147 Beats Per Minute Means Boy, Right???

I have been reading A LOT about all this baby stuff and I have yet to come across anything that states you can determine the baby's gender by it's heartrate. This little anecdote comes from our doctor's appointment this morning. She listened to Sam's heartbeat (147 beats per minute--very good, apparently!) and said, "And no, I can't tell you the sex of your baby." We were like, "What?!" Apparently she had a patient a couple weeks ago that had read that you can determine the sex by the heartrate. Our doctor explained that that wasn't true and she wouldn't rush out and buy blue things just yet. The woman would not be deterred and did it her way. Our doctor just kept telling her that that wasn't for sure and she couldn't tell her for sure! Weird!

Other than that funny tidbit our appointment went very well. I still haven't gained much weight--YAY! My blood pressure is good, Sam's heartrate is good, so all seems well. We not only made our next check-up appointment, but we also got to schedule THE ULTRASOUND! On Friday, May 30th we will have the ultrasound that will hopefully tell us if Sam is a he or a she! Now, that doesn't mean that we will know that day. We both wish we were patient enough to be surprised at the birth, but anyone who knows me knows that that would be a joke! There's just too much to plan! We do want to keep some element of surprise so we are going to have the tech write the sex on a piece of paper which we will save for a later date. We were hoping the timing would work out to open it with our families around, but I don't think that will work. It will still be really exciting to open it with friends and then spread the word. We just feel that is more special that a tech blurting it out when my belly is covered in jelly! We do realize, however, is Sam is indeed a he, we might be able to tell ourselves from looking at the picture. We shall see...Stay tuned :)

Red or Green? Part 2

Who would have thought we'd have the same question regarding color for two of the produce comparisons for Sam? On second though, who'd have thought we'd be comparing our unborn child to produce... Anyways, Sam will be about the length of a bell pepper by the end of this week! (That's about five and a half inches long!) Sam also will weigh about seven ounces! Sam will hopefully be getting busy flexing his/her muscles so that I can finally feel a kick! I can't wait!!! Thankfully, Sam's ears are finally settled into place. That definitely was the weirdest thing so far--that the ears don't show up in the right place to begin with. Who knew?

I am still feeling GREAT! I had the last two weeks off, which was great for my to-do list, but not so great for my out of whack hormones...I started a new job Monday and so far this week has been MUCH better! It's no secret that Dana likes a schedule... The weather has been beautiful and we've been outside as much as possible trying to enjoy everything as it happens before things change (for the better!) in about five and a half months!!!

There is a Season, Turn, Turn, Turn...

Let me begin by saying that I don't think Motherhood Maternity should hire super tall, super thin women to work in the store! That just doesn't make us expanding pregos feel better! Before Spring Break, I was feeling overwhelmed and unsure of the clothing options before me. My fabulous mom bought me some wonderful maternity pants, BUT now that the weather is warmer (and my body temperature is rising day by day) it is time for some Spring clothes that fit. I tried on everything in my closet last week and yesterday I put on a pair of capris only to find out that they don't fit anymore! So much for advance planning! I didn't have anything else to do in the afternoon and thought shopping would be fun. Well, not so much. I ended up feeling plump and sad :( Target didn't have the right size pants, Motherhood Maternity had this woman who was so intimidating and didn't send me a good vibe. Let me insert a disclaimer here that I'm sure she wasn't intimidating, that is just my interpretation since I don't live in reality anymore. Also, when she asked if I had any specific needs and I responded that I needed pants that fit, she wasn't actually making a face that said, "Oh, you are just a larger person thinking that shopping in a maternity store will help." I intellectually understand all of that and am sure she is in fact a very nice person, but since I am so emotional and overly sensitive, that's how the encounter played out to me! From there nothing looked good at Macy's and the Old Navy by my house doesn't have a maternity section! Argh! I just wish my bump would show up and I could look pregnant to everyone else! Well, I'm keeping my fingers crossed that a different Target will have the correct size of capris tomorrow because I really liked theirs :)

Pregnancy Brain Continues...

Whenever I feel like I'm doing pretty well staying organized and getting all the things accomplished that I want, I get a little reminder that I'm pregnant and therefore, cannot be as efficient as I'd like :( Today for instance, I got an e-mail from my lovely husband wondering why our cable/internet/phone bill was a bit high. It's pretty much the same amount each month, so I checked it out. Well, the actual bill was for $58.76, but I paid $85.76! Luckily, the money will just be credited to our next bill, but that would have sucked if they were just like, "It's your fault you paid too much. We're keeping the extra!"

The cornerstone of this pregnancy brain thing has been Josh's desire for beverages. The poor guy just wants a drink when he gets home, is eating a meal, or is just plain thristy. It's really not too much to ask for and he always asks politely. However, my pregnant brain tends to filter out his requests as soon as it receives them and he usually has to ask a few times these days before his beverage arrives. I feel so bad for him already because of my crazy mood swings, but this just makes it worse! I'm not forgetting on purpose! Honest!

Weighs as Much as...

...a turnip! Sam will have a HUGE growth spurt this week! By the end of the week Sam will be five inches long and will weigh about five ounces! Luckily, I haven't felt any discomfort due to any growing so far. I haven't felt much of anything, actually! I am still feeling really great and enjoying the beautiful weather we have had in the last week and a half (except the rain yesterday and today). I am getting very excited to feel Sam move, which could happen anytime now. We go to the doctor next week for our next check-up and then we will get to make our appointment for the ultrasound that will tell us what Sam is! That will be a very exciting date to put on the calendar!

