Things I Want to Remember About Being Pregnant

Backdated to 10/09/10: 39wks3ds

Things I Want to Remember About Being Pregnant:

Most of it sucked. The nausea and anxiety at the beginning. The middle bit was ok, but I had that scary heart tachycardia nonsense. And the last chunk totally blew. Killer pelvic pain, and increasingly terrible heartburn. Not to mention that during that last week or so there I consistently forgot how very large I'd become and crashed mah belly into doors, corners, David... It was pretty ridiculous.

I definitely want to remember how ridiculously helpful and sweet David was after he came home from the boat. He definitely went out of his way to help around the house and to try and help me be comfortable during the last of my manatee days. He kept me stocked in milk, which was no easy feat, as I was going through it at a rate of about 1 gallon every day and a half. He is an amazing husband and I am truly grateful for all he does. I love him so much. I never doubted that he'd be a good father, and the way he took care of me at the end of my pregnancy further solidified that.

I want to remember how it felt to feel Little Miss kicking inside my belly.

I want to remember that at the end I was waking up to pee every 1.5 hours.

I want to remember that at the end, my hips decided to join the pelvic pain party. I want to remember how GOOD my heating pad felt, but that it didn't *quite* melt the pain away.

I want to remember all the ridiculous things we tried to get Little Miss to flip over from breech presentation before birth. We tried ice on my tummy. We tried playing music at the bottom of the baby-bubble. We tried a handstand in the pool. We tried lotioning the belly, rubbing clockwise. Counter clockwise. We tried laying on a slantboard, which is a board that we wedged one end of under the cushions of the couch and I laid on it so that my head was at the bottom (on a pillow, of course), and sat there for 10+ minutes at a time. I say "+" because 10 was usually the GOAL, because it was RIDICULOUSLY uncomfortable, with the belly pushing even harder into my ribbitys, and my stomach being directly attached to my gag reflex. We tried slantboard + music. We tried slantboard + ice. We tried slantboard + lotion(clockwise). We tried slantboard + David singing to baby (which was really cute a sweet and hilarious because he made up his own songs). We tried acupuncture, where the girl roasted my pinky toes with a smelly smelly smudge stick (look up "moxibustion" if you're in a googling mood). We moxibusted my toes at home for a week after the initial acupuncture session. We tried acupressure... clothespins on my pinky toes for 30 mins per night. We tried the chiropractic "Webster Technique." We tried massage by my awesome friend Ashley.

We were scheduled to try the ECV which stands for something-something-Version on Sunday the 10th at the hospital. That's a medical procedure where they ultrasound you to confirm the baby's position, and then they PUSH on your tummy and basically shove the baby into the proper position.

I want to remember that every time David and I had sex, I had contractions all night long, but they were sporadic and ridiculously spaced out and always subsided after just a couple of hours (meaning I wasn't really in labor, just "false-labor").

Speaking of contractions, at the end, it felt like every time I went pee, I'd have a contraction. Just one. Which sucked and felt strange, but I was pretty sure that's what was happening. Especially those middle of the night pees.

I want to remember that we picked out three names for Little Miss and waited to see which she looked like.

I want to remember that my bellybutton never actually "popped"... It just kinda flattened out. No turkey-timer on this mama!

I want to remember what it was like to take a nap whenever *I* felt like it.

I want to remember how much stuff I couldn't eat! How much stuff I couldn't DO! But, that's what this blog has been all about.

I want to remember how scared I really was about having this baby. How I kinda sorta changed my mind about even WANTING to have a baby at both the beginning and the end of this pregnancy. I wasn't going to back out (not that doing that would have been easy in ANY way to do), but it became more of an inevitability than a happily awaited event. Pregnancy for me was something to be endured, rather than something to enjoy. At the end, having the baby simply became an alternative to being pregnant!

These are things I want to remember about being pregnant. Hopefully, I'll be able to get the conclusion to The Nausea Chronicles typed up and posted, but I wanted to get these all typed out first. It's the end of an era. :]

Crazy Preggo Dreams

39wks1d

I dreamed that little miss was c-sectioned out and while I woke up, my (also pregnant) friend Emily and my mom took her (and Emily's cat??) to the NEX and I met them there to shop and found out that my baby is ELEVEN pounds and has an enormous head and HUGE cheeks. (And looked exactly like my niece Emmarose, only with even more cheeks)

Large cheeks run in my family, so this is a legitimate concern. I'm more concerned though that I keep having dreams where my mom takes my baby/babies away and I meet them somewhere later. What's THAT about?

I'm also very concerned about the ELEVEN POUND weight of the dream-baby. Holy cow, that's a little *too* sturdy for my hopes. I remember thinking (in the dream) "Well, so much for all those 'Newborn' sized clothes I just organized!"

Maybe I'll just drink water today instead of milk. If proteins are the building blocks of a healthy body, Little Miss is gonna come out looking like a baby linebacker. Eek, y'all.

-love, peace and cuppycakes,
Mama Awesome Powers

Good News About Last Week's Bad News

37wks2d

On Wednesday David and I went to my 37 week appt. It wasn't with the midwives, which disappointed me at first, because following (meaning: requesting each subsequent appt with one of them and hoping that one of the 3 of them is on call when it's time for Little Miss-Almost-Has-A-Name's debut...) with them was more relaxing and they actually seemed to care, and they actually returned phone calls in a timely manner.

*Note to Little Miss: Your mother is the QUEEN of run-on sentences, but you won't even learn what those are until you're in about 4th grade. If then.

Anyhoo. My appointment was with a Dr. Boyle, who is some kind of highly ranked (remember, Army Medical Center)head honcho-type doctor man at Tripler. He was really nice (a little rough during the exam... I feel sorry for his wife) and during the discussion part after he'd confirmed that she was indeed STILL BREECH, he talked to us about the inversion and c-sections options.

He said that he prefers to do manual inversions at 39 weeks, which is just awesome sounding to me. I know it's only the matter of a week or so, but September just seems WAAAAY too early for her to BE HERE. But that's another post (maybe). Dr. Boyle said that at 39 weeks we'll do the inversion (if she's still breech when I go in for it). The procedure is performed in an operating room, and the baby's heartbeat is monitored, so that if it's medically necessary (example: if baby's heartbeat shows distress, and *DOESN'T* recover to a normal level within a certain amount of time), then we can lop her out. I mean, we're already set up for a C-section. Which doesn't thrill me, but it seems to be on the level. That's worst case scenario though.

If we do the inversion, it's successful, and the water does NOT break, then we'll talk about waiting for natural labor to begin. This is the inversion scenario we're hoping for.

If the inversion is NOT successful, then we'll talk about scheduling a c-section, but Dr. Boyle did say something about allowing me to go into labor naturally and having a c-section that day. But we don't even have to think about c-sections till next week.

I'm so glad that we still have 2 weeks to get her to flip. Or rather, get her to flip and STAY FLIPPED.

Please send us flippy little baby thoughts, because all the other weird stuff we've been trying hasn't been working... And on that note, I'm off in a minute to go put clothespins on my pinkie toes for half an hour. Later I'll sit upside-down on the "slant board" for as long as I can stand, or 10 minutes, which ever comes first. And if you're thinking "gee, 10 minutes really isn't that long," remember that my stomach is now attached to my gag-reflex with nothing in between, and that when upside-down, a watermelon (county-fair-prize-winning sized) is pressing on said stomach. One little burp could be disastrous. it's a very precarious activity. Must be done on an empty stomach, but not empty enough that acid has been creeping up my throat like it does at night...

Anyway, here's an amusing image for you: I tried to do the slantboard by myself the other day after David had gone to work. It's nice to have his help to get up and down, I thought, but I can do this without him... it needs done. So I sit on the board, and lean all the way back. I set my timer, I start checking Facebook on my phone, doing other piddly-internet-related things. It feels like the blood is all rushing to my head, but I stick it out. Ding. I set my phone down and try to get up. And try to get up. And try... to... get... up... You know when you were a kid and the June bugs would come out for the summer, and you'd poke one with a stick and it'd end up belly-up, flailing all it's little legs and trying it's damndest to flip over right-side-up?

