Blueberry Bronson Prediction Game

We Are Expecting! Due Date Is August 3, 2010!

Tune in to see how Baby Bronson is developing and the challenges and joys that Adam and I face.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Heartbeat: 170 bpm (13 weeks)

Let me tell you...wanna realize just how naive you are about babies? Try having one. I am reading all of the books and still I don't feel like I understand what is going on or have a grasp for what happens when. But, that is okay. My baby seems to be doig all of the work, and I am along for the ride (and the food!).

We went in for our second doctor's visit today (13 weeks) and poof! - we got to hear our baby's heartbeat! Wow! Adam and I both had the "when will we get to hear the heartbeat?" as one of our questions to ask, but neither of us had a clue it would be today! What a lovely surprise!

I think I was so overwhelmed that it was happening that I forgot to react. Adam said that at one point I lit up a when I heard something, but that was followed by the doctor telling me it was just my heartbeat - which is pretty cool to hear, too. Then, he moved a little to my left and this faint little "boom, boom, boom, boom" heart was beating at about 170 bpm. (This is not me on the YouTube video, but here is what it sounds like.) The doc kept saying, "well, that's your baby!" and "isn't it exciting?!" I think he expected me to be overwhelmed with emotion. My reaction was more of the stunned variety. Pregnancy has really mellowed my reactions to a lot of things. Thankfully, Adam took on the welled-up-eyes for both of us. :)

It was a beautiful, sunny morning, we heard our baby's heartbeat, and the bonus was that I actually weighed a pound less than last time (even though I attribute that to the fact that I was wearing Tory Burch flat to-the-knee boots to my first appointment). But that doesn't matter....my chart says I weigh less. :) AND both my doctor and my two favorite nurses commented on the fact that I have a "pooch." Yay! It is fun when the doctors and nurses tell you you are actually showing and that is is not just in your head.

Wow! What a difference a day can make! Yesterday, I felt like I was going to go through the rest of my pregnancy in a teary fog, and today I feel like things couldn't be more perfect!

OH! BTW - we scheduled our next appointment and sonogram for February 26 where we will find out the gender. If you want to participate in our online baby pool, be sure to put in your vote of gender soon! Prizes still to be determined! :)

Monday, January 25, 2010

The Flood Gates Are Open


Oh my gosh! - You hear about people getting massages, and it providing an emotional release. Well, that has never happened for me. Massages and yoga tend to be these outlets of relaxation bliss for me...until yesterday.

Let me begin with the fact that I HEART my prenatal yoga class at Uptown Yoga. The instructor, Zed, is fabulous and so hands-on, modifying all of the poses to each person's comfort level.

Well, at the end of every class, we do a modified version of the corpse pose. The purpose of the corpse pose is to come to a complete stillness within yourself and the ultimate relaxation. It is also a time where the instructor has us really envision our child to bond. It makes for a very special moment, because if you are like me, you never slow down enough to do that.

There are two popular modifications of the corpse pose that are safe for pregnancy. One is where you saddle up to the wall (literally!) by putting your hips on the wall and your feet in the air with a blanket under your hips. You place your hands straight out to the side or on your stomach.

The other pose, and the one I chose to do, is where you sit Indian-style and lie down with two yoga blocks, one under your shoulder blades and one under your head. As with the previous pose, you place your hands straight out to the side or on your stomach. It looks kind of like the image at the top of this postint but with your legs crossed in front of you.

As I was lying there just being quiet, tears just started flowing. I recalled that the instructor saying in the previous week that this pose is to open up your heart and can be very emotional. Not really believing in that Chakra stuff, I was really freaked out. Then, when she asked us to place our hands on our stomach and bond with our baby, I really about lost it....that's where the flood gates opened. Whoa! It was one of those moments where you just want to crawl under the yoga mat and hide.

After class, I stayed behind to ask about my reaction to the pose. Zed said it was common and that maybe I had been holding in my emotions (aka a blocked Chakra). Not sure I am ready to sign up for that thinking yet, but the tears have continued to flow ever since class. Yesterday and today, if you looked at me wrong, I lost it!

Anyway - this, too, shall pass, but I thought it was incredibly interesting and wanted to share.

Tomorrow we go for our second doctor's visit. Will post more after that.

Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Hello Second Trimester!


