**Week 18

Don't mind the jammies

Maternity clothes - I finally busted out a pair of jeans this week.  It was a little colder and my normal ones sure didn't fit.  They weren't too bad but I don't have too much to hold them up so I had to keep adjusting them.  One of my capris is officially retired.  I can't even get close to buttoning them and they are pretty ragged.  Total weight gain by my scale is 5.5 lbs. and only 2 pounds (after I lost 1, so technically only 1) by the doctor's scale.

Cravings:  Nothing.  I hate food.  I'm sick of it, nothing sounds good but I get sooooo hungry.  The only (rare) things that have sounded good this week are McDonald's hashbrowns, Coke and ice cream.  You know, all the healthy stuff that I'm allowed to eat.

Symptoms: Nausea and headaches.  I've felt really crappy this week and I don't know if I've had some type of bug or just the baby bug.  I've had to choke down food this week.  Today I feel better than I have for the last few days.

Other (new) symptom - ITCHY hands!!!  Random fingers or parts of my palm will get red, swollen, hot, some welts and itchy/burn like crazy!  I asked the doc and they said that you can develop allergies while pregnant so I'm supposed to switch to a mild, mild soap.  I just think it's weird that it's only a few fingers at a time and I can't pinpoint what triggers it, but it's driving me insane.

Exciting thing this week - Busting out the new pants!  Maybe I'll finally get a cute little tummy instead of just looking overly chubby.  Maggie also took a few steps this week!  And, Dal and I went shopping and picked up some super cute clothes for the peanut!  I also got my flu shot and the doc was able to find the heartbeat with the Doppler for the first time, ever.  We'd seen it and we heard it at the gender check ultrasound but my mom had never heard it.  Sounded great in the 140s.  Only bummer about finding it was that we didn't get to peek and see her.

To do - Pick out bedding and start planning the nursery. Start looking into and signing up for all those child birth classes, I heard they fill up fast.  Also, get more sleep!

**Week 17

Maternity clothes: still living in my 2 pairs of capris.  All of my maternity stuff is mainly winter and it's been too warm to wear jeans so I'm just hanging out in the same ol' pants.  I'll probably have to throw them away after such abuse.

Cravings: I had cauliflower soup twice this week.  It's hotter than heck outside and all I want is soup! Oh, and Coke.  But that's nothing new. :)  Been satisfying that craving just a tad.

Symptoms: Been having little bouts of nausea and headaches still.  I filled my Zofran Rx and there's this big sticker on the side that says MAY CAUSE HEADACHES.  Well, that explains a lot!  So it's a battle of if I want to deal with the nausea or the headache, which borders on migraine and makes me nauseous anyway.  Hmmm...

Exciting this this week:  Finding out it's a girl!!!  We're thrilled, as well as our families.  We seriously have been thinking it's a boy for a while and even referred to it as Nixon (our boy name) so it's been a little hard to process.  But I KNEW I wasn't pregnant and I KNEW it was a boy and have come to the conclusion that my intuition is officially broken and I will no longer be acknowledging it.  lol

Things to do: Get Mags walking - still.  I'll do an update on her in the next few days.
I also started thinking about our immunizations and got really freaked about those.  I requested our records from the Health Dept. and Dal hasn't had a tetanus is 11 years so we really need to get him one of those.  I also want him to have a Pertussis so we'll do a combo and get it done since Pertussis can be deadly in babies.  My brother had Whooping Cough a few years ago so my family has all had the shot but I'm wanting to encourage Dallin's family members to get theirs.  I'm also going to insist on everyone getting their flu shot this season too so we'll get that done soon.

And now that we know it's a little girl, I can start shopping and planning a nursery!!  Wahoo!

Jonesin' for a Peek

We went back today to get a for sure on the sex of the baby and it's a: GIRL!!!!!!!!!

After last week, we were 85% sure but it was good to hear a confirmation and we definitely got a good look this time.  Hands up by the end instead of between the legs.  My has the little peanut grown in just 7 days!  I could have watched that screen for hours, trying to memorize every fuzzy little line.  But this time we were in and out in 10 minutes instead of an hour of coaxing.

