21 week checkup

Since my last appt I scheduled some things to get done. Happily, I have gotten 2 out of 3 done. I got signed up for a Bradley Method Class. It starts in February and I am super excited about that.

I also checked with HR and they told me that if my dr gives me a note, then they will abide by whatever he says. Hopefully on Monday at my next appt I can explain that when I stand at the counter, my belly hits the counter making me feel nauseous and that I am getting varicose veins all over my legs. I'm a hot mess right now. Let me tell you!

We haven't taken any hospital tours, so we are still "undecided". It's still between Mtn View and Centennial. I was trying to get a promotion to a different banking center, but since it doesn't look like I'm gonna get it, Summerlin has been ruled out, though I wasn't too stoked to go there in the first place.

I would like to announce that we are pretty set on Lucas Bronson Graf for BG's name. The last couple days we have been excited about it and it's pretty much stuck. Now, if we can continue liking it for a few more months!

Touchy Feely

For a few weeks now I've been able to feel BG kicking and hitting. Jason has been so anxious waiting to feel him. When I sit on the couch as I am now with the laptop resting on my belly, watching tv, I usually feel him. However, Jason is in the other room playing on his computer. So, while we're in bed trying to fall asleep, he rests his hand on my belly.

At first I thought that because he has pressure on him he moves, maybe we need to put pressure on my belly to make him squirm around. However, today I started thinking, when you are trying to move around in a confined space, you kick and hit a few things. If your confined space becomes even more confined, you won't be able to squirm nearly as much and it may not be felt cause your movements are smaller.

While sitting in sacrament today, Jason had his right arm around me and his left hand on my belly. He was putting quite a bit of pressure on my belly and I told him my theory. So, he just kind of rested his hand on my belly with little to no pressure. The first speaker was done talking and then our Bishop got up and played Still, Still, Still on the piano. He is a fantastic pianist and I thoroughly enjoy his playing. About half way through the song, there was such a huge kick in the lower part of my abdomen that I kind of jumped. I looked at Jason and he looked at me and he said, "Was that him?" I told him it was and he was so excited! We had one of those moments where everything around us stopped and it was just us enjoying this little moment we had. It was so perfect!

It was so exciting to see him get so excited about it. He finally got to feel his little man kick. I wish it could've happened on Christmas, but I still feel like it was a great Christmas present, brought a little late. As he conducted the closing song, he was on the stand smiling so big and non-stop! I love my baby daddy. We've truly had a blessed season.

Warning to pregnant chicks: Dogs + you = No Good

There are many things that I should've been taught as a child or young woman that I never learned til my mid to late twenties. Easy, simple things. Such as, you're supposed to have a period every month whether you like it or not, cause it can cause fertility issues later in your life. Also, I never knew girls were to wipe front to back. I know that sounds silly, and I never got any infections, but I found out why and it totally makes sense.

I had several different dogs growing up of different breeds. One dog that sticks out most is the chow we owned. She was a sweet fluffy thing. I loved her so much! Even though she did eat the hand off of my favorite Barbie. However, when I was about 13-14, I would keep finding the crotch chewed out of my panties. Totally weird, but my mom told me that dogs are attracted to menstrual-ness. We always had girl dogs and I found it weird, but whatever. They eat poop too, so whatever.

Well, as a pregnant chick, I'm here to advise my other pregnant friends that are around dogs, they are attracted to your pregnant hormones! I attended a family get together on Christmas Eve. Jason and I walked in and Chuy smelled Jason for a few seconds, then went straight to my crotch. I pushed him away and tried to get to a seat where he would leave me alone asap. I found a chair but the silly dog thought that was an invitation for him to mount me. HA HA HA Great. I kept having to push him off and finally Jason and my dad distracted him and he left me alone. Well, I had left my brand new coat, that I was supposed to get for Christmas but couldn't wait, on the dining chair in the front room. My step mom's cousin came into the room where we were asking who left their coat on a dining room. I told her I did. She then told me that Chuy peed on my coat. Again, great. So, now my coat I've worn twice needs to be dry cleaned. Merry Christmas.

Energy Surge

There seems to be more sleep in my days now that school is over. The extra sleep might be the reason for the little bursts of energy I get, or it may be the 2nd trimester perks. Either way, I'm hoping to take advantage of the surges I get so I can get stuff taken care of!

Call Me Careless

A few weeks back I went with my banking center to the Suncoast for a Bowling Tournament against Wells Fargo. It was a whole fundraiser thing that both banks participate in every year.

I bowled.

While closing up shop tonight, one of the newer girls told me not to squat down and lock stuff until I know how my body works, cause once I have a bigger belly, it could be really bad and I could miscarry.

... (me thinking, do I really need to be careful while I squat? All the pregnancy books I've been reading say that it's great exercise. I yell at Jason all the time for lifting with his back instead of knees, I try not to squat too much cause sometimes I get dizzy, and second of all... am I really that out of tune with my body???)

"I think I'll be ok."
"No, really. You don't want to miscarry cause you twisted wrong or fell."
"Ya, I know. Equilibrium's change and standing too fast can make me dizzy. I went bowling a week or so ago and most everyone was laughing at how horrible I was. But, I didn't miscarry."
"OMG! You went bowling?! Are you crazy? You could have had a miscarriage!"
"From bowling?"
"Yes! My aunt was playing badminton with me when I was 5 yrs old and she had a miscarriage."
"Wow... how are bowling and badminton the same thing? Badminton you are running back and forth, jumping up and down, reaching high, low and far. Bowling, you throw a ball down an alley."
"She reached up like this then grabbed her stomach. She then had a miscarriage."
"That's why I didn't play volleyball after I found out. Cause it wasn't in my daily routine. But thanks for being so concerned."

