Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Yadi and Vino!!!!!
(Can't you just feel their excitement?!)

Clearly our pups don't have our enthusiastic attitude towards this day.  Probably because they're Hungarian and German, but whatevs.
I hope you all remembered to wear your green today!!!!

Pregnancy Update: Week 28

How far along?  28 Weeks

Baby size?  Eggplant (although I feel like he is so much larger than this!)

Baby progress?  He's still packing on the fat (and muscle) which means he's getting rid of his wrinkly skin!  His lungs are mature, which means, God forbid, but if he came early, he could probably survive!!!  That is definitely comforting to know.  But I hope he cooks for at least another 9 weeks (although I want to meet him NOW!).  But they say if he's born today, he has a 95% chance of survival (he's still need medical assistance to breath but he could do it!).  We did it, Little Man!!!
He's also now able to control his own body temperature, which is a sign he's getting closer and closer to being able to sustain himself.  His adrenal glands are now secreting androgen, which will signal my body to begin lactation when he arrives.  He's still practicing his breathing (as well as coughing and dreaming during his REM sleep! That is crazy to me!)  This week I also felt his hiccups for the first time.  Talk about adorable!

Weight gain?  I'm up 2 pounds from last week, putting me at 18 pounds now!

Stretch marks?  Nope!  I hear it's more hereditary than anything.  No idea if this is actually true.  My mom said she got a few, but not many.  Although she did get more on her boobs than her belly.  But thus far, I have none anywhere.  And I hope it stays that way.

Sleep?   It's hit or miss.  My most difficult part is falling asleep.  Once I'm asleep, I usually sleep really well.  I'll wake up to pee, but 90% of the time I'm able to fall back asleep within 15 minutes.  There are those nights though, where I'm up for another 2 hours before I can fall back asleep.  The hardest part is just when I lay down and try to initially fall asleep.  I cannot seem to shut my brain off.  My job is beyond overwhelming and I can't seem to not stress out over it and it keeps me awake.  

Symptoms?  
-  Acid reflux!  Story time!!!  This past week, I had the grossest thing happen.  Now remember, I suffer from chronic acid reflux because I no longer have a sphincter at the bottom of my esophagus.  Acid is always just chilling all the way up to the back of up my throat and I'm always in pain and discomfort.  After 9 years, I'm used to it.  But pregnancy has brought it to a new level.  I'm finding myself throwing up multiple times a week, just from the acid reflux.  Okay, so that was a long tangent.  Back to my story.  The other day, I was in the bathroom when I bent over to pick something up off the floor and bile just came pouring out of my mouth on the floor.  No gagging, coughing, etc.  No warning.  It literally just poured out of me like a pitcher.  It wasn't a lot, maybe 2 tablespoons but still so incredibly gross.  Never, ever have I had that happen!!!!!!  Thank goodness I was on tile for an easy clean up but OMGosh! how disgusting.  I guess I literally am like a pitcher now with how my body is.  There's nothing to keep it in and down.  Lesson learned.  From now on, squat and keep your chin UP to prevent the pouring of bile.
-  Hip pain.  It's bad.  It's more so in my back but goodness it's awful!   I cannot get any relief and I'm in tears often.  Nick tries to massage me but it's moreso the joint and bone pain so it doesn't help much.  I think it's time for a chiro!
-  Back pain.  The hip pain is worse, but my upper back is killing me from my scoliosis and lack of lifting to strength those muscles and alleviate the pain.

Baby brain.  Wow oh wow!  It's getting bad.  I still have chemo brain (which is nowhere near as bad as it was my year of treatment and the year following but it's still there) and now add in baby brain?  I am sorry for those I laughed at and doubted when they talked about it.  This week?  I walked out of my building after work and forgot what car was mine.  There were maybe 15 cars in our parking lot and I didn't know which one was mine.  Not as in, I couldn't see it.  Not as in there are three silver Accords and I didn't know which one was mine.  I seriously stood there, looking at all the cars and thinking, "I have no idea which car is mine.  What color is my car again?"  I kept envisioning our SUV, but couldn't remember what my car looked like!  Then I saw my Mizzou license plate frame and it was so clear to me.  And then I walked to my car wondering if I was developing early onset Alzheimer's.  

