Wanted.

Braxton Hicks? Labor? Too Much Apple Hill Goodness?

Yesterday we went up to Apple Hill to spend the day with my family. Walking, eating, chatting, shopping, relaxing, eating....it was a great time. The weather was perfect and we had a nice day with the fam before the baby gets here. After my mom mentioned the Apple Crumb dessert with Tahoe Creamery ice cream and homemade apple syrup at Kids Inc. ranch in Apple Hill, I couldn't get it out of my head. Mmmm....my eyes were bigger than my stomach (well....that surely can't be literally!).

On the way home I had a brief contraction in the afternoon and they started to pick up in the evening after my shower. I started counting contractions which were coming almost every 10 minutes, feeling similar to menstrual cramps and my uterus would harden making my stomach feel solid.  They were lasting 30-45 seconds and then I started having back pain. I thought for certain that might be our cue, but I was trying not to rush to the table since I hear that most women with their first pregnancy get sent home one or a few times due to Braxton Hicks.

My contractions have lightened up and now we're back to the waiting game. Parents on standby and us on red alert, any day now we hope to welcome Baby Johnny. We have a Dr. appointment tomorrow morning so we'll see...

My Chicken Is Cooked

Since the books compare our growing baby to fruits usually, it almost seems awkward that this week they compare him to a small roasting chicken in week 35. For some reason I feel better about them comparing him to fruit, but so be it. He weighs more than 5 lbs and is 16-20" long now.  Last week at an appointment with the NP she did an ultrasound to see if his head was down. Well...it was down and the size of his head alone looks like a small roasting chicken!! I asked the NP if that was the baby and she laughed and said "That's his head." Just his head??!!Oh my goodness. I can't believe how big he's getting. I'm excited to meet him.

He and I are getting both getting bigger and the weight is apparently a little much for my ankles. They look worse than they feel. Ha! These hobbit stumps and sausage toes do shrink down during the night at least.Sexy huh?!

Swelling Belly to Swelling Body

I don't have much to complain about my pregnancy because I have had it pretty easy, but I do want to be as honest as I can about the symptoms that I've experienced. My recently pregnant friend asks me to tell her all of it, the good and the "bad". She may eat her words, especially after last week when she had to hear about how they check to make sure you have "room" for baby. ;0o

Earlier in my pregnancy my biggest complaints were not being able to sleep on my back any longer and missing sushi. As I move into the last two months of my pregnancy there are a few things that you would expect:

1. trying to roll myself out of bed or off the couch, instead of jumping up
2. using my hand feet to pick my socks up off the floor instead of bending over
3. waddling to the bathroom several times at night to pee
4. my family birth right(s) finally "developing"
5. my sizes fluctuating quickly
6. CRAVINGS

And there were a few things that I was surprised by:
1. needing to wear a pantyliner through my pregnancy (if you have to ask, don't)
2. actually didn't know I was not going to be allowed to sleep on my back (like a cruel test or joke, I may have cried when I first read it)
3. that kicks from my loving spawn growing inside me can be painful

Including my recent symptoms (which prompted this post):
4. getting as HOT as a hibernating bear
5. my ankles and feet turning into hobbit stubs at the end of the day 
6. cramping/pain when walking for too long (although I think it has a lot to do with his head being down)

I remember reading a book when I was first pregnant telling all the horrible things that people don't tell you about being pregnant. It made me kind of nervous and thinking I would never be the same. I feel like there may have been some unnecessary scariness. It's not like everything happens all at once, or that you shouldn't expect significant changes when you are: providing and creating another human life inside your body.

No matter what symptoms you have (with a few exceptions), I don't think I've met any mothers that would say they would take it all back if they could. This is such an amazing experience and I know it will all be worth it. Although, ask me again after I've given birth...I may feel differently. Ha! ;oP

I Love to Exercise...And Eat!

