The one with a mish-mash of updatey goodness

Well! That was an awful lot of excitement crammed into a couple of days, eh?
Today marks 21 weeks so we're officially more than halfway there. Yikes! Granted, I doubt she'll come on her actual due date but it's still pretty crazy to think how far we've come.

After finding out that our little lady is, in fact, a lady I decided that I needed to get something for her. Packing and shipping extra stuff will definitely be a pain in the neck, but I don't care. I will reserve a big Rubbermaid container for baby stuff. So, I went over to Zellers across the street and looked at the baby girl stuff they had ... and I picked up a super cute little tank top for our daughter. We also got our first diaper from Rochelle (thank you Auntie Rochelle!!) ...


















Look how cute!!!

(For those wondering, yes we'll be cloth diapering. The brands we'll be using are Bum Genius All-In-Ones [either sized or the one-size ones] and AMP Stay Dry All-In-Ones. I've had experience with both these diapers and I really like them. They're easy to use and I love that they have velcro instead of snaps. I don't like snaps.)

As far as I go, things are great. I feel fantastic and hope things continue to go well throughout the rest of the pregnancy. My back isn't hurting nearly as bad now that I've switched shifts at work and aside from the occasional headache and sinus pressure, I really have no complaints! I'm sleeping relatively well. I'm eating well. Things are good. I bought two more pairs of maternity bottoms (a pair of capris and a pair of shorts) and I think I have enough flowy shirts to last me for a little while. I had Boydo take a couple of pictures, so here's me and little baby girl at 21 weeks:




















Getting rounder! I'm not as thick as I look, though. This shirt has always made me look thick in the middle, even when I wore it last summer.




















How is it that I've been on TWO tropical vacations this year and I'm still white as a ghost? Hmm.

And, of course, we'll leave you all with a baby update! After much thought, I decided that our baby girl's new ridiculous fetus nickname should be the same one as my favourite ridiculously nicknamed former first lady/passenger in the JFK motorcade*. Boyd agreed with me (for whatever reason, god love him) so...















Ladybird Chapman is the size of a papaya! Wow, we've made it so far that we don't even get a new food item for the separate weeks ... it's all just "month 5" now. Woah. Her eyebrows and eyelids have fully developed. She can hear our conversations now (so I should probably watch my swears, huh) and she's settling into sleep cycles, sleeping 12-14 hours a day!

*Seriously, you're a grown woman and a first lady to boot, and you continue to go by the nickname Ladybird? Really? Ridiculous.

The one with our little baby Skeletor

Despite the fact that it's dark as anything outside and spitting thunderstorms, I got out of bed and headed back over to UC Baby when they opened this morning to get a new CD of images. I'm glad I did because at least now I'm showered and awake and I won't end up wasting my Saturday.

Anyhow, without further ado, here are a few more pictures of our baby girl. I'm a touch disappointed with the pictures, mainly because they were so focused on getting face shots ... and really, she's not all chubby and cute yet so face shots still look very skeletal and slightly creepy. I wish they'd gotten a few more profile shots and body part shots, but hey - whatever!




















Now I, Skeletor, am master of the universe!

This is a nice profile shot - plus, she's totally giving us the thumbs up. Aaaay!

Arm up over her head, opening her mouth.

Creepy babies can smile too, you know.

If you're having trouble, just tilt your head slightly to the left. See the heart shape in the mid-right-corner? That's our kid, spread eagle, showing off the goods.

And last, but not least, teeny baby foot!!

I'm taking suggestions for any hilarious (preferably rhyming) fake fetus names that are girl appropriate now that, sadly, Rufus-Doofus doesn't really work. I need something otherwise I'm going to accidentally slip up and call her by her real name which no one is allowed to know until after she's born! So, lay 'em on me people!

The one everyone has been waiting for...

We somehow managed to get an appointment at UC Baby for TODAY. What!? I also somehow managed to get covered at work so I could leave early to make said appointment (thank you Sara!!) and at 3:15 we got to see our baby again.

And, the news we've all been waiting for....

*drumroll please*

She's a girl!

















"Hello! Stop calling me Rufus! It's not very lady-like."

She was moving around like crazy, stretching, and putting her arms up over her head. It was quite awesome to watch. And yep, I thought she was a girl after the ultrasound last night. I didn't see any boy parts when the tech panned over the area. So I was right! Woo!

