momma's itchy

and scratchy.
some clothes are tighter.
people keep mentioning a glow.
week 16, 3.5 ounces, 4.5 inches

there there mrs grumpypants

"...It's the revelation of a new life. Your body changes to meet your baby's needs. There's the swelling readiness of your breasts, the expanding cradle of your womb. You are beautiful, as lovely as a tree that is heavy with fruit." Sorry, La Leche League, but in my grumpy state, your poetic prose failed to make me whip out my microphone-hairbrush, and break out w/ Carole King's Natural Woman.

current mood: grouchy

babycenter week 15:
Your growing baby now measures about 4 inches long, crown to rump, and weighs in at about 2 1/2 ounces (about the size of an apple). She's busy moving amniotic fluid through her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in her lungs begin to develop. Her legs are growing longer than her arms now, and she can move all of her joints and limbs. Although her eyelids are still fused shut, she can sense light. If you shine a flashlight at your tummy, for instance, she's likely to move away from the beam.

the Incubator!!

so more ppl know now. they smile and then their eyes fall to mah belly. i didn't expect *that*. it's unnerving! i know i should just get used to it.
i also get randomly hungry. it doesn't even make sense.

babycenter week 14 update:
Welcome to the second trimester! 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.

hi!

we got to hear the heartbeat again today. i really really like hearing it. very few things make me beam inside... but i suppose this is one of them. "that's MY kid!" ;)

the babycenter update for 13 weeks:
Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. If you're having a girl, she now has more than 2 million eggs in her ovaries. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce. As you start your second trimester, most of your baby's critical development will be completed and your odds of miscarriage drop considerably.

random press conference:
q- what made you decide to test?
a- i was late, but i forced myself to wait till it was waaaaay late. so i had that feeling but i didn't let myself think it till testing.
q- food cravings/repulsions?
a- hmm. i really want some long john silvers, but i think it's because LJS is 27 or so miles away and i'm just hyping it up. ground beef grosses me out right now. i had ground turkey yesterday and i wasn't too keen on that either.

week 13ish

our friends gave us a crib, and bouncy seat and stroller. and a seat base. and help with getting it to the house. i'm at this point where i am soooo thankful but i don't even know how to express it. so i feel foolish... and i lack the words. thank you, friends. i dunno. thank you doesn't seem good enough. gah.
next doctors appointment on thursday... will go public after that.

if you rub my belly, i will rub yours back!!!! <-(jen's advice)

NT results say all is well. yay :)

wednesday XI weeks

nuchal translucency! a test to measure fluid by the neck to see risks for down's syndrome. we got to hear the heartbeat, which was soooooo cool. i am a broken record with my "wow that is pretty cool!" :b 156 beats per minute. it sounded like... when you ride a ferry, and hear the motor. like a THUNK THUNK THUNK THUNK! or a THWAP THWAP THWAP! i am impressed.

baby meatwad?

This is me the day i took 2 home pregnancy tests. (No pics of the pee sticks. Use yer imagination)










This is the real deal!

what I really wanna do is go play tennis before a grateful dead concert, and then go to the kegger/sushi after-party

But perhaps I’ll go ride roller coasters, after I spend the afternoon skiing and snowboarding, and relax in the hot tub. :b
went to the doctor. They asked medical questions, asked me to pee, got a pap, and we saw the spawn. Okay, that *is* pretty cool. I’m at week 9, baby is one inch long. I’ll go get bloodwork tomorrow. the technician couldn’t find my pulse. This is typical for me. so they gave me instructions to go to a lab for that.
Heh. I’m lying on the medical table, in the gown (I hate those things) and I really just had to ignore rob. Lest I laugh inappropriately. Sorry hon. I mean, did you take a look at the speculum??? But I was being normal – because normally I analyze the ceiling. Oh looky. A vent.
i called my parents and talked to my dad. He seemed pretty happy/excited. Then he was like, “did you tell your mom?” and I was like, “no, that’s why I’m calling. You can tell her.” Afterwards I teared up. Which is not normal for me. though now I wonder if I’ve initiated the “tear up for no reason” phase. And I told my bro. “wrap yer mind around THAT!!” heh. I’ll slowly tell people, even though I’m not out of the danger zone. I know they’ll be supportive. Besides I’m sure the parents are doing their part with spreading the news. i wish we could watch it like a zombie attack simulation.

I guess December's a good time for it...

We learned last week that my stepbrother Bryan, and his wife Ashley, are also expecting their first child. And, from what we're told, at nearly the same time. Crazy. Awesome. Grats, guys!

"Stirrups," she warns me.

Tomorrow is our first visit with an obstetrician. I'm a little wary of wading into a sea of femininity. But, I told Joo, maybe I should just kick in the door and proclaim, "This woman is with child! My child!" That'll break the ice in the waiting room, right?

I think I should have more questions. What to Expect is putting a million new terms in my head. Still feeling overwhelmed. But I think I will be for the next... twenty years. First, though, I pray my wife is healthy. I pray our child is healthy. I pray for wisdom to do the right things for them both.

Afterward, we start making phone calls...