That day, getting off that slantboard, I was that beetle.

Tricksy Babyses...

36wks3d

So I'm pretty sure she's flipped back. And by "pretty sure," I mean I thought that, based on how my tummy felt and where I felt her hiccuping, and then went for my 36 week appt on Thursday and she was head up, for sure. They brought in the portable ultrasound and everything. So next week at my 37week appt (I get seen once a week from here till the end), we'll talk about the version. I'm still *pretty* sure I'm going to decline it, but I want to be fully educated about it before I decide one way or another.

::sigh:: I'd ask what I did to deserve a tricksy baby like this, but I really don't want to hear the list of my past indiscretions... It's long!

How Big Will Baby Awesome Powers Be?

Here's a link to our baby game! Guess at what weight, length and date our Little Miss will make her triumphant debut!



And if I haven't actually met you, and you just follow here, put "Blogger" as your "Who I am" ...unless you can think of something more clever!

I Have A New Best Sleep Friend

David bought me a Boppy Pregnancy Wedge.



I'd rebelled against getting it for myself because I didn't want to pay $15 for a stupid wedgy weird-looking pillow that I'd only get to use for a couple of months. David insisted, because he's more concerned about my comfort than I am, and it makes him feel good to buy things that are (potentially) helpful to me. Sometimes that backfires terribly, but in this case, OMG, I love that pillow. It goes, as you might imagine, between the upward slope of my bebe belleh and the bed and provides support while I sleep. It. Is. Fabulous. And it fits sooooo much better than trying to cram part of a regular pillow in that spot. It's one of those things that looks really stupid on the shelf at the store, but once you're using it you can't believe you waited so long to get one.

I <3 that wedge. I recommend it to anyone who is pregnant and is beginning to be uncomfortable in bed at night. It won't cure your insomnia, or your heartburn, or lessen the frequency of your trips to the bathroom in the night, but it sure will make it more comfortable while you're lying awake contemplating/suffering from those things.

You Know How I Know I'm Pregnant?

My eyes got that going-to-cry prickle when I saw a Navy Wife- The toughest job in the Navy decal on a Land Rover when I left base today. How silly is that?

Flip, Baby, Flipped!

I *think* she flipped!

I was REEEEALLY tired on Saturday night, and slept HARD. There was none of the usual "I'M AWAKE" feeling that usually accompanies my return to bed after a trip to pee. I definitely noticed Baby Girl kicking around in there, and in retrospect (one of my current favorite words), she was kicking in different places (like on the side walls of her habitat, instead of the bottom left (at my hip, specifically)). On Sunday morning, my tummy felt different. I felt around and David felt around, and we both agreed that the places where we felt bits of baby didn't feel like the bits of baby we'd felt before. And then she had hiccups, and it was in the opposite corner from where they'd been every other time before.

So, I think she's flipped. I'm fairly certain. We'll see on Thursday at my OB appt. I've pretty much decided to refuse the inversion, so she'll still have time to flip after my 36 week appt.

Yay flippy baby!

Now, STAY THAT WAY.

To Everything, Turn, Turn, Turn...

35wks,3d

We're still trying to flip this baby. Here are the things we've tried so far:

*Ice on the baby's head (and by "head" I mean on my stomach where the baby's head is"). It was cold. Baby didn't move away from it, she just pushed at it. I'm not sure what that means, but I'm chalking it up to more of her general contrariness. You know, the kind that inclines her to ninja-KICK the scope at our ultrasounds and to squirm away from the doppler at our OB checkups.

*Laying with a stack of pillows under my butt and back to elevate my hips and "disengage the baby from the pelvis", the theory behind this being that there'll be more room for her to flip if I'm all squashed in the lungs and stomach. I mean... if I'm laying at a 45degree angle. Very unpleasant, what with the acid that creeps up my throat even if I'm 100% vertical... it was thrilled that I'd laid down in a position that was even easier to try and make dinner escape. ::shudder:: But, I *tried* it.

*Hand stand in the pool. Yep, I did one, and the massive burp that it caused to dislodge from my insides was unpleasant enough that I probably won't do more of those. Especially because that's ridiculous.

*Warm bath. This was particularly sad, because when I sat in the tub, the water in our stupid


And in all seriousness, because now we're down to crunch time:

Yesterday we tried acupuncture.

But before I get into THAT story, let me explain why we're not just letting things run their course.

*******************
At my 32 week appt, the midwife I saw (who was really nice, BTW), felt the baby's position (head up by my ribs, back curled around to my right side, butt down by my pelvis and legs curled up the other side). She said that position is called "breech" and that if she hasn't turned into the head down position by my 36 week appt (which will be on Thursday the 16th), that they'll do what's called "Inversion" to flip her.

Inversion, from my understanding, is where a team of doctors ultrasound you (to be sure of baby's position and the cord position and all that), and then they press their hands down on your belly and PUSH the baby into position.

From what I've learned since she oh-so-casually-mentioned that, Inversion HURTS (me, and I'm sure that Baby Girl won't like it either), and that more often than not, it has a tendency to burst the bag of waters, which can start labor. And if it *doesn't* start labor, since the bag of water has already burst, Tripler's policy is to deliver that baby one way or another within 12, I believe, hours of it bursting.

I called the other day to ask the midwives (they have a PAGER, and you call and leave your number and get this...THEY ACTUALLY CALL YOU BACK. *gasp!!* THAT DAY EVEN!! *DOUBLE GASP*) what they thought about my trying alternative (to inversion) methods to flip Baby Girl. The midwife I talked to was ALL ABOUT IT. It was so refreshing to hear a positive review of something I want to try from anyone at Tripler. I feel like everything's been so negative from there so far. Almost nothing but uncomfortableness and unpleasant news and visits for me and my other pregnant friends. So the midwife said to go ahead and try the acupuncture and the other things I'd come up with, and that I shouldn't worry too much about the inversion till I've tried those things and had my next OB appt. I think I <3 the mid-wives.

So. Yesterday we went to Sacred Healing Arts in downtown Honolulu to try the acupuncture. Before I start *this* part of the story, let me just say that we had a 3d ultrasound on Friday, and she was in the exact same head up, butt down, legs up the side position that she'd been in before. Monday was a holiday, so I called on Tuesday and made the appt to be stuck with needles. Tuesday night, Little Miss did some interesting dancing around, and I wasn't *SURE* anymore what position she was in, so I called and they said they could have one of their midwives come in and confirm Little Miss' position. She felt around on mah belly, and listened to the heartbeat. We were right, she still hadn't turned. The midwife showed David how to feel for her head (I already knew from a previous appt at Tripler), and then she left and the acupuncturist came in. She asked me to lay on my side, and then she stuck a teensy little needle in my foot, on the top side, about half an inch from my pinkie toe. Then things got weird. She pulls out a smudge stick (a bundle of herbs wrapped in paper and lights it. She warns us that "This WILL smell like weed." and proceeded to roast my pinkie toe (the one with the needle) for 10 minutes. Then she took out the needle, and had me turn over and did a new needle in my other foot and roasted THAT pinkie toe. Then we were done. She gave us a new smudge stick to take home with us and said that we needed to roast (my words not hers) my pinkie toes for 10 mins each, twice a day, and we scheduled another appt for Monday, just in case (it can take up to 3 sessions to flip a stubborn baby). I also have to spend up to 20 minutes on a "slant board", which is a board, propped up on the couch, head at the bottom, everything else upwards. Very uncomfy. ::sigh:: I'm totally saving this story for the first time Little Miss asks for money when she's a teenager.

SO.

Our plan of attack:

Acupuncture- Friday (the appointment we went to), Monday and maybe Wednesday if she STILL hasn't turned.

