Mmmmmm Apples!

So we got the go ahead from Alex's doctor to start solids. No hurry really, but I've been waiting for this for like forever, really 4 months. Breastfeeding is a pain, literally. We started off rough, but she's a champ now... as evident by the rolls on her chubby little body. I'll still try to nurse her for a year, but it's nice to know her culinary world can be widened now.

We're starting off with apple. She seems unsure at first but no outright rejection. I think we're doing good! :)

4 Months Status

Weight: 15lbs - 75%
Length: 24" - 25%-50%
Head: 16"?? - 50%

We can start solids! Yay!

4 Months Appointment.

More Sleep

So we've stopped waking Alex up to feed her at midnight now when we go to bed... at least for the past 2 night.

Night 1: 8:30PM-4:30AM, then back to bed until 8:30AM.
Night 2: 8:30PM-6:45AM, then back to bed until 9:00AM.

Hope the trend continues!

Teething???

Can she already be teething? She has these white little dots on her bottom middle right tooth. She's a bit fussier, drooling more tho not to the point where it's dribbling down her chin. She doesn't want to nurse and bites down when she does. Babies can apparently teeth as early at 3 months. She'll be 4 months tomorrow. Wow. Or she's just being a brat. We'll see.

Sleep

I think I might be jinxing myself by writing this entry. For the past week, Alex has gone to sleep w/o any fussing after being nursed at night. Typically, she'll cry anywhere from a couple minutes to 2 or so hours before finally giving up and sleeps. We would go soothe her every few minutes. I don't know what changed, maybe she's not sleeping during the day enough or the schedule is finally sinking in or maybe it's cuz I stopped drinking coffee and sodas... but this is great. I still get her up to feed her before I go to bed around midnight, and she still wakes up once in the middle of the night...usually around 5ish... but putting her down to sleep is so much easier now.

So hopefully it'll continue and I didn't jinx myself.

Alex Waking Up

This was taken awhile back.  She was less chubby, but so cute. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xfZXjD0ICTk

3 Months!

She's 3 months today!  She's starting to smile and "chat" with you...  Such a cutie pie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ctXj-4bwnrE

Puke

Don't know what happened but tonight when I was burping Alex she kept gagging randomly.  The next thing I knew, milk was spewing out of her mouth.  It got my t-shirt (both front and back), her PJ, my pillow that I was leaning, window curtain and the burp cloth... all of them wet.  It was literally everything that she had just drank.  This was probably the most that she's ever upchucked.  I had to go take a shower cuz my back was feeling nasty.  It just came out of nowhere.  Poor child.  But she fell asleep crying while I was showering. 

Mohawk & Hiccups

Last night I combed her hair into a Mohawk after her bath. And it
stuck.

Cheeky

Look at those chubby cheeks!

Hi!

At the doctors a couple weeks ago.

Happy Halloween!

As tradition dictates... for this household at least, we turn off all the lights, vacate the property, and head to Pho Dat for dinner.  Even though we didn't leave until 7PM this year, there was no disturbance at the front door so that was a relief.  Not too surprising as the whole street of townhomes had their front lights off... only a couple down the street were lighted.  We are such an anti-social (or lazy) neighborhood.  :)  This year we met up with the Hum/Culver couple for dinner.  Unfortunately, it was prime feeding time for Alex so she promptly started melting down in the restaurant.  Not much of an issue as the restaurant itself was pretty noisy.  Afterward we dropped by the Tang resident to take some pictures of the cousins in their Halloween outfits.  The one we gave Keira to wear was still too big for her, so it went over the top of whatever she was wearing already... I think at that point she had on 4 layers.

From Halloween 09

Two cousins

From Halloween 09

Trick or Treat!

From Halloween 09

Not happy

From Halloween 09

*Wink*  That's a huge hat on her head.

From Halloween 09

Daddy and Keira

My Niece

Keira Tang a.k.a cutie pie

Stuffed

Alex has a nose full of boogers. She can't breathe, she can't sleep. I left the bulb-booger-sucky-thingy at my sister's. Ryan's making a trip out to the store to find another. My poor baby.

My Baby's Growing So Fast!

I didn't realize how tiny Alex was at birth. Now at two months of age
she's into size 1 diapers, and wearing 0-3 months clothing. The left
is what she wore on the way home from the hospital. The right is what
she's wearing tonight.

Daddy Tummy Time

Look at that head control!

What?

I'm in your way?

So Comfy

There's something about mommys bed that's just so comfy.

My baby likes to sleep on her side.

Sleep Training

Someone recommended the book "Twelve Hours Sleep by Twelve Weeks Old" to Ryan. It's a quick read and the reviews on Amazon sounded pretty good. Right now we're trying to figure out how much Alex is getting in a 24 hours period, so that means I have to bottle feed her with pumped milk. I'm really hoping this is the real deal cuz as of right now if I get 3 hours straight, that's exciting. And I really only get that when Ryan takes her in the morning on the weekends.

The book stresses routine... that is definitely not a strong point in this family. We'll see how it goes.

7 Weeks Update

Birth: 18.5 inches / 5 lbs 7.5 oz
1 Month: 21 inches / 7 lbs 15 oz
7 Weeks: 21.5 inches / 9 lbs 8 oz

She's chunking up fast, eating more, and it seems sleeping less especially at night. Or maybe that's just because I'm exhausted from going back to work.

