10 Weeks

Or 1/4 of the way there, hopefully a more if this little one is early like their big sister!

Not much in the way of stats since I forgot to weigh myself this morning.  I have noticed I seem to be getting some energy back, but the nausea is still there and my fuse seems to be shortening.  I'm wishing more than every that there was a pill I could give B, but alas there isn't, an honestly I don't think I could live with him for a day if he felt the way I do.

I had so much I was going to write about today, but I honestly can't remember what it was right now.  I busted my butt last night.  Between 5 and 8 I managed to make dinner, do the dishes I used, bake 2+ dozen cookies (the pre-made batter kind), change the sheets on our bed, eat, and give Lillian a bath.  Then this morning I got up at 4:30, put a load of wash in the washer, folded a load, made my and Lillian's lunch stuff for the day, put dishes away, and started putting some of my stuff away. 

I wish I could say most of this was motivated by new found energy, but it is not.  It's more motivated by my frustration and anger.  I'm not going to get into it though, I feel like I'm constantly negative and complaining lately and it's really not me.

So according to Baby.Center here's what's going on this week:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.
In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

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I Live in a What?!

I’ve been trying to live in denial for almost 2 years now and this weekend it hit me that I just need to give it up.

Hi, my name is Brandi and I live in a trailer. It’s a double wide, but a trailer none the less.

When we bought the place I loved (and still do) how spacious and open it is. But that’s beginning to be the only thing I love about it. When we moved in, we had a bunch of plans of things we were going to do. We started by painting, which was mostly done before we moved in. Lilli’s room was painted and our room was painted, the living room and our bathroom, the kitchen was primed and I really thought since B was going to be laid off all winter (we moved in Nov.) that there should be no problem getting the painting and what not finished over the winter. I really wanted to re-sheet rock everything and get rid of the stupid seams and stuff, but we didn’t have the money.

Well it’s been almost 2 years now, and it’s been 2 lay off seasons and my kitchen is still only primed, with the addition of several huge walls where the puppy managed to scrape through the sheet rock. The living room is still lacking chair rail and molding around most of it. Our bathroom needs molding, Lilli’s bathroom needs molding and a new floor, not to mention new caulking. Our bedroom still needs molding. The play room still needs a coat of chalk board paint and the molding replaced. And even Lillian’s bedroom, that was “done”, is missing 2 pieces of molding on the closet door!

I will give some credit though, B has put in a wood floor in the kitchen and dining room and generally does small tasks I ask of him at the opportune time.

This past weekend my grandfather came over to help me put a few things up and I just realized what a pain in the ass it is to do anything in a house that is purposely made to go up so quickly and easily. All I wanted was some storage in my laundry area and it took forever to find a stud to screw it too! If you want to hang anything that needs to bear some weight in specific place (you know like centered on a wall), you have to first hang a board that is mounted to at least one stud, then hang whatever off of that. Now what looks worse, an off center hook, or a random huge board with a hook on it?

We also have absolutely NO STORAGE. This makes me want to cry. I don’t even have anywhere to store my beloved Christmas decorations. I currently have then in bins, covered by blankets so you can’t see what’s in them.

If anyone has some creative storage ideas that are little cost please let me know. I HAVE to do something.



9 Weeks 2 Days

To my disappointment they canceled my ultrasound yesterday, but it didn't surprise me since the first two I had were only off by two days from my LMP and the growth between them was perfect. I won't have another one until the anatomy scan between 18 and 20 weeks.  Nothing too exciting about yesterday's appointment.  Mostly lost of questions about diseases I've never heard of.  Then an exam and blood drawn.  The next one should be a little more exciting.

Stats:
Weight: +5lbs, my lack of energy is really hurting me!
Next appt: Aug 17, review blood work and try to listen for a heartbeat!

The floating baby to the right is a pretty good representation of what baby looks like this week.

Here's what's going on with Bean, according to Baby.Center, this week:
Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

In other news I think Lillian is getting her final baby teeth.  She started with a fever yesterday that won't go away with Tyle.nol or Mo.trin, but she is acting fairly normal besides sleeping more frequently.  She let me look in her mouth this morning though and I couldn't see any sign of teeth so who know.

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Who Does That???

