19 Week Updates

I'm a bit behind on my weekly updates. Work has found me extremely busy- and I am welcoming the distraction with open arms. I have about 4 months left to build up our "baby fund" to have some time off with our sweet little one, so I need to rock n roll while I can!

How far along? 19 weeks

How big is baby? Weighing in around 1/2 lb, the baby is now about 6-8 inches long.

Weight gain? Up 3.5 lbs

Actually a 19w3d bump... definitely starting to pop out a bit more!

Sleep? My 'witching hours' returned for a few nights- where I wake around 3am with my mind racing & am then up for at least an hour trying to settle back to sleep. This usually corresponds to my work schedule, as there are a lot of to-do's crammed in my brain that seem to want to be addressed in the middle of the night.

Symptoms? I think the migraines are finally starting to get under control. I began talking a natural magnesium powder before bed each night, and (knocking on wood) haven't had a migraine in a week. The magnesium also has the added side effect of easing up the constipation. Woot!

I've been having tightness around my right hip- where the round ligament is. If I sit too long and then stand, it takes a while to stretch and ease into standing straight again. I've also been having some lower back tightness.

The coolest thing this week? On Monday night, at 19w2 days- I felt actual, undeniable kicks going on!! They are always just to the right and a little below my belly button. They'll come in little waves- several "pop pop pops" within 30 seconds before it is quiet again. On Tuesday I felt them 3 distinct times throughout the day. It is amazing, and I am so excited to know they will only increase. I can't WAIT for BC to be able to feel these too- when I laid his hand on the stomach the other night all was calm, and he surmised he had a relaxing effect on the baby. Last night I also had my first experience of actually seeing my skin "pop" out a bit where a kick was! Love, love, love it.

Food cravings/aversions? This week sautéed spinach is tasting amazing to me. I am still not hip on chicken (haven't been this entire pregnancy)- but this baby does appreciate a fine steak. : )

Most looking forward to? The delivery of nursery furniture this weekend! Seems early, I know... and was kind of a fluke. I went into Buy Buy Baby last week with the intention of ordering the set we loved, which I was told could take 9-12 weeks to come in. Low and behold the floor models were on sale and available for a huge discount, so I seized the opportunity to save money and the crib, dresser, & hutch will be arriving Saturday.

I also can't wait to share with all of you what we are having! We actually found out last Thursday and surprised my family with the news over the weekend. Stay tuned for my next post which will share the happy news.... we'll see whose predictions were right!

Farewell, Sweet Mr. Otis

On Monday night we quite suddenly and unexpectedly had to say goodbye to our sweet kitty Mr. Otis. He was 14 years young.... and  I will always remember the day I found him at my favorite pet store in Madison, Wisconsin. He was a teeny tiny kitten with huge blue-green eyes, and just the sweetest little thing ever. I was immediately smitten.

He's been with me through 10 moves (one across the country!) and 3 serious relationships. He's seen me transition from a student to a nanny to a teacher to a Realtor. He comforted me through almost 3 years of infertility and a miscarriage, and has been a faithful companion throughout our current pregnancy.

Otis was one of the most talkative cats I have EVER known- he sounded like a grouchy old man, though he never, ever bit anyone his entire life. He loved bread & snuggling on my lap while I worked. He was constantly annoyed by his little brother Sam, and also by the dust bunnies in our house- which he went around eating as if to say "you guys are SLOBS!" He was deathly afraid of plastic bags, wind, & rain. There were many stormy nights when he'd be howling & I'd have to snuggle him like a baby to soothe his tense little body.

I know that his bright spirit will live on. I will miss kissing his soft face & looking into his huge, expressive orange eyes. Farewell, sweet Mr. Otis. You were VERY loved and will be VERY missed.

Mr. Otis Adams-Lambert, March 1998- July 2nd, 2012

Boy or Girl?

As we anxiously patiently wait to find out if Baby Lambert is a boy or a girl, I thought it might be fun to play with some Old Wives Tales' predictions to see how our odds stack up! Here we go.....