Thursday is our OB appt at Tripler. If she still hasn't flipped, then between that appt and the appt to invert her, we'll try to go to the chiropractor and get her to do what's called "Webster's Technique", which I haven't researched yet, but supposedly it opens the pelvis and baby flips. Also has a fairly high success rate. So it's worth trying.

I think that if she hasn't turned and they want to do the inversion, I'm going to decline. I will tell them that I'm not comfortable with the inversion risks (breaking the water and artificially starting labor), and that I'd rather wait to go into labor on my own, and if she's still breech when that happens, then I'll labor and then we'll have the C-section. Don't get me wrong, I don't WANT a C-section, but I think that natural labor first and then C-section would be better for my baby than the early alternatives.

Whew. Long post. I still need to Chronicle the trip I took to Texas! But that will have to be another day, I gotta go roast my toes now, with a bunch of plants that smell like weed. This better freaking work, hahaha

David: "Oh God, I Read About This."

I do believe David is nesting. He's doing laundry, the dishwasher is running and right now, he's compulsively scrubbing the drip shields that go under the burners on the stove. He's even mentioned vacuuming later. Keep in mind, it's currently 9:53pm.

THIS. IS. AWESOME.

Ice, Ice, Baby.

32wks5d

Little Miss is in breech position right now (think standing on my bladder), so to get her to turn (because it's going to be easier for her to do now than in 2-4 weeks), I get to put ice on my tummy and try to make her flee from it into the proper head down position.

It didn't work last night, it just made my belly cold. Will try again tonight.

I'm also hoping that if she flips, then her weight will be distributed properly and not to the left side of my pelvic area and properness will relieve some of this awful pelvic pain I've been having for 2 months now.

Here's hoping.

Breech Baby, Breech Baby, Give Me Your Hand... I Mean Feet?

Had my 32 week appt yesterday with the midwife team, and I really liked the lady I saw. It was a good, positive appt. She measured belly and listened to Little Miss' heartbeat. She said that everything's right on track. She also prodded (but in a very professional way) mah belly and said that Little Girl is currently in breech (head up, toes down, specifically in my bladder) position. It's not a big deal NOW, but she needs to flip over before showtime. Which is what I'm calling it now. P.S. This is my show, I'm the star, until the finale, I guess. Anyhoo, we're not going to worry/try to get her to turn over unless she's still wrong side up at my 36week appt, which will be mid-September. Internet suggests I do handstands in a pool to get her to flip. We'll see. I may be a manatee, but manatees gotta breathe air.

After that appt, I had one with the lady physical therapist. That was a good appt too. She told me I don't have to wear the terrible SI (Sacral... Ilium, I think) Belt anymore (because the kind of pain I'm having in my pelvic area isn't the kind that those belts help). So BYE BYE SQUASHY BELT, and GOOD RIDDANCE. She asked me if I wanted to keep it and I laughed at her. My favorite part of the appointment? SHE SHOWED ME A BETTER WAY TO ROLL OVER. Last night was the least painful night I've had since the end of June. That's not to say it was totally pain free, but it was a VAST improvement. Glorious, even. Thank god for that lady physical therapist. Even if she did seem WAY more concerned with how we can address this pain AFTER I've had the baby than with the pain I'm in/having now... I thought that was interesting, considering that everyone else I've talked to has said that this pain will pretty much go away once the baby's here and her weight (and etc's weight) isn't pushing down on my pelvic joints. So we'll see. I can roll over in bed now without feeling broken-stabby-pains.

Things are good.

Constructing The Having A Baby Playlist

So... would THIS song be inappropriate to play when it's time to push, or TOTALLY FREAKING AWESOME??

I have my opinion, let's hear yours...

Current Facebook Status:

Linzy Powers is getting really tired of being pregnant. Tired of hearing "Look how big you're getting!" from people I saw LAST WEEK. Tired of finding NEW stretch marks. Tired of looking like crap in almost every picture. Tired of new pain brought on by getting bigger. Tired of being TIRED. Two whole months left. Woo-fucking-hoo.

Email to David

I thought this was funny, so I wanted to put it up here. If you don't think I'm funny, you probably shouldn't be reading my blog. ONWARD!!

Subject: Something to make you smile :] 8.12.10

Hey sweet, just a quick funny story for you about your daughter's antics...

So I'm playing Lego Batman on the 360 with the controller on the
convenient shelf that is mah belly, and Little Miss decides she's
going to kick back at the Rumblepak!!! Frizzle and I thought it was
hilarious!

Ok, fine. *I* thought it was hilarious and Frizzle wanted skritches. :]

Oh, and I *may or may not* have done some "nesting" in your closet
looking for things to bleach... And done some sorting. You might have
a big box of "not clothes" in there now.

Might. :P

I lovin you. Pregnancy is making me crazy. I missin you and your baby
girl says "Kick-kick-twitchy-twitch." Which I'm going to translate as
"Daddy come home so I can kick at you too!"

She's already a spitfire.

We love you Daddy Powers, be safe and come home soon.

Always your girls,
Mama and Baby Powers

P.S. Kicky-twitch! Chop!
(the first bit was Little Miss. I bet you can figure out who the
second bit is from)

Rocks, Hard Places, Fear.

Watching The Business of Being Born. It's informative, it's interesting, and it's scaring the daylights out of me.

I don't want to do this anymore. It's going to hurt. It's scary. I really don't know if I can do this... Have a baby. Who's idea was this? (David shut up.) The more I learn about the process and options and everything that childbirth entails, the more it seems like a damned if you do, damned if you don't (have the drugs) deal.

All of the information that I've read/learned/watched/discussed so far has strongly indicated that drugs beget drugs.

Epidurals tend to slow contractions, reduce the rate at which labor progresses. So they give you Pitocin, which brings on harder, quicker contractions (which hurt more than at a normal non-induced progression). And round and round it goes.

Or: Pitocin first, epidural for the increased pain.

Quicker, harder contractions aren't very good for the baby (who isn't built for the new rate of progression), more complications arise, fetal distress, So woosh, you're off to have a C-section (where there can be MORE complications), and then there's more anesthesia, and then you're all drugged up and baby's drugged up (because baby gets his/her drugs from drugged up mama).

Drugged up mamas and babies can have difficulties breast feeding, among other things.

Or;

Natural: Labor progresses (or doesn't) on its own. Still hurts. Might take longer, without the harder, faster, progression of drugs. Still gonna hurt. Gonna HURT.

Seriously, it's going to hurt.

Does knowing ahead of time that it's going to hurt help? Help what? Help it not hurt? No. I guess it could help you feel more in control of what's happening, instead of just having various doctors and nurses plugging you into this IV, and here's this drug, and that drug.

Ugh. I'm not doing a very good job explaining myself or reasoning one side against another, or even particularly expanding on everything involved in either method of birth.

I'm not opening this up for debate, or asking for anyone's opinion/story/sympathies right now. All I know is that as of tonight, I don't want to do this anymore, I take it back, and I quit. Out of fear.

::sigh:: If only.

Why didn't I listen to my teenage self? That girl was CERTAIN of adoption, because she knew that pregnancy and childbirth were scary scary things. I'm a little sad to think that I was smarter at 13 than I was at 23 when we decided to stop preventing babies.

Very Round Am I.

Taken at 30 weeks.

Bebe in there!




P.S. That's officer housing behind me, if anyone was wondering. Our house is much smaller (but isn't more house than we need, haha).

Productivity!

Yesterday!

I registered at Babies R Us, and bought Little Miss' bedding. I had a coupon for a $20 gift card with new registry, and I had a second coupon for 15% off bedding, so I saved about $30+ on it!! I am AWESOME!!! I put up the window valance and the bed skirt and hung the "diaper stacker" and I hung the quilt over the back of the crib. It's super cute! Pictures shall be forthcoming.

Tonight!