Sleeping In

It's the weekend!

Efficient Daddy Time

Gotta work sometime.

Testing

One Month Check Up

Birth: 18.5 inches / 5 lbs 7.5 oz
1 Month: 21 inches / 7 lbs 15 oz

Still has jaundice, but shouldn't be a concern now.
She's growing fast.

Where Did The Time Go?

Next Friday, I return to work. My six weeks of maternity leave is already nearing its end. Should I extend a few more weeks? It would be LWOP, but we could do it for a few weeks. It's probably not a good idea with what I want to do next year. Ryan and I are still talking about the best way to deal with Alex while we're both back at work. Who's going to drop her off, who's picking her up, what's our work schedule, when do we go to sleep, wake up, etc etc etc. We want to minimize the amount of time that my mom has to watch her during the day. Right now, we're tossing the idea around with me going to work early, Ryan dropping Alex off later and I'll pick her up since I'll get out of work earlier.

My new office has just recently completed a Nursing Mother's room. It has two curtained stalls with a workstation so you can do your business in private. There's a sink for cleaning, and even a small fridge for storage. It's a nice set up, especially with a cipher lock on the door too. My old office, I think I would have had to use the conference room... which has a window, and two doors that do not lock. I like the setup in the new place better...

One Month!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s5-tzdbS7Y8


Alex is one month today! And she's still not to her due date. Last night was a big development, she slept 4 hours straight! I actually had to wake her up to nurse cuz I got worried. Normally she only sleeps about 2 1/2 hours before getting fussy. From the beginning, she has always been a sleepy baby and we would have to try to wake her up to nurse. It's hard to tell if she's getting enough, but she's growing and getting plump. The rolls on her legs are filling in, her face is rounder, and she's definitely developing that lung of hers. She's already outgrown her preemie outfits, though she's still too small for most of her newborn clothing.

Around 3 weeks, Alex started to grunt and strain ALL the time, even in sleep. Between waking up the nurse her and all the noises that she was making, night time wasn't very fun. Sleep was pretty rough. I did some research and apparently all that straining is a normal development and usually starts at 3 weeks of age and will go away around 3 months... that's a LONG time and a lot of sleepless nights. But last night! I hope it's a new development. I hope all the grunting and straining at night is at an end. We put her to bed and she just slept... quietly. Very little noise all night. The first part she slept over 4 hours and after that it was 3. I only had to get up twice last night. Of course, she's only 4 1/2 weeks right now so who knows. But I'll take what I can get.

One Month!

My baby is 1 month old today. Today marks the end of my semi one month confinement that my mom's been trying to make me do. Thank goodness... I'm done with chicken soup for a long time... at least the Chinese kind. We took Alex to church for the first time yesterday and the following was a recurring theme...

1. Everyone assumed that I was doing the one month bed rest thing. When I informed them that I did not do it. Their reaction was, "Are you ok? You don't have any problems right?" Of course not. I wanted to tell them that I'm probably healthier than they are.

2. They ask me if Alex is good at night. When informed that she's pretty good, the follow on question was, "So who's watching her at night?" First of all... what kind of question is that? I'm watching her. Of course they could also be asking who's going to watch her when I'm back at work, but they didn't specify. Traditionally when a woman does the month bed rest, there's someone there that's doing everything else in the house... cooking, cleaning, taking care of the baby. So that might be where the question stems from.

3. It's a Chinese (if not Asian) thing... the first time that everyone comments on about Alex is that she double-lidded. :-P I mentioned it when she was first born too.

You Can't Make Me!

This is what we call her stubborn face... it's her "you can't make me eat" face.

From Alex Random

Peek-A-Boo!

From Alex Random

From Alex Random

Cheese!!

From Alex Random

One Tradition That I Cannot Get Behind

Traditionally, the month after a woman gives birth in China is considered very important.  The term is "Zuo Yue Zi" literal translation would be "Doing (or Sitting) the Month."  Within that month, the woman isn't supposed to bathe, brush her teeth, touch water, drink cold fluids, eat fruits or veggies, or basically do anything but stay in bed.  She needs to cover up, wear a jacket (even if it's 80+ degrees outside), and wear long sleeves, pants, and socks indoors. She's also supposed to eat tons of fried eggs and chicken soup cooked with wine.  All this stems from the balance of "qi" or energy.  When she gives birth, she loses blood and other "hot" energy leaving her with a "cold" balance.  So during the month, she is fed "hot" food to bring her back into balance.

My mom is very adamant about this month.  I am just as opposed.  Together, I think we've found a semi happy medium.  She tells me what to do... or rather what NOT to do which would be everything.  And I say "ok" and keep doing what I want.  She brings over quarts after quarts of chicken soup and sweet rice porridge expecting me to eat them about  7 times a day everyday.  I eat what I can (after adding fiber powder), and trash the rest cuz more is coming.  Don't get me wrong, the food is really tasty.  I love this stuff growing up.  However, a better balance of energy should probably start with a more balanced diet.  I'm still eating my fruits and veggies.... and ice creams and pies and cookies... and sodas and ice water... :-P   As for staying in bed... I've been in bed for over a month.  I was up and about the day I gave birth... even if it still hurt.  But I felt good.

Here's a good article about the tradition.  http://www.womenofchina.cn/Lifestyle/Health/209151.jsp

Gas-y Smile?

