Happy Birthday!

My birthday marked the end of my first trimester!  Thank goodness.  I celebrated with a pumpkin spice latte (thank you Tiffany!), a fantastic steak, and a shopping spree.  For my birthday, the baby gave me meat back... well, steak, but it's something.  Rocky took me out for a great steak dinner where I ate the ENTIRE 6 ounce fillet I ordered.  I have also become quite a fan of O'Doules (nonalcoholic) beer.  Rocky now agrees that the baby is most likely a girl.  He said she is already high maintenance and has expensive taste.  I'm just looking foward to the steak dinners in my future!  



After dinner we went on a little shopping spree.  No luck with pants, but I found some cute tops that I think will cover my unbuttoned pants for a little longer.  While we were there, Rocky picked out a shirt for me also. 



Today, I continued to celebrate with my teammates at work with another pumpkin spice latte (thank you Christine!) and some delicious cupcakes.  OMG, they were amazing!  They are from a great little bakery in Georgetown called Galaxy Bakery and Coffeehouse (galaxybakery.com).  My friend, Christine, turned me onto this place last year and they are just as amazing as they look.  This has been a fantastic birthday.    

I need to get my Cinch (http://www.byanew.com/post-preggo/cinch.html) soon because I think the belly is about to start growing! 

12 Weeks Visit

Our visit to the doctor revealed that our baby finally looks like an actual baby.  No more blob.  There are arms and legs and even a nose.

During the exam, she (I think it's a girl now) jumped around a few times, but then settled in for a little nap.  She seems very laid back!  As of today, she measures almost 6 cm long and is developing perfectly.  Her heart rate was 161 which is primarily what I am basing her gender on. 

After the sonogram, which it totally the only fun part, I had to give some blood.  I thought it would be easier because it is just a finger prick, but it hurt much worse than the arm needle!  Geez, I felt like she sliced my finger off.  And I didn't even know you could get bruise on the tip of your finger, but I have one!  I have a whole new appreciation and sympathy for my poor brother in law who has to prick daily.  It sucks! 

So now that it's a girl, I've had to change my thinking a bit.  I am by no means disappointed, but I really thought it was a boy.  To get in the girly mood, I started looking at girl bedding and I found some that I think I really like (at least for now).  I don't want anything too baby-ish or pastel so I had to do some searching.  So far, here are the front runners. 

This is my favorite.  I like the bold print and bright colors.  The flowers girly it up without being over the top.  I probably won't do a pink wall or rug, maybe a different accent color. 

I like this one for the same reasons.  Bold prints and bright colors.  I have a friend who can paint canvases similar to the ones in the picture so I could easily recreate this room.  In both room one and two I like the use of lime green.  

The jury is still out on this one.  Bold print, but I kind of feel like it should be in a retirement home rather than a nursery.  Maybe it's too gardeny.  Not sure.  

Feel free to comment and make suggestions!  I'm open to ideas (for now)...

The Joke is on Me

Always a Bridesmaid...
So I was going to be a bridesmaid in a wedding 3 weeks after my due date.  Crazy me really thought I could pull it off.  I have now realized this is insane and probably very stressful to my poor friend Kimi, the bride, so I pulled out of the wedding.  She was amazing about the whole thing and I am still determined to at least make it to the wedding.  I have already lined up a sitter.  However, I did not come to this realization until AFTER we went dress shopping.  When we get to the shop, my other friend Gina informs me that I am trying on the dresses.  Yes, let's make the fat pregnant girl put on and take off her clothes a million times in order to stuff herself into dresses that don't fit.  To make matters more interesting, I was not wearing panties (because all the ones that fit are in the laundry) and I had not groomed down there in a few weeks (which is like not grooming for a year when you are on prenatal vitamins).  So I spent the afternoon feeling like a stuffed turkey and I couldn't even have a drink afterwards to feel better. 

