15 weeks-12/27/2007-Catching Up

12/23/07
Dad made us a yummy lunch and then we headed over to my Aunt Kari's house to celebrate Christmas with Aunt Kari, Uncle David, and their new baby Will. She also had my Uncle Kevin, Aunt Bridget and their awesome kids-Kevin Jr., Alex, Monica, Blaise, Regina, Dominic and Maria. Those kids are so well behaved and polite!! Jenn immediately fell in love with Dominic!

I got to hold Will for a very long time, and besides learning that he is the cutest baby in the entire world, I've learned that I need to start doing arm exercises!!

After Kevin and Bridget and their kids left Kari gave me two big bags of diapers and clothes that Will has grown out of, and a really neat travel sleeper. I am so excited that someday Blueberry will be able to wear clothes that so many 2nd cousins of his has worn! It is also very neat to me to have a family where the cousins range in age from 30 to 2 months. When I was growing up there were only a few of us!

12/24/07
Got up and headed to Ikea with Mom, Marshall and Kari. We looked at cribs and baby furniture and Kari was a wealth of knowledge. She even taught us how to use salad spinners as art projects. Jenn told me when we got home that she listened to every world Kari said and soaked it all up!

Went to dinner with Mom, Dad and Marshall at Texas Roadhouse...but had even more fun going home. It has always been a tradition to see Christmas Lights on Christmas Eve. Jenn and I shared our tradition of searching for stars on peoples houses like you used to do with punch buggies as kids...this turned into a laugh fest. Someone would scream "Star!!", my Mom would scream "Tree!!" Jenn would snort, and I'd yell I have to pee! (picture Marshall, Jenn and I smooshed in the back seat of a sedan). The five of us fought over who would get to go to the bathroom first when we got back to the house! "STAR!!! TREE!!! SNORT!!! I HAVE TO PEE!!!"

12/25/07
Met at Mom and Dad's for present unwrapping. Got lots of goodies!! Then my favorite part of Christmas, my Dad made Sausage and Gravy for breakfast. MMMMMMMMMMMMMM. Kari, David and Will came over for that, and we played Rummy after breakfast.

Went back to the hotel to take a nap and then came back for dinner. I don't eat turkey in case you haven't been paying attention to my blog, but everything else was very yummy.

Visited for quite a while and then my Dad had to go to bed since he had to work at 5:30am. After he went to bed Jenn and I went back to the hotel to get her a good nights sleep before the trip home.

12/26/07
Met Mom at "Farmer Jacks Kroger" to purchase some penguins (which became the theme song of our trip home) and then went shopping at Targets and Michaels and World Market (cool store!) and Marshall bought us lunch at a Coney place (introduced Jenn to OPA!). Went back to the house for more goodbyes and hit the road.

Left at 11:45am and got home at 8:45pm (after stopping for pizza).

We had a wonderful trip. It felt great to spend Christmas with my family after so many years away. Blueberry did well-we did get the Doppler finally and were able to hear his little heartbeat thumping away-we think we even heard him hiccuping!

Blueberry's first road trip and Christmas were a hit...I hope yours was just as wonderful and warm!

14 weeks-2 days-12/22/2007

Well Blueberry has made it through his first road trip! We made it to Pittsburgh in about 3 and a half hours, and then Blueberry decided that it would be fun to give me car sickness! We had to stop every hour to let me get out and walk around, and breathe. It ended up taking us 10 hours to get through the normal 8 hour drive!

We're here now safe and sound! We went to lunch this afternoon with my mom and brother to On the Border-I love me some spicy food! It seemed that Blueberry liked it to!

We went and visited my one of my favorite families for dinner tonight...the Vanzo's-Mommy and Daddy Vanzo and their daughter Jennifer-Jennifer and I were best friends in high school and I dated her older brother David for awhile. It was great to catch up with them, I haven't seen Jennifer in a gazillion years!

