Reigning in the Urge to Buy Everything

I am, of course, very excited about having a baby.  That being said, I think it is far too easy to get so caught up in the excitement that you can lose your head and overdo it on the baby stuff.  Anyone who knows me will not be surprised that I research things to death when I'm preparing for them, and outfitting a nursery is no different. I don't want to drop a load of cash that could go into my daughter's college or Disney trip fund on a bunch of crap that I won't use--I don't think anyone wants to do that.  Therefore, I'm talking to people who have had babies before and I'm doing my best to research products before I'm sold on them.  My first concern is always safety, my next is practicality, and my final concern is cost--because this stuff is only good for a very short while, and then it's useless to me unless I have another baby. 

One thing that is going to save tons of money is going without a crib bedding set. It's too bad, because they are super cute! But according to most pediatricians, some of their pieces aren't safe to use. They caution against the use of crib bumpers and blankets because they put infants at a greater risk of SIDS. Even if these items were safe, most mothers aren't going to put the expensive quilts in the path of little things that routinely soil themselves and spit up.  A lot of mothers report that the quilts from the bedding sets were simply folded over the edge of the crib or hung on the wall as decoration.  So, I've resolved that I'm not going to register for or purchase a crib bedding set.  Instead, when it comes to bedding I'll register for a few fitted sheets, a wearable blanket, and if I want to get fancy--a crib skirt.

I hope I'll stick to my resolution and get things we'll actually use. I'm doing my best to temper my excitement with a little rational thought, but I know it won't always work. If it works most of the time, I'll be happy with that. 

The Check-Up

My family has never been the type to go and get check-ups, so going to the doctor once a month just to make sure things are fine is a new experience for me.  Whenever we went to the doctor, it was because something was so wrong it was starting to scare us or really interfere with our lives.  So it's probably not strange that whenever I go for these check-ups, I expect something to be wrong. When nothing is wrong, I'm pleasantly surprised and feel good about myself and like maybe I can quit feeling guilty for some of the junk food I eat in those weak moments (french fries and breaded mozzarella cheesesticks--they aren't so bad if they're baked in the oven, right?).

Sigh.

Well, anywho, I had a check-up today and all looked great. Blood pressure and pulse were great, and the baby's heartbeat was normal as well.  My uterus is right at my belly button now, which is where it should be according to my weeks of gestation, etc..  On the way home from the appointment, Michael and I stopped at Babies-R-Us to pick up a wedge pillow for my belly. It came highly recommended by one of Michael's pregnant colleagues after she heard about my sleeping complaints (my hips get sore from sleeping on my side, and a pillow between the knees doesn't seem to help).  Here's hoping that tonight I will sleep well!

She Thumped Me!

So after all my whining about the baby not moving in earlier posts, I completely forgot to post about when she did move.  I think it's because I tell some people about it and I assume that I must have posted something.  In any case, she has moved, and the first time I felt it was the night after I'd had the ultrasound.  I was in bed on my side, about to fall asleep when I felt this teensy little...thump.  Like someone had lightly thumped me, but from the inside.  It was the weirdest feeling, and easy to mistake for other things because it was pretty low in the uterus.  I can see how easy it would be to miss it during the day, when I'm busy and moving around.  But after feeling it twice more after that, I realized what it was, and it was wonderful!

I'm getting better at immediately recognizing what it is, but it's still pretty faint and deep enough that Michael can't feel it.  I can't wait until she gets a little bigger so that her movements will be stronger and he can tell when she's moving, too.  She seems most active right after I wake up and have my thimble full of coffee (my espresso mug-size--I have cut back on caffeine quite a bit because I didn't want to risk it throwing off my heart rate and blood pressure whenever I visited the doctor) and at night around 7 or 8 PM, which is usually about thirty minutes to an hour after I've had dinner. 

Nesting?

Lately, I've been preoccupied with the state of the house we rent--namely, the packed-to-the-gills state of the house we rent.  Moving isn't an option. We like this house quite a bit (in spite of its little quirks).  The rent is very reasonable, and the location is great for our lifestyle and work.

So you know what that means: either we need to get rid of some stuff, or we need to better organize the stuff we have.  In fact, we likely need to do both.  Part of me thinks, "Hey, we got rid of so much stuff when we moved from Tallahassee to here--haven't we already purged the things we didn't want?" Well...maybe. The truth is that I might be inclined to get rid of some things if it means that I don't have to think of a better place to put them.

I wonder if my fretting over the house is part of my normal worrywart nature or if it is actually a symptom of this "nesting" phenomenon I've heard about.  Apparently, a lot of pregnant women go a little crazy on the cleaning and preparation of their home before the baby arrives, and this instinct is called the "nesting instinct".  It still seems a little early for it to be something like that, but maybe I'm just fooling myself.  So far I've been really lucky with regard to the emotional side-effects of pregnancy--save for a few strange crying jags early on, I've been remarkably even-tempered.  Perhaps more even-tempered than before, really. 

This project to organize the house will be a big one, and it will likely take me a while, but I think it will be worth it. It's hard enough to keep the house in some semblance of order without adding a squalling infant to the mix, so something has to change.  I want to be smart about it, and if I do make any purchases to help in the process, I want them to be worth every penny. After all--we need a new vehicle (new to us, most likely we'll get a used car), and it's never too early to start saving for college and family vacations.

