quick update

So I wasn't going to post the pictures of the 3D/4D ultrasound but Mike wants me to put them up.  I think these are the best two.  Little guy was being stubborn and had his hands in front of his face most of the time.  At one point he was using both hands to hold his foot and suck his big toe.  Needless to say we didn't get too many good shots.  So what do you think?  I think he is definitely a good combination of me and Mike.  Can't wait to meet the little guy in 13 weeks!

just call me a liar

So a day after I post that I don't really feel the baby move he decides to start thumping around in my belly.  What really got him moving last night was when I was lying in bed and had the laptop on my lap.  Why this would bother him I don't know, maybe the clacking noise of typing on it?  Whatever the case he was bumping along in there.  But when my cat Naya decided to walk across my belly and lay down he was perfectly still.  Must be an animal lover that kid.  Then this morning same thing, little thumps and bumps and now he's painfully lodged in the upper part of my belly.  I pushed a little to get him to move and he responded by kicking me and staying in the exact same position.  Someone has a stubborn streak just like me, we like getting things our way ;)
Also, some friends of ours had recommended for us to watch The Business of Being Born.  So now of course after watching that I'm thinking maybe birth centers with midwives are better. All kinds of confused over here.  So long story short I'm not going to say anymore I'm definitely doing this or not doing that cause who knows until that time comes.  In the meantime we are going to tour both a hospital and birth center and ask my ob some questions.  Hopefully I can make a decision before d-day.  And I'm not excluding Mike from the decision (in case you were wondering why I didn't say we make a decision) but he says its entirely up to me and whatever I decide feels right he will support it.  He just hopes he doesn't pass out when the whole thing goes down :)
With that I leave you with these two cute items I found today while perusing the net. 

Labor and Delivery Gown

Much cuter than that gross hospital gown, blech!  Sold by Pretty Pushers.

And this adorable giraffe pacifier in one.  I need one of these (and he'll probably hate it).

six months...

I literally almost typed seven months.  Don't know what I'm thinking :p  So officially over half way there.  Can't believe I'm already at six months and showing big time.  Not that there would be any doubt of that since I've been told since a young age (mid teens) I have birthing hips.  Seriously, who tells a teenager that?  Umm let's see what's going on this month?  Swollen feet, check!  Weight gain, check! Baby kicking up a storm, no check.  I know, every one is different and some people just feel the baby moving and kicking and rolling a lot sooner than others, but I thought by now I would be feeling substantial movement.  When people ask, I just say yes I do feel SOME movement, mainly in my  lower abdomen still, and he honestly feels like a worm.  That's how I could best describe it, no punches or kicks just a worm moving across my belly.  More like the guys in the black, because he's slow and deliberate about it, not all jerky crazy like the guy in the front.

Sometimes a polite tap on the upper right quadrant like he's asking permission to change position.  Now last week he did jab me in my rib cage, but he must have been having a night terror or something, haha!  Anyways, nothing really new to report.  No we haven't started on the nursery yet.  I do have an idea on how I want it decorated, its just a matter of moving stuff out of the guest room, selling some furniture and painting.  I still have time right, 3 months give or take a few weeks.  I have a feeling he's going to be born and sleeping with Leela at night because the nursery still won't be finished, j/k.  The main question I get asked from people (besides is the baby moving) do you have a name picked out.  Ok, here's the low down, we do have a favorite name and a couple other top contenders but we are not deciding on one name until he's born.  That's our personal decision so please stop asking, have you picked a name yet because even if we do decide on one before birth we aren't giving it up. You'll meet the little guy in a few months anyways.  We just call him baby boy for now.  Please don't be offended. 

On another topic I pre-registered at the hospital where we will be having the baby.  It was pretty cool, all online and everything.  We have a tour scheduled for the end of July.  I still haven't registered for birth class yet, but I know it will be sometime in August.  I have been reading various mommy blogs and a few mentioned the benefits of a birthing center.  So I looked more into them and what that involved.  There is one rather close to us in South Carolina.  But after reading the birth stories (which are supposed to be encouraging) and testimonials I've decided hospital is the way for me.  Just a personal decision.  Don't get me wrong, I plan on going as natural as possible without any drugs but if at some point I need the big needle or other complications arise I just feel better being at the hospital.  So that's all for now, next month I'll have some more updates.  I have my glucose test in two weeks, here's to hoping its negative, we have our 3D ultrasound scheduled for the end of this month and a good friend of ours will be taking our maternity photos in the end of June.  All in all it will be a busy next few weeks. 

