Week 28

22 Weeks & 5 Day Belly Pics

Weekly Survey

How far along? 21 weeks 4 days according to the due date based off of my last period; 21 weeks 5 days based off the baby's measurements at our ultrasound last week.
Maternity clothes? Pants yes, shirts yes and no, workout clothes no, all my clothes seem to be getting tight in general
Bajunga (aka Chest) Measurement: still barely squeezing into a 34DD
Noticeable Belly Bump? It's definitely getting closer and closer.
Cravings: Caesar salad still, and Havarti cheese, Johnny's tacos still and mexican food in general (although I'm not sure if this is a pregnancy craving, or just a missing southern california craving)
Food Aversions: Still squash and red potatoes
Sleep: Up at least once a night to pee. Sleeping well, but I need at least 9 to 10 hours of sleep a night to feel rested which is crazy.
Best Moment This Week: Handing out candy to all the little trick or treaters and thinking this time next year we'll have one of our own to get dressed up.
Most Absurd Pregnancy Comment This Week: Paul and I were talking about what to have for dinner and he suggested chili, but then said, I guess we have to have cornbread with it for you and I said "I don't need cornbread, I'd rather have a tortilla and put the chili in it and make a burrito".
Signs of Life: Maybe I have felt a tiny bit of movement....but no noticeable "whoa that baby just kicked" moments. Other 20ish weekers in my prenatal yoga class have been talking about feeling the baby move for the first time and I'm thinking, this baby better get a move on, geesh!
Labor Signs: No.
Belly Button In or Out? In
What I Miss: Being able to gulp water without throwing it up afterwards, not even gulp really. I'd just like to be able to take a drink of water in the morning when I wake up without throwing it up 45 seconds later. If I drink water before I eat anything it inevitably comes back up. Fun! I also miss having clear skin; I look like a teenager! It's not that bad, but my face is definitely broken out and I am so not used to dealing with that anymore.
What I Am Looking Forward To: Our appointment next week when I'll be able to confirm that this baby is still alive and kicking (except not kicking, because if it was kicking I would know that it is alive. Darnit baby, just kick already!)
Number of Times I said "Do you think I just killed the baby?": I said to Paul "I hope the baby is still alive" yesterday....it's hard with the no movement!
Weekly Wisdom: Don't get pregnant during the swine flu pandemic, it makes decisions about vaccines hard!
Milestones: Hitting the halfway mark of the pregnancy, getting the dining room light hung, getting the entry way light installed (I had to do some creative installation here, I am such the handy woman), picking a color and painting the living room wall.

Real Fall Walks

One of the things I love most about living in this region of the country is Fall. Being the native Californian I am, I didn't have any idea what Real Fall was really like until I moved here. This year I have really been able to soak up and appreciate all the colors with daily walks. "They" say walking is one of the best things you can do while pregnant, and Lola says walking IS the best thing to do EVER, so, I take both Lola and the baby for a walk everyday. We only walk through our neighborhood, but we go about a mile, and we get to enjoy all the colors and the clear crisp air. I'm really thankful that I take the time to walk everyday and enjoy the season, because I think it's something that people easily forget about or don't notice too much. I've been able to watch the trees go from green and lush, to bright yellow, to bright red, to nothing at all. That's the part that's hard; knowing they will be bare for the next 26 months. I kid, I kid. They will only be bare for the next five months, but during month four and five, it sure feels like month 26. By then I should have a baby distracting me so hopefully the bareness won't seem so long. Here are some pictures I took around our neighborhood.

Fall09

Boy or Girl?

It's a boy if:

• You didn't experience morning sickness in early pregnancy - false
• Your baby's heart rate is less than 140 beats per minute – false, the baby’s heart rate has been in the 160’s and 150’s
• You are carrying the extra weight out front – um….well my belly has grown
• Your belly looks like a basketball – I don’t think I’m big enough to determine this
• Your areolas have darkened considerably – um, not really
• You are carrying low – I don’t think I’m big enough to determine this
• You are craving salty or sour foods – not really
• You are craving protein -- meats and cheese - true
• Your feet are colder than they were before pregnancy - false
• The hair on your legs has grown faster during pregnancy - false
• Your hands are very dry - true
• Your pillow faces north when you sleep – what does this even mean? It faces to the west, nice.
• Dad-to-be is gaining weight, right along with you – um, yea right
• Pregnancy has you looking better than ever – somebody else will have to answer this one
• Your urine is bright yellow in color - false
• Your nose is spreading- again, what does this even mean??
• You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves in circles - false
• You are having headaches – no ( i was having headaches but I discovered it was because I wasn't wearing my glasses, doh!)
• You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an even number – 28 + 6 = 34; that would be even