Old Wives' Tale #1: If you are carrying high, it is a girl. Low= boy

I feel like I am in the middle! Here is a shot from last week at 18 weeks:

Conclusion? Could be boy OR girl- we'll have to see how that belly progresses

Old Wives' Tale #2: If the heart rate is below 140, it is a boy. Above 140 is a girl. This little one's heart rate clocks in at around 150 beats/minute.

Conclusion? Girl

Old Wives' Tale #3: If you are craving sweet things, it is a girl. Salty or sour cravings = boy

I definitely had a huge aversion to sweets early in the pregnancy, but can now eat them just fine. That being said I am not craving them- I tend to crave more salty snacks (though this was the case pre-pregnancy too).

Conclusion? Boy

Old Wives' Tale #4: Mayan Legend says they could determine the baby's sex by looking at the age of the mother at the time of conception and the year of conception. If both were even or odd, it's a girl. If one's even and one's odd, it's a boy.

I was 36 when we conceived, and the year is 2012.

Conclusion? Girl

Old Wives' Tale #5: If you are breaking out and have bad skin, it's a girl. Good skin means a boy.

My skin has been great this whole pregnancy, with the exception of a few stray blemishes in the early weeks.

Conclusion? Boy

Old Wives' Tale #6: If you have a lot of morning sickness in your pregnancy, it's a girl. Little to no morning sickness means a boy.

I was pretty darn nauseous from weeks 6-12, the worst being the 7-10 week stretch. I still get nauseous in the mornings if I don't eat fast enough.

Conclusion? Girl

Old Wives' Tale #7: The Chinese Birth Chart

This one is a bit confusing. Every version I find has a field to fill in the month of conception (March)- but some versions then ask for the age of the mother at conception, while others ask for the age of the mother when she'll give birth.

Conclusion: If based on the age at conception (36) and the month conceived (March)= girl. If based on the age at birth (could be 36 or 37!) and the month conceived, it says boy!

Tallying all of those Old Wives' Tales up gets us to 3 votes girl, 2 votes boy (2 of the categories were inconclusive).

As far as my own intuition? I've been feeling girl this entire pregnancy. However, that being said, the last 4 friends & families' pregnancies I've had strong feelings about go like this:

*Sister-in-law Julie: I swore it was a girl! She gave birth to our sweet nephew Nick
*Sister-in-law Anna: I just knew it was a girl! She gave birth in June to her beautiful daughter Magnolia
*My friend Amy: pregnant with twins, I felt it was a boy/girl combo. She has 2 little boys due in November!
*My cousin Amy: I was sure she was carrying a girl. Her active little boy is due in September.

So I have a 1/4th track rate... not so hot- and looks like my boy radar is way off.  I figure if my intuition is anything like my sense of direction, then this little one is definitely a boy!

If you are a regular reader of my blog (or even just stopping by) I'd love to hear YOUR guess! What do you predict Baby Lambert will be? 

18 Weeks: A Visit to the ER & a Psychic Fair

My 18 week milestone started off with a bang today with a visit to the Emergency Room.

This past week I have had several mornings in a row where upon waking- before using the restroom- I've had a small amount of clear fluid leak out of me. Odorless, watery.... I had assumed it was urine. This morning in a comparison smell test (gross, I know) I put a drop of urine on my finger and it had a very distinct urine odor- unlike the fluid that has been leaking out.

I immediately started googling things like "does amniotic fluid periodically leak in pregnancy?" and proceeded to completely freak.myself.out. Any amniotic fluid leaks are BAD news, and something to see a doctor about immediately. Of course it was Saturday, so after talking to my on-call nurse the only option was the ER. There went my pre-natal yoga plans!