So...with pregnancy comes the need to eat frequently. Flour tortillas have become a staple item in my diet. They are great with soup, tacos (duh), breakfast burritos, alone, with some butter, etc.  Luckily, I like to work out. I walk our pup almost everyday and try to go to the gym or get a good 30+ minute walk in a minimum of 5 times/week. Cardio is my friend and at this point I'm starting to think that it may be my only saving grace to not gaining 100 lbs. with this pregnancy. 75...maybe. That's normal, right?! Ha. Most of the books say not to get your heart rate above 140, which is pretty easy to do.

I came to the realization that your body is not only changing for the baby, but preparing you for what the next few years of your baby's life will be: sleep-a-plenty, eating frequently, and restroom stops. Forget G.T.L. (gym, tan, laundry--sorry, Jersey Shore reference), my new lifestyle is S.E.P. (sleep, eat, pee).

As I move into my 9th week, I am super anxious for the second trimester where the energy kicks in! Yeah! Can't wait. Ok...gotta go take a napies now. Hasta.

Scrumptious Recipe

So in this blog I will also share recipes for things that any pregnant woman (with cravings) should try, or just those that prefer a little sweetness now and then. 

This week I made Cinnamon Bun Pancakes! Don't ask how many times. But regardless, just the name sounds delicious. I found the recipe a la The Pioneer Woman, who I stalk. To find the full recipe, visit her site here. Don't forget the maple icing. Mmmmm....good thing I froze some!

These would be a fantastic Christmas morning treat (and the other 364 days for those of us with cravings). ;0)

Pregnancy Symptoms

So now that it's ultimately confirmed and I fully understand that I am pregnant let's start with the symptoms that go along with pregnancy. I had heard you get some cramping, like a period. Your breasts will become sore and you may experience fatigue. You could also develop some cravings and have the occassional emotional reaction to a less than dramatic situation. You could also experience morning sickness that could range from queasy to toilet hugging. You may develop gas (above or below) due to your intestinal track slowing.


REALLY???!!! Let me debunk these myths individually:


1. MYTH: Cramping like a period.
    FACT:  Something is inside/outside my uterus pulling and pushing to make room, like a dog stretching it's legs.


2. MYTH: Your breasts will become sore.
    FACT:  I believe someone used my breasts as a punching bag continuously for 2 days while I was sleeping and now I am stuck with the ramifications.


3. MYTH: You may experience some fatigue.
    FACT: While I haven't experienced falling asleep in between appointments, which happened frequently to a woman whose story I read in a book recently,  I do require a minimum 8 hrs. + nap or 10 straight hours of sleep.


4. MYTH: You could also develop cravings.
    FACT: If it is chocolate, looks like chocolate, smells like chocolate, is shaped like chocolate, has a dash of chocolate shavings in it......GIVE IT TO ME and no one will get hurt. ;0) Thank you.


5. MYTH: You may have an occassional emotional reaction to a less than dramatic situation.
    FACT:  (Sniffle, sniffle) "No, thank you. Just throw it away. It's ruined. There's just not enough foam on my latte. No really. I don't want it." (dramatization)


6. MYTH: You could also experience morning sickness.
    FACT: It doesn't have to happen in the morning! It can come on when you're at work during the day, walking the dog in the afternoon, when you're going to bed at night. I refuse to call it m-o-r-n-i-n-g sickness. Be prepared. Have bland snacks (crackers, dry cereal, carrot sticks) on hand all the time that can help neutralize the nausea. If your "morning" sickness comes with food revisited, be sure to carry an emergency kit with disposable bags, wipes, toothbrush, mints, mouthwash.


7. MYTH: You may develop gas.
    FACT:  Let's just say, if you do, try to be a lady about it.


Now that you know my take on these pregnancy symptoms, I will tell you that while these feelings are new and when they're happening to you, possibly annoying; they're really not that bad. You just have to take the ebb and flow of each day and know that you are a vessel for that beautiful baby and try to minimize your stress with these symptoms and try not to complain frequently because:
1. no one likes a constant complainer
2. this is an amazing experience that only us women are "lucky" enough to go through.
Remember that there are many women that would give their left arm to get pregnant.  Also, when you think about complaining about your now "huge rack" or needing another cookie, remember no one did this to you. It takes two. So sit back, relax, have another scoop of Monkey Tracks ice cream and enjoy the ride.