Everything looked great.  Seemed like the baby was sleeping as HR was down to 135 and just a little movement.  I swear it (SHE, not IT anymore!) was curled up as tight as possible and her ankles were up by her ears.  Had a cute little hand on her head like, "What are you people doing to me?  Why won't you just leave me alone?"  Well sweety, we're getting lots more peeks at you soon I think.  Next week is my monthly doctor's appt. and if they can't find the heartbeat with the Doppler, which they have a devil of a time doing, they'll pull out the sonogram, then the week after is my second study appt. complete with ultrasound and the week after that is my 20 week ultrasound!  Then I'm half way there!

The anxiety is setting in again.  Now that we know what she is, it's a lot more real that we're going to be having a real, actual, little person and our lives will be changing forever.  There really IS something inside me and it's coming sooner rather than later.  So exciting but so frightening and SUCH a blessing.

So we're stoked!  The only bummer is that I bought this cute little outfit with monkeys on it and I'm sad she won't be able to wear it.  But you know what?  I may make her anyway. :) 

**Week 16

Maternity clothes: ALMOST.  I really almost busted them out on Tuesday but couldn't bring myself to do it so I suffered through my jeans with an elastic band and it cut into my middle the whole day and I learned that was a really stupid idea.  I still have 2 pairs of capris that I wear unbuttoned and those are my go-to pants right now.

Cravings: This week it's been watermelon and broccoli cheese soup.  Again, not together.  I really feel like my appetite is starting to come back.

Symptoms: Nothing consistent.  Had a headache on Monday but those are rare now.  Nausea about every other day and I feel like rationing my Zofran.  I was VERY achy on Wednesday - EVERYWHERE.  I think I slept on my side too long (the last 20 weeks will be VERY interesting...) and fatigue, normal.

Exciting thing this week: Last night we decided to go and cheat and see if we could find out the baby's gender.  We went to a place at the Gateway and the lady was soooo patient with my uncooperative baby.  The baby was the biggest stinker and decided to put its hand between its legs so we couldn't see!  Of all the places to put a hand.  So we either have a very modest girl or a boy who needs a talking to.  We were there for an hour and she tried 4 times.  She had me go to the bathroom, take a 20 minute walk, go to the bathroom again and the little thing just tightened up its knees further.  From the little glimpse she got she thinks it's a girl but she said to not go out and buy all pink yet and we have to go back in next week to double-check.

We did get to see how much its grown and it was moving all over the place.  I couldn't feel it though. :(  With my placenta on the front, she said it may be another 4 weeks before I feel it.  We could see its arms and legs, hip bones, profile, jaw bone, hands and feet and all 10 fingers and 10 toes!  It just wouldn't show us the goods.  She said I have a stubborn baby and I have a feeling its going to give me a run for my money and we already know who's running the show.  Attitude already!  We did FINALLY get to hear the heartbeat though!  We've seen it plenty of times, we've just never heard it because it likes to hide behind my placenta and the little Doppler things aren't good enough to find the tiny little thing.  Dallin asked to hear it again and he was just in awe, it was so adorable.  It sounded like a train.  Everything looked wonderful!

Things to do: Get Mags walking.  She is almost (knock on wood) fully recovered but it still not confident enough on her leg to walk.  She sure tries though.  So we're working with her and taking her on little walks.  We may need to do a little physical therapy, I'm not sure.  She is back to her normal, happy self though, minus the full walking.  A pup we haven't seen in MONTHS.  I'm SO glad to see her play and rough house and eat and just not look so sad.  I also need to wash my baseboards and clean my carpets.  Have a feeling that won't get done for a bit though.

**Week 15

There's not way I'm going to be able to be creative enough to match my weekly posts to the letter of the month so they get special stars and a boring title.  I'm just going to give little updates to remember things throughout this new adventure.

