Last Day of Work!

Need I say more?

I was out at 5pm! Even though I'm seriously going to miss everyone, I'm not going to miss the 30 minute drive each way! Especially when my feet look like this every. single. day. and. night.

I even had salesmen purposely have lunch in our breakroom so they could look at my feet! My friend said I should have started charging them!

Seriously?

I had to switch to a different OB (in the same practice) due to my work schedule. So now I have Rita. At me last appt with Dr. L, he told me that Mason was larger than average and that I should start thinking about having a c-section. Umm no, not happening. I'm all for a c-section as a last resort but I'm not scheduling a c-section.

Fast forward to my appt with Rita and she tells me the same thing! I ask what was their above average was and they said 8lbs. How is 8lbs an above average weight?!

I tell them that I want to labor and then we'll go from there.

So how to I calm myself down?

Cheesecake flavored frozen yogurt with cheesecake pieces and cherries! Yum!

Surprise Work Shower!

I got to work at my normal time and when I got to my desk, I saw two gift bags. I pushed them to the side and started to work. My cubeible neighbor Barbara, came over to me and asked if I opened them yet. I told her no, and that she didn't have to get me anything (I always feel weird about random gifts and especially since I had only been working there for only a few months)

She gave me the cutest outfits and the other gift was from one of the other women in the other office, a super soft blanket!

Everything went on like normal until our afternoon break. One of the girl's came up to me and said that we're having cake in the break room. I could always go for a piece of cake being 8 months pregnant, so I waddled in there and there is everyone from both offices, yelling Surprise!

I got outfits, blankets, and gift cards! I was almost crying because of how sweet and generous everyone was!

I seriously have some good co-workers!

Baby Shower!

 

I was so excited for this day! But I have come to realize that my time management skills are not the greatest and of course, neither is my sister's :)

I decided to go and get my hair styled, well because with the carpool tunnel/tendinitis in both wrists, I didn't want to risk of me dropping my flat iron. I went to Super Cuts without an appointment, thinking that I'll be in and out in 20 minutes. Nope, there were people waiting in line in front of me (duh) so I had to wait. And I would also get the new girl, who would ask the girl next to her how to do my hair. It was just a normal blow dry and curl style so nothing too complicated, but she just didn't want to mess it up. So that put me behind a bit.

Then I had to drive into town to pick up the food at Super Walmart. Good prices, but HORRIBLE service! Me and this other guy waited for at least 10 minutes before we were even acknowledged! Then another 15 minutes for them to bring out the food.

By the time I got home, my family was already there! And because of a family emergency the night before, my sister got to my house late, so she was running around still decorating! I helped unload all the food, and then I had to go upstairs to get ready.

Because of all the running around, I was so hot! I couldn't cool down at all! And with 50+ people inside my house (it was like 90* outside), I turned the AC on to like 60*, lol.

I also thought my house was a pretty good size, but with 50+ people in it, it sooo wasn't! But after all the running around, being late, and all that, I had the most amazing time! I have the best family and friends that anyone could ask for!

 

 

I guess it's time to update

Since I have about 5 months to catch you up on, I'll try and do these posts in order and to the best of my memory, lol!

How I currently feel

Hanging my head in shame...

Busy is seriously the understatement of the century for me. I guess it's (finally) time to backtrack and give an update for the last 8 weeks or so!

We got our keys for our house on August 2nd, but didn't truly move in until the following week. Justin wanted to paint every single room in the house, since that would be the easiest time to do it. As of now, the house is about 90% done. And oh my god, paint is sooo expensive!!!

I wanted to help but Justin kept shooing my away because of the fumes. I get some points for offering, right?

Here's our new house!

Work is still good, still wish it was closer though. I got pulled into one of the Office Manager's office a couple of weeks ago to talk about how everything was going. Of course she asked me about my maternity leave and what my plans are for after. I told her that I plan on working up until his birth and then returning either after my 6 or 8 weeks off. I did mention to her that me and Justin were talking about me coming back at only part time though. She said that whatever we decide to let her know ASAP so she can talk it over with the owner and the other managers. We still haven't made that decision though, but I think I have decided that my last day of work will me Friday, October 18 and that's if Mason doesn't come sooner than that.

Other than that, nothing much is going on. Now I get to bombard you all my weekly pictures!

