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A registry!

October 6, 2008 by Jessica

We did it . . . we finally started a registry yesterday at Buy, Buy, Baby! Yes, we have been putting it off, and no it isn’t anywhere close to complete, but we started it! Elliot was a bit of a maniac with the gun . . . if he could shoot it, I think he put it on the registry. Of course, he has no idea that I have the power of edit on the web site, so many of the items he placed on there may have “magically” disappeared. He initially registered me for 4 different breast pumps! I think Elliot can’t wait to go back so he can have the gun again for more play time. He is also currently obsessed with strollers – I’m not exactly sure what the fascination is about, but he can’t stop investigating strollers, and was quite upset that I wouldn’t go inspect and select the strollers yesterday.

We still want to start another registry at Great Beginnings, and we may put some things online at Target or Babies R Us, too, to make it easier for out-of-town friends and family, but we finally got the ball rolling. We also went ahead yesterday and bought a reclining chair for our living room – so that will complete our living room furniture. We still need to go back to Great Beginnings and pick out a glider, but we hope to do that this week.

As for me . . . . today I am 28 weeks pregnant! Overall, I’m feeling well. This little guy is kicking up a storm. For some reason, he seems to have a fascination with my cervix – he continually likes to poke it and make me uncomfortable. I’m sure when I tell him that during his teenage years, he’ll turn bright red with humiliation and say “eww, mom, do you have to say things like that!” Is it wrong that I am looking forward to embarassing him like that one day? I also have a pain in the lower right side of my abdomen – I hope it is nothing, but it is extremely uncomfortable. I guess I probably pulled a muscle or something . . . I think it started yesterday – I’ll have the midwife check it out at our appointment tomorrow! Here is my latest belly shot, taken today:


Tomorrow we go back to the midwife for my gestational diabetes test (wish me luck!) and a regular checkup. As of tomorrow, we will now be on a 2-week appointment schedule. I can’t believe how the time is flying! Now . . . if only we could get those renovations on the house finished, we’d really be in business!

On another note, I’m obsessing about my dog, Nugget, again. She has skin and allergy issues, so back in July, I switched her to a high-quality grain-free diet. I’d tried all the other tricks, but read an article indicating that many dog skin allergies may be caused by the grains in commercial dog foods. I think her skin has been better, but she has also had a skin infection that won’t quite go away, and has been on antibiotics, so it is hard to tell. My one worry with the new diet is that it is very high in fat, and I was afraid she would gain weight. Today I took her to the vet, and we have to go back on antibiotics for the skin infection. But, I learned that she did put on a bit of weight – maybe .4 lbs. So, of course, I’m wondering what to do next! I’m not ready to give up on this grain-free diet, but I don’t want to make her fat, either. I think Elliot is ready to kill me for obsessing this much over dog food.

After our appointment, I went to the pet food store (since we are almost out of dog food anyway), and found a different grain-free brand that has a low-fat version, but of course, it is even lower in fat than the food she was on before switching to this diet (and if the fat content is too low, it can give dogs dry skin and make them itch!). So . . . I couldn’t decide what to do! I know it isn’t a good idea to change dog food too many times, but I also want to do what is best for Nugget! I can’t believe how indecisive I’m being! So, I was an overwhelmed pregnant lady in the dog food store today. The saleswoman kept making suggestions, and all I wanted to do was strangle her. First, since the new dog food we’ve been on has double the calories of her previous food, she suggested cutting my dog’s food intake in half. Great idea . . . when you are dealing with a big dog. My dog is tiny – and only gets 3/4 c. food per day. And she is already pissed about that, because back in her younger days, I used to give her more like 1 1/4 c. per day. She now KNOWS when I cheat her out of even just one piece of kibble, and is not afraid to cause a raucous if she doesn’t get her share. She has made it quite clear she will not tolerate any more reductions in quantity, caloric count be damned! And my favorite comment from the saleswoman – why don’t you let your dog taste the new brand and decide which she likes better? Um, yeah, my dog will eat rabbit poo, vomit, and dead frogs – exactly WHAT makes you think she has discriminating taste and will “prefer” one over the other – it is food, she’ll eat it (or rather inhale it), probably within about 3 seconds after I place it in her bowl!

So, after coming home and doing some research, and discovering that this new low-fat dog food also was given 6 stars by a pet food analysis web site (that I’ve decided is reliable and have been consulting for the past few years), I decided that perhaps we will try switching to the new low-fat grain-free dog food. For some reason, I felt the need to share this piece of information with Elliot – whose response was the classic “okay.” Men! He could have at least feigned interest in my momentous decision. I might even be able to give her closer to 1 full cup a day, so she will probably love that. Do you think Nugget realizes how much agony I go through for her? And to think she gets pissed at me when I put the food down 5 minutes late.

Oh . . . and here is a pic of my adorable spoiled princess:

Filed Under: gestational diabetes, movement, nugget, pictures, Registry

Third Trimester!!

September 29, 2008 by Jessica


I can’t believe it . . . today is the first day of the 3rd trimester for me! It is unreal how far we’ve come, and I’m so excited to meet this little guy in a few months. I’m surprised by how fast this pregnancy is going, and just looking forward to becoming a mom!

