23 Weeks

Time is flying. I cannot believe tomorrow is Friday already, and have a feeling that the weeks are going to continue to pass quickly. 

Today Poppy is exactly 23 weeks old! Here is what's happening inside my belly:

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound, you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

Watching Poppy squirm is indeed my favorite pastime. I also don't mind sharing the joy with others....want to rub this belly? Go right ahead! Want to feel Poppy dance? Place your hand right here...doesn't bother this mama in the least. I love the love. Bring it on :)

Today, while looking at some of the adroable sleepers and onesies we have acquired for Poppy, I had a total freak-out moment. An "Oh my god, we are really going to have a baby. A real, actual baby who will be living in this house and wearing these clothes. And it will be ours. And it will be soon." Awesome moment of surrealization. Also, looking online and in my baby books, I realize that Poppy is starting to look like an actual baby now. Cool. Amazing. Wonderful. Beautiful. 

We ordered the crib this week...thank you Nonna and Grandpa! We went with the vintage style Jenny Lind. It should arrive in the beginning of November and I can't wait! Also the nuresry is painted (thanks again to Grandpa!) and we're planning to have the carpet installed in the next week or two. Phew, things are finally beginning to come together. Poppy will be sleeping in our room for at least the first few months, so there truly isn't a need to have the nursery complete before (s)he arrives; but I feel such urgency and excitement!

I am currently laying on the couch, drinking water and trying to relax, because I believe I had my first Braxton Hicks contractions today. Totally freaked me out, just like every 'first' this pregnancy has. As scary as not knowing exactly what to expect is, I cherish every moment with Poppy and this journey we are taking together. You've taught me so much, Little One! I love you!

Does this bump make my butt look big?

It's no secret that baby momma got back. I always have, I always will. My whole life I assumed that my booty would continue to grow larger and larger when I got pregnant. What I hadn't taken into account was how my big old baby belly would grow too. And it turns out, the belly helps take the focus OFF of my big old booty. In conclusion, my bump is my new favorite accessory. It actaully makes my butt look smaller! It must be noted, while stating this observation, that I do in fact have distorted body image. This is a term is most commonly used to describe the image seen by women with eating disroders when they look in the mirror - they see a distorted image, a body much larger than it truly is. I, on, the other hand, have always seen a much thinner body than truly exists. I think pregnancy may just be magnifying this distortion, as the bump is such a distraction that everything else looks smaller in comparison. I dunno. All I know is, keep growing Poppy, momma likes her new butt. Look, it appears to be almost as flat at Nonnas!

In other body-related news, Uncle Sale has a new nickname for me: Jodhpurs. You know, the riding pants that flare out at the thighs, like this:

I guess the belly doesn't balance out the hamhocks like it does the booty. Luckily, I love Uncle Sal and think he's funny enough that this makes me laugh out loud every time I think about it. In any case, I don't care if my booty and my jodhpurs grow to this size of Texas, as long as my Poppy is safe, healthy, comfy and growing strong :)

Sweet dreams are made of...

Nipples and shark teeth. I have had several dreams about Poppy over the past few months, and they have all involed breastfeeding. I guess somewhere in my subconscious mind I am anxious about it. So, in last night's dream I was nursing Poppy, and she was a girl. She was quite homely looking, as has been the case in most of my dreams (possibly another underlying fear?). She wasn't latching on properly, so I held her back and looked at her mouth, and she opened it wide. Inside were hundreds of tiny, pointy sharks teeth. Little white teeth completely covering the entire roof of her mouth. It was sooooo creepster!! I woke up immediately. What's up with that?
In a previous dream Poppy was a newborn (ugly) baby girl and I was nursing her and she stopped nursing to ask me if she could have something else to eat. Yeah, she could talk. I asked my mom if I could give her spinach and she yelled at me...how could I BE so stupid! Geez, the kid asked, didn't she?!
In my very first dream about Poppy he was a boy, and we were having an ultrasound. We could see him swimming in blue water, fully clothed in a red shirt and baby jeans, in cartoon form. The ultrasound tech told us he was a boy. And then I woke up.
I don't think Poppy will come out fully clothed, able to speak or with shark teeth (god help us!). But preggy dreamland is pretty darn entertaining :)

22 Weeks!

I'm a little late in posting, but we have reached the 22 week mark! Here is that same survey I completed 8 weeks ago, just for fun:

How far along? 22 weeks. OMG, just realized Poppy is due EXACTLY 4 months from today!
Total weight gain/loss: + 13 pounds (but it's ALLLLLLL belly. ha. i wish).
Sleep: pain in my hips and legs wakes me up many times a night, as well as going potty 1 -2 times. but i usually get right back to sleep so i really can't complain!
Movement: oh yes! this is my favorite form of entertainment these days. feeling poopy kick, twirl, dance...and watching it too! Nonna and Daddy have also been able to feel the kicks! Best. Thing. Ever.
Symptoms: heartburn, cravings, weepy
Symptoms I DON'T have: no more morning sickness!
Food cravings: fresh tomatoes, sweets
Food aversions: um, none. feed me.
Gender: I'll let you know around January 26th
Labor Signs: dear lord, none yet, thank god.
Belly Button in or out? almost flattened out, with a big smiley face at the top thanks to my naval piercing.
What I miss: raw sushi, cold cuts, jumping around like a maniac with my students without turning red, sweaty, and breathless, sleeping on my back
What I am looking forward to: finishing the nursery, registering, MEETING POPPY!

Aaaaaaaand, cue the tears

Just came across this quote and can't stop crying. Thought I'd share.

Making the decision to have a child is momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.  ~Elizabeth Stone

Who ARE you, little one?

Since the day we found out about Poppy, I have been completely convinced she is a girl. Until this week. For no particular reason I got a feeling, a gut instinct and intuition...BOY! This baby jumping around inside of me is definitely a boy. For the first time I am starting to think boy, boy, boy. I didn't expect this to happen. I feel more bonded with Poppy now that he is moving, and I wonder if our new connection has given me greater insight? Ah, it's all probably BS, but I must admit I love wondering! Who are you, Poppy? Are you Popparella or Popson? Poppylee or Popster? PoppyAnn or PoppyMAN? Can't wait to meet you and find out!

21 Weeks

Today marks 21 weeks...past the halfway point! Here is what's going on with Poppy this week:

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — the length of a carrot or banana.You may soon feel like she's practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you're having a girl, her vagina has begun to form as well.

Here is a little visual aid...

Dear Poppy,

I can't believe how much I love you already. Especially now that I can feel you moving around inside of my belly, I am just amazed by it! I want you to know, Poppy, that I promise to do my best to never disappoint you. You see, my whole life Nonna and Grandpa have been there for me when I needed them. They NEVER let me down. Ever. I realize now, as an adult, what a valuable gift that is. Their unconditional love has given me security, self-confidence, and taught me how to love others. That is such a precious gift, and one that I cannot wait to pass on to you! You will lean, as you grow up, that sometimes in life we have to do things that we don't want to do, or don't feel like doing. But, when we have a commitment to someone or something, we have to do it anyway. This is one of the toughest life lessons to learn. But I promise to be a responsible parent and ALWAYS put you first, even if it means making some sacrifices myself. Because I know that the best way to teach you this life lesson is by example.
I have found that the fact that my own parents never disappointed me makes it that much more difficult to accept when others do disappoint me. I think it's worth the trade though. Especially because it has made me aware of how others feel if I disappoint them, and so I do my best to make everyone I love feel special and valued.
Well, this is probably getting a long and wordy for your little fetus brain, but the bottom line, Poppy, is that I love you. And you can always count on me!

Love,
Mommy

Poppy Strong Like Bull!

Today is a super exciting milestone for us...I just saw Poppy kick from the outside! It is the neatest thing ever. I hadn't felt the baby move as much today as I have the past week, so I was feeling a little anxious for some dance party, belly edition action. After a loooooong day I was lying on the couch (finally) relaxing when I began to feel those beautiful familiar flutters. I lifted up my shirt to have a look, because these felt stronger than usual. A few seconds later, boom, there it was. On the left side, just under my belly button, a wave! What a delight. It is so comforting to know that Poppy is growing stronger; strong enough to kick mommy nice and hard. I've been staring at my belly for the past hour, and got to see several more thumps. Yay Poppy!!! Can't wait until Daddy catches a glimpse and can feel you too!

Back to Life

Back to reality. Well, more accurately, back to school. First week with students and wow, am I pooped! I figure it will take me about a month to get used to being on my feet all day. At which point I will have a slew of new pregnancy symptoms, and then it will take me a month to adjust to those and, well, you get the idea. Oh but it's all so worth it for our little Popster!
Today is reason for celebration, because at 20 weeks Poppy is officially Half Baked!!! I was planning to have some Ben & Jerry's to mark the occassion...

