SURGE!

For the past couple of weeks, usually toward the end of the week (say, Thursday-Saturday-ish)... I've been experiencing crazy waves of hormone surges which have been, to say the least, un-fun. It has been the experience that I'll have the moody, hormonal day - and then the next day, I get those "make room for baby" cramps, then the next day - back to normal pregnant me.

I completely understand why women who are pregnant, or have recently had children are commonly perceived as NUTS. Because they themselves, if they've had a similar experience to what I'm having, believe that they are.

Alex has been so wonderful throughout these days of insanity. Today he read to me, put me down for a nap, took care of dinner, and entertained me - all to try to help me feel better. It must be equally as frustrating for him as it is for me that none of those things actually made me feel "better", but they did make me feel loved - and let me know that I am not alone in this. Honestly, I think the one thing all day that did - for even the briefest of moments - lift my spirits was when he said "our daughter". You see, despite how I am feeling today - or how melancholy some of my posts on here can be - I am BEYOND thrilled to be pregnant, and the fact that this is Alex & my child... It's what I've wanted since the day I fell in love with him. I wanted to have his children, and be his wife. And I am.

Days when I'm not crazy hormone lady - and even right now - I can proclaim with out any doubts that I am the luckiest woman who truly has everything she's ever wanted... A completely amazing husband, and a beautiful baby on the way.

This is what I've been reminding myself of all day throughout my frustration and hormone-induced blues. I have everything to be happy about and thankful for.

- mama g

lemon

so WTE says that having (and endulging in) cravings outside of the 1st trimester is just a cry for attention. Other sources I have read say that if you have a craving during pregnancy - even if it's for something less-than-healthful, to go ahead and satisfy it (but perhaps in a small amount) because there is something in that food that your baby or your body needs.

For most things baby-related, I tend to heed the advice of WTE. It is, after all, "The pregnancy bible"... But the cravings are a beast all their own. If I don't satisfy the craving, it intensifies - and hangs around. It's more than "Hmmm... I could sure go for ________". It's a constant little nagging in the back of my head saying "lemon cake! lemon cake! lemon cake!!"

I've never disliked lemon-flavored baked goods... I've always thought they were "okay" - frankly I could take them or leave them. (Unlike my feeling for all things chocolate, but I digress.) So this recent almost week-long craving for lemony baked goodness really has me puzzled. But it's definitely what I seem to want - which means that it is naturally difficult to find.

In other news - Lola is kicking away. She's moving more and more each day - which I know isn't accurate... She's been moving this much all along, it's just that I'm now able to feel it. Nonetheless - I'm feeling a lot of it. And it's really fun except if I've just eaten, or if I need to pee. Alex still can't really feel it from the outside. I'm hoping that soon he will be able to - I know it is really frustrating to him, because he wants to much to feel what I'm feeling. And I really want him to as well.

My hips are feeling better. Lorelei definitely underwent a big growth spurt last week, my belly is bigger than it was at the cupcake party. I'm glad the growth spurt seems to be over for the time being. I sure do get hormonal and sore all over when those happen. I still feel a little bit medicine-headed. You know, that foggy detached feeling you get when you've got a cold and have taken Sudafed for a couple of days?? I feel that way most of the time these days. Alex says it's almost like an alien has taken over - and that I seem really different. I feel like I'm just stuck in a dense fog. I can tell I'm not myself though... My personality is dulled - muted even.

Overall - I'm feeling (physically) pretty good though. I still get my morning nap in most days - but I don't need an additional late afternoon nap as well anymore. And, not that I want to jinx it - but last night, I only had to get up and go to the potty ONE TIME out of 7 hours!!! It was a miracle! I'd love it if that were to last a week or so before L gets too much bigger.

I am off to Bedfordshire. It's 11:00, and even though I am feeling less tired during the day, I am still past ready for bed by this point each night.

Hope you are doing well!

xoxoxooxoxoxoxoxo

-mama g

time for more pictures!

I have the 9/3 ultra sound pictures for you! They will follow the update.

Baby Lorelei is doing great! According to WTE, she weights right around a pound, and is just over 8 1/2 inches long. She kicks a lot everyday. It's still really hard for her Daddy to feel her - and even I have a hard time feeling her from the outside. But I have NO TROUBLE feeling her on the inside. We have The Beatles RockBand game, and last night - while we were playing, Lorelei was kick kick kicking like crazy! It's a fun time for me as a Mommy to be - I'm definitely forming a strong connection with this precious little girl.

As for Mama G... I'm doing just fine. Feeling less tired progressively. I still have days - like last Friday and Saturday... I must have had a huge surge of hormones or something, because I felt drained and to be honest - a little emotional. But by Sunday - I felt more back to normal, and I've felt fine the past couple of days. I am getting out of breath more while doing completely benign tasks (like dusting). I still have issues with bending or squatting - why in the world should that cause gagging?? And the issues with brushing my teeth are hit and miss... Some days I don't gag - and some days I do every time I brush. There are many wonders of pregnancy, I suppose. I've noticed the past couple of days that my hips have been exceptionally sore... It makes sense - hormone surge followed by growth spurt. Last night, I had been sitting in a strange position on an ottoman - and when I stood up, my left leg would not cooperate. I just couldn't put any weight on it - it felt like it was asleep even though it wasn't. All I could do was laugh - it was such a bizarre feeling! And that was most unfortunate, since the reason I stood up was to go to the bathroom. :) I made it - don't worry. It was just hilarious to me for some reason. (Guess I have my Mom's sense of humor)

Alex is feeling MUCH better these days. I think the change of season allergy attack is fading away - and he's starting to feel more like a human THANKFULLY! He's still enjoying work - and keeping super busy with school. (He's taking 9 hours!!) I'm amazed at how great he's doing juggling all his responsibilities - PLUS taking excellent care of me. :)

Picture time! I hope you enjoy!!!


here we have baby feet - looking from the bottom. if you squint - you'll be able to make out little tosies!!


