19 Weeks

19 week bump!

Bebs: Bebs' sensory development is exploding! The brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. Some research suggests that s/he may be able to hear my voice now! The baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces and measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the size of a large heirloom tomato. Arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his/her body now. The kidneys continue to make urine and the hair on his/her scalp is sprouting. A waxy protective coating called the vernix caseosa is forming on the skin to prevent it from pickling in the amniotic fluid.

How's it lookin' in there?

Hebs: I gained 2 pounds!! It must be that one avocado and all the donuts I ate! ;) For the most part I've been feeling ok. Feeling my belly skin stretching is weird, pregnancy acne issues are back and I've been super irritable lately. Fun! Morning sickness, nausea and headaches seem to have passed, though...knock on wood!

Hubs and I were fortunate to see our family from Maryland this past weekend! Shane, Tara and baby Seth came to stay with us to visit their family and friends in PA. Tara, who gave birth in March, looked absolutely fantastic! (you do, Mama!) It was great to be around a baby and see all of the funny faces and smiles that Seth makes. He just seems like SUCH a happy baby. He seemed to enjoy checking out Dexter and would rub his chubby little hands in Dexter's fur when he got the chance. Dexter didn't seem to notice Seth....except when I was rocking him in his rock n' play. Then all of a sudden, Dexter, who is a total Daddy's boy, wanted to sit in my lap and steal all of my attention. I think he will be in for a rude awakening come January!

Dexter freely jumped up on the couch all on his own for this picture!
Ebersole babies!

Uncle Jason, Aunt Heather and their nephew Seth!

I can't wait to have a picture like this with my own little girl or boy!

Seth babbling to Uncle Jason

Om nom nom... Uncle Jason's glasses are yummy!

 

The song "In My Life" by the Beatles came on the radio during my drive in to work this morning and I immediately got all misty-eyed. I started thinking about how much I love Bebs and began wondering who Bebs would look like and take after. Will our baby be logical like Daddy or an emotional mess like Mommy? Will our baby ride bikes after school with neighborhood friends like Daddy did growing up, or will s/he keep a flashlight and chapter book hidden under the bed so s/he can read under the covers like Mommy did when she was little? Will Bebs have Daddy's blue eyes or Mommy's brown eyes?

Maybe our child will be musical like Uncle Shane, or be an excellent public speaker like Uncle Ryan? Maybe Bebs will take after one of his/her grandparents and be kind and independent like Mimi or be a drummer in a rock band like Pop-pop? I can only hope Bebs will take after Gramps by being hard-working and generous, or have the ability to light up a room with his/her smile like Grammy.

We are able to find out the gender in 9 short days! Both of us are beyond excited. We are planning on having a little party to reveal the gender. Still deciding if we want to find out at the ultrasound, and then just tell everyone the news; or if we want to have the tech write the gender on a piece of paper for us to have revealed to us in a creative way in front of everyone? Balloons? Confetti? Baby outfits? Decisions, decisions. :)



18 Weeks

Hellooooo baby bump!

Bebs: Head to rump, Bebs is about 5 1/2 inches long (about the length of a bell pepper) and s/he weighs almost 7 ounces. The baby's busy flexing his/her arms and legs, blood vessels are visible through thin skin, and ears are now in their final position, although they're still standing out from the head a bit. A protective covering of myelin is beginning to form around his/her nerves, a process that will continue for a year after the baby's born, too! If Bebs is a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If Bebs is a boy, his genitals are noticeable now.

News from Maternal Fetal Medicine: I received a voicemail from one of the nurses at the hospital to give me the results from my sequential screening ultrasound and bloodwork. Everything with Bebs is great! Baby tested 1 in 10,000 for a genetic disorder such as Down's Syndrome or Trisonomy 18, and tested 1 in 6,000 for Spina Bifida. We were ecstatic with the good news! :)

The Furnace: Lots of things have been happening around our house lately! First of all, I am happy to report that Merry and Pippin only lasted at the SPCA about two weeks before they were adopted. :) That makes Hubs and I feel much better about giving them away.

Our new bedroom is completely finished! I'd still like to get curtains and some artwork on the walls, but in terms of all the work that was done to it, moving furniture, etc....we are done! I don't know if this is a psychological thing or what, but we both said that our bed is much more comfortable and we've both been sleeping better since moving into that room! I've been happily sleeping on my side comfortably and hugging my KU body pillow all night, too. I can only lay on my back for a few minutes before it gets uncomfortable, and laying on my stomach is pretty much impossible now.

