O. Baby!
Our pregnancy blog - Ceili Morgan due 3/13/03!
thursday, october 31 :::
+ Ow + I've been in a bit of discomfort, bordering on pain, every morning for a while now. This morning I hurt quite a bit. I'm trying to walk around some, and drink some more water since I think that's influencing it. But in all, I think it's just my abdomen and pelvic area adjusting to their new inhabitant. That's the only thing I can figure.
+ Same old + Nothing new. I've gotten a couple of cute outfits for you in the last couple of days, and worked on the last bit of your changing table last night. But that's really it. Tomorrow is 21 weeks, and I'm definitely feeling it. You're still moving but not quite as distinctly as Monday night. I guess you knew daddy was at school and wouldn't be home to try feeling you again. Princess was lying flat on my chest/tummy this morning for our morning "kissy" ritual, and it amused me to think pretty soon you'll probably start kicking her when she does that. I can just imagine the look of horror on her face if my stomach poked her. Heh heh.
tuesday, october 29 :::
+ Our little runner + Well, alrighty then. Last night was a culmination of your incredibly busy, active baby boogy-ing. It was the first time you *really* kicked me. And I don't mean once. I mean like a dozen times! Daddy tried twice to feel you, but wasn't patient enough. I am pretty sure if I'd had the light on all the way and had been patient enough myself I would have seen your little kicks in my lower belly, not just felt them. Of course, about an hour later, I felt something on the other upper side of my belly, so who knows what body part that was?! That was a terribly exciting night. You've been pretty active already today too, and it's only 8:00! I think maybe all of that cramping and stretching over the weekend was you making more room for yourself. Most mommies say their babies will be a soccer player with kicks like that, but your Daddy and I know you're just practicing for being a runner. It's in the family so I'm not sure you have much choice!
Finished your toybox last night and the last of the green part of your changing table. Now we just need to paint the purple part of the changing table and figure out how to assemble it. Hee hee. That might be a little tricky. Then I have to paint your dresser and I'm done.
monday, october 28 :::
+ Carried away + I feel sometimes like I'm getting carried away on your room, doing everything now when you won't be here for another 4 months or so... But then I remember that I'm going to get bigger and it might get harder for me to do all the things I'm doing right now. Plus, if I get it done, I won't have it as an excuse to avoid all the other things I need to do. Daddy and I went and got your crib Friday night, and changed your bed-set to a pretty purple and green one instead of the green quilt we were going to do. It's so pretty, and a bit more girl-ish than the original one. The crib is white too, and we were going to do cherry, but I am really glad we settled on white. Your bedroom isn't very big and the cherry would have overpowered the room. I painted almost all of your toybox (purple and green), and part of your changing table. All I have left is to finish those and paint your dresser... and it's all pretty much done then! I keep peeking in there and imagining you in your little bed. Not that I really can, but I try.
You were not very active this weekend, which worried me a little. But you are more than making up for it today! I'm not sure what you're doing in there, but you have no interest in sitting still. I don't think I've gone more than 1/2 hour without feeling you since I got to work this morning! I love it, though. Please keep it up!
Oh, and we discovered that Princess is mortally afraid of your Horton elephant stuffed animal. I figure it will be one of your favorites, and it sings a cute song. But when he roars in the beginning of his tunes, Princess flips out. It's pretty amusing, actually, though I'm sure the neighbors were sick of hearing her bark! We're hoping to get her used to it before you get here. I'd hate for her to bark every time she sees that toy!
friday, october 25 :::
+ Making progress + You don't seem very happy in there today. Or else my tummy isn't very happy to be growing so quickly. I've been crampy since the middle of the night last night, which is kind of unpleasant. I think you've changed your position and that's causing stretching or something. I felt what I thought was one of your body parts in a new area of my stomach last night, so that's probably why!
I primed your toybox and finished part of your changing table last night. When I was going through things in your room to weed out the junk from the must-keep stuff, I found my bag of baby clothes. Well, the bag is half baby clothes and half doll clothes (specifically for a Cabbage Patch dall named Loni which you will undoubtedly inherit). When I was a little girl, I'd stumbled across my own baby girl clothes and I used some of them as doll clothes. Some of them weren't used, and were in a separate smaller bag labeled "Mom Kerry baby clothes 1950" - What does that mean to me? It means my mom dressed me in the baby clothes she inherited from her own childhood! And it means I get to dress YOU in the clothes both your mommy and your grandmother wore! As a little girl, this won't mean much to you, but it means so much to me. And someday you will appreciate it too. They're quite well-made though some are a little faded. With some TLC, they might last for you to use on your own little girl someday!