Meat Craving (Well, kind of...)
It has been over a month since I have eaten any meat and I was beginning to think that I should invest in an chicken coop with the amount of eggs I was going through.  Again, my poor portable mate at school had to endure the smell of boiled eggs for lunch several days a week.  What a great food.  They smell like a fart BEFORE you eat them.  Then one evening, to my surprise I got a crazy craving for something new. 

Yep, that would be THREE crunchy tacos from Taco Bell.  The baby was very specific about what he wanted.  Taco Supreme with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and of course, mystery meat.  So, the first meat I have in ages might not actually be meat at all. 

Mean Girls

I think the baby might be a girl because I'm pretty sure she hates me.

ACL was this past weekend.  Friday night I wore my normal jeans and a tank top and had a blast.  I wasn't too tired and I ate some fantastic nachos from Tony Love's Love Shack.  Saturday morning I went to the closet and grabbed my pre-planned outfit only to discover that the short I planned to wear had a different idea.  Overnight I went from normally-buttoned pants to no-way-no-how shorts.  Of course this caused a major meltdown where I declared I was not leaving the house again.  Poor Rocky.  He came to the rescue and started trying to help pick out something I could wear.  He was smart enough to go for skirts with elastic waistbands, but these still caused a roll in the middle of my belly and set off another round of tears.

"If I looked pregnant that would be one thing, but everyone is just going to think I'm fat!" I wailed into his chest.  I'm pretty sure he was holding back a laugh at my irrational thoughts, but he was very supportive, insisting that I did indeed look pregnant.  Finally, we found a skirt that I could pull up to my bra under a tank and avoid the nasty cut in half look. 

My next clue into the gender of my child came in the form of a craving.  I have not eaten any meat in about 4 or 5 weeks.  It completely grosses me out.  So, as I packed my lunch yesterday morning, I was surprised to find myself reaching for a can of tuna.  Especially sense I wasn't a huge fan of tuna before the pregnancy.  I decided to go with it and did actually enjoy it for lunch... ALL of it.  Just as a precaution, I double checked online about the amount of fish I can have while pregnant.  I discovered I had just consumed my entire week's worth in one sitting.  Did I mention it was a LARGE can of tuna?  I didn't think it was really a big deal until I got home and all I could think about was tuna.  Dinner, I wanted tuna.  All night I thought about my yummy lunch.  I woke up this morning and considered tuna for breakfast.  So, it turns out that the one source of protein that I really really crave just happens to be the one protein that I can only have in moderation.  This baby has a very nasty sense of humor. 

Finally, I have been waiting for today for months.  My sister gave me Journey tickets for the concert tonight.  I have eagerly been waiting and planning, so excited to get to see them.  We were going to drive to San Antonio after work and arrive just in time.  So of course, on Monday I began to feel a little under the weather.  Tuesday was worse and I worried I was getting strep.  Today (concert day) I still feel pretty bad and Rocky doesn't think we should chance it.  We wouldn't get back until really late and he thinks it would aggravate whatever this is.  So it looks like the only journey I will be enjoying today is the one from the car to the couch.  So bummed. 

All I know is this better be one cute baby...
 

Bathroom Secrets

So the baby isn't even here yet and it has already altered the state of my marriage.  Since meeting and becoming a couple, we talk about and share almost everything.  ALMOST.  The one off limits topic has always been the bathroom, or more specifically, what occurs in the bathroom.  I am not shy or squeamish and my girlfriends and I have discussed the topic countless times.  I just choose not to discuss it with the one  person with whom I need to maintain  my sex appeal.  For four years I have managed to keep the mystery alive and have had my husband convinced that I do not poop.  This has required some skill on my part and some really good timing, but I have pulled it off.  Vacations, family get togethers, weekends, even illness, but he has never had a clue. 