Belly Button In or Out?  It's definitely making its way to try to pop out.  It's still in but I'd say in two week, it'll be close to flush with my belly :( I didn't think this would happen because I had a DEEP belly button.  Or I thought if it did, it wouldn't be until the very, very, very end.  But nope, here I am at 28 weeks and it's soon to be flush with my belly!!!!

Cravings?   Fries.  I'm loving french fries right now.  

Movement?  It's slowing down, which I think is due to him starting to get cramped and running out of room.  Mama isn't a big girl so he doesn't have a lot of room anymore.  But I do feel him often throughout the day, which is great because I love his movements (now that I'm able to sleep through them).  But it also sucks because when he's not active, I start to worry that something is wrong.  I just need to remember as the weeks pass, his movements aren't going to be all the time like they have been since week 16.

Workouts & Activity?    I'm more active but not on a workout routine.  Just my everyday activity.  Just like the previous update, I've learned how to deal with my heart and lack of stamina and know when to take my break and rest a little.  

How are you feeling?  Great!!  I feel so good now!!!

Last week I had been feeling really low and although it's only been one week of my restricted work schedule (I only clocked 45 hours this week!!!!), I feel a lot better.  I'm doing my best to try to not let things get to me, which is hard.  I know this is all vague, but I promise a post about my job and why this is so hard is coming.  But last week, I was in a bad place.  Things have gotten much better since that last post.  Thank goodness!  I haven't been in to see a therapist so I'm thankful things are better without that.  

Best moment this week?  There are two.
The first is that I felt Baby Obie's hiccups!!!!  It was a very rhythmic movement and it was the most adorable thing ever!!!  I woke Nick up to feel because I was so excited.  However, he doesn't remember it at all :(  But I do and although I'm sure it sucked for Little Man, I loved it!!!
The second best moment this week was ringing in week 28 with a Cardinals game!!!  We rung in the third trimester by taking Baby Obie to his first baseball game!  We drove about 3 hours south to Cape Canaveral to watch the Cardinals play the Nationals.  I wore the shirt I wore when I told Nick I was pregnant, although I actually fill it out now, and so many people complimented it.  It's nice to know I'm finally obviously pregnant.  We had such a great time at the game and it makes me so excited to share our love of the Cardinals with him once he's here; taking him to games, watching the games in our living room, teaching his cheers and seeing him in his Cardinals gear.  

Worst moment this week?   I had a freak out over how big my belly is.  When I look in a mirror, it seems huge to me.  And in certain photos, it looks ginormous.  I'm all belly, which is great, except I'm not too sure where and how I will continue to grow over the next 12 weeks.  I know my belly can grow more, but can it really grow THAT much more?!  I feel like by 40 weeks I won't even be able to touch the front of my belly.  And that's just not cute!  
Some days my belly and I feel and look huge and then other days, like the one below, I feel like I look like a 12 year that shoved a basketball under her shirt and is running around pretending she's pregnant.

What do you miss?  My clothes.  I'm very limited in what I can wear.  It wouldn't be a huge issue if I didn't work.  But having to dress professionally when nothing fits is difficult.  I really don't want to drop money on clothes I'll only wear for 12 more weeks so I'm pretty much just wearing the same six outfits over and over.  Thankfully, I work with 3 other pregnant woman and two others who JUST had babies, so they understand the struggle and the judgement is nonexistent.  (yes, there is obviously something in the water at my office.)

Things that suck?   Shoes.  There are no professional shoes that offer support and comfort.  By the time I get home from work, my feet are throbbing.  Sadly, propping them up and resting all night isn't enough.  I wake up in the morning and they're still in pain; just to do it all over again :(And the lack of support and being on them all day doesn't help my back at all.

