The verdict is....

... still out.  Goodness, all this build up and we found out NOTHING today... Okay, that's not true.  We heard the heartbeat again (156 bpm) so we found out that it's still in there, it's not a figment of our 4 weeks ago imagination.

I guess it's my fault.  I didn't specifically ask if I was getting the ultrasound.  At my last appointment my doctor had said that we were going to do the second trimester screening blah blah blah the next time which to me meant bloodwork and ultrasound.  For the record, it JUST meant bloodwork.  Bummer.  But, she gave me the go ahead to come back in 3 weeks instead of 4 weeks.  So I jumped on that opportunity and I'm most definitely going back on October 19.  We are doing the full work-up, ultrasound and seeing all the parts and whatnot then (at least as far as I know, otherwise we're waiting until the 3rd trimester at that point and that seems a bit excessive).

So until then, while I'm sad we didn't get more information today, I'm glad that we at least had the appointment.  I'm still "in the family way", so I guess I should enjoy the fact that my pants are still fitting.

Now I just have to figure out the best way to learn patience for the next 3 weeks.  I'll work on that while I try to learn how to NOT sleep on my back.  Ugh, this is going to move slow.

21 Wives' Tales

I pulled this 21 Wives' Tales that tell You if it's a Boy or a Girl from my friend JuliAnna's post (you can find her results here if you're interested - and as a side note, she had a boy).  I thought it would be interesting to throw it out there and I think most of them are a bit ridiculous, and some don't apply -- but why the heck not, right?  I should be finding out the gender this Friday, so thought this would be a fun precursor.

So here are my responses below, enjoy.

Sleep Position: Pay attention to which way you lay down in bed tonight.  If you prefer sleeping in your left side, you'll have a boy.  Right side?  You're pregnant with a girl.

BOY - I don't necessarily know what to make of this one since if I'm on my side I'm typically on my left side regardless of baby or not.  And now I'm trying hard to no longer be a back sleeper since I've heard that's bad.  Which then only means that I'm not sleeping well because if I wake up from moving in the middle of the night and I realize I've been on my back, then I start to panic that I've deprived the baby of oxygen for the last few hours.  But in strict answer of the question, I guess I'll go with left side.

Upset Stomach: Little girls aren't always sweet.  Extreme nausea means you are having a daughter.

GIRL - I'm not extremely nauseous anymore, but I hated life for about 2 weeks when I was throwing up 3-5 times a day and just the thought of grilled chicken made me dry heave.  Now it comes and goes in waves, usually based on whether or not I've had enough water (see this post for confirmation).

Soft or Dry Hands: If your hands are dry during pregnancy, you are having a boy; soft - expect a girl.

GIRL - My hands are pretty soft, but it's not winter yet so that's probably going to change when I get scaly and dry during the cold months.

Food Cravings: Your favorite pregnancy foods may tell you what sex the baby is.  If you're craving citrus while pregnant, you're having a girl.

BOY - I don't think I'm craving citrus, in fact I don't think I'm really craving anything in particular.

Adult Acne: If altering hormones makes your skin break out, expect a girl.

GIRL - I haven't broken out this bad since high school.  It's not pretty, especially with my particular aversion (for lack of a better word) of taking time to use make-up in the morning.

Graceful or Clumsy Pregnancy: If you feel as though you're gliding through the day, you'll have a girl.  Stumbling?  It's a boy.

BOY - I'm always clumsy though, so this makes no sense and doesn't seem like a good indicator.  As my friend Brian told me in college, "I didn't know your mom, but from what I know about her, if she had the foresight she would have named you Grace".  That about sums it up.  If this is an indicator though, I'm going to be destined for boys.

Face Weight Gain: If your face gets fuller, it means you're having a girl.

BOY - My face seems to have actually slimmed down, but that could have also been from the weight loss I had at the beginning of pregnancy (read back to upset stomach above, and also the removal of alcohol from my diet).

Sugar and Spice Food Cravings: Craving salt during pregnancy? Potato chips, pretzels, and popcorn means a boy is on the way.  Need a little something sweet?  Ice cream, chocolate, and candy means you're having a girl.

GIRL - I'm eating more sweets than usual, although I think it's mostly because I no longer allow myself to feel guilty about making that stop at the Dairy Queen or having the extra cookie.  Although, I guess I have been eating more donuts and I have to say those used to be a big no-no for me and now they are delicious.