Last night was a rough night in this mamma's house.  I was tired, stressed out and feeling like crap.  I also decided to torture myself a little by refusing to give Lillian her Binkies until it was time for her to actually go to bed.  See she's been in the habit of starting to ask for them the second we get in the car to leave the sitter's.  It kills me that even if the sitter offers them to her there, she won't take them, but at home OMG she flips out if you won't give them to her.  And frankly I'm just sick of seeing them in her mouth and I think it may be part of the reason she is having trouble with her "L"s.  Anyway, it was one fit after another last night.  Believe it or not, my rant, I mean post, today isn't even about that. 

 

What it is really about is one of B's friends.  I swear the guy has less common sense than B does!  We all know in general men have less common sense than most women.  Of course I may be slightly over reacting with these raging pregnant hormones and all, but a girl can only take so much from the guy who invited himself on our family vacation.

Last night something was up with our phones and when B's friend called he wasn't able to answer.  Maybe an hour passed and I went in to give Lillian a bath.  We weren't in there long and B comes in handing me the phone.  Now what do I need the phone for you ask, in case some one calls obviously.  B can't answer because he is outside entertaining his friend who just showed up, unannounced, even though we didn't answer the phone!  Apparently his girlfriend had to go pick up her boys and he didn't want to ride with her.  But, get this, where she had to pick them up is about a 20 minute drive from their house, our house is about a 15 minute drive in the same direction.  So basically he only had to ride with her another 5 minutes to pick them up!!! 

 

The guy just annoys the crap outta me.  He actually called at 6:30 on a Saturday morning and said "what are you doing up, you should be sleeping."  Umm if you think I should be sleeping then why the hell are you calling my house?!

 

OK, I really am done ranting, I swear!  On a good note, I have an OB appt today.  That long boring one where they ask you a million questions with words I've never heard before.

 

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Reunions and Anniversaries

Good thing for this blog post or I may have forgotten that my anniversary is in 2 weeks!  But, my anniversary is not the topic of this post, my Great and Uncle's 50th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of my high-school graduation (better known as a reunion) is the topic.

 

I have mixed feelings and contradicting thoughts on reunions, especially high-school reunions.  On the one hand I've always thought that if I cared to see any of the people I graduated with then I would have stayed in touch with them.  The nosey part of me (you know you have one too) wants to know if my opinion of them in high-school was right and if they turned out the way I thought they would.

 

Thanks to my sitter I do know how some of the people are doing, but we aren't "friends" per se.  I do find it strange how many of the people I graduated with are still friends though.  Am I the only one who went away to school and made new friends?  I won't lie, I do have this fear that going to the reunion is going to be like going back to high-school with all the clicks.

 

One short month after my wedding, my grandparents celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary and everyday I hope that B and I can have the kind of relationship they do after 50 years.  Now it is my great aunt and uncle's turn and while I'm not overly close to them (we only see them when my grandparents are visiting) I feel it would wrong not to go to their anniversary party.  They've always made it a point to come to all of the functions they are invited to.  Not to mention I really think that 50 years is something to be celebrated.  Some days it's hard to imagine being 50 years old, let alone being married that long!

 

My biggest dilemma is that the reunion is from 11-5, but the anniversary party is from 1-4.  Could the time conflict be any worse???  I hate to be at the reunion and heaven forbid enjoying myself and have to skip out to go to the anniversary party, but I'm not sure how long we will be stuck at the anniversary party....  Oh the decisions!

 

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Testing... Testing...1 2 3

Lots of testing going on right now!  Lillian is in another stage where she wants to test my limits and it's driving me crazy!  I can't tell you how many times this weekend I had to "Spank her mouth" for talking back to me.  Her favorite phrase is "No mom, don't tell me!" Of course she does this while pointing her finger at me. That automatically gets a light smack to the mouth.  Right or wrong, I don't know, but it's the only thing that seems to get her attention that it's bad.   Also if I say "You better ... by the time I count to 3 or ...  1..." she says "2, 3."  And I just want to scream!  So I've started letting that be her count and once she says 3 I just give whatever the punishment is. 

 

Here's a question for you.  If your child does what you told them to do just after you say 3, do you hand down the punishment, or because they did what you said do you let it go?

