Turkey Day

Kev, Rocket, and I are heading down to Roch in the morning to celebrate Thanksgiving with my dad's side of the fam. Traditionally, the feast is devoured at my grandma's house, but this year we're mixing it up a little and it's at my parents house instead. Should be some good times.

I hope you all have a great day tomorrow, and are able to share in festivities with family and/or friends. Safe travels, readers!

19 weeks: Hello, Mango.

This week we're going tropical, because Raina is a mango! Which brings to mind one of my favorite SNL skits of all time:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbgK8fNpZJE

Raina should measure about 6 inches and weigh about 8.5 oz. Vernix caseosa, which is that nasty, greasy, white substance made of lanugo, oil, and dead skin cells (yummy) now coat her skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. Hey, if you had to take a 9-month-long bath, you'd be pruny and only wish you had the vernix, so don't judge. Her brain is designing specialized areas for her senses. Her arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of her body now. Her kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on her scalp is sprouting. If she comes from my side of the family, there's sure to be plenty of it. Here's the belly status:



She's been moving around a lot lately. Yesterday was the most she's moved ever. Those kicks were so strong, I thought for sure I'd be able to feel them from the outside so Kev could have a feel. Not yet, I guess. She was kicking me last night when I woke up to get a drink of water. She's kicking me right now. And what does that little being look like? Only the cutest little baby in the entire world! Here you go, finally!

17w5d. Those two little dots kind of in the midst of black straight out from her face are part of her hand. And then there's the heart, which is the black splotch in the middle of her belly, and then her cute little legs and feet, which are jumbled up way to the right. She's perfect :)

Update

I had my 18 week OB appointment today. Short 'n sweet. My BP's good, I've gained 3 pounds since the last appointment which makes a grand total of 10 pounds thus far. Right on track, thankyouverymuch. Rain's heartbeat was 152. What was once a noise barely above a whisper has now grown into a talking volume. The nurse commented on how active he is. Once again, he was moving and kicking around. I reassured her that this is his active time, and also forewarned my midwife when it was her turn to listen to his heartbeat. Once the doppler was on my belly, she said I was right and thanked me for the warning. I made an appointment for a 21 week ultrasound on Dec. 12, which is the same day I go to the MN Zoo for a field trip (oy). You see, I like to schedule appointments on field trip days so I have something FUN to look forward to. Although I truly hope the zoo trip will be fun. I just can't guarantee it.

Car accident update: My chiropractor wants to see me twice a week for awhile. He did a scan on my back, and my spine from my shoulder blades up was definitely misaligned. The very lowest vertebra was also out of line. I have two appointments with him next week, and we're going to discuss a chiro closer to home that I can visit for my second appointments of the week. There's no way I'm driving one hour one way twice a week after working for 8 hours. The good news is that I don't have to pay for these appointments. We're still working it out through the insurance companies to hopefully bypass the part where I have to hand over money to my chiro. Hopefully we can work it out where it'll be submitted directly to whatever insurance (hers, my car insurance, my health insurance) will do it. Whatever.

Kev and I both had baby dreams in the past few nights. My latest dream was that I looked at my belly and could see a clear outline of a foot pressing against my belly. Next thing I knew, I was holding a 3-6 month old baby BOY (again). I can't remember what Kev's was about. He usually doesn't remember many details.

18 weeks, my sweet potato pie

Baby Raina is a sweet potato this week. At the unplanned ultrasound on Monday night, we learned that she's measuring one day ahead. She weighed 8 oz (a whole half-pound!) and I wasn't told her length, but in the corner of the picture it says 15.0 cm, which is equivalent to 5.9 inches. That seems pretty much on-target with my produce-comparing source, so we're going with it. Nothing new to report as far as what she's developing; just that she's more mobile. I'm feeling it, and enjoying it. I can't wait until Kev can feel her too. Sorry I haven't uploaded the ultrasound picture...I haven't had a chance to scan it at work yet. Perhaps tomorrow I'll find a minute to do it.

Here's the belly pics, taken tonight (remember, morning vs. night makes a difference) since Kev's camera was MIA this morning when I was looking for it:



Not the best comparison with last week because of the time of day, but perhaps I'm getting rounder. I sure felt that way this morning when I got dressed.

I have an OB appointment on Friday. One of those fast, quick ones just to check my vitals and baby's vitals. My midwife hasn't called about the accident, so I'm sure she's not concerned. I read in What to Expect When You're Expecting today that babies are so protected inside that car accidents usually aren't a big deal. A co-worker told me today that during both of her pregnancies, she was in car accidents--one was a rollover--and all was fine and dandy. Reassuring.

Speaking of the accident: I feel much like I did yesterday, but less emotional. I worked a half-day today to get the best of both worlds (movement and rest). It was perfect. The sub that was there yesterday came back today. Isn't she amazing? Enterprise came and picked me up from work. They gave me a Dodge Magnum to drive. It's a beast of a vehicle, and I'm just glad it's not the '86 rust orange Crown Vic I "drove" in August while I got hail damage repaired. And by drove, I mean I drove home, parked it the garage, closed the garage door, and didn't drive it again until it was time to return it. We still don't know the status of the Escape--maybe I'll give the auto body shop a call tomorrow and find out what the dealio is on it. Tomorrow I also have a long appointment with my chiropractor to discuss what exactly happened and how he's going to fix me up. He said I'll be seeing a lot of him in the next few weeks. Whatever works, I guess :) Speaking of chiropractor, I've got 10 pages of paperwork to fill out for that appointment tomorrow, so I better get started on it!