From Alex After Bath

Jaundice Update

So the doctor called us back and said that her bili level was actually higher than what they would have normally started treatment for. Since it was after hours, she would need to go to the ER. So Ryan's mom and I packed her up and headed to the hospital since Ryan went mountain biking.

Let me just say that the hardest part of this whole ordeal... was when they had to put an IV in her tiny little arm. They had to do it twice since the first time they accidentally hit an artery instead of a vein. The poor thing bawled like crazy, I almost bawled like crazy. I thought it was done but then they told me they had to do it again. My poor baby. After being admitted into the in-patient side, they put her in a preemie incubator and started the photo-therapy part. It's pretty funny how much she seems to enjoy it. But then, it's nice and toasty in there and of course, she's passed out.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AfndbelO3XA


Well Ryan and I both spent the night on the most uncomfortable couch that extends... but not fold out. Why don't they make hospital guest beds more comfortable? The doctor this morning said that she may have to stay another night. Thank goodness they came back and said that her level was much lower and we could probably go home this afternoon. They'll draw her blood again at 2PM and we'll see if it's still good then. It'll be nice to sleep in my own bed...even if we still had to get up every 3 hours to feed her.

I like this hospital... but I've seen it 2 times too many right now.

Jaundice

Alexandra has jaundice, so we're headed back for another doctor's appointment. She had normal bilirubin levels while at the hospital. She got steadily more yellow, and they did another check when we went for her first pediatric appt on Monday. The level came back higher, but still not something that would be treated. So we're just going to get it screened again. Hopefully it has peaked and she won't require any treatments.

Jaundice is a pretty common occurance in newborns. But since she's of Far East Asian descent, a preemie, low birth weight, and our blood types probably do not match since I'm O+, all of these makes her a high risk case. Sorry babe, you were dealt a sore card for this. :)

Meanwhile, the little one has been sleeping none stop. That's another result of her early birth. We have to wake her up every 3 hours to feed otherwise she'll just starve herself by sleeping. Occasionally she'll open her eyes and fuss a bit when it's time to eat, but once we pick her up she's back to being completely passed out. It's nearly impossible to wake her up. Today would be 36 weeks. I can't believe she's almost a week old. Already she's got her mommy and daddy wrapped around her tiny little fingers.

Hello World!

Fear not! I have arrived. I know you were all greatly anticipating my arrival, but here I am! Ready to parrrtttayy! Right after I sleep for a few weeks. Frankly, I thought the outside world would be much more interesting since I tried to come out 9 weeks early, but mommy and daddy put a stop to that real quick. Unfortunately that put mommy on bed rest hoping that I would stay put for another 6 or 7 weeks. That's wayyy too long to stay cramped up in there. So I bid my time, waited a few more weeks.... and this time they couldn't stop my escape! There's nothing that can stop a determined woman ready to explore.. I finally made mommy realize that she really needed to call the doctor Friday morning since she ignored (she was really in denial) all of my signs the day before. The nice lady doctor checked mommy, said she was 3cm dialated and sent her right to the hospital where they were thinking about trying to stop my attempt... but I beat them again cuz by that time mommy was 4cm. The pretty doctor said we'll all just have to wait it out now cuz mommy's not going home without me... outside that is. Apparently they all thought it might take a while... like a day or so because mommy wasn't really in labor since she wasn't feeling any pain, but little did they know. The water broke after a few more centimeters when the doctor checked mommy, but she had to rush out right away cuz another lady had her baby right down the hall without waiting for the doctor. (The nurse said that other mommy was planning on leaving her baby boy at the hospital cuz she didn't wanted him. Poor baby boy.) Anyway, this is where my daddy was afraid to say anything cuz mommy wasn't happy at all. He thought she was going to break the bed rail cuz I made her hurt so much. But they got another nice doctor to come quickly to give her the epidural and that made her very happy cuz she didn't hurt anymore. They pretty lady doctor came to check her a couple hours later and was really surprised cuz I was ready to come out, but first she had to go take care of another baby down the hall then she'll come back and get me out. But I couldn't wait for her to come back, so the nurse told mommy if she felt me pushing, then it was time to push. Except the drug that mommy had gotten was very good and mommy didn't realize that my head was already there. Daddy helped the nurse help mommy push. Thanks goodness the doctor came back in time cuz they said my heart rate was decreasing... even though they've only been pushing for a few contractions. The doctor helped me out by using this suction thing on my head and I had this really funny bump on my head when I came out. Mommy was worried about the bump, but the doctor said it'll go away real quickly. Apparently I had gotten the cord wrapped around my neck twice! Everyone was surprised at my size! What's wrong with a healthy weight woman?! The doctor told mommy that it might have been a good thing that I came so early, cuz other wise she would have to be cut open to get me out if I had waited.

Love,

Alexandra Ma Li Blace
5 lbs 7.5 oz
7:43 PM
18.5 in

Alexandra's First Doctor's Visit

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm0sujbw6mQ

Sleeping Baby and Furbabies

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eptMzMFt4I

Alexandra Ma Li Blace

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9mu69dCWQE

5lbs 7.5oz
August 21, 2009, 7:30ish PM. (5 weeks early)
Apparently she really likes to sleep. :)

Thanks for the Baby Shower

Nancy and Karen threw and awesome baby shower for us yesterday. From the homemade three tiered cake with different flavors, baby item sugar cookies, diaper cake, onesies bouquet, cards, games, etc... it was outstanding! Thanks to everyone else who provided the food and the Tangs for letting us crash their house. I regret not taking pictures of everything, but I only carried around the camcorder. Hopefully people will post some pictures of the goods on FB.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLQmdzYr-ik
I apologize for the shakiness of the filming, was trying not to laugh to hard. It was a great game. All the soon-to-be daddies (Ryan, Pat, Jim, Vincent) at the shower and Nate trying to guess baby food flavors.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YlwztjI70l4
The results of the game. I think they're all gonna think twice when they buy baby foods from now on.