Mama Hebs painting the trim

Hubs and Dom prepping the installation of the ceiling fan

Hubs and Hebs!

Jason has already moved all of his clothes into his dresser, but alas, all of my clothing is still in piles in what will eventually be the nursery. I spent quite a few hours organizing my side of the closet, ironing maternity clothes and arranging shoes. (Hubs just LOVED that, lol). I'm just at a loss for what to do with all of my "pre-pregnancy clothes" that no longer fit. So far I left all my jeans, dress pants and dresses in our old bedroom closet and I think I may do the same with my other shirts and sweaters. Even looking at those clothes makes me a bit sad I can no longer wear them. Ridiculous, I know!

We also went out and purchased 4 baby gates (AKA pug gates!). The gates are really more for Dexter's sake than the baby's...or let's face it, my sake. There is a large gate separating our kitchen from the weird open space living room/computer room, and a small gate separating the kitchen from the dining room. This has become Dexter's area. We have left him out of his crate during the day (and overnight!) with no accidents. So far, so good! Every morning I come downstairs I find him in his crate, and every time I come home from work, he's been sitting in his crate, too. I would love to know what he does all day with this newfound freedom!

"Mommy, what the heck is this??"

We got two more gates like this, also. One for the top of the stairs (when baby is here) and one at the top of the little steps leading down to our TV room (for Dexter)

17 Weeks

Check out that bump!

Bebs:  Baby's skeleton is changing from soft cartilage to bone, and the umbilical cord — the lifeline to the placenta — is growing stronger and thicker. Bebs weighs 5 ounces now (about as much as a turnip), and s/he's around 5 inches long from head to bottom. S/he can move her joints, and his/her sweat glands are starting to develop. I've definitely felt a lot of fluttering and "bubble" sensations! Bebs is definitely wiggling around in there!

Yum Yum donuts!

Hubs and I had quite the busy weekend! Friday night we went to Musikfest with our friends Jeff and Dom. Jeff was kind enough to bring one of my favorite foods--donuts!--to help fatten me up. :) That was very sweet of you; thank you Jeff! :-D

When I woke up Saturday morning I wasn't feeling too hot. I was too dizzy to get out of bed myself, so Hubs helped me up and I darted into the bathroom. More morning sickness. After that, I continued to get ready for yoga. (Nothing was standing in the way of me and my yoga class!) My yoga buddy/co-worker/friend/life partner Schlupp kept an eye on me during class since some of the moves were making me feel a bit nauseous again. After class Schlupp and I asked our yoga instructor, Charlyn, for advice on gaining weight in a healthy way.

Charlyn had a ton of great tips and basically pulled all the food out of her cabinets! We talked about avocados (ok, I guess I seriously had to give them a real try...other than Jess's famous guacamole!), nuts, quinoa, hard-boiled eggs, Clif bars, and making smoothies with frozen fruit, Greek yogurt and some brown rice flour. I was inspired after talking about nurtrition with Charlyn and stopped at the store on my way home. (Can someone please tell me on the days when you are unshowered, sweaty, and have disgusting hair...that those are the days you run into literally everyone you know at the store??)

Organic tomato from my friend Dave's garden and the dreaded avocado!

While shopping I picked up some quinoa, Clif bars, frozen fruit, avocados and spinach in addition to a few other necessities we needed. I was excited to give avocados a second try when I got home. I have to say, they're not that bad. I enjoyed eating it. Of course I had to cut it into bite-size pieces, try not to "mush" it up, and covered it in coarse salt--but hey. I ate it and it was good. The organic tomatoes from Dave's garden were absolutely delicious!

Saturday afternoon our friends Jeff and Dom came over to help us finish up our bedroom painting project. They were able to help Hubs install the new ceiling fan/light fixture!

New fan/light fixture!

I will write another post later this week on the new bedroom, but I just wanted to give a shout out to Jeff and Dom to say THANK YOU SO MUCH for all of the help they gave us! I hope the lasagne and beer were good enough for all the hard work you did! :)

Saturday night we had a few friends come over to sit on our deck and enjoy some munchies and beers. As you can see, Dexter got a little carried away... ;-)

Dexter, the party pug!

Sunday Hubs and I woke up incredibly motivated to FINISH PAINTING! We gave a second coat to the trim, window frames, door frames, and doors while listening to some of the best music our CD collection from the '90's had to offer.