I'm home

I walked into school this morning, expecting to get through at least half the day before I needed to go home and sleep. Anyone who knows me knows that, for me, little sleep=lots of emotions, lots of crying. I was fine unless someone who heard about the accident talked to me about it. The principal found out what happened, and told me I needed to go home. There was already a sub at school who came in error, so someone was ready to step into my place.

The kids arrived and were all confused why I was so distraught and there were so many adults in the room (me, the sub, the counselor). After writing some sketchy lesson plans down for my sub who's never subbed before (God help her), I called the kids to the back of the room for morning meeting.

I told them that I had been in a car accident yesterday, and Ms. D. was also in the accident, and that everybody was okay. I went on to say that I wasn't hurt, that I wasn't worried about the other drivers because I knew they'd be fine, I wasn't worried about my car. What I was worried about most was another person that Mr. F and I like to call little Rain. At this point, most were confused, some got it. I pulled out my ultrasound picture and showed them, and it all sunk in with them. Then I heard, "Why didn't you tell us?!?!?!" Which I responded with, "I just did. I wasn't going to just let myself get all big and fat and let you wonder," which made them laugh a little. Then I explained the ultrasound picture to them...where the head, the belly, the feet, and the heart were...and passed it around for them to see. One student asked, "When did you get pregnant?" and another asked when I was going to have the baby. It wasn't the "fun" way I envisioned telling my students, but that doesn't matter to me anymore.

I've been trying to get some sleep, but it's not working. I may have to drink some warm milk or Sleepytime tea or lather on some lavender lotion to induce some zzzzzs. My right arm, for some reason, feels like I've lifted weights. It's sore when I lift it, and it has that achy-muscle feeling. And my lower back is achy too. I've been keeping ice packs on these parts, hoping it will help a little.

P's insurance is covering everything for the car, the ER visit, and even reimbursing my sick day :). Sick days are precious when April/May/June rolls around. We're not sure of the status of the Escape yet. Being a 2008, it still has a lot of value so it likely won't be totaled.

Baby's First Car Accident

Happily heading home after work yesterday, I got into a lovely car accident. The man in front of me was turning in to DQ. His signal and his brake were a little late, but I was still in control with stopping until my co-worker rear-ended me. All I remember was hearing/feeling smash-bounce, smash-bounce, smash-bounce as I crashed and bounced between the two vehicles. All while feeling completely safe and calm while it was happening. I pulled over to the side, the man parked in the DQ lot, my co-worker couldn't get her van to run. It was leaking anti-freeze, and her airbags had deployed. I got out of the car to assess the damage. It's not good. The left headlight was gone, the left fender was dangling. The whole back end of my lovely Escape was no longer there. The hazard lights I had turned on were useless because there were no tail lights. In fact, my friend/co-worker Stacey called to ask me if that was P's (co-worker's) van she saw by DQ, and I said yes it was, and I was with her, and she had no idea b/c she didn't recognize my Escape.

Everyone's fine...The dude was okay, P's hands were hurting, I was worried mostly about the baby. I called Kev and he came. After the cop took stories, and the tow truck came to tow my Escape and P's van away, and several co-workers stopped to see if P and I were okay (so nice...), Kev and I went to the ER to check on the baby. While we sat waiting, and waiting, and waiting (even small-town ERs are ungodly awful in this department), I could feel the baby moving. The nurse came to check the baby's heartbeat (140 this time). I felt re-assured that baby was okay. But an unplanned ultrasound was the greatest thing that came out of the whole ordeal. It was so cool to see baby Rain moving and kicking and arching his back. I have pictures, but my scanner is broken, so I'll scan them at work.

As for the Escape...we'll find out today.
As for me...I'm sore today, and tired. I hardly got any sleep last light reliving the crash. And thank God we had chiropractor appointments previously scheduled for today. That's going to be wonderful.

Crib bedding

The original plan for crib bedding was to save a few bucks and just buy some crib sheets and a dust ruffle. That is, until I spotted this crib bedding a few weekends ago at Burlington Coat Factory during my shopping trip with K-mom.
Note: Crib bedding only. I don't want the curtains, decorations, diaper stacker, etc. That's too "themed" for this girl.

Kev and I went in the store yesterday so he could get a look in person. We both like it, but I'm afraid to make the commitment. What if I end up liking something else better? Such is the commitment phobia/frugality I've been known to have my entire life. I don't like to jump into "big" decisions like this and spend the money on something I might not end up loving. However, the price is right. To top it off, it's organic cotton, which isn't necessary, but it's a definite plus in our books.