Thanks guys, we had a great time!

Chugging Along

In a way, this confinement is getting easier. I go to bed late, and wake up even later. Each day is either spent on the couch or on top of the bed. Most of the day is dedicated to working on my cross-stitch project since it requires quite a bit of concentration not to mess up, occasionally mixed in is a little bit of TV and a lot of random web surfing. The kitties and Daisy lounge with me and keep me company. I just wish I could get up and do stuff. Unfortunately the nesting urges have kicked in. The bathrooms needs to be cleaned, the dust and pet fur is impossible to control but the urge to dust is overwhelming. Not only that, I really wanna bake something.

Flip!

Testing out the new Flip Ultra HD. Mini playing fetch with her favorite toy.

Jail Break

Counting the hospital, I've been on bed rest for a week. Now I'm not the most energetic or active person there is... Ryan would probably even say restful (lazy), but even the modicum of activity keeps me in a relatively peaceful and cheery mood. I usually get a headache if I don't leave the house at least once a day. I also consider myself fairly calm and logical about things, so it wasn't that surprising to me that the whole pregnancy mood swing business didn't really show its head for the past 8 months.

This morning was different. I woke up feeling sorry for myself and couldn't talk myself out of it. Regardless that the confinement was necessary for the baby's well being, the knowledge that this is barely the beginning was very depressing. A mental breakdown was long overdue. I think it shook Ryan up a bit since he's probably never seen me like that, so he suggested that we could go for a drive. One better, he agreed to go eat an early dinner a Chinese restaurant, Asian Court in Ellicott City. The food was pretty good... I ordered 5 dishes for the two of us. When they brought us the food, the server commented on the amount and said that we must really like to eat. Later the boss lady walked by and saw me rubbing my belly and said, "Oh! That's why! Good good, eat more." Then she asked if I was eating for 2 or 3.... lol. Anyhow, at least now I have food for a few days while Ryan's at work.

It's a wonder what a short trip will do.... mentally. Unfortunately, by the time we got home the physical exertion got to me. One week of no activity makes a big difference. I'm back in bed now. And am somewhat glad to be. I think I'm good for another week until I can talk my way into another outting... that doesn't involve the hospital or Dr's office.

Shopping List

3 Notes in 1 day and I've only been awake for less than 2 hours!

I think I've taken care of the necessities to prepare for Alex.
- The crib and mattress came, but still needs to be put together.
- Car seat purchased, will be delivered next week.
- First round of diapers ordered, will be delivered next week.
- I guess I need some wipes too... that can wait.
- Basic baby clothing taken cared of by Nana.

I know there should be other stuff but for now I think this is good if Alex should decide to vacate her home for the past 8 months early.

Next would be to work on the 'wants' right?
- HD camcorder.
- My 'gift' :)

Is it tradition that the new mommy gets a gift for giving birth? Well it doesn't matter, but I already told Ryan what I wanted. :-P

Car Seat... Done!

I finally decided on a car seat. After getting some good suggestions and reading reviews, I ended up buying the Graco Birkshire. Actually, my criteria included ease of cleaning, weight limit (up to 30lbs), color/design, and if it'll fit into one of those stroller frames. I wanted a light and neutral design since that way we can use it for more than one baby, and so that it wouldn't get too hot if it was sitting in the sun all day. A lot of the fabrics had dark colors, too pink, too blue, or just plain ugly. This one is rated for babies from 5lbs to 30lbs... which is good cuz at this point who knows how big or small Alex is going to come out at. Many of the reviews say that it is a bit bulkier and heavier than other carseats... but that's not too big of a deal with me. I probably won't be carrying it w/o the stroller frame anyhow. Actually, any carseat with a baby in it would potentially be too heavy for me anyhow.

Once Alex outgrows this, we'll probably look into getting a Britax.

2 Days Down....

Two days down and how many more to go? My daily routine right now is to get up late (after noon), shower & toileteries, go downstairs and plop myself on the couch. If Ryan's home he'll set me up with food and drinks and pretty much anything else I need. Otherwise I'll get it myself before I get to the couch. I get yelled at if I get up for anything other than the bathroom. So far, I've seen a lot of Food Network, TLC, Travel Channel and NatGeo, a couple episodes of Bones, stared at the ceiling, and shopping on the internet. Actually, Day 1 was by far the worse since Ryan wasn't home. Day 2, he stayed home but was working downstairs the whole time. Karen and Cynthia came to visit so the day was much more interesting.

