Bored, yet productive

Turns out being bored at work can have its advantages! I finally found a site I have been trying to find for ages. I read about it awhile back and for the life of me could not remember where or what it was called. Then today I found it! Babes in Blogland is a site listing bloggers (and their respective sites) by their due dates (or child’s age, if the case may be). Their tagline is, “Bringing together bloggers who are making or raising babies.” Very cool, right? I think it will be a great resource. For me, it is comforting to know that others are going through the same things as I am. Plus you can see how different people deal with the many facets of pre-parenthood.

I have many friends and family members who have had children or who are expecting, but few who really get into the details of things they are experiencing, let alone blog about it! I think it is great that there are women out there (and quite a few, based on the December 2006 due dates alone) so willing to share/document their pregnancy. Plus, it couldn’t hurt to have more Internet friends, right?

Already I have found one blogger, Bringing Home Baby, who is not only expecting a daughter on the same day as me but who is also my age (ok ok, I am actually 22 days older, but who is counting). How cool is that? I am looking forward to reading through the other December 2006 due dates to find others I can relate to and maybe even correspond with. I am always looking for partners in pregnancy!

Alone. Again.

It is sad, and a little pathetic, I know. But I really miss my husband when he is gone. He is training out in New York City this week and I am stuck here in Oregon. Things could be worse. He could be gone for more than just a week. Or he could be clear around the other side of the world where our scheduled would be so outta whack we couldn’t sit on our computers at night and IM back and forth. Yeah, yeah. Whatever. I still miss him.

Truth be told, for an “old married couple” we really do spend a lot of time together. We carpool to work, we usually go out to lunch together, and then we spend the evening hanging out. We also IM or text back and forth through out the day. And I like it that way. Some people have said (I know who you are, and I know you are reading this) we spend too much time together. But I disagree. It really just works for us. He is my best friend and truly the one person who I never get sick of being around. Isn’t that exactly what a spouse is supposed to be anyway? The one person you picked to travel through life with? I like to bounce things off of him. (He has saved my butt on more than one occasion by making me think before I act.) I like his opinion on things. And more than anything, I like to share all the little things with him. Things that wouldn’t matter to anyone but us. But when he is gone, I don’t have any of that.

Sure, I have lots of great friends and co-workers who try to pick up the slack when he is gone. Apparently I am not allowed to spend an evening alone when Sim is out of town because I have plans just about every night this week and co-workers taking me out to lunch each afternoon. I do really appreciate that and it does help the time pass faster.

Sadly, the only thing that really does make me feel a little better is knowing he is going through the same thing. When he goes to conferences, he has way too much fun. He is surrounded by friends; they party and do crazy things all night and then geeky things all day. But when he is off training, once 5 o’clock hits, he just goes back to his hotel and hangs out in his room. I try to get him to go out and explore the city he is in (if it is worth exploring) and try to make the most of his traveling. But he won’t. He says he would never do those things without me. And I am kinda glad. Because knowing he misses me just as much as I miss him means he really is the perfect man for me.

Blech. That is all.

I am not feeling so hot today. And I had such high hopes that today was going to be perfect. The weather is cool and crisp (for a couple days anyway). Starbucks brought back their Pumpkin Spice for the season so I stopped in for a Pumpkin Spice Chai (and a slice of pumpkin loaf, just to round things out). I even pulled out one of my new maternity cable knit sweaters. You know how I loves me some sweaters! All this can only mean that fall is just around the corner.

But all things wonderful stopped right there. Firstly, I didn’t sleep very well last night. I went to bed a little early because I was exhausted yesterday, only to find myself wide-awake at 4am. Thank you so much, pregnancy related insomnia! I finally managed to drift back to sleep around 5am and grab another hour of precious sleep before my puppies reminded me they were starving. But I didn’t mind being woken up because I was having a very disturbing dream that several guys I went to high school with were trying to shoot me in some gang related misunderstanding. Nice.

So I dragged myself out of bed, fed the pups and got in the shower only to realize my throat was killing me. Apparently my nose was really stuffed up yesterday/last night and the post-nasal drip had finally caught up with me. Urgh. Then I was just sitting here at work, sipping my Throat Comfort tea, when I suddenly got really hot and a little light headed. Damn it. I really don’t want to get sick. There is nothing worse than getting sick and not being able to take anything to make you feel better.

Top all of this off with the fact that my husband is all the way over in New York City right now (until very, VERY early in the morning on Saturday, no less), and I have a snowball effect of bummers. So very blech. That is all.