Mood Changes: If you're experiencing pregnant mood-swings, expect a baby girl to arrive soon.

BOY - After talking this one over with John he doesn't think I'm experiencing mood swings so I think I'll go ahead and trust him on this one.

High or Low Pregnant Belly: If you're carrying the baby low on your stomach, expect a boy.  If it's high, you're having a girl.

BOY - So, I'm not showing really.  I've got nothing.  I guess if I had to choose something I would say low, since it's definitely not high?

Baby Weight: If you're carrying baby in front, it's a boy.  Is the baby weight spaced all around your middle?  It's a girl.

GIRL - It seems as though it's kind of just all over, and not isolated to a certain location.  Since I don't have a belly sticking out in front of me, I guess that means it's spaced all around my middle.

Pendulum Test: Dangle a chain with a charm over your palm.  If it swings back and forth: boy.  In a circle: girl.

GIRL - Although I'm not sure if I'm doing this one right.  Should I start the swinging and see what happens?  Or see if it just starts swinging on it's own?

Model Your Hands: "Show me your hands".  If you would hold your hands palms up, it's a girl.  Down?  You're having a boy.

BOY - ??  But I don't think I understand the question.  Why am I showing my hands?  I don't know, it seems silly.

Toddler Advice: Get baby advice from a nephew or friend's little boy.  If a toddler boy shows interest in your belly, you'll have a girl.  If he ignores you, it's a boy.

I don't know any toddlers - let alone little boys, so this one's out.

Eat Garlic: Guess the baby's sex by eating garlic.  If the smell seeps out of your pores, it's a boy.  If there's no scent it's a little girl.

GIRL - I have not been told that I smell like garlic when we eat garlic.  But maybe we're just used to it?

Key to Pregnancy: If you pick up a key by the round end, you're having a boy.  If it's by the long end?  A girl.

BOY - I don't know when I would ever pick up a key by the long end.  I did know what each meant before participating, but testing it out, it felt weird to pick it up by the long end.

Even and Odd Numbers: If your age and year of conception are both even or odd, it's a girl.  One even, one odd means a boy.

BOY

Baby's Heartbeat: If the baby's heart beats more than 150 times per minute, you're pregnant with a girl.  Less than 150, it's a boy.

GIRL - 156 or 153 at my last appointment.  (I feel like these are things I should remember without having to guess... all I know is that it was over 150)

Stress Test: A child tends to be of the same sex as the parent who is less stressed at the time of conception.

BOY - John and I are both pretty even keel, but I guess in the overall scheme of things he's less stressed than I am as a general rule (and I went back a couple of years ago in blog posts and read the ones where I cried at FedEx and just generally was overwhelmed so I think it's safe to say that John is less stressed than me).  I'm with JuliAnna here though, if this is a true test then we are always destined for boys.

Dream Meanings: If you dream about having a girl while pregnant, you will wind up having a boy and vice versa.

BOY - I have had only one dream so far and it was with a little girl.  But I think this is silly because I want a little girl, so clearly my subconscious is going to put that in my dream.

Breast Size: If your right breast is larger than the left while pregnant, you are having a girl.  If the left is larger, it's a baby boy.

I think mine are about the same.  I haven't noticed that one is larger than the other - just generally large.

(I liked JuliAnna's categories below, so I have stolen them and used them for my own)

A Child Called It = 2

It's a Boy = 11

It's a Girl = 9

This pretty much tells me that it's still a 50/50 chance.  Imagine that.  How very scientific.

Anyone have any thoughts about what it could be?  Get your guesses in before Friday afternoon!  Appointment is at 1pm, so hopefully we will actually find out.  Otherwise, I'm going to feel very silly for getting all excited.  Ha.

Round two

 

So, I don't feel like I'm showing at all.  I'm definitely not looking "pregnant", but I think people could think that I'm getting fatter?  So I guess that's a plus, or something.  

