Highs and Lows

Yesterday we had another OB appointment.  This time the Doppler picked the heartbeat up right away, loud and clear.  It was amazing to hear.  I think Cody and I both got huge smiles on our faces when we heard it and I didn’t want Dr. Heit to turn off the monitor – I just wanted to keep listening to our baby.  The heartbeat was right around 150 bpm….supposedly that means a girl.  ???  We were hoping to schedule our sonogram for before Christmas so that we could share the news with everyone at Christmas time, but Dr. Heit said it was a tad too early.  So the official sonogram date is set for Thursday, January 6^th.  Can’t wait!!

Now for the “low” part.  Dr. Heit told me I needed to slow down my weight gain.  Ouch.  I have gained 8 ½ pounds so far and he told me I really should only gain 10 lbs in the first half.  Well, today starts Week 14, so I’ve got 6 more weeks to hold steady and only gain 1 ½ lbs.    I asked him if we could chalk about 3 of the pounds up to just coming off the Thanksgiving holiday and he laughed and said he’d give me that, but in all seriousness, he told me I need to be better about exercising and only eating 200-300 extra calories a day.  I know, I know. 

The past few weeks I have definitely been taking the eating for two thing literally and I really haven’t been regular about exercise the entire pregnancy.  I’m not sure why I thought I would automatically be the cute pregnant lady who doesn’t gain weight anywhere but her cute basketball belly when really I haven’t done a whole lot of work in that direction.  Sigh.  I’m sure I sound like I’m making a big deal out of nothing, but for some reason, it was really hard to be told I’d gained too much weight. 

So after we got home, I flung myself on the couch and cried.  Had me a little pity party.  Then Cody, probably feeling very helpless, was being extra nice and doing all these nice things for me, which for some reason made me cry even harder.  I was trying to pinpoint why exactly I was crying and I couldn’t.  At one point, he was packing up my lunch for today and I saw him marinating some fresh mozzarella for my salad and I started crying over that too b/c at that moment, mozzarella sounded really gross.  What is wrong with me???  Holy hormones!   I’m sure he was just ready for me to go to bed and start a new day J

Anyway, that’s the latest baby news.  Here’s to finding a good workout routine as I start my second trimester!

Winding down the first Trimester

Well, today marks the start of week 13, which is the last week of trimester 1!  In some ways I feel like it went by fast, but in other ways not.  I'm just really looking forward to looking pregnant and feeling the baby's movements. 

The size comparison of the baby this week is to a peach.  And they say the baby weighs about the same as a quarter.  He/She even has fingerprints already, how amazing is that?! 

Feeling really good lately, still tired, but that's about all I can complain about.  Some of my pants are getting more and more tough to button, so I think I'll try the rubber band trick in the near future. 

Last night I was singing in the shower and normally Cody has something smart to say about my singing, but this time he just told me to keep it up so the baby can get used to the sound of my voice. I'm sure he subsequently went into the other room and laughed at my singing, but he knows I've been extra weepy lately, so not to laugh to my face.  :)

Looking forward to a 4-day weekend in NE!  The baby is really hungry for some mashed potatoes! 

Happy Thanksgiving to you all.  We have so many things to be thankful for, you included. 

xoxo

Old Wives Tales

My sister-in-law, Sara, recently got me thinking about some of these "tests" which prompted me to research what other old wives tales were out there for predicting the gender of a baby.  Here's how we did:

Old Wives Tale:  Heart Rate
If the baby’s heart rate is above 140 bpm, it is said that the baby will be a girl.  If it is under 140 bpm, then it will be a boy.
Result = We were right at 140, so this one’s a toss up

Old Wives Tale:  Ring Test
Using a string, hang your wedding ring over your pregnant belly.  You are having a girl if the ring swings back and forth  and it’s a boy if it swings in a circle.  
Result: Boy

Old Wives Tale:  Mayan Tale
The Mayan tale adds the mothers age at conception and the year of conception.  If the result is an even number then mom is having a girl.  If the result is an odd number then a boy is on the way.  
Result: Girl

Old Wives Tale:  Cravings
People believe that if you are craving salty foods while pregnant, you can count on having a boy.  If you crave sweets, fruit, and orange juice, you are having a little girl.  
Result: Boy

Old Wives Tale:  Time of Conception
The person that is most aggressive in bed at the time of conception is the opposite of what the baby will be.  
Result: Girl

Old Wives Tale:  Moodiness and a Little Pecker
If you are really moody, you are having a girl since you have extra girl hormones in you.  Your pregnancy will make you smile and be more happy if you are having a boy because there’s a penis inside you.
Result:  HA!  This made me laugh! I'm not sure on this one - I am probably grumpier when I'm tired and I'm definitely way more tired these days, but Cody hasn't complained yet, so I think this one's too hard to answer at this point. 