Things that don't suck?  Bedtime story time.  It's my favorite part of my day.  Nick and I climb in bed each night and read to Baby Obie.  Reading is very important to me; maybe that's from my job in college and my years post-college as a teacher.  I want his nighttime routine to include story time, so we decided to start it now.  It also gives Nick some bonding time with him each day.  Little Man hears my voice all day long but Nick and I are only home and awake together maybe 2 hours a day so he doesn't hear Nick often (especially because Nick isn't a talker so when we are home together, I'm still doing most of the talking).  This gives Nick the opportunity to talk to him, read to him, bond with him, and allow Baby Obie to get to hear his voice every single night.  I just love this time. It warms my heart and often brings tears to my eyes to listen to Nick talk to and read to his son.  

Looking forward to?   Getting some color on this pale, giant belly!!  The weather is starting to finally warm up and I plan to spend more time outside, soaking up some vitamin D and getting some color on this body (don't worry, I always use at LEAST an SPF 30 anytime I'm in the sun).  And I'm just happy to have warm weather.  It makes me happy and productive.  

Glucose Test: It Wasn't THAT Bad

The glucose test.  Oh, that dreaded glucose test.  Or so I thought.

Ever since I got pregnant, I'd been dreading the glucose test.  Every pregnant woman I know talked about how awful the test was.  More so, how disgusting the drink was.  "Ask for orange"  "Make sure it's cold" "Don't get fruit punch"  "Don't throw up, you'll have to do it again".

Honestly, it wasn't that bad.  I think this another case of "Pessimistic Pregnancy Penny"  (you know, like Debbie Downers, Negative Nancys, Jealous Jerrys, etc).  You know the kind I'm talking about.  The women who want to do nothing but bitch and complain about everything.  The ones who only share the awful moments.  The ones who hated pregnancy.  The ones who want to make sure you're just as miserable as they are.  The ones who want to scare you.  The ones...okay you get the point.

I go into my appointment and I'm nervous.  I'm expecting it to be awful.  I sat in the waiting room anticipating the gagging I'd be doing trying to drink the crazy sugary juice.

I'm called back, pee in a cup, get my weight, and am escorted to a room.  As I enter, I see the drink already sitting there.  "You need to drink this entire bottle in 5 minutes.  As soon as you finish, open the door so I know you're done and I'll mark the time.  We have to draw your blood exactly 60 minutes after you're finished.  You can take a sip or two of your water, but don't drink a lot.  If you have to throw up, you'll have to redo the test.  Got it?"  Yes ma'am.  Drink, open door, wait, don't drink or puke, wait, give blood.  Got it.

She hands me the drink and closes the door.
It's cold.  Thank goodness!  Obstacle one tackled.  Wait, what flavor is this?  LIME?!  Oh my gosh, I hate lime!  Oh no!  Why didn't they let me pick my flavor?  If the flavors I like are disgusting, how awful will a flavor I hate be?!  Melanie, just do it.  Open the bottle and drink the damn thing.  Just get it over with.

So I do.  And guess what?!  It wasn't bad!  At all!!!!  It really didn't taste that disgusting and it was pretty easy to drink it all in 5 minutes.  Honestly, it didn't taste all THAT sugary like I expected.  I definitely wouldn't have guessed that there was 50g of sugar in that 50mL bottle.

I got up, opened the door, and the nurse entered.  "Great!!!  It's 8:53 so I'll come back at 9:45 to take you to the lab.  Make yourself comfy.  Feel free to use the restroom if you need to."

I was okay for about 10 minutes.  Then it hit me.  I suddenly felt nauseous.  It was just far too much sugar for my little body.  My chest felt tight, my belly ached, and I wanted to throw it.  I was able to keep it all down, although, there were times I was certain I was going to throw up in the sink.  But after about 35 minutes of it in me, I didn't feel as bad.

When my hour was up, I had my blood drawn and that was that.

So for all of you out there that haven't yet taken this test, it's truly not THAT bad.  I was made to believe the worst part was actually having to drink the juice.  False.  That was easy.  So don't sweat it.  I am not good at chugging things, and I was able to easily get it all down in 5 minutes.  I even had a flavor I despise and it wasn't that bad.  The worst part truly was sitting there with that drink in me.  But if you're like me, you just have to endure 30 minutes of that gross feeling and it begins to fade.

Now my hope is that I don't fail it and have to take the 3-hour.  I took this test almost a week and a half ago, so I feel like if I had failed, they'd have let me know by now instead of making me wait until my next appointment.  At least, that's my hope!