In case it's not very clear in the pictures - the weeks are labeled as such:

Week 14: The Limbed Lemon (soon after our last u/s that showed legs and arms that were punching and kicking and doing all sorts of crazy stuff)

Week 15: The Original Orange (it seemed appropriate)

Week 16: The Athletic Avocado (this is the week of exercise; my 5k and joining a prenatal Pilates class)

I also told my office in one of the more awkward moments in my life.  Luckily 2 of the 4 guys have kids so they at least weren't completely unsure of things to say... the other 2, I don't think they even really looked at me after I said anything.  I think they were a bit uncomfortable.  I pretty much just blurted it out while going over a schedule for a project, unprovoked, unexpected.  It was pretty awkward (I wish I had a better word for it so I didn't have to keep reusing it - really need a thesaurus).  But at least I no longer have to hide it and worry that someone will find out.  And my boss no longer has to whisper which I think he appreciates because I get the feeling he was having a hard time with it.  Which kind of makes me laugh.  So the cat's out of the bag! 

Oh, and my boss is currently working on the employee handbook which will now include a maternity policy, so I think that's a step in the right direction.  No more social media blackout, although I'm not really sure how that will ever get shared since I can barely say the "p" word.  When I told my coworkers I said "well, if we are going into 2013 for the schedule then I guess I should let you know that I'm due on March 8".  I didn't even bother with saying the "p" or the "b" word.  Yeah, I'm a weirdo.

Alright, that's all I've got for now.  Apparently all I needed for inspiration on this blog was to get ... wait for it.... pregnant (I said it).  Now I have all sorts of things to write about - please don't get sick of me!!

Pilates for Pregnancy Day 1

Who knew that I would take this opportunity (aka pregnancy) to start an exercise program.  It seems perfectly logical, right?  I mean, no alcohol, eating healthier.. seems right up the fitness alley.  Of course I have to also realize that I'm growing a human and so I have to be realistic about my "fitness goals".  Right now they include: being able to hold a baby (I have no arm strength); not having my abs completely give way once that stomach starts growing (I have no core strength); and the usual, not having my legs fall off because my hips are no longer functioning as joints (I have no hip ... strength?).  Hopefully Pilates will do all of those things for me.  It's not that crappy mat Pilates (I apologize to anyone who enjoys that, it's not for me.  Those 100's or whatever they're called with the fluttering are pure hell) - it's the one that involves the machines that look like medieval torture devices.  That's essentially what it feels like too, but with the benefit of not actually dying on the rack, just not being able to move two days later.

I did this all after getting some inspiration from my die-hard, gym-going cousin who asked if I had signed up for any prenatal exercise classes.  I didn't have a good response as to why not, other than the fact that I've apparently decided that exercise is an excuse to call myself disabled.  Once I got over that and completed a 5k this last Saturday (in a land speed record of 45 min 45 sec) and I realized that my body does in fact still move as expected, I decided it was time to take some action.  

Now I have EIGHT weeks worth of Pilates for Pregnancy, with one woman due in 3 weeks, another woman who is 28 weeks along, and another new girl who is due a week before me (I'm totally going to have to kick that girls arse at this).  I'm for sure the most out of shape person in the class, but I'm just waiting for the really pregnant ones to phase out and to be the old hand at this for the other new women that come in so that I can looking like an f-ing rockstar.  

The girl due a week before me, A, is already giving me strength of mind so that I don't roll my eyes and/or punch her in the face (Disclaimer: I don't actually punch people in faces, it's an empty threat).  We were doing squats (which in case you were curious are the new kegels I've now been informed.  On another note, I found this and find it hilarious) and the instructor was asking us newbies how often we do squats as part of our exercise routine and A looked her in the eye and said "I do them all the time", while I had to shake my head and say "Squats?  Why would I torture myself that way?  I do nothing of the sort".... yeah, I'm already rocking it.

That's all I've got.  I'll let you know how it goes.... this could be the best or worst decision I've ever made!

Here's a picture of John and I at our first Bears preseason game to jazz up the post:

The one in which I threw up...

...in front of my friends... in front of strangers... while cruising in an electric boat on the Chicago River.  How humiliating is that?  I hate throwing up in front of people, it's miserable and embarrassing, and generally to do it in public (over the side of a boat) makes it so much worse.  I know the cause of it, lack of water and the headache that I had been trying to ignore all day.  I was trying so hard to not take any medicine, and it completely backfired.  As we set forth to Chinatown along the river it started getting worse.  I tried to eat to make my stomach less rocky - I drank lemonade in the hopes that some liquid would make it feel better.  Unfortunately it didn't work and within no time I was leaning over the side of the boat apologizing profusely to my friends.  They handled it like champs and didn't judge me (or at least out loud which I appreciate).  Then when we were passing kayakers in the river they cheered me on to vomit in front of them so that they would know the kind of disgusting water they were paddling in.  I tried not to oblige , but I have to admit that I started getting queasy again and just as we passed them (luckily made it past the architectural tour of business-dress folks) I ended up having to lean over the side again.  I don't think they saw it.. I would have felt terribly guilty for ruining their paddling trip.

