Week 26 -- It. Is. HOT.

I'm in Portland for a hearing, and it's been about 105 degrees. And it felt like it. Thankfully, today was a cool, breezy 98. For the most part, I've felt that people are full of it when they give you that sympathetic tripe about being pregnant in the heat of summer. First, I was happy to be pregnant at all, and would gladly have carried him to term on the surface on Venus, if needs be. Second, I've decided I'm much happier with summery maternity clothes. They're flowy and cool and easy. Bundling up in seven layers when I'm pregnant sounds awful to me. However, being a human incubator today is probably making me feel even hotter in this apocolypic heat wave. No fun.

But Portland has been great. I've had some wonderful seafood and even picked some fresh blackberries on a walking trail outside our hotel the other day. Reminded me of summers back home when we'd pick blackberries across the street. For weeks we'd have blackberries on our cereal. In pies. In tarts. In cobblers. Great, now I'm dying for some blackberry pie again. That would be the second time this pregnancy. Maybe I can find it somewhere to satisfy my craving this time.

Speaking of fruit, what size is Bagel this month? Apparently, he's the size of an eggplant. Ew. They just had to go there. I hate eggplant. So you don't have to picture a such nasty foodstuffs, I'll tell you he's about 2 pounds and measures more than 9 inches. This month, Bagel is soaking up my antibodies, getting his imune system ready to be INVINCIBLE (knock on wood). Bagel is also starting to have a distinct sleep/wake cycle. I haven't paid close enough attention to the exact times, but he does tend to be a lot more active about 10:30-11pm and then very early in the morning. I think he just does whatever he wants though. I was just out with my friend Amy, and he was just not interested in kicking when she had her hand on my belly. Punk.

His eyes are also starting to open! I hope it looks nice in there, Bagel. I read that if I shine a flashlight on my belly, he might kick in response. I may try this just to annoy him. His iris doesn't have much pigment yet, so it's too early to guess his eye color, though it's most likely to be brown given Mom and Dad's eye color.

I wish I had pictures or something awesome for you guys, but I'm not equipped for that out here in PDX. Maybe when I get back, I'll update with a picture of the bald eagle my parents and I saw on our river lunch cruise. That was awesome.

UPDATE: Here are some pics from the Portland trip. Better late than never!

Here's the bald eagle we saw. It was so cool. If you squint, you can see the white feathers on its head.

Mom and I were so excited, that we went crazy with some bloody marys. Ok, virgin bloody marys. They were good, but they really could've used some vodka.

Week 25 -- OMG where are the pictures?!

See, I say that because I know I spoiled you all last week with so many pictures. Sorry, I got nothing for you today. Maybe next week. Though I must say, my belly is getting quite pronounced. One of my coworkers just told me he thinks I'm bigger since he saw me last Wednesday. I think he may be right. Of course, I also just ate a chicken burrito. But seriously, I'm already growing out of some of my maternity clothes in the belly. Time to shop again!

I actually had my first comment from a stranger trying to tell me what to do with my body. Very interesting, but a far more positive experience than I would have thought. We were leaving the airport parking lot, and the cashier said, "Are you pregnant? How far along are you? Should you be flying?" I told her I was due in November and was fine to fly, and she just laughed at herself for trying to be my doctor. It was pretty funny. Far better than if some stranger had said, "you shouldn't eat that" or something along those lines. I keep expecting someone to say something obnoxious at the gym or something. But so far, nothing. As an aside, I'd like to point out to all you friends and family that this paragraph is aimed solely at stranger comments. If you see me eating something that contains toxic waste, I'm not going to chew you out for informing me about it.

Rob and I had a great time this past weekend in Charleston with the whole family. There were lots of games, lots of good food, and lots of baby tickling. Gaby entertained us all with a game that involved giving out and taking away tennis balls (I'll have to see if I can find the home edition in stores), and Chloe had fun shrieking and trying to rip my face off. We can't wait to see everyone again in a few short months.

And how is Bagel this week? He's great! He has been kicking up a storm the past two days or so. Mostly aiming at my bladder. Thanks buddy! I got some more of those big pushes out on my belly last night that felt like an alien trying to break out. Pretty cool. This week, Bagel is a little more than a pound and a half and almost 9 inches long. I've read that this is a bit taller than two juice boxes stacked one on top of the other and almost as heavy as four juice boxes. In your mind's eye, please confine your images to boxes that contain 100% juice. We're not talking Capri Sun here, tasty though it may be. Bagel gets only the best and most nutritious juice boxes, and I don't want him bouncing off the walls (aka my internal organs) on a sugar high.