26w

27w

28w

29w

30w

31w



32w

And here's a sneak peek to what my shower dress will look like. I will be adding a flowered belt that I will be making myself, finger's crossed that it turns out!

32w4d

My poor swollen feet :(

25w2d

Time for an update!

Work has been going good, even though I'm still not used to the hours and the whole working thing :) I've realized that out of both jobs that I do, I would actually prefer to do DMV! I think it's because it actually makes you think about what you're doing, and you can't make a mistake or DMV will find you! (Okay, not really but they catch everything!)

Still in the waiting stage for the house. Eddie said that he was thinking maybe Monday or Tuesday (that's right folks, like in just days!) but Marie said it might be more looking like July 22-ish. As soon as we hear that the loan docs are up (in?), Eddie said we should close the next day and have our keys!!!!

Now it's time to update on Mason!

We had another OB appt this morning and it went great! The nurse got him on the Doppler on the first try and then Mason just oh so casual moved away from her. She had to chase him around for a few minutes, and even had to take a break before she was able to corner him!

Dr. L gave me my lab slip for my GD test. I need to get that done before my next appt. Justin asked him if they do a routine 3rd trimester ultrasound and he said that they don't :( I'll only get another one if they think Mason is getting too big or if he's breech.  I don't think he'll be too big since at my last u/s at 18w, he was measuring at 8 ounces. And Dr. L today said that he's probably right around 1 whole pound now!

Another cool thing, is that at every appt, Dr. L checks where my uterus is and lets me feel it too! Today, my uterus is pretty much right at the bottom of my ribs! It's the size of a soccer ball! How cool is that?

So that means I'll be getting my 3D/4D ultrasound at the little boutique! I think that when I looked at their calendar, we should go in the first weekend in August for the best pictures.

24w

25w

 

How far along: 25w2d

Size of Baby:  Cauliflower

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  I'm officially up 13 lbs (but only 7lbs if you count from my IUI date)

Maternity Clothes: Yep yep!

Gender: Baby BOY!!! Mason Daniel

Belly Button In/Out: In, it's shallow-er

Stretch Marks: Same ones

Labor Signs: Nope

Movement: He really starts moving after I eat, and then I lay back on the couch. I will get it on video one day!

Sleep: It's taking forever to get comfortable again. And just to roll over, it takes some major motivation for that to happen!

Cravings/Aversions:  Cold things are still pretty high on the list, maybe it's because it's like 105* here :(

Symptoms: I feel like I've officially "popped" since my stomach is sticking out so much today. And while grocery shopping earlier, I think I now waddle

Feeling:  I'm starting to get scared about how fast the time is going and worrying that I won't have enough time to get everything ready

Best Moment this Week: Hearing Mason's heartbeat today (still at 154bpm)

What I Miss: Time, why is it going by so fast?!?!? And for my lower back to stop hurting when I walk around

What I am Looking Forward To: Getting the house ready for baby and the baby shower!

Milestones: We've passed viability! But of course we want him to stay in as long as possible

Baby Milestones: Mason measures about 13.6 inches to 14.8 inches and weighs about 1.5 to 2.5lbs. Mason's nervous system is rapidly developing and he's enjoying his new sense of equilibrium, knowing which way is up and which is down. Plus, he's growing more hair too! The suspense of what Mason will look like is building!

Next Appointment: Thursday, August 8th

Well, we got our answer...

and the HOUSE!!!

Everything is in and we should be able to close in about 2 weeks!

I'm a horrible blogger

I can't believe that it's been almost a whole month! I suck at this, lol. While now onto a whole month long worth of updates. Ready???

Let's start with:

 FIL: he's out of the hospital and doing so much better! It's crazy scary to see what smoking can actually do to the human body in real life. But because of everything that has happened to him, he's made the choice to now live smoke-free! We couldn't be happier!

House: Our offered was accepted! They countered, and we accepted. Now the long 45 day escrow wait! Getting a hold of our loan officer has been very difficult (totally understatement of the year). Anyway, finally got Justin's credit score under control since we found out last minute of a medical collection that just popped up last month! Now everything is set and we locked our rate!

But then we get the call from our real estate agent this week saying that the house appraised at $15k less than what we offered! So now the ball is in the seller's court: he can either accept our counter at the now lower price or he can choose to walk away completely!!!