Unfortunately, the CD of images isn't working right now. I'm going back to UC Baby tomorrow morning to get a new one, so for now, enjoy this little preview! We'll post more tomorrow.

The one with the ultrasound!

Holy amazingly cool. That's all there is to it.

I can't really focus enough to describe the whole experience. The tech squirted the gel on my belly, put the probe down, and BAM - there was our baby's friggin' adorable face. It was actually a really amazing profile shot and very cool that we got it right off the bat. Then she just proceeded to take a tour of my uterus, taking pictures and measurements of the baby. The little heart was beating away. The hands were stretching. The baby was rolling around, squirming, trying to cozy up and get comfortable. I saw feet and lips and a nose and eye sockets and the spine. SO COOL. Everything looked perfect. Everything looked strong and healthy and just ... just perfect. It's because of all the Cheetos and chocolate milk, I tell ya. That's how you make a strong baby, apparently.

Boyd, unfortunately, had to wait outside for the first part of the exam - all the measurements and stuff - but she called him in after she got all the pictures she needed and she showed us all the little parts of the baby. There's only one in there (phew) and she said that we have a very photogenic baby. She quickly passed over the bum area and said "and here's the bum" ... I've looked at LOTS of ultrasound photos and I knew what to look for when it came to figuring out the sex. I think I might know what it is, but I don't want to say anything unless I'm wrong. We'll be making a 3D ultrasound appointment tomorrow for hopefully sometime next week ... so we'll find out then for sure!

It's still all pretty surreal. That baby is inside me. That bumping and thumping I'm feeling right now is the baby's hands punching me. Insane. It was really neat to see where the baby is right now in terms of position. Right now, it's laying across my abdomen; the placenta is toward the top of my belly; the baby's head is on my right, legs are on my left, and it's facing upward (spine down). Picture it as if I'm cradling the baby in my arms with the head in the crook of my right arm. That's how it's positioned right now. And since I really only feel the thumps and bumps on the right side and sometimes the middle, we've established that the baby IS indeed punching and headbutting me rather than kicking. Hilarious!

We didn't get a picture because they wouldn't print one for us. We had to buy all the prints for $50 and we decided that since we're spending money on the 3D ultrasound that also includes a CD of pictures, why spend the extra money on a CD of pictures that we won't even get for a few weeks anyway? So, no pictures ... YET. Once we get the 3D ultrasound done, we'll post a picture (or two, or a million) of the best-lookin' baby in the world.

My next doctor's appointment is June 14 and then we will go over all the results of the ultrasound. I noticed, though, that when she was taking measurements, I was measuring 20 weeks 0 days for pretty much everything. This actually coincides exactly with how far along I thought I was (just a few days later than the OB said). I'm sure we'll go over all of that at my next appointment, but I just thought it was kind of neat. I'm really looking forward to the next appointment - I can't wait to get more details about what's going on in there!!

So surreal. So so amazing.

The one with the halfway mark...

That's right! 20 weeks today - we've made it halfway. That's INSANE. It's really got me thinking about all the things we need to get. We currently have: a crib, a dresser/change table, a bumbo, and two pairs of socks. Insert raised eyebrows here. Realistically, I know that we're not getting much now because then we have to pack it all and ship it across the country when we move in two months. I know we'll get all the rest when we get back to Nova Scotia. But it still has me a teeny bit anxious.

Not much is new over here since the last time I posted. Rufus is thumping away like crazy these days. Maggie came up to cuddle on my lap the other day and as soon as she settled in and started purring, Rufus started punching her. I don't know if she felt it, but it sure made me laugh. He's currently busting a move to Rock n' Roll High School by the Ramones. He's definitely our kid.

I'll be sure to post an update on Thursday when we have our ULTRASOUND (woo!!) but since things are quiet over here, I'll simply leave you all with a baby update for the week!















Rufus-Doofus is the size of a cantaloupe! Holy that seems big (although I know that's it's just comparable in length but still...). He's swallowing a lot more and his digestive system is busy making meconium which will be his first bowel movement after birth. If Rufus is a girl, her uterus is fully formed. Weird. Is there another uterus in my uterus? Who knows!

The one with the THUMP!

So I've been feeling the baby a bit here and there for the last couple of weeks. It's mostly just been a fluttery feeling that I really had to concentrate on to feel and it was still only coming from the inside.

