

Zooper:

Waltz: $200.
Construction unknown
5 point harness
Full seat recline
Tri Fold
Hand wash seat cushion
Weighs 17 l bs
Hold a child up to 40 lbs
Compatible with most car seats


Just in case no one else has looked into this... Hopefull this will help!! It's taken me hours to compile all of it!

ETA: Additional info and easier to read format.

[Sinclair319]

Congrats on your daughter, Franni!!! BTW, I PMed you to borrow that book you mentioned if you don't mind. I promise to send it back as soon as I finish it. :)

Popped?Several people have told me that I've definitely popped this week (I'm 20w4d today). It's so nice to start and actually look preg rather than just puffy. If my bbs weren't so enormous I would definitely look preggo!

[Rancid13]

Breastfeeding – I have decided to not breastfeed at all. The sooner I can get back to boozing, the better! Ah, I am just kidding. ;)
Hahaha, LOL! I love people w/a sense of humor. :D


Franni~Congrats on your GIRL!!!

Ellidew~That's awesome that you're feeling some definitive kicks. I can't wait to even feel some fluttering in there, something besides gas or my digestive system. ;)

Nic~Sorry to hear you're having a rough day, but happy anniversary and I hope things get better for you!

Popped?I've had a few people, including my only female coworker, our bookkeeper, and my husband, tell me over the last week or so that I'm definitely showing now and they can totally tell that I'm pregnant, not just looking bloated or however I looked before. :eek:

[mermccau]

Rancid - I was wondering if that was going to go over like a lead balloon or not. ;)

Anyway, I am a tried and true wino. I have not had a sip of wine since March 12th. The longest time in as long as I can remember!

[RubberSoul]

mermccau- When I read your breastfeeding and drinking comment I almost sprayed water all over my monitor! I have not had a drop of wine or beer and I am craving a Guiness lately! I might break down at some point and have one, but I know I will feel guilty about it. When I had the level II the Dr. told me that the placenta was in front too so he said it would be a while for me to feel movement. I could swear sometimes I am feeling some kicks or something, but I keep second guessing if that is really what it is.

ellidew- I have narrowed my stroller choice down to the P3 or the Zippy. Mostly it came down to - being able to use it for a few years, being able to snap a carseat into it, weight, foldability (is that a word?), adjustable handles (leaning towards the P3 for that), and rating in Baby Bargains. I am pretty sure that you can snap the Graco Snugride carseat into the P3 so I am leaning more towards it than the Zippy right now. I still have to go to a store and test drive them.

popped- No one has told me that it is more noticeable and honestly I can't see much difference in myself, but I see me everyday ;). I need to take a belly shot and post it to see what ya'll think.

[Sare79]

I couldn't wait much longer for my amnio results and decided to call the Obstetrics clinic this morning. She said she'd call the genetics lab and get back to me.
About 10 minutes ago she called back and said it could take up to three more weeks to find out. When I had the amnio, they said 10 days to two weeks for results. It was two weeks today and I have been really patient. The reason she gave for this delay is the type of testing they are doing. I am having molecular testing done and the regular one is phytogenic (don't quote me on that). I'm so disappointed that I have to wait that much longer.

[roberta]

mermccau ha! The running joke here is that I am craving a beer so badly. And I was not much of a beer drinker pre-PG. I haven't had one yet, but... it just sounds good.

ellidew Thanks for that stroller cheat sheet!

here are some links for those looking at car seats. The CC car seat thread http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=243
car seat and car model compatibilty website
http://www.carseatdata.org/selectseat.asp

eta: Sare so sorry to hear you have to wait even longer to hear both the gender and the amino/chromosomal results. how frustrating!

[neenbean]

Meredith! You are a hoot! Seriously, the baby kicked my belly button when I read your comment about BFing and drinking. I think he/she was sending me a message. ;) "Its OK, Mom, have a glass of wine and give me formula."

Sare~ sorry to hear about the long wait. Your nerves must be pushed to the limit!




I called to reschedule my u/s and the earliest the can fit me in is July 17th. :( I am super bummed because this means DH can't come. :( I am so sad because he will be at a conference in FL and we can't wait another week to have it done. :(

[Toonces]

franni ~ Congrats on another girl!!

[nic]

lilo- nice stroller

ellidew- I had such a hard time picking a stroller, you'd think I was making a life altering decision. I finally decided on the P3 because it's got most of what I'm looking for and it's gotten good reviews all the way around.

mermccau- Oh my God, thanks for the laugh this morning, I needed it. I'm also a tried and true wino. I haven't had a glass since February 26th, is it bad that I know that?

I went out with friends shortly after I found out I was pregnant (maybe 7-8 along) and they asked if I was having a glass of wine. I said I gave it up for Lent and that was pretty much a dead give away. They knew instantly I was pregnant. Surprisingly, my wine cravings haven't been too bad. Now that it's warm out I've definately wanted a glass but I don't think the guilt will allow it. I love sitting outside on a hot summer day with a glass of Pinot Grigio, oh well, next year. Ok, I just realized I wrote an entire paragraph about wine................

Sare, I am so sorry you've had to wait so long for your results. That's so unfair.

Neenbean-I'm sorry to hear they had to reschedule your ultrasound. Call back and ask if they have a cancellation list-maybe they can get you in sooner if someone cancels at the last minute.

I'm 21 weeks today! I've definatelt popped in the last week, it's nuts.

I'm feeling better today, both mentally and physically, thank you all for your well wishes.
I don't know if I had indigestion, constipation, growing pains or what but I feel crappy the last 2 days. I had a ton on pressure around my bikini line and a sharp pain on my left. My belly was also getting really tight, not painful at all just tight. Could that be Braxton Hicks? I thought it was too early but I'm not really sure. I think the pain and the tighening were two different things happening.

[mermccau]

Happy Friday, Ladies! :D

Life is pretty good – I am sitting in an air conditioned office. The day is mellow. I have kicked off my shoes and have my feet elevated. I am pretty cozy. My boss is leaving at noon also. Great start to the weekend. :)