This week, Bagel's skin is turning pinker because capillaries are forming under the skin and filling with blood. Later this week, blood vessels will also develop in his lungs, bringing him closer to being able to breathe on his own (but not there yet). His nostrils are also starting to open. For all I know, he's practicing picking his nose. Let's hope not. I'd rather you leave your temporary home as spic and span as it was when you got there, Bagel. He's now taking practice breaths, though they are of amniotic fluid rather than air.

The most awesome change this week? If you put your ear to my belly, you might be able to hear Bagel's heartbeat. Rob and I tried it this weekend with no luck, but it was still a bit early. We'll try again soon. Rob has also been talking to Bagel quite a bit, saying hey, it's your daddy and I love you and all manner of vomit inducing things. It's sweet and could be the reason for the kicking increase. Maybe Bagel wants to break out and come meet his dad. :)

I know, I know. You're still pissed after reading this whole big post with all these scary, complex words like "capillaries" and "burrito" without any picture to look at as your reward. Ok, fine. Here's a picture:

Week 24 -- HAPPY V DAY!!

No, not that V Day. V Day is Viability Day. At 24 weeks, it's more likely than not that, if the baby were to come now, he would survive. Of course, I've also read 23 weeks and 27 weeks, but 24 seems to be the most common number to use. Yay! Coinciding with V Day, Bagel has gotten much more active lately, or at least I can feel it a lot more now, usually in the middle of the night. It seems around 4 am is his favorite time for Tae Bo.

So many things to post about today! First, I had a doctor's appointment last week, which went very well. The doc didn't seem too concerned about my fall, with the happy results of my ultrasound in front of her. I asked her if I could keep running and she told me as long as I still felt comfortable and had no cramps or shortness of breath, I could continue without a problem, but that this wasn't the time to push myself. While pushing myself is just part of who I am, I have been very mindful of this and have already started to cut back a bit and do shorter runs with more and longer walk breaks.

We learned from the ultrasound that Bagel is breech right now. But the doctor says they usually don't flip over until a few weeks out from the due date, so we've got some time.

For the first time this appointment, the doc measured my belly with a tape measure. You're supposed to be approximately the same number of centimeters as you are weeks along, and I was a bit more than 2 cm small, so she told me I'm "measuring small." Given that I just had an ultrasound on the previous Saturday, she wasn't too concerned. She knew the amniotic fluid was good. But she was annoyed that the ultrasound I got didn't tell her how big baby was measuring. I don't think she was worried about it, just wished she had all the information in front of her. She said we'll probably do another ultrasound after my next appointment, just in case. That would be a month from now. I also read online that women with good muscle tone can tend to measure small anyway, so it could just be my abs of steel causing all this fuss. To be on the safe side, I'm downing the liquids like Chevy Chase in ¡Three Amigos!

I asked if I was gaining enough weight, and it looks like I'm on the low side of normal. The doc said I was doing "ok" and "could do a little better." So I've had a few cheeseburgers since last Wednesday. :)

Our next piece of news is that we put the crib together!


Ok, I put the crib together. As poor Rob stood in the doorway on Sunday, about to leave for several more hours of work, he said, "you know I would do that for you, but I think you'd be really upset." And I would be really upset! I love putting together furniture. It's like a puzzle! Now I know what you're thinking. How did she get her carpet so beautifully clean? I did that with our wonderful new vacuum, which I bought that morning. Ok, I know, not baby related, but I'm excited about it nonetheless.

And what's the Bagel up to this week? He's starting to produce white blood cells, so he can fight off infection, like cooties (it's an epidemic). He weighs about a pound and a half and is about eight and a half inches long. So I'm about to pass the point that I can mail him in a standard envelope for visits. He can hear our voices, which Rob is taking advantage of by putting his hand on my belly and saying, "baby, if you love me, kick your mommy." They're already ganging up on me.

I'll leave you with some belly shots, since you haven't had any in a while:

Week 23.2 -- This is So Funny, it Needs Its Own Post

Rob and I ever so briefly considered William as a name, and then decided that two lawyers naming their kid Bill Moore would just be too cruel.