We're of course hoping that he takes our counter offer since the house has now been on the market for almost 100 days, but we don't know for sure yet. Fingers are crossed though!

Job: Well, I didn't get the 911 dispatcher job but I did get a job at an auto dealership this past week! So, I'm back to my old stomping grounds just at a different dealership! Right now, I'm helping 2 girls out and getting a feel for how they run things, and then I'll get a permanent position.

Let me tell you, this whole waking up early and working thing, it's so tiring! I guess I was spoiled by not working for so long! I wouldn't mind not working, but with the new house and more expenses, it made me a bit stressed out not having a second income!

I'm really happy that I have a job though! I finally got the balls to tell my manager that I'm pregnant. I was so scared since it was my first day and I don't "know" him yet. I think that it totally took him by surprise because he didn't even ask how far along I was and of course, I'm just sitting there rambling about how I plan to work until the very end and plan on returning, and never told him that I am 5 months along.

So I guess it well!

And now onto the much anticipated BABY update: Everything is going really well! Justin keeps telling me that I totes looks pregnant now and he still laughs at me when I try getting off the couch/bed.

I had a lovely grooming disaster the other day too. I was (trying to) trimming my lady bits and I thought everything was going good and then I felt something. I look at my hand, and there's blood. I totally just nicked my vagina :( I gave up after that.

Now with all the extra leakage that apparently welcomes you to 2nd Tri, I have to wear panty-liners everyday. The first day at work everything was fine, but when I got home and went to the bathroom, I saw dried blood on the liner. Cue the IF brain freakout!

I kept telling myself that I must have agitated my vagina cut. I even asked Justin if he would take a look at my lady parts, but I think that he took it as I was joking because he never did it.

I told myself that if I saw more, then I will begin the external freakout and call the OB, but it was just a one time thing. Thank God!

Because of that little scare, I've been actually keeping track of the movement that I'm feeling. The other night was the best one so far.

I had the laptop resting on my stomach, and when my hands were off of it, Mason gave it a good swift kick, and I saw the whole computer shift!

I then leaned back on the couch and lifted up my shirt and it seemed like he was having a dance party in there. I could actually see my stomach moving! So weird, but so cool at the same time! I was tempted to record it on my phone but I was afraid that if I moved he would stop. So I just sat and watched! It lasted for a good 5-10 minutes and of course, Justin was in the shower the whole time. By the time he came back to the living room, Mason had stopped :(

The Official Update:

How far along: 23w4d

Size of Baby:  Grapefruit

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  I was up 2lbs at my last apt, but I think it's because I hadn't been able to poop in about 2 days! (Of course, I was able to go after my appointment, lol)

Maternity Clothes: Yep yep!

Gender: Baby BOY!!! Mason Daniel

Belly Button In/Out: In

Stretch Marks: Same ones

Labor Signs: Nope

Movement: Definite movement now! They still feel like bubbles popping, and an occasional roll but they are a lot more frequent now. And I can't forget about his little dance party the other night

Sleep: Doing a little better, but it still takes some time to get comfortable

Cravings/Aversions: I want. All. The. FOOD. But of course, sweet and cold are high on the list!

Symptoms: Lower back pain. It was almost painful to go grocery shopping the other day

Feeling: Happy, excited and then nervous, scared!

Best Moment this Week: Has to be the baby dance party!

What I Miss: Energy. I wouldn't know what I would have done if I got a job in 1st Tri

What I am Looking Forward To: Still about the house, I need to buy stuff!

Milestones: Almost to V (viability) Day!

Baby Milestones: Mason measures about 10.5-11.8 inches long and weighs about 12.7-20.8 ounces. He's getting cuter! Ears start to develop and his face and eyes are forming. He's more aware, too, and is listening to my voice and my heartbeat, as well as to loud sounds, such as cars honking and dogs barking. I may also feel him move when he hears something familiar.

Next Appointment: Thursday, July 11th. At my last appointment, Dr. L said that all my genetic testing came back negative! I couldn't be happier!
Picture time!

20w- Half Baked (and yummy ice cream!)

22w

23w (first work bathroom pic!)

Week 19!

A lot of things have been happening!

FIL went into the hospital on May 20th, and he is still there :( but he should be coming home in the next few days!

