23 Weeks of Hotness (because it's really hot today!

Kiddo has been laying low, so to speak, for the last week or so. I now 100% understand that he is responding to me, because my stress levels was off the charts over the course of last week. In-effing-sane! We had seniors trying to finish up in time to graduate and I had a family from whom I nearly required witness protection because they had it in their heads that I was the reason their daughter wasn't going to graduate. Sometimes, I get so mad when people whine and piss and moan AND end up getting their way without earning it.

I also had some stress over my job this last week. I found out that my position is being "rearranged," for lack of better terminology. I'm going to have to fight hard and probably take a bunch of classes to keep it, but I really do love every moment of my job. I have been applying for some other positions as well and have an interview this week for one of them. It will be a lateral move if I am offered it, no administrative positioning, but it might be a great way to get back into elementary school and try something new. I'm kind of conflicted over it, but I can't count my chickens before they hatch.

Anyway, while all of this crap was going on, I managed to make myself sick with a cold, laryngitis, and stress. Kiddo wasn't moving around much, which stressed me out even more because I couldn't feel him using my internal organs as a trampoline. I called the doctor and they said everything was fine, it was just that he's still little and I can't always feel him. Now that my stress has dropped, he's back to moving around again. He seems to have a prefered position for me to lay in, which is half reclined on the bed or couch. Aaron hasn't been able to feel him much because it seems like as soon as I put his hand on my belly Kiddo stops jumping around. Grr!

Let's post a few pictures:

Completed crib for Kiddo! Soon, there will be ten little fingers and toes sleeping here.

23 Weeks of largeness. It's also incredibly hot here today, so you can see some sweat glistening!

Tried to get a "bump" shot. Can you see where my shorts cut off? I always worry that I may be strangling Kiddo with pants that cut across my midsection, but he's still moving, so he must be fine...right?

I'm having trouble loading the picture of the delicious pancakes I mentioned in my last post. You can see a picture of them on my Facebook page though. They were so amazing that I can't help but crave them. I'll have to be careful, otherwise all of my pregnancy weight gain will come from them.

Here is the update via email: "Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about as much as a large mango), you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb."

Shoutout to Steph Mock who sent some great books to Aaron and I to celebrate Kiddo's impending arrival. We go to the doctor this week too, and Granny will be coming. I'll post more later folks!

Food Comas, Legos, Cribs, and Kicks

So, I know I’ve spoken about my pregnancy weight gain before, but I think I was a bit out-of-control this past week. Stress has been high for both Aaron and I and I think we compensate with cheap, easy, unhealthy for us food. We ordered Pizza Hut stuffed crust one night and it was F***ing delicious! I ate three slices that night and three more the next night. Bad Valerie, bad! Then, I had a craving for French fries Saturday night, so Aaron bought us McDonald’s, which I haven’t had in months. Oh man was it good! Then Sunday, I ate a tiny breakfast before Aaron and I ran around town, buying me prego clothes and Legos, because I’m an idiot! I actually had a revelation about Legos the other day though: I will finally (in a few years of course) have someone to play Legos with! That makes me want to buy even more of them, like the new smaller Lego Hogwarts castle, Night Bus, and Village Mill. Since they are technically for Kiddo, I can register for them, right?

Later, after the Lego-binge, I realized that I hadn’t eaten anything substantial and was getting kind of lightheaded and shakey, so Aaron and I stopped at IHOP. OMG! I must post a picture of the deliciousness that I ate. I started by ordering a ham and cheese omelet, because doesn’t that sound yummy? Then, I saw that they had a small order of hashbrowns, which I haven’t eaten in forever, so I got those. Then the waitress told me that I got a small stack of pancakes with my order too! Really??? I had seen these yummy-looking “cinnamon-roll” pancakes on the second page of the menu and asked if I could try those. TRY THOSE I DID! Those pancakes were like a religious experience! They were medium sized and each pancake had been smothered with a spread of that cinnamon goo from a cinnamon roll. The top (or maybe each layer) had been drizzled with icing and there was a HUGE dollop of whipped cream on top. People, I may be sick, but I finished every bite of my meal! I didn’t eat for the rest of the day and was in constant threat from a food coma, but it was bliss. My mouth is watering thinking about those pancakes right now. I think I officially found my Achilles Heel, and it comes in the form of IHOP’s Cinnamon Roll pancakes. I will post pictures of the yum-fest later on.

FINALLY! We have constructed the crib! I will post pictures soon, but at least the waiting game for the phantom crib part is over. I went outside to mow on Monday and looked over at the mailbox to see an oblong cardboard box laid unceremoniously on the cement by our front door. I finished mowing, stored the mower, and ripped the box open to find a funky shaped piece of wood: our missing crib part! Aaron was home and I was all excited, so I immediately decided to start building the thing! As I sat on the floor in Kiddo’s room, I grabbed the new piece and tried to fit the little pegs into the holes and…the stupid things wouldn’t FIT! Arg! I screamed and hollered and sent the cat running with fear for his life. The pegs on the piece were closer together than the holes on the two crib sides into which the piece needed to fit. I’d like to state at this time that this piece seems fairly nonessential since it doesn’t even require screws or nuts or bolts, but I am not about to construct my crib with a missing piece that could cause the whole thing to collapse with my infant son inside. I was also not about to go through another waiting game while Sorelle decided whether or not to respond to us or Babies R Us. So, Aaron wielded the drill and we made the holes on the crib sides lower (scary process). It may not look pretty and there may be some Silly Putty holding the piece a bit more firm, but at least my Kiddo’s crib is constructed.