 

I remember being pregnant thinking "I dont' want to spank my child, it will be a last resort."  In a way it still is a last resort, I try time out, but it doesn't always register.  I guess it's just that I didn't think spanking would be so frequent.  And all parents (well decent ones anyway) say "I won't ever hit spank my child in anger."  But let's face it, if your child is doing something that requires spanking, you are already angry.

 

In happy testing news, as you can see I'm testing out some new stuff on my blog!  I've joined TopMommyBlogs.com .  Stop by and check out all the awesome blogs they have.  Please, click on one of the banners to vote for me and let them know you like me!

 

In case you didn't notice I moved my page links to under my header and I've added a new one, Lillian's Life in Pictures!  Check it out for total cuteness without the attitude!  I will also be updating Our Journey here in the new future and may be doing some revamping on my side bar.  Let me know what you think!

 



8 Weeks and a Pill

8 Weeks!!! I can't believe I've made it 8 Weeks!!!

Before anyone worries, the pill I'm speaking of doesn't exist. It's a pill I wish existed, one I could give to my loving husband that thinks he understands what it's like to be 8 weeks pregnant. He tries to sympathize, but really he doesn't get it. I understand that he works a physical job on a roof all day and that it's tiring and miserable, it in no way means that he can come close to understanding what it's like to sit at a desk all day trying to make yourself not throw up. Or trying to ignore the horrible acid in your stomach that feels like it's eating away at itself, and the only thing that makes it feel better is to eat any carbs you can get, but you can't because gaining 50lbs is NOT an option! I wish he could feel how I feel, even doing what I do, for just one day. Maybe then he would understand why last night I went to bed crying because even though I told him Lillian spilled Freezie.Pop juice on our bed and I needed to change the sheets when they came out of the dryer, he went to bed anyway ignoring that I was going to have to sleep in that sticky mess. Or that he left me alone to deal with our 27 month old daughter who wouldn't even close her eyes to try and fall asleep for an hour and a half. Who I eventually just left to her own devices in her crib because I could no longer sit there with my stomach turning and my head bobbing. And maybe then he would understand why I get up at 4 and skip my much needed work out because it's the only time of day I feel well enough to get some house work done.

Oops, I wasn't going to go into that rant, but oh well, I did and it is after all the truth. Happy Birthday Babe, I really do love you!

On to the 8 week update!

Stats:
Weight: +3.8lb (damn carbs are killing me)
Next Appt: Aug 3 (dating ultrasound!)

This is what a 3D ultrasound should show at 8 weeks. I'm actually guessing at my ultrasound next week the baby will measure around 9 weeks 1 day, rather than a little under 9 weeks.

According to Baby.Center, this is what's new this week:
Webbed fingers and toes are poking out from your baby's hands and feet, his eyelids practically cover his eyes, breathing tubes extend from his throat to the branches of his developing lungs, and his "tail" is just about gone. In his brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. You may be daydreaming about your baby as one sex or the other, but the external genitals still haven't developed enough to reveal whether you're having a boy or a girl. Either way, your baby — about the size of a kidney bean — is constantly moving and shifting, though you still can't feel it.

Now that I'm 8 weeks and feeling like shit, I mean confident, I'm trying to accept that I need to just embrace the pregnant look, even if people who ask can't believe I'm only 8 weeks. Really what choice do I have???

Nursemaid's Elbow

Lilli and I made our second trip to the ER in 3 weeks last night for Nursemaid's Elbow. I'm not sure if she's just prone to it or what, but we happened to see the same Doctor we say on the 16th when we were there. I'm so glad it's a quick fix, it really amazes me!

The first time she never made a peep while he did his little elbow bending trick. We then went to the bathroom and when she was done she reached right up for the door and opened it with the arm that only minutes before she refused to move.

This time, same thing. She's quite funny when she's telling you that the Doctor fixed her arm.

Last night while visiting my sister at work I got my first "how far along are you" question. The guy was about speechless when I told him "Only 8 weeks" I really can't believe I look that pregnant already. I know it's just because of the way my body is shaped, but still, I didn't plan on telling people, especially strangers, this early. Oh well.