Tomorrow we are heading to my Aunt Kari's house to celebrate Christmas with her family and my Uncle Kevin and family. I really can't wait to meet Kari's new son Will...the pictures I have seen of him are amazing!

Updates

I got the results back from my thyroid testing and my gestational diabetes testing! I passed both with flying colors. My TSH (the thyroid) was 3.01 which is the lowest I've had yet!! My glucose was 99, anything under 140 is good!

And, in case you were wondering, my Doppler hasn't come yet. I've moved past minor conniption fit right on to major! (we are going to the DHL facility in the morning to pick it up).

See those of you in Michigan soon!!

14 weeks-12/20/2007

I email this to Jenn each Thursday, and thought I'd share it with all of you...we find it interesting!

Your Week 14 Blueberry Update:

Your Pregnancy Calendar

Today is Thursday December 20th 2007.

You conceived on Thursday September 27th 2007
and your due date is Thursday June 19th 2008.

84 days have passed since the conception,
and you are 182 days before your due date.

You are 14 weeks into your pregnancy,
and you have 26 weeks to go.

You are in the 2nd trimester.

32% of your pregnancy has passed, there is 68% left to go.


About Blueberry:
How your baby's growing:
This week's big developments: Your baby can now squint, frown,
grimace, pee, and possibly suck his thumb! Thanks to brain
impulses, his facial muscles are getting a workout as his tiny
features form one expression after another. His kidneys are
producing urine, which he releases into the amniotic fluid around
him — a process he'll keep up until birth. He can grasp, too,
and if you're having an ultrasound now, you may even catch
him sucking his thumb.

In other news: Your baby's stretching out. From head to
bottom, he measures 3 1/2 inches — about the size of
a lemon — and he weighs 1 1/2 ounces. His body's growing
faster than his head, which now sits upon a more distinct
neck. By the end of this week, his arms will have grown to
a length that's in proportion to the rest of his body.
(His legs still have some lengthening to do.) He's starting
to develop an ultra-fine, downy covering of hair, called lanugo,
all over his body. Your baby's liver starts making bile this
week — a sign that it's doing its job right— and his spleen
starts helping in the production of red blood cells. Though you
can't feel his tiny punches and kicks yet, your little
pugilist's hands and feet (which now measure about 1/2 inch
long) are more flexible and active.

13 weeks 6 days-12/19/07

I need to vent about DHL. The Doppler that I ordered has been at the local DHL center since Saturday. Why oh why can't they just put it on a truck and bring it to me? They were here at my work on Monday and Tuesday...is it that hard to put one little two pound box on the truck and walk it in the door with the other packages?

It says out for delivery today, if it doesn't come I may have a minor conniption fit.

NBR-Not Baby Related

My friend Estee posted this survey on her blog, and I liked it...so I'm doing it here. I'd love you to comment your answers, if like me you are stuck at work, bored, and the phone hasn't rung in two hours.


1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hand's down hot chocolate, with lots of marshmallow swimming around. Although I'd really rather have a cup of tea.

2. Does Santa wrap the presents or just sit them under the tree? Santa wraps. What fun is a present just sitting there? I would much rather see the look of delight, and honestly hear the sounds of frantically ripping Christmas paper. Oh, and I have a wrapping paper collection of 26 rolls, I counted them yesterday. I am not allowed to buy more, until I use some up.

3. Colored or white lights? I prefer white lights, Jenn prefers colored. Our tree is colored (and blinking Estee), but the lights outside are white.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? I used to, but it seems to have disappeared from my Christmas decorations box...

5. When do you put your decorations up? Normally the Monday before Thanksgiving, and then the tree gets decorated Thanksgiving night...that didn't work this year.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Sausage and Biscuits on Christmas morning!!!!!