Episode of pregnancy brain – I had my car inspected. I was waiting and the mechanic pulled it up in front of me. He asked me if it was my car. I was looking right at it and said, “no”. He was confused because he was pretty sure it was my car. It took a couple of seconds for it to sink in. I have driven this damn car for about 10 years! I swear I am going to have Alzheimer’s!

~~~~~

Ellidew – I cannot even look at your stroller list! It is like being a restaurant and deciding what you want but then looking at the menu and being tempted by more options. You did good work getting all that info.

Rancid – I realized I sound like such a drunk knowing the exact day I had my last sip of wine!! I only know because I know the exact day I had the positive pregnancy test and I was away at a ski/party weekend the very day before. Jeesh, I should like a lush – or maybe I just am one. Oh, well. I am not boring at least ;)

Rubbersoul – hahahaha. Well, I cannot be the only one who misses cocktails, so I thought I would throw that out there :) I plan on having a glass of wine on my birthday in August. I have probably elevated the idea of having it and it probably will not taste as good when I do. I agree with you. I am wondering if I will feel guilty. I can see myself only having a half glass or something. I guess we will have to see who feels a kick first.

Sare – making you wait that long is ridiculous!! In a world where everything is “instant”, that is just crazy.

Roberta – I am not a beer drinker either but I have to tell you this. A pregnant friend of mine left a couple of O’Douls at my house. They were bottles of the dark brew, not the original brew. I had one the other night and it was damn tasty. It hit the spot since it has been so hot here. The non alcoholic beer was chilly cold and had a nice full flavor to it. And this is coming from someone who does not typically like beer.

Neenbean – some of friends who have kids have used the term “pump and dump” – LOL

Nic – if it is bad then I dare say you are in good company. I know the exact day I had my last sip of wine too :D I love your paragraph about wine. I could have written it. People have never known me to down down a glass of wine so when I did, that was the hint to everyone. I do not crave it as much as I feared. I do not miss it day to day like I thought I would but there are times, like when we are out to dinner or I am at a cookout, that I really do miss it. Do you think you will have some during this pregnancy? Just look at it this way, we can indulge a little during the holidays.

[Rancid13]

Rancid – I realized I sound like such a drunk knowing the exact day I had my last sip of wine!! I only know because I know the exact day I had the positive pregnancy test and I was away at a ski/party weekend the very day before. Jeesh, I should like a lush – or maybe I just am one. Oh, well. I am not boring at least ;)

I was just gonna suggest you go out sometime in the days after you give birth and drink to your heart's content, then pump & dump, but then I saw you mention that phrase a few paragraphs down. :D

I fully intend on heading to my favorite local Mexican joint in the week after I give birth so I can fully indulge myself in the margaritas I've been missing so much that they make so well there. :cool:

Wouldn't you know that every time my family gets together (birthday, anniversary, etc) they plan to meet up at that very restaurant, making me suffer while they all order margaritas and I get stuck with water or lemonade. I think they enjoy teasing me. My mom suggested I order a virgin margie, but then I won't have that lovely tequila taste and after-effect. :(

[mermccau]

Who had the Pottery Barn Alphabet Soup bedding?

The rug is on sale on ebay and the auction ends in a few hours.

This may be pricey, but I saw it and thought that it could not hurt to post it.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120000787706&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1

http://i14.ebayimg.com/01/i/07/76/8b/7a_1.JPG

[Franni]

for my fellow winos - a suggestion I would suggest breastfeeding the baby and having your drinks right after. That's what I have done. "pump and dump" will break your heart, especially if you have low supply problems.

That being said...I had a glass of wine last weekend. (I know I shouldn't have), but it was GOOOOOOODDDDD!

[scarlett74]

Congratulations, Franni!

Sare, I’m sorry for this long period of waiting.

[mimieliza]

winos - Yes, I'm one. I remember my last sip - and it was WAY more than a sip. I had four glasses of wine the night before my BFP. Whoops. I'm not worried about it since I got my BFP at 9 DPO, and there's no shared bloodstream then.

I'm planning to drink wine as I want while BFing (although never more than 2 glasses at a time). It's such a tiny amount that would get to the baby compared to what the baby can be exposed to in utero. I'll try to time BFing and whatnot, but I'm not going to worry too much about it.

I'm throwing a wedding shower/bachelorette party for a good friend at the end of July. We're going wine tasting to the Walla Walla Valley wineries. I'll be the designated driver, unfortunately. No tasting for me.

popped - Yup, I've popped. But I've been pretty popped since about 14 weeks - it's just the past week or so, it's definitely noticeable no matter what kind of shirt I wear.

mermccau - That's me with the Alphabet Soup nursery. I love the rugs - PBK is still selling them on their website. The round one is just $100, but I'm not getting it because we don't really need a rug, and I can use the $100 to buy diapers or something really necessary. But it's killing me because the rugs are so. cute. :)

DH and I have agreed that we are going to paint the walls pale green. We were debating between green or yellow.

Also, I never thought I'd say this, but maybe I'll try O'Douls. I do feel a little deprived when DH is enjoying his evening beer.

rancid - I've been ordering virgin strawberry margaritas - you're right, not quite the same, but they do put whipped cream on top, which is nice.

nic - So glad you're feeling better! :D

neenbean - I'm sorry you had to reschedule your u/s. I've been worried about having to reschedule ours due to DH's schedule. It is so hard to wait!

sare - I can't imagine how hard waiting for amnio results is. I've got my fingers and toes crossed that you hear back SOON.

ellidew - That's a great list! DH and I loved the Maclaren Techno (not carseat compatible) and the Peg Perego P3. I really like umbrella-fold strollers, and ones with large canopies that can be pulled all the way down. The Graco Safeseat or Snugride works great with the P3, as well - you don't have to get the PP infant seat.

mayham - I'm only taking the Claritin as needed. I took it three days in a row to get things back under control, and now I haven't needed it today. I really think my insane, out of control allergies led to the bad cold (or at least made me more susceptible).

lisainpink - I love that PBK bedding. DH and I seriously considered that set.

brio - I'm so glad Sarah's seizures have stopped and things are going okay!

[ellidew]

Dh and i went and started our registry last night! :D It was a lot of fun but i'm confused... how many of everything do we need? We're trying to be very practical about things since we can't afford to buy the moon and i don't want to over buy.

I registered for 6 3oz bottles and 6 9oz bottles but what's the real story on bottles? What's a good amount to have? We're going to hopefully be bf'ing but bottle feeding as well and i'll be pumping at work so that will be bottle fed.

What about crib sheets? 2? 3? 4? More?

How many hooded towels/towels?

How many sleepers/sleep saks? Sizes?

Pacifiers? We put 2 0-3mo sizes and 2 3-6 mo sizes... i'm hoping we don't need a paci after that.

Sorry for all the questions but, i have no idea what we need :p

I wish baby bargains had a break down of exactly how many of everything you need, realistically.

[Sare79]

Ellidew- there were a few good threads about this in pregnancy- people offered what they registered for:

http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=10345&highlight=register

http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=4481&highlight=register

Another good thing to look at, because i kknow you like research, is the top three lists in the 0-18 months parenting. Look at what they didn't need and what were the best things, and that should give you a clue. Most people say they wouldn't bother with registering for blankets because they always get a million..

[brio96]

Those lists that Sare linked to are a good reference and listed a lot of what you'll find as "must haves" from moms as opposed to BRU's "must have" list.

To answer ellidew specifically:

I registered for 6 3oz bottles and 6 9oz bottles but what's the real story on bottles? What's a good amount to have? We're going to hopefully be bf'ing but bottle feeding as well and i'll be pumping at work so that will be bottle fed. I think this sounds like the right number of each

What about crib sheets? 2? 3? 4? More? At least two, three is probably "better". There were nights when DD was a newborn that I could seriously go through 3 a week. One way I found to not go through so many was to lay a receiving blanket (ends tucked into the space between the mattress and crib) on the sheet and place her on that. It would often absorb enough of the mess that it wouldn't leak through to the sheet and I wouldn't have to change the whole thing

How many hooded towels/towels? 2 or 3 of the hooded ones are good. I liked the hooded variety only because it let me keep her head covered while transporting her from the bath to her room to get dressed. Skip the robes. As the baby gets older, regular towels work fine. We personally liked the baby washclothes (one package of them should work) because they were smaller than ours and it was easier to fold them when attempting to clean her smaller body

How many sleepers/sleep saks? Sizes? I'd say SEVERAL (at least 3 0-3 month and 3 3-6 month) sleepers for the beginning because you can go through many of them in one day due to diaper blowouts and spit up. You'll do a lot of laundry anyways, but it's nice to have replacements on hand at 3 in the morning. Sleep saks: we didn't really use these in the beginning because DD needed to be swaddled tightly in a blanket to sleep. Between the sleeper and the blanket wrapped around her, she was warm enough. Once she grew out of the swaddling stage (about 3 months in our case) I used the 3-6 month cotton sleep sak once. She didn't like it and screamed everytime I put her in it. That being said, I have a friend that still puts her 2.5 year old son in a sleep sak, so it seems to be child dependent. Maybe one in 0-3 and one in 3-6 in a fabric best suited for your climate???

Pacifiers? We put 2 0-3mo sizes and 2 3-6 mo sizes... i'm hoping we don't need a paci after that. Between those and the ones that you can get from the hospital, you should be okay although one more package of each probably wouldn't hurt because paci's seem to get lost more than any other object (we're still finding some from over a year ago that we thought were gone forever).

Hope that helps!

[ellidew]

Thanks, you ladies ROCK!

Sare- I am definitely a "planner". Is it that obvious? lol :D

brio- Thanks. That is a great starting point! I will add a few more pacis and maybe a couple more bottles. I will nix the sleep sak for sleepers... i already own like 6 of em. I am a self described sleeper addict :)

[bijouparvin]

Is anyone else getting a little depressed from time to time? I'm not a depressed sort of person but I get a little lonely and sad sometimes these days and I'm hoping I can just attribute it to PG hormones. Anyone?

[neenbean]

Is anyone else getting a little depressed from time to time? I'm not a depressed sort of person but I get a little lonely and sad sometimes these days and I'm hoping I can just attribute it to PG hormones. Anyone?
I have not been feeling that way with this pregnancy, but with DD, I had a LOT of moments that were lower than I normally would have. IIRC, you just moved, right? That can affect people a LOT, even if you love your new home and location. The change can add to the hormones already causing mood fluctuations. Also, if you are not around other women dealing with the same changes a pregnancy causes, this can also make you feel lonely. Having friends who you can talk to regularly about your pregnancy (and are dealing with it now, too) helps TREMENDOUSLY. Also, realizing the change a new baby is going to have on your life can be a bit traumatic and dramatic. Going out on a whim is not really possible (at least for a few months), you are going to forever be responsible for another person, your body is not your own for a while and the weight gain can really damppen one's spirits. I could go on and on, but those are all VERY legitimate reasons for feeling down and lonely.

PLEASE know you are not alone and we all go through this on some level. Right now, I am just worrying about balancing an active toddler and newborn- that is cause enough to be depressed! Fortunately, I am feeling pretty good (this week!) about things.

Good luck! (((HUGS)))

[RubberSoul]

I just wanted to drop off a belly shot comparison. I can see a difference in the pics. I can also say that I am definately feeling kicks and movement! I thought he was running laps in there this morning :).

http://images1.snapfish.com/3474489%3B4%7Ffp342%3Enu%3D3237%3E275%3E9%3C%3B%3E WSNRCG%3D323387496%3B%3B78nu0mrj

bijouparvin- I would say I feel more overwhelmed than anything else right now. I think that feeling is taking over and keeping me from feeling much of anything else at the moment. Don't forget you have plenty of people here to help you through the rough times!

I hope everyone is having a good weekend!

[brio96]

Right now, I am just worrying about balancing an active toddler and newborn- that is cause enough to be depressed!

I couldn't have put this better myself. Most days I'm really excited about having this second child and watching the relationship between DD and #2 but other days I get so overwhelmed that I feel like I can't breathe.

Is anyone else getting a little depressed from time to time? I'm not a depressed sort of person but I get a little lonely and sad sometimes these days and I'm hoping I can just attribute it to PG hormones. Anyone?

I think a lot of it does have to do with hormones but a lot of it likely can be attributed to what neenbean said. It's a very strange time in your life because while everyone else (DH included) knows your pregnant and may comment on it from time to time, you're the only one living it day to day. It's a reality for the mom in a way that it isn't for anyone else and that's a lot to deal with. I remember (with DD) feeling like I was the only person in the world somedays and there was no one I could talk to. Coupled with the fact that we had (also) moved to a new place, I didn't have any friends that were pregnant and my only resource for advice was the computer, I was definitely feeling depression for part of my pregnancy.

[Toonces]

Is anyone else getting a little depressed from time to time? I'm not a depressed sort of person but I get a little lonely and sad sometimes these days and I'm hoping I can just attribute it to PG hormones. Anyone?

Like neenbean I experienced mood swings and depression from time to time during my 1st pregnancy, but not with this one. When I was PG with my DD I almost had manic moments where I was totally excited and couldn't wait for her to arrive, to being scared to death and not knowing how on earth I was going to take care of a baby. What you're feeling is totally normal. It's also normal to feel some sadness after that baby arrives. I think something like 80% of women experience "baby blues" for 2-3 weeks after delivery. I certainly did. I remember crying many times/day after DD arrived; mostly because I missed being PG with her. I felt like she was so safe in my tummy and missed having her there.

RubberSoul ~ Great belly shots!! :)

Nothing new here... just dealing with my DD's strange eating and sleeping habits. She's been eating like a horse lately but doesn't seem to be gaining weight. She's also decided that she likes to wake up at 5-5:30am. Ugh! Maybe she's preparing us for a newborn. My big u/s is tomorrow so in less than 24 hours we'll know what we're having and I can't wait!! Other than that I had a fight with my mom, with whom I have a hate-dislike relationship and she thinks it's all love-love. In a way I'm glad b/c it gets her off my back until she calls in a few days and pretends like nothing ever happened. :rolleyes: She horned in on going to the big u/s appt tomorrow so if she calls today (hasn't since Friday) then I'm going to uninvite her. She'll find a way to ruin it for me. She can watch the video like everyone else. Anyone else have an irritating mom? It's worse for me now since I have DD. Now my mom wants to see her once/week and it's grating on my nerves.

[kadee_29]

Hi everyone. I have been lurking for a few weeks but I haven't been posting. Since I can't remember who I congratulated I am just going to say
Congratulations on your BOYS ~ ellidew, lisainpink, lisariv, Lydia, mermccau, nic, rubbersoul, scarlett74, sinclair319, citygirl and Congratulations on your GIRLS ~ Ilovemygeek, Kyrsten, katnbug, bijouparvin, Franni

We found out that we are having a boy as well. We are slowly getting used to the idea of another boy in the house. We have found a few houses that we are going to look at in the next few weeks and I have been busy packing boxes up and cleaning up our house. We also found out last weekend that our neighbor has been stealing from us. Not little stuff either. We are talking a gas grill and lawn mower. Then DH's uncle passed away so we have been busy with family stuff all week.

I hope everyone had a great weekend and can't wait to hear about all the u/s's that are scheduled for this week.

26~Calla Lily
27~catgirl1007, mayham
28~lisainpink
29~BethIrish, roberta, sare79
30~Lilla, civats

BTW...I think I have all the stats on the first page updated correctly. If not just let me know.

[CityGirl]

Just got back from a weekend with the in-laws, and am on my way to see my family, but I wanted to drop off this.

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/155832335X.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

FIL got this for DH and I REALLY want to recommend it. It's a small book, and very easy to read. It's written by Dr. Sears, and goes along with their parenting philosophies. DH has almost finished it in just the 1 hour plane ride home. It really urges fathers to just jump in and take care of their new baby, as opposed to just "helping" mom. It gives concrete examples of how to soothe, change diapers, bond, and support mom etc. I think my DH is really excited since getting his hands on the book.

[neenbean]

Anyone else have an irritating mom? It's worse for me now since I have DD. Now my mom wants to see her once/week and it's grating on my nerves.Actually, my relationship with my mother has improved since I had DD. She has advice about EVERYTHING and is very opinionated and stubborn. However, she has been less intrusive since I became a mother myself. I actually think she is surprised how relaxed I am as a parent and impressed with my reaction to difficult things. I have been known to be a bit dramatic, so my parenting skills are off character in her opinion. ;) I am just happy to not have her on my back about everything lately. :D

[Lilla]

Work has been keeping me MIA from this thread! CONGRATULATIONS to all the mommies who have had their big ultrasounds!! I can't believe we have so many boys! Time has really been flying by lately, which is good because that means that I finally have my u/s this week. I can hardly wait until Friday gets here. I feel like I've been waiting forever!! :) And since I'm feeling brave, here are a couple belly shots....any gender guesses? I was totally feeling boy from day one, but now I'm second guessing myself....

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/berlymc/Belly/10weeks_share.jpg http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/berlymc/Belly/21weeks_share.jpg

Things have been quiet on my end. We are slowly making progress on the house (landscaping and cleaning out the nursery). Hope to start painting the baby's room in the next few weeks. And once we (hopefully) find out the gender, I can get my bedding picked out for the crib. I've been feeling movement more and more consistently. The little peanut has a daily routine for sure - dinner time is the favorite time for jumping jacks, apparently.

Hope you all are doing well!

[Sinclair319]

I'm still waiting to feel kicks from the outside. Usually it feels more like he's rolling over than kicking and it tends to be when I'm walking--he's really quiet when I'm just sitting maybe a good sign for the future?!

I feel like I've really popped this last week or 10 days, so here's an updated belly shot.

4w, 10w, 18w, 21w
http://static.flickr.com/60/160871502_e049cddc58_m.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/67/174589879_d7eeba61d3_m.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/76/160871503_eff0242a41_m.jpghttp://static.flickr.com/78/174589882_bccb078002_m.jpg

And a little peek at me! And yes, that wine rack is such a tease while preg! ;)
http://static.flickr.com/58/174589880_c9d8eb5e7a.jpg?v=0

[bijouparvin]

Thank you so much for the support, neenbean[/]b, rubbersoul, brio, and catgirl. I think you're right that the move and everything that entails are a part of it. Plus, my stepmom has been really struggling with her issues about this baby and it came to the surface on the day we had our u/s, sort of tainting that fun day. I'm feeling better today for a number of reasons, so hopefully it was just a temporary dip.

kadee_29 - congrats on your [b]boy!

citygirl - Ooh! I'll definitely check that out. I've just started reading their "Baby Book" and it's really making me ponder what our best parenting style will be. One of my friends is their daughter and she's the sweetest, most sincere, calm person you could hope to meet, so I guess the Sears' are doing something right!

Lilla and Sinclair - You guys look great!

[lisainpink]

Sinclair you look precious! Where did you get that top- and are those capris maternity? If so- dish! Where'd ya get em?!

Lilla I'm going to guess boy! You look great. I hope Friday comes quickly for you.

[roberta]

kadee Congrats on your boy! Sorry you are dealing with all of this stress right now. Hope you are doing okay!

lilla I am guessing boy for you.

bijouparvin I have been surprised at some of the feeling fluctuations I have had- getting angry, sad, lonely, frustrated really quickly and with intensity. It is normal and okay, you aren't alone. Stepmother issues don't help either- I know!

So I did a regular yoga class yesterday at my new gym. It was really nice to stretch and I missed yoga so much. note to self- fewer twisting/ ab streching poses. Serious round ligament pain last night. But now I know for sure the movements that I thought were baby movements were in fact baby and not ligament/muscle pain.

annoying mom? Currently my Mom is not sure she will be able to come and visit after the baby is born/ for the holidays because of the cost. Paying for her yearly vacation to Mexico with her friends apparenty comes first, no compromise. In the next breath, she whines about how she wishes I lived closer to her. Umm, we live so far away to help provide for your future grandchild. and with the way you act sometimes, no thanks!

I definately popped and look PG instead of looking maybe fat, maybe pg. It is noticable no matter what shirt I am wearing. The cashier at Home Depot got someone to help me out to my car with heavy bags of water softner salt after she saw me turn around to face her. Very excited about the big US. I keep dreaming about it, but never find out the gender. I still think girl, but I have been second guessing myself. who knows- maybe it is a boy? I hope everyone who is finding out the gender this week has cooperative babies!

[mayham]

I have so much catching up to do in here. I'll try to visit tonight to do SO's.

In the meantime I just wanted to say HI, and that we're finding out the gender TOMORROW!!!!!!!! I hope the baby is cooperative.

What would you do?
Also, I wanted to get some feedback on what you all would do in my situation. We're definitely finding out the gender tomorrow if we're able. My family wants to know the outcome asap. My MIL does not want to know since she wants it to be a surprise. She's pretty much the only one who doesn't want to know.

I want to be really excited about the baby and whether we're having a boy or a girl, because I want to be prepared and start some shopping! I can't tell if I'm being selfish or not because I don't want to have to be careful every time I talk to DH's family, because I might slip up. I feel that would be pretty stressful over the next five months... I mean, I'm sure we could do it, but I'd just rather not. I also think that if MIL doesn't want to know, I'd rather not anyone on their side know, because someone is bound to slip, and it would just get really weird after a while making sure we weren't talking about anything specific in front of MIL. Thoughts?

[katnbug]

kadee- Congrats on another BOY!

franni- Congrats on another GIRL!