It's a girl if:

• You had morning sickness early in pregnancy - true
• Your baby's heart rate is at least 140 beats per minute - true
• You are carrying the weight in your hips and rear - ALWAYS
• Your left breast is larger than your right breast - I don't know....Paul?
• Your hair develops red highlights – it always has red highlights
• You are carrying high – I have no idea
• Your belly looks like a watermelon – not big enough to tell
• You are craving sweets – not really
• You are craving fruit – eating lots of apples and pineapple
• You crave orange juice - true
• You don't look quite as good as normal during pregnancy – I have no idea
• You are moodier than usual during pregnancy – I’m always moody
• Your face breaks out more than usual – I have been broken out lately
• You refuse to eat the heel of a loaf of bread – Do I ever eat the heel?
• Your breasts have really blossomed! – Well I certainly can’t deny this
• Your pillow faces south when you sleep – Again, who even knows??
• Your urine is a dull yellow color – true, but I drink a lot of water
• You hang your wedding ring over your belly and it moves from side to side - true
• You add your age at the time of conception and the number for the month you conceived and the sum is an odd number – 28 + 6 = 34; that would be even

Meet Baby BoKe

Weekly Survey

How far along? 19 weeks 2 days according to the due date based off of my last period; 19 weeks 3 days based off the baby's measurements at our ultrasound last week.
Maternity clothes? Pants yes, shirts yes and no, workout clothes no
Bajunga (aka Chest) Measurement: still barely squeezing into a 34DD
Noticeable Belly Bump? I still think this is debatable. Paul would say yes. We went out with some of his volleyball people and one person, (John and May Lin you will appreciate this)Jeff Fogel, said "looks like you're with child". So maybe it is noticeable....but he could have known that I'm pregnant since Paul plays volleyball with him and may have told him.
Cravings: Caesar salad. My brother sent me (actually Paul, bc we all know he's the cook in this family) a recipe for French Onion Soup and said he usually serves it with a cold Caesar salad, so I decided to make it last week. Paul made Caesar dressing from scratch and I haven't been able to stop eating it since.
Food Aversions: Still squash, red potatoes, leftovers that I have eaten at least 1 time besides the fresh serving
Sleep: Up at least once a night to pee, sleeping better with my body pillow but I still find myself on my back, which usually starts to hurt if I stay on it too long
Best Moment This Week: It was actually last week. We got our first "official" ultrasound. It was amazing, and it confirmed that there is a baby in me, not an alien. We also confirmed that there is not an arm growing out of it's forehead. Did not confirm the sex, although I tried like hell to "see something" or "not see something". Paul got really annoyed with me, especially after I told him that I came home and did searches on Google for "boy baby ultrasound" vs "girl baby ultrasound". I still have no idea what the sex is, even after my research.
Most Absurd Pregnancy Comment This Week: I can't think of one right now.
Signs of Life: Still no movement, I'm waiting patiently
Labor Signs: No.
Belly Button In or Out? In
What I Miss: Oddly enough, not being able to do hard core workouts.
What I Am Looking Forward To: Feeling this baby move for the first time
Number of Times I said "Do you think I just killed the baby?": about two, but this was in reference to me saying this, not me actually saying this. I think I'm growing out of this fear which is good.
Weekly Wisdom: If you have a bad sweet tooth, just get pregnant, it will go away like that!
Milestones: Getting Paul's birthday present squared away, still have a few details to take care of, but mostly it is all set to go! Also FINALLY finished staining that fence May Lin and I built!

19 weeks and 3 days belly

It's really not that much bigger than the 15 week picture, maybe just a little more round.

Proof There Are Not Triplets in My Belly

I'm currently taking two yoga classes; one is a prenatal class and one is a regular level 1 -2 class. They're both great. I think the regular class must have secretly been a senior citizen class because every person in it is over 40, and then there's me, this young pregnant woman. Most people in the class know I'm pregnant because I had to tell the instructor (there are certain poses you can't do while pregnant, and being the good yogi I am I have no idea what all of them are) and a lot of people heard me tell her this. It actually went more like this:

Instructor: "Does anybody have anything that I should know about? (mostly looking for injuries)

Jenille: "Oh, yea, I'm pregnant"

Instructor: "Congratulations! How far along are you?"