Tuesday- We met with our loan officer, Marie, and we are all set to go forward to look at houses!

Wednesday-I passed the Communications Operator test and had my first interview! And of course we had to go and look at houses!

Today (Thursday)- We put in our very first offer on a house! Holy crap! Our Real Estate Agent, Eddie, said that we could hear back in as little as 3 days!

This past Monday, I drove into town since my friend Sarah came for a quick visit. I hadn't told anyone that we found out the sex of the baby. As soon as she walked into the house she was asking if I found out! I lied to her and said that the baby didn't cooperate so we have to wait until the next appt. I was waiting until my sister got there so she could be involved. I did tell Sarah that I did know, but didn't want to say anything about me knowing until Tracy got there and so my mom wasn't bugging, lol.

About 5 minutes after Tracy got there, I got the gift. I put these pictures in a collage frame and covered each pic with tissue paper that had a number on it so she would unwrap it in order.

 

When she got to the second and third pic, I had to tell her what she was looking at because she was looking for something written on it. When she got to the 4th pic (the reveal pic), she looks at it for a few seconds and says, "It's a..........hole in one????"

I had to point out the color of the ball that was in the hole. Then it clicked in her mind. She just looked at the picture and then stared at me, saying absolutely nothing! This, I swear, lasted for a few minutes, when in reality it was just a few seconds. Sarah then jumped up and started screaming!

I had a feeling that I should have recorded it or at least taken a pic, but I just wanted to see her reaction without having to worry about recording. But I should have because of her reaction, it was absolutely priceless!

We even decided on a name! Our little boy will be named Mason Daniel!


How far along: 19w2d

Size of Baby:  Mango

Total Weight Gain/Loss:  Not sure, but probably up

Maternity Clothes: Yep yep!

Gender: Baby BOY!!! Mason Daniel

Belly Button In/Out: In

Stretch Marks: Same ones

Labor Signs: Nope

Movement: I sometimes feel a liquid moving sensation, no defined kicks yet :(

Sleep: I think that it's getting worse. It take awhile to get comfortable and then it takes a lot to move around.

Cravings/Aversions: Anything sweet!

Symptoms: Nipple sensitivity is out the world still!

Feeling: Happy and excited!!!

Best Moment this Week: Finding out the sex of the baby and telling our families! I also love when Justin talks to my belly and uses his name!

What I Miss: The ease of getting up from the bed or couch without so much work. Even Justin has noticed it and makes fun of the "couch eating me"!

What I am Looking Forward To: Finding and closing on a house so I can start setting up the nursery!

Milestones: Almost half baked! I swear the next 20 weeks are going to fly by!

Baby Milestones: Mason measures about 6 inches long and weighs in at about 8.5 ounces. He's developing a protective coating over his skin, called vernix caseosa. It's greasy and white, and I may see some of it at his birth.

Next Appointment: Thursday, June 6th! Just a regular OB apt, but he will be going over all test results, which I think are all normal since I haven't received a phone call!

And the envelope please......

 

Our A/S went super good today! Baby is pretty much ahead of schedule by just a few days too! Heartbeat is at 153bpm

 

Before the appt, I had to drink at least 24 ounces within a 30 minute period and boy, did I feel it when she was pushing around with the u/s wand! I was so scared that I would accidentally pee on the table! I think she either saw my full bladder or felt me wince, because she asked if I had to go to the bathroom!

 

It was the most glorious pee that I have ever taken, lol!

 

So I went back to the room and had to get lubed up again. The only thing left was finding out the sex of the baby. She was about to scan that area and then she stopped and asked if we wanted to find out. We told her yes. Baby was being just a little difficult, but finally cooperated. I knew it before she could even say it!

 

She had the baby's bottom up on the screen and then started pointing out the left leg, and the right leg. And then she says, "And right there in the middle, is a BOY!"

 

 

 

I started tearing up when she said that! She finished up and printed out some pics for us and we were done! She left the room while I was cleaning up the leftover lube and I started crying even harder!

 

Justin just held me and asked me, "Are those happy tears?"

 

I said, "Of course they are!"

 

So now onto the task of picking out a name! Girl's names were much easier for us, which gave me a hint that we were probably going to have a boy, lol!