Wow! Today marks the end of our first trimester and the beginning of the second trimester. Congratulations, little Blueberry, you have graduated to a new stage! Adam and I are already beaming with pride at your accomplishments!

According to the experts, BB is somewhere between the size of a large plum and a peach, measuring 2-3 inches from crown to rump. All of the major organs are formed and are maturing. Our head is about the same size as our body, but that will change as BB grows (unless we have a "Person" head which is huge!). Our arms and legs are flailing a lot, though mom cannot feel it just yet.

Mom is still a little nauseous, fatigued, and constantly starving. Sleep is great and heavy on the wild and bizarre dreams, although it is interrupted by numerous bathroom trips. There is a slight rise between my hips...even when I lie down, which is the true test to see if you are showing. So exciting!!

Dad is perfect, perfect, perfect! From multiple chick filet runs to toast in bed on morning sickness days to just holding me when I am overwhelmed, I could not ask for a better partner through this.

Adam and I have always been close to each other and supportive of each other, but I never knew this level of affection and love could exist.

What a miracle this process is!

Blueberry Bronson Prediction Game

If you wish to play our Blueberry Bronson Prediction Game, here is a link to the site! You can guess the gender, date and time of the birth, baby weight, and baby length. We'd love to know what you think!!

We will find out the gender in about five weeks so get those predictions in quickly! Here are some helpful (or maybe not so helpful) inside tips:

1. My Chinese Gender Predictor says it will be a girl.
2. My Baby's Heart Rate Gender Predictor says it will be a girl.
3. The book "What to Expect When You Are Expecting" says if you are eating constantly (and I am!) that it is very likely that it is a boy.

We are still brainstorming what the prizes will be....stay tuned!

Monday, January 18, 2010

Past the point of nausea and fatigue? Hmmm...not quite.

Last week was awesome! I had energy, subbed school every day, worked a bit in Adam's office, ran errands, etc. It was a wonderful week filled with lots of activity and what I assumed to be the beginning of my super-energized "nesting" period. Thursday was only a small setback when it was hard to get out of bed. But once I was up and moving, all was well again.

Friday was good, and Saturday we moved bedrooms to be closer to the room that will eventually be the nursery. Moving was so exciting, and Adam's parents were here with eager hands and great input for furniture layout, and this super mom simply overdid it. I didn't feel like I really lifted much, but I suppose a few solid wooden dresser drawers filled with clothes were a bad idea! After we got everything situated in its new location, I spent the remainder of the afternoon taking Tylenol (the non-contaminated variety - Adam checked for me!) and lounging on the couch with a heating pad (no hotter than medium heat...I promise).

For the first time in my pregnancy, I was a little concerned. They say that you know your body best, and this felt like a red flag moment. But, I decided to just lay low instead of panicking. Later in the evening (after two rounds of Tylenol) I felt better so we went to dinner, and it was a really nice night...pretty pain free.

The next morning, I was a little sore, kind of like a pinching sensation in my abdomen where the baby is. Again, we laid low and went to a light brunch with friends. I wanted to feel as well as possible because Sunday marked my first prenatal yoga class! (My sweet, non-pregnant friend Amy joined me for support.)

All I have to say is wow! Yoga (Uptown Yoga) is such an incredible, therapeutic tool! Not only was the instructor super sensitive to everyone's needs, the stretching and breathing really made my pain dissipate, not to mention completely relaxed me.

Now, if I had been completely smart and on the ball, I would have taken in some cheese or a Belly Bar or something to eat in the middle of class (yes, they actually allow you to eat if needed) because it ran a little long, and I was starving and sick afterward. I spent the rest of my day trying to get back ahead of the nausea, eating all afternoon, and napping.

BUT...this morning, I woke up a little sore from yoga (ya know....the good kind of sore from a challenging workout) and was inspired to try my new moves at home. So, after my sweet husband brought me toast in bed (nausea again!), I got up and rolled out my new yoga mat (courtesy of Ryan and Amanda, my sweet siblings-in-law) and breathed through a handful of the moves. Today's report: I feel great! :) Even after only one yoga class (and maybe because it was morning and I hadn't eaten much yet) I could see that protective fatty layer around my belly button flattening somewhat and instead see the slightly harder curve between my hips that is actually my sweet, growing baby. Very exciting!!