Jenille: "17 weeks"

Instructor: "Great, there will be some things you can't do but I'll give you alternatives"

Jenille: "Great"

Couple People in Class (whispers): "She sure doesn't look like she's 17 weeks"

Jenille: "Looks at them like, I know what you just said"

And there's the proof that I cannot possibly have multiple babies inside of me.

Nothing Like a Russian Sonogram First Thing in the Morning

Now, I know you're probably thinking, "OMG, sonogram!!! Time to see the baby!!!" WRONG. It goes more like this: "OMG, let's make sure your heart is working properly!!!". As a person who is not good at following up, I'm telling all of you, that if you have something diagnosed and they tell you to have it checked every year a half, do that, so when you get pregnant, you don't have to think "I wonder if that leaky heart valve I was supposed to get checked every year and a half is going to give me any trouble when the amount of blood in my body increases by 40% and my heart has to work a lot harder". It's really not a big deal, and we should get the confirmation that my heart is just fine sometime today, but it definitely adds to my crazy pregnant comments and fears. Right, now you're all wondering how does Russian work into this equation. The sonographer was this Russian lady with a very heavy Russian accent. She was actually very nice, and the 20 minutes of the sonogram went something like this:

Russian Lady: "Ok, breaze, now hold zit, hold zit.....beauziful"

Russian Lady: "Blow out, keep blowing....hold zit.........what seems like 3 minutes passes....ok breaze, very good"

Russian Lady: "Take a breazth in, litzle bit more, ok hold it.........beauziful, breaze"

Russian Lady: "Deep breazth, hold zit.......hold zit.......beauziful, breaze"

I wasn't allowed to talk at all; only breaze.

Weekly Survey

How far along? 17 weeks 1 day
Maternity clothes? Pants yes, shirts yes and no, workout clothes no
Bajunga (aka Chest) Measurement: still squeezing into a 34DD
Noticeable Belly Bump? Debatable
Cravings: Nothing specific, just been hungry a lot
Food aversions: Squash, red potatoes, leftovers that I have eaten at least 1 time besides the fresh serving
Sleep: Up at least once a night to pee, sleeping better with my body pillow but I still find myself on my back, which usually starts to hurt if I stay on it too long
Best Moment This Week: Peeing my pants when I sneezed, and hearing the baby's heartbeat
Most Absurd Pregnancy Comment This Week: "I'm going to give birth to a midget with an arm growing out of it's forehead"
Signs of Life: Lots of gas bubbles, but I don't think it's real movement
Labor Signs: No, but had some serious growing pains Friday night / all day Saturday
Belly Button In or Out? In
What I Miss: Being able to brush my teeth in the morning without vomiting
What I Am Looking Forward To: Having a real pregnant belly :: I know I'll regret this at some point
Number of Times I said "Do you think I just killed the baby?": at least two
Weekly Wisdom: Marry a man who loves to cook
Milestones: Getting the bathroom vanity light wired and put up on the wall

Uncontrollable Bladder

I have officially started peeing my pants. There's really nothing like the feeling of sneezing and not being able to control your bladder. I'm not saying there's so much it's dripping down my leg, but there's definitely enough to make it noticeable. So far it's only been caused by sneezing, but I'm looking forward to the day when I pee my pants from laughing and coughing, and maybe just for no reason at all.

Dear Baby: 20

Dear Baby,

Here is what I have been craving lately:

1. Salad with blue cheese dressing
2. Sushi
3. Johnny’s tacos

Dear Baby: 19

Dear Baby,

Here is an update on the places you’ve already been:

1. California – again, this time Santa Barbara, LA, and Ojai
2. Neveda – Las Vegas

Dear Baby: 18

Dear Baby,

Here are some things I have eaten since I’ve been pregnant that are on the “DO NOT EAT” list:

1. Sushi
2. Prosciutto
3. Wine
4. Over easy eggs
5. Medium rare red meat
6. Blue cheese

Dear Baby: 17

Belly at 15 weeks 1 day. Grandma Linda thinks there's triplets in there because it is already quite a bump!

Dear Baby: 16

Dear Baby,

This is what Madame Zaritska birth experience and gender predictor has to say about you:

The day you deliver, outside will be cloudy. Your baby will arrive in the late evening. After a labor lasting approximately 16 hours, your child, a girl, will be born. Your baby will weigh about 11 pounds, 12 ounces, and will be 20 inches long. This child will have dark green eyes and fluffy brown hair.

It will be interesting to see if any of that is true!

Dear Baby: 15

Dear Baby,

Grandma Linda thinks there are three of you in my belly because she can't believe that I already have a little bump!