Week 23 -- A Scare Turns Into Some Good News

So apparently pregnancy has turned me into a huge klutz (although most of you know I was already a huge klutz). I was jogging on Saturday morning (read: waddling/shuffling), and I tripped over a brick sticking up in the sidewalk and fell. My arms caught the brunt of the fall (you do NOT want to see my elbow), but I did partially hit the left side of my belly. ::screams and tears out hair in fright!::

Of course, I spent the next half hour berating myself because I seemed to be under the false impression that I now have some sort of magical maternal instinct that would give me superhuman strength and allow me to contort my body such that my precious belly would not touch the ground. Um, yeah, that didn't happen. Anyway, it wasn't a hard fall by any means, but I called the doctor to be sure and she said she'd feel more comfortable if I came in for an ultrasound. So I spent half my July 4th in the hospital. Happy Independence Day!

First of all, everything is fine. Bagel is wonderfully perfect. The placenta didn't go anywhere, I have a ton of amniotic fluid, Bagel was moving and kicking around, and his heartbeat was steady. While this was an awful and scary experience, some good did come of it. I got to see the labor and delivery area of the hospital where I'll be delivering. The room was really big with a tv and big bathroom. The nurses were incredibly nice. I absolutely loved the ultrasound tech I had.

Most importantly, the cysts we found out about three weeks ago appear to be gone. I told the ultrasound tech about them and he took a look for me and couldn't find evidence of them. He said it's usually pretty easy to see them, and when I told him how small they had been (less than 4 mm), he wasn't surprised that they had disappeared. If nothing else, the hours in the hospital were worth it for the peace of mind on that subject. If you couldn't tell, I much preferred this ultrasound tech to the radiologist at my last ultrasound. This guy knew what he was talking about (e.g. actually knew the name for the cysts) and just generally made the experience a good one. So thumbs up for Sibley.

Oh, and if anyone was wondering, it's definitely a boy. No question. None at all. :)

I'm not going to stop running, if you were wondering. I could have done the same thing walking, or rushing to catch the bus, or going up the stairs. I will try to be more careful. But I don't want me or Bagel to miss out on all the benefits of staying healthy and active with weight bearing exercise. Plus, I only run once or twice a week. I'm still using the elliptical, swimming, and doing yoga, as well. On the other hand, I have decided that my bike riding days are over. Clearly, I'm not as smooth as I once was (ha!). If this fall had been off my bike, it could have been really bad, and I'm just not comfortable with risking that anymore. It's going to be tough. I love riding my bike, and I miss it already. But I'm looking forward to some trail rides with Bagel in a bike trailer over the next couple years.

This week Bagel weighs about a pound and is about 8 inches long. As I told you last week, the websites aren't giving me any more fruit comparisons. A couple websites say he now looks "like a perfect little doll." If you've finished with that vomit inducing comparison, you can go ahead and speculate what kind of foodstuffs he looks like now. Maybe a small butternut squash? I read that I can now hear Bagel's heartbeat with a regular stethoscope. Anyone have one I could borrow? That would be awesome.

I also just read that Bagel's weight is supposed to double over the next four weeks. Woah. I would like to take this opportunity to ask both my and Rob's families to not allow me to eat the entire cities of Charleston and Portland, respectively, in the next few weeks. Thanks.

I will leave you with something really cool. We've been feeling Bagel kicking and punching for several weeks now. Last night, I was laying on the couch with my hand on my belly, and I felt this mound pop up and move across my belly under my hand. I'm pretty sure it was a knee. It was the first time I could feel what could be an identifiable body part and it was pushing out and moving around rather than kicking or punching. It was bizarre and awesome all at the same time. Like Alien without all the screaming and death.

Week 22 -- Ok, I Get it, I'm Pregnant

I'm finally starting to feel really pregnant. I get now why I'm supposed to be sleeping on my side, rather than my back. On my back, I get a bit breathless and just feel bad. Of course, I wake up every morning with ridiculously sore hips. Side sleeping sucks. I'm dealing with it by using a mountain of pillows that Rob has to push me over so that I can get up to use the bathroom. It's getting somewhat more difficult to bend over. Also, I went on a great bike ride yesterday, and for the first time, noticed a bunch of people staring at me. That was interesting.

You might think that people would be jumping up on the bus and metro to offer me a seat in the mornings. Not today! So on behalf of all the pregnant women out there, I'd like to offer a round of applause to all the jerks in this city who either purposely don't look up to see if someone needs their seat or stare straight at my belly and then look away. You're awesome. Glad you can live with yourself. Of course, when anyone does actually offer me their seat, usually I think it's so nice that they even offered that I'll refuse. I'm still pretty stable on my feet on the metro.