I leave you with this lovely parting shot.  I had a cute one where I was smiling but I just like this one better :)

five months

Sorry for the delay.  I'm actually 21 weeks now :)  We had our last doctor visit on April 29th.  Found out we are having a boy.  I really wanted a girl so it was hard for me to be enthusiastic when the u/s technician told us.  I believe my exact words were "Oh. Ok." Terrible I know.  Even though I knew in my heart it was a boy the whole time, I just had a feeling but I was holding out hope till the end that it would be a girl. heehee!  That's ok though I'm warming up to the idea.  And all the moms tell me that I'm going to love having a boy.  They are so much easier and little boys love their moms.  So now I'm on the hunt for super cool boy outfits and hats!  He will be sporting all kinds of cool fedoras and newsboy caps ;)  Still not feeling a whole lot of movement but I am quite the pudge so probably can't feel it through my blubber.  People say "oh it feels like gas or bubbles".  I'm thinking that's not very helpful because I have gas all the time.  Poor Mike, I was already kinda gasey before but now its like times a hundred. Saw this on a blog yesterday and it just cracked me up because I'm pretty sure this is how he feels.

Anyhoo, we had a baby shower this past Sunday in Durham hosted by the proud grandma to be, my mom :)  I know its kinda early but this summer is just going to be so hectic this was really the best time.  So nice seeing our friends and they are so happy and supportive.  We really appreciate it.  There was also some dancing and after doing a very intense merengue with my bestie I had this crazy cramp in my stomach.  So I'm telling mom #2 (Sharon) about it and she says "its prob the baby, is it moving a bit?" I'm like "I dunno, you feel".  So she puts her hand on my stomach and she says "Yes that's the baby, its waving, you can't feel that?" But I can't feel it moving I'm just like dang this cramp hurts. lol!  When he starts doing some actual karate chops in my stomach and kicking me hardcore I'll feel it then.  I'm just slow on the whole feel the baby thing.

I'm still not having cravings for any food in particular.  I am avoiding big, juicy hamburgers and guacamole like the plague because they totally gross me out.  Also peanut butter makes me sick.  Like upset stomach sick.  Speaking more of my stomach, I don't have the most common pregnancy problem, constipation.  Which I guess I should be grateful for but I have the exact opposite.  Never gone the bathroom so much in my life.  I'm like really, again? I just went, arghhh!  What other gross problems am I having that I can share, body odor would be one.  I had to change deodorant and also I have smelly feet.  Never had smelly feet before in my life, always so proud of that fact.  Well no more.  Let's see, any other changes.  Ummm, dryness on my face is getting better, but still have the splotchy skin so wearing foundation every day for coverage.  Oh this may be TMI and if you don't want to read just skip to the next paragraph of the blog but along with a bigger chest comes the problem of having high beams on all the time.  I was in the bathroom the other day at work and looked in the mirror and was like OMG this is so embarrassing!  So now wearing double shirts, keeping my hair down, crossing my arms. ugh! What a pain.

Also having some back pain off and on but nothing I can't handle.  Still sleeping pretty well at night, occasionally I do wake up to go the bathroom and can't go back to sleep.  Its not because I'm uncomfortable but my brain just won't shut down.  I think that's about it.  People ask how you feel?  I feel fine besides a few annoyances I'm not having any major issues.  So I am grateful for a relatively smooth pregnancy so far.  Now that I've put that in writing I'm sure these last 4 months are going to be heinous.  Here's my latest glamour shot. 

Starting to show just a bit, whatcha think :p haha!  Till next month!

goodbye grandma

I know I haven't really talked about it but my grandma tomczak has been battling with gallbladder cancer.  My aunt called me last month saying that the cancer had returned and had spread.  Since my grandma is in her late 80's she wasn't a candidate for chemo.  It would be too much for her.  Me and Mike were able to go up a few weeks ago and spend the afternoon with her.  I am glad I had that opportunity.  We didn't talk much just sat with her.  She knew I was pregnant and was so excited to be a great grandma.  I am thankful for that time.  She lost the battle last night and fell into the deep sleep known as death.  I am glad she is no longer suffering.  I look forward to the time when death will be no more and our loved ones will be resurrected and we can see them again.  She will be missed,  I love you grandma.