I think our goal right now is to make it to 36 weeks, 38 weeks would be even better. I'll have to double check with the doc on Monday. But have you ever noticed that if something was to go wrong, it tends to happen when it's the least convenient? Last night I ended up calling the doc around 3:30AM for indigestion. It had started around 10ish and slowly build until it was unbearable after midnight. After downing some baking soda water and Tums, it went around away and I thought it was good to go. But after about 30 minutes I felt it coming back again and that's when I got confused. Usually once it went away it stayed gone, but it came back. Unfortunately the doc didn't know either so I didn't bother going to the hospital. Walking around helped a bit, so I just kept pacing for about an hour until it felt a bit better. But by that time, the contractions had started again.... probably due to the walking and pain caused by the indigestion. In the end, I decided to try to sleep around 5:30AM and hopefully the contractions would have stopped by the time I got up for my first potty break.

Sigh... I wonder if this is a precursor to the baby's temperament. Will she be a problem child? Or maybe the complete opposite... all this trouble in utero and a complete angel outside? :) One can always hope. She's still one active bugger... especially at night.

Time On My Hands

Seeing as the LO (Little One) might be here sooner than later, it's time to shop. I was gonna wait a few more weeks before we get the necessities. But since it seems like I have a whole lot of free time in the near future, might as well start doing research and spend some moolah. Actually, all I really need is a car seat.

She Gets It From Her Mommy... Impatient

So here's the update from all the hooplah in the past few days. I've only had my iphone so didn't really had the right tools document it. Ryan left me his laptop tonight.

Baby Alexandra is in a big hurry to pop out and meet everyone. Sunday I went into preterm labor starting with some normal Braxton Hicks contractions around 2PM, except these didn't go away and they became more frequent and intense. So around 9PM I finally called the doctor and she told me to get to the hospital ASAP. At 31 weeks, 4 contractions and hour is ok... one every couple of minutes isn't. So we left for the hospital, and I've been here ever since. They hooked me up to IVs, put fetal and contraction montitors on me, and checked my cervix... I was 2 cm dialated. At that point, she told me that the BEST case scenerio was that I would be going home on Tuesday. That also meant, no going to work on Monday, no going to work AT ALL for the rest of the pregancy... I still have 8 more weeks to go. I got penicillin on drip and a few pills of some med that's supposed to slow down or stop the contractions, except that didn't happen. The contractions were actually getting worse. Plan B was what they called the ultimate which was magnesium sulfate. This basically completely weakens all my muscles. The best I can describe is is it burns you know immediately once the med starts going into your IV. It burns and it feels like you have a high fever. The worse part was now I am completely bedridden, no more getting up... not that I could even if I tried. I had a catheter put in... since a buildup of magnesium apparently isn't good for you. Anyhow, Monday I was completely gone. Thanks to Ryan, Ken, and Cynthia who visited me I had some distractions... but obviously I was not the best hostess. I could barely talk or open my eyes to look at them. It wasn't until mid Monday that the contractions started to distance themselves and they started to ween me off of the drug... it was only supposed to last until 1AM. Then they told me 11AM on Tuesday was the time. But at that point, the contractions were picking up again... so we waited until 4 to reevaluate. They also started me on 2 more drugs to control the contractions. Finally, at 6PM they removed the magnesium and my muscles started to work again. At this point (Tues evening), I hadn't eaten anything since Sunday. Cynthia came and brought me some strawberries and I was able to order some food. It's good to feel somewhat normal again. But my contractions were still picking up so they were still monitoring me in Labor&Delivery. Finally after eating dinner and taking a nap, they removed the catheter at 11PM and transferred me to the recovery floor. This room is much more comfortable, although smaller than the one in labor and delivery. At least I'm not hooked up to anything right now and can freely go to the bathroom if I want to. I feel pretty good, and haven't had a contraction in a while.

Alex is kicking her heart out so she's doing good. They did give me 2 steroid shots (which HURTS LIKE HELL) to speed up her development. She was already 4 lbs 1 oz give or take 11oz on Sunday. Apparently, now with the steroids she's gonna grow even faster and bigger. Yay... big baby....

For a while there, we really didn't know what would happen. If the magnesium didn't work, or if the contractions would come back after I got off the drugs, what would happen? At that point, the doc say the body's going to do what they body thinks it should do... if we couldn't keep the baby in longer then we'll have to deliver. But the big difference now is that the baby got the steriods which makes a world of difference. It was touch and go for a while there when it seemed like nothing was calming the contractions, but thanks goodness it finally started to respond.

Thanks for all the well wishes on Facebook and people coming to visit me. Ryan and I both really appreciated it. He's doing marathon duty running home to take care of the animals, going to work, going to school, and coming to visit me. I know he's running ragged now... and especially now that if I get to go home on Friday I'll be on bedrest. He's the best and I wouldn't want anyone else next to me while I'm going through this.

Sigh... I hope I do get to go home on Friday. I need a shower and hopefully they'll let me take one tomorrow.

Yay Target!!

Target has redeemed itself to me after wasting my time the other day. The crib that I wanted was offered with free shipping... and 10% off the whole purchase. I still had to pay shipping for the mattress... but at least it wasn't $70! Overall, I am pleased. We don't have to go to the store and wrestle with the load, a huge huge plus when you're husband is swamped with work and you're 8 months pregnant. I love online shopping.

Stupid Target and Fine Prints

I just spent the past 2 hours trying to figure out how to apply a 10% off most products, and 15% off $125 + free shipping on furnitures on Target.com. It would have been an awesome awesome deal on a crib, changing table, and mattress. But no... stupid fine prints excludes the 15% and free shipping on baby furnitures.