Kev will be gone next weekend. He put his stamp of approval on the bedding, and says if I like it, we can buy it. Perhaps this purchase will be made next weekend, then :)

What do you think? Should I make the step, or should I wait to see if I find another great set? Cast your vote with the poll on the right.

17 weeks: P.U.! (updated)

Baby Rain is now the size of an onion. That makes him 5.1 inches and 5.9 ounces. His skeleton is hardening, changing from cartilage to bone, and fat is accumulating around it. His fingerprints are in place. Hopefully we won't need to be putting ink on them too many times in his life.

I think I can feel him move. It's mostly in the evening, when I am no longer up and about constantly. The light flutters I feel are always in the same spot on the right. It's also easier to feel him if my legs are closer to my chest so that I "squish" him. I know it's mean, but it's too cool to NOT do when I haven't felt him for awhile.

I had my first baby dream last night. Rain (not Raina) was born at 17 weeks (yikes), but he was healthy and so cute. I was going to my 6 week appointment after the birth, and put Rain in the backseat of the car, in his infant carrier, but that was on the floor, not in the base that's attached to the car. When I realized this, I was obviously flustered that I didn't think of putting it in the base. My mom was with me, and as we walked into the hospital for the appointment, I told her that I didn't remember anything about the birth. I remember walking into the hospital, and the next thing I remembered was being at home. So maybe that's my subconscious' way of telling me, "It doesn't hurt that bad! You won't even remember the pain!"

Here are the pictures of the week. The fogged-up look is due to the fact I had just taken the camera out of Kev's truck, which had been sitting in the cold garage all night. Cold camera + warm house = foggy lens. One of these weeks, I'll take a decent picture.

16 weeks--Holy Guacamole!

First, the belly pictures. This morning, they were taken by Kev and his mad photography skills. Hard to compare between this week and last. I thought I was turned the same way I usually am, and lo and behold, I'm not.





Raina is now the size of an avocado! She's about 4.6 inches and 3.5 ounces. The anvils, hammers, and stirrups are forming in her ears, which means she can now hear my voice. That means a lot less swearing and a lot more book reading, I guess. Kidding about the swearing mom. I don't do that. ;) Her eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair are starting to fill in, and her taste buds are forming.

K-mom and I went shopping this weekend. I needed a mood lifter (long week at school that only a fellow teacher would understand), and a onesie was what was going to do it. We hit up Burlington Coat Factory (my first time there--they seriously are more than great coats!) and the mall. The weekend after Halloween= great sales on Halloween onesies, so I took a risk and bought a few. The one in the middle is from BCF and it says "So cute it's scary" and the bottom of the ghost costume lifts up. The one on the right is from Baby Gap. A candy corn with the words "short and sweet." Who could resist? The onesie on the left is from Auntie K-mom, who also couldn't resist. There's a giraffe on the front and it says "watch me grow," then the butt is a giraffe face. Raina loves it already and thanks you for your unnecessary generosity. She also says, "Being with my mom would've been more than enough. xoxo, Raina."

Is that a donut or a baby?

People are starting to notice my bump. I know what you're thinking, "How could they NOT notice how fat you've become!" Right. Actually, I like to think I'm pretty good at hiding/covering it most days. Not that I try to anymore.

Two stories:

On Friday I was talking to one of the aides at school and another one, whom I've known for awhile now--we go way back to when I used to work at the YMCA and her kids were in the programs, approached me and said, "I heard some news about you today, and I talked to you earlier and you didn't say anything!"
The other aide chimed in, "What? What did you hear? Because I think I know what you heard but I haven't heard it yet."
Aide 1, to me: "Congratulations"
Aide 2: "I knew it! I was looking at you the other day during science, just staring at your belly, thinking, there's got to be a bun in there. So sorry if you thought I was staring at you, but I was just trying to figure it out." (apparently I didn't notice this gawk-a-thon)
Blah blah blah....

Today, a parent of a child I taught two years ago when she was in 2nd grade said to me, "What's new with Mrs. F?" The way she said it made it seem like she heard a rumor somewhere and was going to the source to get the scoop. I, of course, said "nothing's new" because I'm not ready to "come out" to parents yet, whether they're my students' parents or former students' parents. Well, that answer just wasn't going to cut it with her, because I knew she knew. So I pulled her into my classroom while her two sweet cherubs waited outside my classroom door, wondering what in the world we could be talking about. All I said to her was "Yes," and she said, "I saw you the other day and I thought, either she's had a donut or that's a baby in there." And I said, "Really? You can tell?" She replied, "only a little bit, and it's also in your eyes, like, "I've got a secret."" And she promised not to tell anyone. Then she said congrats, and touched my belly. Then, seeing two curious noses pressed against the glass of my classroom door, she rubbed my arm, and said, "What a pretty sweater!" As we opened the door, she said, "So where did you get it? TJMaxx?" "Nope, JCPenney." "Oh right. Ok! Let's go there and see if they have one in my size!" To which Faith, my former student, said, "You were in there talking privately about a sweater?!" Haha...I love that family.

Luckily none of my students have said anything yet, and I don't see parents often enough for them to start getting curious. That time will come soon, though. I'm sure of it.