Ugh, when does this get better?  It's not morning sickness anymore, it's this terrible increase in headaches that's really killing me.  Without being able to take Excedrin, I don't know how the next six months will go.

Umbrella Update

Just to give a quick update on the umbrella situation.. after all of that, I can't find it.  I know it must be lost in my house somewhere (??) but since the last Bears game where I took it out of my purse in order to avoid a repeat umbrella fiasco, I have not figured out where I put it.  All that emotion for naught.  

Making its photo debut...

m+j+1

Things have been a little crazy around here as most probably know at this point.  I started a new job in April and have been getting my legs under me with the new company, new responsibilities, and new benefits (yeah car).  And in true m+j fashion, we decided to add a new thing to the mix --- a baby -- a +1 to our lives.

I'm still getting my head around everything, just starting to believe that it's actually happening.  It took two doctors appointments and two ultrasounds to make me believe that it was in fact real.  It may sound silly, but I was surprised by how "not pregnant" I feel.  There was about two weeks of complete nausea that made me wonder how on EARTH I was going to make it through.  Luckily that passed almost over night, but that of course brought a whole new set of concerns about why all my "symptoms" had disappeared.  John at this point has pretty much decided to dismiss most things I say since they generally start with "I really don't have any symptoms..... I really don't think it's real....".  Then a few minutes later to say "geezz.... (insert appropriate body part here) really hurts right now, I don't know what's going on".  Pretty sure he's getting good exercise just through the total number of eye rolls he completes in a day.  

But we (I guess it's more me at this point, right?) have made it through the first trimester and things are looking pretty good so far.  Baby has a healthy heart beat, looks creepily like an actual human inside there (including ability to punch, kick, and open/close its mouth - that doesn't bode well for me in the future  I don't think).  We have probably been disappointing to ultrasound techs and doctors since we don't get misty-eyed and sentimental when we see the ultrasound and/or hear the heartbeat... we essentially just stare open-mouthed at the screen while repeating "whoa, that is so weird" and "oh my gosh, it's moving, that's kind of creepy".  I think they get more excited for hand-holding and staring lovingly at the screen while periodically looking in each others eyes and saying "I love you" or something.  

As for everything else?  What I find the most surprising is the response from strangers when I'm at a restaurant or bar and not drinking.  Apparently that's unheard of!  Here are my latest examples, I'm sure they will only get better over time.

Example #1 - 4pm at a bar before going to a birthday party with John and my friend KG:

Enter waitress to take our orders, John and KG both order beer. 

Me: Can you make something non-alcoholic?

Waitress: Recovering from last night?

Me: No, I'm pregnant.

Waitress: Oh!  Well, I'll see what the bartender can put together.

Apparently if I'm not drinking it must be because I'm hungover from having one hell of a night before.

Example #2 - 7:30pm at a bar after volleyball:

Waitress takes Johns beer order and turns to me.  I try to order a root beer but she says they don't have it and proceeds to mention a margarita special and some other mixed drink special.

Me: Well, I need something without alcohol.

Waitress: We have cider!

Me: Like apple cider?  I could go with that.  I'm thinking at this point that it's nearing September, they could in fact have apple cider for some weird reason.

Waitress: Woodchuck.

John: Woodchuck hard cider?

Me: That has alcohol in it.  I can't have it.

Waitress: Of course it has alcohol in it.

Me: I'll have a Sprite.  Meanwhile, just staring at her as though my eyes could pierce through her thick head.

I guess she skipped out on listening to me once I said I wasn't interested in margaritas, or just assumed that when I said something without alcohol I meant something without hard liquor.  Either way, awesome.  

The only other story I have so far is the first preseason Bears game that we went to.  Mind you this was about a day after I had been talking with JuliAnna about being pregnant and chatting about if I was emotional about things or anything and I said no, that I was pretty much the same as before.  That was before the "umbrella incident".  I take back all claims to being "even-keel".

