Kids say the darnedest things.

From the mouth of a 3.5 year old...

While playing with my nephew recently, he asked me to crawl into his tent with him. I was about halfway in the tent when I said my baby belly wouldn't let me crawl in anymore. He started asking questions about my belly. Since his Mom recently was pregnant with his little sister, he was familiar with pregnancy enough to not be completely confused, but as a 3 year old his curiosity level is higher now. 

Him: Is it a big baby? 

Me: Do you remember how big your sister was? That's how big my baby will be. My baby is a little boy, like you. 

Him: Is he going to be a big boy like me? 

Me: Eventually. You have to eat lots and lots to get bigger and so will he. He will get big like you one day.

Him: When I go to college and play basketball, I'm going to be big. 

Me: That's good.

Him: Did you eat a lot of lunch to make your belly big? 

Me: (giggling) Yes and no. A lot of the reason mine is getting bigger is because the baby is getting bigger and growing. 

Him: Is he getting wider? 

Me: Yes. (Still giggling) 

He thinks a minute and then asked...

Him: Did you eat a baby to get him in there?

Me: No. (Uncontrolled laughter and quick change of subject)

At that point I knew the next question was going to be "How did the baby get in there?" I was prepared with "Oh look something shiny!" Basketball is a good distraction and he quickly forgot the direction of the conversation. Thank goodness. I was not prepared to answer the next question. I probably would have went backwards and said yes I ate a baby and then told him to ask his parents. Because I'm just the aunt and holy crap 3 year olds are curious. 

I need this shirt. Hehehehe.

Things I have googled.

Breasts leaking blood? 

Answer: normal as long as you're pregnant. Otherwise, not so much. 

How often can I take Fioricet?

Answer: NEVER! Your child will be born with 8 heads. 

2nd answer: As directed by your OB which translates to take the damn medicine before your blood pressure sky rockets and you spend 10 hours naked on the bathroom floor vomiting until you're delirious. 

(FYI: Those specific directions aren't on my Rx bottle but As Needed every 8 hours is) 

Constipation related to daily headaches?

Answer: Yes! Your gut is connected to your head! 

Also: No. But it may help you feel better if you stop worrying about it and take a shat. 

Thanks Dr. Google. You're absolutely no help. But, yet way more helpful than the What To Expect When You're Expecting book. 

I hope y'all are staying warm!

It's getting colder here in midst of the big freezeapocolypse. It's dropped 50 degrees in less than 24 hours. 

Currently I am wrapped up on the couch flanked by the furries. Minnie is under the blanket and on top of a heating pad. Bella's just happy that I'm home and is laying on me so I won't get up. 

23 week wrap up: 

My mornings: I've changed to a new work schedule from 11am to 11pm and it's going great. I can sleep in a little bit but I have to work with different crews at work instead of the same dispatchers. So far it's going good and I'm getting better rest.

My nights: Sleep is actually going better once I fall asleep.

How far along: 23 weeks

How big is baby: Baby boy is over a pound and almost as big as a banana.

Weight:

Starting weight: 130

Total weight gain: 21

This week: 151

How I’m changing: I've had a good growth spurt in my belly in the past couple weeks. I'm getting more noticeably pregnant even in big sweatshirts.

What I miss: The summer. I keep thinking about cookouts, grilling with a cold beer and being warm all the way down to my bones. 

 

Symptoms: headaches. You've heard it before. No need to whine about it more.

Oh and I've started leaking! My bewbies are growing and leaking. Here's a tidbit of info for you. When I started leaking I had some yellow, clear fluid with a little blood coming from both sides. My OB said its normal, not really common, but is blamed on the increased blood flow in the boobs. I started wearing nursing pads to protect my bras and shirts. So far, it's only a little leakage and I can kinda feel when it's happening which is nice if I don't have a bra on and need to make sure my shirt doesn't get spots on it. 

Cravings: CUTIES! Whoever created the easy peel small fruit is my best friend. 

Food Aversions: Nothing.