I registered at Target (some double registering, but some stuff is different), and I bought my crib mattress so I could put the bumper on the crib (to be removed when baby girl begins to roll over, don't worry). It all looks fabulous, but I think it needs some orange accents, so I'll start to work on those for the room soon, I hope. :] That room is really looking like a nursery and not just a dumping ground for baby stuff!! I still need a lamp, I'd like a nightstand/little table. I still want more decorations. There's still plenty of work to be done.

P.S. David and i MAY have almost agreed on a baby name. I think there's still a little bit of fighting discussion left about it. We'll see.

Just When Pregnancy Was Getting Boring...

Oooh! It's a NEW pain. Fabulous. The old ones were getting musty and tired. I awoke this morning (and by "awoke," I mean that half awake stage where you try your best to get back to sleep, but the little gears of your mind are already beginning to engage and you're all "Shut up, shut up! I want to go back to sleep!!"), (and by "morning," I mean somewhere between my 3 am trip to pee, and my 7:30am trip to pee, and my 9am unasked-for-kitty-wake-up-call) to a new kind of pain. Before I describe this new pain, let me describe the "old" pain, since I don't think I've mentioned it here before.

The best way I can figure out to describe it is that I feel like I've been kicked squarely (maybe slightly to the left) in the crotch with a combat boot. Pelvic pain. The doctors/advice nurses say that it's "round ligament pain" (remember that from trimester the first? Babies with machetes?), and that basically, that sucks for you and it's only going to get worse. It hurts when I walk, just a mild-to-medium twinge with each step. It hurts A LOT to get out of bed each morning. It is especially excruciating when I roll over in bed at night. Some nights, I try to calculate exactly how badly DO I need to roll over? I mean really. Some days are better than others. The "maternity support belt" they gave me doesn't help relieve the pain, but it does annoy both me and the baby. She kicks at it all day when I have it on. Just at the band that goes just under my belly. kick-kick-kick-kick-kick. All day long at it. I don't wear that stupid thing any more. I just live with the pain. Oh, and you would think that stretching would help, but it's REALLY hard to know what's "stretched" and what's "over-stretched" when your joints are more flexible, due to a nasty little hormone called "relaxin," which is what's causing the pain in the first place.

So. New pain. Actually, compared to the pelvic pain, this is a mere "discomfort." The Nurse Practitioner I saw for my last OB appt informed me that "You're just one of those unfortunate uncomfortable pregnant women." Fabulous. ::sigh::

Anyway, I woke up this morning to a new pain, new location. Actually, it feels as if something in my abdominal area, kind of to the right of baby's housing, shrank. It kind of feels like there's a strip of muscles in there that didn't get the message that everything is supposed to be GROWING. It's a kind of tugging feeling when I move... It's not a cramp, but feels like a cramp's baby cousin, perhaps. It was a not-quite-pain, but it was uncomfortable enough to keep me awake for a while. :(

In better, more cheerful and upbeat news, it's official, Little Miss gets hiccups. It's a very interesting sensation. It's not unpleasant, unless you're already doing your damnedest to get back to sleep after your most recent bathroom trip, haha

Just Checking In. Or: "Things I Will Do When I Am No Longer Pregnant."

So. We're in the third of trimesters. Less than 100 days left... we're actually probably down into the 80's or 70's. Woo hoo?

While I am not looking forward to the part where the baby actually forces its way out of my body, leaving me ravaged and exhausted, I am seriously looking forward to eventually acting out my list of "Things I Will Do When I Am no Longer Pregnant." I am aware that I may have already posted about these things, but too bad, read 'em anyway, I still can't do them.

This list includes things such as:

• Ride rollercoasters. Yes, I know there aren't any in Hawaii. It's more a matter of wanting to do something you can't, simply because you've been told you aren't allowed. So let's plan to go to Six Flags.
• DRINK A BEER. Just one. Or more. Or Even, maybe just even, a fruity little mixed drink.
  
• Sleep on my stomach. Comfortably, and without worrying about smashing the baby.
  
• Jump on trampolines. See Roller coaster riding for explanation.
• Eat Goat Cheese. I've wanted some ever since the first thing I read that said I can't/shouldn't have it. Actually, I watched a "How It's Made" episode that included goat cheese, and then I googled to see if I *could* have it and the internet said no. :( I I might just eat a bar of it when I get home from the... dammit. I can't even have it for 2 weeks after baby is born. Le sigh. Maybe for Thanksgiving I'll have some. It's gonna be so tasty and creamy. mmm.
• Decide what I want to eat, WITHOUT weighing desire to eat it against the fear of the heartburn that's sure to follow. Someday, I will eat hot wings again and NOT die a horrible death as a result. They'll just be plain spicy and that'll be the end of it.
  
• Have a Mt. Dew. I mean I suppose I could have one now, but those things are so terrible for you, I'm not sure I want to subject little miss to it. Maybe when she's four.

Seriously, all I can think about right now is the taste of goat cheese. Creamy and tangy and soft and mild and I might even put it on a Wheat Thin and not just eat it with a spoon...

• Have cavities filled. Or rather, have the dentist take X-rays to see if I have cavities that need filled (probably).
  
• Hopefully, be able to start something that I'll be able to finish. I'd like to go back to school/get certified in something useful. I know that I won't be able to do much when the baby is here, but until she is, I can't start because her arrival will mean taking an indefinitely long break from whatever it is I start. Is it time for her to start preschool yet?
  

THis one isn't really a "To Do" persay, but it is important to me.

• Someday, my stomach region will no longer have a horizon. The kind with a vanishing point. That I can't see past. I'd be pretty upset if David were the type (he's not, I am, which is probably why I thought about it) to pen/sharpie on me where I couldn't see it and then I discovered it in the mirror later. Seriously, the earth isn't flat, and neither is my stomach. Boo.
  

• I would like to ride with David on his motorcycle. They don't make maternity biker jackets. Ha ha. Joke.
  
• Not waddle.

Now I'm going to go rummage in the fridge... maybe, just maybe I can find something in there I want badly enough to replace my undying food-lust for goat cheese. I'm not hopeful.

A Prime Example

Dear Baby-Doesn't-Have-A-Name-Yet-Because-Daddy-Won't-Give-In-Agree,

If you're wondering what kind of family you'll be joining in a few short months, here's a prime example of interaction between your father and myself:

I told him that I feel like a fat ugly manatee.




















He told me to watch out for speedboats.

















Welcome to the family baby girl, things are ridiculous here. :]

-Mama Awesome Powers

What's In a Name?

It is REALLY hard to argue over discuss names when Daddy is on a submarine under the ocean, and email is sporadic and I never know if he's getting all of my emails, muchless how much of my information computes in his head. He's usually really busy, and has a really crummy sleep schedule when he's underway, so he's not at his best when it's time to email the wifey, haha. It's completely understandable, of course, and I'd rather him be able to shower, or eat something, or grab a few extra minutes of sleep than email me every day (for the most part, at least... ask me on day 5 without one though, and I'll have changed my mind and he can go stinky/hungry/sleepless, just gimme an email!). So we still haven't decided on a name. Or rather, we've both decided on names we each like, but we haven't come to an amicable conclusion/collaboration on the names. God I wish David were here to have a proper discussions with me. ::sigh::

Current Facebook Status:

Tonight, on "WHEN NESTING ATTACKS":
I wonder how long it would take me to put the crib together if I started now...

Pregopotomus

I like this:

http://www.theinsanedomain.com/Articles/lists/beingpregnant.htm

Don't Forget To Get...

This is not a plea for stuff, it's a reminder list for me while I'm on the internet of all the baby stuff I need to get/research/eventually maybe register for. Man there's a lot of stuff for babies. I know that a lot of stuff is more "Want/Convenience" than essential to survival (which is the main goal), but if a couple pieces of plastic (that I can always resell in a yard sale in two years) can make my life easier, why not? As long as I've got the essentials: Food, shelter, warmth, place to put baby... We'll be fine, but these are useful things I've been thinking of and want to "write" down somewhere.