But alas, my gallbladder had other plans. I have been having some rather uncomfortable pain in my ribs for a few weeks now. I figured it was normal growing pains. Then I noticed a pattern, and it usually got worse after eating, especially at night. It would hurt so bad that I couldn't even lay on my side. I mentioned it to my mom, and told her it was especially bothersome on the right side. She told me to be careful, because it sounds like the pain she had with her gallbaldder, before she eventually had it removed. Bummer. Went to doc yesterday and sure enough, my gallbaldder hates my guts (no pun intended). His directions? No greasy or fatty foods, and no dairy. No dairy. NO DAIRY???? Does he not realize ice cream is dairy?! My diet has consisted largely of yogurt, cottage cheese, cereal with milk, glasses of delicious cold milk, and string cheese for the past 2 months. This is going to be tough. I am going to completely cut out the grease, but try to cut down on the dairy rather than cut it out completely. We shall see! I definitely don't want to have surgery to have the gallbaldder removed while pregnant.

Also, my belly rash returned. It occured both times after swimming in public pools in a bikini. Luckily I don't think I'll be doing that again any time soon, so hopefully this is last time the itch rears it's ugly head. Stupid sensitive skin.

I have gained 12 pounds (yikes!), and measured at 20 minches (which I guess it normal) and got to hear Poppy's heartbeat. It was 160 bpm again, and still the bestest sound ever. We also scheduled another ultrasound in a month, which is exciting because I had assumed this month's was our last. Can't wait to see baby dance again!

In other news, I am freaking out about our lack of progress on the nursery and our to do list before Poppy arrives. I think now that I'm back to work I am afraid I won't have time to get it all done. Or maybe the nesting instinct is setting in. Anyway, here is the list of to dos:

• Clear out nursery
• Paint nursery
• Order crib and assemble
• Choose carpet and have installed
• Make mobile
• Choose and purchase glider
• Decorate! (thinking of making curtains, crib skirt and pillows myself)
• Register for shower (this one is really big b/c there are SO many choices for every little thing)
• Register for childbirth, newborn and breastfeeding classes
• Do cloth diapering research and start buying them (also, SO MANY different choices!)
• Take hospital tours and pre-register
• Read Bradley Method book
• Start doing kegel exercises
• Clean the house like it's never been cleaned before
• Take a chill pill

Oh, and convince my wonderful husband to help me with all of this. (I love you, honey!) I know it will all get done, but it is overwhelming at times. Why must I be a planner?!

19 Weeks!

Helloooooo, Mango! That's right, Poppy is the size of a delicious tropical fruit this week, round and sweet. At our ultrasound Tuesday we found out baby is about 10 ounces, which is a little more than average. Andy was 10 1/2 pounds at birth. Pray for me, that's all I have to say about that! Here is a mango next to a disgusting manhand and a quarter, if you are a visual learner...

This is also a big week for Poppy's sensory development. (S)he can hear my voice clearer than ever, and is developing a sense of taste. Based on today's menu, this child will love chili cheese fries, Zingerman's Ruebens and coke. Whoops. Excuse me while I go and eat some broccoli (and maybe a little ben & jerry's for good measure). 

Today Poppy got to double float. We're talking amniotic fluid AND the lazy river at Turtle Cove. Ah, nothing like floating in a tube all day long. Super relaxing after a bit of a scare last night. I had some major pain in my belly, almost like I had pulled a muscle. It kept getting worse so I called the Dr., and he said since the pain was up around my belly button it was NOT baby. Phew! I, of course, was crying and blubbering on the phone like an idiot. Probably just growing pains, exasperated by lots of stretching and pushing/pulling that I am not used to while setting up my classroom. I worry about this baby so much while it is safe inside of me, I cannot imagine the terror I will feel when (s)he is exposed to the horrors of the real world. Sheesh! 

Here we are the water park today. Yes, I rocked the Bikini Bump. I am sure some people disapprove, but luckily for me and Poppy, I could care less!

And, I have to share this picture of the Popster's daddy and best friend. They didn't even realize they were making the exact same face! Sickningly adorable:

Oh, what the heck, here's another!

I guess great minds think alike (no pun intended honey, hehehehe). Ciao for now!