Saturday, March 26, 2011

Herbs!

Well, last night was interesting. I came home from work at 10pm to find certain-individuals-who-shall-remain-nameless weren't handling their liquor very well. Ash and I stayed up all night nursing them back to health (good practice for that newborn, eh?), which was a lot of fun, surprisingly. So that lack of sleep combined with the sudden drop in temperatures today made me feel a little under the weather.

I met with an herbalist to talk about getting some nice pregnancy/birth herbal support. We had a great conversation that not only inspired me to do better with my general nutrition and fitness, but inspired me to get back into tea drinking in general. We drank this nettle and oats tea the whole time that made me feel like SUPER WOMAN. I have got to get me some of that stuff (I'm so glad we planted nettle in our herb garden!!).

This herbalist has been helping Ash out with his seasonal allergies. For the first time, my dear husband has not been waking up sneezing every morning!! It was kind of entertaining to count the sneezes (gosh several dozen every day), but miserable for him. This is the only thing that has ever helped him.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

I got an ultrasound appointment!! April 1st. That's next Friday!! I will be 18 weeks next week so they should have no problem telling us what the sex is (unless baby decides to cross their legs oh-so-modestly).

It hurts where my stomach is. Not like a stomach ache, but like the muscle next to the skin right at the bottom of my ribcage (either my diaphragm or my upper abs) just hurts hurts hurts. It is often accompanied by middle back aching. I also get a lot of ab and round ligament pain after picking up the 14 month old (she is over 25 lbs). I'm going to have to start picking her up a lot less, which a 14 month old is going to have a hard time understanding. Especially a 14 month old who can't talk to express what it is she wants, exactly (sometimes she wants to be picked up because she is scared, sometimes because she can't see the source of a sound and is curious, and sometimes because she wants to point to something she needs). I also have to pick her up now and then for safety (she is trying to go up the stairs too fast, there is a car coming, etc). Remind me to have my next baby before my first one gets this big!!

My mom and I went to weigh and sort bulk foods for our food coop this morning. A very social 8-year-old girl there offered to teach me sign language! So I learned a bunch of signs this morning. The word "like" (as in "I like bananas") looks like you are pinching and stretching out your nipple.... so weird. But I'm excited to teach my baby sign language so we can communicate early on. Apparently there are some baby signing books/DVDs that aren't actual American Sign Language!! So you have to be careful what you buy. I think I would be better off just learning it online off of ASL websites.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

second appointment

My appointment went well! The heartbeat is still going strong (between 150-160 beats per minute), and my uterus is growing like it's supposed to. We had our checkup with the other midwife, Jane, and we got to meet another one of her assistants. So I think we have officially met everyone in the practice? There might be one more assistant. Still no ultrasound appointment, Deb said that if she sent the referral too soon then they would have just ignored it. So she sent it again.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Consignment store finds

I found a used Baby Bjorn for $11!!!!!!! Those things are $80 minimum brand new. It has some stains on it, it looks like someone tried to use a little bleach or something silly, but who cares! I tested out all the buckles and belts to make sure they were working properly... even with all the wear and tear on it, it appears to be super high quality and like it will last a lifetime. I know there is some concern with this carrier, because it puts most of the weight on the baby's crotch rather than their bum, but I plan on using a ring sling or wrap for everyday use. For things we do occasionally (like hiking long distances) I thought it would be nice to have something easier to get on and off and pass between us, and with better support for the shoulders. Especially for Ash. If it turns out to suck, oh well, I only paid $11!

I also bought 4 receiving blankets for about a dollar each... they look like they will make really good baby wipes, cut up.

It's hard to find sleep gowns. The sleep sacks are not usable for someone who's practicing EC and needs quick access to the aft-end of the baby. I found one today for $4.

I bought two guard rails for my mom's bed, per her request. She wants to be able to take naps with the baby and cuddle with it when Ash and I are on date nights. She wants to buy me a breast pump as well, so I can enjoy occasional date nights and baby-free-errand-running (and maybe working a shift or two?).

Sunday, March 20, 2011

16 weeks

I had such a HUGE tummy on Friday and Saturday, I guess it was just from eating so much and being a bit constipated, because my tummy is back to what it looks like in this picture:

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Here are two bibs Alyssa and I made, with cute cotton on one side and terry cloth on the other side. In the photo is also the brown knit hat my mom made. Next she is starting on a sweater and I want her to learn to make diaper covers.

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I also made this bib, which is reversible and folds up to create a pocket to catch food. Generally all the stuff I made looks terrible, but I don't care too much as long as it is functional! I will get better I hope.

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Here is the bird mobile I made. The branch holding them up came from the cedar tree we cut down two weeks ago to build our tool shed. I don't know how or where I will mount it, yet.

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I have an appointment with my midwife on Tuesday morning, Ash is working so my mom is going to come. I still don't have an ultrasound appointment. I still have an aversion to fish and chicken but my sugar aversion is fading away. For the past two days I have felt like eating nothing but fruits and veggies, but now my appetite is coming back again and no matter how much I eat I can't satisfy it!! I still only weigh 130 despite eating like an olympic swimmer.

This is how my diaper collection is coming along:
2 newborn PUL covers
2 small PUL covers
1 newborn fleece cover (by MELANIE!)
2 fitted medium diapers
1 small handmade AIO (the red one)
17 flannel wipes
1 roll disposable liners (someone gave me these, not sure how to use them)
6 snappies (still trying to figure out how to use these too)

12 toddler prefolds
16 newborn prefolds
3 infant prefolds

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Monday, March 14, 2011

Spring has Sprung

I sent in my registration form for my hypnobabies class today!! I got the LAST SPOT. It starts May 1st. I'm so excited!!