Maybe my dreams of being that cute, small, pregnant belly mama aren't totally wrecked yet! :)

Friday, January 15, 2010

Insurance: Friend or Foe?

Okay...so, maybe we should have reviewed our maternity benefits prior to getting pregnant. But we were so paranoid about keeping everything secretive that we even decided to keep it from Aetna! Dumb move evidently.

As it turns out, our medical coverage is not too bad. However, our lab/diagnostic coverage is only applicable to tests done in the doc's office. Makes sense, right? 80% coverage/20% out of pocket after a reasonably small deductible. Well, it does make sense unless, like my doc, there is a lab that physically resides in the doctor's office, but in reality is merely an outside lab/diagnostic center that simply leases space from the practice. Ugh!! Pretty much two sonograms, and then everything else will be 100% out of pocket.

So, my dear friends, please learn from our stupidity and naïveté. This expense is not unbearable, and we are blessed to have insurance....I know this to be true....however, the cliché of 20/20 hindsight can be utterly frustrating. (Sometimes Obama's "healthcare for all" pipe dream doesn't look so bad!) ;) Hee hee! Just kidding!

Insurance: friend or foe? The jury's still out. We'll let you know after August 3, 2010.

Belly bands: ummm...what?


Well....they certainly aren't sexy! But, oh my! They really offer a lovely amount of comfort and support!

It works not only to add support for your growing tummy, but it also conceals unbuttoned/unzipped pants, allowing you to remain in your regular britches for a little longer. Depending on how long your top is, they typically peek out underneath. So, if you are feeling sassy, I found a website that has all sorts of fashionable options (and a few tacky ones, too)!

There are a few brands out there, but a friend advised me to go with the BellaBand available for only $16.99 at Target. A white one and a black one...what more could I want!?

I wore my new belly band this week while teaching, and in the standing or sitting position, it was great! However, it does tend to roll up if you are doing a lot of squatting and/or picking up things off of the floor. Not a perfect product, but I am not sure how they could make it work much better. I would give it a B rating. :)

Monday, January 11, 2010

Our first sonogram


December 29, 2009. 9 weeks, 1 day.

The miracle maternity gadget - THE RUBBER BAND

My dear friend Mary Kempton told me how great a rubber band can be when you're not ready to face maternity pants, but boy! she wasn't kidding. After using one all weekend long with my skinny jeans, I thought it would only be the jeans not fitting....because after all, they are called "skinny jeans." But no! Today, I think I can officially say I have graduated to the all pants require a rubber band stage. Kind of fun....kind of freaky! Next, comes the belly band which sounds very scary and unattractive! :)

A moment(s) with my husband

So....we found out we were pregnant and were freaked, excited, overwhelmed, happy, scared....very emotional! And we wanted to share it with everyone, but we decided it would be best to wait until our first doctor visit which was December 29, 2009.

It was a wonderful secret that Adam and I shared! Such a special time when you really feel the bond of your marriage grow stronger.

On a funnier note...it kind of felt like being in a Sue Surprise skit by Saturday Night Live's Kristen Wiig, where you are just about to pop to share the news!

But, because we were being quiet, Adam took the time to find ways for us to celebrate. My FAVORITE has been and continues to be his serenading of "You're Having My Baby." We are Glee fanatics, the show about a high school glee club, and in the story there is a couple that gets pregnant, and of course, the boyfriend sings to his lovely mom-to-be. Please, please, please watch the video clip because it makes it all that much more hysterical and enjoyable. And....as cheesy as it is, I love it! It always makes me smile. Thank you, Adam. :)

Our first three months

For the first month, you almost don't know you are pregnant. It is crazy! For us, we had been trying so we were pretty tuned in, and still it was a surprise and shock! :)

We spent Thanksgiving with Mark and PJ in Fort Worth, and that was where we first had our suspicions. Just to be safe, I curtailed my wine consumption throughout the weekend....a challenge in itself if you know how much I LOVE wine!

Sunday afternoon, we headed home to Dallas and almost couldn't get there fast enough. We were dying to know if we were correct in our assumption - we were ready for parenthood!

WRONG!

"Pregnant" appeared in the results window, and we both choked....and then laughed....and then I cried, of course. Oh my gosh! We both exchanged this "we're ready, right?" look, hoping for reassurance from the other which was pretty much met with both hysteria and panic.