I'm still enjoying eating, but I still haven't had any bizarre cravings. Or, really any cravings at all. We have decided it doesn't count as a craving if I'm just eating more of things I already ate or wanting to eat things I usually ate. It would have to be something new or very unusual to count. My dreams are still pretty vivid and I noticed that many of them contain elevators...hmmm...

Going Back to the Idea of a Margarita...

This week Sam will grow to be about the size of an avocado! From what I remember, guacamole goes quite well with margaritas which seemed like such a good idea when Sam was the size of a wee lime... Anyways, the thing that continues to amaze me (yes, I know it seems like everything amazes me!) is that each week addresses the positioning of Sam's ears. I guess I just assumed they grew in where they were supposed to sit for the rest of Sam's life. Apparently not. This week Sam's ears will get much closer to their final resting spot. Interesting... Ears just seem like something that don't move...

In other news, we have had the most ridiculous two weeks EVER and I feel bad for Sam for being trapped in my uterus while I cry and try to not be stressed. If you have met me, you know that I stress quite easily and I think me trying not to stress out probably makes me more stressed. The short story is that our old house in Crystal Lake had a major sump pump problem and we had to rip out all of our downstairs carpeting and dry out the walls and floor. We are in the final phase of laying new carpeting. At least that will be a new selling point to add to our listing! Keep your ears open for anyone needing a fabulous house in CL!!! We are still loving our house here and are starting to get it ready for Sam's arrival. I have more time for that these days because I have had a change in work. The situation at the school I was working at didn't work out. Looooong story, e-mail me if you want details. Luckily that opened me up to nanny for two adorable little girls for six weeks! Perfect timing! I start that in two weeks and then will still have a week before my summer nanny job starts! So far, everything is happening for a reason. We'll just assume that there is a grand plan we have yet to know about... :)

An Apple a Day...

This week we can look forward to Sam growing to be as big as a large apple=4 inches long and 2.5 ounces! Sam will be very busy moving amniotic fluid through his/her nose and upper respiratory tract, helping the primitive air sacs in his/her lungs begin to develop (doesn't that sound pleasant?). This next part was my favorite part of this week's update: Sam's eyelids are still fused shut, but Sam can sense light and if we shine a flashlight at my tummy, Sam will move away from the beam! It's like embryonic hide and seek!!! Some people read or play music to the belly...we shine the flashlight :) HA HA HA! In terms of how my body is changing, this was my favorite part of the update: Because of both the increased hormonal changes and increased blood flow to my mucus membranes, my nose might feel stuffier than usual. There is apparently a name for this: rhinitis of pregnancy. That's almost as good as shining a flashlight at my belly...

Getting Comfy in the Second Trimester

Luckily, I've felt great so far! The books all say that every pregnant woman likes the second trimester the best, so so far things are looking good! Last week was full of doctor's appointments.

On Wednesday I kicked things off with an appointment with the cardiologist to do an echo on my heart. Not to sound conceited, but I have had this heart problem my whole life, and have a pretty good grasp on how it has affected me. I also have listened carefully to the doctors concerning my future and pregnancy. I had some of THE best doctors in Chicago. While I was having my echo, the tech kept asking me questions that sounded like she was second-guessing the way my care has been handled the whole time. Now, I have no idea if I am blowing things out of proportion because that's what my horomones cause me to do these days, or if she really was a bit unpleasant. The actual echo went fine and the report from the doc was also good. He referred me to a pediatric cardiologist in the area who will be able to do an echo on Sam when I am past 18 weeks. Sounds good! Although, our OB told us that the fetal echo isn't as cool as I thought it sounded...

Thursday was our most recent check-up with our OB and we got to hear Sam's heartbeat for the first time! It was so cool! It was really strong, which is great! We had a decent list of questions, which she answered, and I had to give a bit more blood over for the next round of tests. We go back May 1st and at that appointment we will receive a referral for the 20 week ultrasound that will hopefully tell us if Sam is a he or a she!!!

Friday I went to the dentist (kinda baby related) and was thrilled to LOVE my new dentist! I have had really bad luck with dentists ever since I grew up and got married. I was quite pleased with the experience the other day!

The picture above was taken at 14 weeks! Only three pounds gained so far!

Mmmm...LemonHeads!

This week's update is MUCH better than last week's! This week Sam is about the size of a lemon: 3.5 inches long and 1.5 ounces! Sam is quite busy these days, apparently. Sam can now squint, frown, grimace, pee, and maybe suck his/her thumb! I'm really hoping we get another ultrasound at our appointment later this week so we can see how much bigger Sam is!!! Also, I can't feel it yet, but Sam's little hands and feet are starting to kick all around.

The bulletin for this week is that yoga is wonderful! I did it with my mom while I was home for Spring Break and it felt fabulous! It made me feel kind of special too because the teacher made sure to come over to me and tell me how to modify positions to make it more beneficial/comfortable. I've started doing it with a good friend since getting home and I look forward to it each day. It just feels good to take time to stretch and relax. Everyone keeps telling me to slow down and make sure to take time for myself, yada, yada...It really is true! I was just telling Josh tonight how much more enjoyable my days are now that I'm "letting" him help with the household responsibilities...Me--anal and controlling? No... LOL ;)