11.27.08
pregnancy puberty and pre-ultrasound musings….
Is there a such thing as pregnancy puberty —- where you just blossom…horizontally???
It seems that one morning I just woke up and my stomach was huge….and stayed like that!!! Some people still call me small now that we make 5 months (today!!!!) but right now, I’m sporting my new size 10 pair of pants!!! Despite the groans coming from cyber blog space (yes, I can hear you!) —-
I originally was a size 2/4…so bear with me!
My husband and I went down to Boston for a wedding (and boy was it beautiful!!!!) this past week and despite getting a cold on the way, it was an awesome time. Once the dance floor was open, I danced and danced…even in 2.5 (maybe 3) inch heels! Didn’t feel a thing until the next morning, where EVERY-SINGLE-PART-OF-ME ached…..but I think baby had a good time! One really cool thing that happened was that the baby has been moving here and there…and actually wait, *pause*….just as a side note, everyone asks “Oh do you feel the baby flutter — like a butterfly”….uh no. Our baby doesn’t flutter like some musical interlude. Our baby pokes…and sometimes squirms, like something crawling underneath my skin. Maybe s/he is still getting even with us for loving up on the fibroid (ahh!!). But anyhow, back to story….. so one morning, I was doing my usual “good morning” rub-and-talk to the baby. In all honesty, I was a bit concerned that the baby was on the quiet side and I was wondering if that had anything to do with my cold and the crazy man-cough/sneezing that was going on with me. “C’mon, little one, move around just a little…..” and I remembered how my husband was talking about teaching the baby (while in my stomach) about numbers (specifically “7″) and rhythm. Well, so I tapped my belly where the baby was seven times, waited a few seconds and then felt a flutter poke back. Hmmmmm, maybe it was just my imagination or coincidence so I did it again and the same thing happened. This happened back and forth for about 4 times and then it stopped. Either the baby got tired or bored w/me. But it was definitely fun and a little of a moment for me!
This morning, I woke up, turned on my back, felt my belly and there was a huge hardness on the top. I think the baby was making that little mountain peak — and saying “here I am, 5 months!!!!” That’s right, the baby is 20 weeks and the size of a…(looking it up now)…banana!!!! Wow….ok, a little shocked– that’s pretty long. So according to BabyCanada, from head to bottom, the baby is 6.5 inches and from head to heel, 10 inches!!! Wow! That’s probably why, they show this picture!!! Pretty funny, eh?
So anyhow, today is “ultrasound/find out gender” day and for those that don’t know, we initially weren’t going to find out…but not only did my husband change his thought at our last midwife appt, a friend of ours convinced us that “how” the baby looks will be more of the surprise than the gender….Remember our little contest? Here’s the info again —-
People have always said that we (my husband and I) look alike…so we know the baby will “look” like our little “mini-me”….but we have no idea what skin color or hair color the baby will have. We are both brown-skinned, our mothers are both light skin with green and hazel eyes, red and blonde hair, my dad is brown-skinned and brown eyed and my father in law is dark skin, dark hair! Sooo……this is like a geneticist’s dream come true. We can have the extreme “I have no idea what your background” baby with dark skin and red hair, the “true-blend” of brown skin and brown eyes or the contrasting “Vanessa Williams” look with brown skin and light eyes….
So I thought it might be fun to hold a little contest…..you choose from which you think our baby is gonna look like and I will choose (using random.org) the prize winner from among those that chose the right “combo”. Granted, this is a “long-term” contest. We’re not due until mid-April!
Here are your choices:
a) fair skin, green/hazel eyes, red hair
b) fair skin, brown eyes, red hair
c) fair skin, green/hazel eyes, brown hair
d) fair skin, brown eyes, brown hair
e) brown skin, green/hazel eyes, red hair
f) brown skin, brown eyes, red hair
g) brown skin, green/hazel eyes, brown hair
h) brown skin, brown eyes, brown hair
i) dark skin, green/hazel eyes, red hair
j) dark skin, brown eyes, red hair
k) dark skin, green/hazel eyes, brown hair
l) dark skin, brown eyes, brown hair
A $25 gift certificate to somewhere awesome is involved!!!!….
But back to the musing about the ultrasound — I am so excited!!! I really feel this makes it so real…..Well, actually, I should be drinking my 32oz of water, so I need to go. I will post about the gender….
and by the way, especially to our family and friends in the States — HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Feel free to take many extra servings — for me!
