21 weeks

Another week has gone by in a real whirlwind. The other day, Scott was finally able to feel Bug swishing around (we call it "finning") but he has yet to feel her kick. Given how much this kid kicks that's a bloody miracle but it seems that whenever he puts his hand on my stomach she senses it and promptly goes on strike or heads out for a beer and some pizza. *sigh* Have I mentioned lately how much I miss beer? Perhaps a better question would be, "is there anyone out there who hasn't recently heard how much I miss beer?"

Baby Center's update can be found here but they are surprisingly skimpy on baby details this week. The 3d rotatable pic and blurb are here and it actually includes a junk food reference! No one has yet used my Mars bar or Diet Coke suggestions so I think my evil junk food empire idea is still a go but it was gratifying nevertheless to see at least one reference without any nutritional value. There is, after all, only so much pressure a woman can take to eat her fruit, fiber and veggies 24/7 before she runs screaming into the night searching for a 7-11 candy aisle.

I've started seriously thinking of names but I'm not exactly burning through the baby names book or anything just yet. I want to figure out the logistics of the nursery and guest room before falling in love with a name or 5 only to have Scott say:
1) "no,"
2) "no way,"
3) "never in a million years,"
4) "not for any child of mine", and
5) "what the hell were you thinking?"

Since he often comes up with names that make me think oatmeal is exciting in comparison, this kid may end up being called One of Two, which could be awkward if she ends up being an only child. (and yes, that's a Star Trek reference...)

Mastitis?

ohmygod ohmygod! I was reading a posting today at www.dooce.com and Heather (Heather Armstrong, not my sister Heather Worth) was writing about her experience with something called mastitis.

Never heard of it. Wish I still hadn't.

This is how she described it.

...about 4AM Saturday morning when I woke up to feed Marlo and my left breast felt like someone had sliced it open and shoved in a handful of broken glass. I thought I'd try to ignore it, and oh, moan in silence? Bite my lip until I was drowning in a puddle of blood? What was I thinking, YOU CANNOT IGNORE THAT KIND OF PAIN. So I tapped a sleeping Jon on the shoulder and whispered, "Honey, can you take the baby, I think I'm dying."

I immediately headed for the kitchen where we keep the Advil, and I don't even remember how I made it the fifty or so feet from the bed to the medicine cabinet, but there I am taking a couple of pills and next thing you know I can barely stand up. And I guess while reaching for the countertop to steady myself I knocked over the glass of water I used to take the pills and it went crashing into a thousand pieces on the floor. Somehow I make it back to the bedroom when suddenly I'm overcome with the need to puke, and Jon is all, what was that crash? And I'm all, what crash? And he's all, THE CRASH THAT SOUNDED LIKE A CAR FLEW THROUGH OUR FRONT DOOR. And I'm all, why are you moving your mouth and talking to me, can't you see I need to vomit?

Whaaaat? That sounds crazy bad...like kicking a guy in the balls right after feeding him a listeria-ridden sandwich with an Ipecac chaser. Of course, I immediately began to wonder what the friggerty hell is mastitis and how do I avoid it?

According to the internet (and of course, everything on the internet is the absolute truth) cabbage has something to do with prevention...or the cure...or something. Since I can't even be in the room with anything cabbage-related other than small quantities of shredded raw red cabbage sprinkled artfully on my salads I have come to the conclusion that I'm COMPLETELY SCREWED! Also, this internet information isn't clear as to whether someone wishing to avail themselves of this prevention/cure/whatever should eat the cabbage or simply line their bras with it...

Believe me, if I suffer through mastitis it isn't going to end well.

Scott, start praying I'm immune!

20 Week Update

Hey everyone. Sorry I haven't written anything since my 19 week update. This week was a complete shit show but I will try to be more diligent in the future, I promise.

Here's the Baby Center update for this week and the 3D rotatable pic and blurb is here. The Visible Embryo has also stepped up with some new stuff this week.