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? I'm going to stick with the night that my parents played a tape of their friend saying HO HO HO Merry Christmas. They woke me up and we stood at the bottom of the staircase listening to him. I remember being totally excited, and I remember the excitement on my parents face, which I thought then was for Santa, but realize now that it was from watching me...I can't wait to feel that excitement too!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I was 9/10/11? and my mom asked me to go get her something out of her purse. Also in her purse was the packages that the gum and chap sticks from our stockings. That was a dead giveaway.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, new pajamas are always opened on Christmas Eve.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? With many tacky ornaments that I keep in a separate box from the normal ones so that Jenn doesn't hide their ugliness in the back of the tree.

12. Can you ice skate? No, I have my mothers weak ankles, or at least that is my excuse!

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? This adorable penguin/kiwi bird stuffed animal named Floppy, that was immediately destroyed by our dog.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? The spirit of giving...gifts, time, money, food...this is what I want Blueberry to learn, the spirit behind Santa Claus.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Yum-Yums, and I normally HATE peanut butter.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? see question #6-I can't wait for the Master (my dad) to make it for me this year!

17. What is on top of your tree? A rusty white angel, totally not my style, but I haven't found a replacement for her yet.

18. What's your favorite traditional Christmas Carol? Oh Holy Night, again, can't wait to hear my father sing it.

19. What is your favorite contemporary Christmas Song? I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas.

20. Do you like candy canes? Ick. I get tacky Christmas ornaments, Jenn must cover the tree in candy canes.

13 weeks 4 days--12/17/2007

We had Christmas with the Allison family on Saturday night. Opened gifts, ate pizza, and then Elissa decided it was time to tell the kids about Blueberry. I was kind of surprised as originally she was just going to wait until I was showing and have them figure it out themselves, but she said I'm 13 weeks now...they shouldn't be kept in the dark. She said I'm going to tell them you are pregnant--it's your job to answer the how questions. She said it would prepare us for the birds and bees conversation with Blueberry later on.

She told them they are going to have a new cousin. Who?? Heidi is having a baby...
Skyler (11)-Nuh huh.
Austin (8)-Can he be my friend?
Annabelle (7)-I want to hold him!

It was weird that all three of them assumed Blueberry is a boy, without me even saying that I thought he was too, maybe kids are psychic?

Skyler cornered Jenn later and asked if she was pregnant too. He's the only one who really had any questions, and they were all minor. He asked Jenn if I cheated on her. Jenn told him no, we went and saw a special doctor who helped us, and that seemed to satisfy him!

Austin thinks we should name they baby a Chinese name, he has no explanation for why. Skyler didn't like any of the names we suggested, and Belle said we should name the baby J.D. or Tyler after some of her friends on the bus.

Later Belle was laying on my lap and I was drawing on her back. She was talking to Blueberry telling him how she wants to hold him. She asked if he could hear her. I told her yes and she jumped off my lap and ran to her room. She made me all teary when she came back with one of my favorite books "There is a Monster at the End of this Book" and read it to Blueberry.

I have a copy of this book waiting at home for Blueberry, and I am going to write in the front cover how it is the first book he ever had read to him.

13 weeks 1 day-12/14/07

We had our first appointment with our Ob-Dr. Christine Stabler. I've always loved her as my doctor, mostly because she is overweight so she understands the struggles and doesn't lecture me toooooo much.

It was a very long appointment and we learned a lot. The most important being that I should not do any skydiving for until after Blueberry arrives...guess I have to cross that off my list of things to do in March.

We talked about my idea of a good birth. I would really like to go drug free, and she is very supportive of that. My labor suite will have a shower and a jacuzzi for me to relax in, and she gave me exercises to start doing now to get my body ready for labor.

She brought in a Doppler so that we could hear Blueberry's heartbeat (I've missed it the last few weeks!!) and it took forever to find him. She found the placenta first and told me to stop worrying, if the placenta sounds that good, then Blueberry is fine, we just have to find him! She had been looking for him down around my pubic line, but then decided to look up higher. Sure enough she put the wand near my belly button and there he was. Thumping away--that sound will never get old to us. I even went online last night and rented a Doppler for the house. he he.

