Baby Watch -- Week 19

This week has been the week of growth.

Everything is growing, especially Baby. I can see a difference in my abdomen and enjoy feeling Baby moving around.

I don't have a cute baby bump, so no picture. I'm sure people who have not heard I am expecting just think I am gaining all my weight back. And I might be gaining some of the weight back, but I am hoping to start walking again on my lunch break today. This summer has been so HOT that the mere thought of stepping outside, was overwhelming. Luckily the weather is cooler this week and I need to get my rear moving!

I am getting excited about next Tuesday. We have our 20 week ultrasound then and are hoping Baby will cooperate and tell us if it is a boy or a girl. Hoss is convinced he is having a sister. I think this may be due to both of his boy cousins have younger sisters. I hope he gets his wish and isn't disappointed if he ends up with a brother. Either way, we are ready. We have names tentatively planned and I am excited to start buying baby clothes at the local children's consignment sales in September.

I'll be back next Tuesday to share the big news!

Baby Watch -- Week 18

Week 18 has been uneventful, thankfully! I have been busy with work and don't have time to deal with any pregnancy woes.

Baby is still moving around and I am feeling it more often during the day. This morning was Hoss's first day of Early Start (next year he'll head to Kindergarten, ACK!), and the baby was moving around all morning. I told Hoss it was because the baby was excited he was going back to school.

Speaking of Hoss, I have been trying to figure out the best way to prepare him for this baby. He will be 5 in October and has spent the last 5 years being spoiled and dotted on without having to share the spotlight with anyone. Plus, Hoss has some developmental delays that can lead to him being more anxious and nervous about changes. We have been talking about the baby for months and will be able to put a name to the baby by September (hopefully!) and I think that will make it seem more real to all of us.

I am looking for books or ideas on how to help Hoss see this baby is a good thing and won't be too jealous. I plan to buy a baby doll or use a toy Hoss already has and show him how we hold the baby and be gentle with it, but otherwise, I'm not sure what else to do.

I am also considering having a gift the baby will give to Hoss at the hospital. Any suggestions on a good gift? The baby will be coming soon after Christmas, so I am sure Hoss will have numerous new toys, but I want to give him something he will equally enjoy from the baby.

Hoss is quite a momma's boy as well and I know I won't be able to do as much for him when the baby comes as I do now. We are trying to start changing that gradually now as Daddy is doing more of the things Mommy used to, but I can see Hoss climbing all over me, wanting to sit in my lap after the baby is born.

Any suggestions from you experienced mothers on how to ease Hoss into the transition? I need all the advice I can get!

Baby Watch -- Week 17

I had my regular monthly check up last Friday. All was good, with a healthy heartbeat of 149 and then 153. I am scheduled for the big, exciting ultrasound on August 31st! Hopefully baby will cooperate and we will figure out if we will be parents of a girl or boy.

I have been feeling movement on a daily basis, which is marvelous! Typically I feel the movement in the evening when I am lying down or sitting very still. Occassionally I felt movement during the day, but it is only if I am still.

I have been very tired this week, which is odd. Aren't you supposed to regain energy in the 2nd trimester? I think the tiredness is related to having a sinus headache. ALL WEEK! The heat and humidity are bothering me as well. I just need a huge storm to come through and hopefully wipe away the sinus headache.

My hair and nails are growing very nicely. I typically never have fingernails as they break and don't grow well. I think I might take Folic Acid supplements for the rest of my life if the side effect is to have such pretty finger nails. :)

So, week 17 is going well. Counting down the days until August 31st!

Baby Watch -- Week 16

Week 16 has been much better than Week 15.

The mouth sores are all gone. I am not having nearly as many hotflashes, despite the 100 degree temperatures. And I have begun to feel Baby Frye move.

The first movement I felt was Monday night and again on Tuesday and a couple small ones yesterday. I was uncertain at first if it was really the baby, but it continued off and on and I decided it probably wasn't just gas. :)

Otherwise Week 16 has been good. A very busy week, but a good one. I have my next check-up tomorrow when I turn 17 weeks. Hopefully all will be well with that.

Baby Watch -- Week 15

Oh, week 15. How I long for you to be over.

Actually, I can't wait for the treats you have brought me to be over. The hot flashes are absurd. I'm hot, then I'm cold, then I'm hot...it is a never ending cycle and I'm done with it.

However, believe it or not, Week 15 has brought me far worse than just hot flashes. I am not sure if it is due to pregnancy hormones or an infection, but my mouth is entirely covered in mouth sores. No exaggerating, I have about 12 to 15 mouth sores. And boy, does that put a damper on eating all my favorite foods!

I went to urgent care yesterday, per the recommendation of my OB, and the strep test was negative. My throat looks just as bad, if not worse than my mouth, but it doesn't hurt as bad. I am on antibiotics and I am hoping it will do something for the horrific mouth sores, but I'm not entirely optimistic about that.

For now, I'm covering my mouth with numbing gel about every 5 minutes and popping a few Tylenol here and there in order to alleviate the pain just enough so I can chew and swallow a few bites of food. Oh, and brush my teeth.

Week 16, I hope you have pity on me! I need it.

Baby Watch -- Week 14

Week 14 has been uneventful so far.

Of course, as happens about 2 to 3 weeks after every doctor's appointment, the nervous worry begins of fearing something happening to the baby. I'm just plagued with these fears during this pregnancy and I can't wait until this baby is born and here so I can start worrying about something else. Because I'll just find something else to worry about then.

I have another 2 weeks until my next doctor's appointment so I'm hoping I can push the fears aside and not have a complete nervous breakdown before then. As long as I hear the heartbeat and am reassured everything is fine, I'll be okay. For another couple weeks at least. I can't wait until I can feel the baby moving. I will have reassurance every day from then on that my baby is breathing.

Other than fear and worry, I've noticed being more out of breath. This should not be happening yet, I don't think. I'm afraid it is a combination of my poor eating recently and my lack of exercising, not the fact that I'm pregnant. Maybe I just shouldn't run up the stairs at home quite as quickly and slow it down a bit. Yeah, that's it!

And that is Week 14.

Baby Watch -- Week 13

FYI -- This is my 600th blog post. Wow!


I am officially on week 13 and now a member of the 2nd trimester club. I have more energy and am not quite as sleepy. Well, except for the insomnia I am suffering. I despise not getting my sleep and I am a bit of a grump, to say the least.


Otherwise this pregnancy is going well. I had no morning sickness and other than a minor scare early on, I have had a marvelous pregnancy so far. And I am definitely recognizing that miracle and counting my blessings.

I did experience some swelling on my lower legs and ankles yesterday. I had not drank as much water as I should have and had eaten some food high is sodium, so I am going to try to drink a lot more water today and make sure I'm making better food choices. I had excessive swelling and the beginning of pre-eclampsia with Hoss and I don't want any of that on this go around.

And I can't forget to point out that I turned 30 this past Friday. I started Perty by Thirty a year and a half ago and I had no idea I would be pregnant when I actually turned 30. I am thrilled to be pregnant and feel as if my Perty by Thirty goal was met, even if I did not hit the numbers I wanted.

One of the main goals, which I never spoke about publicly, in my weight loss journey was to loose weight so I could have another child. Even though I was heavier when I conceived Hoss, I knew that my weight (and ever increasing age) were not in my favor to conceive again. My weight loss changed my life in ways I could never imagine and I am so happy I am going to have the ultimate reward of another child.

So, all the effort I put in (and will continue to put in after this pregnancy) working toward Perty by Thirty has definitely paid off!