Doctor’s Appointment Report

I just had my 24 week doctor’s appt and have this to report back:

Urine: Normal
Weight: 3 lbs (total gain)
Blood Pressure: Normal
Baby’s Heartbeat: Normal

Just the same ol’ drill. Except this time they sent me home with a little bottle of “Glucola” for the Glucose Screening Test at my next appointment. From all the horror stories I have read about the Glucose test, I was expecting to have to drink like a 1 liter, but this thing is tiny (I understand it may seem worse when I have to drink it all within a 5-10 minute period). And my doctor even gave me the choice of lemon-lime or orange flavor. Since I heard so many bad things about the orange one, I opted for lemon-lime, natch. So that is all I have to report. Things are going well and my daughter is currently jumping on my bladder. Fun times.

24 Week Belly

It’s been awhile since we have done this, so I thought I should post my 24 week (or SIX months–holy crap how can I be that far along already?!) belly shot. Looking at the pictures, it doesn’t really look any different than the 20 week belly shot (maybe that is because I am wearing the same shirt) but I gotta admit, it definitely feels bigger. And I know it is growing because I have the first little signs of stretch marks as an indicator (I knew there was no way I was going to avoid that little pregnancy marker simply because of the stretch marks I already have from when I got hips overnight in middle school. Ahhh the joys of being a girl.)

Meeting Internet Friends

Last night Simeon and I finally met the J Team: Jared and Jenna. They traveled all the way out from Minnesota (you have to say it “Mini-Sota” or it is just no fun.) to come and see us. Sure they did have some business to attend to on the West Coast, but they did drive all the way up from San Francisco to Portland to stop in for a visit. And I have to say they were well worth the wait.

Having only ever seen pictures of Jared, when we met the first thing that lamely spilled out of my mouth was, “Wow, you are really tall.” To which he wittily replied, “Wow, you are really pregnant.” And it was nothing but jokes and stories and laughing for the remainder of the evening.

To say that Jenna is perfect for Jared is putting it lightly. They make the most amazing couple and compliment each other in a, well, perfectly amazing way. Firstly, I don’t think there is a single person who wouldn’t love her upon first meeting. I mean she loved each and every one of my animals so I knew she had to be a wonderful person. But then once she and I sat down to talk, it just got better and better from there.

Jared, on the other hand is a complete crack-up. From his wacky facial expressions (just wait till I show off the pictures), to his story telling (and boy are there some stories. Whew!), to his general ability to turn anything and everything into a joke. This man is funny, no other way to put it. But he is also a complete and total sweetheart. He gave himself away when he read the vows he wrote for their recent wedding over breakfast this morning. You can’t fool me, mister! I saw right through your tough guy act!

The long and the short of it is, they are just great people. And it is a damn shame that they live over 1,700 miles away. But now Jared and Simeon better watch themselves because now that Jenna and I know each other, we can compare stories and find out what really happens at those CF conferences.

The Name Game

Ever since we found out we were having a girl, everyone has been asking us about her name. Scratch that. Actually, from the moment people found out we were expecting the questions came first of when the baby was due (followed promptly with “Oh…a Christmas baby.” Can you hear their disappointment? Yeah me too, and they can all suck it.) then of whether we had any names picked out. And, of course, we do.

Simeon and I had talked about baby names long before we even started trying to get pregnant. Isn’t that something that all married couples discuss? And while occasionally we would change our minds or we would stumble across a name and add it to the list of potentials, we were pretty set on the finalists.

If we were having a boy (which we know can never be completely ruled out until I have that squirming little bundle in my arms) we were planning to name him Alexander, Zander for short. We hadn’t decided on a middle name and thankfully we don’t have to worry about that…for now.

As for a girl, we have not changed our minds in years. Her name will be Ana Diann. Ana, (AHN-ah, not Anna) which means gracious, has always been “my little girl’s name.” For no other reason than I simply love it. Diann, which means divine, was Simeon’s late mothers name. We thought it only appropriate to name our first daughter after her. Luckily, the two names not only sound good together, but with our last name as well. So in answer to your questions, our daughter’s name will be Ana Diann Bateman.

Oh but I totally reserve the right to change my mind at any point, clear up until we sign the birth certificate. So there. 😛

Week 23 Update

Well, it is official. My little girl is totally kicking me. The other day Simeon and I were driving home from Petco (we like to make sure we actually have enough food for our dogs or they would eat us out of house and home) when I suddenly felt something…strange. I held my breath for a moment to, I dunno, freeze all my own movements as much as humanly possible. Then I felt it again. I looked over to Simeon and said, “I think I just felt the baby kick.” Simeon instantly went into full alert. “Really? Are you sure? What did it feel like?” And I have to say that it was nothing like I was expecting. All the baby books say things like “fluttering” or “bubbles” and this was nothing like fluttering or bubbles. The best way I could describe it is like when you are walking down stairs and you miss a step. The way your stomach kinda jumps and you feel all weird. It was a lot like that only all concentrated in one spot. But now that I know what I am looking for (feeling for?) I have noticed her kicking me a lot lately. Especially after I eat or am trying to fall asleep. I have to say it has been a wonderfully reassuring little blessing. A gentle reminder that my little girl is in fact “alive a kickin’.”