Pregnancy Update: Week 27

(excuse the tired, hair up look.  It was a ROUGH week .  It was more important to take the photo on time, than to wait for a day where I had the time to look more attractive haha).

How far along?  27 weeks 

Baby size?  Baby is the size of a bunch of bananas.  He's weighing in at 2.4 pounds (we know for sure because the doctor told us) and he's estimated to be between ___ inches long.  

Baby progress?  

Weight gain?  I finally have an answer since my scale at home is crap.  (Truth be told, we don't ever weigh ourselves.  Neither of us have ever been those people to be concerned with our weight.  We bought it back in 2011 to weigh our DOGS!  Yep, that's right, our dogs.  We were curious how much they weighed as puppies because they grew so fast.  That's the only reason we have it. Before pregnancy, I stepped on it maybe two times.  Maybe.)  Anyway, this past week I went to the OB for a routine visit and my glucose test and I'm up 16 pounds!  Seeing the number on the scale was a bit of a shock considering I've never seen my weight in the 130s and now it's in the 140s.  I know it's normal and I'm on track for how much weight they want me to gain (about 35 pounds since I started out underweight) but it was still a shock.  Thankfully, I know I'm all baby and it's not that I've packed on the pounds on my ass, face, arms, back, etc.  I'm sure a little of the added weight has come from these boobies, but I don't think they can weigh enough to really make a difference on the scale. (can they?)

Stretch marks?  None still!  

Sleep?  Not happening.  I'm so tired and exhausted, but I cannot shut my brain off and go to sleep.

Symptoms?  Acid reflux, back pain, occasional insomnia, forgetfulness.  The usual haha.

Belly Button In or Out?  In, thank goodness!!!

Cravings?   None.  At all.  Actually, no appetite.  Thanks a lot, stress :(

Movement?  He wasn't very active this week, which had me a little concerned.  But we took a peek at him during my appointment and he's doing great!!!!

Workouts & Activity?    Nada.  Other than my normal activities throughout my day.

How are you feeling?  Honestly, I'm struggling.  Work has me feeling so overwhelmed and stressed out.  I have no appetite, I can't sleep, I'm crabby, and unhappy.  I'm overworked and it's just not healthy for me.  When I get home, I don't want to do anything except crawl in bed and cry.  I have no motivation to do anything.  I don't want to hang out with my friends.  I don't want to get on social media.  And that's how I've been recently.  Wake up, work from 8am-9pm, home, shower, bed, toss and turn all night trying to find sleep and repeat.  

Thankfully, I saw my doctor this week and she could tell something was wrong.  We talked a lot, and she thinks it'd be best for me to see a therapist, which I agree.  Just to learn to cope with my stress and anxiety in a healthy way.  Most importantly, because she wants it in my file in case we have to reduce my hours even more.  She gave me a note saying I cannot work more than 40 hours a week/8 hours a day so that should help.  But, to reduce it more, if she thinks necessary later, I will need medical documentation of how the stress and anxiety are affecting me, which is where the therapist will be needed.  Unfortunately, there is a such a long wait and I might not even see someone until the month I'm due.  Which doesn't help me much.  

Best moment this week?  3D ultrasound!!!  OMGoodness this was the most amazing experience!  I plan to blog all about it, which really is just precious photos but oh goodness, I could have watched this sweet boy forever!  It made this pregnancy very real to see him acting like a real human; playing with his feet, yawning, rubbing his eyes, squirming all over, etc.   Bad news is the little stinker hid his face the entire time!  Good news is, we're going back in a few weeks to do it again (second visits are so cheap!) so I get to see him again!!!

Worst moment this week?   Feeling as low as I feel.

What do you miss?  Being happy more often than I'm stressed, anxious, or upset.

Things that suck?     Knowing you're only harming yourself and your baby with how stressed and anxious you are, but feeling stuck and not knowing how to avoid it.  Hopefully cutting back on my work hours will help this drastically.  

Things that don't suck?  Prenatal massages.  Nick and I got a couples massage and it was my first prenatal massage and goodness I wish I could get this done weekly!!!!!  I felt so amazing afterwards!