pacifiers (from a few pages back)- My DS didn't take to them at all. He used the hospital issued one, but only while in the hospital. Once we got home he never used it again. I'd say just get a couple in different styles and see what/if your DC likes before buying more.

irritating mothers- Sorry to hear your mom is being a pain catgirl. Hopefully she'll forget about inviting herself to the u/s so you don't have to deal with it.
My mom is so wishy-washy about things, I've just come to deal with it. For the first 3-4 months of my pregnancy she barely acknowledged it. One day I mentioned the baby and she looked at me like "what are you talking about" so I said "you know, I'm pregnant again... nobody seems to acknowledge it" Since then, she's always at least asked me how I was feeling when I talk to her. She loves to hang out with DS and my sister's little girl, but she doesn't go crazy about her grandkids or anything. Sometimes it's fine since she doesn't interfere much, but sometimes I'd like her to be more excited about it.
Now that I'm having a girl, I know that all of the bad things I've done/said to my mom are going to come back and bite me in the butt!!! I'm trying to be more understanding so I don't get too much of that bad karma back!!! ;)

belly shots- Love all of the belly shots ladies!!! Looking like true preggo's!! :D

***************************

Recovering from a weekend garage sale at my sister's house. It was a neighborhood thing & they're all friends so I got to raid all of their baby clothes for free!! Lots of little girls in their neighborhood, so I've now got a stock-pile of girl clothes. Plus, my sister is giving me all of her daughters clothes.
I figure if I can make DH see that I'm saving so much on clothes & he won't complain too much that the baby bedding is costing us about $450!!! :eek: Not including the guy I'm hiring to remove the old wallpaper in the soon-to-be nursery & re-paint it. I'm just lucky that we can re-use DS's nursery furniture so I don't have to spend on that.

Good luck to all of the u/s ladies this week!!
Can't wait to hear the news.

[Franni]

For ellie

What about crib sheets? 2? 3? 4? More? We have 2, but it really depends on how often you do laundry. It also depends on whether your baby poops a lot or not (DD is a non-pooper) and whether baby spit up a lot (DD never did). But 3 should be a safe number.

How many hooded towels/towels? I registered for one and got 3. I have really only used 2 at a time. One to wrap the baby in the minute she is gets out of the bath and another to do the total drying. Again, this also depends on how often you do laundry. We are generally a once-load-a-week family.

How many sleepers/sleep saks? Sizes? TONS of sleepers was my norm. DD lived in sleepers (especially the ones that opened from top to bottom, because it was easier to get her in and out.) I would 5 to a size except for 0-3 though. Because who knows how big this baby will be. Sleep sacks - I had only one/season. Since it didn't really have contact with the baby, so I treat it like a blanket and it doesn't get washed as often. Based on the temperature in your house and where you live, make sure to get the sleep sack that suits it. There are cottons ones, microfleece, etc.

Pacifiers? We put 2 0-3mo sizes and 2 3-6 mo sizes... i'm hoping we don't need a paci after that. - IMHO, hold off on the pacifiers. This is something you should really think of buying on your own. DD (after many, many tries) never took to a pacifier AT ALL. So I have 3 different kinds at home that have never touched her lips.

Bijou I go through peaks and valleys, but I don't know if it is really pregnancy related. I think it is more life-change related in my case. I know I already have DD, but this second one has made me really take a long hard look at my life and what I want to achieve. It's been a sobering thought process. Hopefully yours is just the hormones.

catgirl My whole teen life I have had MAJOR problems with my mom. I didn't really want her nearby when I gave birth, but she had to come because of some issues that need to resolved and I was the only person who could house her. Well, she turned out to be everything that I thought she wasn't. My mom was so respectful of my wishes as a parent even when she disagreed with it. It turned out to be such a bonding experience for us. I am sorry that your relationship with your mom hasn't improved any.

mayham I think that it would be nearly impossible for you to keep this information from your MIL especially if you know yourself. What would you do with your registry? Keep all your items gender-neutral. How about shower themes, nursery themes? Again, are you just going to keep it gender-neutral? Then you would have require other people to follow that protocol and not have that discussion in front of your MIL. If I were in your position, I would try my "best" to keep it a secret, but wouldn't be too crazy about it. I would still register for the things that I need, have the nursery done the way I want. If she infers that the baseball theme is for a boy, then that'll be her guess, right?

[Rancid13]

kadee29~ Congratulations on your boy !!!

sinclair319~You are quite the adorable pregnant woman, I must say!!

lilla~I'm gonna guess girl, because your belly looks similar to mine, and everyone that's guessed what I'm having has said mine looks like a girl belly. You shall hopefully find out on Friday, and me next Wednesday! :)

Annoying mom~Not at all...I feel quite blessed to have what may be the least annoying parents and in-laws ever. No complaints about anyone. Of course, FIL and MIL live in Hawaii now (we're in CA) but even when they were living within a few miles of us, there was never any sort of animosity between us and them. I'll welcome any and all visits from family during the first few years of baby's birth, I'm sure. It helps that my parents live so close~my mom has said that she's looking forward to being a full-time grandma by the time December gets here. :)

[Sinclair319]

clothes--The top in that pict is from (gasp!) Walmart! I didn't realize they had a maternity section, but found it when I walked by. The capri's are maternity capris, I swear I live in them! They're Gap, but I got them off ebay. Good luck shopping!

[Toonces]

Just a quick drive by to say I had my 20 week u/s today and everything looks great, and we're having a.... BOY!!!

I'd write more but my DD is screaming her head off. If I don't pay 152% attention to her she throws fits these days. I'll write more after DH gets home.

[Rancid13]

Congratulations on your BOY, catgirl!!!

[kadee_29]

Congratulations catgirl!!!

[ellidew]

Congrats catgirl!!

[Sinclair319]

Another boy?! Congrats, Catgirl! Can't wait to hear about your u/s!

[Toonces]

Sinclair & Lilla ~ Great belly shots! You both look so cute. I look freakin' huge, but I got huge with DD, too.

Thank you to everyone who replied about their moms. My mom and I have always had a strange relationship (she doesn't think so). I just pray that my DD and I have a much different relationship. We should since I definitely won't be divorced, dating, drinking and relying on my DD to be my best and only friend. :rolleyes:

Mayham ~ I struggled with whether I wanted people to know the sex of our baby with my first pregnancy. We ended up keeping it a secret for several weeks and then told people. It was nice for it to be something that just my DH and I shared for those few weeks. This time around I've felt completely different and we've already told everyone and their brother what we're having.

Okay... now that DH is with DD (watch out for the terrible 2's starting early - it can be a nightmare!)... the u/s went really well. Since I'll be 37 when this baby is born I had a level 2. There are no signs of any genetic abnormalities including Down Syndrome or Spina Bifida. After we found all that out I asked the doctor to go back and check and make sure it was a boy. He ended up checking 3 times. :) I wanted to make sure b/c now I need to buy a bunch of boy stuff. He pointed to the penis on the screen and said, "I don't know what that looks like to you, but that's definitely a boy organ." After that the baby peed and we could see it on the screen - typical male! ;)

Okay... now I'm off to search through the Baby Name Wizard book to figure out a name for this little guy. Thanks for the congrats and support about the mom stuff!

[mayham]

catgirl1007 - Congrats on your BOY!!!!!!!! So funny you saw his boy parts in action :) I'm like you this time, I want to tell everyone when we find out! I guess we'll just wait and see how we'll handle the situation with telling/not telling my MIL.

Franni - Thanks for your thoughts on this. You're right, I can only do so much, and I shouldn't drive myself nuts over this. I'm probably making a bigger deal out of this than I should... I blame it on pregnancy hormones :rolleyes:

katnbug - Score on all of the baby girl clothing! I think your reasoning totally makes sense... all that savings seems to warrant a lovely crib bedding set to me!

Sinclair319 - Cute preggo outfit, you look great!

Lilla - Great belly pics. My guess is girl. I feel like I've been waiting forever for the u/s too... this is our week, finally!!

[katnbug]

WOO HOO CATGIRL!!
A BOY to complete your family!! I'm very happy for you - they're a bunch of fun & not as dramatic as girls! :D Well... even little boys go through the terrible two's. (early in our case as well!! :rolleyes: )
OMG!! I never knew you could see them pee on the u/s! That's so funny & typically male!!!

[Calla Lilly]

It is a boy!!!! We stopped off and bought some cute boy's clothes on the way home! It is very exciting to know one way or the other...makes it seem more real to me. I did ask the tech several times if she was certain (catgirl-can't believe he actually peed), but I felt foolish because it was clearly a penis sticking up. I could tell what it was before she even said what we were looking at. Most likely we will stick with the name Jonathan Lee.

Congrats to everyone else too! All of the belly shots look great! It is amazing how differently everyone shows.

This past weekend I took my first prenatal yoga class. Most people were further along then me (and were doing way better in the class). There was even someone who was 39 weeks and 38 weeks pregnant!

Hope everyone is doing well! I can't believe all of the boys on here!

[kadee_29]

Congratulations Calla Lilly!!!!

[Toonces]

Congratulations on your boy, Calla Lilly!! :) I can't believe how many boys are in this thread.

[Esq.]

congrats catgirl and calla lilly! I know it has already been said, but I am just astounded at the number of boys in this thread!

[kadee_29]

If I have the numbers on the first page updated correctly, there are now 13 boys and only 5 girls. There is still time for the girls to catch up though. There are 16 in the group waiting to find out the gender.

[lawgirl4]

hi from an October 2006 mommy! I just wanted to let you guys know about a thread I started last month when the Oct. mommies were finding out the gender of our babies, entitled Post your "it's a girl/it's a boy ultrasound pics here (http://www.constantchatter.com/showthread.php?t=20433). I know it's been helpful to lots of other moms - it would be great if you guys would share your ultrasound pics there too. Thanks and congrats to all of you! :)

[katnbug]

Congrats calla lilly on your BOY!
It is true that you can really see that little penis when you know what you're looking at! Now that I've had a boy and have seen my girl on u/s - I can say that it's much easier to tell the boy parts!

[lilo]

Congrats catgirl and calla lilly on your BOYS!

Wow, 13 boys already!

calla lilly: how did you like the prenatal yoga class? I've been thinking about signing up for one but wasn't sure how hard it would be. I've taken a few yoga classes in the past but I'm not very good at it.

[Toonces]

ITA Kat. This is kind of funny in a twisted way... regarding boy & girl parts. When they did the u/s of my DD, one of the docs told me that they call the girl part a cheeseburger b/c it looks like two little buns with a piece of cheese in the middle (like I said, funny but twisted). :)

[roberta]

Catgirl and calla lilly congrats on your boys!

[bijouparvin]

Holy BOYS, Batman! Congratulations, catgirl and calla lilly! At least our girls will have plenty of cute boys to choose from! ;)

mayham - It seems a little unrealistic for your MIL to insist on not knowing when everyone else will know. FWIW, I think you should just go about your business. Don't say anything directly to her, but don't go out of your way to try to conceal it. She'll probably find out sooner rather than later but you can't modify all of your plans to cater to her desires in this case. Just my two cents.

[scarlett74]

catgirl and calla lilly, congratulations!!! :)

tummy - today for the first time a coworker said "but are you expecting?" so I thought "well, it will be 19 weeks tomorrow, I can't hide it anymore".
Then in the afternoon I said to be pg to another coworker and the comment was "what??? but you'll seem at least at the second month, you don't show it!"
... ;) !!!

[Rancid13]

tummy~I got my first pg comment from a stranger today, finally! And from the UPS guy to boot. He was delivering an Old Navy package to my office and said it was either for me...or for the baby. !! There was nothing on the packaging (I thoroughly inspected it) that indicated it had anything to do with maternity or baby stuff. :D I was thrilled that someone realized I'm not just fat of gut!

I'm gonna be brave and post my first official belly shots, taken last night at 17w4d. Apologies if the pics are large, I resized them 3 times and it doesn't seem to change a thing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/JenniferPictures010.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/JenniferPictures003.jpg

And this one is really cool and weird. Prepregnancy when I was lying on my back, no matter how poochy or flabby my abdomen was it still looked flat when lying down. Now I have a huge mound in my lower abdomen that my dr says is all uterus & baby. :)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/JenniferPictures002-1.jpg

[bijouparvin]

Scarlett - Congrats on finally showing enough to get recognized!

Rancid - You look great! I like that pic lying on your back where you can see what is "just" baby. I've always been able to do a scary/icky trick where I breathe all the air out of my lungs and then suck in my belly so all my guts go up behind my ribs and my stomach looks scary and concave. Now when I do that trick, my guts disappear but baby stays put so I can exactly where she is. Same sort of thing.

[RubberSoul]

Kadee, catgirl, and Calla Lilly- Congrats on your BOYS!!!!

I too am shocked at the amount of boys in the thread. When I had my level II the Dr. said that it seemed to go in cycles. He will see all boys for a while and then all girls. Strange isn't it.

I had my 20 week appointment today. All is well and I got to hear the heartbeat which is always cool. I have gained about 10 pounds overall and forgot to ask the doctor about my rate of weight gain. I have been concerned that I haven't gained enough, but he didn't say anything about it so I figure it is nothing to worry about. I don't have to go back for another 6 weeks because they figured it would be best for me to come back when I can do my 1 hour glucose test.

Next appt. is August 7th and I will have the 1 hr GTT

Lilla, Sinclair, and Rancid- Great belly shots. Ya'll look great!

[Sare79]

Make it 6 GIRLS!

We just found out we are having a baby girl. And we couldn't be happier. The geneticist phoned and told me that the baby is unaffected by the genetic disorder in my family and asked if we wanted to know the gender and I said yes. And she said "You're having a little girl." I just started crying and thanking her because I couldn't have prayed harder or wished for something more in my life.

[Esq.]

OMG Sarah, I am so happy for you! It is absolutely terrific that all is well with your baby girl!

[mimieliza]

Sarah! That's WONDERFUL news! Yay for your HEALTHY little girl! :D

[Calla Lilly]

Thanks everyone for the congrats!!!! Finding out the sex, has made things feel a lot more real for me (in a good way).

Sare- Congrats on the healthy little girl! That must be such a relief!

Mayham- I forgot to comment too. I agree with what bijouparvin said. I wouldn't worry too much about her finding out.

Lilo-The class was more difficult then I had expected...my prior yoga experience is probably similiar to yours. I had thought it would be an easy class, but we did do a lot of really good stretching....hurt some at the time, but I felt really good after the class. They did a good job modifying the poses, provided blankets, pillows and blocks for comfort. I think it is worth trying...I bought a package of 7 sessions.

[scarlett74]

Congratulations, Sare! That's wonderful!!

[Toonces]

Congratulations on your baby girl, Sare!! I'm glad she's healthy, too. :)

[Lilla]

I can start rounding up to 22 weeks today! ;)

Kadee, catgirl, and Calla Lilly Congrats on your little boys!! The blue is taking over in here!

Rancid I love the picture of you lying down - I'll need to try that, too. You look great!

Sare I am SO happy to hear that you have a healthy baby girl growing inside you!!! Congrats!

RubberSoul I've been wondering about the rate of weight gain as well. At 21w, I finally reached a 10 lb overall weight gain. Part of me is concerned that I haven't gained more, but then again, my OB hasn't been concerned at all. We'll see what she says this Friday. Maybe it's one of those things that just differs from woman to woman.

tummy I have yet to get any comments from strangers. I still think I'm in the stage where to a stranger, I just look a bit chunky. But from those people who know I'm pg, I keep getting comments like "Where are you hiding it?" and "Are you sure you're that far along?", etc. :rolleyes:

Not much new on my end. Wearing a new outfit today - it's nice to wear things that look cute vs. just looking frumpy these days! The pants I have on are actually white. I've NEVER dared to wear white pants before - who would have thought I'd wear them while pg to boot?! They were a great find at Motherhood. Otherwise, just antsy and waiting for Friday to get here!

[ellidew]

Congrats on your healthy baby GIRL, Sare!

Calla Lilly Congrats on your BOY!

[nic]

Sarah, Congratualtions on a healthy baby GIRL!!!!
It's about time you got your good news, you certainly had to wait long enough for it.

Ok, I've got to go back and do some updating to the thread and then I'll be back to post.

[RubberSoul]

Sare- Congratulations on your GIRL! Great to hear that she is healthy!

Lilla- I hear ya on the white pants. I never buy white pants and now I have a pair of maternity capris that are white. They are one of my favorite things to wear!

Tummy- I haven't gotten any comments from strangers. I think the clothes I wear make it hard to tell that I have a baby belly.

[kadee_29]

Congratulations Sare!! That is wonderful news.

I've been wondering about the rate of weight gain as well. At 21w, I finally reached a 10 lb overall weight gain. Part of me is concerned that I haven't gained more, but then again, my OB hasn't been concerned at all. We'll see what she says this Friday. Maybe it's one of those things that just differs from woman to woman. It is definitely something that differs from woman to woman. At my first 2 appts with the OB she stressed that I should only gain about 25 lbs because of my height and weight. As much as I don't want to admit this, at 21w I was still about 6 lbs under what I started at. I did the same thing with my other DS. (Its still weird to say that. LoL ) I only gained about 7 lbs total with him. He weighed 6lbs 13oz at birth. But a friend of mine gains at least 50-60 with each of her pregnancies. If your dr becomes concerned over too much or too little weight they will definitely let you know. Mine has yet to say anything to me other than shes happy to see that I finally stopped losing weight.

I seriously wouldn't worry about any amount of weight that you gain. This goes for everyone. As long as the baby is happy and healthy then that is all that matters.

[November06Mommies]

Updated to here

There are currently 13 BOYS and 6 GIRLS

Today's Ultrasounds- BethIrish and Roberta

[neenbean]

18 weeks today

weight gain~ I put on a lot of weight during my 2nd tri last time and my doctor expressed her concern at that point. I saw a dietician and they told me I was not doing anything really wrong and should just eat slightly smaller portions. In the end, I gained 46lbs, I think, maybe 48. A lot of that was water- I was SUPER swollen. I had lost 38 of that by the time DD was one. I would have lost more, but I wasn't really dieting and also got my BFP the next week. :D According to my home scale, I still weigh the same as I did the week I got my BFP. :) My new doc has not mentioned my weight once during this pregnancy- not how much I should or should not gain, or that I have maintained my weight. So, I agree it definitely depends on your doctor and your body.

[nic]

Rancidgreat belly shots

Rubbersoul I think 10lbs sounds wothin normal range for 20 weeks. If you average a pound a week from here on out that will put you at a 30 lb weight for your pregnancy.

I've had numbness/tinglin down my entire arm since Sunday night ans ending up in the emergency room Monday night because of it. Funny times.
Anyway, the ER doctor didn't know what was causing it and he said he'd typically either do an MRI or X-Ray but couldn't because I'm pregnant. So we pretty much went for nothing, although it did ease my mind a bit. I have a follow up appt. with my primary care physican tomorrow but I don't expect any answers from her either.

I hope everyone is doing well and I can'r wait to here from BethIrish and Roberta!

[katnbug]

Congratulations Sare on your healthy baby GIRL!!! I'm sure that wonderful news was worth the wait! :)

[Sare79]

Thanks so much everyone!

Weight gain- My doctor mentioned something at my first visit that I should try not to gain any more than I lost in the first trimester- 16 pounds. I am very overweight to begin with and I felt it was totally reasonable. I've been back twice and he hasn't said anything. I'm now up 5 pounds from the first visit.

[lilo]

Sare- Congratulations on your GIRL! I'm happy to hear that she's healthy too! :)

Tummy: Depending on what I wear, I get more and more "Congratulations" comments from people at work. It doesn't really bother me since I wear pretty fitting tops and there is an obvious 'bump' that I didn't have before. I was thin to begin with so I guess it's fairly obvious at this point. Noone has (yet) asked any rude or personal questions. I'm sure it will happen as time goes by though.

Weight Gain: I agree that it depends your doctor and you body. For me personally, I try to maintain a healthy lifestyle with exercise and eating healthy food. If I still end up gaining 40+ pounds, so be it, as long as the baby is healthy. However, I had a good reality check at my last appointment when the doctor told me how much I gained (she was as surprised as I was!) so I cut back on desserts, fried foods, fruit juice, etc. And it worked. I haven't gained any more at this point and hope to stay the same weight by the end of the 2nd trimester, which I know is possible. Typically they say that average weight women should gain about 25-35 pounds over the course of pregnancy. As someone else said though, as long as the baby is healthy, that's all that matters in the end. We have the rest of our lives to be on a diet! ;)

[mayham]

I finally had my u/s yesterday, and found out... It's a GIRL!!!!!

Yesterday was a draining day for us. We went in for the u/s appointment in the morning, and was surprised when my OB wanted to talk with us first. She had just received results from my quad screen, and I had screened positive for downs syndrome. So by the time we sat down, she had already scheduled us an appointment to meet with a genetic counselor, and to have a level II u/s done at the hospital in the afternoon.

Originally I wasn't going to have the screening done, but I did, and figured no matter the results I wouldn't get worked up about it, b/c after all, it's just the probability, not a diagnosis. Nevertheless, I spent the rest of the day in tears until the appointment. It was weird because mentally I was fine with everything, but I guess with pregnancy, all bets are off when it comes to emotion!

We had the appointments, and the doctor said he saw no markers for downs, and that everything looked fine. The u/s tech was positive we have a girl in there, but unfortunately I don't have a print out of the money shot. I kind of thought it was a boy when I saw it, but as my DH likes to point out, I'm not the expert. So I'll trust the u/s tech and start planning the nursery for our baby girl!

I'm so behind at work now so I should run, but I'll be back tomorrow for shout outs. Congrats to Sare on your girl, and Calla Lily on your boy!

[Sinclair319]

So glad to see more pink joining this thread--congrats to all the mama's expecting girls!

mayham-Hopefully your bloodwork had a false positive. I think it's great they didn't see anything on the u/s, but I'm sure it helps to know they'll do a Level II (and hey, you get to see your *daughter* again!) Congrats!

