Posts Tagged ‘Pregnancy’

June 13th, 2011

BabyAge.com Pregnancy & Nursing Pillow

Funny story!   Like I don’t have enough of these in my life right? I was approached in the end of April to review an awesome pregnancy pillow for BabyAge.com.  The pillow itself is called Today’s Mom Pregnancy and Nursing Pillow, and let me tell you, it is amazing.

The funny story of it all? I got the pillow overnight-ed to me because I was so late in my pregnancy already.  I got it Friday morning… April 29th.  That afternoon I couldn’t wait to get both of the boys to sleep so I could cuddle up with my new pillow and enjoy it a little bit before bed that night. Thank god everyone took naps that day!

I unpacked it and jumped in bed, and loved every minute.  The pillow was just what the doctor ordered, it was a perfect combination of fluff and firm. That turned out to be one of the best naps I had my whole pregnancy, which is is probably a really good thing I did take that nap, because that night, before I got in bed for the night, where I should have used the pillow for the first time… my water broke!  Something I most certainly was not planning for.

Thankfully I was able to try it out before my big belly was gone!

I also wish that I was able to review this and check it out way earlier in my pregnancy, but I am certainly grateful because I am still using the pillow.  I am the kind of person who needs a couple pillows typically to get comfortable in bed, especially one between my legs.   And if you are a sleeper like I am… pregnant or not this pillow is totally for you.

In the past couple weeks though, I have been able to use it nursing also.  It has a nursing option, photoed below.

Now, if your husband is anything like mine, he may try and fight you for the pillow too.   When I was in the end of my pregnancy, my husband had retreated to the couch, because I was huge, we still had a three year old in our bed, and there really wasn’t enough room for all of us.  But now that all the kids have gotten the boot, we fight over this thing!

I seem to be winning for the most part, but on the weekend when he sneaks off for a nap, I am constantly catching him with it. Its ok though, I don’t mind sharing!  Haha!

I highly suggest checking it out, it is worth it!

The Today’s Mom Cozy Comfort Pregnancy Pillow was provided no cost for review from BabyAge.com

June 8th, 2011

The End of an Era

The end of an era alright!  In the past almost 10 months I have been writing almost daily for Babble.com’s Being Pregnant section of the website. I not only had a place to write about my own pregnancy, but I also had a great public forum with high traffic to write about serious birth issues that aren’t typically mainstream.   For that I have been really grateful.

But, the time has come to move on to other things, especially since I won’t be having anymore children anytime soon, or ever… and writing about pregnancy and childbirth in general is a touchy subject for me recently. I am sure I will be fine with it shortly, but having an actual job where I need to write about it daily is trying.  With another opportunity in my hands, I will be leaving Being Pregnant as of June 30th, and moving onto the new project.

Once I get the green light on sharing this project, I will be sure to scream it from the roof top to all of you who follow along on all the great sites that I write on.   In the mean time, I will be writing on Being Pregnant till the end of the month, and I will be on Baby’s First Year till of course Addie is one next April. Be sure to check me out over there because there are a lot of other great writers I am writing with that are totally worth reading!

As for an update on preventing pregnancy, and what I decided after seeing my OB/GYN today… we decided to go with the mini pill till September and see how I handle the actual hormones in that… if we are good to go and it doesn’t send me over the edge, I will be getting the mirena at the end of the summer… If the hormones make me want to murder the masses… Paraguard it will be and I will pray I dont have any side effects, or bleeding problems from that!

I appreciate everyone’s input!  (As for those who suggested NFP, and condoms… that is exactly where Addie came from!)

April 5th, 2011

Premature Birth Gems Courtesy of Cafemom

Nothing new to my readers… but I occasionally pop over to cafemom for mostly sheer entertainment. I have been a semi-active member in the Due in May 2011 group, because of course… that is when I am due!   Not only that but I love being able to answer questions, help new moms and give information and resources to mothers.