It Has a Name - Trichotillomania

http://www.cnn.com/2009/HEALTH/07/13/hair.pulling.trichotillomania/index.html

This is almost amusing, just the fact that there's actually a name associated with my little obsessive compulsive hair pulling/picking act. For years, I've been picking my hair and pulling it out. It wasn't so much compulsion... but if I felt a oddly textured strand, it HAD to go. I could spend a long long time just searching for that strand that I somehow felt in passing while running my fingers through my head. Or when I'm reading, especially studying... I'll notice there'll be a pile of hair on my book. The floor area under my desk at work is covered with strands. Thank goodness it's not as bad as some of the more extreme cases where there are actually bald spots. I've noticed that I do it less frequent now.... but it still occurs. Watching TV, in the car, studying... etc. Ryan will say that there's a slightly less covered area on top of my head. Regardless, it's time to stop while I still can.

http://www.trich.org/

Is It Over Yet?

I think I'm 90% sure that I do not like being pregnant. The other 10% is the part I like... you know... that there's a baby in me, blah blah blah. But the majority of the time, it's a pain in the butt. And I mean that literally. For the past few weeks, every time I get up from sitting down or get out of bed to go to the bathroom, or from whatever resting position it's been painful to walk. Lately, the pain has been getting worse especially after a day where I'm doing more physically.

Frankly, I don't even feel guilty for saying that I don't like being pregnant. I have no idea what that pregnant glow is supposed to be, but I'm definitely not feeling it. Anyhow, whether I like or dislike the physical the end justifies the means right? My baby girl will be healthy and hopefully I can keep her in there for the whole 40 weeks. Thank goodness we're coming to the end... though I wish we were further along.

Furbabies...

I came home for a late lunch and to take care of Daisy so I could work late tonight. Unfortunately, Daisy greeted me with a nice present. She pooped/diarrhea-ed on the area rug and floor in the basement.... 4 different spots. She also left 5 big piles of throw-up on the carpet upstairs. Well... there went the rest of my work day. I had to mop the basement, steam vac the carpet, give her a bath, scrub the area rug, and shower myself. I didn't get lunch until 6:30PM.

SOOOOooo gross! I think their messes may be worse than real babies.

Third Trimester

Yay! 12 more weeks! Alex must be happy too cuz I'm sitting here watching my belly jump and shake.... all day long. Seriously baby girl, don't you ever get tired? I'm tired.

Charlie Horses... Really?!?

No one ever mentioned that getting charlie horses in the middle of the night would be a symptom of pregnancy. I haven't had one in years, but lately at least once a night when I stretch.

On another note... I'm wondering if I'll be able to fit into the dress that I plan to wear this weekend. The belly's definitely making its appearance with a vengeance.

From a conversation with a friend who's a new mommy this weekend. Her baby was soo calm. He just ate and slept. She said that she thought the baby wouldn't be very energetic when she was pregnant since he wasn't that active in the belly. In that case... Alex is going to be a wild child. Fun times. All I can hope for now is that she'll be a happy wild child.

The Joy of Being Pregnant... First Trimester

I was searching through my emails and came across this one that I sent to N and K awhile back when the whole pregnancy thing was somewhat new and the symptoms were oh-so-excitingly-fun. It's in reference to this article on WebMD.com. Just thought I'd share a bit. :)

I wish I had read that article before I got pregnant... maybe I would have thought a bit harder about getting pregnant. I'm in my last week and half of the first trimester.. and pretty much I have every single one of those symptoms except for those listed for the 2nd and 3rd trimester. :) LOL I thought the article was so true since really all you ever see about pregnancy on tv is the woman pukes a couple times. Other than that she's super duper happy and glowy and what not. I'm sick all the time, I puke in the morning and evening... when I brush my teeth and sometimes after I take my prenatal vitamins. I'm always constipated, bloated, and gasy. Burping and farting is a God's gift right now and couldn't happen more often... I wish it happened more often. Nothing smells or tastes right, I have super hero smell right now. We haven't cooked in the house for months. I like bland foods but most bland foods are starchy which leaves a horrible bitter and sour taste in my mouth. I can't sleep at night cuz I get up at 2 or 3 times a night to pee, and there's the really vivid dreams that NO ONE mentioned about. I really miss steak, but I can't stand the thought of eating any beef. Last night I ate a bowl of kimchi cuz just the thought of it made my mouth water. My mom had a nice Korean lady friend who makes them for her so it was really good... cept I think these are kinda old now and the poor lady passed away in a car accident recently. That's besides the point tho. My heart feels like it just finished a sprint, I'm constantly sleeping, and when I'm not I feel like I'm in a haze and can't concentrate on anything. My boss thinks I'm taking too much leave, I wanted to tell him to go screw himself. I feel a little better now but also more hormonal. The other day at church I started crying for no reason and couldn't stop. Little things tick me off and annoy me. I went out and invested in a CD discman for work cuz I can't stand the voices of some of my coworker's. Last night I had a headache which woke me up in the middle of the night and proceeded to develop into a blinding migraine this morning...I can't take anything other than Tylenol... which led me to take more time off this morning. I finally managed to drag myself into work... even tho I still had a mild headache and the vision in my right eye was blurry. Ryan wants sex, I can't stand the thought of it. The only good thing I can think of right now is that I have bigger boobs, but I feel fatter even tho I haven't gained any weight... actually lost a couple. But I'm bloated. I can't button most of my jeans now, but still too small for maternity clothing.