• Wet Bag
• Diaper Pail
• Pail Liner
  
• Regular trashcan
• Bathtub (David will probably want the one with the whale face on it)
• Baby wash/lotion
  
• Mesh bag to contain bitsy socks in the dryer
• BABY CLOTHES HANGERS. At first I scorned them, but after yesterday's sort-fest, I think I need a couple packs.
• Uuuuum...baby grooming kit?
  
• Receiving blankets in which to burrito the baby (if she's into that).
  
• Bottles and their accessories
• Bottle brush
• Bottle Drying rack?
  
• OOOh!!! That little basket that goes in the dishwasher that keeps all your little plastic pieces from blowing all over.
• Some kind of clothesline/drying rack for the porch
• An emergency pacifier or two.
• Prefold diapers
• More Diaper Covers
• Snappis
• Baby Bedding
• Decorations for baby room (a whole 'nother post)
• Bookcase/shelf for baby's room. If she's anything like me (and I've already begun collecting them for her), books will be an important staple in her life. Besides, Mommy needs a place to rest her beer while she's reading to the baby. HA!

Alone and (a Half) in "Paradise".

Disclaimer: I'm not trying to rain on anyone's parade, or accuse anyone of anything. I'm just trying to get my feelings out of my head and chronicle baby/pregnancy happenings. Honestly.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


This baby shower thing is REALLY upsetting me. I don't know if I'm going to have one. I don't know who would throw it for me. You're not supposed to throw your own. If I could, without looking bad, I would. Then it wouldn't worry and upset me so much, because I wouldn't have to wonder if I have any friends that are close enough to WANT to have one for me. I wish I was home. I *know* I have friends there, and I know SOMEONE would care enough to offer. I've had an acquaintance or two say "I'll make sure SOMEONE throws you a shower" but am I supposed to bank on that?

Am i SUPPOSED to ask someone to throw me a shower? Someone PLEASE tell me if that's the case, it would take away lot of worry and stress. I feel so stupid. And friendless... I have plenty of "friends" here, I guess, but I don't have a best friend. I miss Charleston SO BADLY right now. We could have a big ol' pig pickin' or rent the deck of a restaurant like Creekside, and it'd be fun and beautiful, overlooking the marsh and water and people would come and celebrate the baby. Nice dream, huh?

I also don't know WHEN it would be. There are two ladies from our boat due to have their babies soon AFTER I am, and one of their showers is going to be in late August or September! They have their reasons, which are perfectly valid, but it makes me feel even more left out. They're already planning it. I don't even know if I'm going to HAVE a shower. It's really hurting my stupid feelings and really upsetting me that they're already planning it (out loud and in front of everybody). It's probably just my hormones going crazy, but I've been crying for almost 45 minutes about it. I guess the only shower I'm having is the kind created by my face. Ha. Ha.

I don't know what to do, or what I can possibly say... Or who I'd say it to. I don't know what to do to fix this so it won't asplode me anymore.

Not Too Much To Report, But I Can Always Find Things To Say...

23wks 5d

Everything seems to be going well. I'm trying to follow up on some stuff with various doctors at Tripler who are IMPOSSIBLE to get hold of on the phone, and it'd be a huge pain in the ass to go up there in person to track 'em down because I don't know what floor they work on, or what shifts they work, but believe me, if I haven't heard anything by Wednesday, that's where you'll find me- rampaging the halls of Tripler Army Medical Center (and by rampaging, I mean angrily waddling), trying to find the people with the answers.

That said, depending on those answers, I will know if/when I can fly to the states this summer, and if/when I can really start planning that. I'll keep all interested parties back home informed when there's any new information.

I go in for my "20 week" ultrasound tomorrow, and if they tell me it's a boy in there, I'm probably going to throw a fit. Ever since a friend of mine told me about her sister (or cousin, or mailman, or landlady, or former gym teacher's assistant... basically, it was anecdotal) whose baby was consistently labeled the same sex in every ultrasound, and then turned out to be the opposite gender when born... I've been a little leery of each and every ultrasound. [Insert prize for longest run-on sentence EVER here]. This one's at Tripler and not TomorrowToday, so I'm extra wary that they might give us a different result. And by us, I mean me, 'cuz I'll be soloing for the next 3-ish months. Stupid Deployment. I try not to make too big a deal about it 'cuz David gets a special time-out from Deployment (to come home when the baby is born), so I don't want to make a big deal out of the shorter time that we're apart and make any of the other wives that don't get to see their husbands early jealous or upset. I am aware that we are extremely lucky that he gets the chance to come home for the baby. The time that we're apart still sucks majorly though. I miss him so much sometimes. I'm keeping busy, and I'm doing ok, but I do wish he were here. :(

I got a super sweet, funny email from David yesterday. He called the baby "our little chick, because I think that's what baby penguins are called" (inside joke, but it make me squeal with laughter and glee. I miss him so much).

We're still going around and around about names. Why can't I like anything he suggests??? Is it a control thing? Is it because I automatically think that everything he likes is too girly, just because I know those are the kind of names he likes? What is the deal? I need to figure this out, because it's not fair (to him) and this is important. I don't know. I'm sure I'll be fine with whatever when end up agreeing on, but I'm having trouble agreeing. Even to the suggestions that originate from ME.

Other than all of that... Things are moving along just swimmingly. Get it? 'cuz she's swimming... nevermind. :P

Letter to (Baby).

Dear Baby Awesome Powers,

I cannot wait for you to meet your daddy. He is away right now, while you are growing (and kicking) inside of me, but he will be back for your triumphant arrival into the world. He is very excited that you are going to join our family! I gave him a laminated copy of your ultrasound printout, from 17 weeks. He carries it in the right front pocket of his work coveralls, and he says he shows it to everyone. He says, "That's my little girl!" He loves you so much already. I think you like the voice message he made especially for you. I play it for you and you kick!kick!kick! at the headphones.

Your daddy is a wonderful man. He's really smart, and he's funny, and he's very good at showing that he loves. He doesn't hold anything back. He's hard working, and he does a good job providing for us. He likes to have fun and be all kinds of silly, too! He already loves you so much. He was so happy and completely astonished when I got to tell him you would be joining us in October. If you come a few days early, you could even share a birthday! Or not, that's cool with us too, just don't take too long in there, because Daddy has to go back to work in November for a while. He'll be home for Christmas though, and then you two can really start to get to know each other.

I can't wait to see him holding you. The thought of tiny little you in his big strong arms just fills me with so much anticipation and joy. I can't wait for you two to begin your very special relationship. I hope he doesn't spoil you *too* much... I know he's already excited about teaching you to be an independent little miss (like your mama, haha). He's already talking about teaching you how to take care of your own car and about teaching you Algebra!! I think you two are going to be great together.

Love,
Mama (Awesome) Powers

Little Miss BOSSY.

Current FB Status:

KICK-KICKKICK!! Little Miss is getting bossy already! Guess it's time for lunch, eh?

She kicks me a lot when I first wake up, if it's later than usual (Read: 9-ish instead of 7:30). She settles down after I've eaten. But, based on the seriousness of her kickings, it's about time for lunch, APPARENTLY.

If you're good, we'll even have a popsicle!

:]

So Far...

Current Facebook Status:

Little girl likes: Popsicles, Frostys from Wendy's, Disturbed, Stone Sour and the Dropkick Murphys. Little girl dislikes: Dopplers (fetal heart monitors), Ultrasounds.

Le sigh.

I really need to work on my posture. My upper back/shoulder blades area has been killing me lately, on and off. The pain *lessens* when I sit up straight, but I always forget, and slouchity-slouch, it hurts again. Maybe the pain can be a reminder to NOT DO THAT... Gonna give it a try today and tomorrow at work.

And by work, I mean the volunteer position I took to keep me busy and give me a rason to leave the house every couple of days! It's been GREAT so far, but this week is super-super busy, so here's hoping that it doesn't wear me out too much! At least I'm not driving all the way out to Ewa Beach and back anymore!