Well in the past two weeks I have noticed something not only incredibly annoying, but worrisome.  Not only has there been at least 10 babies born in the past week, but there are a ton more mothers who want to go into labor, or give birth soon.  Problem?  I am due the second week of May (5/8) and I am only 35 weeks pregnant.   These babies range from the low 3 pound range, so mid 4 pound range, and most have remained in the NICU.  Granted, 4 of the babies were twins (two sets) but why would someone want to have their baby knowing they still have another 6 weeks till their due date or 4 weeks at the least until they are considered full term by notoriously inaccurate due dates?!!?

Just three weeks ago when the pregnancy complications were mounting up, and they told me I may have to deliver at 35 weeks if our daughter didn’t start to grow I freaked out. Not because I am not ready, or because she would have to stay in the hospital longer, or be in the NICU… but because I knew she wouldn’t be ready and even late term preemies face serious complications.

Hell ya I am uncomfortable, I am in my third trimester, my hips are killing me, restless legs has gotten the best of my sleep, and I think I just got kicked in the boob no joke. But I wouldn’t take my own comfort over the health and well being of my own child. And it bothers me that there are so many women who would simply not care enough.

The March of Dimes has frequently spoken out about elective deliver before 39 weeks gestation despite the fact that most consider 37 weeks to be full term.  New’s flash people!   Just because your estimated due date says you may be 37 weeks, that baby very well may be 35 weeks.  Due dates are not exact dates, nor are they eviction dates.

If you don’t want to be uncomfortable, pregnancy probably isn’t the smartest option for you considering all the physical strain it will put on our bodies.   Morning sickness, cramps, peeing, constipation, pelvic pain and pressure, restless legs, throwing up, having a baby compacting our lungs, and everything else that goes along with pregnancy…  It is not some kind of walk in the park. You are creating a whole new human being from scratch!   Of course it is going to be difficult.

Mothers… We are supposed to protect our children and our babies, not purposely put them in harms way because we are sick of being pregnant.

March 25th, 2011

Long Awaited Update on the Pregnancy

I know a lot of you have been following the roller coaster pregnancy updates on Babble in the past couple weeks, but I wanted to sit down and write it all out here for those of you who don’t make it over to my posts there, or of course refuse to read anything on babble.

It all started around 28 weeks. I went in for my normal check up with one of my lovely midwives and she asked me if I had any concerns which I did. This pregnancy of course like my others has been very different, and I have noticed that I am much smaller than I have been with either boys. Of course she wasn’t too concerned because girls on average are supposed to be smaller, around a half pound at birth, but to ease my nerves she ordered an ultrasound. Which I went to. I was very happy that the tech, and the perinatologist who went over my scan repeatedly told me about the third trimester measurement error percentage, but even with that being taken into consideration, there was an issue.  Little Miss A was measuring in the 29th percentile, but her head itself was measuring in the 9th percentile. Typically they wouldn’t worry about this, but because it was in the less than 10th percentile they simply wanted me to follow up in three weeks for another ultrasound and watch the growth of her head. I guess that the first indication of a growth restriction is the head.  So of course it make for a really long 3 weeks.

In the mean time, I had my baby shower. My sister is such a sweet heart and put a beautiful shower together with my closest friends and family members, and it meant the world to me!  This is the first baby girl in our family since *I* was born!  So Little Miss A is kind of a big deal.  A blast!  Here are some pictures :

So that was a great way to keep my mind occupied about what could be going on with our little girl in the mean time. I brought all her gifts home, started working on my thank you notes, put everything away, and started working on the last of the nursery touches, including crafts. Some of which are still not done!

Here are the progress pictures of the nursery :

So, then that brings me to the last ultrasound we had!  I went a little over a week ago for the follow up on Little Miss A’s head size, and we got even more shocking news. The baby went from the 29th percentile to the 17th percentile, and her head had not had any changes. Which was very concerning. And not something I wanted to hear. In turn the perinatologist suggested an amniocentesis to try and discover why this is happening, and now why her growth is essentially slowing pretty quickly.