Another new pregnancy experience happened to me just last night: my first leg cramp. It woke me from a dead sleep and I bolted straight up in bed. I grabbed my leg and started rubbing it while I flexed my foot and rolled my ankle. Then just as it started to subside, it cramped up again. So I started the whole massaging/stretching process over until it went away. Then just for good measure I got up to go to the bathroom and “walk it off” as much as I could. I was still a little stiff this morning, but ok none-the-less. And from all I have read, it is only going to get worse from here on out. Fun times ahead, my friends, fun times.

The final thing happening this week is that Simeon and I finally accepted that our little girl will in fact want out of the womb some day and we should probably educate ourselves about what that is going to entail. So I signed us up for our Childbirth Preparation class at the hospital. Since Simeon travels a lot in the fall and with all the holidays near the end of the year, we were fairly limited as far as which class we could take. Thankfully I managed to get into the class we really wanted (I checked dates/times ages ago), but just barely. They typically allow 12 couples in a class and once I signed up there were only two slots left. Whew. Apparently I am not the only person who is anal about planning everything in advance. So there ya go. I am gonna learn how to birth me some babies. Heh.

Editor’s Note: Now before you all go saying how disappointing or horrible your own classes were, I just want to say Simeon and I are really excited about ours. While I have read a lot of books, websites, pamphlets, and just about anything else I can get my hands on, Simeon hasn’t. So I really think this will be the best thing to teach him all he needs to know. (Plus you never know, I may learn a thing or two in the class.)

Kick Me Baby One More Time

I think, I think, I just felt the baby move for the first time. I am standing by to make sure it is not just a case of gas bubbles. We had a follow-up ultrasound today and I think the technician must have really moved things around down there. Either that or my daughter enjoys Ben & Jerry’s as much as her mama.

Bedded Bliss

I have found comfort and ease that I had forgot was possible. And it comes in the form of a pillow.

At first I was reluctant to buy myself a Snoogle. After all it did sport a hefty price tag for just a pillow. Plus there were the reviews that claimed it made sleeping worse because you couldn’t change positions very easily. There was also the fact that it looked like it was smothering the lady in the demonstration photos. Boy, am I glad I got over all those issues.

Simeon being the lovely, generous man that he is, insisted that I have the Snoogle and bought me one for my birthday. Since birthday presents don’t count toward the selfish quotient, I was more than happy to give it a try. I figured we could buy one at Babies R Us and if it didn’t help me sleep or I felt like I was wrestling a python, I would simply zip it back into its plastic package and return it. No problem.

Once we got the Snoogle home, I opened the package and had Simeon help me to follow their “recommended uses” to make sure I was using it correctly. It was a little intimidating at first, I must admit. But once I curled up in the heavenly comfort the Snoogle provided, I knew I made the right decision.

For you skeptics out there, I know you are thinking, “Hello! It is a pillow! Just use the ones you have around the house.” and my response to you is, “Been there. Tried that. Didn’t work.” I tried using regular pillows (I have a million around my house in all shapes and sizes, just like you, I am sure) and every time I woke up I would find the pillow at the foot of the bed, or on the floor, or somewhere far away from where it was actually suppose to be. Try as I might, I could not keep myself sleeping on my side supported by any number of added pillows. Well the Snoogle has solved this problem for me once and for all. Since it wraps entirely around me, it can’t get away. And more importantly, it stays exactly where I positioned it when I get into bed.

As for the concern of not being able to change positions, my pregnant bladder gets me up ever couple of hours anyway, so I just use this time to switch sides. If I happen to get uncomfortable and not need to go potty (sure, like that happens very often!) I simply leave the pillow where it is, roll myself over and use the pillow for the opposite support. For example, if I started with the support on my back, I roll over and have it on my stomach. Simple as that.

The smothering issue is moot. Not only am I totally and completely supported (which my chiropractor is very happy to know) but the Snoogle actually takes up far less room than any combinations of regular pillows. This makes my husband (who already thinks this pregnant lady is taking up more than her share of our king size bed) very happy. And God knows a pregnant lady needs a happy husband!