--- Week 15 ---
Maternity clothes: not yet but I don't even try to button my pants.  Any day now I'll swap out but I figured I'll get so sick of maternity clothes I'm trying to make my regular ones last as long as possible, even though I can't seem to find anything I want to wear.

Cravings:  Still root beer popsicles.  So sad that last Monday the sno-shack by our house closed because I could get a humongous snow cone for $2.50 and all root beer flavoring.  Mmmmmm

Symptoms: I'm starting to feel a bit better.  Definitely having more better days than not but today I've been feeling really icky.  My horrible headaches started to subside the last few days and have made me feel infinitely better.

Exciting thing of the week: Making it to week 15!  Wondering if I am feeling the baby and just not recognizing it.

Things to do: Decide if we're going to go to the mall and do the creepy 3D thing to see if we can figure out the sex of the baby now instead of having to wait until October.

Just Another Birthday

Wednesday marked #31 for me.  Or as I like to call it, my second anniversary of 29.  It started out with having to be at the airport at 7 a.m. for a business trip to Vegas.  Big bummer.  Dallin gave me my presents the night before.  An expectant mother spa package and either my choice to go clothes shopping or do this thing called Belly Beats where we can rent a Doppler.  I haven't decided what I'm going to choose yet.  But I am SO excited for the spa package.  It includes a massage, facial, pedicure and lunch or I can switch it for 2 massages.  I may just do that...

My conference was rather boring the first day and there was a big 5 hour break then we were supposed to come back for one last class.  My boss and I decided to skip the last class so I was able to meet up with my cousin and his family for dinner.  They saved my birthday!

We went to an Italian restaurant called Brio which was pretty good.  They even got their 2-year-old to sing me Happy Birthday.  Totally made my day.  The restaurant gave me a complimentary chocolate mousse too.  Being with family totally brightened my day instead of being alone or with my boss. :P

So I hoping Dal and I get to celebrate a little more this weekend.  It's not like it's an exciting birthday anyway, we have more exciting things coming to us in 6 months!

Jim

My uncle's memorial service was last Saturday.  I just wanted to document the experience because it was a little unique and definitely...entertaining?  Is that the right word?  It was fun to see a lot of people who we don't normally see come and pay their respects.  My uncle had two godchildren. Their mother is a model and their dad is Cameron Mathison.

I didn't know who he was until he showed up at the service, straight from the plane from New York en route to LA with his big, white teeth.  He played on All My Children for 14 years, is now a correspondent for Good Morning America (and had spent the day previous hanging out with the Backstreet Boys on GMA!) and was a semi-finalist on Dancing With the Stars.

My goodness, did all the women swoon.  Especially my little sister who would pretend to take pictures of something while she was secretly taking pictures of him!  His family sent a beautiful bouquet of three dozen long-stemmed red roses.  He was a humble, down-to-earth guy.

Afterward my grandpa took us all to Sizzler in Bountiful.  The waitress immediately recognized him and called her daughter who rushed down to take pictures of him at the salad bar.  He was so kind and realizes that these are the people who give him a job and was very gracious.  The waitress told us how she'd watched the show for 30 years and met Susan Lucci, etc.  We got the best service EVER.  I think that Cameron may be the most exciting thing that has ever happened to the Sizzler on 500 South.

I don't watch soap operas.  I wouldn't have recognized him on the street.  But he told us a hilarious story of fame.  It was while he was on All My Children, he played a character named Ryan.  Anyway, Cameron was shopping at a mall in NYC during a busy Christmas season and this lady was going up the escalator at the mall and sees him down below and yells, "RYAN!"  He noticed and waves at her. As she gets to the top, she leans over the edge and yells, "I'm so glad they let you out of prison, I knew you didn't rape that girl!" (which was what had happened to his character recently).  Needless to say, it was a really embarrassing moment for him and most of the mall stopped to look at him.  Ah, people are crazy!  We all had a good laugh.

So that was our memorial service "distraction" you could say.  Made for interesting times.