Dear Baby: 14

Dear Baby,

We had a bit of a scare with you on Thursday evening. I had been working on that laundry pile diligently all day long, and Grandma Sheila was there helping me. I had some period like cramping the night before and a little throughout the day, but associated it with normal pregnancy growing pains. Then, around 5:30 on Thursday afternoon I started bleeding. This was scary. I knew bleeding was normal, and probably meant nothing, but the fact that I hadn't bled at all so far during the pregnancy coupled with the fact that I had cramping scared me. Luckily Grandma Sheila was there to keep me calm and tell me what to do. So, I called my doctor, the office was closed, so I called Women's Triage which is a special emergency room for pregnant women. I talked to the midwife and she advised it was probably nothing, but that I should come in so they could examine me and confirm there was nothing wrong. Your dad was about an hour away playing volleyball and I didn't want to go without him, but also knew he doesn't answer his phone while he's playing. So, I called him about ten times hoping he would check his phone at some point and get the message that he needed to call me. He did.

He stopped playing and came home right away. Grandma Sheila packed some food for all of us because we all know how the emergency room can be. Once your papa got home, we headed to the hospital. Being able to go to the special Women's Triage was SO much better than normal emergency! We checked in, they brought me back, and we saw a nurse right away. After the nurse took my vitals, the midwife came in and talked to us, and then went to get the doppler so we could listen to your heartbeat. They put the doppler on my belly and it took a few minutes (your papa was a little scared during this time) to find your heartbeat, but they finally did and it was beating 170 beats per minute! Once they found your heartbeat and determined that you were fine, they did an exam and concluded that I had a subchorionic hematoma.

That's a big word, let's break it down: Subchorionic hematoma (also known as subchorionic hemorrhage or subchorionic bleeding) is a pool of blood clot that resides between the membrane of the placenta (chorion) and the wall of the uterus. The clot is typically the result of bleeding that occurs when only the placental margin of the chorion is separated from the uterine wall. You can read more here. The midwife said that this happens, and that I would bleed some more, but that everything was fine. What a relief!

Dear Baby: 13

Dear Baby,

Most people who know about you think you will be a boy.

Dear Baby: 12

Dear Baby,

Here's how my eating habits have changed since you've been with me:

1. In the early weeks of my pregnancy all I wanted was homemade ranch dressing.
2. Also in the early weeks of pregnancy if I didn't eat every two hours or so I would be overcome with nausea.
   
3. I can't stomach the thought of squash. This is especially funny because your dad and I belong to a farm and get vegetables each week, and each week there has been tons of squash. Normally I would eat it all up, now, squash has been nicknamed "that which cannot be said".
4. For weeks 6ish through 10ish I ate a lot of macaroni and cheese - from the box. The organic, no trans fat kind of course.
5. I can't seem to get enough dairy. Mostly cheese and yogurt.
   
6. I have lost my sweet tooth. I'll eat sweet things and they will taste pretty good, but my passion for sweets is no longer.
7. Your dad can no longer successfully predict what I would like to eat for dinner. This is making him a better chef.
8. I put powdered sugar on a grilled cheese sandwich. Delicious, although your dad said "you must be pregnant or something".
9. Pickles are delicious, although I always think pickles are delicious.
10. If I'm craving something, once I eat it, I can't stand the thought of it any longer - this makes it hard to eat left overs.
11. If I smell something that is strong to me my gag reflex starts to activate.
12. I eat a bagel with cream cheese for breakfast every morning, this is after the yogurt of course.
    

Dear Baby: 11

Dear Baby,

This is what happens during the first trimester of pregnancy:

Dear Baby: 10

Positive Pregnancy Tests!!


Belly at four weeks

Dear Baby: 9

Dear Baby,

In my twelfth week of pregnancy I thought the bad side effects would be easing up. Instead, this morning I found myself running from the living room to the bathroom with my hand over my mouth and throw up filling my hand. Maybe this is just the last hurrah of the first trimester. I find it fascinating that this is the first time I have completely lost my stomach. Let's hope this isn't a sign of what's to come, because if it is, I'm not quite sure how that's going to work.

Dear Baby: 8

Dear Baby,

I know in my last post I told you that we would get to hear your heartbeat on Sept. 1st, but we ended up going to the dr. last week, and guess what? We got to see you! This is the second time we have gotten to see you, which is one more time than the average person. The first time we saw you was when you were five weeks old and you looked like a tiny little blob. We saw you because I hurt my back and had to go to the ER (there were no doctors in the clinic we go to, so they told us to go to the ER) to make sure everything was ok. Everything was ok, and that is when we saw you for the first time.