baby bump--I work at a community college and was in the bathroom today (imagine that!) One of my former students walked in and said, "Hey, how have you been?" then looked at my belly and said, "I guess I know the answer to that!" I definitely get more comments in certain outfits than others. My bbs are so big that normally shirts just hang straight down and hide my belly, but now the bump is getting as big as they are so I guess it's more obvious. :)

[RubberSoul]

mayham- Yay for a GIRL!!! Sorry to hear that you had to go through the Down Syndrome scare with your quad screen. I am happy to hear that there were no markers and that your Doctor had everything scheduled for you the same day and you didn't have to wait days to get more info.

Sinclair- you made me realize that people probably can't see my belly because my boobs still stick out further than the bump.:)

[nic]

Mayham-Congratulations on your GIRL!
I'm sorry to hear about your scare. I hope the doctor was able to ease your mind a bit after the Level II.

[lisainpink]

I just had my 20 week appnt. and we were right- it is absolutely a BOY!!! He is quite... ahem...proud of what he has;) . All is well. :D

[Rancid13]

Oh wow, lots of gender-revealing posts!

sare~Congratulations on your GIRL!!!


calla lilly~Congratulations on your BOY!!


mayham~Congratulations on your GIRL!!!


lisainpink~ Congratulations on your BOY!!


lilla and nic~ Thanks!

[roberta]

Sare Congrats on your healthy baby girl!

This totally made me tear up. I just started crying and thanking her because I couldn't have prayed harder or wished for something more in my life.

mayham Congrats on your healthy baby girl too! Sorry you had to go through the afternoon of waiting and worry.

lisainpink Congrats on your baby boy! I don't remember if you gave an update, but has your cervix problem resolved?

Sorry ladies, my US is tomorrow afternoon, not today. I must have given you the wrong date.

weight gain I have gained about 7 pounds so far. I only know what I weighed at conception because I weighed myself before and after our cruise (where we concieved) to see how much I overate! I expect the rate of weight gain to pick up.

the bump is just now sticking out farther than my giant boobs. :rolleyes:

[Rancid13]

weight gain~Per my doctor, I've gained 7lbs thus far. Per my bathroom scale (which I deem to be more accurate since I weigh myself once weekly at the same time of day each time) I've gained 3-4lbs. I'll be at 18w tomorrow. :cool:

[Toonces]

mayham ~ Congratulations on your girl!

lisainpink ~ Congratulations on your boy!

nic ~ That's scary about your arm. Which arm is it? Does it happen throughout the day? I've been waking up to find that my left arm is asleep. That usually happens when I've accidentally rolled over and slept on my back. Pregnancy does weird things to your body, doesn't it?

Weight gain ~ My pre-preg weight with my DD was 130-135, but I gained weight after our honeymoon and weighed 146 at my first pre-natal appt. One day before I delivered her I weighed 204!! :eek: I've never even been close to weighing that in my life. I did get back down to 146 after she was born. I didn't try too hard to get back to 130-135 b/c I knew we would TTC within 1-2 years. I have a feeling I'm going to gain a lot with this pregnancy, too. Seeing what everyone else has written re what they've gained, I don't even want to share how much I've gained as of my 20 week appt. My OB wasn't concerned though. I had late term (around 32 weeks) GD with my DD so he told me just to watch my sugars and carbs.

Nosebleeds ~ Has anyone else had nosebleeds? I had them with DD, but this time around they're much worse. TMI alert... I just had one that was so bad that it immediately started running out my nose and got all over my shirt. It also ended up going backwards down my throat (I know, so gross). Is there anything that can be done about this? I've never had nosebleeds in my life other than when I'm PG and it's always only my left nostril. Weird...

[neenbean]

I have a feeling I'm going to gain a lot with this pregnancy, too. Seeing what everyone else has written re what they've gained, I don't even want to share how much I've gained as of my 20 week appt. My OB wasn't concerned though. I had late term (around 32 weeks) GD with my DD so he told me just to watch my sugars and carbs.
Honestly, I weigh a LOT closer to your delivery weight normally, so please do not be ashamed of your weight gain!!! It is just what your body needs while pregnant. I am sure you look fabulous, no matter how fat you may feel. :)

Sorry to hear about your nosebleeds; unfortunately, I have no advise. What does your OB say???



Congratulations sare and mayham on your GIRLS!!!

Congratulations on your BOYS calla lilly and lisainpink!!!

nic~ I experienced a lot of numbness while pregnant with DD. I also had carpel tunnel syndrome, so that explained a lot of it. However, my feet and legs would go numb on occasion, too. Sorry to hear you are dealing with this. I hope your PCP can give you an exercise or something to find relief.




We have been so busy lately, I am rarely on line. We leave again this weekend to visit family and friends. I am so excited to see everyone!!! Most, I have not seen since either October or Decemeber. :( Anyway, I am thrilled. :D Just hoping DD behaves for the 8+ hour car ride. :)

Anyone have nice plans for this weekend?

[kadee_29]

Congratulations mayham on your little girl. I am glad that everything is ok.

Congratulations lisainpink on your little boy. Isn't it funny how even in utero they are proud of their manhood?? LOL Both my sons went spread eagle for us during our u/s's.

[mayham]

Sinclair319, Rubbersoul, nic, Rancid13, roberta, catgirl1007, neenbean, & kadee29 - thanks for the congrats! I definitely feel more at ease after the Level II. I'm so excited we're having a girl, though at the time I was also a little sad we weren't having a boy. If only I could have twins, with one of each! :D My dad is still convinced there's another baby hiding behind the one we saw... wishful thinking.

Weekend plans - not too much, just a few 4th of July BBQs, and hopefully a lot of relaxing!

Weight gain/ baby bump - I think I've gained about 9 pounds, according to my home scale. Since I still haven't gotten a visit from the boob fairy, my belly has looked popped out for a while now.

neenbean - good luck on the long car ride with DD!

catgirl1007 - ugh, those nose bleeds sound awful. Sorry I don't have any advice either, but I hope your OB can give you some tips.

lisainpink - Congrats on your baby boy!!!!!

[November06Mommies]

Updates done to here.

Baby count ~ 13 boys, 7 girls, 2 surprises, 14 still waiting
Today’s Ultrasounds ~ BethIrish, roberta, sare79
And tomorrow ~ Lilla, civats

I changed around some of the first page. I just can't leave it alone. LoL While I was doing it I realized that in about 4 weeks some of us will be starting the THIRD trimester!! :eek:

[ellidew]

When does the third trimester start?

Just wanted to announce that my sister had her baby! Audrey Marie was born at 3:45am this morning. My sister asked to be induced and went in at 8am yesterday morning. Her doctor is a moron but that's a different story. :p She weighs 6lbs 10.3 oz. Both are doing well.

Does this make sense to anyone else? I've never given birth or even been pg before this so maybe i'm missing something. First, they gave my sister 5 different due dates throughout her pg. FIVE! They ranged from 6/28 - 7/8. It's my sisters fault for not going to the doctor for months and months. So, when my sister asked her doctor to induce her because she's sick of being pg her doctor said that she would because she's worried about the baby since she's been measuring small. Now, my other sister and i think that's crazy. Is there a reason why they wouldn't leave the baby in a bit longer to get bigger? Maybe she was measuring small because her due date was a couple weeks later. They were constantly having her do stress tests and everything with the baby was always fine.

Around 32 weeks they did an u/s at the doctors office and they freaked out that the baby was only in the 10th percentile for size. So they kept her there for 5 hours freaking her out about what could be wrong and running tests and what not. The next day they sent her for a level II and that tech said that she didn't know what the doctors office was talking about because the babys size was more in the 35-40 percentile.

Maybe i'm confused but i didn't think doctors agreed to inductions unless the baby or mother are having problems or you are PASSED your due date. Like i said, i'm new to this so maybe i'm not correct.

[kadee_29]

Maybe i'm confused but i didn't think doctors agreed to inductions unless the baby or mother are having problems or you are PASSED your due date. This is correct. I haven't really discussed it with my new OB but I am sure they don't induce for no reason. It really sounds like your sister had a very cracked out dr. I can't imagine going through all your sister did. Thank goodness its over. And congrats on being an aunt.

Oh and the 3rd trimester starts at the end of week 26. Well at least thats what most books say.

[Rancid13]

nosebleeds~I haven't experienced my nose actually just up and starting bleeding on its own, but when I'm blowing my nose (I've been feeling congested the last couple weeks~gotta be pg related) I've noticed some blood on the tissue so I try not to blow my nose too often as a result.

Any plans for this weekend?We don't get Monday off for the holiday, just the regular Sat/Sun weekend and the 4th. Saturday morning I'm off to a nearby rink to see my almost-2-year-old niece's first ice skating lesson. Sunday I'll get to relax with the husband since it's the only day we have off together. Monday I'll work. And Tuesday since it's the 4th we'll likely go to a BBQ and watch fireworks at a friend's house nearby.

[bijouparvin]

What does everyone do for a living? If you're not already a SAHM or SAHW, will you continue to work after baby? Modify your schedule?

I just wonder how people make it work.

[katnbug]

Has anyone else had nosebleeds? I had them with DD, but this time around they're much worse. TMI alert... I just had one that was so bad that it immediately started running out my nose and got all over my shirt. It also ended up going backwards down my throat (I know, so gross). Is there anything that can be done about this? I've never had nosebleeds in my life other than when I'm PG and it's always only my left nostril. Weird...

catgirl- Without going back through the horror story that was my experience w/nosebleeds during pg#1, I want you to know that I totally sympathize - especially with the "going backwards down the throat.." eew.
My nosebleed episodes ended with my going to the ER & they cauterized (sp?) a blood vessel inside my nose. It sounds like you have one suspect nostril, and possible one little blood vessel that is causing all of this chaos. It may be worth a look by your dr. to see if it needs cauterization (again, sp?? I should just look this up ;)) It wasn't pleasant, but they did numb the inside of my nostril before hand so the discomfort came after the medicine wore off for the most part. Just an idea, since they sound like they're getting worse.

mayham- Congrats on your GIRL!!

lisainpink- Congrats on confirmation of your BOY!

weekend plans- Lots of July 4th activities.. our city has a festival that starts tomorrow and runs all next week. The Charlie Daniels Band is playing on Sunday night, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy on Monday night. :) I think we're going to see Charlie Daniels... can't beat a little Devil Went Down to Georgia.. it is DH's favorite song to do karaoke!! :eek: He's a country boy afterall.

My friend's twins are being baptized Saturday. Must go shopping for a gift.
Twist my arm... shopping is such a chore!

Oooh, and my bedding should ship this week!! I'm too excited to get it & get started with decorating the nursery. I'm not very excited to clean out the closet in the guest room/soon-to-be nursery! I don't know what's in there.

Are there more u/s's today?? I know Roberta's is.. Let's get some more PINK in the group!!!

[roberta]

Nosebleeds- I have had a few nosebleeds. Mostly it is just blood when I blow my nose (which I have to do often- darn allergies without meds). Yuck.

Career/job- not going to be much help but thought I share. Right now I am a SAHW, soon to be SAHM. We have always planned for me to be a SAHM after our child was born, but assumed I would work through my pregnancy. However, we just moved to a new area in May because DH got a new job with a new company. We actually found out we were pg 3 days after he moved and started his new job and the same day we sold our old house! Since we just moved and planned on SAH, I am not looking for a job. I am really lucky that we can afford to do this. Before this I worked as a case manager for developmentally disabled children.

Weekend plans- no big plans since we are in a new city. Most people we know here are going out of town and one couple is moving. Our neighbors just moved here from CA, so we are going to BBQ with them. DH wants to do some landscaping, I want to start on baby stuff. We agreed to do a little bit of both (if the weather holds). I think he will be really excited about the baby stuff after our US this afternoon.

[nic]

Good morning~

catgirl- It's my right arm that's numb. I just got bacl from my PCP and she said that it's either a pinched nerve or carpel tunnel but she couldn't say for sure without doing an MRI or X-Ray. She gave me a splint to wear though.

I'm sorry to hear about your nosebleeds-that doesn't sound fun.
Don't worry to much about weight gain, everyone is different. I've gained about 6 1/2 pounds so far but I weighed 20 pounds more than you to begin with so I'm sure you still weigh a ton less than me;). I'm really hoping to stay in 20 pound weight gain range, we'll see.

ellidew- I thiink most doctors only induce for medical reasons or if you're overdue but I have heard of some doctor's doing it if a woman if close enough to her due date. I do think it's strange that they;d induce her if they thought the baby wason the small side though, very weird.

Weekend plans Saturday I'm going for a Mani/Pedi and eyebrow wax, I can't wait. We've got a couple of BBQ's to go to but that's about it. We took Monday off so we'll have a nice long weekend.

Roberta- Good luck today

OK, this registry business is difficult, Who knew I'd be up at night trying to decide betwwen the Ocean Wonders and Papasan bouncy chair!

[bijouparvin]

roberta - Thanks for responding! Good luck on your U/S this afternoon. Can't wait to hear the results!

[RubberSoul]

nosebleeds- no nosebleeds here. I hope those that are dealing with them find relief soon!

weekend plans- My Dad and Stepmom invited me to go to the mountains with them this weekend. They own a house up there. However, my stepmom will not allow me to bring my dog, but she takes her cats :rolleyes:. So, I probably won't go since I don't feel like dealing with the hassle of finding someone to watch my dog. Most likely I will end up hanging around the house contemplating working on the yard.

working after baby- I am an HR Administrator for a video game developer. I am going to take about 12 weeks off and then come back to work. If I didn't work it would cut our income in half and we have gotten very comfy with our two incomes. Right now I am the bread-winner. Cutting it down to one would be a struggle. However, DH and I have discussed him not working for a while if he can't find a job around here after the baby gets here. Him working in Canada while I work and take care of a baby is not going to happen. If we buckle down and save as much as possible between now and then we can probably swing it on my income alone for a little while. In an ideal world I would take a year off to stay home, but I just don't think it can happen. Plus I have a lot of concerns about getting off the career train and then trying to jump back on. I have worked hard to get where I am at my current company and I worry about having to start all over again if I stop working for a while. The industry I work in has very few females and gaining respect is difficult to do. It has taken me four years to make it this far. So, that was a very long answer to your question bijouparvin, but that is where I stand right now :).

[ellidew]

working after baby: I'll be coming back to work after 6-8 weeks. However, i work Monday-Thursday for 9 hours a day and 4 hours on Friday. I hope to cut out Friday entirely and just work 36 hours. Shh, don't tell dh. :D I just don't see the point in dropping our ds off for day care or what not just to come into work for 4 hours and pump breast milk. I'd just assume stay home.

nosebleeds: Nothing major. I've noticed some blood when i've blown my nose from time to time but that's about it.

weekend plans: No plans really. We were going to go sailing on Saturday and watch fireworks but our friends cancelled so now we are deciding if we want to go or not. It's an hour and a half there and back and we can't leave the dog alone for too too long and unfortunately dogs aren't allowed at the sail club. I'm leaving the decision up to dh. Otherwise dh's cousin and his wife and son are in town for the weekend and they are staking out prime seating for our downtown fireworks. We might just go down there for those. Other than that we are installing or at least attempting to install a drop ceiling in our basement. Wish us luck! ;)

nic - I hear ya! We started our registry last weekend and then Monday at work i used the BRU checklist they gave us when we started our registry and i crossed off all the things we don't really need, checked off the things we already have enough of or that we registered for. Now when we go back all we have to do is fill in the blanks using the checklist. The first time out registering i was seriously lost! good luck with it!

Can you use lubricant while pg? Things are a little dry, is that normal?

Can i take anything for constipation? Though i had this problem yesterday and it seems to be mostly gone today so i'm probably asking this question a day late. I instead just suffered through it yesterday. I'm such an idiot!

Really low pain... I've been getting a pain really low down in the vaginal area. Any ideas? It kind of comes and goes and just feels like a strain or a spikey pain that only lasts a few seconds maybe a minute until i adjust. Anyone else with this? Know what it is? Could it just be the baby sitting funny and pressing on a nerve or something?

Sorry for all the questions. It seems like we all had a lot of questions at once!

[Rancid13]

working after baby~I plan on taking 6-8 weeks off for the birth and postpartum, but am definitely going to be working if not full time, than at least a bit more than part time. We're a 2-income family living in a very expensive part of the country (Orange County, CA) and wouldn't be able to afford our mortgage and bills without both our incomes. We love it here and have lived in the area all our lives, so we wouldn't consider moving elsewhere. :)

My mom has said she would like to be a full time grandma now that the school she was teaching at has officially closed as of the end of this summer, and she lives a couple of miles from where I work (actually she lives right smack in between where we live and where I work, so it's very convenient).

I also work in a very small real estate office (4 full time employees including myself) and both of my bosses and my coworker have said it wouldn't be a problem for me to bring the baby (if I wanted to) to the office for the first few months to the first year or so because we have an extra suite in our office that's not being used at all.

Can you use lubricant while pg?I'm pretty sure it's ok. I use a water-based lube we got at a nearby Condom Revolution store that's supposed to mimic the natural lubrication made by the female body. It feels very silky as opposed to slippery, and both DH and I give it a big thumbs-up. It's called Pur Eros and can be ordered from their website www.conrev.com if you can't find it locally.

I found this phrase "A water-based lubricant may be used during intercourse if necessary" here:
http://www.webmd.com/content/article/51/40796.htm

[ellidew]

Stupid internet! I was dumb and went searching for something to explain my 'symptom' of a small pain that kind of comes and goes every so often and being 'dry'. Yeah, that wasn't smart since i didn't like what i read. So, i called the doctors office and spoke to the woman that handles pregnancy questions. She is going to talk to the doctor but said i could come in today for an appt but i can't really get out of the office today so i took a 9:15 appt in the morning and said that if the doctor thinks it's something to look at right away that i will make sure i get in there today! She's going to call me back later.

I was totally calm about it until i looked online. I should be banned from self diagnosis! lol.

Typically i just suffer through things like yesterdays constipation (though i've been informed i can take metamucil or citracel to relieve that in the future). That's really when this pain started so i don't know if it's just a risidual or what but i freaked myself out. Someone should really come to my office and smack me! :D

[nic]

Job- I work as a legal assistant for a state agency and I plan to take 12-14 weeks off after the baby arrives. I wish I could go back to work part time but I don't see that happening. We actually have to get on the ball about looking for daycare. Alot of daycares in the area have a lengthy waiting list.

Nosebleed- Just one and it was pretty mild.

ellidew, take care of youself and stay off the internet!

[Franni]

working post partum With DD, I took almost 3 months off. I returned to working full time after that. I think I will have even less time off with the 2nd one since I have switched jobs. Right now, my salary is better than DH's so in that sense, I am the breadwinner. I work as a PM and used to do theatre every other moment I could spare. Now all I could really manage is my full time job. Theatre and performing is on hold until the babies are bigger, I guess. I would very much like to be a SAHM, but I don't think that's in the cards.

constipation You could take colace for it, especially if you get it often. I have been taking the target brand colace semi-regularly since the start of this pg since I have had such a difficult time with constipation the last time. TMI Alert It was so bad that I developed hemorrhroids that required minor surgery to take care of. So a constipation can get really serious.

[bijouparvin]

Franni - Do you mean you are a Production Manager for a theatre company or does PM mean something else? I didn't realize there were other theatre pros in our group! My DH is a production associate (basically similar duties to a PM) for an upcoming B'way show. I've also put performing on hold while trying to pay the bills and now that I'll be getting bigger, I wouldn't be castable anyway.

[Sare79]

Here's a pic from this morning's ultrasound:

http://images1.snapfish.com/347483%3B87%7Ffp342%3Enu%3D324%3A%3E8%3A8%3E659%3E WSNRCG%3D323387%3B354535nu0mrj
It's just a profile of her little face. :)

They said she is healthy and a feisty little jumping bean. She did something that looked a bit like a somersault while they were measuring her and she had a good heartbeat- 133. She's now only measuring 3 days smaller, so she's growing a bit more! YAY!

Noesbleeds- I've always had nosebleeds when the weather changes but these are particularily bad lately. On top of that I've had a cold for a week so I blow mu nose every 5 minutes.

Working after baby comes- Here in Canada, we get one year of maternity leave paid at 55% of our wage. On top of this I get an additional 30% paid by my employer, so I will be receiving 85% of my pay while off for the year. My hope is that I can job share when I go back to work after that year, however, I am unsure if my employer will be able to accomodate this.

I work for the Provincial Film Commission doing their accounting and Community Affairs (which really means if someone is angry that their neighbour is getting paid to have his house filmed and they aren't, that I field the call, calm him down and see if we can get some sort of compensation for his azalea bush to be in a film. :rolleyes: )

[mimieliza]

career - Right now I'm a social worker - I do community support services for adults with severe mental illness. But Friday is my last day at this job. Next week I'll be starting my new, part-time job as the Executive Director of a community orchestra and youth music program. When I have the baby, I will take 6-8 weeks off, and then I'll be bringing the baby in to work with me. I also play the French horn, and now that I'm not working full time, I'll be doing more of that. I play in the orchestra, sub with a few other groups, play some weddings, and will be playing in a chamber music series.

[mermccau]

Not much new here - feeling pretty damn good - I almost forget that I am pregnant sometimes.

One symptom I have is larger breasts. I have always had a rack but now I am down right voluptous! Those boob job girls have nothing on me. I keep going up to my husband and saying, "are these fabulous or what?!??!" I am obsessed with my own cleavage. I think it is a bit weird that I love my chest my than my husband does! ;)

Oh, and I swear, I am not vain :D