They wanted to check for infection in my uterus, and chromosomal abnormalities.  My biggest concern was infection, because at this point in our pregnancy, a diagnosis of Down Syndrome, or Trisomy 18 would not make a difference to us as parents, although it may change some of the ways the hospital staff would be prepared for delivery.  We opted for no genetic testing at the start of pregnancy, just like we did with our youngest because it wouldn’t matter to us, or sway our decision on parenthood, so… that is still how I feel about it as a whole.

At this point the placenta is still functioning fine, although there is concern, especially with my midwife because of my two previous c-sections. If the placenta is near or attached to my scar (which we are not positive of at this point) then that could decrease the function of the placenta while the blood flow may stay fine and look like the baby is continuing to get what she needs.

Wednesday in the midst of being very sick, and going for my check up, and a follow up non stress test (which Little Miss A looked perfect on) I got the preliminary results of the amnio saying there is no infection in my uterus. A huge relief!   Now we wait for the results of the genetics, and then in another week (next Wednesday) I go for another follow up ultrasound. At this point we will asses the growth, and placenta again and decide the course of action from here on out.

I am not the religious type, but we have certainly been praying a lot and hoping that we do not need to deliver early. As of right now we are scheduled for a 9:15am c-section on May 3rd with the OB of my choice, as well as my midwife as my doula. Which is exactly how I want things to be. But if there is a situation or case that Little Miss A doesn’t thrive in utero any longer, we may be facing a pre-term or pre 39 week 2 day delivery unfortunately.  In that case, we will be chunking her up on breast milk once she gets on the outside, and praying that there aren’t any other issues that keep her from growing the way she needs to.

So yeah, almost 1000 words later… that is what has been going on in the world of my pregnancy, and our daughter. Stressful to say the least. But like any other momma bear, I have sucked it all up and jumped into dealing with this first hand, and going with providers I trust to advise us as to what we need to do to make sure we have a healthy baby safely.

Thank goodness for medical technology when it is necessary!

February 9th, 2011

Linking Up

The past week I have written some great birth related posts, unfortunately due to my copyright status here, and on Babble’s Being Pregnant blog, I cannot cross post the material, but what I can do is link up my readers here so you can check them out. I am sorry for the crappy link post today, but I have to try and get my car out of the driveway over the next hour, and make it to my midwife appointment which the weather has canceled 3 weeks in a row.

Are American Women Out of Touch with the Reality of Childbirth Facilities? – A run down of real options American women have including how many states do not offer any kind of birth center, and also exclude home birth as a valid legal choice.

One Born Every Minute: Week 2 Recap – Even though I insisted I wouldn’t watch the show again, I did… while it was not as bad as week 1, it still sucked.

Photography Ban: Privacy or Liability Risk? – A break down of why hospitals are really banning photography during birth, and how hospitals may lose big business over their fears.

Becoming a Mother Again… For Mothers Day – I never thought about when Mothers Day was until this year… and realized my daughter will be only a few days old when we celebrate.

How Many Babies Does Facebook Make? – Since facebook now accounts for 25% of hookups… how many babies does that equal?

Evening Primrose Oil is NOT Going to Induce Your Labor!!! - The more I read about women trying to induce themselves, the more I want to hurt people… so I wrote a blog post on what EPO really does, and how it is NOT going to actually INDUCE you!

Want to Watch a Live Home Birth? – My love for Gina, I helped get the word out about her live home birth on her website.

Are Epidurals Really Risk Free? – A break down on risks of epidurals, and why women should not be lead to believe there is no risk to the procedure!

C-Sections and Vaginal Preservation – No, that c-section is not going to save your vagina!  Stop with the ignorant and hurtful stereotypes.

The Pregnancy Olympics: Shaving – Exactly how it sounds… LOL

Who is Really Ignoring Birthing Women and their Needs? – A follow up post to an infamous crapstastic trollb that stalks the internet. Sparked a great discussion though.

A lot of good comments, discussions, and information in the posts which is why I wanted to share them over here… I am working to get back on my game in the next couple weeks… this weather, and getting ready for the baby is killing me!  I am exhausted!

February 1st, 2011

Be In Pain or… Take Care of my Kids?

The never ending kidney tale from hell. It continues to get worse and worse. I wish that the picture to the side could truly show the spiky little bastards kidney stones are too… they are not these little round pieces of calcium floating through your piss tubes.  Pardon my language at his point… I am annoyed to say the least.