11.13.08
saying goodbye to another pair…
yes, it’s true. My pants/jean wardrobe is now officially down to 2 pairs of pants and 1 pair of business shorts (and it’s getting a bit too cold up here in Canada for those shorts). Yeah, yeah, I have skirts, but I don’t have boots to wear with these skirts so technically, I am back to my 2 day wardrobe! I was at a bible study last night and I kept shifting around because my jeans (low-rise which fit nicely about 2 weeks ago…) kept pinching me. I felt like I was causing disruption at an otherwise holy fellowship. I actually can wear them — IF the button is kept undone and unzippered…but yeah, I am pretty aware that that is a fashion no-no and/or can be means for arrest…so whichever bothers you more! 
Right now, I can breathe (AHHHH) because the jeans are wide open — but when I get up, I have to be sure to hold onto my jeans to make sure they come with me! I have no hips anymore, so the jeans have nothing to grab onto…..oh well…gonna have to go shopping!!! YES!
This pants issue is attributed to now that I am 142 lbs…..at 4.5 months, I have gained 17 lbs….and can only assume more on the way! Oh yes, that’s right! Today, baby is 4.5 months (18 weeks). And according to BabyCenter Canada, it’s the size of a bell pepper.
Interesting facts about the bell pepper:
1. The name “pepper” (pimiento in Spanish) was given by Columbus.
2. In some parts of the US (around southern Ohio, North Pennsylvania and North Kentucky), peppers are sometimes referred to as “Mangos”, but this term is fading as real mangoes are becoming popular in those areas!
3. The variety of the pepper plant and the stage of the ripeness determine the flavor and color of each pepper. For example, a red bell pepper is simply a mature green bell pepper. They will go from green to red to orange to yellow.
4. Did you know that other colors include white, purple, blue, and brown?
And as always, here is a recipe: Stuffed Peppers! Enjoy!
http://www.foodtv.ca/recipes/recipedetails.aspx?dishid=7509
The other day, we had a midwife appointment and of course, we got to hear the heartbeat again. It’s at about 150 p/min. There were two things that were absolutely hilarious at this meeting. 1) While checking for the baby’s heartbeat, we kept hearing “cartoon-y” noises, long squeaks and shrills. The midwife said this was the baby moving around and again —-WOW, was s/he active!!! It was almost like listening to this crazy language —– the baby must of been dancing again! I wanted to giggle but couldn’t because it would mess up the transmission from the monitor; 2) So, I asked the midwife if I could feel the outer part of the baby when I touch my belly…like right here, “is this the baby?”…and she said probably not, that that might have been that icky fibroid that I’ve blogged about…..heheheh sooooo, you know what that means??? Every so often, we’ve been loving up on the fibroid and not the baby!!!! Eek. Oops. Sorry baby dot. But, this wasn’t always the case. The times that I felt the hardness under the belly button, the midwife said that was probably the baby…so we weren’t totally wrong…..but it is funny. Sheesh.
Our next ultrasound is scheduled at exactly the 20 week mark….what’s awesome is that my mom and sisters may be in town so they might be able to come with us! I think they would just love that! Do you know initially we decided that we didn’t want to know what gender the baby is……and at the end of our midwifes appt, my husband says: “I think I want to now know….”…..*sigh* more discussion needed….I can’t decide! I kind of want to know, but I don’t want to a) be disappointed (I hear that all the time…) though I don’t have my heart set on either gender b) decorate a room/buy clothes to find out the US was wrong and c) I don’t know how much being “surprised” is worth to me…..
well, we still have 2 weeks to decide…..
11.07.08
Rocket man….and some funny videos
The Elton John song “Rocketman” comes to mind this week only because my belly was sticking out at an angle and looking like the tip of a rocket! And though I haven’t yet felt the baby move, we were able to feel a “hardness” as to where we think s/he was. I woke up one morning and as usual, feel my belly and say good morning to the baby…well right “behind” my belly button, I felt a hardness. I showed my husband and after a good amount of poking, prodding and rubbing (we were like mad scientists or kids in a candy store – whichever has the nicer appeal 
), eventually the hardness had moved from near the belly button to another location further down…so that had to have been the baby…..again, no kicks yet, but if we initiate the touch, we can feel the outline of the baby…..I can’t wait to feel it kick!!! Well, then again, remembering how “active” our little one was at the ultrasound, maybe there will be a day when I say “baby, please stop kicking me!”
So we do make 17 weeks this week….and I was amazed that the baby has grown to about 5.5 inches!!! WOW!! Since I am not a big fan of turnips — the veggie that the baby is similar to in size — sorry, no recipes….but instead, here are some fun videos that I have come across! Enjoy!
Quadruplets laughing….
Baby giving the “evil eye”….