Isn't the picture I found this week completely trippy? I can't believe how developed that baby is. I guess Bug is just as far along, but it is hard to imagine, even after seeing her little face as she yawned or watching her clap her hands during our ultrasounds. (note the "casual mention" of my kid clapping her teensy tiny little hands)

Really, I've been sticking pretty close to home this week so sadly there isn't much to add.

Holy Halfway Mark, Batman!

Ummm...apparently, week 19 means that we're half way to the finish line. Excuse me for a moment while that sinks in. Half. Way. There. Ohmygawd!

I guess on some level I knew that but I've been so busy focusing on work and how to hide the burgeoning belly that I didn't have the time to actually think about it, you know?

In 19 more weeks (or so) I'll no longer just be me: wife, sister, daughter and friend.
I'll be me: wife, sister, daughter, friend AND sleep deprived, shell-shocked mother trying to remember lessons learned a billion years ago in baby-sitting school so my child doesn't end up with her diaper drooping around her ankles or her onsie on backwards (horrors!).

Inevitably, this kind of landmark makes me wonder "Am I ready for this? Am I ready to be responsible for a little person who can't even wipe their own nose, let alone tell me what the hell it is that they want or need? Is Scott ready for this?"

I guess in the end we're probably as ready as anyone ever is...which is to say, not at all.

Realizing how soon we're going to be parents also got me thinking about all those people out there, especially the so called "supermoms", who go into this parenthood thing thinking they've got a handle on everything. They've read all the books, they've obsessively surfed the internet, and they've watched endless TLC shows about childbirth and parenting so they think they know E.V.E.R.Y.T.H.I.N.G. and they just can't wait to tell you all about it. Gah!

I think it is pretty safe to say that because every person is different and every child is different, there is no way anyone can go into this their 1st time or their 14th and be anything but some degree of clueless and somehow, that makes me feel better.

So here is what Baby Center had to say about week 19 and this week's 3d pic and update are here.

10 little fingers and 10 little toes...

So here's some pics of our little Ladybug. Isn't she just the cutest kid ever? (and - of course - I'm completely objective)

I can't even describe how I felt watching her on the ultrasound screen today. I know I got to see her only a couple of weeks ago but this is just one of those things than never gets old, like winning the lotto or waking up every morning to realize you're married to a supermodel.

Today she drove our ultrasound tech nuts because every time she needed to get a couple of pictures of anything, Bug would sit still for the first 2 and then spazz out before rolling away and ruining the 3rd shot. I felt bad but I still found it pretty hilarious.

Happily, we managed to get all her pictures and measurements because quite honestly, I don't think my bladder could take another ordeal like that. I mean, who the hell decided to try taking internal pictures after forcing their subject to drink unnatural amounts of water while prohibiting bathroom breaks for hours on end only to finish with a prolonged steady poke in the gut? There's just nothing fun about that, you know?

I survived the pre-ultrasound swishfest and I'm glad I did. The second shot is of Bug sucking her thumb. We actually got to watch her stick her thumb in her mouth...which made me cry for some reason. (although that isn't exactly hard these days) Then I found myself unreasonably proud, as though a baby sucking her thumb in utero is a rare thing. (Don't bother Googling it. It isn't rare...I already checked. sigh)

Aaaand the verdict is....

WE'RE HAVING A LADYBUG!

Scott, Heather and Patricia were all right while the rest of us must now hang our heads in shame.

I'm so excited. I've got a clean bill of health and so does Ladybug so it looks like we're good to go.

Shoe Alert!

H&M has announced that Jimmy Choo will be collaborating with them on a shoe and handbag line due out in November. However, they will only be sold in a limited number of stores. GASP!

I fully expect that IF Vancouver is one of the lucky cities to get this line, the excitement will cause me to give birth to Bug while standing in the check out line. I honestly won't know whether to cut the cord or pull out my Visa...maybe cut the cord with the Visa to save time and maintain my place in line? Hmmm...

Disclaimer: yes, I know the red ruffle pumps above are Christian Louboutins but they are too damn cute not to include and isn't the Jimmy Choo above just sex on a stick? ME-OW!