Anyway, tonight I'm hoping to finish painting your toybox and work on the 2nd half of your changing table. Tomorrow morning, daddy and I are setting off to get your crib, which we will assemble, and hang your curtains then too. I can't wait! It's already turning into a room I simply enjoy being in. I'm really glad!
thursday, october 24 :::
+ Quit it + You almost always kick me in one place, or one pretty specific area. It's really kind of irritating. And it happens to be in annoying proximity to my bladder. Most of the time when I sneeze, I have to clench really fast or else! Right now, you must be stretching over and over because I keep getting poked in the same little spot. I mean, I know it's crowded in there and all, but get used to it! It's only going to get worse in the next 4 months!
+ Hump Day + Maybe not exactly true, but the calculator says this is the halfway mark! Isn't that cool? We celebrated by having a first yesterday. When I got on the elevator to go home from work, we stopped on the floor below mine and a lady I've never seen or met got in. She took one look at me (not touching my belly, or standing weird or anything), and asked when I was due. I actually stuttered a little, I was so surprised, but then told her with a smile. That was pretty neat.
Daddy tried to feel you last night when you were kicking me. I think you stopped, or else you weren't kicking hard enough for him to feel. He did say we can go get your crib this weekend for sure, and hang the curtains. That makes your room that much closer to being done. Other than bedding, all we have left is to finish staining your changing table, and painting the toy box and dresser. Yippee! Those will be my tasks for the next couple of weeks.
wednesday, october 23 :::
+ 19w6d + Tomorrow we are officially 20 weeks pregnant, which basically means we're halfway there. You have no idea how shocking that is to me. Nine months may seem like a really long time when you're sitting at the beginning of it, looking forward. But when it starts zooming by? I can't believe pregnancy isn't longer. I need more time than this, don't I? Of course, if someone asks me in another 19 weeks if I'd like to be pregnant a little longer, I'm sure my answer will be a resounding NO! You are a squrimy little bugger, and I don't know if you're sensing my relief over my mother's successful hospital stay, but you are more active today than ever. We're back at work (late) today, and today is your Uncle Chris's birthday, so it's off to Hamburger Mary's for dinner. I'm sure you'll love that and reward me with lots of wriggles. Hopefully your daddy can feel them soon. Please don't stop moving when he feels for you! It doesn't help! He wants to say hi to you too.
monday, october 21 :::
+ On being pregnant + I have to admit, being pregnant is very interesting. I'm not sure I would say this is the greatest I've ever felt, or the most bizarre thing that has ever happened to me, but it is indeed very interesting. I have all kinds of weird feelings all the time, and most of the time I can only guess what I'm feeling. Last night when I went to bed, I was lying there and I had this weird pulsating feeling in my lower back and, well, really everywhere. It felt like a heartbeat, like a throbbing when your foot is coming back from being asleep... only it wasn't my heartbeat. It was way too fast. I kept checking my neck and my wrist, feeling for my own, much slower heartbeat. I want to think it was yours, but then I got scared wondering why I would be able to feel that. All the scenarios were bad, so I chalked it up to my wild imagination and proceeded to fall asleep.
Anyway, I walked a LOT on Saturday at the Arizona State Fair, and felt a little crampy afterward. You moved around a lot, so you either really enjoyed or really hated all of that walking. I took it easy Saturday night and rested, but I'm realizing now that this belly with you in it is starting to be a challenge. It's in my way when I shave my legs, it makes it just a tad harder to get out of a comfy couch, it is sore when Princess or your Aunt Chelsie's dog Sydney step on it (which they seem to relish doing)... etc. I've discovered 2 things that really wake you up too, which is just funny to me: sneezing and adrenaline. We were driving home Friday afternoon, and a truck in front of me changed lanes at the last second, revealing a parked bus immediately in front of me that I didn't know was there. I hit the brakes, and we were completely fine, but once I felt that adrenaline surge through my body, you started groovin' like you were on Dance Fever! Wowza!
It was a pregnant weekend, that's all I can figure. Every day I feel more impacted by this pregnancy and more at peace with not knowing what's coming next. That's kind of a good feeling.
friday, october 18 :::
+ Scotties + Hmmmmm, yeah... Your mommy has a problem, Baby O. I've been spending the last hour searching for just about the cutest baby clothes I've ever seen. You see, last Christmas, I went shopping with Aunt Ember at a new mall in Chandler, and they have a Gymboree store there. Well, the holiday line last year was all Scottie dogs. I was in love. They had a blanket I curse myself to this day for not buying for myself! Well, lo and behold! There are a ton of Gymboree Holiday Cheer 2001 things on eBay. Go figure. You don't even want to know how many things I've bid on already. I really hope you like red and black. Heh.