Let me set the scene of the preseason game.  It was crappy weather, as in, rain, lightening, thunder that was crazy loud.  It was a mess.  We were walking over to the game in our rain coats with umbrellas.  Clearly we should have read the rules for Soldier Field more closely as apparently umbrellas are a banned item.  Let me also share that I have an umbrella that I'm particularly attached to.  It's striped, it's pretty awesome, it's from Sears, and I bought it about 5 years ago within my first or second year of living in Chicago.  I didn't have it open, I didn't have it out.  It was at the bottom of my bag.  I got through the metal detector wand people and was trying to get through bag check.  Mind you, all of us have umbrellas.  Charlie has one in his back pocket, John has one in his back pocket, and Dani has one up her sleeve.  I'm the only one that apparently has one in a bag and visible.  We are also standing in the rain.

The bag checker says that I'm not allowed to have umbrellas and I'll have to throw it away.  Something about that makes me start to lose it.  I grab my bag and turn around in the 3' space allotted between the wand people and the bag people.  John is about to get wanded so I wander about 3 spots over and am talking to him over the security something along the lines of "they want me to throw away my f-ing umbrella.  I don't want to throw away my umbrella, I've had this umbrella for years".  At this point, I think John probably thinks I'm a little crazed since it's just an umbrella and so I see that Dani has put hers up her sleeve and I proceed to try and put it up my own.  However I have a snap on my sleeve that won't allow me the room for an umbrella and my arm.  I became slightly frantic trying to shove it so that I can make it through the last line of security.  One of the other bag checkers notices what I'm doing and looks and me and says "no umbrellas allowed.  You will need to throw out your umbrella."  At this point, I turn on her (poor woman never saw it coming) and scream "I KNOW!  I'M WORKING ON IT!!".  Meanwhile, the tears have started to flow, thankfully they are masked by the rain that is also pouring down my face.  

I finally open my jacket, throw my umbrella in my back pocket, zip it back up, walk back to another bag checker (thank goodness there were more than 2 otherwise I would have been a goner) and get through security with my contraband umbrella, yet without any dignity having completely lost it over the idea of throwing out an umbrella.  At this point Dani asked if I was okay (thinking it was rain not tears) and I have to confess that the thought of throwing out a $12 umbrella nearly put me on the "do not allow" list for Soldier Field.  If the security personnel had been more aware they probably would have asked me to leave since I was essentially wandering back and forth in the 3' space between the wands and the bags holding the umbrella and probably muttering to myself.  It was NOT my finest moment.  So yeah, I guess I can be a little emotional.  I'd like to believe that my irrational attachment to inanimate objects which has followed me since childhood had the most to do with it - although maybe that makes it worse.  

Oh and there is the time when I nearly (or perhaps did convince) convinced a friend that my doctor had me on crack because it was good for the baby... oh the joys of not drinking and convincing my drinking friends of ridiculous things.  I mean, I have to entertain myself somehow, right?

So those are my first stories.  Imagine, I'm not even showing yet!  So they can only get better from here I imagine.  I'm sure that others have amazing stories of strangers saying the "darndest" things and I would love to hear them!!'

I guess that's about all I've got for now... I have some pictures of the last 5 weeks of my non-existent belly (pregnant belly that is... beware, there is a belly included in the picture but that has nothing to do with our +1) that I can share, of course I don't have it on this computer so I'll have to post it separately.  

Generally, we are excited for this next chapter, terrified of all the responsibilities that it will bring and the life changes that are bound to happen, but I know that we'll get through it and make it work in the best way we can.  We do a pretty good job of it - making things work as best we can that is.  Just don't judge us if you hear a few f-bombs come out of my mouth (I swear, it's the baby that makes it happen... my doctor only said I couldn't blame pregnancy for all the bad food I eat, not the bad habits that I have), a few off-color jokes about some terrible parenting techniques that we plan to implement, and just generally our ridiculous way of dealing with change.  By the time 6 months rolls around, we'll hopefully be acting a little bit more like adults.  Ha.

So here is to the next 26 weeks and 2 days!  Yikes!!!

PS - sorry for no pictures (and the ridiculous length of this post)... I'm finishing this up on a different computer which means no pictures available.  I put together a lovely little slideshow though with Weeks 8-13 (still need to take Week 14) on the off chance that anyone is interested.  Next post will be on the new color of our bedroom since we decided we really needed to get our shiznit in order so that we could prepare our spare room turned office turned nursery.

PPS - not that it probably matters, but this news is still on social networking blackout.  I have to tell my boss still... wish me luck on THAT one.