Does anyone else find this convo a little silly? Maybe Extreme Bowling is a little dangerous while bowling.

Birthing Classes

Couple of questions:

1. Are they necessary?
2. Which classes do you think are good?
3. Where did you take them?

Baby Developements

I was reading my email today about the baby's growth this week. His hair is starting to grow, his senses are beginning to fine tune, which means... He can start hearing us!

The moment I told Jason he started talking to BG, telling him how much we love him and are so excited to have him come be part of our family.

More exciting news:
-He weighs over half a pound.
-He is about the size of an heirloom tomato.

There's no way...

There's no way my baby is going to be able to be shy. Saturday and Sunday he was moving around all day! Now, I've hardly felt him move the last few days. I think he heard me talking to everyone about him moving around, and trying to get his dad to feel him move, so now he thinks he can hide behind my bladder and not move at all! Maybe he's already training to be a professional Hide and Seeker.

On a different note... I'm half way through my pregnancy! It already feels like it's been 9 months. I guess when you find out as soon as the stick can turn (+), you are bound to have a looo...ng pregnancy. No worries though. There are plenty of things I need to do before the little rascal gets here. Find a name for him is one of them. Get his room ready is another. With winter break here now, I will have more free time to focus on our house. That will be good. Nesting... here I come!

Rahpunzel, Rahpunzel...

My hair feels amazing!! It's so soft. It looks like it's getting longer and shinier. I can't stop brushing it and playing with it.

Not to sound too full of myself, but before I was pregnant I didn't think my smell could get any better than it already was. And, it did! I didn't think my hair could get any softer, thicker or prettier, but it did!

Maybe 2nd trimester isn't as bad as I thought.

appt today

i had another appointment today with the dr. we got to see BG. he wasn't very active, but you can really see his spine details now.

everything is still going very well.

i asked the dr about the scoliosis and how it would effect me. he was joking with me that i won't be able to get an epidural, but when i looked traumatized and told him i was already nervous by not getting an experienced anesthesiologist that may get the wrong part of my back and i am very much considering no drugs, he turned the laughter off quick. lol

he said it's up to me, and since i may not have time to get an epidural, we'll wait til the big show is about to start and then we'll decide. i'm ok with that.

things i really need to work on this month is:

• deciding where to deliver
• getting signed up for different classes (birthing, breastfeeding, etc)
• talk to human resources and find out my pregnancy rights since i am not allowed to split up my break to have a few moments of sitting through out the day

Showing

My friend at work, who is also pregnant (3 weeks further along than me), is this cute round thing. When we went bowling on Saturday, I wanted to use her as my bowling ball. LOL

I have been trying to show off anything. Or shape my belly into a more round thing instead of the chubby thing it is/was. Jason says he can tell that I am redistributing, meaning that he can see the weight go from one part of my body to my belly and he can tell that it's getting a rounder look, but I can't. I can tell that my favorite pants aren't beginning to fit.

I just want to look like I am pregnant. lol Is that too much to ask?! I just started my 5th month, and I don't look any different. I am guessing some of my regulars that know I'm pregnant may see differences, like Jason, but the others that I know and they kind of know me, will be like:

Customer: Where's that tall glass a water that's always here? Where's she been?
Co-worker: Oh, she's on maternity leave.
Customer: She was pregnant?!

I can just see it now. I will "blow up like a balloon" on my 8th month. I will look pregnant for a month. Won't that be great. Ya, just great.

Inspiration

Last night I told Jason I was going to sit in the baby's room and try to get some inspiration. He just laughed and told me that by sitting in the cluttered room, that is not baby ready yet, may not give me the inspiration I want. All I was wanting was maybe a name, how to decorate the room, etc. Stuff that will make him feel welcomed to this new world.

I only spent about an hour, maybe two, in the room. During that time, I didn't get any inspiration.

However, I went to Jo-Ann's with my mom to get some material for a quilt she's working on for a friend. It was pretty busy, and I thought we were done, but right as we were about to leave, I saw some AWESOME Superman material. Superman is Jason's favorite superhero. So, I thought it would be fun to have a Superman themed room for the kid. It will be able to grow with him.

The crib accessories will be this Superman material I got, the curtain will be red with a huge Superman "S" in the middle. Then, my mom is going to paint a 5x4 ish painting of Superman busting through the wall. I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I can't wait til it is all done and put together.

I also was trying to think of names that might go with Superman. Since his name on Krypton was Kal El, I was thinking, Kalvin, Kelvin, or something along those lines. I was then thinking of other superhero names and started pairing them.

Kelvin Parker Graf (Superman and Spiderman)
Kelvin Wayne Graf (Superman and Batman)
Kalvin Duke (Superman and Duke Nukem)

There were plenty that I came up with. Jason likes Kelvin more than Kalvin. We're still not sold on the name though. Though it's a cute idea and we want it to work, we still don't feel like any of these are supposed to be BG's name.

Thus, the name search still continues...