I have started drinking cranberry juice because I read online that pregnant women are more susceptible to UTI infections and kidney stones. The 100% cranberry juice tastes TERRIBLE, so I mix it with another juice that has cranberries, raspberries, and apples. But I don't want to outweigh the benefits of the cranberry by drinking a ton of sugar! I tried to just eat dried cranberries, but those are QUITE sugary and hurt my teeth. I can eat them in oatmeal, though.

One major pregnancy craving I cannot satisfy... FAST AND FRENCH. The best restaurant in Charleston/the world. I seriously keep looking at my calender, trying to figure out how I can drive down there... our friend Dan has a spare bedroom, which happens to be the bedroom Ash and I used to live in, and there is always music stuff Ash can do with Dan. So the excuse is there, the room is there, now I just have to find the time...

I wish I could join Ash pruning grape vines for $12/hr in the mornings, but the farmer has this crazy dog who jumps up on people, and last time I was there she knocked me over and scratched me with her claws. So I don't feel right going back there, especially now that my belly is bigger. But gosh darnit that's good money!! I would ask her to lock up the dog, but she wants the dog to be out every day with her so she can work on her behavior daily. If the dog is locked in the pen all morning it might just make her even more neurotic.

I wore shorts and a tank top on Sunday. It was so beautiful. I did some work outside on the leftover cedar trimmings, while Greg, Dylan, and Danielle (who is due about the same time I am) worked on building our tool shed.

COME ON, BABY BELLY, YOU ARE SO CLOSE TO JUST POPPING OUT!

Saturday, March 12, 2011

We have movement! (15 weeks)

I felt it move last night! I sat up to get a drink of water and I sort of slouched over. The baby gave me a solid couple of nudges, as if to say "hey, sit up straight! give me some room in here!" So amazing... it's only the size of an apple and already is the boss of me.

(Notice my attempts to stay gender neutral. I can't wait to find out, but my midwife has still not gotten back to me about an ultrasound appointment in a couple of weeks).

It is so insane that I am already 15 weeks... in 5 weeks I will be HALFWAY THROUGH MY PREGNANCY. My sister was visiting for spring break last week, we made three bibs and a whole bunch of cloth wipes. My mom knitted a really nice brown, soft, wool hat. I told her to try and knit a couple of kitty ears to sew on the top (I know, it's pretty trendy, but probably the cutest trend of all time). My next project is to try and make a diaper cover. The only part I'm nervous about is the elastic, I have never used it in sewing before. As soon as I find out the sex I can start sewing clothing. I will try and get some photos up soon.

I've been trying to research attachment parenting groups in the area... it looks like they have pretty large memberships (100+ members) but scattered interest in monthly meetings. I keep hearing that my best bet is a La Leche League meeting, which is cool but I want to wait until I am a bit more pregnant before going to that. I'm really nervous that I will show up to the meeting place and find that my local chapter doesn't exist anymore. COME ON BREAST FEEDIN MOMMAS don't let me down.

The 14 month old I watch has a terrible cold. Her mom took her to the pediatrician and this woman totally man-handled her. I mean the poor baby is sick and scared, and she is being physically forced to go through the exam at top speed, crying and protesting the whole time. Her mom emailed me to ask if I knew of any attachment-parenting-friendly pediatricians in the area... I don't, of course, I haven't started my research in that area yet since all of my newborn care will be handled by my midwife. I'm going to send out the question to the homeschooler's list serv my mom is on, since a lot of those families are AP.

I have been thinking about names for the baby... I really like James Lucca and Clara Liffey but I don't want to look into the eyes of my baby and say "yikes, this is no Clara!". I want to have more options. Rosalind has always been my other girl's name, and our other boy's name is Rumi (apparently we are into L's and R's), but I want MORE choices! My friend Sam said her last baby was 6 months old before she finally named him (she wanted to name him Rowen but the dad hated the name, they finally settled on Owen). I kind of like the idea of giving it some time. But I also like the idea of being sure of my choice!!

Sunday, March 6, 2011

First stages of nesting?

I'm still waiting to hear back from my midwife, I'm supposed to be getting an ultrasound appointment for the end of the month, to find out the gender.

My belly continues to pop out at an ANNOYINGLY SLOW rate. I can't tell if the pinching feelings I get in my lower abdomen are the baby moving and hitting my little cyst on my ovary, or something not as interesting. My bladder is teeny tiny and wakes me up several times per night (sometimes multiple times an hour). I also wake up often to drink a ton of water. I'm really scared that my belly isn't popping out because something is wrong with the baby... I'm a paranoid mom already!!! I wish I had a fetascope so I could hear the heartbeat every morning and put my mind at ease. But when I look at my belly two weeks ago, and then look at it this week, I think you can tell that I'm growing?

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I am now 129 lbs which means I have gained 4 lbs since getting pregnant. Not bad for 14 weeks along! Actually, pretty much perfect. It's really hard to eat enough, and especially to eat enough protein, but gaining weight seems to be easy. I'm really looking forward to spring and summer, all of my favorite foods are in season and I will be spending most of my time outdoors.

In the meantime I have started doing a bit of baby prep.... I tie dyed a bunch of onesies! It occurred to me while dying them that I had NO IDEA what the dyes were made of, but I guess if I wash it several times before the baby wears it, it should be fine. The yellow one I gave to my dad, because his friend at work just had a baby. The ones with the green background were that green color originally, the rest were white originally. I bought some more 99 cent plain white ones to dye this weekend but it's pouring outside so it will have to wait.

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I also started converting my mom's dining room into a baby play room, which means putting all of my sewing stuff into it first. I just pushed the dining room table against the wall and bought those shelves from Target. It's nice to see all of my supplies organized and easy to find, and my fabric collection starting to build! I'm going to make some bibs and diapers today.

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