Upon arrival to the hospital, I was grateful to be seen quickly. The nurse immediately found the baby's heartbeat (a calm 144-145- at least the little one wasn't all worked up!) and told us the on-call doctor would be in shortly. No one seemed alarmed, which was good. The doctor checked my cervix (closed tight & long- hooray!) and did a PH test on my vaginal fluid. It came back negative for amniotic fluid- there was a slight abnormality on another test but it was most likely due to the fact that BC and I had had some sexy time last night (awesome timing, as it turns out... making the tests more complicated and each speculum probe a lot more painful!). No infections were found, and the doctor surmised the fluid was likely either very watery vaginal discharge or urine. She said it is very uncommon to have amniotic fluid leak this early- and if it did, it is usually on/off throughout the day, not just in the morning. I was so grateful for the peace of mind from the visit, and will now be nicknamed "Leaky Lambert."

The most hilarious part? On my discharge paperwork, they noted my "Chief Complaint" as Pregnancy. Ha!

Later this afternoon I geeked out and attended a metaphysical Psychic fair, hoping to have a reading done. I found a woman I'd had a brief phone session with months ago and she set out to focus on connecting to the baby. Some interesting tidbits that came up:

*She definitely got female energy- said that doesn't necessarily mean it is a girl, but that there was indeed a lot of female energy around this little one.

*This little one is a very old soul, and very happy to finally be able to come through!

*BC is going to be extremely close to this child- it will take him by surprise how immediately and fully he feels this connection.

*The little one was concerned with coming too early due to medical folks saying it was necessary- something to do with my blood sugar/pancreas. The psychic advised it would be good to continue acupuncture & energy work toward balancing this out.

*The babe is preferring a gentle, calm natural birth. S***. That was definitely not my plan!! It's true I got a strong vibe/intuition the DAY this little one was conceived that he/she was waiting to come in naturally (and did), so this news didn't surprise me. But it does throw me a bit off kilter, as I have been pretty sure I'm going to want an epidural. I am committed to remaining open and starting to research birthing centers & midwives, then following my own intuition from there.

*I asked about work/finances after the baby comes, as this is an ongoing discussion with BC & I, and something I struggle to find clarity with. My gut tells me I am going to want to be home with this babe full time for awhile after he/she comes, which means saving as much money as possible now and having to cut back on many expenses after the birth. The Psychic said she doesn't have any red flags about finances for us- and does see some sort of part time work coming in for me around the time the babe is 6 months, though exactly what that was isn't clear. She saw me surrounded by children (not my own)- so something possibly in that field? We shall see!

Now onto the 18 week updates:

How far along? 18 weeks today

How big is baby? The baby is now the size of a sweet potato, measuring roughly 5.6 inches & weighing 6.7 ounces. He/she is going through a rapid growth period, and it's weight will increase by 6x in the next four weeks! That should definitely affect my belly's ever expanding girth. The unique fingerprints are also developing this week.

Weight gain? Fluctuates between 2.5lb-3lbs. The ER nurse asked me for my weight when I checked in today. I told her my scale at home was reading between 110.5-111, and joked that probably meant 115 on the doctor's scale. She smirked and said "I'm going to record 115 just because I"m jealous." While I appreciated her humor, I didn't appreciate the 115 notation.

18 Week Belly

Sleep? I've been having crazy "Lifetime Movie of the Week" type dreams- linear tales that have a very clear beginning, middle, end & drama around them... often about characters that aren't even a part of my real life. 

Symptoms? The migraines are still taunting me- I've had maybe 5-6 in the past week and a half. The on-call doctor today said she was OK with the niacin + tylenol combo I've been successfully using, which made me feel a lot better (my regular OB was OK with this as well). I feel so guilty every time I have to take anything! Apparently these specific pregnancy weeks (from about 16-20) are known for an uptick in headaches- so hopefully those will calm down soon. This week's leaking was my other fun new symptom! 

Food cravings/aversions? I haven't had too big of an appetite this week- not sure why. The needing to eat within 30-60 minutes of waking remains, and I've been loving watermelon- though I wouldn't call it an all out 'craving.' 

Maternity clothes? I think I finally have a pretty solid collection of dresses & stretchy skirts that will help get me through the hot summer. I can also still wear my stretchy waisted capri jeans- so between those & the skirts/dresses I should be set for awhile.