~~~~~


What does everyone do for a living? Will you continue to work after baby?
I actually have three jobs right now. I work full time in HR at an office, part time at a medical building and I have my own little business. My husband has a similar schedule (full time job, part time firefighter, picks up contracting side work). Obviously, our schedules are going to have to change and we are going to have to figure that out. We are a good team so I think things will be fine. We are both going to work full time after the baby comes, I strongly assume. My husband is lined up for a new job that has weird, rotating shifts so that may be a good thing or a bad thing (He will be around days for periods of time, but I will not see much of him). My company is pretty cool so I can probably set up flex time or something like that. My mom is going to be day care when the baby is born and she lives about 10 minutes from my work so I can go there at lunch and visit Connor.

I do not think that staying at home and losing an income is doable for us. We are on the verge of buying a house and our mortgage payment is going to go up a good chunk. Also, I need a new car. The 15 year old clunker is a great car but I would not feel 100% safe driving a baby around in it. I also have the same concerns as Rubbersoul in regards to “getting off the career train”.

~~~~~

Franni – good advice about sipping right after feeding. How long does it take for it not to affect the baby?

Ellidew – wasn’t registering overwhelming? I am happy that I can go back online and adjust things. It was just too much to think about all at once. Congrats for your sister but the poor thing! Her doctor must have been driving her crazy!!

Bijouparvin – how are you feeling? I forget – are you having a girl or a boy?

Rubbersoul – you look great! Regarding your comment about not gaining enough weight – I have gained about 8 lbs and am at 20 weeks. My dr was happy with that.

Catgirl – sounds like your daughter is preparing for a growth spurt with all that eating :) You had me cracking up about the dr saying, “I do not know what that looks like to you…” and the fact that you could see him peeing! Bwahahaha!

Kadee – that is horrible news. What are you going to do about your thieving neighbor?

Lilla – I am guessing girl :)

Rancid – I forget, do you know what you are having because I think that looks like a boy belly! Looks like we are in the same boat in regards to our moms being full time grandmas. Can I ask you a personal question? Are you going to pay your mom? My mom wont take money but I feel like I am imposing otherwise. We were thinking of starting a savings account for the baby and then “pretend” to pay my mom (put it into savings). What are you going to do?

Sinclair – you look fantastic! That Walmart shirt is adorable. :D

Mayham – my thoughts on your MIL? Well, last time we all checked, your friggin MIL was not having the baby! It is not her call at all and not your problem. If it slips, it slips. This situation is not supposed to move around what she wants. Jeesh, she has some nerve.

Nic – enjoy your mani/pedi. I am so jealous! :D

Sare – but I am more jealous of your maternity leave!!

Congrats on your boy, Kadee and Catgirl and Calla Lilly and Lisainpink!

Congrats on your girl, Sare (great u/s pic!) and Mayham!!

[Rancid13]

Rancid – I forget, do you know what you are having because I think that looks like a boy belly! Looks like we are in the same boat in regards to our moms being full time grandmas. Can I ask you a personal question? Are you going to pay your mom? My mom wont take money but I feel like I am imposing otherwise. We were thinking of starting a savings account for the baby and then “pretend” to pay my mom (put it into savings). What are you going to do?


We don't know yet. We're hoping for a girl, but our big u/s is next Wednesday, so hopefully we'll find out then. We can't wait!! I'll be sure to report on here as soon as I can get to a computer.

I don't think I'm going to pay my mom, but we haven't talked about that yet. She already helps take care of my brother and his wife's toddler free of charge quite a bit of the time (but then they also live at my parents' house). I have a feeling if I do bring it up to her, she'll just wave me away the same way she does when we all go out to dinner and I ask how much we owe for our portion. Besides, she's the one who offered to watch our little one when we first announced we were expecting, we didn't even bring it up in the first place, and she's so excited about it to boot (and it will help us out a lot), so it works for us if it works for her. :)

[Sinclair319]

sare--I'm also jealous of your maternity leave--that's awesome! Makes me wish I lived in Canada!

job-I have a master's in social worker and work at a community college with our at-risk student population. I've been here for 5 years and love it! I'm going to take off until Feb 5th (hoping the little one comes a couple weeks early for an even longer time!) then I'll work Mon, Wed, Thurs in Feb and come back full-time in March. We're also a two-income family and I really do enjoy my job--I'm sure that'll change once Corbin is here though.

daycare-We have daycare arranged, some places in this area have close to a year waiting list, so I'm glad we called early. It's not cheap--$230 a week! :eek: But it's a really good daycare compared to some cheaper so-so ones. Plus it's right in between home and work.

weekend plans-not really sure. In the summers we only work Mon-Thurs (which is great for hitting garage sales Friday mornings!) and I'm taking Monday off and Tues is a holiday, so I have a 5 day weekend staring me in the face! I really wish my bedding was here so I could pick out paint colors and start on the nursery, but I guess I'll just have to wait.

[Toonces]

neenbean ~ I hope I didn't offend anyone. Your post didn't sound like I did, I just mean in general. I wasn't ashamed of the weight of 204, I was ashamed that I had gained around 65 lbs. That's such a huge amount. I guess I'll fess up... I've already gained 30 lbs. with this one. I was down 14 from m/s and am now up 30 from that.

kat ~ The cauterization you went through sounds awful/icky! It's good they numbed that nostril. I haven't mentioned it to my OB but I will at my next appt. Sounds like it's something along the lines that you had. Must be a baby boy thing... :)

nic ~ I've heard that carpal tunnel can flare up when you're PG. I hope the numbness goes away soon.

Constipation ~ I didn't have this with my DD but have it BIG time now. TMI alert... last week I felt like I had to go but had such a hard time... ahem... completing the task. Yowsers! It hurt like giving birth! Well, probably not that bad, but it freakin' hurt. Now I'm afraid when I have to go. I think I need to drink more water.

Vaginal pain ~ I had this 1-2 weeks ago for 4-5 days. It'd come on so quickly it made me want to grab down there. It felt like nerves or something. I chalked it up to a weird pregnancy ailment. I haven't had it since.

[Rancid13]

sare--I'm also jealous of your maternity leave--that's awesome! Makes me wish I lived in Canada!

I'm jealous too!! :o

[roberta]

quick drive by post... We are having a boy! The tech was looking and asked if we saw anything. I said, "I think I see boy parts!" (thank you ultrrasound thread!) She confirmed it is indeed a boy. The heart rate was 136 and I am still measuring a least a week ahead. My due date has changed to November 20th Apparently there are like three due dates on my chart. This is the one in the middle. It is subject to change again when I see my midwife next week. I also have placenta previa, hopefully it moves outta the way. be back tomorrow with US pics.

[kadee_29]

Congratulations roberta!!!

[katnbug]

Congratulations roberta on your BOY!

[Franni]

Bijouparvin I am actually a Project manager. A great job to pay all my bills and then some. DH is a film editor and finally has found something in his field that pays him ok (not well, but a decent wage). Like you, performing is on hold but I am afraid of a long term hold (as the other mommies-to-be have said about "falling off" the career track) that it'll be too hard to go out there again. I have tried to practice often (singing mostly~2-3 x/week), but other than that, performing has not happened since the birth of DD. My own nagging question is how to handle the non-traditional schedule if I do go back to performing with a nursing baby and a toddler. Yeah...guilt-galore.

roberta Congratulations on the boy. You and I are on the same boat. It seems like every time I show up at the doctor's, they have a new due date for me. The last one that they were using didn't match up at all with my ovulation. So my attitude has been that this baby will show up when she wants.

mermccau I think it takes 2-3 hours for the alcohol to work itself out of your system. I try to down a couple of glasses of water after imbibing to get the alcohol out sooner. Not scientific at all, but I always seem to get over the drunk feeling faster when I have gone to the bathroom a couple of times.

sare I have been jealous since my last pg of the wonderful maternity leave that Canada has. Too bad that just does not apply in the US.

[BethIrish]

Hi Ladies!

I had my U/S yesterday -everything looks great! We are staying in the surprise category :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!

[Rancid13]

Congratulations on your BOY roberta!!

Glad to hear that your u/s went well, bethirish! :)

[nic]

Roberta- Congratulations on your BOY

Catgirl- try not to get too down on yourself about the weight gain. Everyone's body is different, I'm sure you'll be back to your pre-pregnancy size in no time.

BethIrish- Glad to hear the little one looks good.

I just got back from meeting DH at Fuddruckers for lunch (I've never been). We had a yummy lunch and then played video games ( yup we're both in our 30's but we sure don't act like it) for a couple minutes before heading back to work.

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!!

[Rancid13]

I just got back from meeting DH at Fuddruckers for lunch (I've never been). We had a yummy lunch and then played video games ( yup we're both in our 30's but we sure don't act like it) for a couple minutes before heading back to work.

I hope everyone has a great 4th of July!!

I recently ate at Fuddrucker's for the first time ever, it was pretty good! I had a turkey burger~I think the thing was 1/3 lb!! SO yummy though. :)

My best girlfriend and I love going to Dave & Busters (for those who don't know, it's basically an arcade for adults complete with appetizers and alcohol) and play video games for hours. Lucky for us, our 10-year HS reunion in August is being held at a D&B's. :D

[RubberSoul]

roberta- Congrats on your little BOY!!!

BethIrish- Happy to hear that your u/s went well. I admire your ability to wait until the birth to find out the gender...don't know how you do it!

Questions for RO's- Baby Bargains says to go ahead and stock up on diapers ahead of time. They say to buy about 600. So, I was wondering if you agree with this since you have done this before. If we should stock up is it best to buy mostly the Newborn size and then a package of size one's? I would be getting them at BJ's, so it would be the economy size packages. I am just worried that the baby would outgrow the newborn size if he is big when he is born. Thoughts?

mermccau- you are cracking me up with you boob fascination. My boobs have gotten larger too and I really didn't want them to. I tried on my bathing suit last night to see if the top would fit - I'll just say that it was a struggle to cover the nipples and leave it at that.

weekend plans- my best friend is home from Spain! So, I am going to go visit her and her parents. Her family is pretty much my family too. We have known each other since we were 6 years old :). Her parents are just as excited about the baby as mine are!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I ordered a Dutailer today and can't believe I spent so much money! The chair and ottoman cost almost as much as my crib and dresser combined! I have tried to justify it by telling myself we will use it in the living room when it isn't needed in Ian's room anymore.

I can tell already that I am going to be spending more money on Ian than on me from now on. My justification for spending the money - it's for our son! I can now see how it was easy for my Dad to spoil me as a kid. My mom would ask him why he bought me something - his reply "she wanted it."

Have a great 4th everyone!

[Sare79]

Did I mention we decided on a name for our little girl?

We're calling her Carys Kendra P.

[ellidew]

My mom would ask him why he bought me something - his reply "she wanted it."

HA! lol. My dad was similar. My mom always wondered why it seemed like he always brought us home from formal dress shopping in highschool with what seemed to be the most expensive dress in the store. His reply 'It was the best one on her! I didn't even look at the price tag!' My dad was the best!

Diapers: I'm not an RO so they will know better but i've read to buy 1 package of newborn size and a couple packages of size 1 just to get a leg up. We'll be buying ours at Sams Club, i've heard they have the best pricing?

Happy Independence Day!!

[ellidew]

Cute Name Sare! We've narrowed our selection down to two but i can't put them on here because i've promised dh it is a secret between us and i know some people irl that read this thread. :)

[kadee_29]

Diapers ~ I think newborn sizes go up to 12 lbs. I honestly would only buy one or two packages to get started until the baby comes and you know how big the baby is. I will also suggest buying more than one brand as odd as it sounds. My dd couldn't wear pampers because they would break her out so she wore huggies. We started with huggies for ds and he kept leaking all over so we went to pampers. I am probably the only one with odd children like this but just so everyone knows that is does happen. As for the size ones I would buy a pretty good amount of those. My son stayed in those for what seemed like forever. He is now 2 and still only in a size 4.

Names ~ I have noticed in a few different posts that the name of the baby has been slipped in. I do love all the names I am seeing though. I think I am the only one who has yet to come up with a name. DH and I just can't decide on anything.

[Lilla]

Just checking in very quickly before going out for a celebratory dinner.....

Ultrasound today was GREAT. Everything looks perfect with the baby, thankfully. And we found out that we are having a GIRL!!!!! We are thrilled beyond belief and feel so very blessed. :D

I'll come back and post some u/s pics once I get them scanned in this weekend.

[kadee_29]

Congratulations Lilla!!!

[RubberSoul]

kadee and ellidew- thanks for the input on the diapers. Makes sense to not go overboard before we know how big he is going to be.

Lilla- Congrats on your GIRL!!!

Sare- I like the name you have picked!

[Sare79]

Congrarulations Lilla!

[Toonces]

Roberta ~ Congratulations on finding out about your baby boy!!

BethIrish ~ Glad to hear the u/s went well!

RubberSoul ~ You'll be so glad you invested in the Dutalier. I absolutely love mine and used it a lot when my DD was a newborn. There were many nights that I fell asleep in it while I was holding her.

Lilla ~ Congratulations on finding out about your baby girl!!

Diapers ~ Baby Bargains recommends buying 600?? :eek: That's a lot. We buy boxes of 72 or 100 now and they last for 2-3 weeks (I think). Newborns do need more diaper changes - approx 8-12/day. I'd recommend buying one package of size 1 and if your baby is smaller at birth, your DH can always run out and pick up a package of newborn size.

Names ~ If you're having a hard time choosing a name for your baby, check out The Baby Name Wizard book by Laura Wattenberg. There's even a thread about it on the CC. Basically you look up names you like and it recommends other girl and boy names that you might like, or that go along with the "type" of name you're thinking of. It's very helpful and the best name book I've seen (I have about 4-5 of them). You can probably check it out of the library, or check out the CC thread. We looked up our DD's name and that's how we arrived at our new baby's name.

[Rancid13]

Congratulations on your GIRL Lilla!!

Another point for team pink!

[brio96]

Diapers 600 Diapers??? That does seem like a lot! I agree with the other RO's on not stocking up on that many until you know how big your baby is. We had a fair amount of the size one and newborn diapers but didn't even start using them until was about 1 month because she was in preemie diapers.

One note about prices...Sam's Club, Costco and the other similar places have great prices and we do generally buy our diapers there (about $30 for 142) but occasionally BRU will have a $5 off coupon that will make it even cheaper than buying at those places. Those bulk stores are great for getting formula and wipes though..much cheaper than the grocery store.

I agree with kadee about the different brands. Regular Huggies didn't work for DD but Pampers do. BUT, ine beginning, the Huggies Preemie ones were the only thing we felt really fit her.

[neenbean]

diapers~ DD was 8lbs 4ozs, 21 3/4 inches when she came home from the hospital and NEVER fit into newborn diapers. I think buying a pack or 3 of size ones is REALLY helpful and maybe only one pack of newborn size. Also, you may find that one brand fits better than others. When DD was small, we tried EVERY SINGLE brand sold in our area- like 10 different types of diapers- to find the ones that work best on her. Today, we use Huggies Supreme, but are probably switching back to Pampers First Steps this week because they just fit better right now. Hope that helps. :D

[neenbean]

One note about prices...Sam's Club, Costco and the other similar places have great prices and we do generally buy our diapers there (about $30 for 142) but occasionally BRU will have a $5 off coupon that will make it even cheaper than buying at those places. Those bulk stores are great for getting formula and wipes though..much cheaper than the grocery store.
Ditto! EXACTLY!!!! We always bought our formula at BJ's and diapers when there was no sale anywhere else. Though we got our wipes at the supermarket because I actually like the store brand. Who knew?:o Seriously, shop around! You may like one brand better than another, so be open.

[katnbug]

Sare- I love the name for your little girl. Does it have any family history behind it?

We looked up our DD's name and that's how we arrived at our new baby's name.

So? Are you going to share catgirl??? Or be a tease about it? :D

Congrats on your GIRL Lilla!
********************

I think I've overslept the past few days. We went to bed at 9:00 on Friday night, and last night I was putting DS to bed and laid down with him... fell asleep around 9:00 again!! I'm so tired today & I've got to clean the house because we're having guests over this afternoon. Sigh... no energy.

[Esq.]

Congrats to all of those who found out what they are having, and to those who are keeping it a surprise but found out that everything looked great at the ultrasound!

Since we are revealing names...our daughter's name will be:

Anabella Sophie Layne (three names is a tradition in my family). Her nickname will be Ella.

[Toonces]

So? Are you going to share catgirl??? Or be a tease about it? :D

I must be brain dead. I thought I typed it in that post. Anyway... it's Devin Patrick.

kat ~ Did you happen to notice on the FP Stand and Ride if the front seat reclines at all? It didn't seem like the Joovy did and we didn't like that b/c a little one wouldn't be very comfortable. The Baby Trends one does have a front reclining seat. I can't find many pics of the FP online and haven't seen it in stores. TIA!

I think DD is weaning. She was a nurse-aholic up until a few days ago. Last night was the first night in her life that she STTN (we co-sleep and she usually nurses 4-5 times/night). She hasn't nursed since 8pm last night when she went to sleep and it's now 11:15am. We'll see what happens going forward but I think my colostrum came in for the new baby and she doesn't care for it very much. I have mixed feelings about it - glad she's not doing it a million times/day, but am slightly saddened b/c she's becoming a "big girl".

ETA: Kyrsten ~ That's a beautiful name!!

[Sare79]

Sare- I love the name for your little girl. Does it have any family history behind it?


Nothing special. Joel really likes the name Kyra, and unfortunately, he named his beautiful dog Kyra just 3 years ago. We were trying to come up with something close, and I remembered one of the dj's on the radio here has that name. I kept listening to how she said her name and loved it. She uses the Greek spelling, Charis, which I thought might get a lot of misspelling and mispronunciation and discovered the Welsh spelling. My FIL is Welsh and so it really fit. Joel has taken to calling my belly (and the little girl inside) Care-Bear, which is appropriate and sweet since he often calls me Sare-Bear. :)

[scarlett74]

Congratulations Roberta and Lilla for discovering your baby’s sex!

Will you use a “crib-reducer” like that:
http://www.babyma.it/piccoletto/giulia.jpg
We’ll take it because the baby will sleep in the crib from the first days.

[Franni]

scarlett I have never seen that before but it looks a lot like the bassinet attachment to the pack 'n plays. Just a quick note....are items like these returnable where you are? Because like you, I had intended for DD to sleep in her crib from the time that she came home, but after two days, she refused to. She slept in the swing until she was 6 months and by then, we couldn't use the bassinet feature anymore.

catgirl I like your choice of boy's name. I actually like the name Devin for a girl too. Hmmmm.....makes me think.

diapers I think I only bought a small pack of newborns and moved to size ones right away. DD was born 7 lbs. For those really looking for savings, I like Target brand diapers and they have worked perfectly for DD. There are different tiers to the diapers, but we buy the premium brand and even that is still cheaper than Pampers or huggies even with a coupon.

[lilo]

Congrats Roberta on your boy!

And congrats Lilla on your girl!

Everyone's names are very pretty. We have a few in mind but since you never know who is reading this IRL, we're going to keep it a secret. :)


And thanks to the ROs for all the useful information on diapers. That's a great idea on trying a few different brands. I didn't even think of that. A lot of mommies on CC seem to like Pampers (I think) but I'm sure each child is different.

[mimieliza]

I had my last day at work on Friday. It was a good day. Earlier that week, my co-workers had taken me out to dinner, and everyone in the office (some 30+ people) had signed cards for me - one for the baby and one for my new job. It was very sweet. I start my new, part-time job on Wednesday.

We went to Portland this weekend, but are back already because DH has to work today. We spent a lot of time shopping for a rocker/recliner in Portland, and ended up choosing the one we picked out months ago.

We chose this chair:
http://www.bestchairs.com/bcassets/prodimages/5MW35.jpg

in this fabric - a taupe, velvety fabric:
http://www.bestchairs.com/bcassets/prodimages/3147_24119.jpg

We registered at BRU, as well, which was fun. We've picked out a carseat and umbrella stroller at Target (the Graco Safeseat and Mosaic stroller - we really liked the Mosaic when we tried it out in person, and the price is great). I still need to figure some things out. Like bottles - my mother reminded me that even though I'm breastfeeding, I'll need something to put the pumped milk into. And a monitor - there's a million different ones.

Baby is moving and grooving all the time now. I feel it very low, which makes me think he/she's breech. I think that's normal for this stage (21 weeks). We have our BIG u/s on Wednesday - I'll be almost 22 weeks. I've just started to get a little nervous, because of course the whole point of the u/s is not the gender, but to find out if everything is healthy and developing normally. I had kind of put that out of my mind, but now I've started thinking about it. It will be so exciting to see our baby, and I just hope he or she is healthy and thriving.

We MAY have girl and boy names picked out - we've gone through quite a few changes of opinion over the past few months. We discussed it all the way to and from Portland in the car. We poured over the Baby Name Wizard book, and did some negotiating. We need to sit with the names for awhile and see what we think before making a decision.

scarlett - We are using the Arm's Reach Co-Sleeper (http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2401894&cp=&fbn=Brand+Name+Secondary%7CArm%27s+Reach+Concepts&f=Taxonomy%2FTRUS%2F2255957&f=PAD%2FBrand+Name+Secondary%2FArm%27s+Reach+Conce pts&fbc=1&parentPage=search). It attaches to the side of the bed so you can reach the baby easily at night. I've never seen anything like the crib reducer - that looks very neat.

krysten - Your daughter's name is beautiful!

lilla - Congratulations on your GIRL!

sare - I love your daughter's name - Carys is a lovely first name.

RubberSoul - I ordered a Dutailer today and can't believe I spent so much money! The chair and ottoman cost almost as much as my crib and dresser combined! I have tried to justify it by telling myself we will use it in the living room when it isn't needed in Ian's room anymore.

Yes, our recliner is costing exactly what we paid for the crib and dresser. We have never spent this much on furniture in our lives. We're futon and hand-me-down type people! But I can't even imagine how much we are going to love this chair. It's going in the living room, and I plan to be in it all. the. time. for the first few months. :)

BethIrish - Congratulations on the healthy and happy SURPRISE baby!

Roberta - Yay for your little BOY!

[mimieliza]

Diaper Bags -
I found an AMAZING diaper bag this weekend - the LOOM Marsupial:
http://www.loomlife.com/images/collection/marsupial/mars_left.jpg
It is gorgeous IRL, and looks very convenient.

[scarlett74]

Franni and Mimieliza, thabk you for your suggestions.
I'll ask if it is returnable!

[Rancid13]

Baby is moving and grooving all the time now. I feel it very low, which makes me think he/she's breech. I think that's normal for this stage (21 weeks). We have our BIG u/s on Wednesday - I'll be almost 22 weeks. I've just started to get a little nervous, because of course the whole point of the u/s is not the gender, but to find out if everything is healthy and developing normally. I had kind of put that out of my mind, but now I've started thinking about it. It will be so exciting to see our baby, and I just hope he or she is healthy and thriving.


ITA with you on that~our big u/s is on Weds too, I'll be a day shy of 19 weeks at the time. I've been so excited since I made the appt 2 weeks ago, but now that it's getting so close, that excitement is kinda turning into a nervous anxiety. I'm sure all will be well with both your and my babies, but I know DH was disappointed when I decided against the AFP screening a couple weeks back. I think it will be so awesome to see the baby, so far we've just heard the heartbeat and even that was enough to bring both of us to tears. I can only imagine what Wednesday's appt will bring. :cool:

That recliner looks so comfy! Over the weekend DH and I stopped by Burlington Coat Factory~they have an enormous baby/kids section!! We were playing with strollers, checking out pack n plays. I was testing the recliners and gliders. But his heart is set on a glider from Arizona Leather Factory that would match our living room couch and is like a giant pillow, even though it costs quite a bit more than the gliders they sell at BCF and other stores. I won't complain if we end up with it. :D

[Sinclair319]

ApptI had my 22w appointment today which went really well. According to their scales I'm up 9 pounds (they start weighing you at 10w). According to my scale at home it's more like 12 pounds (then again, that extra 3 pounds was probably my tata's growing at the beginning) ;) I asked if we get another u/s. The NP said that we'd have to ask the doc, but with my history of infertility we might! :D

Movement-I've started to feel him move from the outside over the weekend! It feels like popcorn popping in my belly when he's really active! He seems to get a little shy when DH puts his hand there, but I *LOVE* feeling it!

Registry-I've been reading reviews on Targets website for a month or so now and I've created a wish list which I'll convert to my registry. I got an invite for a friend's shower (it's the day before mine) in the mail today. DH saw it and said, "Does this mean we need to go register?" It brought back memories of registring for the wedding--I walked around and pointed at what I liked--his job was to scan the item--he turned it into a game: see how far away he could scan, how fast, hold the scanner upside down etc. :p

I hope everyone has a good 4th of July!!

[katnbug]

mimieliza- I love the Loom bags. I have the bandicoot - but in red/orange. I bought it for when I don't need to pack a ton because it's small:
http://www.loomlife.com/images/collection/bandicoot/bandicoot_left.jpg

The chair you picked out looks very comfy!!

catgirl- Love the name Devin! Very sweet.
I think the FP sit n stand does have a reclining front seat. It had a lot more "bells & whistles" than the Joovy. But it is a little bigger than the Joovy... definitely longer handles. I still don't know if it's been released for sale yet. I found these pictures (none showing a reclining front seat).