This is the profile shot - Alex says Lorelei has my nose. :)


Finally, this is the shot where the sonographer could tell that our baby is a girl. I couldn't tell you how - but she said it was crystal clear.

- mama g

Cupcake Party

Here are pictures from the cupcake party we had to reveal Sprout's gender.

Enjoy!


cupcakes lined up on the counter... EVERYONE was anxious to take a bite!



first bite!



can you tell what color the frosting inside the cupcake is???



Mommy, Daddy, and BOTH Grandmas! What a LUCKY baby!!!


Mommy holding my blankie bear


silly Daddy put my blankie on his head! Mommy says he loves to wear all kinds of funny hats.


My first picture with Auntie Kakes


My first picture with Auntie Laura

So, if the pictures aren't clear enough - Sprout is a girl! We are going to name her Lorelei Josephine.

If it's possible, we are both even more excited about this - now that we know our baby is a girl. We started major work over Labor Day weekend clearing out a bedroom for the nursery (or the "Sprout House" as we lovingly call it).

-mama g

THE ultrasound

We had a very successful ultrasound this afternoon. Sprout was completely cooperative. No bribes required. :)

This ultrasound involved a full anatomy study. We got to see legs, feet, and toes (of which Sprout has the appropriate amounts) as well as arms, hands, and fingers (again - appropriate amounts) the heart with all the required chambers - functional, a face with eyes, nose, and well-formed lips, and even brain... Well, the sonographer saw the brain - and could tell that it was doing whatever it was supposed to be doing.

Sprout weighs in at a whopping 12 ounces!

The sonographer said that best she could tell, the baby is progressing perfectly.

It couldn't be happier news.

We were able to CLEARLY see the gender... And I will post it on here after this weekend. Alex and I want to tell our families before we broadcast it to the world. (It's only fair!)

All this good news makes me one happy Mommy!! :)

- mama g

Finally posting the most recent ultrasound pics!

These are from the unexpected ultrasound on August 12th. :) Sprout is getting to look more and more like a baby all the time.







Also - a mini update: eggs are officially on the ban list. I have tried them several times in the past week, hoping that I would be able to stomach them. But this morning, I actually lost it.

So no more eggs for at least a while.

In other news, however, I am able to eat baby carrots again.

Pregnancy is strange. :)

-mama g

the belly, the vaccination, and the beginning of swollen feet

Greetings, faithful reader!

For those of you who might have lost count... We are half-way through week 19. Sprout is making him or herself more and more known each day. Including right now. (I'm being kicked as I type this).

I am officially showing. Thankfully, Alex thinks my pregnant belly is cute. This is really good news for me, because it didn't feel anything even resembling cute until he said it was. Now - I'm starting to feel better about it. It's really bizarre... We girls spend most of our lives trying to keep our tummies from view - and then we get pregnant, and they are out there on display. It's hard to let it go, and be okay with a tummy poking out. But what do you do?

I've gotten a few emails and phone calls asking me how I'm going to handle all this flu nonsense. I'd be lying if I said I'm not a bit concerned. I'm concerned. College campuses are giant petree dishes for diseases, and since the H1N1 likes the young folks... I'm sure that it will be on our campus in force. The good news: my particular college has moved off of the main campus due to remodeling of our building. And my one and only class is being held in the off campus location. That means I will only be exposed to College of Ed people. The bad news: most of the College of Ed people work with children at schools during the day, and then attend class in the evening. My particular class has only 7 or 8 people in it... And I think only 1 or 2 actually teach in schools, so really - with hand washing, and good hygiene as the CDC recommends... I should be fine. I am getting the regular flu vaccination tomorrow, and then HOPEFULLY - the campus health clinic will get the H1N1 vaccine when it becomes available in October. If they get it - I am already on the list. But they won't know for a couple more weeks. I am being careful already. I carry clorox wipes and anti-bacterial wipes with me at all times - AND I do use them often. (i.e.: today on the shopping cart at Target) I've been washing my hands very carefully, and if I even sense that someone I'm around is sick... I'll leave the room. I'm not afraid to be rude at this point. I've got to look out for Sprout.

Today, I did the grocery shopping for the week... Which, I have to say is getting more tiring each time I do it recently. I'm hopeful that it will start getting easier - OR that I find another solution for getting groceries into the house. (I've actually been thinking that if I break it up into 2 smaller trips, it might be a little more doable) Anyhow, as I was driving home, I noticed that my flip flop was digging into the top of my foot. I looked down, and saw my little toes were all kinds of swollen. My ankles weren't too bad, but my toes were puffy and stiff. I've read that the whole swollen feet thing is super common and gets worse as the pregnancy wears on... My thought? Minimal. I can handle swollen feet. It's some of the other possible side effects of pregnancy that have me sleeping with garlic & holy water on my bedside table. Thankfully, I've not had to deal with any of those...

...and just to prove that I still have a sense of humor about things... Pregnant Women are Smug (I wouldn't watch this at work. It has one or 2 inappropriate words)

- mama g