"Okay....this is real," and "wow! this is real, right???" It seemed like every exclamation was quickly deflated by a question of uncertainty. Having been diagnosed with endometriosis in college, we realistically expected the delay and complications that typically come with trying to conceive. I don't know how or why we beat the odds, but we fully understand what a blessing and gift this pregnancy is and try to never take it for granted no matter how severe the symptoms may be.

Symptoms...hmmmm...here is my version of pregnancy symptoms:

Morning sickness - Doesn't necessarily happen in the morning. Totally misrepresented in its name. I feel sick if I don't eat every 1.5 hours, if I eat too much sugar, if I try to wake up too quickly from sleep (morning or naptime). But, I have learned that if I keep moving, keep eating, and distract myself, then it is very, very manageable. Luckily, I have only had nausea and no vomiting.

Eating - ummmm....yes, please! Did I mention every 1.5 hours? And, unfortunately, I am not one of those people who has developed a distaste for fast food. On the contrary, I crave Lakewood 1st and 10 burgers with American cheese, mustard, ketchup, and lots of pickles. Condiments have become one of my favorite new food groups. The other night I ate a small supper that ended with an awful taste in my mouth...the dreaded mythical metallic flavor...yuck! Well, how do you counteract that, you ask? There certainly is a reason pregnancy is associated with pickles because after a small bowl of delicious, dill pickles, I couldn't have been more satisfied. :) On the other hand, the only thing that I have found that I just can't stomach is raw cashews. Seems very random, but it is nice to be able to go to the grocery or a restaurant without the fear of a trigger food.

Another thing that surprised me, and maybe I missed this with any conversation with my girlfriends that are mothers, but you cannot eat a normal sized meal. There isn't enough room. You really have to eat small meals, but eat often. Planning ahead is essential.

And water - I have practically been a fish my entire life always drinking water in lieu of cokes or tea, but, now, unless it is really cold, it doesn't taste good and is not refreshing at all. But it is certainly more enjoyable to force-drink a lot of water than to be dehydrated.

Fatigue - Definitely! This came on around week 6, and has plagued me since, because, as mentioned earlier, waking up from any form of sleep seems to make me nauseous. And all you want to do is sleep. But, again...all is manageable. For me, it has been better to just be sleepy than sickly.

Weight gain - Hmmmm....well, it didn't help that I ate all I wanted over the holidays so I started out with a layer of padding. Weight-wise I don't think I have really gained any, but I have already been accused of showing as early as my ninth week. In actuality, it was only the holiday feasting and not a baby bump.

Something I wasn't expecting - When we decided to not say anything until everything was confirmed as good by Dr. E, I never expected to feel the "emotion" of solitude. It is not really an emotion I guess...more of a state, but it certainly wasn't loneliness or depression. Adam was with me all the way, but as a woman, he couldn't feel the changes or symptoms and I wasn't at a time where I could share with my girlfriends....so somedays I was just very aware of my state of solitude. It wasn't a negative at all....just an interesting observance that I had never thought or realized I would experience though it seems like every mother must go through that in the beginning.

Another thing I wasn't expecting was to feel quite so overwhelmed! When Adam proposed marriage to me, I practically had the church already booked, colors chosen, and simply had to buy a dress. The details were already sorted out pre-preposal. With pregnancy, I didn't let myself even look at a book or blog or website before it was official. So, when I purchased the infamous "What to Expect When You're Expecting," imagine my conquered feeling when I read the first two chapters only to realize that I was already behind! And, on my first doctor's visit he sent me home with a bag of goodies. In it was 8 different prescription strength prenatal vitamin samples to try to see which worked best for me....not to mention the brochures and magazines of strollers, car seats, cord blood registry sources, etc. It was an overload of products and information. I was totally freaked out!! So, I tried the first prenatal vitamin for two days, decided I could stomach it, and threw the rest away. For me, I needed to simplify all of the complications. Who needs all of those choices?

Sunday, January 10, 2010

New to blogging...but here goes!

Baby Bronson, whom we fondly call "Blueberry," is well on his/her way these days!! In our 11th week now, the books say BB is the size of a lime....yikes! That certainly made me a little nauseous because just a few weeks ago we were only the size of a blueberry.

Each week we continue to be fascinated with the miracle of pregnancy and what a blessing God has in store for our family.