Thanks to the fact I apparently moved from Connecticut to Fargo, North Dakota, it has done nothing but snow all winter. From missed midwives appointments because of an entire two feet of snow (No, I am not exaggerating) to just not wanting to brave the ice cube my front step has become, I have not left the house much. I was supposed to wake up and see the urologist today, but because of another who knows how much snow is out there, that plan was put on hold. Knowing that the snow was coming I called the Urologist yesterday to re-schedule and also try and talk to the doctor about what the hell I can do in the mean time, and that options I have for treatment.

The pain started early on Thursday of last week meaning today marks 5 full days with no kind of relief. I am not sure how much more I can take… but apparently I am going to have to take a full 13 more weeks of it. Today marks 13 weeks until my c-section date if I do not go into labor on my own before then, but what sucks even more is I will be delivering with this kidney stone in tow unless it decides to move and pass on its own.

What kind of bullshit is that?

Oh, but its ok, they called me in a script for Vicodin… you know, that pain medication that I can’t take. So I have the option of barfing from the pain till the baby comes… Barfing from the nasty pain medication that I can take… or being in a vicodin induced coma because that is exactly the kind of reaction I have to medication like that.  Not only that, but I don’t want to be putting that into my body, and passing it on to the baby. No thanks!

So folks, I am fucked.

January 31st, 2011

I Admit It… I Hid

The other day I saw a facebook status that hit way close to home. Jill from Babyrabies.com while fighting off the plague admitted she was not above hiding from her toddler. And this is where I admit, since Thursday… I have not been above hiding from my entire  family, including the extended ones that don’t even live with me.

Thursday it started with not feeling good, and the boys were really understanding, helpful, and sympathetic. All their cooperation didn’t help though and off to labor and delivery I went. All is well except the rock currently hanging out in my ureter.  No big deal though  right?
At least that is what everyone in my house thinks. I totally realize mothers don’t get days off, but man, I totally need one. In the past when I have had these type of kidney issues I have had a ton of help, and pain medication I could take without worrying about harming a fetus. Not this time around.

I am cranked up to the maximum amount of Tylenol I can take while downing about 8, 16.9 oz bottles of water a day. By far the most water I have drank in probably my entire life. No Joke! Clear pee is the way to be!

Yesterday I hit my wall though. I found myself hiding from my husband, the kids, my parents, the telephone… everyone. Except the internet of course, it was like my out… my hideaway.  I took a 45 minute long shower just to stay in the bathroom longer without the loud tone of my toddlers. I put groceries away because the kids can’t get into the kitchen. I didn’t bitch when my husband went to the fire house because I just wanted to be left alone. I skipped Sunday dinner at my parents house because I didn’t feel up to seeing anyone, driving, or trying to put on a happy face while contemplating the removal of my kidney with my oldest child’s Handy Manny tool set.

I hid.

I admit it…

I am not above it, I am just so worn out, hurt, and sick that I had no other retreat method but to hide. But after nearly 24 hours of hide and seek, I am running out of places to hide. Maybe I can get more creative tomorrow, but lord help me… I cannot wait till I go see this urologist on Tuesday and he gives me some kind of hope, or light at the end of the tunnel. There is no way I can keep this up until May when this baby vacates, and they could operate if necessary.

December 26th, 2010

20 Weeks! (Well, 21 weeks really…)

Wow!  I am half way there huh… Well, a little over half way because of the circumstances surrounding our birth, but hey… 20 weeks

20 week picture, although I am 21 weeks... LOL

is a big deal and 21 weeks is even bigger… Maybe one day I will actually do things on time right? I feel like I have actually hit a decent milestone now!  Since I have been slacking on pregnancy updates, I thought I would write a really good one today.

Since my last update, I have not only found out we are having a little girl, but I have started shopping, passed my first glucose test, and have successfully narrowed her name down to two choices after being up to 10+ at one point. By the way, if you didn’t watch the video in the having a little girl post, please do, but try and choke back the water works.  On another note… While we narrowed the name down, my indecisive manner has already questioning my #1 choice. I give up!