+ Friday + Nothing new and fancy, just the same old story. I did finish painting all the baseboards and trim yesterday, and pulled all the tape. Now we just need to have Daddy finish the ceiling (soon, I hope), and do a little touch-up on the edges where the tape pulled some of the paint off. I also started the chore of painting your furniture by painting a raw pine shelf I got for you a few weeks ago. It has the base coat, and now I just need to personalize it a little with the green and purple. I'm finally getting to start on some of the fun stuff! We're at 19w1d, and trucking along. You're moving quite a bit today, and I'm pretty crampy so I think I slept in some weird positions I shouldn't have slept in. I felt 2 or 3 leg cramps coming on last night too! That annoyed me, but I was able to head them off as they started coming. It's a bad omen; I'll probably have them the rest of the pregnancy, from what I've read. Yippee!
thursday, october 17 :::
+ Forgiveness + So, will you forgive me if we name you Ceili? That's your daddy's current favorite choice. That, or Keeley, which is not the same name of course, but he likes it anyway. But if you spend your whole life pronouncing and spelling Ceili for people, will you always be mad at us? We need to ponder this one more, but the way you're moving in there, maybe naming you after an Irish party is oddly appropriate.
+ Wowza + Insanity. It's sheer insanity. We can't possibly be 19 weeks pregnant, can we? I made a comment to daddy last night that I feel like a cow, I feel so big. He just smiled and said, "You're supposed to. You're pregnant." Oh yeah. I know that, but I just can't get my reality wrapped around being 19 whole weeks pregnant. That's craziness. Next Thursday, we'll be officially halfway there (at least to the estimated due date).
How are you feeling in there? You're not getting too cramped are you? I feel you groovin' around plenty, but I can't wait to be able to tell which part of you I'm feeling! Your room's almost done. Your daddy spent much of his day yesterday trying to work on it. All that's left of the painting is the baseboards and the ceiling. Then we can hang your curtains, paint your furniture, get the crib and make your room all yours! It's so hard to imagine there will be a baby living in there in about 21 WEEKS! Oh my gosh, that's soon!
wednesday, october 16 :::
+ Hump day + I'm just cranky today, partly from good ol' pregnancy hormones and partly from an annoying and sad night followed by a night of bad dreams. The only happy thoughts I'm having this exact moment are about you, snug in your warm little "room" and oblivious to my moods. Thank goodness.
tuesday, october 15 :::
+ Nothing new + It's just another day in the life of mommy and baby. You're so much easier to take care of in my tummy than you will be in a few months. Of course, we'll get more joy from you when you're here with us and not in my tummy. But it's handy being able to take you everywhere with me now.
There's nothing really new. I did forget to tell you that Daddy and I decided last weekend that your name will not be spelled Kaylee like we were originally settling on. It dawned on us that the natural nickname from that is "Kay" and neither of us finds that acceptable. So, however we spell it, it won't begin with "Kay." That's all we've decided on so far, besides the general pronunciation. I keep meaning to make a list for Daddy to look at and choose from, but I haven't remembered when I've had the time. Maybe tonight when we go to visit Aunt Ember. We're having Girls' Night over there - and you are the newest member!
monday, october 14 :::
+ Dates + By the way, I haven't updated in a while. We are at 18 weeks, 4 days. Also known as 44% of the way there. Yikes! That's actually kind of scary!
+ Good morning + I know it's not morning, but you suddenly woke up! My goodness you are antsy today. On Saturday, I poked you, and you hit me back. I have no idea with what, but you definitely kicked or poked or bumped me back. Your daddy was happy to hear that and if you keep doing the fun acrobatics you're doing right now, he should be able to feel you in no time. Keep it up!
Your room's almost ready for furniture and actual decorating. Daddy and I just have to finish the paint job on the ceiling and trim, and then you're set! We're going to go get your crib next weekend for sure, and hang the curtains and start painting the rest of the furniture that goes in there. We were joking the whole time that you won't appreciate any of this, but when we're staring at walls at 3:00 in the morning with you, at least we'll appreciate the improvements!
friday, october 11 :::
+ So neat + I love, love, LOVE feeling you rolling around in there. You and I are having a "Mommy Moment" right now. If I could talk to you without the people around me at work staring, I would!