Old Wives Tale:  Clumsy vs. Graceful
If the pregnant woman is graceful throughout her pregnancy, she’s having a girl.  If she becomes clumsy, she’s having a boy.  
Result: My first inclination is to say Girl. Although, I did drop my breakfast on the garage floor this morning.  Toss up so far, but I think it’s probably too early for this test. 

Old Wives Tale:  Side You Most Rest On
If a pregnant woman prefers to lay on her left side, she’s having a boy.  If she prefers resting on her right side, she’s having a girl.  
Result: Girl

Old Wives Tale:  Hands
When the pregnant woman is asked to show her hands, it’s a boy if she keeps her palms down and a girl if she shows her palms up.  
Result: Boy

Old Wives Tale:  Dad’s Weight Gain
If the dad-to-be gains weight while you are pregnant, it’s a girl.  If he doesn’t gain weight, you’re having a boy.  
Result:  Boy...so farJ

Old Wives Tale:  Breast Test
If a pregnant woman’s left breast is larger than the right breast, she’s having a girl.  If the right breast is larger, it’s a boy.
Result: Girl

Old Wives Tale:  Protein
When a pregnant woman craves meat and cheese, count on a boy.  
Result: Boy

Old Wives Tale:  Feet
Are your feet colder now that you are pregnant?  If so, you just might be having a boy.  If your feet have stayed the same before pregnancy and during, you’re having a little girl.  
Result: Boy

Old Wives Tale:  Urine
What color is your pee?  If it is bright yellow, you will have a little boy.  If your urine is a dull yellow, plan on a girl.  
Result: Boy

Old Wives Tale:  Headaches
If you are having headaches, you might be carrying a boy.  

Result: Boy

Ok - that's 8 points for a Boy, 4 points for a Girl, and 3 toss ups.  We'll see in a couple months for sure!  Planning to find out the sex and it should be right around the end of the year/first of January.  Can't wait!!

Let the belly pics begin!

11 Weeks:

Dancing Babies, Fist Bumps, and First Cravings

I've been intending to write about our appointment last Monday Nov 1st - we got to see our baby!!  The original plan wasn't to do an ultrasound that early (10 week appointment), but Dr. Heit had trouble finding the heartbeat with the Doppler (ummm, really scary for a few minutes) so he sent us into the ultrasound room instead.  In retrospect, I'm so glad the little heartbeat wasn't picked up on the Doppler because we got to see our little dancing baby on the ultrasound!  It's little arms and legs were really moving, so the ultrasound tech told us it looked like the baby was having a dance party in there :)  Loved the dance reference!  Here is a picture of our little one:

In case you aren't able to tell what's going on in this picture (don't worry - my mom thought her grandbaby had two heads and Aunt Sarah couldn't find it at all) On the upper left side of the black circle is the baby's head, the two dots on either side of the head are the arms, then you can make out the body and the two dots/legs at the bottom. 

Dr. Heit came into the ultrasound room after awhile to make sure everything was ok (he must've been slightly nervous when he couldn't find the heartbeat on the Doppler) and when he saw the baby and the healthy heartbeat he breathed a sigh of relief and went in for a fist bump with Cody - so funny!  Cody was surprised to say the least! 

Last night I had a very unusual craving.  All of a sudden I just really wanted some chocolate milk.  This might not seem strange to anyone, but I honestly don't think I've drank (is drank the proper tense?) a glass of milk by itself since I was in elementary school.  And I've really never cared much for chocolate milk.  So this was really strange.  Luckily we had milk on hand and I also found some Nestle mix in the cupboard (who knew we had that??!), so a crisis was averted and Cody didn't have to run to the grocery store!

Over the past week and a half, I've been battling a nasty respiratory cold, but I think I've got it pretty much behind me now.  The other good news is that the nausea I'd been experiencing in weeks 6-9 has greatly lessened.  YAY!  With those two improvements, I'm planning to hit the gym tonight for the first time in, well, since about week 6 (major yikes).   

I'll try to update more often...my intent with this blog was to be much more frequent than I have been so far!  Tomorrow marks the start of week 11!