Most looking forward to? Starting to feel movement! Every once in a blue moon I *think* I might feel a little tap or swish, but absolutely nothing consistent or conclusive. The babe is obviously in there with a strong heartbeat- I like to believe he/she is just a very calm, Zen little soul. I can hope, right? 

The Babe Boycotts Exercise

When writing about my nightly migraines, I'd failed to mention that another constant in my bedtime routine has been squats & push-ups. Doing what I could to ward off the flab. I now think this light exercise may have been a major culprit in triggering my migraines.

The first migraine last week started during a walk/run outside with BC (during the running part). The next 2 came after squats/push-ups in the evenings. So now, in addition to getting ready for bed each night by nightlight, I've ceased the before bed strengthening.

Around 7pm last night, I decided to do some gentle leg lifts. I laid down the yoga mat & propped myself up on my side. I could tell my legs had gotten soft, as these exercises were much harder than they used to be when I was attending Pilates 2x/week! Toward the end of the leg lifts, my awesome flashing migraine lights began.

Seriously??!??!?

It appears that at this point in my pregnancy, any light exercise- running, squats, push-ups, or leg lifts (for crying out loud!) is triggering a migraine. Apparently this baby does not like me to work out, and prefers his/her mama soft and flabby. Awesome. The only logical physical explanation I can conjure up is that maybe the increased weight of my uterus is now pushing on my ocular nerve or something like that, making me more prone to migraines when I exert myself? Seems plausible enough.

I'm going to have to cash all my chips into the genetic pool- I've gained about 3 lbs so far in this pregnancy (as of this morning I was up 2.8 lbs), and my mom held onto a rockin' body after birthing 3 children. I can only pray and hope I am as lucky, as it appears my days of exercising are on an indefinite hiatus.

If you discover my arms & thighs waving in the breeze next time you see me, please say something sweet about the growing miracle of life inside me.  I'll need the reassurance, cause this babe is definitely calling the shots now....

17 Weeks, a New Niece, and a Visit from Arlo

As referenced in my previous post, the past week has definitely been an interesting one in my pregnancy journey! I ended up having migraines 3 nights in a row- nights 2 and 3 happening right after my normal bedtime routine. I've now taken to washing up by nightlight, in case the bright bathroom lights reflecting in the mirror were a trigger. I've also forced myself to get off the computer by sunset each night- thinking that perhaps my eyes were getting strained with the more limited lighting. So far, so good.

I became an aunt again this week!! Lance's sister Anna had a beautiful baby girl on June 15th- the first little girl in both of our families! We have 6 nephews on Lance's side and one on mine. Her parents are spending some time with her before finalizing a name, but for now, here are a couple shots of her absolute deliciousness:

Can't wait to kiss that face!

We had some special visitors over the weekend- our friend Steph & her son Arlo! The only thing that could have made the visit better is if Steph's wife Anj could have joined. Arlo is an inquisitive, robust, charismatic little 2 year old (he is 27 months old today!) who is already completely potty trained (they started the "Elimination Communication"technique with him when he was 3 months old). It was so much fun to have a little one's energy in the house! Fun and exhausting.

Here are a few of my favorite shots from our visit:

 Otis meets Arlo. 

The cats weren't too sure about this little fast-moving human!

 He LOVED playing in our water fountain

 Playtime with BC

Nothing like naked toddler time at the breakfast bar

Here are my 17 week updates:

How far along? 17 weeks

How big is baby? About the size of an onion- 5.1 inches long, weighing in around 5.9 ounces. He or she can now hear us fully, and can taste whatever I am eating! The baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the placenta is growing stronger & thicker. At my doctor's appointment last Thursday they were able to find the little one's heartbeat almost immediately- a healthy 150-152 beats/minute. That has got to be the most amazing sound ever.

17 weeks and growing....

Weight gain? I was up 3 pounds at my doctor appointment, and it seems another 4 ounces have stacked on over the weekend (I am eating plenty, but still hardly ANYTHING is coming out of me. Damn constipation).