Highlights this week: Getting the room cleaned. My crib is ready to be put in but still hasn't been delivered yet. :( 

Maternity clothes: Yep. Wearing them all the time. 

Stretch marks: None on the belly but I've got them on both butt cheeks.

Sleep: I wish it was better, but I will take it for right now. I'm peeing less at night so that's a big improvement. 

 

Movement: All the time! And it's awesome! I feel him several times a day. He really gets active and forceful when I lay down. 

Gender: Boy!!!

Labor signs: Nope. Way too soon.

Belly button: Still in but may be an outie by the end.

What I am looking forward to: V day! I'm looking forward to Viability Day. It's almost here! 

Milestone: DH got the baby his first shoes. 

My new favorite time of the day

Sitting quietly in bed and reading while baby He-Man kicks away. It's his most active time of the day as I relax and learn. 

Currently, I am reading Birthing from Within by Pam England and Rob Horowitz. 

If you're interested in learning about unmedicated births, pain management and childbirth options, it's a good book. I am not interested in the art portion of the book, but the positive light and encouragement it displays for natural birth is worth it. 

Another good book that I've read a couple times, in particular the birth stories section is by Ina May Gaskin, Ina May Gaskins Guide to Childbirth. 

Whatever your interest is in childbirth, medicated, unmedicated, hospital, home, OB, midwife, doula, etc, I wholeheartedly encourage learning about the options involved with birth and newborn care. So many times women trust their health care providers and don't question anything. 

If infertility taught me anything, it was to not blindly trust doctors. They're wrong. They're right. They're human. More important than their degree and education is that it is your body and your child. You need to empower yourself with knowledge in order to make the right decision for you and your family. 

For me, that means not being frightened into birthing in a way that I don't want. If I my change mind, get induced medically, get an epidural and eventually a c-section then I want to know that each of those steps was my decision, not something that a doctor tells me is needed to hurry up labor without a reason that is related to my health or baby's health. 

Feel free to join me and He-man during reading time! 

I'm alive. I swear.

Did you know that a cold can totally kick your butt? Knock your imaginary dick in the dirt? Yeah, well it can and it did. 

Add in a migraine with 10 hours of vomiting and holy crap, I'm pretty sure it's the sickest I've ever been. 

Separate from each other it wouldn't be so bad, but use your imaginations for a minute. Imagine, if you will the moment in your cold when you have snot literally running out of your nostrils, your chest is congested with mucous, coughing up phlegm and you pee your pants every time you sneeze or cough. 

Now imagine that you can't take anything because you're pregnant besides lozenges, and other basic cold meds that don't do crap to actually dry up or break up snot and mucous. And the pee-pee problem can't be fixed except with diapers. 

I was working night shift too so my voice was gone. Absolutely non existent except sounding like a 13-year-old boy sporting his constant woodies. 

I give you my nightstand. Lanolin for cracked nose, Tissues because toilet paper feels like 20 grit sandpaper, ear plugs to drown out my wheezing, Cutie orange because they're delicious, and about 25 tissues. 

That's when the migraine hit. Pregnancy can do one of three things to someone who already gets migraines. It can make them less severe, stop them completely or multiply the intensity and frequency times a million. I may be exaggerating with that number but you can already guess that it's made mine worse. Way the eff worse.

With this one my meds didn't even touch it. I vomited for close to 10 hours. I slept for nearly 20 hours off and on. Then finally passed out for another 8 hours. Monday is a blur to me. 

Bella cuddled me during my sick days. 

What I do remember is when I was throwing up, I was coughing up phlegm. 

I couldn't breathe through my nose at all and I couldn't breathe through my mouth because I was too busy vomiting. There was a point when I realized I couldn't actually catch my breath. It really kinda sucked. And then in the 12th hour, I died. 

Or I passed out? Mainly from exhaustion. But anyways, I'm still alive. 

I'm 23 weeks and baby boy is still kicking and moving like crazy. If I still have any readers left, HAI! I didn't forget about you guys. And I swear I will put up a weekly post. But until then I'm going to sleep. 