You Know How I Know I'm Pregnant? Part 4.

I was researching the military Space-A flights, and saw Charleston Air Force Base as an option in a drop down menu and got all choked up and teary.

I want to go home so bad during this Deployment, but I just don't think it would be as enjoyable as I dream.

• Where would I stay? My mom's house? Not a very enjoyable option. It's set far enough out of Charleston proper that I might get into Charleston 3 times if I stay for a week. Not to mention the added emotional stresses. If I stay anywhere else, my mom will be terribly hurt, and that isn't something I want to deal with either. ::sigh:: So say I found somewhere else to stay for a week or two...

• How would I get around? There's the bus system, but I know for a fact it doesn't go to the beach. Any of them.

• Who would I see? Most of my friends have moved on, moved out. Three of my best friends are still there, but two more live in Phili, one in Oklahoma, and one in the LA area. And they all have lives, haha.
  

I guess I want to go back to the past. The Charleston I grew up in, the Charleston I lived in during college where there were friends abounds, and I could walk all over the city and I could get around and go where I want. It would be the most amazing 2 weeks... Who's got a time machine?

Interesting article.

I already feel this beginning, and I don't like it at all. Your way might be better for YOU. My way might be better for ME. That doesn't necessarily mean that your way works for me, or vice versa.

http://www.momlogic.com/2010/06/why_cant_us_moms_just_all_get_along.php

And as far as I'm concerned, that goes for personal feelings about pregnancy as well.

Daddy's Message

David recorded a voice clip for me to play for the baby on our headphones while he's deployed, and I listened to it for the first time just a minute ago, and it is the sweetest thing ever, it made me tear up. I put my phone's speaker on my tummy, and I could feel her kicking at it while it played.

He says he can't wait to meet her. He says he loves her. He says for the baby to be nice to me, haha. Then he said to grow strong, and then goodbye.

I could hear his voice cracking. I know that he loves this baby, his daughter, and that reassures me that we'll be alright.

I laminated one of the ultrasound pics (the 17 week one) and he carries it around in his shirt pocket, he says he's made everyone on the boat look at it!

I can't wait for him to be a daddy. He's going to be amazing.

Baby Awseome Powers Rocks Out So Hard!

20 wks ultrasound slide show!


Love the song, love the two different hand gestures she showed us, loved seeing her kicking and flailing and streeeee-ee-e-e-etching out in there!!

Thank you to TomorrowToday for another WONDERFUL ultrasound! Caley really went above and beyond for us (odd hours scheduling and she showed us the 3d views too!)! I can't thank them enough!

Baby Clothes!!!

This is from my wonderful Godmother Nadine... I freaking LOVE this shirt!!! (Close up of the graphics just below)


These are from David's parents. I didn't know Mickey was a Longhorns fan! :]


Some more cute clothes they sent. I LOVE the purple outfit. The little jeans came with a pink dress... I like the jeans. Not the pink.


This is Penelope, and she CRINKLES!!! Also, the ribbon loop will allow us to clip her onto a baby carrier, etc. for travel and play!


Daddy stopped at the NEX (Navy Exchange) on the way home from work, and came home with a 6-pack and this adorable purple sleep set! (I think he's excited to be having a daughter...)


I FINALLY found a GRUMPY BEAR!!! I have been looking for one for YEARS, and I think they're pretty rare, because they're stupid-expensive online and I've NEVER seen one in a store. He was only $6 at a local baby stuff consignment shop!!!!


This is the stuff I got on my Goodwill Adventure last week.
All of the following pieces I got for $1.99/item! :]

ADORABLE alligator shirt, and three supercute onesies!! All newborn or 0-3 month sized.


Here's the detail on the white onesie from the pic above, and a 6month sizes purple onesie. :]


Cutesy wootsey onesies! Check out the WHALE detail on the striped one!!



Just a shirt, and a little polka dot skirt, and I simply couldn't resist the blue eyed girl shirt, even though it'll be waaaaay too big for a long time! She's going to have the prettiest, bluest eyes, I just know it. (Genetically speaking, she can't have anything else, really...)


And here's Daddy's favorites, of all the stuff we've got so far...


I'm sure I'm not going to post pics of EVERYTHING we buy, but as long as I'm home and bored, I might as well, haha.

P.S. I'm going to a sale tomorrow too, that friend of a friend is having, so there'll probably be a Baby Clothes!!! Part 2. next week.

Till then, Peace, Love and Cuppy-cakes,
Mama Powers

GroBaby Diapers!

Here's some pics for those of you who might be wondering what the deal is with the cloth diapers, and how do they actually work. The ones that are here are the GroBaby One Size Shell(which means that it's adjustable, so One Size [Fits All]). I'm still figuring out some of the lingo. It's a lot easier to figure out how to use the diapers than it is to figure out the correct terms to use that describe them! The other part to the diaper is the "BioSoakers" which are the biodegradable pad that goes into the diaper to soak up and catch the reason we use diapers.

So here's the pics I took of the ones I got:

These are the shells. All of them look like the one on the far right when fully unsnapped, and as you can see, the top row of snaps can be snapped to either of the bottom two rows to make the same diaper smaller, for a younger/smaller baby. The smallest size would be for about an 8lb baby. The largest is for up to a 35lb baby, I think? Internet says yes.




Here's a pic of the open diaper (smallest snap setting), the Biosoaker pad, and an unfolded pad.



Fasten around baby, with the Velcro tabs, and you're set! (In retrospect, I probably should have used a stuffed animal or something for a mock baby, but I didn't think about that until just now.


Top view, fastened diaper with Biosoaker pad.



TA-DA!!!

The Road to Hell Is Paved With What?

This post is not directed at any one person or based on any one event. It is simply something I feel I need to say.

For those of you who want to make comments, suggestions, give advice, or tell me what I should do, this is the way I feel about the information you offer:

• I'm not adverse to listening to advice/suggestions, but the advice giver needs to realize I'm going to make my OWN decisions, even if I patiently listened to what they had to say. I appreciate the good intentions behind your suggestions. I hope that you will not be offended if I do not follow your advice.
  

::smile and nod::

I Think I Sprained My Cleaning Muscles... And Other Adventures.

So yesterday (Tuesday) was a FULL day. I woke up, and found out that the tie-dying party that had been postponed on Monday night had been rescheduled for that day at NOON. So I eat some breakfast, shuffle around the house waking up, eat some lunch, and head over to Ashley's. I arrive and she's freaking out. Total freakout mode, because her husband is coming home from Deployment in a few days and she wasn't ready (the house wasn't ready, she's not ready mentally, etc.). So, I decided that we were going to forget the tie-dye project and would help our friend. We cleaned and tidied and wiped and vacuumed and vinegar-sprayed all afternoon. We got a LOT done.

And then David called, and was home from work, so I left to prepare for our ultrasound (shower, because it's a friendly thing to do, change into a two piece outfit, call and schedule a little bit earlier than our appointment was originally for). He and I wooshed to TomorrowToday, and we went, and we saw our little girl again. It was really neat to see her kicking and stre-e-e-e-tchiiiing out in there!! I think the frosty I had on the way to the appt really jazzed her up! We got lots of good shots, and even though they don't *usually* do the 3D view on the package we chose, but drinking all that water that I do really paid off, because the u/s tech said I had GREAT fluid, and that it was really helping baby girl to have room to move around in there so we could get good images! They office is having a little bit of trouble writing the images to discs right now, so I'll leave the descriptions of some of the funny things she did until I can show y'all the great pictures. :]

After the ultrasound we ran an errand or two, and my hips started bothering me. Not quite sure what the deal is there. Mostly just the left one, twinging HARD at random intervals when walking, shifting in my seat, etc. My back was sore too, probably from the standing and cleaning. Sleeping last night was REALLY rough. I woke up 5 times, 3 of those to pee, all of them had heartburn, and a couple of them also had uncomfy back pain/tightness. It sucked. A LOT. I felt dead when I woke up today and limped down stairs. As today progresses though, I'm feeling a little better in the back, and the hips aren't bothering me as much as last night, for SURE. I haven't attempted the treadmill today (I took yesterday off because of busy-ness) but I might. I know it's been helping with the REST of my non-feeling-goods. I might take a test-toddle to the mailbox to see how the hips'll hold up on the treadmill.

