Old Wives Tale # 1

Chinese Gender Prediction Calendar

This calendar goes by your Chinese age and the month you conceived based on the Chinese calendar. So I had to plug in some numbers---

We converted the dates for you: Your Chinese lunar age at pregnancy was 30 and the Chinese lunar month in which you conceived was October.  Find the place on the chart where these values meet – it reveals your baby's sex!

Remember, this tool has a 50-50 chance of being right (and it's just for fun).

What did it say about conceiving in October when I was 30?????  Girl!

Running Total:

Boy: 0

Girl: 1

14 Weeks

How far along:  14 weeks down, 26 weeks to go

This week baby is the size of: a lemon (I should totally have some lemonaid to celebrate)

Next appointment: October 12- it seems like ages away

Exercise: I've been trying to walk at least a couple times a week. It is so hard to do it alone though. 

Stretch marks: Nope

Swelling: just the boobs

Maternity clothes: I had previously bought a few shirts with my mom, the only one I wear is the maternity fitted tank under other non-maternity shirts. 

Belly button: It's still there.

Sleep: I have been sleeping fine. 

Food cravings/aversions: No unusual aversions. I enjoy salty food. 

Symptoms: My nipples continue to grow on a daily basis. (sorry dad and pappy and any other male relatives or friends who may be reading this). Aside from that lower back pain near my tailbone. I can't figure out if something in particular is triggering this, or if it's just pregnancy. 

Movement: Nothing yet- I've been moving a bunch of boxes, but the baby refuses to help. 

Labor signs: No, thank goodness!

What I miss: I miss having my husband at home. Oh! you mean due to the pregnancy... I miss being able to eat what other people are eating. I'm not one to usually crave hotdogs- but when you "aren't allowed" and someone is cooking one- oh boy do you want one too. I could go for a Sierra turkey sandwich from Panera when we go there too, but I resist the urge. 

What I'm loving: Pickles and ice water

What I'm looking forward to: My next doctors appointment so we can make sure everything is still going smooth and for Matt to meet Dr. H

Best moment this week: officially being in the second trimester, odds of miscarriage have dropped dramatically 

Milestones: out of the first trimester

Goals: have a healthy pregnancy

Ultrasound

We had our first ultrasound today. 

 Meet Bebe Pressley!

Matt said since we are into our second trimester according to some people (some websites put it as 13 weeks, while some put it at 14 weeks) that we could announce it to everyone.  He has been bursting at the seams to tell.  So we posted on facebook our very first chalkboard drawing (that was completed a few short days after finishing the chalboard- but was for our eyes only up until today)

 

I am overwhelmed by how excited people are for us.  It is such a journey to go on, but to see the number of indivduals praying for us, and those as excited as we are has been a blessing.  Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers.

We come home and celebrated by writing on the chalkboard again!

The ultrasound tech said that I am measuring at 13 weeks and 1 day.  So she put my estimated delivery date at March 11, 2013. 

I did not get to see much of the ultrasound since it was done internally, but watching Matt's face as our baby squirmed around was enough to make me cry.  I did get to see Bebe opening his or her mouth though, and that adorable little nose up there- that's our baby's! 

Matt predicts it is a girl.... his reasoning, (she) kept flailing her arms and moving around and opening and closing her mouth---- just like her mom does-- especially when she is sleeping.  Haha.

We do not plan to find out the sex of the baby until birth day! (Matt is a little hesitant about this- but he comes around more and more every day.) 

Stay tuned for weekly old wives tale posts to help predict what Bebe P will be. 

Emotional Crazy Lady

Dear  new symptom,

 You can go away before my dear husband decides to sleep in the other room on his ten day break! 

Emotional crazy lady made a visit last night. Sure I've always been a pretty transparent person. Matt always knows how I'm feeling. Usually before I do.  And sees right through my "nothing I'm fine" and "I don't knows". 

What happened you ask (since no one is really reading this, and no one really asked, let me continue)

Matt wasn't really using his blanket last night so I pulled some over to my side to cover my feet and the following conversation insued....

Him- "stop it I was almost asleep."

Cue tears!  I cried silently trying not to sniffle because I felt bad I woke him. He has such a hard time sleeping. 

Him- "Do you need another blanket?"

Me- (shaking  my head no because I knew I'd start sobbing if I talked.)

He of course asks again because it's dark and you cant see a head shake in the dark. 

Me- (burst into uncontrollable tears.)

Him- "Why are you crying? What's wrong?"

Me-  "I don't know."

Him- (chuckling). "Stop crying,  there's nothing to cry over." (covering me up with a blanket)

Me- (sobbing now that he got out of bed to cover me up after I woke him up)  "You yelled at me." (more sobbing) 

Him- (he walks out of the room- surely shaking his head- which I can't see because it's DARK) 

I find him on the couch and ask what he is doing.  "(He's) staying there so he doesn't ruin my night" (or something along those lines)

Emotional crazy lady please go away. He has put up with my insane emotions  our entire relationship. But this! I don't know how long he will stay around for this. 

It all ended happily ever after though (at least I think). He came back to bed and there were no more blanket stealing or sobbing- that I can remember at least. I'll have to ask him when he finishes mowing the grass. 

Dear Future Baby Registering Momma-to-be

Dear Future Baby Registering Momma-to-be,

The very first thing you must register for is one of those mirrors that you attach to your back seat so that you can see your bundle-to-be as you drive down the road. This is essential unless you want to continually pull over and unbuckle to check to make sure baby Pressley is alive and well. 

                                                                        Your welcome in advance,

                                                                             Momma Worrier

Today I helped a good friend of mine out by babysitting her son. Let me tell ya. Every stop light and stop sign I would readjust my mirror to see if his toes were twitching. 

How do new moms not poke their babies while they lay blissfully sleeping to make sure that;  yes they were indeed sleeping and not dead. 

I still sometimes poke my dog and we've had her almost two years. 

Oh boy do I have lots to learn. Let the adventure begin, or shall I say continue.

Bloodwork and peeing in a cup

We had our first doctors appointment today. I braced for boring. I knew there would be peeing in a cup,  lots of questions to answer, an  internal exam  plus blood work.  But I didn't expect to hear our babies heartbeat.   So surreal.  

(What does that word even mean?  

According to Webster " very strange or unusual : having the quality of a dream")

Yep, my first appointment was indeed surreal.  I still feel as if this is a dream.  That I will wake up tomorrow and be late for school and will not have to urinate every half hour. 

But it's not a dream. I am having a baby!  I  heard my baby boy or girls heartbeat today!   138 beats per minute.   I am going to be a mom!  Matt is going to be a dad!  So surreal!  

The Making of the Chalkboard

Since so many of my friends and family are living in different states (and those living close by I don't get to see enough) we decide to document my ever-expanding belly in some fun way.  What we come up with was a homemade chalkboard.



We set out one afternoon to Lowe's and bought all the supplies.
The actual frame came from Hobby Lobby.



Since Matt has become very protective of me and his growing baby, I was only allowed to watch the process unfold.  First he sanded the piece of plywood.

Then he primed it (two coats).

Then came the chalkboard paint that we bought.

And here we have the finished board!  We are thrilled with the way that it turned out.  We can't wait to write on it on a weekly basis.  That won't come until after the first trimester though (Daddy's overprotective and Mommy's paranoid)  Stay tuned!