I hate needles, it is a trait my father passed down to me. I have gotten mostly used to the blood draws, but shots are a whole different story. Dr. Stabler has always been a huge promoter of the flu shot. I told Jenn that if she offered I would do it this time, since I'm pregnant, I usually turn her down, I'd rather battle the flu, than have to get a shot. We were in that appointment for an hour and a half and she said "Okay, I have other patients to see, see you in a month" In my head I said "Yeah, no flu shot!!" She must have read my mind. She popped her head back in and asked if I had had a flu shot yet. Yuck.

I have gained 5 pounds which is perfect according to Dr. Stabler. First time in my life I've done the right thing as far as weight!

Since I am old, and overweight, she wants to nip Gestational Diabetes testing in the butt. That was fun let me tell you. They have you drink two styrofoam coffee cups full of this syrupy Sprite flavored liquid. I drank the first glass fine...the second one did not want to go down. Then you wait an hour and do a blood draw. We also did a new thyroid check to see if I reacted well to this new dose of medicine. I should hear the results from both by Monday I would assume.

Our next appointment will be Thursday, January 10, 2008. Glad we rented our own Doppler, how on earth can we go for four weeks without hearing our little Blueberry?!?

12 weeks 4 days-12/10/2007

While talking to my mommy dearest last night I had the most exciting revelation. We get to play Santa Claus next year!! I had already planned the trip to the paint your own pottery place where I will paint a plate for leaving Santa's cookies on...but this is so much bigger.

• I...um We, get to sneakily wrap presents and hide them in the house with special wrapping paper. (I have a huge wrapping paper collection...huge I tell you)
• We get to eat the cookies/hot cocoa/carrots left for Santa and the reindeer
• We get to devise diabolical plans to trick our child(ren) into continuing to believe in Santa (my parents had a friend tape record himself saying "HO HO HO" etc and played it for me one Christmas night!)
• and many more that I'm just to excited to think up right now!
  

Yes, Blueberry will only be six months old next Christmas so he isn't going to remember a darn thing about his first Christmas...but there will be a gazillion photographs and scrapbook pages to fill him in on it later!


***edited to add***
I email Jenn my postings to share with her the blog entries since she can't read them from work...today's response...

"i am so not eating the carrots"

12 weeks 1 day-12/7/07

Vicki the accountant at work was kind enough this morning to bring me a muffin from her favorite bakery. I was more than happy to eat it!

As I was eating the last bite I called her:

Me: Thanks for making me a cannibal.
Vicki: What?
Me: That was a Blueberry Muffin.
Vicki: Um...I wanted Blueberry to have friends.

Guess I really have to start watching what I eat.

(if anyone is keeping track as we all learn the sizes of our fruits, Blueberry is now the size of a Lime. I am looking forward to Blueberry being the size of a pomelo *only my mom and dad will understand this*.)

11 weeks 5 days-12/4/07

I'm a little bored right now when it comes to being pregnant. Nothing new is happening and there are still 8 days until my next Dr.'s appointment. I'm a little sick sometimes at night, or I'm starving to death. If I'm planning a yummy dinner, I'm sick. If I can't think of anything in the house to make, I am miraculously starving. Or in last nights case I planned on making pirogies and sautéed onions, was starving and happy that I was starving and cooking, then proceeded to burn the crap out of the onions. Sigh. Thank goodness for the little Costco pizza's, they have been my lifesaver many nights.

Today no fewer than 8 other hotel employees asked me how I'm feeling. I feel like I disappoint them when I report that there is nothing new to report.

You aren't showing yet!?! No, but if you were in my pants you would notice a difference. Some people tell me it's too early to tell a difference, others are amazed that I haven't noticed a bigger difference. I do not fit in my "wear only when there will be no sitting involved" pants. My pants that normally fit perfectly are starting to get tight by the end of the day, so I unbutton them, and all is well! My fat pants are heaven. Thank goodness for fat pants.