Yesterday Boyd and I were headed to the Goldeyes home opener (yay baseball!) so I wanted to have a quick nap after work since I knew I'd be up pretty late at the game. I laid down and almost immediately felt Rufus rolling around in there. Then, all of the sudden - THUMP! right in the middle of my belly. It shocked me a bit because I hadn't felt that before. So I put my hand on my belly to see if I could feel it from the outside. A minute or so later - THUMP! I felt it on my hand! I called out to Boyd to come into the bedroom. He came in and I just stuck his hand on my belly. "You might have to keep it there for a little bit" I told him. Of course, I worried that now that the baby knew I called him in, he'd be a jerk and not do it again. A minute or so passed again and THUMP! Boyd looked at me with huge eyes and asked "Was that it?!" I nodded excitedly. Shortly after, another THUMP! Boyd was SO excited. He laughed and kept repeating "that is so cool!" I love seeing him that ridiculously happy!

Rufus was kind of quiet during the ball game itself, only moving around a few times. Then the fireworks started after the game and THUMP THUMP THUMP! I can just picture him in there - "What the hell is going on?! We're under attack! Oh my god, what is that noise?!?!?" Sorry Rufus, you won't have to deal with that again until July 1st.

I'm SO happy that Boydo was able to finally feel the baby move. And since yesterday, he's been thumping around in there a lot. I kind of describe it like when you have a muscle spasm - a strange twitchy feeling that you can't really do anything about. It's taking some getting used to, but it's quite neat. I've also noticed he moves around a lot in the afternoon/evening right after I'm finished work. I bet he's probably thinking "oh thank goodness, I'm away from all those crazy high-pitched noises. I don't know what those are, but I'm so happy I don't make those noises!" He's going to be pretty mad when he's born and discovers that he sounds just like a baby too. ;)

I think it's neat that his really hard movements seem to coincide with the week that his senses are developing. We're wondering if maybe he's thumping so much harder because he can actually feel it now... it's all very neat!

The one with the second doctor's appointment...

I headed to my second prenatal appointment this morning. I wasn't sure what to expect but I had a feeling that it wasn't going to be anything overly special or important. Boyd, unfortunately, had to work and wasn't able to be there. He wants to be at all the appointments but, like I said to him, this one is probably the best one to miss because I really didn't think it would be too interesting.

And it wasn't!

I got in right away. They weighed me and I now weigh 121 lbs. I'm up 7 lbs from the last appointment 7 weeks ago and (I believe) about 11 lbs in total. That seems like a pretty okay number to me and they didn't say anything to me about it, so I assume all is good there! We went over the results of my blood tests. I'm immune to everything I'm supposed to be immune to, but I'm not immune to Fifth's disease - I got tested for it since I work in daycare. My blood type is A positive (good to know) and, of course, my iron is low. My iron is always low so that news didn't exactly come as a huge shocker. My OB recommended that I get an extra iron pill in addition to the prenatals and the iron-rich foods. So, I'll be heading out shortly to go shopping for iron supplements! My life is so exciting. She also checked my blood pressure - which I assume is fine since she didn't say otherwise - and I got to listen to the heartbeat again. That was awesome, of course. I love hearing it. This was the only point in the appointment that I really wished Boyd was there because the heartbeat was so much louder and stronger than the last time. Makes sense - the baby's much bigger now! My OB said it sounded perfect, asked if I had any questions or concerns, and I was on my way. Done and done for another month. Next up baby-wise is the ultrasound in TEN DAYS! Eeeeeee, I can't wait!

After the doctor's appointment, I unexpectedly took the rest of the day off work (for um, asbestos-related reasons) so now I'm just relaxing on this gorgeous summer day. I was able to snap a couple of pictures after I came home, so without further ado ... me at 19 weeks.




















Good ol' camera self-timer shots. Ignore the dirty laundry in the basket. Actually, be thankful that it's even IN a basket. So there.
And, because my dearest Mommy wanted to see my new maternity pants...




















Woot! And now I won't wear them for the rest of the week because they're already starting to stretch out too much and I've only had them on for ... five hours? Now I definitely do not want to/plan to gain extra weight in my bum/thigh area, but it would certainly help to make these pants fit better. Eh, whatever. Really, I'm perfectly happy that I'm just all belly right now.