http://www.fisher-price.com/img/product_shots/J6669_b_1.jpg
http://www.fisher-price.com/img/product_shots/J6669_b_3.jpg
http://www.fisher-price.com/img/product_shots/J6669_b_2.jpg

I love the big basket conversion... I could have used that at the farmers market the other day!

Sare- That's great that you were able to use a version of the name you loved. :)

Names- I know I posted it earlier, but our little girl will be named Hilary Ann.

[kadee_29]

I will get to updates and stuff either later tonight or in the morning. We have had problems with our server all weekend so DH has been trying to get that under control.

I will also post the baby's names on the first page. I can't believe how many of you have names picked out. I love them all.

[mayham]

Hi! Hope everyone had a great 4th!

Names - I love the names everyone's picked out! DH and I are going to keep our name a surprise. I think we're pretty much set, and now it's just making sure that's the one we want to go with.

Rings - I can't wear mine anymore! Last week it was kind of tough getting my rings off... to the point where my finger was almost purple trying to pull it off. I can't even bring myself to try them again. Doesn't it seem kind of early for this? I'm constantly feeling like I've lost them when I look down and don't see them! Does anyone else have this problem?

[roberta]

Thanks for all of the well wishes on our baby boy! So nice to hear all the baby names! I really love them all! We discussed names last week and have it down to two first names. I think we need more time to decide.
This weekend, we had big plans to register and pick out stuff for the nursery, but that was put on hold. My dad called me early Sat morning to tell me that they did not expect my grandmother to live much longer (hours to a few days). So I booked a last minute flight and arrived at the hospital just minutes after she passed away. Spent the weekend with my family, which was nice.
On the good news, baby front, I went shopping yesterday with my mom and other grandmother for baby stuff. They sent me home with a hugh suitcase full of baby boy clothes, blankets and crib stuff. They were so excited to be shopping for their grandchild/great-grandchild.

I don't know if I will be having a shower since my family lives so far away and hauling or shipping all that stuff back would be expensive. I am trying to think of a creative solution.
diapers I am think about using cloth. However, I have read that babies quickly grow out of the newborn size. So we may start with disposies for newborn and then cloth. Still researching.
rings I have noticed I have more problems with swelling the hotter and more humid it is outside. Mostly I have been able to leave them on, but I am not sure how long that will last.

Good luck Rancid13, mimieliza, lilo at your US this week!

[lisainpink]

Hope everyone had a lovely 4th. I can't wait to hear about the u/s for this week!
Rings No problems here. They still fit.
Diapers Two girlfriends bought me newborn and size1 diapers when I told them I was pregnant- so I'm set.
Diaper bags Oooh my obsession. I already had a kate spade messenger that I have used for a briefcase for work before- I just popped the changing pad back in it. I bought a Petunia Pickle Bottom backpack/messenger when I found out I was pregnant. Then- this weekend- I found a great deal on a coach diaper bag- that is a large leather tote- so I bought it for "dressy" occasions:p . What a sickness!
I have a question for ya'll- am I the only one who recently poppped? I have been able to wear my regular clothing- as long as it wasn't super-tailored or fitty- up until last week. I was having lunch with a group on Wednesday who didn't believe I was pregnant. Then, over the weekend- we went to see my IL's- and I popped while I was there. I think I could still hide it if I really tried- but every single person at the house (FIL, MIL, BIL, SIL, other BIL- maybe even the dog) came up and said something about me starting to show. Am I showing early? :confused: FWIW- I'm 21 weeks today- and the comments started Saturday.

[katnbug]

roberta- So sorry to hear about your grandmother. It's good that your family was with her in her last days. I unfortunately had the same experience in February with my grandmother. We were able to fly down to Texas to be with her, but she was already on life support & not responsive. My thoughts are with your family.

**************

rings- I took my diamonds off around week 8!!! I've been wearing a plain band since then. Learned my lesson during my first pregnancy when I almost had to have my rings cut off.

lisainpink- I'm sure some of the others have popped too... but not me! I actually had my friends mother tell me this weekend that I didn't look pregnant at all.:confused: Hmmm.... she must think I just gained a lot of weight before I got pregnant.

I received my custom crib bedding on Monday & I LOVE IT!!!! I can't wait to get the room started now! We still have the crib set up in DS's room - even though he doesn't use it anymore.. I might try the new bedding on the crib just to see what it looks like. I'll take pics if I do!

[lilo]

Roberta: I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother. On a lighter note, that's so sweet of your mom and your other grandmother to spoil you with baby goodies.

ITA with you on that~our big u/s is on Weds too, I'll be a day shy of 19 weeks at the time. I've been so excited since I made the appt 2 weeks ago, but now that it's getting so close, that excitement is kinda turning into a nervous anxiety.

I'm so glad that I'm not the only one feeling anxious about the big u/s! I've been so excited for the appointment too but yesterday I just started to get really nervous about everything. But I keep telling myself that everything will be great and at this point, it's beyond my control. Tomorrow can't get here quick enough. :)

lisainpink: I am two days shy of 20 weeks and have definitely popped already. If I wear a loose shirt, you can't tell as much but pretty much all of my tops (especially for work) are fairly fitting and it's quite obvious at this point. I'm so impressed that you were still fitting in your regular clothes up to this point! :)

mimieliza: cute diaper bag. I love the red color. The chair is also great. I've seen some of those on JC Penny website and they look really nice.

[Lilla]

roberta Sorry to hear about your grandmother

rings Mine still fit fine, although they do get tight when it's hot/humid outside. But then again, that is normal for me, pg or not.

names We have the first name picked out for our little girl. The middle name is currently the source of much debate. ;) I have one picked out but DH is lukewarm on it. Shall be interesting to see what we ultimately decide on. Love everyone's names so far!!!

diaper bags This is my next item to tackle. I haven't looked at any in person yet. From what I can tell online, I do like the Skip Hop bags though.

lisainpink I can still wear some regular shirts at this point. When I do, I really just look like I've put on a few pounds vs. being pregnant. I just got my first comment from a stranger today. I don't think you're showing early at all.

Quick comment on the weight gain topic. I asked the OB Friday about my weight gain. My home scale has me up a total of 9-10 pounds and I'm up 7 pounds according to the doc's office. She is not concerned in the least bit. Was good for my DH to hear her say that - he is worried I haven't gained enough. Made me feel better, too!

Thank you to everyone for the well wishes for our little girl! I'm now moving full steam ahead with the nursery. I've ordered the prints that I want to hang in there and we worked on clearing the furniture out of the nursery yesterday. Need to pick out the proper shade of paint and we'll start that process likely in the next couple of weeks. So exciting!!! We also stopped at PBK over the weekend and started our final registry.

And here's one of the u/s pics we got Friday - our little girl's profile:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v518/berlymc/Babyprofilecrop.jpg

Also, my next appt is July 28.

[ellidew]

Roberta- So sorry to hear about your grandmother. I hope you and your family are doing well! How sweet of your mom and grandma to go shopping for your baby boy! I LOVE LOVE LOVE getting baby gifts! We have a whole slew of clothing hanging in the babys closet already and a BIG box (craftsman shop vac box) :p nearly full of blankets, hooded towels, toys, books, etc... My MIL doesn't show up at the house empty handed anymore! lol.

Popping- Definitely 'popped' so to speak a while ago. I have a super short torso so much so that if i wear low rise jeans they still sit above my belly button. There is no where for this baby to go but out! My sister has a very long torso and barely showed until the final weeks of her pregnancy. Everyone is different though.

I kind of like looking pregnancy. Someone else commented a while back about how people are so much nicer to you and i've experienced that too. I've also taken advantage of those 'expectant mothers' parking spots! lol. When we went to see my sister at the hospital after she had her baby my ankles were so swollen and my legs and feet just generally hurt and i DID NOT feel like walking so i had dh park in one. The other time i was just being lazy because it was the only open spot within 15 car lengths from the grocery store. Looking pg has it's perks so far. Of course showing early will probably end in being super huge at the end so i'm guessing i better take advantage of the perks now!

Getting Nervous- I get nervous before every single appointment and i usually have 1 or 2 bad anxiety days between appts. I think it's only natural to worry. I had myself in such a panic last week that my ankles got swollen! Luckily after a good nights sleep they went back down but i'm convinced my blood pressure caused the swelling. As far as i can tell... as parents, we are going to worry and it's not going to get any better when we have our little babies at home!

Rings Somedays they fit just fine and other days its a struggle. I work next door to a jeweler so if it gets consistently bad i'm just going to have them resized.

The nursery- Yay for your bedding katnbug! I'm so jealous of everyone that gets to start their nurseries. My mom reconfirmed that she has no intention of paying for a crib until September. I'm still convinced we wont have furniture until AFTER the baby is born! It irks me a little that she can't buy the crib because she just paid for my sisters baby shower, bought her crib, then she just had the baby so she bought stuff and now her wedding reception is at the beginning of August. She doesn't plan to buy our crib until September and the last i heard she doesn't plan to pay (she pays but someone else hosts it) for a baby shower until October. It peeves me that she can do all that stuff for my sister but i come last (as always, but that's a different topic). I really don't want to have to rush to buy all the things we need in the last weeks of pregnancy! Maybe i'll just buy the crib myself and she can pay me back!

Baby Names: I think we're pretty much set on this too! We've been using one name for a week or so and it seems to really be sticking. The other day i said his name in a sentence when talking to dh and didn't even realize it at first. It just rolled right off the tongue! We decided that it MUST be sticking. I can't say what it is even though i REALLY REALLY REALLY want to. If people irl find out dh will be pretty disappointed. Maybe i should just pm everyone. lol. I wont do that :) Our parents were being relentless about us telling them whats on our name list yesterday. We stuck to our guns and played dumb though. As far as they know we don't have a list!

My update: Had a great weekend and we got a lot done around the house. Even started the drop ceiling in the basement (it's part dry wall ceiling and part drop). Had the appt with the eye doctor on Saturday and he confirmed that i'm not crazy and that my left eye is slightly 'off' enough to cause slightly blurry vision. He suggested not doing anything including glasses until after the baby is born. If it's hormone driven it will probably return to normal shortly after the birth. So that's a relief. I also had a VEP (Visual Evoke Potential) done on Friday where i got to stare at a red dot while the background flashed a screen of black and white squares. It was like a really bad torture method! I haven't gotten the results from that yet but the eye doctor said that the eye is changed so the results from the VEP will probably be negative. Phew, that's a relief! I should get those results by the end of the week though.

Hope everyone had a good 4th!

[ellidew]

Awesome picture Lilla!!

[ppwgal]

Hope everyone was able to enjoy a long holiday weekend. (Well, at least those of you in the US.) I definitely enjoyed the time off. So much to catch up on in here...

Popping - I have definitely popped. Last week people started offering me seats on the subway, so I've officially passed the "Is she fat or pregnant?" test now. I actually feel like I'm looking really big for how far along I am, so I'm interested to see what the doctor says at my appt on Friday.

Names - We haven't picked out names yet. We've had some discussion, but I have a feeling this is going to be a bit of last minute decision. We also have 4 close relatives or friends having babies between now and our due date, so we don't want to get too attached to a name in case it's taken!

Career - I'm dir of product management for a mom-focused website. I really like my job and the group of people I have working for me, so I plan to return to work. Though I'm toying with some kind of alt work arrangement to make the transition easier. Right now I'm leaning towards asking to work on fridays from home, but still keep a full time schedule... Which leads me to my next question...

Childcare options - I've been investigating childcare options. I feel like my only option is a nanny for an infant. There are very few daycares in my neighborhood that will take infants and the ones I did find close at 6pm and I can't get home from work by then. But, it looks like standard nanny pay in my area is $10-$15/hour which means we'll be paying over $500 a week :eek: - which is a huge expense for us. We could make it work financially, but it means not moving out of our 1 bedroom apt any time soon. Am I missing something or is this what others are going through too?

My next doctor appt is Friday 7/7. And I have another ultrasound scheduled for 7/31 to check on my placenta previa.

[mimieliza]

We had our ultrasound at last! Everything looked good, and she's a healthy little GIRL!

:D

[mayham]

roberta - I'm so sorry about your grandmother. That's good you had time to be with your family even under those circumstances.

katnbug - I'm going to get a plain band too, in white gold. They can stretch it up to 2 sizes, so that'll be good if my fingers continue to grow... which I hope they won't! I definitely was afraid of having to get my rings cut off, and was trying to avoid that at all costs!

Lilla - cute u/s pic! We'll have tons of fun shopping for our little girls!

ellidew - good luck on the test results for your eyes. That's good to know your eyes will probably go back after the pg... but sorry you have to deal with it for now!

Popping - I think I popped about a month ago, but it also depends on what I wear, whether you can really "tell" or not.

Diaper Bags - I am just starting to look for one, and I'm going to try and be good and limit myself to only one! My current favorite is the Mia Bossi Maria bag, but I haven't seen it yet, only online.

Career - I forgot to answer this one before. I work full time doing marketing, and would like to go back full time after maternity leave. I'm not the biggest fan of working from home, but I think I may see if I can work at least 1 day from home to alleviate the commute.

Childcare - We have no idea what we're doing for daycare just yet. Our parents had talked about helping us out in the past (before we were pg), so I'm just giving them a little time to see if they really meant it!

[mayham]

mimieliza - Congrats on your GIRL!!!! Looks like the girls are starting to catch up!

[Ilovemygeek]

Rings I still have no problems getting my rings on.

Diaper bags I love handbags and so it is only natural for me to get more diaper bags than I will ever need. I only have two so far, but I am eyeing many others. I have this Petunia Picklebottom
http://a1216.g.akamai.net/f/1216/955/12h/images2.nordstrom.com/ImageGallery/store/Product/MediumLarge/3/_5197803.jpg
and this Caden Lane so far.
http://a1216.g.akamai.net/f/1216/955/12h/images2.nordstrom.com/ImageGallery/store/Product/MediumLarge/16/_5200436.jpg

Popping I definitely popped.... weeks ago! :eek: People started noticing I am pregnant at about 17-18 weeks, but I tend to wear fitted clothing. I have been in maternity clothes almost exclusively since about that time. I am short, only 5'3", so that might make a difference. I am getting a little concerned about how huge I will be at the end.

[ausi2b]

Roberta - I'm so sorry over the loss of your grandmother. My thoughts are with you and your family.

Rings - fit ok when I'm inside, but with the heatwave, they get tight. I'm sad - I don't want to give up my rings!!

Diaper bags - Oh diaper bags. I am a self-proclaimed purse/bag FANATIC. Its insane. I'm looking for THE ONE, but I haven't found it yet. But I have way too much fun lurking on the diaper bag thread :) I bought DH a skip hop duo in black for Father's Day (so I can steal it!) :)

Popping - Oh lordy. Well if you all remember, I was in maternity clothes around 8 weeks and was having a hard time hiding my pregnancy from coworkers till 12 weeks. So yeah, I've definitely popped. I'm just a little over 5 feet tall, short waisted, no torso and thin, so things just shifted big time. People definitely have noticed and can't believe I'm only 1/2 way there!

Career - Our maternity leave policy stinks, so I'm taking off 6 weeks and hoping to work from home for 6 weeks. DH gets a month off for paternity leave!

Daycare - is insane in my area too. We have a neighbor who is going to watch the baby after my leave is up until the summer when DH is off (he's a teacher). Then our plan is to start daycare in September.

Nursery - we went to order our crib (Pali, Janette style, in white) last weekend when my MIL was in town. It turns out that they had one on clearance for $250 off! So we went in thinking it would take 14 weeks for it to come in, and literally walked out with a crib. We also bought a crib mattress. We got a matching white Jenny Lind style changing table from overstock.com. It is all sitting in the baby's room in the walk in closet. I'm going to try to wait until October to set everything up, but I'm too excited to wait! We're hopefully going to register in the next few weeks.

I am not sure if my doctor's appointments are updated. My big u/s is on 7/10 and I have another doctor's appointment on 7/13!

[Rancid13]

Congratulations on your GIRL mimieliza!!


Diaper bags~ I love that PP bag you posted, ilovemygeek! It's gorgeous. I like that as my #1, and this one as my #2 so far:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/diaperbag001.jpg

Rings~ no problems getting my rings on and off here, either.

Popping~ I popped a couple weeks ago. When I wear my new maternity tank tops, you can totally tell there's something there. Before, it looked like maybe I ate too much at my last meal. :)

[Franni]

mimieliza Congrats on your girl

ppwgal I live in Jersey city (which is close to Manhattan), so the cost is about the same for us. We decided to go with the daycare option BUT my mom was with me for the baby's first 6 months. So DD didn't do daycare until then. IMHO, if a nanny is doable in your budget, you should try to use that option for at least the first year. DD went to daycare at 6 months and was sick almost everyday for 3 months until we decided to pull her out. We did a temporary nanny situation for a few months. She had to go back to daycare at 16 months and again was sick for a every other week but it is better since she is no longer so small that she can't indicate what's wrong. I know everybody says stuff like, "oh...but she's building their immune system, she's getting stronger for the future...blah, blah, blah." It is hell to have to live with her many illnesses, so many that the doctor went through all types of antibiotics already before she turned one.

rings no problems so far.

popping I have popped 2 weeks ago. I have gone beyond just chunky to people just actually assuming that I am pregnant.

Nothing major here to report except that I am feeling more pain in this pg than the last. More back pain and also am having a more difficult time sleeping.

[Rancid13]

Nothing major here to report except that I am feeling more pain in this pg than the last. More back pain and also am having a more difficult time sleeping.

Same here. I've had 1 good night's sleep in the last 3 weeks, and it sucks. I'm awake every 1-2 hours, no matter how tired I am I just can't sleep.

My mom called the other day to talk about symptoms and such, and said at least I'm not getting the back aches she had when she was pg with me. I told her she spoke too soon~it's only happened about 3-4 nights out of the last 2 weeks, but my lower back aches have arrived. She advised that walking was the best solution, as that's what she did. Kinda hard to convince myself to go on a walk at 9pm when I'm home alone though. The backaches are very similar to the ones I get on days 1-2 of my period, so the pain is very familiar to me unfortunately.

[mermccau]

I think I may have missed some exciting news in some posts. Sorry if I did.

Question: Does anyone else have a sensitivity to the sun lately? I have never been a warm weather person. Give me the cold of the winter over the heat of the summer any day. Recently, though, I get headaches and slight queasiness from the heat. It really is annoying.

Another Question: Anyone NOT feeling their baby at all? I have not felt a thing. I feel little pings and pops and pains but I am thinking that is everything but the baby.

Diaper bag – my husband picked ours out. It is a backpack that he really likes. I am not crazy about it so I plan to get something cute in the future :)

http://trus.imageg.net/graphics/product_images/pTRU1-2897293reg.jpg

Rancid – It sounds like you and I have the same kind of mom. She won’t “let” me pay for anything! I am 35 years old and my folks will not even let me pay for dinner sometimes. How was your u/s today?

Sinclair – aren’t daycare prices insane? Well, I do agree those people should get paid for their time because it is hard work watching all those kids (if they do it well) but a grand out of the wallet every month hurts!

Franni – thankfully, I now know how long it takes to get alcohol out of my systems. Man, are we are couple of winos or what?

Bethirish – good for you for having the willpower to not find out. :)

Rubbersoul – I am glad that someone appreciates my obnoxious humor ;) Good question about the diapers.

Mimieliza – I love the chair you picked out. The microsuede is good stuff – durable.

Mayham – I feel your pain because I have swollen ankles sometimes. I, too, worried that it was a bit early. Have you talked to your dr about it? Mine said it was fine, just a symptom of my pregnancy.

Roberta – so sorry to hear about your grandmother. That is really sad.

Sare and Kyrsten – beautiful names.

Congrats on your boy, Roberta :D

Congrats on your girl, Lilla and mimieliza :D

[Rancid13]

Rancid – It sounds like you and I have the same kind of mom. She won’t “let” me pay for anything! I am 35 years old and my folks will not even let me pay for dinner sometimes. How was your u/s today?

I'm in CA, so my appointment time will be a bit late considering a lot of you are to the east of me. It's at 3pm PST, so another 3.5 hours to go. :) I'll report back as soon as I can! My mom was somewhat upset that our appt wasn't earlier (like a week ago) because over the weekend she went to Vegas with a friend and wanted to browse the outlet mall and get cute girl or boy outfits, and couldn't b/c we still don't know what "it" is. LOL!! Guess that gives her an excuse to make another trip to LV in the coming months if anything...:)

[ellidew]

Childcare: We are hoping dh's mom will agree to watch our ds for the first few months full time. Then we want to get him into a good school. My niece went to a school in the area and i got to see first hand how great it is. Ironically, i called this morning about it and they have a waiting list until September 2007!!! If it comes down to paying for childcare or going back to work right away... i'll probably take more time off than planned OR return part time and have MIL watch part time until September. Come September we'll be paying $600-700 in pre school. By then he'll be almost 1 though so at least he will get the learning out of it! The cost is outrageous, i agree. I'd rather pay it and get my moneys worth than just send my child to a cheap day care where they just have free play all day and run wild! It's worth it to us to set a good foundation for learning and school. Plus, this particular school does parents days out 1 Saturday a month and they watch the kids until around 11pm! We used to drop my niece off in her PJ's and slippers for the night!

[mermccau]

ellidew- Is that $600 a week or month?

[mermccau]

Does anyone else peek at their registry? People have been buying stuff and I cannot help but look! So bad of me.

[Franni]

mermccau I have to admit I have already taken a little sip yesterday to celebrate the 5th anniversary of my engagement. Yeah...I can't wait till I can imbibe again.

Also wanted to add that the first time around, I was peeking at my registry almost every day. hehehehe

elliedw Just curious...what sort of curriculum do they offer at your niece's school for one year-olds?

[mayham]

Ilovemygeek - those bags you posted are so cute! I really need to get out to some stores to check out these bags in person. As much as I say I will limit myself to one, I'm not really sure I can!

mermccau - that backpack looks really functional, but I agree, you need to pick out a pretty one for yourself! The finger swelling started right after I saw my dr. so i'll ask her next time. I got sized for a new wedding band, and it was only a half size up, so hopefully it's just a little harmless swelling.

Registry peeking - nope, but only because I haven't set one up yet!

Anyone NOT feeling their baby at all? - I haven't felt anything yet... or at least anything I can tell would definitely be the baby. I'm hoping to SOON!

Does anyone else have a sensitivity to the sun lately? - I haven't been in the sun too much, but I have noticed some small dark spots on my face lately, and I always wear a moisturizer with SPF. Anyone else have this problem? I know there's a name for the spots, but I need to look that up. I'll put that on the list of questions for my next appointment.

[RubberSoul]

popped- I think I have popped over the last couple of weeks. My belly has almost caught up with my boobs. Pretty soon the belly will stick out further.

Childcare- DH and I just had a discussion last night about this. I think we have decided that he is going to stay home with Ian after I go back to work. I was very fortunate to get a very good raise a couple weeks ago and now it will be possible for us to live on my salary. It will require us to make some sacrifices and to stick to a very tight budget, but it is possible. We are going to save every penny we possibly can between now and November so we have some savings cushion. I am sort of relieved that DH is going to stay home because I was having a hard time wrapping my brain around putting a 3 month old in daycare. I know plenty of people do it and the baby is fine. I don't know why, but waiting until he is a little older seems like it will be easier on me mentally. DH will also be taking classes online full time while he is staying home. He has been working on his degree for a while now and this will give him the opportunity to knock out some classes. Lucky for us his GI Bill pays for school :D.

rings- my rings are still fitting fine. I am going to be very sad when I can't wear them anymore - I love them so very much! I will have to purchase a plain white gold band so my finger doesn't feel naked.

sun- I actually have a funny story about sunburn. I went to see my friend in my hometown this weekend and we went down to the river to hang out in the sun and have a BBQ. I managed to squeeze myself into my bikini and put suncreen on the usual places on me that burn - shoulders, boobs, face. Well, it didn't even occur to me that my belly sticks out now and is a prime spot for the sun to hit. I burned to top of my round belly :rolleyes:.

mermccau- Are the pings and pops in the area where the baby is? You are probably feeling him if it is. For a long time I wasn't sure if that was what that was, but now I am positive it is him. I figure my stomach and everything else has been pushed up by now and it has to be baby moving around.

diaper bags- I haven't even started looking at these yet. I am not much of a bag person and will probably get whatever looks the most functional. Although some of the ones that have been posted look very cute!

roberta- sorry to hear about your grandmother. My thoughts are with you and your family.