+ Acrobatics + Are you still doing a headstand on my bladder, little one? I have worn a path to the restroom today and it's not winning me any friends. :-)
+ Primed and ready to go + Well, your room renovations are underway! Michelle came over last night and helped me prime the room and get it already for its new paint job. I might start that tonight, depending on whether or not we go to see your Aunt Chelsie. If we do, I'll get started painting tomorrow. I think you liked when I was painting - you were moving all over the place. And today I've felt some things more like distinct movements. I think you're kicking me for not sleeping well last night. I can't help it, I have a cold!
wednesday, october 9 :::
+ No dating + Well, your little journal here seems to have taken on a definite pink hue. There just might be a reason for that. :-)
The ultrasound went perfectly. You are a squirmy little thing! Daddy and I got to see your 4-chambered heart, the lobes of your brain, your bladder, great shots of your legs and feet (Big Foot!), your spine, your arms and fists, and yes, even your little girly parts. You were doing a headstand, with your butt straight up and we could look right down and see the answer to the great Gender Question. Poor daddy's outnumbered now! He's very excited though, and so am I. It's just amazing to know that you're there, you're having a good time, and you're healthy. Thanks a lot for falling asleep in the middle of the ultrasound, but at least I was able to wake you up with a couple of giggles and a nice, deep breath. Boy, when you move, you move. No wonder I can feel you!
The doctor had no worries, everything is absolutely perfect. My weight is unchanged still, but he said that's fine. We're so excited! Now we get to shop for baby girl clothes... They're cuter anyway. Hee hee.
Oh, and your daddy made his first rule. You're not allowed to date until you have either graduated from medical school or saved up $2,000 in a piggie bank to pitch in for your wedding. Hope you don't mind.
+ Your room + Oh, and I solved the curtain dilemma in your room. I found the perfect curtains, curtain rod and hold backs yesterday after work. Of course, I can't do anything with them until your room's done. But your daddy has promised me he's going to work on the last prepping bits while I'm at work today. Hopefully he gets it done and we can start priming tonight! Yippee!
+ U-Day + U for ultrasound. Today's the day we might find out whether you are a boy or a girl, Baby O. I just can't even talk about it, I'm so excited. I'm trying not to be tooooo excited, in case you decide to be shy. But we're going to try to find out nonetheless. Your daddy's excited too to be able to see you move. I think he'll be able to feel you in a couple of weeks, but right now he's left out of your little squirmy movements. It will be fun to see you groovin' on the ultrasound. So get ready! In 6 hours, we're coming to see you!
tuesday, october 8 :::
+ One day + Just one more day until we get to see you again. I can't wait! I'm feeling you more all the time, and you're quite active in the afternoon. That makes me think we should get to see you move a lot on the ultrasound. I really hope so anyway! Daddy really wants to feel you, but no luck yet. Last week he put his head on my belly while I was lying down and tried to hear you. Silly daddy. I have a feeling in a year there will be times when he wishes he couldn't hear you! That's so surreal: to think in a year you could be almost 7 months old. Wow. I haven't made any more progress on your room, but your daddy has to find me the drop cloths first, and finish patching the holes where the red blinds came down. Which reminds me I need to think about curtains still...
monday, october 7 :::
+ Hopin' and waitin' + Well, Baby O. This week's the week I've been waiting for. Assuming you cooperate with us (please cooperate with us!), in two and a half days we will know what kind of baby you are! It's so fun because we're both desperately excited, and neither of us has a strong preference. I think our excitement might have been tinged with something a little darker if either of us had our hearts set on either girl or boy. But we're just excited to know! Daddy had his 10th high school reunion on Saturday, and some of the people we talked to were surprised we're finding out, and so soon. Daddy's response to naysayers is classic: "It's going to be a surprise sooner or later, right? We're going to be just as surprised on Wednesday as we would be in the delivery room, so why not get the surprise now?" Nobody can argue with that!
I only halfway got my way this weekend. We got all the paints and supplies to start getting your room ready. I love the wall color, and the accent green and purple - so pretty! I hope it matches your bed set, but I think it will be okay. Daddy wouldn't let me buy the crib until the room's done, since we don't want to have to put it together and stick it in the foyer for a week or two while we paint. He's right, but I was so excited that we might actually get it. Anyway, I prepped the room yesterday, moving and taping off everything, and tonight I get to start priming (once Daddy gets me a drop-cloth to cover the stuff in the middle of the room). We can finally get rid of the horrible white high-gloss paint in at least one room! I can't wait to see how it turns out. And Daddy can't wait to get the furniture out of the hall!
friday, october 4 :::
+ Neat + My navel is stretching and getting really weird-feeling. In fact, it feels like everything between my hips and my shoulders is stretching. All the time. I get these weird cramps that feel like growing pains. They go away in 10-15 seconds usually, but they hurt when they come. Sleeping is getting a little more challenging, though I'm making less bathroom breaks.