Looking forward to?  Buying all of Baby Obie's furniture and the last of his big ticket items.  It seems each week, something happens to make this all more real!  I can't believe we're almost in the 3rd trimester!!!  And having a stroller and room of baby furniture will surely make it all seem real!

27 Week 3D Ultrasound - Our First Peek at Baby Obie!

Nick and I weren't sure we wanted to get 3D pictures done.  But then after having our normal 2D ultrasounds at the doctor's office, we decided we wanted to get a better image of our little man.
I found a local place that would do a 3D and 4D (video) scan for a pretty inexpensive rate (MUCH cheaper than our regular OB's office does it.)

I wanted to make sure Baby Obie would be active and move around, in case he were in a position that wasn't giving us a good image.  I know that orange juice makes him active so I drank a glass of that just as we got in the car.  Then we stopped at Starbucks just a few miles away from the ultrasound office.  I have not had any caffeine during this pregnancy.  I wasn't a really a huge coffee drinker before pregnancy and my choice of soda's don't contain caffeine (Sprite and root beer).  I figured caffeine, especially never having any before, would get him pretty active.

I was right.  He was active.  But not anymore than he usually is.  Yet for some reason, he kept yawning!!!  He is his father's son.  Caffeine has no affect on him (Nick takes a Mountain Dew to bed and falls asleep within 30 seconds.  This is also after consuming one at dinner and usually one more post-dinner).

Here is our Little Man!!

But don't let that image fool you.  This was at that very end when he finally let us see some of him.

This is actually how our session started out.

Yep, this stinker is folded in half, feet and arms up by his face, hiding.  (But how adorable are those little toes?!)  We poked him, and I moved on my side.  He stayed folded, with those legs, feet, and arms hiding.

Below we got a little peek of his nose for once though!!!!

He just didn't want to be seen.

The woman then had me get off the bed, and go sit on the couch.  She had me spread my legs and bend down between them.  Apparently the cramped space makes them change positions.  So I sat like that for about 5 minutes and then hopped back up on the table.

Well he moved alright.  He turned and shunned us.  Showed us his back side.  Thanks a lot, buddy!

She then brought me some juice.  The sugar plus the cold can make them move.  He was squirming and moving, but he kept that face hidden.  He finally moved his feet, but he was determined to keep his face hidden with his hands and arms.  But thankfully we got a few views of his face here and there.

After more flipping from one side of my stomach to the other, we got some views of his sweet little face!!!!!

I don't know about you, but it sure looks like he has a dinosaur friend in there with him!  A little mini t-rex head!

The pictures below just melt my heart.  He yawned and then rubbed his eyes.  Such an adorable, sleepy, childlike action.  He is just so cute!!!

(That beaded looking thing over his shoulder is his umbilical cord).

Little Man is apparently thinking pretty hard below.  So pensive.  

Below are a few random photos.  The first one is yet again, another yawn. The top right one is him trying to suck on his toes. haha.

That bottom right one?  Creepy as hell. His eyes are open but look super bug eyed and his mouth is wide open.  Creep Central.  In reality, this was just another yawn lol.

We got a few good ones, but out of 147 photos, there are few of his entire face.  Which is why we're going to go back in a few weeks and do it again.  So keep your fingers crossed he cooperates for us!

After not knowing if we wanted to do this, we are so happy we did.  Although we know he's a real human, it made it so real for us.  I could have laid there and watched him all day long.  I cannot wait until he is here and I CAN watch him all day.  The crappy thing is that it made me that much more anxious for him and I can't believe I still have to wait 13 weeks to meet him and hold him and cuddle him.  I wasn't sure I could love him more, but this 3D ultrasound definitely proved I could.

(We also received a video but I will edit a shorter version to share.  )

Pregnancy Update: Week 26

How far along?  26 weeks

Baby size?  Baby Obie is the size of a head of lettuce; between 13.6-14.8 inches long and around 2.5 pounds.