In other news, this little baby finally decided to cooperate and let Grammy feel him kicking a few days ago. I can tell how big and strong he is becoming – his kicks are growing in strength, and I’m feeling him everywhere from my ribs on down!

Update on me – everything is progressing well. I go back for a repeat urinalysis this week so they can tell me I still have a UTI and put me back on antibiotics (this is what is meant by positive thinking, right?). My indigestion has kicked into high gear, and the medicines no longer seem to work. Ah well, one more thing I can hold over this little one’s head when he grows up! Nevertheless, my endless craving for macaroni and cheese persists. While previously a fan of good ole’ Kraft mac-n-cheese (it’s the cheesiest!), I have recently discovered Stouffer’s Macaroni and Cheese and seem to have moved on to this new obsession. Pre-pregnancy, I never would have allowed myself to eat such a fat-laden concoction, but I seem to have a get-out-of-jail-free card with respect to calories right now. My biggest complaint is that it takes over an hour to cook! Don’t they understand that is torture for a pregnant woman? At least Kraft is ready in under 10 minutes! Regardless, the thick cheesey sauce seems to be hitting the spot these days. My only complaint is that I think they should make the 10-person size bigger . . . it makes me feel awful that they advertise the portion for 10 people and well . . . let’s just say it doesn’t take me 10 days to eat the whole thing!

I’ve been trying to be so good about avoiding carbs and unnecessary fat this pregnancy, but ever since my last appointment (when they yelled at me to gain weight) I’ve been eating all kinds of junk! Probably not what they had in mind, huh? I’m still not gaining weight (I’ve always wondered what is what like to have a metabolism like Elliot), but with my luck, I’ll have given myself gestational diabetes the past few weeks. We shall see!

As many of you know, tonight begins Rosh Hashana. What a perfect day for us to begin the 3rd trimester! In preparation for the holiday, I spent yesterday making homemade applesauce, an apple pie, and kugel for our family dinner tonight. Unfortunately, I could have killed Elliot when I first entered the kitchen to start cooking . . . he has a way of overstuffing our fridge/freezer, so there was no room for me to put any of the vats of applesauce away! Also, he left me with a dirty pot with caked on/burnt black beans all over the bottom so I had to scrub the damn thing for 3 hours before I could even attempt to make the applesauce. He did apologize and try to make up for it by stopping off at the grocery store for me on his way home. He also helped a bit with the pie – he used our apple peeler/corer/slicer and cut up the apples for me while I was rolling out the pie crust. I’m at least glad he loves to cook, and he always tries to help me in the kitchen while I’m baking. It was a long, exhausting day, but the food looks delicious!

Filed Under: heartburn, macaroni and cheese, movement, Rosh Hashana, UTI

Dancing Baby

September 24, 2008 by Jessica

Tonight I am sitting here and watching my belly . . . the baby is making my belly dance!! He seems to be kicking and punching, and my big ole’ belly is moving all over the place. I’m quite amused by this, and I can’t stop smiling. Now if we can just get him to play when my mom is in the room, he’d have a happy Grammy!

What else can I report? We are finally making progress with our house – for the first time, I have hope that it will be finished in the next few weeks. We have ordered the baby furniture, and we are actually planning to go and start registering for stuff this week.

Other than that, I’m feeling well, but still not over the morning sickness completely. Suddenly, this week the indigestion has kicked it back into high gear, and every time I eat anything, I’m feeling over-full, like there is just no room in my tummy anymore. I have my next appointment in two weeks, and I’ll be having the gestational diabetes test done. After that, I start going in for appointments every 2 weeks!

Filed Under: furniture, morning sickness, movement, moving, renovation

Whirlwind week

September 8, 2008 by Jessica

The past week has been quite crazy. The baby is kicking and moving around, and my belly grows larger by the minute. I discovered this the hard way . . . apparently, it IS possible to catch your belly and bruise it when trying to stand after sitting at a dining room table. Who knew? I need to practice backing away from the table BEFORE standing now.

I’m officially 24 weeks pregnant today! I can’t believe how fast time is flying. We have an appointment on Wednesday to see the midwife again, and my gestational diabetes test is coming up soon. Elliot has been crazy all week responding to the hurricane and tropical storm Hanna, and we are still fighting with the contractors over getting the house finished. Once again, we have another leak in the house! I’m not convinced we’ll be able to move before this baby arrives, but supposedly, they will have everything but the vanities and tile backsplash done this week – I’ll believe it when I see it!

Elliot and I are actually making progress on getting things in order – I actually would not be humiliated today if someone came into my house, which may be true for the first time in quite a few months. We have appointments set up with our organizers for the next few weeks to help us with packing and moving . . . assuming we are ever able to move.

This weekend we celebrated my niece Paige’s 2nd birthday. Here is the Dora cake I made for her:


Elliot was a big help – he did the baking, and I did the decorating. We make quite a team!