Cravings : I haven’t had too many these past weeks… the typical Greek salad that has been my #1 craving, oh, and I had a horrible craving/experience with a McRib the other night. As far as drinks I have been into mountain dew, although I have seriously limited the amount of soda in my diet because of the increased risk I have for gestational diabetes after my pregnancy with Ben. I have been enjoying vitamin water, seltzer water, and milk… plain water these days ignites heartburn like I could not even believe. I thought I had it bad with my boys… NO WAY!  This baby takes the heartburn cake HANDS DOWN!
I was able to actually handle the heartburn with my youngest with alternative medicine, and natural foods per awesome suggestion by my midwife… this time I actually have been prescribed something by the same midwife.

Pregnancy Related Activities : Lots to report this post!  First I passed my first one hour gestational diabetes screening, I know… they aren’t all that accurate but I have had to make some sacrifices in my personal birth/pregnancy beliefs to be able to continue care with my midwife I love so much.

I have gone from petite and barely having a belly to feeling like I can’t bend over at all. Although yesterday (now a week ago) at the Children’s Christmas party at DH’s fire house everyone kept commenting on how small I am and how great I look… Sadly I don’t think they were talking about me. LOL

Although the sweater I wore yesterday for Christmas did NOT do my belly any justice. It make me look like a house. Thankfully my mother bought me this adorable maternity shirt I was able to change into and not only be comfortable, but look 21 weeks pregnant, not 40 weeks.

My cousin and I had a hysterical time taking funny pictures. I knew I wanted to do my update/belly picture in front of my mothers beautiful Christmas tree, but I forgot my cousin would be there to jump in… Whenever you get us together, it is a great time.

I am sure she is going to kill me now for putting them up on my blog, but she had full warning what she was getting herself into…

We obviously found out we are having a little girl, which ensued an insane amount of shopping on my part. And we narrowed her name down to either Liberty Ann or Caroline Ann. Like I said earlier in the post though, I am not sure I am sold on either yet. Nothing is jumping out at me, and I am afraid nothing will until she is born. I actually dread that because it won’t give me time to get anything name related finished in her bedroom.

Emotional Preggo Moment :Everything, especially when it had to do with Christmas. I was crying like a baby at everything from Bing Crosby and David Bowie classics, to the tradition of the dispatchers in our town wishing everyone a Merry Christmas on behalf of a passed police officer.  Talk about being a mess!  Christmas really sends you over the hormonal edge when you have children of your own to live through.

Bonus : Pictures that made me cry…

My Dad and Ben... How cute?

The next Dino star on Nick Jr. Dino Cam...

Can you tell Family is a weak spot for me?

How many weeks left? 18 weeks, and I am sure they are going to FLY BY. In the next couple months I have an entire nursery to do… Paint, decorate, buy for, craft for, etc… I have to meet with the backup OB/GYN from my midwife’s practice, sit down and talk with the Anesthesia department at the hospital we are going to, write a birth plan, and god knows what else…

Stay tuned this week for the big kick announcement with the full list of  Virtual Baby Shower sponsors and giveaways that will be taking place between January 2nd, and May 1st!  (There are some kick ass companies and products!)

December 11th, 2010

3 Years Ago

Three years ago, I went into the hospital to have my oldest son. While the birth experience was horrid, I have worked over these years to put it behind me and take what I can of the positives and make the goal of moving on. In the back of my head the events of that day will never be forgiven, but I certainly do understand why my providers handled my delivery the way they did… Simple enough?

They didn’t know any better…

Over the past three years, I have learned through the mistake I made of being induced, I have certainly become a different person, more educated, and my son has taught me the most amazing life lessons. First lesson was being a mother. Breastfeeding, diapers, and everything that goes along with motherhood. I think in the past year the biggest lessons he has taught me include patience and tolerance. There are some days I look at him, or something he says and think to myself… what in the hell?  Where did he learn that… OH the fire house…

But no matter what, he is my first born, the love of my life, my clown. He truly takes after his father in the clown department. He is truly an Elwood male!   I can’t imagine my life without him, and every day with him is a huge adventure.