Back to Reality

Going back to work after a weeks vacation, no matter what you did, pretty much sucks. I even had a girl tell me I looked tired today. Yes, of course I'm tired. Not that I slept any more over vacation or that my days were relaxing, but it wasn't work and work just makes me tired. Not to mention, I'm growing a baby :-)

I have decided to leave my vents about this vacation off of my blog because let's face it, when you don't normally spend 24/7 with a person and then you do for a week, things are sure to get a little rocky at some point. It mostly had to do with maintaining the same roles we have at home, even though we weren't at home. I don't think it's right and he doesn't notice. No matter though, overall it was a wonder vacation and I was sad to see it end.

We spent Tuesday through Friday in Old.Forge, NY. I just love the town. I don't think B loves it as much as I do, but he does understand the connection I have to it since growing up we went there every year for a good 10 years anyway. Most of the shops are still there, the restaurants, the arcades and of course the water park, Enchanted.Forest!

We stayed in these cute little cabins that had a double bed and bunk beds. Lillian did pretty well on the bottom bunk the first night, but fell off several times the 2nd night. So on the third night she slept with me on the double bed and B slept in the bunk. She had so much fun at the park and at the cabin. I have so many pictures I could share, but I'm to manage to only pick a few.

I forgot to mention, when they say be aware of the bears and keep all food inside in the Adirondacks, they mean it! Yes that is a small black bear at a neighboring cabin.

Wednesday afternoon we did the dry rides and Storybook Lane at the park.

Eating the candy house from Hansel and Gretel.

Driving the car. She wanted to ride this over and over again.

On the Carousel. She had to ride once with Daddy and then with mommy. The whole time saying "Up and Down", my smarty pants!

Thursday we went and did the water rides! I wish I could have taken more pictures, but it's kind of hard when you are in the water with her!

Riding with mommy on the "Lazy River" We did this several times.

Mommy let her play in the dirt to her hearts content on the last night.

Friday morning we headed home, did some wash, picked some veggies from the garden, then headed off in the opposite direction to stay with B's mom at a cabin her friends rented. Well, we left before actually getting a hold of her because she's never away from her phone for long. We kept trying and trying to call her, but finally realized we were going to have to turn around and head home because she wasn't answering to give us the last bit of direction to get to the cabin. She finally called us around 9:30 feeling horrible. She and her friends went on a wine tour because she didn't think we were coming until Saturday. B had been really upset about wasting the gas and time, but I explained to him that it wasn't all her fault and we probably should have waited for her to answer her phone before we left. I was just glad she was ok as I had started to worry about her. Not to mention, I wasn't all that disappointed to get to sleep in my own bed.

Saturday we got up early and headed back to the cabin, it was beautiful and right on the lake. Lillian just loved swimming in the lake and playing with the rocks. She loved riding on the boat once she got used to it and even went for a little ride on the jetski. I think one of her favorite parts though was jumping off the back of the boat into the middle of the lake. I can't believe what a dare devil she is! We spent the night Saturday and Sunday was a cook out with lots of swimming and fun. Lilli was not happy when it was time to leave.

Swimming in the middle of lake!

First water gun fight. She has pretty good aim for only being 26 month!

Daddy let her go for one last swim. Now he knows why they make swim diapers!

Last night we got home and Lilli and I did some gardening and shucked our peas (which she loves raw) before going to bed. She was so happy when I told her she was going to the sitter's today. She missed her and the boys a lot!

I will say one good thing about coming back to work though is that I'm no longer out in that muggy heat. I felt sick probably 75% of the time we were gone just because the heat made me feel sick. Every time I walked out where the heat was I felt nauseous instantly. The only way I survived the heat at the park was thanks to the water. The after noon we walked around and did the dry stuff I was amazed I didn't get sick.

7 Weeks!

And feeling like crap! Although this is something I'm very happy about even if I am miserable. I've never had heat effect me like this before. Its been 90 to 95 this week and the second I'm not in front of a fan I feel like I'm gonna be sick. Even when I was 9 months pregnant with Lilli the haet didn't make me feel sick.

I can't really update on anything this week since we are on vacation. Believe it or not its the first family vacation we've been on! I'll tell you more about it when I'm back on a computer and not my phone.

But I will try and post a picture of the love of my life.
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