Anyhoo, that was yesterday, and a bit of today. I would definitely say that I generally feel better than I did in the first trimester. And that's a good thing. :]

I Know It'll Get Worse Before It Gets Better, But...

I really miss wearing my regular clothes. I miss my jeans. I miss my shirts not creeping back up over my tummy. I miss my awesome shirts and comfy panties and my bathing suits.

I don't just want to buy maternity stuff that will fit, I want to wear MY clothes, the ones I already have and LOVE. And I want to be comfortable in them. >:(

Today is feeling like a denial day. That's when I'm having a "fat day" and I'm in denial about it. Bleh.

Two More Articles That Make Me Feel Good About My Decision To Cloth Diaper. Or: I'm Not Just Doing It For The Planet Anymore.

Tell Me Lies, Tell Me Sweet Little Lies


How Can I Convince My Husband To Cloth Diaper (turns into a good Q & A about cloth diapering)



I am going to do my damnedest to cloth diaper our baby. I love almost everything I've read about cloth diapering; good for the planet (my initial reason for researching CDing) and good for the baby. I'm feeling better and better about this decision with every article I read, with every CD product that I buy.

For tomorrow: I'm hoping to post some pictures of my GroBaby diapers that arrived today! They're PURPLE and FABULOUS!!! (And of other stuff we've procured) :]

Also, we're having another ultrasound tomorrow, just to squeeze in one more before d-d-d-Deployment. I waited too long to schedule my 20 week u/s with Tripler hospital, so I'm going to be having that one on the 22nd of June... You know, right around 24wks. : / Anyhoo, here's hoping they find the same bits this time as they did last time!!!

Last Night, at about 1:30am...

From my FB status:

She's either doing somersaults, or "the wave", stadium-style... My insides are NOT spacious enough for loop-de-loops. Weirdest. Feeling. Ever. #heebeejeebees


:]

I Wonder...

...if putting deodorant on the undersides of my "huge tracts of land" would prevent the outpouring of sweat that occurs with even a bare minimum of physical activity. Yuck.

-posted mobily by KissMeSailor, probably feeling icky somewhere. :P

Feel Like ICK Today. Not An Acronym.

I don't think it's one of the bugs going around, I just feel a bit nauseous and my pulse is too fast. It happened last night too when I was lying in bed, but it was stronger then... full on gagging. Took my pulse about 3 times over about 30 minutes and it was above 120 each time. That's ridiculously fast for a resting heart rate! I manged to get to sleep and felt ok when I woke up this morning. Then it happened again around 11ish this morning. It was feeling a little scary, so I called the hospital's advice line and they told me to have something to eat and just keep track of when it happens, and if it seems to be happening a lot that I can come in and they'll check me out. Bleh. I feel a bit better since I ate a baked potato for lunch. And some Instant Breakfast. I'm going to walk on the treadmill in a bit and hopefully that'll cure what's ailing me. Except for the pulse thing. I dunno.

I'm also tired of feeling like my pulse is too strong. Seriously, if I sit still and listen for it, I can hear/feel it. It's kinda driving me crazy. I know that my circulation has increased, along with my blood volume, but womp-womp-womp-womp-womp when I'm trying to be still and quiet is getting on my nerves.

Oh Yeah, Other Stuff We've Done.

Have begun shopping/collecting baby clothes. :]

I posted some pics of the first couple things we bought for Baby Awesome Powers to wear (yes, we're still arguing over the name), but we've (read: I've) been collecting others. We got a couple more things at the Navy Exchange, and then yesterday I went to Goodwill, and boy, did little girl make out well there! LOTS of name brand stuff (mostly Carters, and there is a Carters Outlet store here, but when I can get the same supercutes for $1.99/item, why pay more for brand new?) couple of Baby Gap things. I had so many picked out at first that I did a double take at my cart and then sorted half of the "maybes" back onto the rack. We've still got 21 weeks to go, no need to go TOTALLY crazy... :]

I think I mentioned that we got our crib last week. I think the bigger expense things we have left to get are:

• Dresser type thing (Maybe.)
  
• Mattress
• Carseat
• Stroller
• Pack & Play
• Glider (David wants to relocate his GIANT recliner into baby's room, but I'm not sure I want to deal with that.)
• More Cloth Diapers

Smaller/less expensive things that we want/will need:

• Mei Tai Carrier
• Nursery Decorations (including mobile, wall hangings, crib sheets, etc.)
• Bottles, plushy toys etc.
• Childproofing stuff (though we don't really believe in 100% childproofing... It's something we both agree on, but of course, we'll see how it goes when baby gets mobile!)
• The Little Baby Care Stuff: washcloths, snot sucker, burp cloths, wipes, etc.
• Bins/baskets to organize baby clothes/diaper change needs
  

Things we've already procured:

• Crib
• Changing table
• Swing
• Some clothes (need to sort them by sizes, we've got some new born stuff, but mostly it's 3-6 months or 6-9 months)
• Some Cloth Diapers, we have about 6 gDiapers, and have some GroBaby ones on the way
• Lots and Lots and Lots of pamphlets, handouts, business cards etc. about baby stuff. It really makes me feel sorry for the trees.

Anyway, I realy don't think we're doing too badly. I know some people already have all their big purchase stuff and have had it for months now, but I really don't care. It's not a race, this isn't something you can WIN. After all, it was the tortise that won the fabled race.

Bleh.

19wks

Feeling pretty bleh today. Not particularly terrible, but definitely not very good either. Slightly headachey, my tummy is grumbly, but doesn't hurt or quite feel upset. I think I slept on my shoulder wrong, and I'm kinda tired, but not tired enough to actually nap.

Bleh.

Aditional grumbles: I need to go grocery shopping REALLY BADLY. I'm waiting on a new debit card to our joint account before I go. Cereal, V8 and other random foragebles from the frige and freezer have been filling my tummy the last couple of days. I know I need to just suck it up and GO, but I fucking HATE the grocery store/commissary. HATE. HATE. HATE.

::sigh:: Bleh.

I Wanna Do This!!

Henna tattoos on preggo bellies!! I've linked to a few of my favorites, but there are TONS on this website!

http://www.skhenna.com/molly

http://www.skhenna.com/susan

http://www.skhenna.com/suzanne-16

Lovely!!

How We Prepare for Babies at Our House.

Frizzle's Wild Ride


Bonzai Takes Her Turn

We Now Resume Our Regularly Scheduled Misery.

Things have been really great in the Powershaus the last few days, with finding out what-all is in there, and feeling what-all go TAP-TAP! However, that hasn't stopped the heartburn, peeing and intermittent insomnia from ruining perfectly good nights of sleep. Several nights in a row now...

Tums are my friends. I love them so. I need to get some more,and this time, I'll even BUY them from Target, instead of accidentally walking out with the bottle tucked into my hand along with my phone... Oops. I just hope that legitimately paid for ones don't work any less surely than the illegally, accidentally, pilfered ones...

Why Cloth? Or: Because I Don't Hate The Planet.

Here's a great post from The Cloth Diaper Whisperer that lists some of the reasons I want to use cloth diapers.


Peace, Love and Cuppycakes,
L. Pow.

Happy Mother's Day Part II.

17wks4ds

So we (David, me, and belly makes three) are sitting in bed and I'm playing some music to bebe (via a pair of flat ear clip headphones) and I was pressing my hand into the center of baby's habitat (firmly but not *too* hard) and DEFINITELY felt a strong TAP-TAP on my fingers!!!