Happy 3rd Birthday Camden! from Danielle Elwood on Vimeo.

December 10th, 2010

I Don’t See The Problem

Maybe it is just me… Maybe I need to see a “psychiatrist” as one commenter suggested on Babycenter, but seriously what is wrong with children knowing how babies are born?

Enter the doll that gives birth. Nothing worse than the plastic dolls on the market that crap their pants or piss… I guess it just is taboo because it is about birth, and a mothers vagina, although through pictures it looks like the bottom of the belly on the pregnant doll is what opens up.

Some of the gem comments that made me shake my head :

Anyone who thinks that this is ok needs to see a psychiatrist. There is absolutely no need for this. All that kids need to know is that Mommy is having a baby, they don’t need to understand how it happens at a young age. Why don’t we show them a man and a woman having sex to make a baby for God’s sake. This is horrible! This also looks more like a baby having a baby and that is not the message that we should be giving our kids. “Mommy, can I show you how my baby has a baby?” Whoever made this should be ashamed of themselves.

Are you freaking kidding me?!?!?  That is about the most disgusting thing I have seen created geared towards small children.  I have an 11 year old girl and also have an almost 8 month old baby.  My 11 year old had questions, and I’ve always been open and honest about those kinds of issues with her and I wouldn’t even considering using a doll like this to explain things to her!!!  Seriously, these people have gone WAY overboard!!!!

OMG…NOOOOO.  What were these people thinking?  This is just awful.  I am the mother of 6 and I guarantee that if I had given these dolls to the first 5, they would have absolutely flipped out knowing I was going through such an ordeal.  This is just WAY OVER THE TOP!  Make them go away!  I am going to have nightmares now just thinking about this!

Sadly, this is the world we live in, breastfeeding and giving birth is bad and Miley Cyrus smoking pot on video tape is what our children are looking up to as idols.

December 2nd, 2010

How My Husband Accidentally Made Me Cry…

Looking back at it now, it is kind of funny, but at the time I thought my world was crumbling and coming to an end. If you don’t know my husband much, he is on the sarcastic side and enjoys a joke, especially at someone else’s expense. Which is fine because I am the exact same way, and it is the best when I can get over on him.

Last night we were enjoying dessert together before bed when he looked at me with a dead serious look on his face and told me I am on my own next Thursday. Meaning, he wouldn’t be coming to the big ultrasound. I was pissed off of course and asked why.

He told me his half day slip he put in at work was denied, although he has vacation, and sick time he can use at any moment. I flipped out cursing his job up and down screaming “How could they do this?!”   “What am I doing to do??”  “Who am I going to bring with me??”  “I don’t want to go alone!!”  Just at the moment of not wanting to go alone… the tears started. I am a hormonal mess these days, who isn’t when they are pregnant?

Not that I couldn’t drive myself, or be fine going to the appointment myself, but I feel like it is something I should share with my husband, or my mother who just so happens to have a Doctors appointment the same day that she cannot miss. The two people in my life I love and care about the most (besides my children of course) couldn’t be there with me.  I certainly was freaking out.

Once he sees the tears, the look on his face changed from dead serious to sheer horror, and then cracked a smile as he gave me a big hug and kiss and said he was sorry. At that same moment he looked at me and said “I am just kidding”  Um… JOKE FAIL!

I could have killed him at that moment. Totally not even funny at all. I was on the verge of seeing red!

Long story short, the time slip got approved, of course, just like I knew it would because the company he works for rocks, and they love him. But for that moment in time I could not believe what was going on.

Looking back on it now, I am sure the tear factory was slightly overkill, but I just can’t control it these days. We have gone through nearly every step of my two pregnancies together. From ultrasounds to appointments and everything in between.

November 28th, 2010

Yes, I Am Finding Out!

We decided long ago at the start of this pregnancy that we would find out the sex of the baby. I know many people don’t and that’s cool. I just couldn’t wait for birth in our given situation.