I have officially moved up to my pre-weight loss pants/shirts and I have purchased a few maternity outfits and a pair of pants from Motherhood. I am astonished at how expensive some of the clothes are. I tried to shop the sale racks, but they are loaded with winter clothes right now and THOSE won’t feel good in the July/August/September heat by any means! If I didn’t have to work all summer, I’d forgo buying the clothes and just run around my house naked. I was actually frustrated the other day while looking for a pair of comfy pants to wear around the house after work when I realized that I got rid of most of my college-life lounge pants in one of my clothing purges a year or so back! What was I thinking? Clearly not about comfort. I think I’ll have to get a few pairs of comfy pants back because those six weeks home with Kiddo after he’s born will not be stylish day, but days of comfort.

This morning, as I woke up, I think I felt Kiddo have the hiccups for the first time. I rolled onto my back to kind of wake up and there was this very rhythmic thump/flutter in my belly. It was too rhythmic to be anything else in my mind, but some of this stuff is so new to me that I can’t quite tell what it is. Kiddo’s kicks have been a lot stronger lately, so I’ve been putting Aaron’s hand on my belly more often to see if he can feel anything. He thinks he may have felt something the other night, but wasn’t too sure, so I’m going to say he hasn’t felt Kiddo move yet, but it won’t be too long now. Kiddo seems to respond to our voices when we are having a conversation and kicks specifically when he hears Aaron, so that’s kind of cool.

Stress at work is about to take a huge dive (I hope) as today is the last day for seniors to complete their work. I haven’t been feeling the best, likely due to stress and not working out, so I’ll take a breather and then get back at the working out piece, since I know how important it is.

I forgot to post this last week, so here's the email update for 21 weeks: "Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well."

TTFN from this fat, pregnant lady! Mmmmmmmmmmm...cinnamon roll pancakes!

So, the results are in!

It was a mystery for most of the ultrasound, but it's official the Baby Robinson is a Mister! My instinct was correct!

The road to the ultrasound was kind of funny. I went to school early in the morning to get some work done and then decided to leave at 9:30, since the appointment was at 10:00. Well, before I could even leave the building, I had the dilemma: to pee or not to pee? The first thing I'm asked to do when I get to the doctor's office is to "give a sample," but gosh darn it, I really had to go. I ducked into the bathroom fast to take care of business, but then had the mild panic attack about whether I'd be able to pee once I got to the doctor. So, the whole drive to the doctor, I chugged the rest of my first water bottle of the day (and I carry the big ones). I shouldn't have worried (or drank) so much. Once I got to the doctor, I saw Aaron in the parking lot, but I couldn't' stop. I ran to the desk to check in and sighed with relief as I was given permission to produce the "sample" they desired. Funny enough, while we were waiting to go in for the ultrasound, I had to pee AGAIN!

Then, we were ushered back into a little room. Aaron sat next to me as the ultrasound tech (UT) had me lay on the table, lift my shirt and scrunch down my pants. She asked if we wanted to know what we were having and we both said yes! I had to practically hug the computer because her arms were so short. I hadn't anticipated that there would be a screen right in front of my, mounted on the wall; I guess I envisioned that I would have to crane my neck to the left or right to see what was going on. She squirted the jelly goo on my belly (which is definitely growing) and...

Nothing truly prepared me for that next moment. There on the screen was my precious little angel. Even though my belly is growing and I'm starting to feel movement, there aren't words to describe seeing his little profile on the screen. No words, just joy and amazement. I started to tear up, I'm tearing up now remembering it, but the UT was showing us so many things that I mentally slapped myself across the face so I didn't miss anything by clouding my vision with tears.

Our very first shot of him was pretty humorous. He had his arm up above his head, almost as if he was saying "Oh man, Mom never shuts up." She measured everything and kept saying, "that's a good looking baby." I'm sure she says that to everyone, but it just confirmed for me that my baby is the most perfect thing ever. She showed us hands with little fingers and thumbs and itty-bitty feet with little toes. We got to see his tiny precious heart beating. We saw the blood pumping through his body, the crown of his head, and his little stomach and liver.

The trouble was that Kiddo was a little shy. The UT said she usually started at the top and worked her way down and would check when she "got there." Well, somebody was timid and wasn't ready to let Mom and Dad see the business. The UT pounded (gently) on my belly a bit to try to get Kiddo to shift just right, but still, no luck. So she moved on and finished measuring everything else, then came back to check again. Still, Peanut wasn't having it. The UT kept poking and prodding, commented on how full my bladder was, and then said "Oh, are you ready?"

"Yes!" we both screamed.