Ultrasound!

Today was the big day, and Michael and I were finally able to see what's going on in my uterus.  It turns out that there really is a baby in there--one that moves around quite a bit and is a bit camera-shy.  In fact, she is so camera-shy that the doctor has ordered another ultrasound to be taken in four weeks because she couldn't get any good head measurements.  And yes, I said "she".  The doctor is "almost certain" it is a girl.  Behold the ultrasound pictures (you can click on them to see the full-size versions):

So, what you are looking at above (what, can't you tell?) is the baby's head toward the right side, with one of her arms sticking up. The baby's head was facing down, toward my back, and she wasn't inclined to move out of that corner of my uterus.

This picture is supposedly evidence that we're having a girl.  What you are looking at is the other end of the baby--her bottom and legs.  One of the legs isn't fully visible in this shot, while the other is.  Apparently, our little girl is already quite the prim little lady, and was reluctant to display her sex.  In the brief glimpses she did afford, however, the doctor was convinced that she was, indeed, a she.  It will probably be more apparent during the next ultrasound.

 This picture is my favorite--her left foot! Isn't it cute?!

When I was looking at the monitor while the doctor was moving the little paddle thing around, the only thing I could ever pick out was the spine and the heart.  I have no idea how they ever figured out that some of those little things are organs or particular bones, etc..  They just looked like fuzzy black, white, and gray things to me.  In any case, it was still absolutely fascinating, and I'm so happy that I saw her move (especially since I haven't felt her move yet) and that so far, everything looks like it is on course for healthy development.  She is estimated to weigh about 7 ounces right now, and the due date has changed by a mere two days--June 22nd.  So I really am that far along.  Here is a new picture of the bump:

 Sorry for the hair. I couldn't be bothered this morning--I was too excited about my appointment!  I put the same shirt on for comparison's sake, but I can't wear the jeans I'm wearing in the previous picture anymore.  It may not look like there's much of a difference to you, but my belly is definitely hanging over the edge of my maternity jeans. Plus, I am pretty sure that the boobs have gone up in size just a smidge yet again. Great.  Anywho, the belly is definitely growing, and is starting to get in the way when I'm typing on my laptop (I perch it on the arm of the couch since Goose is taking up the space on my lap).


I'm so excited. :)

Move already!

At my last appointment, I was told that it probably wouldn't be too long before I could feel the baby move.  This has me analyzing every twinge from my abdomen.  I haven't felt anything I'd regard as fetal movement yet, but I hope it happens soon.  It's much more likely that I'll feel some movement next month--according to my edition of What to Expect When You're Expecting (which is the 2002 version), first-time mothers usually feel the first movements of the baby around their 22nd week.

That seems like a long time to wait, but I know it's probably going to pass by pretty quickly, especially now that I'm working.  I'll just have to try to be patient.  Speaking of working, the first week with the students back in school has been pretty hectic.  In the midst of learning the ropes, attending training sessions, and trying to figure out who to contact and where things are, I'm handling a huge influx of student and faculty requests and questions.  Monday is Martin Luther King Day, so that means that I get a three-day weekend.  I definitely need it! Even better: Tuesday is ultrasound day! Very exciting.  Of course, at the very back of my mind is always that tiny flicker of worry that this time, they might find that something is wrong with the baby.  Luckily enough, my excitement is definitely triumphing over my worry. 

A Very Important Appointment

I spent most of my day alternating between going to the bathroom and eating.  That's my life now. It's what I do.  It's sort of like I'm an engaging in the main activities of an infant, but without the helplessness.  I don't know how I managed to get any work done, but I actually looked into or answered every request and question that came my way.  I'm wondering how well I will handle it when the work really starts pouring in on Thursday and Friday (Friday is the first day of classes for us). 

I absolutely had to eat at noon.  There was nothing for it. I'd thrown a stick of colby-jack cheese down into the well that is my stomach in an effort to put off lunch for another fifteen or thirty minutes so that I could finish up a student registration issue, but I started feeling sick.  Thus, I had to dig into my cup of ravioli precisely at noon, and I fell on it like a ravenous animal (thank goodness there were no coworkers in the break room when I first began eating).  Baby is starving. And apparently, the baby is like its father--it gets very angry and rather mean-spirited when it is hungry (and thus, makes me ill: "Take that, Mummy. If you won't eat when I tell you to eat, I'll make you retch! MUHAHAHAHAAAAAAA!").

What is amusing to me is my belly (no sense in crying about it, so let's laugh! Hahahahahaaa).  I'm sure that not everyone in the department knows that I am pregnant, so they are probably fairly amazed at how much I seem to have overindulged over the holidays.  When I began the job a few weeks ago, I was pretty close to my normal size.  I can still wear some of the shirts and clothes that I started out in, but they look pretty different on me now.

In any case, some very good news came today: my ultrasound has been scheduled for January 18! This is my first ultrasound, and if the baby is cooperative, we might find out the sex of the child.  I'm excited, to say the least.