Week 13

Baby MJ is a Peach!

According to the "Ultimate Man Guide to Baby Sizes" the baby is the size of a Gas Cap

At the end of week 13, I seem to have lost the 2 pounds that I thought I gained, so I’m back at my pre-pregnancy weight. This is worrisome to me because I should have gained at least 2-3 pounds in the first trimester. However, I’m not too freaked out about it because my stomach is starting to get larger and rounder. Hmmmm, bigger belly, but zero weight gain? I’m so confused!  Am I just bloated?

I appreciate all the emails regarding my last blog about my awkward, in between phase of being too big for regular clothes, but too small for maternity clothes. Everybody suggested the same thing, so I went out and bought the Bella Band (www.ingridandisabel.com/bellaband.html) last weekend. I’ve already used it once this week with some work slacks and it’s wonderful! It so soft and comfy and makes my regular clothes fit normally again! I know this is something I will use until I have to wear *gasp* maternity clothes. Thank you ;0)

Well, I need some more advice! I have this problem that started this week and it’s terrible…. My belly and boobs itch so badly!!!! I googled it and it says it’s because my skin is stretching and my hormones are out of whack. It’s unbearable and I was caught inappropriately scratching my boobs during a meeting yesterday. Not cool. The top of my belly is the itchiest part. Argh, it’s so annoying. I’ve used all kinds of lotions and nothing seems to work. Help!

Oh yeah, and now I have that hairy, dark pigmented line down the middle of my belly. It’s really ugly. And to make matters worse, for some reason, my “line” is crooked! WTF? Am I lopsided? Again, not cool. I’m still craving lemonade, but it HAS to be Simply Lemonade. I had a craving at work and bought a different brand in the cafeteria. It was nasty. I’m also having a hard time with taking my prenatal vitamin. I gag and almost barf everyday when I take it. It’s something I dread doing every day. I know it’s good for the baby so I force myself to do it.
 
I'm still so tired all the time.  Sometimes it's even hard for me to stay standing up in the shower.  The warm water is just so relaxing and soothing that I just want to fall alseep.  I've been going to bed around 8:30-9pm every night.  While I'm at work, I get so sleepy and have a hard time keeping my eyes open. I hope this fatigue passes soon, because I really need to the energy! 

I went to 2 baby showers this week! Being at those showers I learned several things:

1. Baby’s are small but they require a lot of stuff (I might need to rethink our storage situation)
2. People like to touch other people’s pregnant belly’s…without asking (I’m so glad I’m not showing yet)
3. Girl clothes are much cuter than boy clothes.
4. Everybody has advice for you… even though you don’t ask for any
5. Everybody has a pregnancy story (that’s 20+ min long) they want to tell you
6. Berger cookies from Baltimore are delicious. Feel free to order them for me at anytime: http://www.bergercookies.com/ Maybe that’s what I can eat to gain a few pounds! Each cookie is 140 calories, but wow, they are YUMMY!
7. Never eat rotten pineapple. It makes you sick.

Jimmy is still in Texas, but I’m happy to announce that I finally bought my plane tickets! I’m flying to Texas to see Jimmy on April 3, once he’s done with training on April 6, we’re going to drive his truck to Washington (state) and visit with our family until April 14. We’re going to leave his truck with his family and fly back to DC.

I’m so excited to see Jimmy. I miss him so much. It has been so hard to be away from him. Since we are both so busy with work and need to get to bed early because of our schedules, it's been hard to find the time to talk.  Most nights we talk for about an hour, which is nice.  However, some nights are just too busy that we only get to say good-night to each other.  I just can't wait to have him home with me again.  The kitties miss him a lot too.  They still wait for him at the door in the evenings and it's really sad.

At week 13, I think I still look stumpy

Here's a better pic of my belly... it's starting to get bigger and more round

(Notice the arch in my back, ha ha ha... I'm really trying to stick my stomach out!)

Week 12

The baby is as big as a Plum!

According to the "Ultimate man guide to baby sizes" the baby is the size of a Tape Measure

This was an exciting week. I called all my family and friends and told them about our good news. It is so nice to finally share this special time with our friends and family. Everyone was surprised, happy, and excited. Most people would just say, "Finally!"

Since we've gotten older and more settled, more and more people have been pressuring us to start a family. When we told people we wanted to wait, they would just hassle us with questions about our decision. It's a question that gets asked so often, it was starting to get annoying. I'm glad we didn't give into the pressure and waited until we were ready. We're excited, happy, and ready to be parents... exactly how I wanted to feel when I got pregnant.

This week, I also finally told my supervisors at work that I am pregnant. I was really nervous to tell them because I've only been working there for 5 weeks. They were excited and very supportive, so I'm happy. I haven't told my coworkers yet, but I don't really know how to do it appropriately. However, I'm sure the rumor mill will work that problem out fairly quickly.

As you can see, I'm at week 12 and it just looks like I'm fat. My breasts are significantly larger too, but I like that. I think I've officially gained 2 pounds! I read that from here on out, I'm supposed to gain about one pound a week, yikes! I'm having to keep the top button of most of my pants unbuttoned, so I can fit into them. I'm also really getting self conscious about my muffin top situation, but I don't know how to remedy it. I'm too small for maternity clothes, but starting to get too big for my regular clothes. I just hate looking so awkward.

I still get morning sickness, but it's funny, I actually only get it in the mornings. I do notice that I'm still tired all the time, even if I get adequate sleep. I even get tired when I'm just lounging around the house! I've also noticed that my hair and nails are growing at such a fast pace. My hair is more shiny and thick now too, which is a great pregnancy symptom!