Today, however, I am worried about my dog, Nugget. She is lethargic and not eating . . . and she ALWAYS eats. We’ll be heading to the vet this afternoon, but I hope she is okay.

Filed Under: cake, movement, moving, nugget

He felt it!

August 13, 2008 by Jessica

Last night, Elliot and I were sitting together on the couch watching the Olympics, and I suddenly started to feel the little one jumping all over the place. He was turning, and kicking, and punching, and it felt like he was having a grand old time entertaining himself! He was scooting all over the place – I felt him in quite a few different places. I took Elliot’s hand, and placed it on my lower belly . . . and he said “I feel it!!” We sat like that for a long while. The little guy moved around a few more times, but he was definitely kicking up a storm, and Elliot finally got to feel him do it!

Of course, I’ve got a cold (thanks, mom!) and I had a horrible night last night. I hope I manage to get a nap in today and get rid of this cold. On a lighter note, they are supposedly painting the house today, so hopefully we will be making some progress on the renovations (finally)!

Filed Under: movement, Olympics

Big ultrasound!!!

August 9, 2008 by Jessica

Yesterday was our “big” ultrasound! It was also my father’s 65th birthday! We have been so excited, but we were convinced this baby would not be cooperative and would refuse to show us the goods. Well, it turns out, this baby decided to cooperate!

First, the ultrasound was great. Our technician was so wonderful. The baby was jumping and moving all over the place! I can’t believe how much movement I’m NOT feeling yet. All of the measurements were right on . . . right size, heart looking good, kidneys/stomach all perfect, lovely looking spine – just perfect! They estimated the baby might be about 1 day ahead of schedule, but essentially, no reason to change my expected due date!

So, here are some beautiful shots of the baby . . .

Profile pics:


Apparently, the baby already has a sense of humor – here is a scary skull face shot that just creeps me out:

And now . . . drumroll please . . . . the “money” shot:


Yes,

We’re thrilled! I’m sure one day our son will hate us because we have already posted his first penis picture on the internet! We have no idea what we are going to do for a name (and we don’t plan on sharing before he is born) but we are so excited!! After we found out the news, we drove straight to my parents’ house. Jeremy and the girls were there to wish my father a happy birthday. We decided to share the news in a truly classy way . . . we asked who was in the mood for franks and beans for dinner. We shared the pictures, and then Jeremy headed home with the girls. Mom, Dad, Elliot & I went to the Prime Rib for dinner (thanks Heather & Brad!) and it was a perfect night.

We learned even more good news today . . . my cousin Jodi got engaged last night (congratulations!!) and our friends Niki and Eric had their little girl – 7 lbs 5 ozs, mother & baby both doing well! All-in-all, it has been a great couple of days!

Filed Under: boy, movement, pictures, ultrasound

Movement . . . I think

June 28, 2008 by Jessica

Here I am, comfortably in the 2nd trimester (I’m 13 weeks and 5 days today!!), and I’m still battling morning sickness. I’ve been thinking that I might be feeling movement for the past several weeks. Yes, I know it is pretty early, but I’m hyper-sensitive and notice things many other people would miss. I think since maybe 10 or 11 weeks, I’ve had these feelings, mostly at night or when lying down in a certain position, that almost feel like a flutter or bubbles in my lower abdomen. They would just last a second or two and then disappear, so I kept dismissing the feeling. It has been increasing gradually the past few weeks, and the past few days, I have noticed the feeling, a bit stronger, during the day, too.

Well, today I’m sitting here on the couch watching Wimbledon and waiting for my mom to bring Paige and Peyton over so we can go to the pool, and I’m CERTAIN that the baby is moving. It has been on and off all morning – kind of between a flutter and a tap. I’ve felt it in a few different spots, but I’m now convinced I’m feeling the baby move! This is so exciting . . . I’m sure over the next weeks the feeling will get more intense! I can’t wait until Elliot can feel it, too! He asked already if I thought he could feel it, but it just isn’t strong enough yet.

Filed Under: movement, swimming, tennis

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Eat-Sleep-Love | Maryland DC & Virginia Sleep Coach, Baby Planner, Maternity & Child Consultant

"I was exhausted and out of ideas when I consulted with Jessica.  She gave me all the tools I needed to help my children sleep better. Thank you, Jessica, for making our home a happier one!"

-Kari

Mom to 2 year old quadruplets
Eat-Sleep-Love | Maryland DC & Virginia Sleep Coach, Baby Planner, Maternity & Child Consultant

"I was exhausted and out of ideas when I consulted with Jessica.  She gave me all the tools I needed to help my children sleep better. Thank you, Jessica, for making our home a happier one!"

-Kari

Mom to 2 year old quadruplets
Eat-Sleep-Love | Maryland DC & Virginia Sleep Coach, Baby Planner, Maternity & Child Consultant
"Our son did not know how to fall asleep on his own, sleep through the night or stay in bed past 5:00am. Jessica was there every step of the way, offering advice, suggestions and support. Her step by step plan made for easy transitions and successful milestones. We cannot thank her enough for all her work and support!"
T. and S.

Parents to 2.5 year old boy

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