:) Hope that was good reading for you guys. I try not to complain too much, except to Ryan. He wanted 2 kids, I wanted 3, at this point I'm not so sure we'll make it to #2. There's always adoption. :-P

Fun times. At this point (toward the end of the 2nd trimester at 24 wks), I feel great. Just a fatter, constipated, achy, and short of breath. But since morning sickness is over, those symptoms are easy. Although the number of trips to the bathroom is kinda annoying.

Annoyed

I came home from work to wait for Verizon to come fix our battery backup box or for Ryan to finish up with his meeting so I can go back to work. It's been beeping for months. Since we've called to report this (almost a year ago) they've told us it is probably the battery issue, they'll send us a new one. We got a router. Which we sent back, which to Verizon meant that they should send us another router. This too went back. But third time's a charm and the wonderfully bright people at Verizon got it right and finally sent us a battery. Unfortunately, this did not solve the issue and the loud beeping every 30 minutes or so continued for months.

They guy came and left in 10 minutes. I waited for 4 hours, it's almost five now. There's no point in going back to work. Miscommunication b/t Ryan and I, I thought he was coming back after his meetings this morning. Apparently I was mistaken. Verizon sent me about 7 text messages... I don't have a text plan. Just slightly annoyed.

Mmmm....

Hubby makes an awesome apple bread pudding with rum sauce... even when we're out of the normal ingredients. One of my absolute favorite desserts!

Today is a milestone in my life. I am officially into the 3 digits! You have no idea how exciting this is for me. :-P

I finally broke down today and dragged Ryan to the mall with me and spent like $200 on maternity clothing! YIKES! We got like 11 things though, so average wise it wasn't too bad. But I'm so used to shopping at Old Navy or Aeropostale clearance... this is painful to think about. On the other hand, maternity pants fit! They are so much more comfortable than wearing the belly band with my pre-pregnancy pants.

Prenatal Massage

I finally broke down and booked myself a massage for today. I don't know why I didn't do it earlier. Well I did, but at this point the benefit outweighs the cost. Lynn's Day Spa in Columbia isn't much to look at, in fact it was probably about the worst looking spa that I've ever been too. However, I wasn't there for the ambiance. Teresa was my masseuse, and she was great. The only issue was that she was really soft on my legs. But she had informed me beforehand that since I'm 5 months in she's not allowed to work hard on the leg for fear of blood clots. Sigh... I really really wanted a foot massage. Oh well. Other than that, it was relaxing. I could have fallen asleep if I hadn't gotten hungry halfway through it. This may be a monthly habit.

An hour is never enough... I felt like she could have worked on my arms for a whole hour each. sigh....

It's a Girl!

We had our 2nd trimester ultrasound at 9AM. The baby was pretty relaxed and calm throughout the whole procedure. She just laid there, occasionally punched and kicked, but was pretty content just laying there on her back. The tech had to tilt the bed and jostle my belly quite a bit to get the baby to shift a little just so she could get a look at the spine and spread the leg a bit to see if it was a boy or girl.

But it's a cutie! :)

Pictures in Facebook.

Movement

I think the baby's definitely moving. For the past week of so, I wasn't so sure but it is definitely stronger now. It started with what it felt like big gas bubbles. Then I noticed when I'm sitting that it felt like something would briefly push my bladder every few seconds. Now, I can feel something push outward and that area would be hard to the touch. Either it's a really big gas bubble, or someone's active.

19 Weeks

18 Weeks

I Can't FREAKING Believe This! I need a drink.

I closed on my townhouse today. Yay. Yippee. Or it would be if it wasn't such a freaking unbelievable day and I wasn't losing so much money. One of the items that I agreed to fix was the HVAC since I had a warranty covering the house. The contractor came out last Friday to look at it since it was the first day over 70 degrees. As it turned out, a large and expensive part needed to be order but they needed the warranty company's approval first. Ok, no prob. So the contractor called and called and called, all they ever got was a lot of hold music that lead to voicemail. Meanwhile, I'm calling and calling and calling to deal with another issue with the warranty, and all I got was the same crappy music and voicemail. Today I close, and the contractor still couldn't get hold of the company. Ryan got mad at me cuz I'm not doing enough to figure out how much we would have to pay if the warranty didn't pay for all of it.... granted I've must have at least logged dozens and dozens of calls with this company at this point. I gave him all the numbers... since at this point I can rattle of the top of my head ... and I'm dyslexic with numbers. He calls back saying that he got the same thing as me... but he Googled the company and this is what he found:
Wall Street Journal Article
WTF! It was dated this Monday! Yesterday I was able to get through to someone at least once... and now their phone lines are disconnected. I spent a good amount of the gov't money today calling my realtor, the HVAC contractor, my credit card company, etc. Hopefully Discover will credit me back what I paid for the warranty contract... that's a lot of money!! This means that I'm out of a home warranty, and I have to pay for the HVAC repair out of pocket, AND I have to buy the new owner of the house another warranty. What a sucky sucky situation... only for Ryan and I really. The buyer is getting a sweet deal.

We closed anyhow. I had the contractor draw up a quote for parts and labor, and I just gave the buyer the money. I told them that's it, I'm done. I'm not dealing with this any longer. Sigh...