four months

Alrighty then, we have now reached our four month mark or 16 weeks.  Changes, I am now hungry all the time.  Before I would be hungry but not like starving now I want to eat all things and when I'm eating I feel like this

But isn't this how we all feel when we eat?  On another note its so nice to finally have energy again.  I was getting really bummed out coming home and just laying on a couch like a sloth.  Even though I have more energy I'm not channeling it into exercising, I'm using it to make delicious dinners hehehe! Last week at 15 weeks I officially started showing.  Not just looking chubby but being very obvious that I'm pregnant.  Which is nice, I like that feeling.  I had the first person just randomly come up and touch my belly at the Kingdom Hall.  I was ok with it though because she didn't let her hand linger or rub, she just tapped my belly like, oh look your belly popped out, and kept right on moving. I can deal with that, any caressing or longer than 2 seconds and I'm like umm excuse me?  I'm trying to think of things to do when its really big and random strangers try to touch it.  I'm not sure how I'm going to react.  Time will tell.  Really not much going on at this point, I'm sure my 5 month post will be more interesting because we will know what we are having and I should be feeling the baby moving at that point.  I'm loving my new wardrobe btw, my mom was very nice and took me shopping.  She probably was just sick of seeing me with my pants unbuttoned and butt crack showing all the time lol!  I didn't realize how hard it would be to find some good pregnancy skirts though.  I can find tons of dresses but I would like a cute pencil skirt.  Well I should rephrase that, I did find some nice ones but I'm not spending $50+ dollars on one skirt :p  Oh and in other news, I traded my lovely red, sporty Mazda6 in for a momobile, a mazda5 microvan :(  You may say, they are only having 1 kid why they getting a van?  Well my friends, we like to take trips and its usually not just me and mike but also my mom and the dogs.  That gets kinda squishy in a sedan especially with a 50lb dog and short of putting the dogs on top of the car that just wouldn't work.  I wanted to be cool and get an SUV but I just refused to pay SUV prices.  Even used SUV's were expensive.  So we ended up getting a graphite gray 2009 Mazda5.  Its nice and we like it.  So anyhoo, that's all I can think of right now, till next time take care! 

4 months and showing ;)

three months

Well technically I'm 13 weeks and 2 days but whose counting?  I have an app on my phone and it tells me how many days I have left and I got stressed looking at it the other day because its now less than 200 days till the baby comes.  I'm like, yikes! I have nothing ready.  We have to combine our guest room and office into one room to make a nursery in the spare room.  Which means we have to get rid of the queen bed and half of the giant desk taking up the office because they both won't fit.  I want to have a yard sale next month and hope I can get enough $ to buy a sofa with a hide-a-bed for the office.  I would like guests to have somewhere to sleep besides a blow up mattress :p but we'll see what the finances allow.  Not to mention decor for the baby room.  I get inspired by looking at pictures of other people's designs but I can never seem to put anything together like they have it.  I mean it took us a year and a half to paint one wall in our living room and you want me to put together a nursery in less than 6 months, ha!  So anyways back to the pregnancy.  I'm not nauseous anymore, just get heartburn like a beast now, burping for days.  Doesn't matter what I eat, I could eat a salad and its the same thing (btw salads are the worst b/c burping lettuce is disgusting).  I'm defin starting to pudge out.  I know I'm supposed to be exercising and eating some kind of healthy but dang I'm tired all the time.  Doctor said that should pass in a few weeks.  I sure hope so b/c I need to get some kind of energy back.  Only other thing that is annoying, besides my pants and skirts not fitting, is the super dry, flaky skin on my face.  I exfoliate, I wash my face with a super sensitive skin cleanser, heavy duty moisturizer and my face just laughs at it.  Its like, oh you want to moisturize, not happening here, go somewhere else buddy.  So  yeah.  Had a check up last week and baby is doing great, measuring at exactly the right size.  My app says its about the size of a peach now, just hanging out chillin.  Definitely a sleepy little booger, couldn't get it to wake up in the u/s for nothing. The technician needed a different view so she was pushing on my stomach, had me flip on my side several times, poor thing I think I mooned her twice :p Finally woke up the munchkin, started flailing its arms and legs like what the heck? I was sleeping people. haha!  Next u/s is in 5 weeks and we'll find out what we are having.  Here's my latest glamour shot, I was laughing at something Mike said.

3 months 1 week