Last night I had the second part of my sequential screening test. I had one vial of blood drawn, and that was it! We thought we were going to get a second ultrasound, but no such luck. We will get the results in 3-5 days if it is discovered the baby has any genetic abnormalities. The first ultrasound and blood draw looked good according to the OB/GYN, so I am not worried.

Oh! One more thing! Yesterday I received a gorgeous flower arrangement from my cousin Katelyn who lives in Maryland! I was completely surprised and felt so loved.

Gorgeous flowers from Kate!

Bebs and I have been thinking about (and missing!) you, too, Kate!
I'm not sure if Dex misses Lilly, though... hehe ;)

Thank you Katelyn! They are beautiful! :)

Milkshakes and Body Pillows

I had a doctor's appointment last night at my OB/GYN. We listened to the baby's heartbeat on the ultrasound machine, and even got to see Bebs! S/he was hanging out in there, upside down. :) Bebs looked like a skeleton and it was a little freaky. The heartbeat was perfect!

We saw a different doctor this time--Dr. Kainz. So far we've seen someone different each time we've gone in. At first I didn't think I would like this, but I actually do! Each person we've met--nurse practitioner, midwife, doctor, even the secretary who schedules my appointments--has seriously been awesome. Dr. Kainz was the first man I've seen, and though I was a little skeptical at first, he was great. I felt really comfortable talking to him, he was funny, and he was wearing trendy glasses. :) He also introduced himself as "Greg" and knew our names right as he entered the room. I told Dr. Kainz about my headaches, and he was able to prescribe Fioricet--a stronger form of Tylenol that has caffeine in it. He said the side effect may be that my headaches still occur. Since they're still happening anyway, I figured I would give Fioricet a try regardless. Hubs is picking it up for me at the pharmacy tonight and hopefully my headaches are gone forever and I will never even need to use it!

So while everything is looking great with Bebs, there is a slight issue going on with me. Apparently I haven't gained any weight since my initial appointment; I'm 113.6 lbs and holding. Dr. Kainz assured us that the baby was getting everything s/he needed; s/he is just stealing the nutrients from me. So even though my belly is definitely bigger, I must be losing some of my weight somewhere else.

Dr. Kainz's prescription? Milkshakes! He suggested a lot of milkshakes, those Ensure breakfast drinks, and plain ol' "indulging" myself. I have two months to gain 12-14 lbs to stay on track with where my weight should be for both my sake and for baby's sake. If I still haven't gained weight by the next appointment, I'll have to talk to a nutritionist to help me figure out a better way of eating.

So, in keeping with the doctor's recommendation of "indulgence," Hubs and I went to Carrabba's for dinner last night after the appointment. Again, I felt ok eating some meat (chicken parm--my favorite!) so I'm hoping at least that food adversion is over with. :)

Now that I've reached the 16 week mark, I have to stop sleeping on my back and/or stomach. It hurts to lay on my stomach now, so I'm ok there. Sleeping on my side is really difficult! I can't get comfortable. I read some suggestions and have heard from other moms that sleeping with a body pillow helps.

When I graduated from high school, my friend's mom made body pillows for all of her daughter's friends in the colors of the college they were going to. (Great gift idea!) So I used my maroon and yellow body pillow in my dorm the first year of college, and then my brother used it when he went to the same college as me. So now this body pillow smells like a mix of my brother Ryan and my parent's house, haha. Neither are bad smells! I just think it's cute.

My parents dropped off the pillow last night (as well as a gift of onesies with mittens for Bebs!) and I attempted sleeping/wrestling with it. I went up to bed around 9:30 and saw the clock at 12, 3, 4, 5 and finally 5:30 a.m. So, first night side sleeping was a little tough. Hopefully tonight goes better and I don't wake up on my stomach like I did this morning! :-O

16 Weeks

4 months down, 5 to go!

Bebs: Bebs is experiencing a growth spurt! In the next few weeks, baby will double his/her weight and add inches to his/her length. Bebs is about the size of an avocado--about 4 1/2 inches long and weighs about 3 1/2 ounces. Legs are much more developed, the head is more erect than it has been, and his/her eyes have moved closer to the front of the head. Ears are close to their final position, too. The patterning of the scalp has begun. Bebs even started growing toenails! And there's a lot happening inside as well. For example, the heart is now pumping about 25 quarts of blood each day, and this amount will continue to increase as Bebs continues to develop.