registry- I can't peek at one because we haven't created one. Unless someone tells me for sure they are throwing me a baby shower I probably won't create one. I actually can't stand the process and will be very happy if I don't have to do it.

sleep- I have sleep issues on and off all the time. Some nights I can sleep no problem and others I wake up at 4:49am (why this time?) and can't go back to sleep for hours. I usually just start watching something on TV and that will help me get back to sleep. I have also started to have back pain. I think part of that is just the extra weight in the front. My large bb's have always caused some back issues and now the baby added to that doesn't help.

[mermccau]

Franni - Good for you for indulging in a sip. I plan on doing that on my birthday in August (but it will be more than a sip!)

mayham- yeah, it is not too pretty, is it? However, my husband was so excited about it, that we had to get it. Heck, if he is excited about it, then he will carry it and that was enough for me to put it on the registry :)

rubbersoul - I have a hard time figuring out if the pulls and pings and pops are muscle pulls, gas bubbles or baby. Hard to identify!

[ellidew]

Is that $600 a week or month?

$600 a month. They are sending me the updated costs though. My niece has been out of preschool for a couple of years now.

The infant curriculum taken from their website: While exploring their play area full of stimulating toys, babies are encouraged to develop at their own pace. Teachers sing songs and read stories to encourage language acquisition; they pass balls and play games to develop motor skills; but most of all they spend lots of time cuddling and talking to babies to instill trust and provide comfort.

Parents work with their baby’s teacher to set their child’s schedule to ensure consistency between home and school. This also means that parents know the best time to visit during the day. Whether they want to feed their baby or play with their infant on the specially designed playground, parents are always encouraged to stop by.

Their toddler program: Centers for imaginary play, blocks and puzzles, creative art, and lots of books are always open for discovery. In order to provide toddlers with the consistency and routine they crave, teachers plan days filled with a balance of quiet activities, spirited music and movement, and plenty of outdoor climbing, running, and jumping.

TODDLER
Young toddlers play and learn in a bright and cheery environment with lots of opportunities for independent exploration. Activities such as circle time are introduced to encourage verbal and social growth. Finger-plays, stories, and songs are incorporated into each day to foster a toddler’s awareness of the world around them.

The emphasis in this program is socialization and the acquisition of self-help skills, particularly potty training. Although children potty-train at their own pace, teachers and toddler parents work together to provide the best environment for success. In addition, toddlers are practicing hand washing, putting on their coats, picking up their toys, and sharing with their friends.

-----------------------
I honestly don't have all the information yet. I haven't been to the school in a couple of years but i see the owner around the area all the time and we typically say hello and she asks about my niece and how she and her family are doing. I trust this school and believe in it's results. Most importantly i feel comfortable sending my child there for 9 hours a day!

Now we just have to figure out how often my mil will watch ds, how many hours i am going to work each week and if we need an interim child care just in case we absolutely can't get in until next September! I thought i'd have more time to figure this out but i guess not.

Anyone NOT feeling their baby at all? I didn't feel any distinctive kicks or movements until the 20th week. Hang in there and you'll feel the baby soon!

[mermccau]

$600 per month is rather affordable, I would say, in comparison to the cost of day care.

[BethIrish]

$600 per month is rather affordable, I would say, in comparison to the cost of day care.

Agreed, for the area we live in. But I think it's largely dependent upon where you are. I live southwest of Boston - we're looking at $900-$1600/month for an infant.

I feel bad that I never do shout outs...but congrats to everyone who has had their u/s!! :)

Names: Since the gender is a surprise, we have two. Right now the front runners are Patrick Robert and Nora (and either Elaine, Bonalyn or Katherine for a middle name. That's my Mom, Grandmom and best friend in that order.)

Feeling the baby: I was 20 weeks yesterday. I think I'm feeling the baby...but then I'm not sure if its gas :o

Rings: Still fitting, unless I attempt to walk across Boston in the heat & humidity ;)

Popped I've definitely popped. :D

Registry peeping: Haven't created ours yet, but I'm a registry peeker from wayyyyyyyyy back ;)

Sun: Yes. I was out for 3 hours yesterday wearing 30 (I reapplied 2x.) My chest was pink when I came in. I'm fair skinned, but 30 usually works just fine!

[ellidew]

I don't want anyone to think i'm some crazy education freako mom that doesn't want my child to ever have play time... really i just want structured playing that accomplishes learning as a result. I don't want to send him to a child care where he just runs free playing all day and doesn't learn anything, structure included.

[bijouparvin]

roberta - I'm so sorry to hear about your grandmother. It must be very hard for you right now.

rubbersoul - Hope your sunburn heals quickly. Ouch!

mayham - Hopefully you'll feel baby soon! It's weird and fun!!

ellidew - I can't believe the waiting list for daycare is so long! What are you supposed to do, make a reservation before you're even PG?!

rancid - Anxiously awaiting your news!

mermccau - That's funny that DH picked out your bag. My DH definitely wants his own, preferably in some sort of camo pattern. :rolleyes: The one I've got is sort of a PP knock-off. Looks like this:

http://www.mimimaternity.com/Images/Products/9106B.jpg

Franni - I didn't know you were in Jersey City! I'm in Essex County. You and I should get together with ppwgal in Manhattan one of these days, since we're all so close. Any other local mommies in this thread?

mimieliza - Congratulations on your GIRL! Power to the girlies!

************************************************** ********

Popping - I think I have, what do you think?

20w
http://images1.snapfish.com/347536599%7Ffp343%3Enu%3D3244%3E393%3E462%3EWSNRCG %3D32338%3A6437%3A66nu0mrj

and a freaky lying-down one:

http://images1.snapfish.com/347536599%7Ffp339%3Enu%3D3244%3E393%3E462%3EWSNRCG %3D32338%3A644%3A7%3B%3Cnu0mrj

Rings - They're not tight yet, but I worry that I won't know to take them off until it's too late. I don't like the idea of being without them, but I'd be heartbroken if they had to be cut off.

Registering - We did a preliminary registry at BRU, but they were pretty disorganized and spelled my name wrong, etc. We went to Buy, Buy Baby for the first time this weekend and I am TOTALLY switching our registry to that store. They have everything BRU has and then some, plus, the salespeople seeemed to have a better idea of what they were doing. We ordered our changing table (but in white):

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0007WAHWC.16._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS384_.jpg

Childcare/Career - I'm currently building a private studio of voice and piano students. The goal is for me to be able to teach at home about four hours a day during the week. I'll take 6 weeks off after baby is here (mid-Nov through New Year's) and then when I start back, I'm hoping to have a few high school/college students that I can put on scholarship. Basically, they get their voice lessons for free in exchange for 5 or 6 hours a week of watching the baby while I teach. My best friend is doing this with her 4-month-old and so far it's working out pretty well.

************************************************** ********
So I had my appointment today and all is well. Baby's HB is in the 150s and she kicked while we were listening so it made a big "THUMP!". Cute! I saw a different doc today (there are three in the practice) and she was nice, but I asked some questions about the delivery hospital and the answers weren't what I wanted to hear.

The more research I do, the more I'd like to have an unmedicated H20 birth. I know lots of hospitals have tubs in the L/D rooms so this is not an unreasonable thing to ask about. But the doc told me today that the hospital where their practice delivers is basically a "conventional strap-you-down" sort of place. She actually used those words! That's exactly what I DON'T want for my L/D. But I L.O.V.E. my doctor and would hate to switch this late in the game. What do I do? The doc I saw today suggested laboring at home for as long as possible so I can use my own tub, and then having a doula to help me out at the hospital. I have already been considering hiring a doula but it seems like women tend to labor much more easily and quickly (at least on A Baby Story) when they're able to be in H20. :confused:

[Lydia]

http://images1.snapfish.com/34753687%3A%7Ffp342%3Enu%3D3238%3E%3B96%3E634%3EWS NRCG%3D323388633%3A%3A58nu0mrj

[Lydia]

My OB appt last week revealed a bilobed placenta. Not a huge deal, just good to know for when I deliver. I'll have another u/s just to check. I also have my GTT sometime in the next week or so (I can go do it whenever I want). I am 22w6d today.

[Rancid13]

rancid - Anxiously awaiting your news!

and a freaky lying-down one:

http://images1.snapfish.com/347536599%7Ffp339%3Enu%3D3244%3E393%3E462%3EWSNRCG %3D32338%3A644%3A7%3B%3Cnu0mrj


Dh and I are leaving for the dr's in about 5 minutes. :D

I love that lying down picture, when I first took mine I hadn't ever seen another one so I thought maybe I was weird for taking it and posting in on here and the Belly Pics thread. But I think it looks neat!!

[nic]

Good Luck, rancid!!!!

[bijouparvin]

Lydia - What does having a bilobed placenta mean?

[katnbug]

Congrats on your GIRL mimieliza!

[Sare79]

Had my doctor's appointment this morning and all was well. I am now up a total of 4 pounds and believe me, I have been working my ass off not to gain more. I still have 12 pounds to play with for the remainder of the pregnancy since my doctor and I agreed that I shouldn't gain more than 16 pounds (what I lost in the first trimester) since I was quite heavy to begin with.
I have a bit of protein in my urine so I have to have it tested again in a few days. We found her heartbeat very quickly which, to me, means that some of my belly fat is turning to baby! ;) It was about 150.

Next OB Appointment: August 2nd
Next ultrasound: August 14th

[Rancid13]

Just checking in...had our BIG ultrasound a short while ago. I'm a bad person, so I'm not even going to try to mask my disappointment when I say that we're not having the girl that we both wanted.

It's a boy. That's all...I'm sure I'll get over it in time.

[bijouparvin]

Rancid - I'm sorry you're disappointed but I will still say congratulations on your boy! I'll bet that after the initial shock wears off, you'll start to get excited. I hope that everything you saw was healthy!

[mimieliza]

Rancid - I'm sorry you didn't get what you were hoping for. But just think how smitten you'll be when they place that little guy in your arms. :)

sleep - I am a sleeping machine. I love my new relationship with sleep. I can sleep a full eight hours, take a three hour nap, and have no trouble falling asleep that night. The nice thing is, now that I'm past the first tri, I can function on a normal amount of sleep (8 hours at night). But if my schedule allows for the nap, I'm all over it, and I don't have to worry that it will mess up my sleep at night.

diaper bag - BARGAIN ALERT!!! I called Loom about their seconds sale. I got a Loom Marsupial bag (the one I posted a few days ago) for $40!!! Regular price is $130, so I am very pleased. I just hope it's not too second-y. It's in the Pacific Blue color that I wanted.

Anyway, if you're interested, their website is http://www.loomlife.com/index.htm and their phone number is 415-383-5307.

[Ericka_Jarett]

Rancid - sorry you are not having the sex you wanted, but as long as the baby is healthy, it really does start to grow on you. I was hoping for a girl for the simple fact that I had lots of girl clothes from my daughter, that never got used. When the doctor said he thought he saw boy parts I felt disappointed. I have had about 9 weeks for it to sink in and buying him clothes ad thinks I couldn't have gotten had it been a girl, is making me feel better about it. I was a nanny for 4 boys so use to caring for them, but will have to get use to that first week of diaper changes following the circumcision. I know hubby is excited though and our boy is healthy and growing so things feel good to me.

[Franni]

BijouIt would be great to do a NYC/NJ group. I haven't found one on CC yet. Maybe we could start one.

elliedw If I have somehow inferred/insinuated in my question that I think you are "crazy education freako mom", I apologize. That is definitely not my intention at all. I blogged about DH, her daycare and my concern about what she is doing there all day just today. I want to find out what other daycares are like and what my expectations should be for a good daycare. As a former teacher, I believe in structure and learning through play. I believe that all kids have the capacity to learn when they are exposed to learning experiences. So you are preaching to choir.

Rancid I understand about the "not getting what you want" feeling. I had so wanted a boy because this is going to be my last baby and I already have DD. It took a lot of courage to come out and say it.

[mayham]

RubberSoul - that is great things will work out with your DH staying home while taking classes. It'll be tough for him, but also so nice for you to know it'll buy you some time before daycare.

BethIrish - I love your options for names and admire your strength to keep the gender a surprise!

bijouparvin - Your belly is definitely ALL baby, you look great!

Lydia - Great belly pic! I'm over two weeks behind you but like hearing what's coming up for me next. Is the GTT the thing with the drink?

Sare79 - That's great you're only up 4 pounds, your hard work is definitely paying off! What does it mean if you have protein in your urine? I think I've had blood tests in the past that have shown that and they've always just had me re-take the test. I guess I should have asked what that might have meant!

Rancid13 - I'm sorry you and your DH are disappointed, but like others said, I'm sure the excitement will grow. I secretly wanted a girl, and when I found out it was a girl, I was surprised that I still felt some disappointment that it wasn't a boy.

[mimieliza]

I secretly wanted a girl, and when I found out it was a girl, I was surprised that I still felt some disappointment that it wasn't a boy.

I felt the same way - I had a very tiny preference for a girl, but I was convinced it was a boy. I was surprised today when I had some sadness about not having a boy - I had just been imagining a boy all these months. Either way, it's just a whole new way of looking at your baby and takes some time to adjust.

[ellidew]

Franni - No no, i didn't take any offense to anything anyone said. For some reason i just didn't feel like i was conveying my thoughts. You know how sometimes you'll type something out and then you read it and think about it some more and it just doesn't sound quite like it did in your head? I was just having one of those days where brain and mouth/fingers (for typing) didn't match up. I said more than one stupid thing today.

[bijouparvin]

I secretly wanted a girl, and when I found out it was a girl, I was surprised that I still felt some disappointment that it wasn't a boy.

Me too, me too! Isn't that weird?

[kadee_29]

I didn't get to updates like I wanted to yesterday but I will do them later this afternoon. Y'all were posting fools yesterday so I have a TON to catch up on. LoL

Congrats mimieliza on your little girl!!!

Congrats Rancid on your little boy!! Trust me I know exactly how you feel about not exactly getting what you wanted. I was really hoping this baby was another girl because my DD is such a tomboy that I wanted a girly-girl. It even took DH almost a week to even discuss the fact that we are having another boy. When the tech said "that is a penis" both DH and I just got quiet. We had no idea what to say. It's been almost a month and we are getting used to the fact that its another boy. I felt awful for a few days because I know we should be thankful that we are even able to have children because I was told that I couldn't. We are thankful and we are happy that the baby is healthy and everything is perfect. It was just a little disappointing at first.

[nic]

Rancid- Congratulations on your BOY! I understand you and Dh are a bit disappointed but I bet once you both set your eyes on him you will both be so in love with him and won't be able to imagine yourself with any other child. I'm glad you are being honest about your feelings, I think it'll help you work through things.

Sare, glad to hear your little one is doing well.

mimieliza Does the second sale mean there are imperfection about the bag?

We really needto start looking for daycare, this is going to a difficult one I think.

I've got an appt. today at 3:20 and I think we'll set up my GTT test then.

[ellidew]

Just wanted to let everyone know that the Toys R Us (not the BRU) by me had all the clearance clothing an additional 50% off the clearance price.

http://www6.toysrus.com/images/our/tru/prom/2006Apparel/ApparelSplashPage.jpg

I bought 5 terry cloth sleepers, 2 outfits, 1 long sleeve onesie, 2 cotton hats, 1 pair of booties all for $35.00! I have to swing back by mine to switch out 2 of the sleepers (i bought them to give as a gift) so if there's anything left i'm going to pick up a few more things.

Anyone have any advice on how to estimate sizes? My mil has practically filled our closet with summer clothes (from the clearance racks) and they range from 6-9 months up to 12 months. Is this a good estimate? She stopped by last night with 4 outfits and 2 swim trunks for our ds. The woman is out of control (in a good way;))... now if i could just figure out a way to tell her i HATE the pooh, elmo, character clothing! I just can't stand it for some reason! Dh doesn't much care for it either. She always tells us, i just love pooh and tigger! Yeah, well we think they are creepy and all have psychological problems... i mean really, can someone get eeyore some uppers? :D

[Franni]

elliedw IMHO, I wouldn't stock up on too many items too far in advance, because you never really know how your baby will grow. DD was an "on-the-dot" growth girl. When she was 11 1/2 months, she fit into all her 6-12 months clothes. But 2 weeks later, the clothes started to be tight. I have a girlfriend whose son is only 5 months, but he is already in 12 month clothing. He is so adorably huge. She could never buy anything in advance because she wouldn't know what sizes to get. Whereas I can buy a year out because she seems to be following a very constant path. DD could still prove me wrong though.


LOL...about character clothing. I never really cared for many of the characters (well....except for old school sesame street character since I grew up with them), but now that DD has been introduced to the purple dinosaur (whom I absolutely positively HATE) she can't stop talking about it. I am currently in search of a Barney doll. I am still shaking my head, rolling my eyes and trying to keep my breakfast down.

[roberta]

Mimizilla Congrats on your little girl!
Rancid Welcome to club boy! We were convinced it was a girl and shocked when we found it was a boy. We both only have sisters, no brothers and I was raised in a very female centered family (grandmothers, aunts, ect.) It changes the way you see your baby and your future and takes some getting used to.
kadee let me know if you need any help with the thread keeper duties. I’d be happy to assist!

Thanks to everyone for their well wishes for our baby boy and their condolences on the passing of my grandmother. It is the circle of life- as I was at my midwife appointment checking on my unborn child, my family was burying my grandmother. (my airline ticket did not allow me to extend my stay for the funeral and the funeral home couldn't get their act together over the holiday weekend.)

In happier news, I had my midwife appointment this morning. The US tech did not write clear notes about the placenta and where exactly it is. We are calling it marginal placenta previa. No vigorous exercise and “nothing in the vagina” to quote my MW. I will have another US in 5-6 weeks to see if it has moved. I told her I have had some noticeable achiness in my abdomen and cramping in the just the past 3 days. She said to call if it got worse or if I had any bleeding. The HB was 140 and I have gain 10 pounds thus far. Fundal height was 25 cm. Next appointment is August 3rd.

Registry I haven’t really started a registry yet. But I am a serial registry peeker and plan to continue my evil ways.
Sleep It is so nice to be able to function on a normal 8 hours of sleep, unlike the first tri. I do wake up every night at 2am and sometime again at 4am. I started using a pillow between my legs to help my hip and back pain. It has made a big difference!

[lilo]

Hi everyone!

We had our big u/s appointment today and everything went great! Whew! As I mentioned earlier, I was really nervous about the health of the baby but the measurements, anatomy, etc. are perfect. :) And I am happy and thrilled to announce that we are having a


BOY!!!!!!

We're really excited and my DH is over the moon. He really, really, really wanted a boy (although a healthy baby is what's most imporant so this is just bonus) and although I'm a total girly, girl, I can't imagine having anything else but a boy for our first baby.

We are off to sunny California for our 'babymoon' (trendy, I know) this weekend and can't wait to celebrate the good news with our friends out there. I won't be around for a week or so but will try to check in as soon as I can.

[ausi2b]

Congrats Lilo! :)

[mermccau]

Bethirish – I am right there with you. I live just North of Boston. I LOVE the name Nora. Good choice.

Bijouparvin – yeah, my hubby was psyched that it was a backpack. I think he envisioned that every diaper bag had Disney characters on it or something! ;) Where did you get the one you posted? I love it! And yes, I think you have definitely popped. My lord, I cannot believe the doctor actually used the term “strap you down”. Talk about taking away what little comfort a woman may have in regards to labor and delivery! Is there a midwife building affiliated with your hosp? Perhaps they can offer some advice in regards to obtaining what you want for your L/D.

Lydia – great picture. I forget that our due dates are so close.

Sare – I hope the protein does not cause any issues. Fingers crossed for ya.

Rancid – I am sorry and it does not make you a bad person that you had your heart set on a girl. From what I hear, though, it will not matter when the baby is born. You may wonder how you would ever live without a son. That is what I heard anyway. Also, I wanted a boy but I find myself sometimes “disappointed” that I am not having a girl. I think it is normal and your feelings are justified

Mimieliza – hahahaha! Your new relationship with sleep! Too funny. You will have to fill us all in regarding that diaper bag because that deal is amazing!!

Mayham – not to hijack but protein in the urine can mean pre eclampsia. It may not, but it could.

Congrats on your boy, Lilo! :D

[bijouparvin]

lilo - CONGRATULATIONS!! Team blue is totally kicking our butts! :p

mermccau - The diaper bag is from Mimi Maternity and it's still available at the sale price online. They have a few different colors. I'm sort of drooling over the brown one but I'm resisting like a grown-up. :rolleyes:

************************************************** ********

About the L/D, I just don't know what to do. My doc gave me a pre-admission packet with some info about the hospital and it doesn't seem like the sort of place a midwife would want to be. Very organized and well-run, but VERY Western, IYKWIM. I just can't get over my gut instinct that water is the way to go.

I know that there's a hospital about an hour away that's featured on A Baby Story all the time that does H20 births with CNM's. I wonder if I should try to find a midwife who's closer but who has worked there? I'm very nervous about switching now that I'm more than halfway through, but I want to have more control over my L/D and the first few days of DD's life. Help! :eek:

[Sinclair319]

So many people finding out the sex--that's so exciting! And I'm so happy that everyone is looking healthy!

Babymoon-We're heading to Indy next weekend for a quick little get away. I can't believe summer is half over already!

Registry-We went to Target last night and registered. I've spent 80% of today adjusting (adding the highly rated things, removing the lower rated things)

RO registry question-Should I even bother to register for clothes--besides onsies? I know many people go that route over getting practical things, so should I at least give an idea on what we'd like

movement-I started feeling him externally this weekend (I'm 22w4d today). DH tried to feel it the other night, but I think he was expecting a big movement--it feels like a twitch or popcorn popping

Speaking of popping-I've definitely popped! I love it!

daycare-Here's a list of questions that a friend gave me--it gave me a great place to start thinking

Below are the questions I'd ask when you are at the tour. Also be sure to ask for a copy of their parent's manual. It should cover most of the basics on their policies, discipline procedures, etc.

- how often they clean/disinfect the toys (the good ones do it every day, as well as soon as they see a toy go in a baby's mouth)

- is there is a CPR / first aid certified staff member in each room, or at least availalbe at all times at the center?

- what kind of staff turnover have they experienced (especially in the baby room)?

- verify they do background checks on all staff (I think DCFS mandates it)?

- do they allow staff to bring personal cell phones in while they are at work?

- what do they provide versus what you have to provide? They'll probably expect you to supply formula/breast milk, bottles, diapers and wipes. They might provide the crib sheets. If so, ask how often they wash them.

- how do they warm bottles? (in a crock pot is best, not in the microwave)

- how often do they change the baby's diaper?

- what kind of security do they have? Is there a receptionist that makes sure anyone who enters is a parent/authorized, and only leaves with their child? what is their policy for who can pick up a child?

- do you have to sign a contract? How long? If not, how long of notice must you give before you can take your child out of daycare?

- do they require a deposit? a registration fee? how does their waiting list work?

- do infants get a "vacation"? (some daycares let you take one week off for vacation without payment, some make you pay regardless if the baby is there or not).

- what is the policy for closing the center (snow days, etc.)? how much notice will they give you, how will they notify you, and do you still have to pay?

- what are their evacuation procedures for emergencies?

- for older kids, do they serve USDA approved meals? do they have a structured learning curriculum that includes gross and fine motor development skills as well as education? are teachers certified or required to have so many hours of continuing education each year?

***************
We also went with a "school" (Chesterbrook Academy--they're are tons of them) over a daycare center. I work at a community college with academically underprepared students, so I'm all for putting money towards education from the beginning.

Character Clothing-Sign me up for that club--it's just not my thing and gives me the creeps.

[ellidew]

Great list of questions Sinclair!

Congrats on your boy lilo! The boy team is getting huge!

[Franni]

Bijou It is a tough decision to make about L/d. I have never explored water births or even natural births, but I took an excellent lamaze class that I felt prepared me very well. Although I had a very traditional birth experience, I learned from lamaze how to identify the different stages of labor I was in. My water broke at 9:00 Am, but I didn't report to the hospital until after 7:00 PM until my contractions were about 15 minutes apart. Even then, I walked around the hospital floor and did some lamaze stretches and positions before officially checking in. By the time I checked in, I was already 8 cm dilated and pretty much "ready to go". So although it was a "strap-you-down" hospital, I waited till the last minute to be taped down.

However if you are really convinced that you want a water birth, you should consider moving hospitals and doctor then. I had to switch drs at my 5-6th month because my old doctor quit. It was traumatizing but ultimately manageable. You may not love the doctor you end up with but it is about your choice to deliver the way you want and having control over that. If your current hospital doesn't really support that viewpoint, then just leave. The last thing you need is to have to argue and fight for your rights when you are in the stages of active labor.