That all changed this week.  Because I have had some serious food aversions, my diet has been less than stellar.  Meat and salad are both currently on the baby's "Do Not Eat" list.  Add to this that the baby LOVES cheese and prenatal vitamins and you will begin to see where this is going.  After a week of no bathroom action I was not in the best of moods.  I finally clued Rocky in to my predicament and thus began the downward spiral. 

Finally fed up one evening, I went into the bathroom to sit until something happened.  About 20 minutes later I get a text message..."Are you okay?"  I emerge and inform him that I am not okay and that it was  not a successful visit. 

At the grocery store the next day I decide to try a different approach.  I purchased Fiber One cereal, Fiber One snack bars, and a ton of fruit.  I also started adding spinach to my protein shakes.  Rocky periodically checked in with me from day to day to see if there was any progress.  My bathroom habits were quickly becoming a main topic of conversation and at this point I am well on my way to my demise. 

The final straw came when I finally had a successful bathroom visit at work of all places.  I was so excited and relieved that without thinking I texted my husband, "I finally pooed!!" To this came the response, "Wow!  I never thought I would get a text like that from you!  What can we do tonight to celebrate your 10 pound dump?"

We are now one of "those" couples all thanks to this baby...

No Shows

I am considering another early pregnancy purchase out of sheer necessity and for the safety of all. 

I was more than a little excited when my boobs grew a size with this pregnancy.  I have had fairly small ones my entire life and so this new development was pretty entertaining.  What I was not prepared for was the constant nipple-hard-on.  Now I have had issues with "perky" nipples before, but have always been able to contain them.  No so much anymore.  At the gym, no sports bra or top can hide them.  I have resorted to masking tape to hold them down, but they still manage to pop out.  I spend more time running to the water fountain so I can try to press them down discretely than I do lifting weights.  And I'm pretty sure I'm not fooling anyone with what I'm doing over there.  This week a guy got on the treadmill beside me and didn't even try to hide his stares...for the entire 30 minutes I was there.  I would like to pretend that he just thought I was hot, but I have never gotten that kind of attention at the gym pre-nipple.  Even my padded bra is no match for these suckers.  I'm worried they are going to become a safety hazard.  I mean, I work with children...what if I put an eye out!

Six Flags Over Pregnancy

I knew that being pregnant would more than likely cause a little emotional influx, but I have more curves and hills than a roller coaster.   Take filling a prescription for example.  I had my prenatal vitamins filled at HEB Friday before leaving for Houston.  In a rush, I just grabbed them and hit the road.  Once in Houston I realized they had filled the prescription with the generic brand which for some reason cost MORE than name brand with my insurance.  Monday morning I politely called to inquire about the difference in price and my options.  That nasty biotch at the pharmacy wouldn't even give me the price difference.  She just kept saying that there is a sign that says they fill generics if not otherwise specified and that there was nothing she could do about it.  If I wanted the brand name I would have to call the insurance company and see what they could do.  So obviously I was pretty annoyed.  And what did I do?  Start crying!  My poor roommate at work had to endure the crazy flood of tears while I'm sure trying not to laugh at how ridiculous I was being. 

Well, I thought I had composed myself before calling the insurance company.  The guy I talked to was so extremely nice, even though he couldn't help.  This, of course, sent me into another crying fit.  At this point I am so disgusted with myself for crying that I cry even more.  The whole thing is out of control and a little weird.  I clearly cannot handle this situation so I called my husband and told him the pharmacy had me in a fit of tears (which he is getting used to) and that I needed help.  He immediately took action and had the entire situation under control in one afternoon which made me cry AGAIN. 

The next day I woke feeling much better (or so I thought).  Apparently, I was wrong.  No tears thank goodness, but I did use quite a bit of sign language with the other drivers on the way to work.  At one point I even rolled down my window to yell something.  Seriously?!  I think I'm ready to exit to the left...  