THEN, as I was driving to settlement, I heard about THIS on the radio. This was my high school. What is wrong with kids these days?!

Oh, and then I heard that there are possibly 6 cases of the Swine Flu in MD... all of which in the Anne Arundel and Baltimore County area. Wonderful.

I wish I drank.

Swine Flu

I'm sure everyone has heard about the outbreak of the Swine Flu. Apparently, the Jewish community in Israel wants the name to change because pork is not kosher. Pork isn't eaten in both Judism and the Islam religion since they consider it to be dirty. So what do they want to change the name to? Mexican Flu. I'm sure that's going to go over well and not cause even more racism and stereotyping.

It's called the Swine Flu because 50% of the make up of the strain is the same one that pigs get. I think it's appropriate that it should be called that. And since they consider pork to be filthy, shouldn't it be even more appropriate that a disease that's killing people be named that... instead after a race and culture?

Georgia On My Mind

Over the weekend, Ryan, Daisy and I met up with his parents and their dogs at Virginia International Raceways for a track weekend. Ryan and his dad each had one beginner student and they drove their Corvette, Ryan's mom actually signed up to drive in the beginners group on Sunday. I just chilled with the puppies since the weather was so gorgeous.

From Georgia

Here's Cubby enjoying the car ride. That's bliss.


We've been in Georgia for the past few days and was supposed to be on our way home tomorrow... but I think we'll stay another day... maybe. I miss my kitties. Lily is here and I missed her, she is still the same. The most affectionate cat I have ever met. After all these times coming to Atlanta, we've never made it to the aquarium, so finally we went today. It's much better than the Baltimore one, but even on a Tuesday it was crowded!

Baby Bump

I've resigned to the bump.... it's finally here. It seems overnight no matter how much I suck in, the bump is still there. Granted, I just had a huge dinner. Right now, none of my pants are buttonable, they're being held together by Mini's hairties. I think I'll go do some shopping this week. Unfortunately, I'm too big for my own pants but too small for maternity. I gotta get one of those tummy sleeves.

So at 14 weeks and 3 days, here's the first belly picture. Don't mind the bra straps.

Dog Sitting

Dax is spending the week with us. She's a toy poodle, she's so small that the cats don't care about her... she's so non-threatening. The first time we watched her, Daisy didn't know what to do with her. After a week and a half of playing with Toto earlier this month, Daisy tried to play with Dax but Dax is a bit jumpy. She's getting used to another dog though.... just don't quite know how to be playful with one. She's a human dog... lap dog, curls up next to your face at night, follows you EVERYwhere. The first night she was yappy so neither Ryan nor I got sleep. But she slept through without any issue the second night.

Does anyone know if there are breathmints made for dogs????

We have hair ties all over the house because they're Mini's favorite toy. Dax apparently really likes them too.

Economy Plus

So according to the news, not all sectors are suffering in this economy downturn. Two of which are actually reporting an increase in profit.... alcohol and guns. Sorry NRA, that's not exactly the good news that I was looking for. So now we'll have drunken unemployed people going around shooting (or defending) themselves and everyone around them. Yay!

Hunger Pains

Apparently those two words take on a whole new meaning when you're pregnant. It feels like my stomach is eating itself... and this is barely a couple hours after I've just eaten.

First Layettes!

We got a package from Ryan's grandma in the mail today. She got us our first sets of baby clothing! I had to laugh, they were so cute. A couple 3 months, some 6 months, baby blanket, even a cute knit snow outfit... all ducky themed. They are too adorable... I love the ducky theme.

Another Home Day

Today I'm doggy sitting Toto. Good thing (I think) I wasn't feeling good to start off with. Toto's precious, such a cutie. If I wasn't having a baby, I'd seriously consider getting a small doggy. Well... maybe not too seriously, we already have 3 cats and a big needy dog. Toto loves Daisy. Daisy plays pretty well with him too. She lets him have her toys... not that Toto isn't a complete toy hog to start off with. They even play tug... more like Daisy just holds on to the toy and Toto does the tugging. It's cute. On another note, the puppy has already pooped once on his pad, and twice outside, peed 3 times on my kitchen floor and once on the carpet. ... and 6 times outside... and he's barely been here 8 hours! This guy is a machine.

Random question... why is the ice cream man out on a 40 degree day?

It's Real!

Ryan and I went for our first ultrasound this morning. We were in and out in 15 minutes. Seeing the tiny black and white blob-ish thing on the screen certainly made it all the more real. Before it was this abstract thing that just made me sick and uncomfortable. Now, it's more real. There's actually this tiny humanish alien looking thing inside me with a heartbeat and tiny little buds for arms and legs! The nurse called it a gummy bear. I'm still convinced that it's a parasite.

The picture says that I'm 9wks and 3 days, but it's actually 8wks and 6 days. I suppose it'll be 9 wks tomorrow.

Trying

I've tried to write this post 3 times already, each time I lose interest after about a line. I will finish this one post.

Baby B is on his/her way. Naturally we're excited, though probably not as excited as we should be. That has a lot to do with the fact that 1. I feel crappy all the time, 2. Ryan feels like he has to do everything. But don't worry, we're getting there.

These posts will probably be filled with TMI, mostly about my symptoms and my vents and gripes in general. Ryan thinks I'm complaining too much, but the way I feel is... if I have to suffer, he has to listen(suffer). Afterall, it's not like I got into this situation by myself.