I told David "OMG, I really just felt it kick!!" And I grabbed his hand and pushed his fingers like I'd done with mine and the look of surprise and joy on his face when he felt his daughter kick is something I want to remember forever. I am SO grateful to baby and the stars above that he got to feel the baby move before he deploys. Which is coming up FAST. I am already worried and rather sad about how much he's going to miss while he's gone, but I am glad he's been able to SEE and FEEL our baby girl before he has to leave. That's a huge relief for me.


The strangest thing/interesting coincidence about baby's kicks tonight? The song that was playing on my Mother's Day iPod: Jessica by The Allman Brothers Band. That's the song that was playing when *I* was born (my mom had a really cool OB). I think that's kinda cool...

This weekend, especially today have been AMAZING.

:]

Current Facebook Status:

Current Facebook Status:

David gave me the sweetest Mother's Day Present and he didn't even spend a dime. This morning he put his hand on my tummy and said, "I already love our little girl." I may doubt myself sometimes, but I will NEVER doubt that he will be an amazing daddy. Happy Mother's Day to anyone who is, who will, or who has ever been a mother. :]

O. M. -WANT THIS!

This one, at the VERY least, MUST be mine. Er-I mean for the baby.

The Nausea Chronicles, THE BIG REVEAL.

17wks3ds

Well, we had our first ultrasound today and found out we're having a....







...






....






.....





......





.......





........





.........





..........



GIRL!!!!!

We are in for a WORLD of trouble, hahahaha I guess it's true what they say about Karma...

David is THRILLED and has already called all his closest relatives.

I'm still pissed that he had the nerve to say in the ultrasound room, "Huh. I guess you weren't making it all up." ::rolls eyes::


So to those of you who guessed one girl, y'all get a big fat thumbs up. Congrats, you're a good guesser. :]







Or as the Ultrasound Technician said, "Well, we don't see any 'pokey-up bits' so, congratulations, you're having a GIRL!"

The Shopping Begins! Woo!!

Yes, I know we won't actually find out what-all is in THERE till tomorrow's ultrasound appointment, but in an attempt to really get into this whole "baby-thing" I've begun to collect some absolutely FABULOUS and/or freaking ADORABLE baby clothes! I've included some picky-pics.

Ok, these first things are GENIUS, and I can't wait to use them on Baby Awesome Powers. They're legwarmers for bebes, which means you can pop 'em on with a onesie and baby will stay warm, and be easy to change! You don't have to wrangle with PANTS. My longtime friends/acquaintances are well aware by this point of how we feel about PANTS here at the Powershaus. To sum up: They suck.

So without further ado:

BabyLegs
On Earth Day (April 22nd), the BabyLegs website ran a fabulous sale, which I learned about as a "fan" of BLs on Facebook. The sale was on certain patterns of BabyLegs, which were selling for $2 that day! Their minimum order is $6 (I *think*), and I'd picked two pairs of the $2 patterns, and then chose a pair at regular price. They have great sales ALL THE TIME though... For instance, today just happens to be Military Spouse Appreciation Day, and a Facebook follower suggested that BabyLegs run a sale on their camouflage leg warmers, AND THEY DID!!! Also, if you sign up for the monthly newsletter, you get 10% off your first order! Seriously, if you follow them on Facebook and Twitter, You'll see that they constantly run sales and give discounts. Our baby isn't even due till October, and I'm already in love. With the BabyLegs, hahaha! Check it out! Free Shipping today!!

I also found, via the BabyLegs Facebook fan page, a fellow blogger who is having a giveaway of BabyLegs on her blog! Her blog inspired me to write about how freaking FABULOUS I think these things are. Have I mentioned I think they're fabulous?

Here are the ones I bought:

The Earth Day sale ones are the two pairs on the left, and the regular ones I bought are on the right. I love that it doesn't matter how big or small your baby is, you can just scrunch 'em down, or stretch 'em out. I'm so looking forward to putting these on our baby. Especially our little Halloween baby!

Here are some pics of the other clothes I've bought this week. It's hard to "shop neutral" when there's SO MUCH cute/fabulous stuff that's got pink on it. And I don't know why I wouldn't put the cute pants with the teeny weensy brown elephants on a (potential) boy, but they just didn't look "boyish." I think this is a rant for another time. I will just say that I hate pink on either gender baby. Or on a cat, or on pretty much anything. I hate pink. Here's the rest of the clothes I bought:



We're going to tie-dye the Tiny Tiger with orange and purple so it will be Clemson colors!! And the 3 onesies in the pack with writing say "I love Mommy", "I love Daddy" and "Cute as can be". They were on SALE! Daddy Powers really likes the Born in 2010 one. :]

Here's the last and in my opinion, MOST AWESOMEST of yesterday's purchases:


I have no idea how to turn this in Blogger, nor the time to fiddle with it.

So that's that. I'm excited about shopping. We find out the sex/quantity tomorrow. Twins run on both sides of my family, so it's something else to worry about. We're excited and I'm a bit nervous. To me, the baby is still very abstract. Tomorrow, when we get to SEE it, it'll all get REAL and we can REALLY start playing "the name game." And our CRIB is ready to pick up at the Navy Exchange! Eek!

Peace, love and Cuppycakes,
Mumsy Pow.

Things I Can't/Shouldn't Do Now That I'm Pregnant That I REALLY REALLY WANT TO

This is a list I've been compiling over a few days now.

1. Drink beer/liquor/wine. I don't even LIKE wine, and I'm grumbly that I can't drink any.

2. Play Roller Derby! I found a friend that's really interested in playing it with me, and I have to wait till I'm recovered from having the baby, THEN I get to worry about separation anxiety and finding good/trust-worthy/reliable CHILDCARE. No wonder they say "Better to get knocked DOWN than Knocked UP."

3. SLEEP ON MY BACK. Apparently, there are arteries and veins in your abdomen that can get squished when you're 16+ weeks pregnant and will cut off circulation mumble-blah-blah-you'll-kill-deform-delay-your-baby. Seriously, I wake up at least once a night (separately from the 2-3 times I wake up JUST to pee), having shifted onto my back, in a panic because I'm killing the baby by sleeping comfortably. ::sigh::

4. Have tuna melts every day for a week. They're SO freaking TASTY! I just don't think that SALMON melts would be quite the same. Le sigh.

5. uuum... roller coasters.

6. Drink Mt. Dew. Well, I could have ONE per day, but then I couldn't have my morning tea, which is a very important part of my stumble around waking up ritual.

7. uuum... Oh you know... the general, irresponsible, selfish, self-centered, willfully ignoring the "healthy choices" behavior that I knew, loved and practiced before we knew baby was in there. The baby can't yell at me that I'm fritzing it's weensy nervous system because I decided to have a second cola in the afternoon. The baby can't choose NOT to be affected by my choices. Though, some of the "you can't do's" really make me wonder how the human race has managed to survive for thousands of years before they banned things like Advil and swordfish and horsebackriding, and SLEEPING ON YOUR BACK.

love and grumbles,
L. Pow!

UPDATE:
I can't BELIEVE I forgot Piercings and Tattoos!!!

8. Piercings:Three, read it: THREE. of my friends went last Monday to my favorite piercing parlor to get piercings and I couldn't get any. I was so sad. They all looked so... shiny with their piercings.

9. Tattoos. I've pretty much decided what I want my next tattoo to be (even if I'm not 100% on it's designated location)and another of my friends (actually the friend I got matching tattoos with back in August) was talking about getting HER next tat, and I had the brief, fleeting thought that "Hey! I can hop a MAC Flight," (Military space available flights, for those of you who may be non-military readers) "and we can visit and I'll get my next tattoo TOO!" ::sigh::


Basically the potential danger of piercings and/or tattoos is not the modification itself, but the idea that *if* the needles used aren't as sterile as they're already supposed to be, then *if* your modification got infected, the infection *could* hurt the baby.

If. If. If. If. Could. Might. Potentially. These are all words that are swiftly beginning to annoy me.