 

 

 





Our family and friend's announcement pic!

NBR: Life Coaches via Internet Strangers (vent)

I'm a pretty easy going person. When I get mad, it usually takes a lot until I blow. I swear some people are just too vocal for my liking sometimes.

It's not that I get mad because I don't agree with their answer to a question that I have asked. I get mad because some people turn it around somehow and then tell me that I'm not ready for certain things.

First example: I asked a harmless question about if I have to tell a future employer if I'm pregnant at the interview. I mentioned that I'm on unemployment and that Justin's job could definitely support me to be a SAHM. I also mentioned that I'm not sure if I want to go back to work.

From what's listed above, I got flamed by some people saying that if I don't want to work then I need to call Unemployment and tell them to stop my benefits! I swear that were acting like I was on Welfare or something! I've worked hard for over 15 years, I think that I deserve the money that I worked for!

It went from asking a simple question to that! I then had to defend myself about why I am doing things that way I am. First off, these people are complete strangers and they don't know everything about me and my life! Yet they feel the need to tell me how wrong I am!

It took a while, but I finally was able to get over that, but I do remember the negative posters.

Second example: Fast forward to yesterday. I asked another simple question about Closing costs and Down Payments. The same negative poster pretty much tells me that since I don't know the correct terms (I wrote conventional instead of compound) that she highly doubts that I'm ready to buy a house! Are you fucking kidding me?!?!?!? Since you know, it's a pretty big purchase that will affect the rest of my life.

I was so ready to ask her what happens if I ask a (stupid to her) baby question, if that means that I'm not ready to be a mom. I was so close, but I didn't want to stir the pot anymore.

Then I get another one that completely agrees with the above thoughts and says that I'm definitely not ready since we are apparently scraping to get the money together. Ummm, where did you come up with this info?

One word.

Cuntpunch

Yes, I understand that this is the internet and there are just some people who are flat out mean. I even posted this on a Buying a Home thread. I thought that I would for sure get flamed worse over there after what I got on my BMB, but hey guess what?

I got nothing, no flames!!! What I did get was just really helpful answers!

Sorry that this got so long but I needed to get that out!

 

 

Okay, one more thing, we get to find out if we're having a Boy or Girl tomorrow!!!!! So you'll be definitely getting an update!

Time for an Update!

I can't believe that it's been a month since I last posted an update! Where has the time gone? It seems like it's going by slowly, but then it's 30 days later!

Quick baby update. I had another OB appt on May 9th. No ultrasound this time :( but the nurse was able to use the Doppler to hear the heartbeat! It was 156 bpm! Dr. L came in and asked if I had felt any movement yet and I told him that I have felt muscle twitches (kind of like the feeling when your eye twitches) near my bellybutton, but I didn't know if that was baby or my uterus stretching. He said that it was most likely baby!

He scheduled me to come back in 2 weeks for my A/S! So we'll be finding out pretty soon! I can't wait!

The original plan was to do an elective ultrasound at one of those boutiques next week, but Justin said that we could just wait the extra week and save the money. Boo, but I get where he's coming from.

We ordered and got our travel system! We decided on the Chicco Cortina/KeyFit 30 in red and black. This was the most neutral color scheme they offered because hopefully there might be a Baby #2 in
the future!

 

It seems like all of my organs have shifted north and are resting on my lungs/diaphragm. It's been a struggle to breathe sometimes, especially if you throw in allergy induced asthma to the mix.

Morning sickness is 99.9% gone but I got this new little symptom this past week. Gagging and throwing up when I brush my teeth! It's so aggravating! I think that I might have to eat something and then brush my teeth. That's my project this week!

Oh and on the job hunt front, I got selected to go on to the next phase for a position with the City! It's for an Assistant Communications Operator (entry level 911 dispatcher)! I was going back and forth on this but I figured that I didn't know for sure if I want to be a SAHM and I want to keep some options open. And the pay isn't bad! So it would be totally do-able to work PT, pay for daycare, and still bring home a profit!

There were about 100 people at the written test and she said that they'll be sending out the results in 2 weeks! Also, if you pass, you have at least 2 interviews, a background check, a polygraph test, a psychological test, and a medical check! That's a lot of things and I don't have that much time if I am able to go forward! I'm mostly worried about the medical check.

Okay, now the update!