I'm not 100% sure, but I think I've been feeling Bebs squirm around in there. Occasionally I will feel little bubbles or flutters. I definitely feel pressure in there, pretty much all the time. The other day I was eating strawberries and all of a sudden I felt this weird, almost barrel roll type movement in my uterus; like Bebs flipped over or something. It was crazy! Maybe s/he either really likes or really dislikes strawberries?!



Hebs: I will take back the nausea, dry heaving, vomitting, metal mouth taste, and food adversions if I can get rid of these headaches. Seriously. Please? Any pregnant ladies out there want to trade symptoms? I feel like I've had the same headache for two weeks straight. It's never really gone; some days its just less and bearable, and other days all I want to do is just lay there and try to numb the pain with ice. It feels like my brain is too big and is expanding outwards to crush my skull. It's just awful. I've tried Tylenol (the only medication you can take while pregnant), icing my neck and forehead, massaging Emu oil into my neck and forehead, both drinking caffeine and avoiding caffeine, and drowning myself with water. The only way I've gotten relief so far is by taking two Tylenol PM's at night and sleeping in a cold, dark room. But even then I wake up with a headache.

I know I have issues with my neck thanks to my double vision as a child (my head was constantly tilted to the right to try to see correctly--it wasn't until after my surgery that my doctor realized I did that!) and the car accident I was in last year (hitting an airbag feels more like hitting a brick wall than a cloud, which is what I always thought!). The new chiropractor I'm seeing is definitely helping with that aspect. I was adjusted last night by the other doctor in the practice and he actually did a mini eye exam on me when he heard about how severe my headaches have been. Never did that with a chiropractor before! He seemed a little concerned until I told him I wear glasses, had surgery, etc. and that this was as good as it was going to get. He "massaged" (aka dug his hand into my muscle until tears came to my eyes) the right side of my neck, upper back and shoulder to try to get that muscle to relax. Apparently that muscle (I believe it's the trapezius muscle if I remember back to my chiropractic assisting days ;)) is wound too tight from years of supporting my weird head tilt and horrible posture! We also talked about how I sit at the computer and how I need to move things closer to me so I stop straining my neck muscles, and my eyes for that matter. Interesting stuff!

I have an appointment with the OBGYN tonight so I will definitely be asking if there is another medication I could take to help with these headaches.

Ok, since I did enough complaining, here are some things I am thankful for!

1. My awesome Dad for painting our new bedroom for us. It was SUCH a huge help, I can't even express how grateful we are. My Dad is a rare breed--he genuinely enjoys helping others. I don't think he knows how to sit still!

2. My mom for buying me maternity clothes, listening to me complain, and always reminding me to drink water. :)

"Just keep drinking" is our motto! Water, that is!

3. My cousin Christi for letting me borrow all of her maternity clothes. I officially do not fit in ANY of my pants unless I'm wearing a belly band or have maternity pants on. I truly appreciate it!

4. My girlfriends, the dom5, for sending me a gorgeous flower arrangement last month.

5. My boys. Just because. I've been irritable and cranky and both of you continue to put up with me and want to lick my face. Well, sometimes. :)

The times, they are a-changin'

Hi everyone. Dexter here.

 

Mommy has been sick lately, so I volunteered to write her blog post for this week.

 

I don't know how Mommy can be so tired. It seems like all she does is lay on the couch with her eyes closed and an ice pack on her head. She seems pretty lazy if you ask me. And Daddy waits on her hand and foot! He is always bringing her water and rubbing her belly and asking what he can do for her. I don't get it. They should rub my belly more!

 

Sometimes when Mommy is being lazy I like to snuggle up with her and chew my bone. Mommy likes this and pets me and sometimes I fall asleep. Other times, I get mad that Mommy is being lazy and I have to bite at her hands so she knows I'm there. Then Daddy gets mad at me and puts me upstairs. Hrmmph!

 

Things have been happening in my house. Some things are disappearing, while new things are coming in. For example, Mommy and Daddy got these great stuffed toys for me, or so I thought. They haven't let me play with them yet! There is a little stuffed tiger and a stuffed musical giraffe just sitting on the table being wasted! I could have ripped them both apart by now.

 

Don't these animals look ready to be chewed on?

 

 Mommy and Daddy also got a lot of books and cards, but I think their birthdays were awhile ago? Mommy also got a cape from Nana, but she wears it backwards. I'm not sure what's going on with that.

 

Nursing cover made by Nana!

 

 

Also, Pappy Marshall came to the house to paint an empty room for Mommy and Daddy. They were very excited about it. I followed them in there to sniff around, but I didn't notice anything except it smelled funny!

