Grandma's Here

Hey guys

What a CRAZY week. I went back to school this week (only Tuesday/Thursday). My mom came on Monday to stay for the week. This has been surprisingly nice. Normally my mother drives me up a wall after a day or two, but I'm happy to report a nice smooth week. My mom really respects my take on what the baby needs. She doesn't make comments about how I should do things differently. She does exactly what I ask her to, and she's been helping with housework also, but not overdoing it. Sometimes I'm a little controlling about how I want things done around the house, a little type A maybe, so it's difficult to let others help me. She goes home Monday and my husband will start taking care of her Tue/Thur while i'm in class.

I don't know what I was thinking taking on all these responsibilities this semester. I am taking an online class, not difficult, just time consuming, also an advanced GIS class (to help make me more marketable for job searches next summer), TAing a class, and I'm supposed to start writing. AND of course taking care of little Mimi all the other time that I'm not in class. GEESH, note to self, next time you have a one-month-old baby, cut back on the time commitments!

Mimi is plumping up. She's a little porker, she's up to almost 11 lbs. No one can dare say I'm not feeding her enough! The transition to having some bottles during the day from anther person while i'm gone has gone okay. She seems to be more gassy, which I think is from the bottles--she guzzles too quickly even with slow-flow nipples. Also, her sleeping pattern in a little off--I think because she needs the nursing to soothe her sometimes to get a good nap in. This is just what I think, who knows if it is true.

Finally lost 2 lbs after sticking at the same weight for 2 week straight. I think it is because I was so busy this week I didn't' have time to eat. Going to Toys R Us to stock up on diapers armed with my handful of coupons carefully clipped over the past few weeks.

I'll talk about something more substantial later when I have time to sit down and think about it--

Good luck to Courtney--She's having a little baby soon!
Good luck to Rach--She's coming along and buying some cute baby stuff

Check their blogs out too, they do a good job keeping people posted.

24.5 Weeks Pregnant

I've been so bad about updating my blog. Things have been seriously busy. I've been taking and teaching a class, working on my research and battling constant irritating illnesses from sinus infections to UTI's to migraines. My kid is sucking the life out of me! F has been taking a class too, he keeps getting stuck with deadbeat group members who don't do any work on their group projects and he doesn't have the balls to let the professor know. I guess he doesn't want to get confrontational! I hate tattle tails, but I also hate people that leach off of others work and get away with it.

Baby seems to be doing fine! We're getting really excited as the months tick away. I have my 25 week midwife apt. this week, I know she's going to harp on my weight, I've gained 6 lbs in the last month, for a grand total of 14 whopping lbs. Geesh. Baby kicks all day and F can really feel them now too. I've been eating like crazy feeling faint after 2-3 hours without food. I keep walking and taking my swim class, so hopefully the baby just had a growth spurt in utero! lol

The semester is almost over and I can go back to working on my research fulltime until the bambino makes his/her appearance this summer.

15 Weeks Pregnant

So today is my 15th week. I can't believe next month will be 4 months. Well actually I can believe it. It has been a long sickly hormonal journey so far. I'm happy that my days aren't filled with nausea and gingerale anymore. I've officially put on 1 lb that won't come back off. F and I went to dinner and a movie last night which was nice. We haven't spent much time together with me being busy and tired and him being busy and a night owl. He's taking another grad class this semester but it seems a bit easier than last semester. He's not staying up all night at our kitchen table cranking away on projects like last semester. I'm happy he likes school now and is excited about doing his Masters part time.

I'm trying to plan out how I am going to have a baby and finish my disseratation. I wish I knew other women who have been successful at having a baby and being in grad school that I could talk to for support. I don't know how long it will take me to recover after the baby, or how I well I will be able to focus on writing while being at home with the baby. If there is anyone out there that has done this send me some tips on survival.

I've been doing really well otherwise. We continue to have baby items given to us from our friends who have had kids, which is nice. We have a little pile in our guest room soon to be baby's room. That's another thing I don't know, when do you put together a nursery?

Hopefully people have some good advice. I'll leave you with that today. This rainy weather is giving me the worst headaches ever.

Baby is healthy...so far :-)

Well today was my 13-week appointment. I was feeling really optimistic this morning. F met me at the midwife's office for my appointment. He missed my first ultrasound where I saw the little bean with the heartbeat. I was hoping he would get to hear it at the apt. My intial workup went fine. My bloodwork was all really good, no STD's or anything lol. My iron levels were normal and I even lost 1 lb.! When the midwife tried to find the heartbeat with the doppler device, she couldn't. My heart sank. F looked a little upset too. She assured us that it is normal to not find a heartbeat at 13 weeks with a doppler. I'm thinking to myself "then why the hell put pregnant woment through the worry when you can't find it!?" I think she could tell I was a little upset. She called up to the ultrasound tech's and got me an apt. in an hour to have it all checked out. It was the worst hour of my life! I sat at the hospital alone because F had to get to campus for his grad class, and thought about how terrible it would be to tell everyone the baby was no more. I know what you're thinking, geesh she's so cynical and morbid. I just find it's easier to prepare for the worst and be pleasantly surprised is something else happens.

At 1:30, they promptly took me in for the ultrasound and everything was fine. The baby measured perfect and the heartbeat was 171! I cried because I felt so happy. It's kind of the first time I felt so protective and loving towards the baby. Before today it just didn't seem real. I just felt like I had a terrible flu everyday. Now I feel confident about my pregancy. I am working up the balls to talk to my boss at the end of this week. There's one thing your graduate advisor does not want to hear 1/2 way through your phd..."i'm pregnant" so It's hard to talk to him about it. I know he'll be supportive, but I also know in the back of his head he'll know i'll be distracted and less productive. Wish me luck and enjoy the pics!