Baby progress?  His eyes are formed and are starting to open.  This means he might be more responsive to light and even kick in reaction to his detection of it.   His eye lashes are fully grown as well so they can protect his eyes once they open.  He's stealing my antibodies to prepare his immune system for life on the outside.  He's still breathing so he can be a pro when he makes his debut (breathing amniotic fluid, not air).  He's still busy packing on the fat (just like his mama lol).  Most of his systems and functions are now intact, and most of his development now is revolved around growing in height and weight.  His brain is still growing and over 50% of his energy is used for this.  

Weight gain?  Going off my home scale, I'd say I've been off the past few weeks and I've gained between 15-20 pounds maybe??  But we shall see at my doctor's appointment.  

Stretch marks?  None, thank goodness!!!

Sleep?  I sleep great Friday and Saturday night.  But the other nights?  Nope.  All anxiety due to my job.  Thankfully I'm not really tired or wanting a nap during the day.  I actually very rarely feel tired.  I'm sure that will end as I get into my third trimester though.  

Symptoms?  A few new ones such as loss of appetite, some light spotting, and pains in my belly when I get up from sitting or laying down.  The pain could be round ligament pain, but it's new in the belly.  Until now, my only pain has been in my back and tailbone.  But it makes sense that I'm going to start getting more uncomfortable as I get bigger.  

Belly Button In or Out?  It's still very in, but I can tell it's getting shallower :(

Cravings?   Nothing.  Nothing at all.  Sometimes wings, but I wouldn't say it's a craving.  I actually don't feel hungry most of the time.  I eat, because I know I need to but I just eat whatever Nick makes or whatever anyone else is having or the quickest and easiest thing I can make.  

Movement?  Oh yes.  Below is swift Punch-Kick.  This is common now.  But it still doesn't hurt.  Thank goodness!

A video posted by Melanie (@melzie21) on Feb 18, 2015 at 5:47pm PST

Workouts & Activity?    Still the same.  I did do some things that required more energy and I did well!!!!  My heart goes crazy but I've learned to deal with it.  

How are you feeling?  Stressed, anxious, and nervous.  I'm stressed and anxious over my job, which in turn makes me nervous of how I'm affecting Baby Obie.  I'm also stressing because work has me so busy that I don't have much time to do anything else.  And there's still so much to do around the house.  We still haven't even begun on his nursery!!!!  Ahhhhhh

Best moment this week?  Feeling like I can be a little more active and not pass out.  Not much, but I've been able to do quite a bit this week without needing my usual break every 5 minutes.  It was refreshing and made me feel human again!!!

Worst moment this week?   Finally sitting down to talk about a name and getting no closer.  We have a list of names we like, but there's nothing we love.  As of now, I'm convinced he's going to be born without a name.  I wish we had family names to carry on but we don't (and no, we don't want a junior.)

What do you miss? Working out.  So so so much!!!  I just want to get out and hit the pavement or do some hardcore ab work!

Things that suck?   Being hungry for something but knowing you can't eat it because your acid reflux is out of control.  Mainly, wings.  I'm really wanting boneless wings more lately and I have to refrain or feel like death.  

Things that don't suck?  Just feeling this boy move.  It's an amazing feeling and reminds me, even on my crappiest days, that I have created a life!  It's seriously the best feeling ever!

Looking forward to?  Seeing our little man!!!!!!!!  This next weekend we get to see him again and it's the 3D and 4D ultrasound!!!!  OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG I CANNOT WAIT!!!!!!!

PS.  I AM OFFICIALLY CAUGHT UP ON THESE UPDATES!!!! 

Happy 30th Birthday, Nicholas!

Today, my dear sweet husband turns 30 years old.

When I was younger, I always thought 30 seemed so old; bags under your eyes, wrinkles galore, fat hanging all over, and gray hairs becoming more visible.
Nicholas has proven this wrong as he's wrinkle, gray hair, fat, and bag free. And still sexy as hell! I'm proud to be your wife.

Aside from his dashing good looks (especially in uniform), he's kind, dedicated, intelligent, logical, passionate, generous, and loving. He's my best friend and love of my life.

There are not words to describe the love I have for him. In just three short months, my husband becomes a father, and I cannot wait to witness him with our son. I'm not sure how my heart can handle it but I'm anxious to see!

Happy 30th Birthday, Nicholas!!!