And that's it on the Lisa front. Let's get a baby update and see what Rufus-Doofus is up to this week!















Rufus-Doofus is the size of a mango! He's now coated in a greasy white substance called "vernix caseosa" that helps protect his skin from the amniotic fluid. Sweet, so he's got his fur coat AND a layer of grease. This kid is the cutest thing ever. His sensory development reaches its peak this week! The nerve cells for the five senses are all developing in their specialized areas of the brain - how very cool. And, as usual, he's busy kicking and summersaulting in there while he still has the room to do so.

The one with some interaction

Howdy!

I know, I've been a bit slack with the updating. Sorry! I'd like to say it's because I'm busy, but it's not. It's because I'm too lazy. Yep, too lazy to update a blog. That's reeeeeallly lazy.

Anywho, I hit 18 weeks on Monday. Wow! I've been feeling the baby move a little bit here and there. It's mostly only when I'm really paying attention and there's a bit of pressure on my tummy (i.e. if I've got my hand there or if I'm sleeping on my tummy). I'm wondering if I might have an anterior placenta (the placenta is in the front of my uterus) because the movements I am feeling are very very slight. It's still pretty neat! I can't wait until it gets a little bit stronger...

Remind me that I said that in a month or two when the kid's feet are banging on my ribs from the inside, heh.

Boyd likes to talk to the baby. Just the other day, he put his face close to my tummy and started talking ... and I felt movement. How exciting! The baby is interacting with us! We both thought it was very cool. I do look forward to when Boyd can feel it too.

As far as doctor's appointments and whatnot go, I have my next one on Monday morning. I don't think it's going to be anything special, but it'll be nice to see how things are progressing. The big show is on the 27th when we go for the ultrasound. I can't wait!!

And we'll finish up here with a baby update for the week!














Rufus-Doofus is the size of a sweet potato! YUM! His chest moves up and down to mimic breathing, but (of course) he's not taking in any air - just amniotic fluid. He's become super mobile and spends the days rolling, kicking, twisting, and doing all sorts of acrobatics.

The one where Lisa hits 17 weeks...

17 weeks, what what? We're almost halfway there and that's crazy!

Things are getting bigger and stretchier and a bit more uncomfortable. It's nothing that I can't handle on a normal day, but I'm finding that I'm having a really hard time at work. I have a sore back from Monday morning until Friday evening and it's starting to wear on me. There are things that I just can't do anymore (or that I do and feel crazy pain from doing). It's really bothering me. I'm only 17 weeks and I'm not huge - so why is this happening? I get dizzy, light-headed, and feel out of breath doing something as simple as waiting in line at a store. My back absolutely kills me by doing simple tasks at work like changing a diaper or putting someone to bed. It's starting to make me feel a bit useless ... other people work while they're pregnant and they're fine. Why am I having such a hard time?
Starting Monday, I'll be switching shifts at work to hopefully ease some of the pains I've been feeling. My early shift involves a lot of getting the room ready (putting out chairs, putting out new toys, etc.) and handling nap room duties (moving quickly from sitting to standing to bending to put babies in cribs, etc.) so I'm hoping that relieving myself from some of those duties will help. I just feel like a big failure though. I should be able to do my job. Ergh.

Anyway...

Canada Revenue gave me back a whole bunch of money on my tax refund that I deserved but didn't know how to claim (education stuff) so after paying off the car (yay!!), most of my credit card, and a few other odds and ends, I have a bit left over for myself. So, I bought my first pair of maternity pants on Sunday. Woo! They've got the huge panel that goes all the way up my belly and they're super comfy - it's like wearing pyjama pants. They're a little baggy, though, so they're not the most flattering pants (my bum completely disappears in them) but I look forward to having comfy pants to wear again. My regular jeans still fit me if I wear them under my belly, but I don't like low rise pants and that's what they've turned into. I'm a mid-rise girl and my regular jeans just will not button up that way anymore. So yes. Maternity pants! Comfort! Huzzah!

As far as baby updates go, let's see what Rufus-Doofus is up to at 17 weeks!














Rufus-Doofus is the size of an onion! Maybe that's why I've been crying so much lately...
His skeleton is changing from cartilage to hard bone. Fat is starting to develop and will continue throughout the rest of the pregnancy to make him all squishy and adorable. He's getting much more flexible and I should start feeling him moving around pretty soon! Exciting!