Eventful Weekend

We went to Houston this weekend to tell Rocky's mom, Darlene, that she is finally going to be a grandma.  We put a picture of the sonogram in an "I love Grandma" frame and had her open it.  Excited does not begin to describe her reaction.  She has been waiting on this for a long time.  After we broke the news she couldn't wait to tell the neighbors, who are close family friends.  For the next few hours, text messages and phone calls ensued.  I received a texted saying Daddy wanted to call Darlene so I passed along the number and they had a nice chat about who would be keeping the baby on what weeks and who should be called what.  It was pretty cute.

The next day we went to visit Kellie, Rocky's cousin who just had a baby.  Rocky never holds babies, but Kellie insisted so she could get a picture.  I don't think he enjoyed it much, but it was really cute.  After about 3 minutes, he looked at me and said, "Okay, I think I'm done." 

Rocky broke the news again to Kellie and Nana while we were there.  Nana, of course, began going on and on about how she didn't think we knew what to do.  It was too much for my poor pregnancy hormones and I informed her that we knew perfectly well what to do and that we are on our own time table, not hers.  I let her know we are happy with the way things are working out and this is exactly what we had planned.  OMG that woman drives me nuts! Later, I called her crazy and she smacked me, but I guess I had it coming.

After all the excitement, I needed to fill a few people in also.  I didn't want my friend Kimi finding out I was due three weeks before her wedding (which I am a bridesmaid in) on facebook.  So, I sent her a picture of the sonogram and said "guess what you are getting for a wedding gift!"  I was a little worried, but it was for nothing.  She was very excited and called Gina at 8:30 that morning in her excitement.  So now we just have to find a bridesmaid's dress that is flattering on a post baby body.  That should be easy. 

So now it seems that the cat is out of the bag.  We didn't quite make it to 12 weeks of secrecy which was the original plan, but what do you do? 

First Appointment

I already feel like I have been pregnant forever.  I think counting down until we tell everyone makes the days and weeks drag by even slower.  Our first appointment was yesterday and we are indeed pregnant.  Rocky's favorite part of the entire visit was getting to actually see the stirrups.  We were able to see the baby close up and even hear the heart beat loud and clear... 135 beats a minutes.  If the old wives tale is true, then it's a boy!  As a bonus, the tech tried to guess what I had for lunch by looking at my intestines.  It was a little strange. 

After the sonogram we returned to the waiting room to wait for the second half of the visit and I pulled out the pictures.  We looked at them and talked about how crazy it was that we actually heard the heart beat.  Over the past few weeks, anytime I said something about the baby, Rocky would reply, "What baby... prove it."  So as we looked at the pictures I said, "Well, I proved it... we're having a baby."  His reply, "Now we just have to prove it's mine!"  The other pregnant woman waiting tried to pretend she wasn't listening, but I'm pretty sure she thinks I'm a dirty slut married to a fantastic guy! 

Famous Last Words

I began my pregnancy feeling very grateful that I seemed to be escaping the nastiness of morning sickness.  I felt like a champ other than wanting to sleep all the time.  Last week, I developed some kind of nasty cold that would not go away and hung around for the entire week.  The majority of this past weekend was spent either in bed or in some other napping location.  Rocky jokes that I have located every possible napping spot in our house.  He was a amazing this weekend... running errands, picking up groceries, and force feeding me until I felt better.  He is already on track for the whole fatherhood thing!

So now I feel  better, but have been pretty nauseous most of the week.  I don't seem to have any real food cravings yet, and in fact have actually developed an aversion to almost everything...especially chicken.  I am surviving mostly on fruit, soup occasionally, and grilled cheese sandwiches.  A few nights ago Rocky picked up Yogo Bowl which was tasty.  I think he's worried the baby is getting tired of my limited diet.  Last night I had queso, a cheese burger, and a sprite.  None of which I would eat normally, but at this point I have to go with what I can stomach.  Rocky loves it and thinks it's pretty funny the baby is causing such an uproar to my eating habits because I swore I would stick to my healthy diet.  Famous last words.