The ER didn't do anything about mommy's back, but at least we got to see you and know that you were there and growing! Luckily, my back has healed on it's own, and you have been continuiing to grow. This time when we saw you, you actually looked like a baby! It was so neat. You had an extremely large head, which we are definitely blaming on your daddy (even though your head is supposed to be much larger than your body at this point in your life, but it's fun to blame it on daddy). I am feeling much better since I got to see you again.

We go back to the doctor in about six weeks, and by that time you will basically be huge!

Dear Baby: 7

Dear Baby,

You officially have a Dr! Kind of. We will be letting a great midwife, Holly see us and guide us throughout the time you are in my belly. I am really excited to have her watching over us. She came personally recommended, and all of the midwives at the University are great. We still haven't heard your heartbeat since I went to the ER for my back, but we'll be going in on Sept. 1st to hear your heartbeat. We can't wait! By then you will be 12 weeks old and not an embryo anymore! Actually, I think you end the embryo stage this week which is really exciting. You know why else that is exciting baby? It's exciting because that means mommy's hormones should start going back to normal which also means mommy's all day (morning) sickness should start to get better!

Dear Baby: 6

Dear Baby,

I am officially wearing a size 34 DD bra. Do you know how big that is? We're only 9 weeks and 3 days into this; maybe you can take it a little slower on mommy? Thanks.

Dear Baby: 5

Dear Baby,

You are 8 weeks and 5 days old today! I wanted to give you a list of all the places you have already been in your short time!

1. Italy (maybe)
2. Switzerland
3. Washington DC
4. California
5. Michigan
6. Indiana
7. Maryland

You are quite the traveler!

Dear Baby: 4

Dear Baby,

Your Grandma Linda is so cute! She had been calling your momma every morning since she heard the news about you to see how I'm doing and how I'm feeling. I love it, and am so thankful she cares so much about both of us.

Dear Baby: 3

Dear Baby,

You just got to go play tennis for the first time. It's another goregous day in Ann Arbor, so your papa and I went to hit for a bit. I think you're going to be a good tennis player because I sure was hitting better than average! I'm pretty sure it was you who was making me play better today. I'm already learning all kinds of new things about being pregnant and what's best for you, such as:

1. No more advil, only tylenol. I can't remember the last time I took tylenol; I never take it anymore because you can't take tylenol and drink.
2. At week two, your sex, hair color, and eye color have already been determined.
3. Grandma Linda wants your mama to get regular exercise; she's never really been that concerned about regular exercise before which makes this very cute.
4. Grandma Sheila is having a very hard time keeping you a secret

Dear Baby: 2

Dear Baby,

I just took you on your first run. It is a beautiful day in Ann Arbor, and both Lola and I needed some exercise. I hope you didn't get shaken around too much. Lola did pretty well but got hot and kept refusing to run, which was probably good for me because you're not supposed to push yourself when you're pregnant.

I also just found out that one of my best friends is moving to Europe for six months. I am so excited for her, but I told her that she needs to be back by March 14th because that is when you'll be entering the world. She screamed and was so excited to hear about you!

Dear Baby: 1

Dear Baby,

I just found out about you yesterday! I have to say I had a strong feeling you were there, so I wasn't surprised when the fist pregnancy test showed a faint second pink line, and the second pregnancy test said "pregnant". I've been feeling pretty crampy the past week or so which turns out to be you making a place for yourself inside of me which is pretty mindblowing. No coffee for me today which is also mindblowing! I've been waiting most of the day for the headache to come, but surprisingly it hasn't yet.

I also called the doctor today to come in and have a "real" pregnancy test done to confirm that you actually are there and they told me they don't do that anymore, that the home pregnancy tests are so accurate that they go off of those. They asked what the first day of my last period was and I told them (June 6th 2009), and then they gave me a due date! You'll be here on March 14th, 2010! They also asked me to come in and fill out some medical history paperwork, and told me I would be getting a pregnancy packet, and then they would set up my first couple of prenatal doctor visits. I will also be picking up a prescription of prenatal vitamins later today to keep you healthy.

Your dad and I told all four of your grandparents, your three uncles and two aunts yesterday about you and they were all very excited.

I still can't really believe that I'm pregnant. It's something I've been looking forward to for so long, and I'm surprised how nervous I am! We won't be finding out your sex before you are born, so we'll be taking bets from all of our family instead.