Sleep? I had another manic night of dreams after my first migraine last week, but other than that still good.

Food cravings/aversions?  I've been having an aversion to cereal and yogurt this week (trying to make myself eat SOME yogurt for the constipation). Still loving cheese- that is definitely one constant with this pregnancy!

Symptoms? This week was as doozy with the upkick in migraines & last Tuesday morning's throw up sessions. I was having a lot of round ligament pain last week- pulling/stretching on the sides of my uterus. I also had a tiny bit of pink spotting after a bathroom visit yesterday (which of course freaked me out!) but nothing since. Had some gentle cramping this morning. My boobs are still sore and seem to be slowly but surely continuing to grow.

Maternity clothes? I have started stocking up on summer dresses for work & play- some official maternity dresses, others just great comfy dresses with empire waists (I scored at Ann Taylor Loft over the weekend- LOVE that store!)

Most looking forward to? Starting to order nursery furniture! I visited a few big baby stores last week for initial research, and quickly discovered it can take 9-12 weeks for any ordered furniture to come in. This means we need to decide on items and get ordering soon! I made BC come with me to Buy Buy Baby Friday night after dinner to approve some baby items I'd checked out earlier that day. He was remarking what a hot date night that was, but overall was a trooper! I learned from that visit that he trusts & will defer to my judgement for almost everything we need to buy and order baby related. I am just fine with that, and have already started a preliminary baby registry to keep track of baby loot.

I'm also excited for our upcoming 4th of July celebration in Houston (held the weekend before this year)- where many of my out of town relatives will be coming up for a visit, including my pregnant cousin! It will be so fun to compare our expanding bellies and pregnancy notes. : )

First Trimester Relapse

This week my pregnancy symptoms have definitely been giving me a run for my money.

Tuesday night Austin had an amazing cold front roll through, dropping temperatures almost 25 degrees in 15 minutes - from 95 down to 70. BC and I took full advantage and headed out for a brisk walk/run. My body was actually really excited to run a bit in this cooler weather! The downside? Flashing migraine lights started halfway through my jog. It got me running a bit faster, as I wanted to get home quickly to proactively take some niacin + Tylenol in an attempt to ward off the pain.

Wednesday night I was washing up for bed, doing nothing out of the ordinary, when the flashing migraine lights started again! WTF. Feeling really bad having to do another round of niacin + Tylenol, I eased myself into bed with throbbing temples. Cue a night full of fitful, restless sleep- including a 1am wake up where I HAD to go get a snack to ward off nausea (that hasn't happened since week 10 or so!)

Then this morning at 6:30 I woke up with intense nausea. As I ran downstairs in an attempt to quickly eat something, I didn't make it in time and had to detour to the bathroom to throw up. I haven't thrown up this entire pregnancy and now at almost 17 weeks- BAM. When BC woke up and I shared the morning's events with him, all he said was "somebody's pregnant!" Thanks for the sympathy, love.

After showering I decided to make quick work of preparing breakfast. As my eggs & toast were nearing completion I spied some suspicious movement at our kitchen sink. There he was- a HUGE Texas- sized cockroach investigating the discarded eggshells (those suckers are about 2+ inches long down here). Now, I am typically one to catch a spider and let it outside, but cockroaches and their lightning speed really freak me out (the ones down here can also fly!) So I took swift action and washed him down the sink then ground him into oblivion with the garbage disposal. Feeling equally bad and disgusted, I immediately ran to the bathroom and threw up again.

Oh sweet little one, you know I'm willing to take on anything to bring you here safely. But I pray that this is NOT the start of a new 'thing' or 'phase' in our pregnancy journey together. And if I'm putting prayers out there? Please let that be the last cockroach I see INSIDE our house for a long, long time!


Today I will visit my chiropractor in the hopes of alleviating the migraines. I also have a regular OB appointment this afternoon- where hopefully I'll hear our little one's strong heartbeat ticking away. I imagine there has been some growth going on, with all the 'fun' I've had this week!