"It's a boy." There on the screen was probably the cutest ultrasound photo I think I've seen (I'm his Momma so I can say that). It was a shot in which I could see both of his little butt cheeks and then, yep, his family jewels were right there for us to see! I chuckled and we actually saw Peanut move, I think in response to my laughing, or maybe to cover up because he'd been so terribly exposed.

The rest of the appointment was a blur. After the UT finished up and we got our photos printed, I stopped by the restroom to pee again, and we sat in the waiting room (waiting for the next appointment) texting people and posting to Facebook. Mom/Grandma wasn't satisfied with a text, so she called and I quietly tortured her before telling her about her grandson.

The doctor's appointment went fine. Our doctor said that everything looked great and that our September 23rd due date would hold now for the rest of the pregnancy. Aaron and I got to settle our lawn mowing dispute via Dr. Makkapati, too. I WIN! I CAN MOW! I don't know why I'm so excited, but I certainly am looking forward to pushing the mower around the yard.

After the appointment, Aaron and I ran to Barnes & Noble. I saw a few people I used to work with and we picked up a baby name book that actually holds our first choice boy's name! Aaron found it right away and flipped right to it! Next, we stopped by Costco to pick up a couple of the outfits I'd held off on buying since they were VERY boy-centric. Last, we stopped at Buffalo Wild Wings for lunch before I headed back to work for the afternoon and final night of our evening special session.

Again, there aren't words for what it felt like to see my precious little baby boy. I can't stop looking at his picture, with his tiny nose and sweet little lips. I can't wait to spoil this cutie rotten and teach him how to be the best little man in the world. I can't wait to witness his first smile, soothe his first tears, see his first steps, and hear his first words. I can't think of a better way to spend my first official Mother's Day than knowing that those little bumps I feel more frequently now are my sweet little boy saying hello and reminding me of just how precious he is.

I've officially out-sapped myself, so gaze below at the new pictures of Kiddo and his ever growing collection of goodies:

The most perfect profile!

Hand above his head!

Sucking his thumb.

Precious heartbeats.

A wittle footie!

And there he is! He's got a cute little butt!

Zutano clothing is a new find for me. It's expensive, but I seriously think it ranks among the cutest stuff ever!

Our Iowa City/WoW buddies bought Baby R an EPIC onesie! Thanks Pryor, Aurosar, and Archer of Fallen Grace: the Next Generation!

Mommy's Little Monster!

Crabby But Cute: Just Ask Mommy!

My favorite: Daddy's No. 1 Draft Pick!

Nothing profound to read here..

So, tomorrow is the big day. Tonight is the eve of my seeing my Little Peanut for the first time. I don't know that I have words to express how excited I am. I've been walking around all day in this sort of haze. I've been browsing baby clothing. I've been making plans for how to spend the weekend celebrating and how to tell people... It's just so amazing!

I was actually asked for the first time today if I was pregnant. Two middle school girls came up to me during my lunch duty with them. The first asked if my stomach was upset. I looked at her a little funny and said no. Then the second goes, "Oh, well then are you pregnant?" I guess I had been rubbing my belly or something like that.

I notice that I do it a lot more (rub my belly) now that I know I can feel Kiddo moving around. When I feel him or her move, I smile and if it was sudden, I make sure to let him or her know I "heard" them by saying something to them. It's usually something like, "Hi Kiddo." Is that dumb? I don't care! :-D Even now as I type, I can feel little tiny kicks or nudges from Peanut. I wonder if he/she is as excited about tomorrow as I am? Daddy is excited too. I tried to have him feel Kiddo moving the other night, even though I knew it was futile, because I don't want him to feel left out. He couldn't feel anything, but I know he will someday soon.

I bought another baby outfit. I know, quit it, right? I found this adorable line of clothes by Zutano (www.zutano.com) that I just can't help but love. It's a shame they are so expensive, but I may get a few more once I know if Kiddo will be of the pink or blue persuasion. I bought a little shirt with a turtle on the front and a pair of pants to go with. Hopefully they are big enough for the cloth diapers.

I am supposed to start looking at my calendar for a shower date too. Wow! Time seems to be going so fast! Kiddo is officially half-cooked tomorrow, I have to start looking into buying diapers and scouting daycare centers, and I'll have to start working on Kiddo's room soon! By the way, we STILL don't have the missing crib part, so all of the pieces remain scattered around the room. Grr!

Oh well. I am going to play some games before dinner and try to chill out, give both Kiddo and I some relaxing time before tomorrow's big event. Stay tuned for blue/pink news!

Petipa and BSB?

I had my favorite pregnancy dream yet: I was in an audience participative version of the ballet La Bayadere choreographed by Marius Petipa that was performed to a combination of Leon Minkus and the Backstreet Boys. Yeah, I know! There was nothing like my helping Nikiya perform for Solor's wedding to I Want It That Way and That's the Way I Like It. Messed up, but good times!

Two days until we know Kiddo's gender and potential name! Any guesses? Team blue? Team pink? Say team both and I will have no choice but to breath my heartburn induced fire-breath or acid-spit your direction! (I still think I should have prego super powers!)