How far along: 17w

Size of Baby: Onion

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I'm up 2lbs but still down 2lbs from my IUI date!

Maternity Clothes: I live in them and I love it!

Gender: Unknown for now. We find out next week!

Belly Button In/Out: In

Stretch Marks: Same ones

Labor Signs: Nope

Movement: A few little muscle twitches near my belly button that Dr says is the baby!

Sleep: Sleeping a bit better. Still trying to sleep on my stomach, so I end up on one of my arms in this weird prop up position and then I wake up with a numb arm, lol

Cravings/Aversions: Back to the Slurpee's and Icee's!

Symptoms: Nipple sensitivity is out the world still!

Feeling: Happy and excited!!!

Best Moment this Week: Being able to hear the baby's heartbeat this week!

What I Miss: Beer sounds so good right now!

What I am Looking Forward To: Finding out if the baby is a girl or boy! Then let the shopping commence!

Milestones: Getting to 17 weeks! In 3 weeks, I'll be half baked! Holy crap, where did the time go?

Baby Milestones: Baby continues to beef up. Now she's about 5.1 inches longs and weighs about 5.9 ounces. Not only is she putting some meat on those bones, she's growing a stronger, thicker umbilical cord too!

Next Appointment: My next appt is Thursday, May 23rd. We get to find out if it's a GIRL or BOY!!!!!! Cannot wait!!!!

13w3d

I've been lazy and I'm sorry for neglecting this! I think it's because I don't have a lot of baby things going on, but I have a lot of other issues that have come up but won't get talked about on here. Sorry!!! Nothing against you guys, but since this is a public blog, I'm not really sure who's out there, lol!

Okay, onto the baby stuff!

I had my NT scan today and it went great! Little baby though was being a pain and not letting the tech get the measurement of the neck fold (hello, whole reason why this was done!). But after a lot of turning this way, and turning that way, and even some "earthquakes" with the wand, baby briefly turned the right way for a second!

At all of my other ultrasounds, baby has just been lying there. The only movement that we saw was at the last appointment and only because baby flinched, twice.

This appointment started out the same way, until the tech did the first "earthquake" (wand is on the belly and she pushes it on and off really fast to get the baby moving). She said it usually works, but our baby wanted nothing to do with it. Baby decided to place its arms by its head, and continued to lounge! When she did it again, this time baby got mad and kicked at the wand! That was the best thing ever! Especially since I can't feel any movement yet, it just amazes me on what's going on inside!

Everything looked good though! The measurement of the neck was at 2.1mm which is good since it needs to be less than 3.5mm. Even my cervix is measuring good at 4.4mm and the Dr. said that as of right now, I have a very low chance of premature labor!

And baby's heart rate is 161bpm! (still high so the OWT is still saying GIRL!!!)

Now for the good stuff, the awesome pics that we got!

Our little froggy face!

Arms are up by the head, just lounging!

Profile pic, now that I'm looking at it, I think baby has daddy's nose!

How far along: 13w3d since they changed my EDD to October 22nd

Size of Baby: Peach!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: I think that I'm up now since I've been eating

Maternity Clothes: I live in them and I love it!

Gender: Unknown for now

Belly Button In/Out: In

Stretch Marks: Same ones

Labor Signs: Nope

Movement: Nothing yet

Sleep: Still having trouble sleeping through the night due to my allergies triggering my asthma :(

Cravings/Aversions: Tostadas from Del Taco are a gift from heaven right now!

Symptoms: Still constipated! I need to remember to take my Colace

Feeling: Happy and excited!!!

Best Moment this Week: Seeing the baby again and all the warm wishes that we got on FB from family and friends after posting the baby's picture!

What I Miss: Being able to poop, lol (still the same)

What I am Looking Forward To: Finding out if the baby is a girl or boy! Then let the shopping commence!

Milestones: Morning sickness is about almost all gone, still get bouts of nausea (knocks on wood) here and there

Baby Milestones: Baby is about 2.9 inches long and weighs about 0.81 ounces. And proportion wise, her head's now about 1/3 the size of her body! Baby already has fingerprints and her vocal cords are forming!

Next Appointment: My next OB appt is May 9th! Hopefully, the time will fly by!

Excuse the funny looking face, Justin doesn't know how to take a picture, lol