Bun Quest

Ralph finally moved out! He hasn’t been back for 8, count them, 8 whole day!!! OMG!!!! I think I’m starting to glow!!

One more day without riding the vomit comet and I’ll have made it one whole week without it!!!

Dear Ralph,

I appreciate that you left me alone for the most part for the first….oh….six to eight weeks of this pregnancy. I don’t recall ever extending you a formal invitation, yet I’m willing to admit that at first your presence was re-assuring. However, it’s customary for you to pack your bags and move on after the 12th week. It’s week 15. Please leave. I’m done with “ralphing.” It’s time for the “glow fairy” of the second trimester to take over.

Soooo, I think I felt the baby move. I’m not sure, but all the grandmothers agree it was probably the baby.

Last night, right after dinner, I planted myself in bed (having been banished from the living room in which the Baker was watching the Stars game….he considers me a jinx) to watch some TV. I started feeling this gurgling/fluttery/bubbly sensation a few inches below my belly button. With great effort, I managed to roll over….it continued. I rolled back over (rolling over totally counts as working out)…it continued. This went one for at least 2 hours. During this time, no other unmentionable bodily functions occurred. Nothing could be felt from touching my belly.

Then today at lunch I took a nap in the car, when I woke up…it happened again and persisted for about 30 – 45 minutes. Again, nothing else was happening.

My research has found that most women start feeling the baby at 16 – 22 weeks, earlier if you are slender or this is not your first baby. I am just starting week 15 tomorrow. I weighed 98 lbs. before I got pregnant. I am taking votes…..

It’s with nail biting enthusiasm that I present our first official baby purchase! Holy crap…we bought something. No shoes fell from the sky. The earth did not shatter. Life (for all of us) has continued!

Show’em what they’ve won!

Presenting the Stork Sak. This luxury leather diaper bag comes complete with a changing pad, two insulated bottle pockets (accessible from outside zippers), a key/pacifier holder, numerous pockets, and of most importantly…stylish good looks that any dad would be proud to carry!

Shot on May 7th (completion of 12 weeks)!

This one is from today (almost done with week 14)!

We met our doula on Monday. We learned all kinds of fascinating facts, for instance, if a woman changes positions once every 20 minutes during labor, statically her labor is 8 hours shorter. Having explained this, we were given a hand out with various labor positions.  There are 37 of them in all their pictorial glory!

In other exciting bodily function news, I’m still nauseous and have added pretty constant headaches to my list of “symptoms.” However, I’d like to say that this whole pregnant/baby thing is becoming so much more real to the Baker and I and we are uber excited. It’s almost time to start actually preparing for the baby…which is so surreal and I couldn’t be more grateful.

We have a daycare in mind and I really need to call and “get on the list.”

Next up: Midwife on June 2nd, birth photographer on June 2nd, we’ll get to schedule our 20 week ultrasound at the next appt.! Register for “birth class.”

For all y’all smell sensitive prego’s out there, I have been successful in masking smells that trigger gagging etc. Behold….Puffs Plus with VICKS tissues. These are magical tissues that smell like VICKS vapor rub just enough that they will distract your nose from unpleasant smells.

Upon entering gas station bathrooms, truck stop bathrooms, really any bathroom, I have found it helpful to twist up the tissue “el toro” style (where you literally push two opposing ends of the tissue into your nostrils) and breathe in the soothing smell of VICKS rather than anything else in a bathroom.

Thank you Puffs, thank you VICKS.

Someone should write a book called “Pregnancy – The Mucous Months.” I mean, really. I have mucous from my nose (pretty much everyday), mucous from my girl parts (from the week of the transfer), and now, as of this morning….I have vomited mucous. No stomach acid. Nothing but mucous. Tomorrow marks day 1 of week 13, if every pregnancy book in the world is right, this vomit comet situation should cease! No longer will I be plagued with insta-matic vomit upon glancing at roll of clean toilet paper, encountering a filthy smell, or spending most of the day with the taste of soap in my mouth.

In other news. Our midwife appointment was fantastic, heard the heartbeat which is holding steady at 160 BPM. Our next appt. is June 2, it will be with the other midwife in the office, so we have a chance to meet her in case we deliver on one of “her days.” Next ultrasound will be at 20 weeks, which should be around the first week of July. Our doula appointment was moved from the 5th of May to the 12th of May. Also, I’m looking into hiring a birth photographer!