I'm missing Jimmy a lot, especially since we both work late and sleep early. We still talk every day, but it's been hard to find time to have long conversations during the busy work week. I'm just counting the days until I get to see Jimmy in April.

Baby Size week by week: fruit and manly stuff

Since I can't get a picture of the baby every week, I thought I would post two objects that would be equal to the baby's approximate size.  I looked it up and thought a fruit comparison was cool.  However, upon further investigation, I found the "ultimate man guide to baby sizes."

Week 11 was last week, but I'll try to post more updated stuff from here on out!

Week 11

Lime

Golf Ball

My stomach definitely isn't flat anymore, but I can still fit into my size 0 clothes (thank goodness).  I have gained 0-3 pounds, depending on the time of day, when I've eaten, or if I'm bloated.  On some days (like when this photo was taken) my belly is big and bloated, and on other days, it's back to being flat again!  I don't look pregnant at all and people at work don't even know yet.  In fact, it just looks like I've had one too many potato chips... I have a muffin top now, which is not cool. 

The morning sickness is finally starting to subside, but now I've been dealing with extreme fatigue and headaches.  I used to eat oatmeal every day for breakfast, but now the smell or even sight of oatmeal makes me want to barf.  The only craving I have so far is lemonade ;0)  My mom craved lemon candy when she was pregnant with me, so maybe it's genetic.

My mini baby bump

Jimmy is still in Texas doing his Army lab and leadership training.  It's so hard to be away from him right now.  He knocked me up and then left me, ha ha ha... what a typical man!  He missed my first sonogram and the first time I got to hear the baby's heartbeat, so that was really sad.  He'll be back in April and I keep him updated with everything, so I'm trying to stay positive. 

The Lehman kitties are keeping me company.  They've happily taken over Jimmy's side of the bed and always cuddle with me on the couch.  I don't know what I would do without them!  Lucy and Olivia like to sleep on my stomach, so I'm interested to see how things are going to change as my belly gets larger.

The secret is out!

After 16 years (to include 7 years of marriage), we are finally ready for the next phase of our life.  Jimmy and I are going to have a baby!  We are so excited and ready to be parents.  This baby has been wanted and loved long before it was even conceived.

We found out on December 22nd and only told our immediate family and a few close friends.  It's been such a hard secret to keep!  I had a feeling all that week that I was pregnant, so decided to take a test one morning.  Jimmy was at work when I took the test and I freaked out when it was positive.  I took 3 more just to be sure!  I wrapped all the tests up in a little gift box.  I didn't want to tell Jimmy over the phone, so I begged him to come home early from work, so he did.  I sat him on the couch and told him that the kitties had an early Christmas gift for him.  He unwrapped the box, saw the positive tests and we just hugged and cried.  It was such a great moment in our lives. 

We've given our baby the nickname "MJ." A dear friend came up with it and it stands for either "mini Jimmy" or "Mary junior." We are so excited.

It's funny because we had always planned, since we were teenagers, to start a family when I was 30. Well, baby MJ is due on September 3rd, just 4 days shy of my 30th birthday. When we started trying (yes, this was planned), we weren't expecting it to happen so fast, but I guess you can't plan everything ;0)

The baby will be born at the National Naval Medical Center (Bethesda) in DC, which is also known as "the President's Hospital" since that's where the President receives medical care.  We thought it was very fitting for our first child to be born there, ha ha ha. 

Here are some pics from my first sonogram at 9 weeks. Right now, I'm at about 12 weeks. We'll find out the gender in late April!

DC Snowmageddon

It's really annoying that we move here when DC decides to have 2 record breaking blizzards this season.  Argh, we have the worst luck.  DC is also expecting 6-10 more inches of snow on Tuesday, so I'm not looking forward to that!

DC got over 2 feet of snow this weekend.  It was really crazy!  The news keeps on calling it Snowmageddon 2010, which I think is very appropriate.  I went grocery shopping on Thursday night and it was a madhouse!  It was the day before the blizzard and everyone in the city was in panic mode.  I really felt like I was in a riot.  It took me about 30 minutes (and aggressive driving) to get a parking spot and I had to wait another 15 minutes just to get a grocery cart.  Shopping was near impossible because the aisles were super crowded and lots of the shelves were cleaned out!  To top it off, I had to wait 45 minutes in check out line.  Yikes, it was freaking crazy!

I was able to telework on Friday and stayed in all weekend, so I'm doing well.  I just found out that the NIH campus is closed tomorrow, so I also have Monday off.  I'm excited, but bored!  I've never watched so much TV in my life.  I'm also missing Jimmy very much.  I miss his company and most of all I miss laughing with him.  Even when we're in the house we just laugh and joke together all the time!  It would've have been nice to have him home this weekend.

Jimmy hasn't had to deal with this blizzard... he's enjoying the great weather in San Antonio!  He left on January 29th and should be back sometime in mid to late April.  He's at a Medical Officer Leadership Course (OBC) at Fort Sam in San Antonio, Texas.  I'm so jealous and wish I could be with him and our friends in San Anotnio.  We love that city so much!  I'm hoping to visit him in April, so I'm excited to see my hubby, friends, and enjoy the great spring weather in Texas.  We also hope to visit our family in Washington (state) after that, so please note that the Lehmans will be in Spokane in April!

Here are some pics from the blizzard:

(I stole some pics from a friend that was brave enough to go to the National Mall yesterday.)

The Capitol

DC street during the blizzard

That's a car!

Garbage Cans