FWIW, my "traditional" hospital was also very supportive of breastfeeding (DD was on my breast within the first minute of her birth, breastfeeding classes 3 x day, individual lactation consultations, breastfeeding support sessions afterwards) and DD never left my side except when they cleaned her up. Even then, she was only 7 ft away from me.

Sinclair I would register if someone asked me for one. If then, it'll probably be a couple of necessities in the $30-50 range. I'd feel bad about registering for another crib, or anything like that.

[bijouparvin]

Franni - Thank you so much for your input. It's a tough decision so I'm anxious to hear the birth stories of as many people as I can find. It's good to hear that you had as much control over your labor as you did by waiting to check in until you were that far along.
************************************************** ********
The more I think about it, the more I feel like switching is going to be the right decision for me. I'm going to talk to DH about it when he gets home (poor thing! he's so exhausted today and I'm going to force him to talk about this HUGE subject :o ). Since my last post, I've found another hospital that is about a half hour away that has birthing pools and private L/D/R rooms. I left a message for a local doula and when she gets back to me, I'm going to find out if she's ever been to deliveries there and which doctors she recommends. Then, I'll have to make sure that the new doctor accepts my insurance. If all systems are go, then I guess I'll make the switch for my next appointment in four weeks. I feel bad about leaving my super-nice doctor, but this little girl deserves a peaceful, relaxed, unmedicated birth if possible. I sort of wish I'd thought this through 4 months ago when picking a doc in the first place but I was so overwhelmed with being PG that I didn't even know which questions to ask and how to find someone in a brand new town.

[November06Mommies]

Thread updated to here.

Here is a tally so far....
Boys 16 Calla Lilly, catgirl1007, CityGirl, ellidew, kadee_29, lisainpink, lisariv, Lydia, mermccau, nic, Rubbersoul, scarlett74, Sinclair319, Lilo, Rancid13, Roberta

Girls 9 bijouparvin, Franni, Ilovemygeek, katnbug, Kyrsten, mayham, Sare79, Lilla, mimieliza

Surprises 3 ausi2b, ppwgal, BethIrish

Still waiting 8 acrane, Ade, amyspike, brio96, civats, cjci, Lizzie Beth, Neenbean

As I was going through posts I was trying to catch if names have been posted. Here are the ones that I found...

katnbug ~ Hilary Ann
catgirl ~ Devin Patrick
Kyrsten ~ Anabella Sophie Layne ‘Ella’
Sare ~ Carys Kendra

If I missed any let me know. I will post those on the first page probably this weekend sometime.

[mermccau]

I am home from work today. I have a huge project for my business to get done and there is just not enough time on the weekends!

bijouparvin – do you actually have the diaper bag yet? I am interested in the quality because they are damn cute!

Sinclair – I think I have started feeling the baby too and it is just like you described – popcorn popping.

[RubberSoul]

Name- Our son is going to be named Ian Alexander

bijouparvin- I hope your transition to a new doc and hospital goes smoothly. I am sure it will all be worth it in the end to get the L&D you want. You look great in your belly shots!

Lilo- Congrats on your BOY!!!

Diaper bags and other stuff- I saw this really cute camo messenger bag in the Red Envelope catalog that is supposed to be for men. It also comes in black. I may have to get it for DH. They also have one for the ladies that looks cute too. They also have a turtle that lights up and it projects the constellations on the walls and ceiling. I am going to have to get it because it sounds so cool!

Rancid- I think it is pretty normal to feel a little disappointed when you find out the gender is not what you were hoping for. I was a little disappointed that I wasn't having a girl because I was so convinced I was carrying a girl, not a boy. I have gotten very excited about having a boy now that we have a name for him and I am feeling him move around a lot. Just give yourself some time to adjust.

Sinclair- Great list of questions. I will have to copy those for when we start looking at daycares.

When does the 3rd tri. start?- Is it 26 or 27 weeks?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

I feel like time is flying by! It seems like I am running out of time to prepare for this baby and it is freaking me out! The nursery is still full of furniture that has to go and I haven't bought much of anything for the baby yet - at least it seems that way. We ordered the crib, dresser, and a glider. I haven't gotten any clothes, the carseat, the stroller, or any of the million other things it seems like we need to get. I guess I am just feeling a little overwhelmed. Maybe I need to make myself a list and start checking things off. For some reason making lists gives me comfort - makes me feel like I have things under control. Anyone else feel like this?

[bijouparvin]

kadee - I think I remember someone referring to their son as "Connor" but I can't remember who. I'm extremely helpful, right? :rolleyes:

mermccau - Yes, I do already have it. I'm not sure how to answer about the quality. It seems okay to me. Not holy-wow-that's-a-great-bag but not shabby, either. Here's a picture of my actual bag and changing pad, FWIW:

http://images1.snapfish.com/34754%3C4%3C4%7Ffp33%3A%3Enu%3D3244%3E393%3E462%3E WSNRCG%3D32338%3B52%3C%3A%3B95nu0mrj

I figure, for $29, you can't really go wrong!

rubbersoul - Thanks for the encouragement and the compliments! Now that I've pretty much decided to switch, I'm impatient to get things settled. I'll probably take a few hospital tours next week.

I think the 3rd trimester officially starts at the beginning of week 27, at least according to my Week-By-Week book.

And, yes! I love lists!! I haven't made a baby to-do list yet because I'm intimidated at how long it would be. It doesn't look like we'll be having a shower so we've got to pick up all the basics for ourselves, little-by-little as we can afford them. We've been very fortunate with donations from other mamas but there's still a lot more to go. Maybe I'll make a list today. :)

[mermccau]

want to post another belly shot

14 weeks
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v379/mermccau/Baby/14weeks.jpg


20 weeks
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v379/mermccau/Baby/20weeks.jpg

[bijouparvin]

mermccau - Lookin' good! Grow, baby, grow!!

[Sinclair319]

I ordered my diaper bag! It came highly recommended by a couple of friends and I love how it clips on to the stroller! It's a Skip Hop Dash in charcoal with light blue edging. It should be here in a week or two. And a bonus--I was able to use a gift certificate DH got me for my bday, so it was like I got it for free! ;)

http://us.st11.yimg.com/us.st.yimg.com/I/babyoliver_1903_3353203

bedding-My bedding should be here Tuesday! Once I see it (and hopefully like it) we'll pick the paint, paint the nursery, then set up the crib.

suggestionsI've been hitting a lot of local garage sales and finding brand name sleepers that look *brand new* for $1-2. Today I got a Baby Papsan bouncy seat that looks like it's never been used for $10. Of course I wash/clean everything when I get home, but it's definitely more afforable for us. I've also gotten a bunch of books and some toys for him. The kid is going to be SPOILED!

Name--Our son's name is Corbin Sinclair Corbin is MIL's madien name, Sinclair is my mom's madien name and my middle name (and obviously my user name) I'm glad we were able to honor both sides of the family, plus we have a very common (and boring) last name, so it's nice to have his be a little unique.

[Sare79]

Sinclair, I love the name!

[civats]

Add me to the BABY BOY team. As you may recall, we were going to be surprised. On top of that, we didn't actually find out at our Level 2 Ultrasound. My husband was there to keep me focused. However, earlier this week, I was having very sharp pains on my right side. My ob asked me to come in immediately and I did. My husband wasn't able to make it in time. So, there I was in the ob's office and he said he wanted me to have another ultrasound so he could see if anything was going on. So, there I was . . . alone with the sonogram tech and I just had this urge to know. I caved. :o But now I am so happy to know I am having a baby boy! I told my hubby that I found out, but I didn't tell him what the sex is. He still insists that he doesn't want to know. So, I am supposed to keep this secret until November. I think he considers this my punishment for changing my mind. :confused:

Babymoon - We are heading to Playa Del Carmen this month. I can't wait! When my hubby first mentioned taking a vacation this summer, I thought it would we a waste of money that we need to save for the baby. However, right now I need this vacation.

Btw, according to my ob, my sharp pains are called round ligament pains. Apparently, they are pretty common in the 2nd trim.

[Lydia]

SOmeone asked a while back about the bilobed placenta-it basically is just that the placenta split into two parts, one containing the baby and another one that doesn't do anything but it's good to know to look for a little something extra after I deliver. The next u/s I have will determine where it is, etc.

[kadee_29]

Thread updated to here.

I think I have missed more than a few gender reveals so I will just say CONGRATS to everyone!! LoL

I won't do another tally update because there is one on the first page and only one person has moved to Team Blue :D. Of the 7 people still on Team Yellow we only have 2 that have u/s's scheduled, acrane on 7/10 (tomorrow!!) and neenbean on 7/17.

I finally posted names on the first page. I can't believe we are already picking names and getting things ready for our babies to be here. It will be here before we know it.

Oh and I realized I never posted our u/s pics. These are almost a month old now but I am posting them anyways. :p
Profile
http://images1.snapfish.com/3475696%3B9%7Ffp342%3Enu%3D3236%3E%3A%3A3%3E8%3B%3 A%3EWSNRCG%3D323385%3C9%3B%3B42%3Anu0mrj

Face and hand
http://images1.snapfish.com/3475696%3B9%7Ffp344%3Enu%3D3236%3E%3A%3A3%3E8%3B%3 A%3EWSNRCG%3D323385%3C9%3B%3B429nu0mrj

The money shot
http://images1.snapfish.com/3475696%3B9%7Ffp342%3Enu%3D3236%3E%3A%3A3%3E8%3B%3 A%3EWSNRCG%3D323385%3C9%3C6%3B37nu0mrj

And a 3D pic
http://images1.snapfish.com/3475696%3B9%7Ffp346%3Enu%3D3236%3E%3A%3A3%3E8%3B%3 A%3EWSNRCG%3D323385%3C9%3C6%3B36nu0mrj

[Ilovemygeek]

Our daughter's name will be Daria Lynn.

kadee_29 Beautiful u/s pics!

[mimieliza]

We are 99% decided on a name for our little girl and have started telling people that she will be called...

Miranda Kimie

The M name is for my family. All the women on both sides of my family have M names. Kimie is DH's grandmother's name (pronounced kim-EE-ay). He told her today that we were naming the baby Kimie and she told him she's never liked her name. Oh well - DH told her we're naming the baby after her whether she likes it or not. :)

We picked out paint at Home Depot for the baby's room... either Behr Celery Sprig or Christopher Robin's Swing, which is pictured here on the lower part of wall:
http://www.behr.com/images/inspiration/popup_p3_2.jpg
http://www.behr.com/images/inspiration/popup_pooh3.gif

I have belly photos from several weeks back. I took one tonight, too, but I look like hell - hot and tired, so I'm not putting that one out for the world to see. ;)
17 weeks:
http://mimieliza.smugmug.com/photos/80678623-M.jpg

20 weeks:
http://mimieliza.smugmug.com/photos/80678762-M.jpg

Guys, I am huge. HE-YUGE! I look much more than 22 weeks, I swear. My maternity shorts don't fit anymore and several tops have gotten too short. Others due in Nov. are just starting to wear maternity clothes, and I'm already outgrowing them. I'm irritated about the shorts, too, because I didn't wear them much when it was too cool. Now that it's hot and I need them, they are too tight. I do not know what I'm going to wear for the rest of the summer.

Enough complaining - it is great to really look pregnant, because people notice and are nice to me. Plus, I'm pretty sure the "is she pregnant or just getting fat" dilemma has been completely resolved. And, even though I look enormous, based on u/s on Wed. everything is the right size. No mammoth baby or gallons of amniotic fluid. And NO TWINS (which people love to say to me - "oh, you must be having twins!" or "oh, your baby is going to be HUGE!").

I've still avoided buying tons of girl baby clothes. Okay, I bought one thing, but returned it to Penney's because it was scratchy inside. And I did buy a pink blanket and hooded towel, but those are necessities, right? It happens to be the exact same BLANKIE that I had as a child, and still have sitting on my bed - a very soft, waffle-weave blanket with satin edging from Penney's. How amazing is it that they still sell that same blanket? My blankie is yellow, so my mom bought the yellow one months ago. Now that we know she's a girl, I had to get the pink one as well.

I love finding out everyone's baby names...

Ilovemygeek - Beautiful name choice!

kadee - those are great u/s pics! I love the one where he's waving at you.

civats - Congrats on your surprise-turned-BOY! Good luck keeping it on the DL from DH.

Sinclair - I love the name Corbin. I've been eyeing that diaper bag for awhile, but now that I've ordered the LOOM, I feel like I should wait and see if I really need it.

mermccau - Great belly shots! Lots of growth in the past few weeks.

Rubbersoul - I love your son's name. My good friend just had a baby named Ian - it's a great name.

[brio96]

Drive by post to say that you can add one more November Mommy-to-be to






Team Pink!!!

We had our ultrasound last Thursday and found out that we are having another girl. At first I was a little dissapointed because I had convinced myself it was a boy and was actually looking forward to having a little boy to "balance" our house out, but the idea of two girls being sisters has totally grown on me and now I'm really excited. Poor DH feels totally outnumbered now, but he's excited about being the Daddy of two girls as well. Saves us some money on clothes up front, but in the long run it might cost us more with two weddings to pay for. :D


We've had our best friends down from Boston for the week, so I haven't had a chance to post in awhile. DD's MRI is today so I have to get her up in about 15 minutes to leave for the hospital. Hoping it goes smoothly and that she doesn't freak out too much when I can't give her anything to eat or drink until afterwards.

[scarlett74]

Congratulations to all the new mums discovering sex in the last days.

Our boy will be called Francesco like the Saint of Assisi.
I think it will be Francesco Michele but only for Church's Baptism because we haven't got the tradition of a middle name. Michele BTW it's my husband's grandfather's name.

Yesterday we took off most of the furniture from the room that was our office-guest room, so in september we'll put the nursery.

I'm not wearing maternity clothes but I found a very cheap pair of cotton pants, one size more then mine, with an elastic band. Anyway my tummy is also exploding.

[Sinclair319]

Civats-Congrats on your BOY!

Mimi-I had (actually still have) the same yellow blanket--I used to always fall asleep with it by rubbing the edges. My mom had to replace the edges several times because I'd rub them so much they'd fall apart. I think I'm about the same size as you and I'm only a week ahead. I forgot to take a belly shot this week, but I'll try and remember next week. People are definitely able to tell I'm preg now which is fun!

Brio-Congrats on your GIRL!!!

Movement-Now I'm not only feeling him kick, but several times this weekend I've watched my belly and been able to see him kick (my stomach twitches when he does it) I also layed down to stretch my back the other night and he must have been in a ball on my left side--my belly was lopsided!

Nursery-My bedding should be here today or tomorrow, I really hope I like it (I've only seen it online). The nursery is ready to be painted (wanted to make sure I like the bedding, then match the paint to it). After we paint, we can put the crib together. My schedule becomes chaotic starting mid-August (until the baby comes) that I'd like to have everything done by then. Wishful thinking? I hope not ;)

[Esq.]

Mimi- don't feel bad :) I am 24 weeks this Thursday, and I am about the same size as you. I have started outgrowing some maternity clothes too. It was a shocker, but I am adjusting ;)

[Sinclair319]

I think I may have mentioned that I have a good friend who is due the day before me. Her mom writes a weekly article for their local paper--here is the latest. Be sure to have Kleenex close by....

To my unborn grandchild:
Dear Baby:

You'll never know the joy that the news of your existence created. There were tears and toasts and handshakes and hugs, while you were no more than a tiny speck of life. And with each passing day, as you grow and develop just below your mother's heart, a creature who has never seen the light of day, who has no concept even of light, you are completely unaware of how deeply you are loved. There are so many things I want to tell you some day. I want to tell you how your existence has changed your young mother, my daughter. Your tiny precious life, deep within her own body has softened her, and made her more introspective and serious. It has brought out the nurturing side of her and aroused her fiercely protective mother instinct. She knows what it's like now to value the life of another person above that of her own. Someday I will tell you about how your father had awaited your arrival with an almost plaintive longing. He dreams of all he can be for you and loves you with all his heart. Someday I'll tell you how your parents proudly displayed your first likeness to friends and family, a grainy, shadowy sonogram, and proclaimed that you were the cutest baby in the world. Someday I'll tell you the history of your family, of all the people you will soon meet, and of some of the people you may have met in Heaven before you came to us. I'll help you to understand your place and your value in the history of our lives. I listen to your parents talk about you and plan for the day when you emerge into our world and I'm reminded of my dreams and hopes many years ago for my own children. I remember the plans I had for my little ones, the expectations, and the belief that having perfect children would reflect on my own skills as a mother. It took me a while to realize that they were complete and individual beings with their own dreams and goals, with separate likes and dislikes, independent of mine. They were unique and precious people and not a reflection of me. Thank goodness I have learned that lesson in time for your arrival. Now all I have to do as a grandmother is just love you. You don't need to be a rocket scientist or an Olympic athlete. You don't need to have any special gifts or talents that I can brag about. You just need to be held in my arms and loved as only a grandmother can love. I won't fret if you don't make the honor roll, I won't stress if you make yourself sick on chocolate ice cream, and I won't be horrified if you bite the kid next door. I will just love you with all my being for who you are. I know we each have our lessons to learn in this world. I'm not sure what your own lessons will be, but I know what you will be coming to teach your mom and dad. You will show them what it is like to love unconditionally. As we wait for you, my prayers every day will be for your safe journey into our arms. In the meantime, rest well, Precious Child.

[nic]

Good morning all:

I'm so far behind, I don't think I'll ty to catch up on everything.

Brio, Congratulations on your Girl!

mimieliza, you look great!

I had an apptointment on Thursday afternoon, I'm now up 8 pounds. Hopefully I'll keep on the same track. My next appt. is August 7th and I'll also be doing the 1 hour GGT.

[Sare79]

Brio- Congratulations on your little girl!

Scartlett- That is a beautiful name. My dad's side of the family is Italian and I have a great uncle with the same name.

Sinclair- that is beautiful. Your friend must feel very honoured to have such a poetic and wise mother who wants to share that with people.

[Rancid13]

Sorry I've been a bit MIA these last few days after my u/s post on Weds night. I was still feeling quite a bit down about the results but am slowly starting to be able to accept the fact that we're having a boy, not a girl. :)

Congratulations to everyone who has found out the gender these last few days!!

I'm finally posting some ultrasound pics, only the ones that are actually clear and even I can make out what they are. All of them have titles from the u/s tech, but I keep looking and looking at several of them and can't make anything out.

A foot
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/us001.jpg

Two feet
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/us006.jpg

Profile
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/us003.jpg

The Money Shot (looking at 'it' from below)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v432/rancid13/us002.jpg

:)

[roberta]

Civtas and lilo- Congrats on your baby boys!
Brio congrats on your baby girl! Good luck with the MRI today. Thinking of you and DD.

Here is a belated US 20 week pic. No money shots, the tech didn't give us a print out of those.
http://static.flickr.com/57/186570604_3dc1eaaa14_m.jpg

I felt three distinct kicks just below my navel this morning. I could feel the vibrations from the outside. so weird! It was the first movements that were definately baby, there was no other explaination (digestion, round ligament pain, ect) for it. I can't wait for DH to feel the baby from the outside!

I am thinking about this bedding set from Target. I haven't looked at BRU yet, as I was waiting for their new site and a new store opens near me next week. I want to paint 4x4 canvases, one for each letter of his name and a coresponding animal.
http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B000EOM5IC.16._SCLZZZZZZZ_SS260_V56999107_.jpg

[scarlett74]

Rancid, the u/s of feet are so cute! :)

[Rancid13]

Rancid, the u/s of feet are so cute! :)

They are, aren't they! Hubby is a surfer, and we both snowboard, so to us they looked like little ready-to-surf-or-snowboard feet on the u/s. :)

[Toonces]

Our wireless router pooped out on us and we were without the Internet until DH figured it out this morning. I am SO behind on this thread and don't have a lot of time to be online right now. Congrats to all who found out about having a boy or girl. Glad to see some more girls in this thread. I'll have to check out the stats on the first page (hopefully sometime soon!).

Rancid ~ Those are great u/s pics - very clear!!

Diaper bags ~ I skimmed through this a few pages back so I hope this isn't redundant. I'm a diaper bag and stroller fanatic. I absolutely love the look of the Petunia Picklebottoms but they're pricey and aren't machine washable. I opted for the Kecci (http://www.kecci.com/cgi-bin/tlsstore.cgi)Shanghai MommyBag instead. It only costs $58 (I think) and is machine washable. Plus at that price I was able to get different colors - I said I was a fanatic. It does snag a little after a lot of use, but I'd rather snag a $58 bag than a $150 bag. The backpack style has definitely been the best for us. It's hard when you're trying to manage a baby who is slightly older and you have a diaper bag flinging around to hit him/her in the head.

Okay gotta go... DD is calling for me. I think DH's time is up!

[acrane]

Quick post to first say congrats to all you mommas and your healthy babies & bellies! :)

I had my regular ob appointment last Wednesday and everything looked 'normal' from the blood screening tests - whew! This morning was the 'big' ultrasound, finally! The tech said I'm measuring 20w6d instead of 20w1d, but I won't change my edd unless my ob wants me to.

We are having another boy!! We were surprised but very happy. :) My next regular appointment is 7/31.

Some shots from the appointment today - sorry I suck at scanning!
Um, no question on gender here:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/acrane/7.jpg

Scary skull and cute profile shot:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/acrane/7-1.jpg

[Rancid13]

Congratulations on your boy, acrane! Welcome to the club. ;)

[November06Mommies]

Thread updated to here.

brio96 ~ Congrats on your GIRL!!!

acrane ~ Congrats on your BOY!!!
I cropped the last u/s pic that you posted. I loaded it to my photo album but if you want to load it to yours here is the link. http://images1.snapfish.com/34757%3B64%3B%7Ffp345%3Enu%3D3236%3E%3A%3A3%3E8%3B %3A%3EWSNRCG%3D323392%3A7%3A8795nu0mrj
Just let me know if you do so I can switch the links on the first page.

[ausi2b]

Trying to catch up here ... excuse me for no SO's! I had my u/s yesterday and we are having a happy healthy ...

Baby!

We were good and held out and didn't find out the gender. But it was SO hard! Baby weighs 13 oz. and is measuring right on target! I'll have to try to find a scanner to scan in the u/s!

My parents and sister were in town this weekend and were baby CRAZY! They bought me all of my baby bedding, plus a matching duvet and shams for the full size bed we are also keeping in the nursery. We picked this out ...

http://a293.g.akamai.net/7/293/5910/0010/image1.styleinamerica.com/pkecimgs/images/products/200626/0010/img7m.jpg in the green/white gingham. I think we will spruce it up with pink accessories if the baby ends up being a girl!

My grandmother also sent a package of tons of sleepers, blankets, bibs, hats, booties, onesies, etc. It is so fun to think that I have baby clothes in my house!

Congrats to all of these happy healthy babies!

[Lizzie Beth]

Add us to Team GIRL!!!

I was fairly sure it was a girl because I O'd about 4 days after foolin' around. (As you may recall, we were not exactly trying..) But I'm glad for my little girl to have a little sister. I hope it will be fun....

I did want to have a little boy sometime, though... We haven't closed out the possibility, but the thought of doing the whole thing over again makes me shiver. But hopefully by then my two little girls may want to help. Susie already calls her lovey "baby" and looks around for him and cuddles him. Of course, a few minutes later she throws him down in a fit of rage... Hmmm.. Maybe not.

[ellidew]

Congrats on your GIRL Lizzie Beth! It WILL be fun!

[Sinclair319]

A friend of mine just sent me this link

New Parent's Top 10 Money Mistakes

http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/CollegeAndFamily/RaiseKids/NewParentsTop10MoneyMistakes.aspx?page=1

I had my first prenatal water aerobics class last night--it was awesome! Two girls are due next week, then one is due in Sept, 3 in Oct, 3 in Nov, and one in Dec. And it's everyone's firsts! Hopefully my little one will have some new friends from the beginning. :)

[roberta]

acrane congrats on your boy!
ausi2b congrats on your baby!
Lizzie Beth congrats on girl!

[Rancid13]

I'm copying and pasting this from my Livejournal post from just a few minutes ago:

Worried...
I just got a message from my dr's office that they received the ultrasound results and something wasn't right. Unfortunately the reception didn't come thru very well as I was sitting in the middle of a drive thru when I retrieved the message, but from the sounds of it, it has something to do with a cyst in the head I think? They told me not to worry but that we would need to get me scheduled for another ultrasound right away and to call to get preauthorization. I just called them back (the missed call was from 10 minutes ago) and got a recording saying that their office is closed until 2pm for lunch. ?!?!?! So now I get to freak out for the next ~2 hours because I don't know WHAT it is or how bad it is....

~And my reply to myself:

So of course I'm in the midst of freaking out here. Since I know little to nothing about what could possibly be wrong with the baby, I googled a few keywords together: "ultrasound cyst baby" and a specific condition kept popping up in almost all of the results. It's called a "Choroid Plexus Cyst" and from the sounds of it, it tends to go away on its own in utero. Assuming this is what the dr's office was calling about. Still worried, am going to request the AFP screen that I had formerly declined as well as another ultrasound as soon as I can get ahold of my dr's office.

[Esq.]

Thinking about you, Rancid. Keep us informed.

[Rancid13]

Thanks...I have another hour of waiting until the office is open. :(

[nic]

Rancid- How frustrating and scary that must be. I know it probbaly doesn't help but they told you not to worry so hopefully they really mean it. I'll be thinking of you and the little one-please let us know when you hear back.

[Franni]

Rancid any news? I hope everything is ok.

Annoying pregnancy symptoms LEAKS!!! I am getting them fairly regularly now and it is annoying. I have a fairly sensitive sense of smell, so I smell like a homeless person. UGH!!! Now that's attractive. There doesn't seem to be much that can be done for it but wait out this pregnancy.

RANDOM ACHES....it started happening a couple of days ago. I would get random pains while walking, sometimes down by the groin area or my side.

Ok...complaining done for today.

[lisainpink]

Rancid Just popping in to say I'm thinking about you. I hope all is well.