Tomorrow I'm hoping to take your daddy to Babies R Us and buy your crib (and some other stuff), then to Home Depot to buy all the paint for your bedroom with the bonus money I got today. We got surprise bonuses at work, and I quickly vetoed Daddy's idea to pay off the credit cards. We have a plan in place for that, and we didn't have a plan in place for buying all the stuff we need for you. So I think we should spend the money we don't have a plan for on the expenses we didn't plan! That's what we're going to do (though I think he's still taking $400 of it to get rid of one credit card too). I can't wait to start making "The Red Room" more like "The Baby's Room." Yippee!
thursday, october 3 :::
+ 17 weeks + Wow. Seventeen weeks. It's weird to look at the calendar and see me in my 5th week of the second trimester. I remember practically holding my breath to just GET to the second trimester! Now here it is, zooming by. Less than 23 weeks left, which means we're actually almost halfway there. In six days we will get to see you again, thankfully. I feel much more at peace this week, it's interesting. You rumble around so gently in there (amazing since you're about 5 inches long!). Plus I'm definitely showing, and it feels so comforting just to feel my tummy and know you're growing snug and warm in there. With the AFP test behind us and the weather finally cooling off, well,... It's just delightful. I still get stretching cramps once in a while, and the occasional food aversion (though for the most part I'm constantly snack-hungry), but in general? Comfortable bliss.
Now we're going to go to a baseball game! This will probably be the last one you'll go to for a while; Daddy and I have a debate on whether or not you'll go with us to games next year. You'll be pretty little, but I think you'll be able to handle it. If not, you won't get to see our Diamondbacks until spring/summer 2004! But you'll still have cute D-Backs clothing. There's just no escaping that, sorry.
wednesday, october 2 :::
+ Interesting + Excuse me, but if anyone finds my waist, will you please give it back to me? I woke up this morning and my waistline is gone. Now, I know the little pregnancy sites all warned me weeks ago my waist would get "thicker," but overnight? C'mon! I'm definitely getting bigger, and you're definitely getting bigger too. Tomorrow is 17 weeks. Are we having fun yet?
tuesday, october 1 :::
+ AFP Testing + You're okay, Baby O.! I am so glad I didn't stress about that AFP test, but I'm also glad I decided to get it. It was a message from the nurse, but she just said, "I just wanted to let you know. Your AFP screen? Normal." That was it. Phew. Even though I knew the odds of something being wrong were really low, it's still a relief to know that you're coming along fine in there and we have nothing along those lines to worry about!
+ More dreams + I dreamt about you a lot last night. You were a boy, we named you Alex, and you came very early. In fact, you were born at about 6 months (I'm guessing I'm not very patient), but you were fully "cooked" and weighed about 7 pounds. I wasn't ready for you, of course, but I had two cribs, one of which was huge and one of which was teeny tiny. You were such a good baby, never crying, just watching us. I didn't know what to do to take care of you though. I kept forgetting to nurse you, and change your diapers. Your daddy forgot too, but not as much as I did. You were born on a Friday night. Monday morning, it dawned on me that I had to call in to work because obviously I couldn't go back now. That worried me because I was afraid my desk would suddenly get really busy (it's been so slow lately!), and be a huge burden on my colleagues. I thought for a while about going in, but decided I really shouldn't. So I called my boss and left a voice mail.
I promise to take better care of you than that. I have no idea what it means, but you were so beautiful, that's the image that's sticking in my mind!
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Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul
Mayo Clinic Guide to Pregnancy and Baby's First Year
What to Expect When You're Expecting
Your Pregnancy Week by Week
Doctor Visits...
1/30 - childbirth class 4
1/27 - OB Dr. U.
1/23 - childbirth class 3
1/16 - childbirth class 2
1/13 - OB Dr. U.
1/9 - childbirth class 1
1/6 - 3-hr glucose test 12/17 - OB Dr. M. (glucose)*
*6 lbs. gain 11/19 - OB Dr. U. (checkup)*
*3 lbs. gain 11/13 - OB Dr. U. (cancelled)
10/9 - OB Dr. U. (ultrasound)
9/19 - PCP Dr. P. (checkup)
9/9 - OB Dr. U. (doppler)
9/5 - GI Dr. M. (checkup)
8/1 - OB RNP (ultrasound)