Rob and I went and registered this weekend, which was fun. We ended up getting a bunch of frog themed things. This was for obvious reasons on my part (I was a frog in my last life), but Rob was really loving the froggy stuff too. Don't ask me what my nursery theme is or my colors. I am not a colors or theme kind of person. Bagel's room is going to look like a lived in kid's room with a bunch of kid's stuff in it. That's all I can tell you. Well, that and we've decided not to repaint, so the walls will remain purple. We won't be in this house long enough to want to bother with repainting. We've decided to get new windows instead. Something the whole family can enjoy!

I've got devastating news for all of you: the weekly fruit and vegetable comparisons are no more. Well, at least on the site I was using regularly. I may be able to find other comparisons here and there each week, but The Bump has moved on to only monthly fruit/vegetable comparisons, rather than weekly. But anyway, this month, Bagel is the size of a papaya. I'm actually not a huge fan of papaya. I also found another site that says he's the length of a box of sugar. I love sugar! He can now hear sounds outside the womb. So Rob, stop making that buzzing noise on my belly to try to make him kick. Maybe you can just ask nicely instead. His facial features are pretty much set and he's able to grip things, including the umbilical cord. He also is growing hair, but it has no pigment yet, so it's all white. Perhaps like the occasional hairs I find on my own head.

Also, he is now kicking up a storm. I feel him kicking around in there a lot of the day. Much of it can't be felt from the outside, as he's usually kicking my bladder or some other random internal organ. Thanks Bagel!

Update: I meant to include in this post a paragraph about how pregnancy brain has truly set in but, ironically, I forgot. Pregnancy brain is no joke, people. The other night, I went down to the kitchen to do something and then stood there for 2 minutes trying to remember what I had come down for before going back upstairs and finally remembering. I was typing in my sister's email address yesterday and her married name popped up and I thought, "who the hell is that?" It's a real problem.

Week 21 -- I am One Klassy Pregnant Chick

Wouldn't you agree? Ok, ok, it's a non-alcoholic beer, and it was really early, so Bungalow hadn't gotten smoky yet. But the visual is still great. This is an O'Doul's Amber, which is, so far, my favorite non-alcoholic option. Feel free to leave any other suggestions in the comments. Please note that if you say Becks NA, I will never trust your opinion on anything ever again.

I'm feeling pretty great this week. I'm sort of starting to feel uncomfortable now. I can't bend over as easily. I'm finally starting to get used to sleeping on my side, but long for a good belly sleep every night. I've had to cut down my jogs to only once or twice a week and they are agony. Don't worry, I'm not pushing myself past the point of comfort. I just spend every single minute of the run having to use the bathroom. EVERY. SINGLE. MINUTE. It doesn't matter whether I go right before I leave for my run. Fairlington needs more Starbuck's and the like with free bathrooms.

This week, Bagel is the size of a large banana. I eat at least one banana a day, so that works out nicely. Yay potassium! Bagel is swallowing a bunch of amniotic fluid each day, and it tastes different to his well-developed taste buds depending on what I eat. Apparently, babies exposed to certain tastes in utero are more likely to like to eat them once they're born. So I'm going to try to vary the kinds of food I'm eating as much as possible. I'd prefer to not have a picky eater on my hands, like, say, a certain father-to-be or, say, a certain aunt-to-be. Though, now that I think about it, a stubborn streak appears to a common trait among said picky eaters, so maybe this kid is just going to eat what he wants, no matter what I have to say about it.

Bagel has been kicking a lot more too, which is amazing. Rob felt like 10 kicks in a row the other night. He kept saying, "I felt that. And that. And that!" I gave Rob the youth sized Louisville Slugger that I got for Bagel in Louisville this weekend, and he keeps teasing me that it's so heavy, he won't be able to use it til he's 12 (he's actually right about that). But if this kid keeps doing calisthenics in there, he might be wielding this thing at age 7.

Rob and I have been talking over names and we have a list of maybes. Some people - *cough* Mom *cough* - have been whining like little babies over the names we've picked, so we've decided to do a poll. You guys can vote on which name you like the best. Isn't it so nice that we're including your thoughts on the matter? We're sure that you'll love all the names on our list. The poll is on the left hand side of the blog. Please vote. It's very important. You wouldn't want us to pick a name like Ohgoshidunno just because no one bothered to vote on the blog.