With two boys, and knowing this is most likely our last child… ever, I need to know what we are having. If it isn’t a little girl, it is going to take me some time to be comfortable with the idea that we will probably never have a daughter. I understand that being upset about the gender of a child is beyond taboo today, but honestly I don’t care.

Disappointment is a natural human emotion that we feel. I am so sick and tired of people telling me how I should feel regarding the gender of this child. There is so much more to it than just having a baby girl.

• Our family has no little girls… The last little girl born was ME!  6 Grandsons… my poor mother has been sitting online on Babies R Us with a purely pink shopping cart for over three years, and my siblings who are much older won’t be having anymore children.
• I want to know what it is like to parent a little girl. Everyone tells me girls and boys are sooo different, and I just know I wouldn’t feel like our family is complete without experiencing both.
• I want to buy pink. Yes, I am one of those…. I will go all out. Tutu’s, pink, pink, pink dresses… and anything pink I can get my hands on. Pink is one of my favorite colors… can you blame me?
• The old saying… A daughter is a daughter for life, a son is a son until he takes a wife. Which has been pretty typical in our family. I want a daughter for the same close and supportive relationship I have with my mother.
• We have a girl name picked out!   No boy names, and I stand by the fact that if we have a boy, his name will likely be “Hey You” because we just can’t find a name, or agree on one.

If being human makes me selfish or a bad parent, so be it. Judge away, but you all know deep down inside at one point in your pregnancies, or parenthood you have favored one gender to the next.
Given my luck, and track record, I have basically given up the hope for a daughter. It hurts, and I had a huge breakdown over the holiday which stemmed from this, the never ending cold from hell I have, and missing one of my favorite local Christmas Tree lightings.   It was just a rough couple days.

On a lighter note, today I am 17 weeks, and I will be going for my big ultrasound in less than 2 weeks. Thursday December 9th.
I am still trying to find a neat way to announce what we are having, not only to my readers, but also to our family, so if you have any suggestions just leave me a comment or email me!

Lastly…

I got both children to sleep in their own beds last night before 10pm!  It was a huge accomplishment, and the oldest slept all by himself until 8:30am!  I was floored, and excited for him.  Ben got up a couple times during the night, 1 and 3 then decided he wanted to cuddle with Daddy at 5:15 this morning. I am hoping that won’t be the case tomorrow since it seems like 5am is the time I am finally able to sleep after hacking all hours of the night.

OH, and only 22 weeks left!  Woot Woot!

November 27th, 2010

I’m Pregnant Not Disabled!

It is nothing new that my husband has a lot of commitments with the fire department. Until he finishes all of his training (which his last class finally starts in January) he is frequently away in the evenings a couple nights a week. Nothing new, life goes on.   So last week sometime the kids were restless, it was about 7pm and I needed a box of pull ups for my oldest. We are trying to do cloth diapers during the day to help him potty train, but over night he needs something more absorbent since he pee’s like a man.

I took the kids and we drove to look at some Christmas lights, some of the famous houses in our area already have their lights up so needless to say my oldest was beyond excited. After about a half hour in the car we had to stop in Target.

I made my way to the cough drop aisle, and followed it up with the diaper aisle. While in the aisle there was an older lady who later told me she was a Grandmother of two, asking the girl stocking the shelves if the diapers were unisex. The girl had no idea, so I chimed in and gave her some info about the diapers she was checking out. No big deal, she was very pleasant. It turned into a conversation about sales, Santa, and Black Friday coming up.

The fact that I was pregnant came up, although no one could really tell in what I was wearing… As I went to pick up the box of diapers off the shelf, the bigger but not giant 98 pack, the girl that worked at the store looked at me with sheer horror in her face. As if I was dying or something. She immediately says “Oh let me get that for you, You are pregnant!  You shouldn’t be lifting”   Um… Huh?

I am pregnant, yes, not disabled. I carry my children around and let me tell you, they weigh a lot more than the box of diapers I picked up off the shelf.  The whole thing has played in my head over and over again this past week with disbelief. I still cannot believe it.

Pregnancy is not a disability… it is just a part of life!
I wish people would stop treating it like a problem!