 

Mommy and Daddy said this will be their new bedroom. Maybe I can sleep with them now?

Mommy said I look possessed here!

 

 Oh, and one more thing! Those little squeakers are gone. I'm not sure what they were, but they were furry and stayed in a cage. Usually I just ignored them, but sometimes I liked to get close to their cage and sniff around. Mommy was talking about "steam cleaning the carpets" soon, buying new furniture, and wondering where they could put a "pack and play." A pack and play sounds like something fun for me! I can't wait!

 

Merry, one of the "squeakers"

Pippin, the other "squeaker"

 

15 Weeks

The belly is definitely out!

Bebs:  The baby now measures about 4 inches long and weighs about 2 1/2 ounces--the size of an apple! Bebs is busy moving amniotic fluid through his/her nose and upper respiratory tract, which helps the primitive air sacs in his/her lungs begin to develop. Legs are growing longer than his/her arms now, and s/he can move all of her joints and limbs. Although Bebs' eyelids are still fused shut, s/he can sense light! If you would shine a flashlight on my belly, s/he's likely to move away from the beam. (Yes, I tried this last night!) Bebs is also forming taste buds.

What's going on in there?

Hebs: H is for Headaches. Oh man. This past weekend was absolutely horrible in terms of headaches and morning sickness. All day Saturday was spent taking Tylenol, icing my head and neck, using a heating pad on my head and neck, having Hubs massage my neck, drinking a TON of water, running to the bathroom, and trying to rest in a cold, dark room. I've been prone to severe headaches and migraines my entire life thanks to my horrible vision (yes, I was the little girl in third grade with coke bottle size glasses!), but this was something different. I don't know if I've ever felt this sick in my life. Thankfully my mom was texting me advice, and I got some great advice from my mommy friends on Facebook after I posted a desperate status asking for morning sickness remedies. Ginger Ale, saltines, tea, pretzels, fruit, etc. just weren't doing it for me. However, drinking Gatorade on Sunday morning, after my headache had died down a bit, seemed to help immensely. I think my headache stemmed from dehydration (my fault) and lack of sleep (again, my fault).

It's funny, because prior to this past weekend, I had been seeing a chiropractor for my headaches and it was/is greatly helping! I am still a strong believer in chiropractic care and will continue seeing her. I always feel better after being adjusted. I think it was the lack of water that caused what I explained to Hubs as "all of the blood has been sucked from my brain, and now my brain is crushed on the inside of my skull." Ouch. Hopefully I do not have a repeat of that pregnancy symptom!!

Paleo chili simmering on the stove. Yum!

Oh, one of my weird food adversions is getting better: meat. It depends on what it is, but it is definitely getting easier to eat meat again. I don't think I could cut into a steak and eat it yet, but I survived eating some chicken, a hotdog, and some chili made with ground beef!

Can I talk about how amazing my parents are for a minute?

Diddy and Mom with the poppy seed packet that announced they were getting a grandbaby!

Mom and I went shopping on Sunday for.....wait for it.....MATERNITY CLOTHES! I was so excited! I am still so excited! I can't wait until I need to wear my new outfits for real. We picked out a bunch of things at Old Navy, which has a surprisingly nice and affordable maternity section. I got a few tops, capris and jeans. Yes, the jeans have the "belly band," and yes....it is amazing. They are SO comfy! Thank you so much, Mom! :) I had a great day with you!

I'm not sure most people can handle the sheer awesomeness that is maternity pants. ;)
(That is a "belly panel," not my bare belly!)

Diddy was caught red-handed earlier this week by the Hubs. He came over (when he thought no one would be home) and decided to weed our atrocious looking flower beds. Our yard seriously looks like a mess. I guess when your weeknights are full of running errands and appointments, and your weekends are spent either feeling sick, or at family parties....the whole taking care of a house and yard thing just kinda falls by the wayside. We are incredibly thankful that Dad came over to help us out. I think all we'll need to do is mow the lawn and clean off our patio furniture (for the millionth time) and it might actually look acceptable for a cook-out sometime this month! Thank you Dad! We truly appreciate it!

Hubs and I finished priming our new bedroom last night. All that's left to do is paint (we picked out a warm, neutral cream/tan color), paint the trim and doors, and caulk! Oh, and then move all our furniture down there, pick out curtains, buy and install a new light fixture/ceiling fan, hang up pictures, etc. ;) Can't wait! We're going to start painting the nursery next!

My handy hubby covering up the old blue paint!