The post in which I apologize.

I'm sorry. I'm a bad blogger. Life got in the way of blogging and I can't seem to keep up anymore with a lot of different things. Of course, it doesn't help that the holidays have been keeping me busy and away from my phone or computer. I don't even have a bump pic for like the past two weeks except some that my aunt took.

Anyways, life has been a little hectic and worrisome lately and it's not good to make the hormonal pregnant lady worry, because then she will get mad that she's worrying and then her madness will turn into angry tears. Cue the water works because everything lately is making me cry. It could be another twist in the pregnancy symptoms or it could be because I am an angry crier. Instead of counting up for the weeks of the pregnancy, I am now past the halfway point and am starting to feel like I have so much to do and not enough time to do it in. I know this is an over reaction and I just need to get my butt in gear.

In an effort to catch up, here is the post for weeks 20 and 21. I'm sorry for being a poor blogger, friend in life and on FB. I'm not going to lie and say I will do better because I know the next week will be even worse for being online. I am taking a mental and physical break. Starting today I will be off work for an entire week. Wahooo! I will be visiting my parents and in laws for several days around Christmas and phone/internet service is spotty up there. (Yes I am from an area that barely got antenna service for TV for my entire life. No joke -- we didn't get more than two snowy channels until I was in high school.)

I digress. I will be back. Eventually. If you need me, pick up a can and talk through the string. (This reminds me -- we had a rotary dial phone until I was a senior in high school. That was in 1999 people. ROTARY PHONE. I swear to you that if we called one of those places where you had to press 1 for English, WE COULDN'T PRESS 1! Do you know how hard that is????)

My mornings: I'm getting up at 4 a.m. But on a brighter note, I will be off for 7 days!!!

My nights: Sleep is OK except that my hips are hurting more and more. Thanks to some great advice from some experienced mamas, I am going to go shopping for a Snoogle or a Boppy tomorrow.

How far along: 21w, 4d

How big is baby: Baby He-Man is 10.5 in and the size of a banana. At my anatomy scan last Friday, the tech told me the baby was already 14 ounces and according to the little fruit scale ticker thingees, we are measuring above the normal average, so YAY!

Weight:

Starting weight: 130

Total weight gain: 17

This week: 147

How I’m changing: The child is growing in my boobs and now my lungs. I think my uterus has relocated there. Breathing while sitting in a chair is getting harder. I have to stand up a lot more at work. I think the baby keeps swimming up and hugging my lungs.

What I miss: Good deep sleep.

Symptoms: I haven't had a headache in 4 days. FOUR DAYS! Do you know how long that is? It's a whole lotta time!!!!

Cravings: Gatorade. Specifically Orange gatorade.

Food Aversions: Nothing.

Highlights this week: We got to surprise the family with the news that we're having a boy!

Maternity clothes: Yep. Love them.

Stretch marks: I think I am getting them on both my butt cheeks.

Sleep: I wish it was better, but I will take it for right now.

Movement: I 'm feeling him more and more. DH hasn't been able feel him yet and he is really looking forward to it.

Gender: We're Team He-Man!!

Labor signs: Nope. Way too soon.

Belly button: I will still be an innie for a while, but I can tell that it's changing.

What I am looking forward to: My next appt is Monday. Should be a standard checkup. Quick pee, blood poke, heart doppler and then head home. Christmas is the next major event and I am looking forward to more family time, apple cider and lots of relaxing time. I plan on unplugging and turning off my phone. I'm not on call but I know work will be trying to get me to come in because it's inevitable that the scheduled workers will call in sick.

Milestones: Half baked!!!! I HAVE to get started on the nursery soon!!!

When you make a cheese sandwich...

Pro tip: Do Not leave the bread on the counter. 

Four pieces of bread were kept unmonitored on the counter as I turned my back. This is the look that Bella gave me when I asked her about it. And unless Minnie grew wings, I don't believe it was the tiny doxie.