Week 21-22

HOW I'M FEELING

• Fat. Hitting 15 lbs this week and I feel disgusting. Definitely NOT "cute" and "glowy"
• The frequent bathroom trips have begun. For the record, turns out it's not that you have more pee, but more like you feel like you need to pee more frequently only to have a tiny bit come out (I don't know why that wasn't obvious to me before). Eric now regularly hears me scream "THAT'S IT?!!" during my frequent trips to the bathroom
• 11PM seems to be when the dance party in my uterus begins. I think this baby is a night owl :(

BABY HAUL.

Things we've bought:

• Maternity spanx - buy it, wear it, don't leave the house without it. OK that's an overstatement, I don't even wear it that often. However, as I'm getting bigger and it's getting warmer, I find that I am unable to pull off anything of jersey material without unsightly bulges appearing everywhere. On the downside, I am SUPER WARM now that I'm pregnant and spanx doesn't help. The warmness has been pretty much the most uncomfortable part of pregnancy(second to morning sickness). Rings are out of the question now just because my hands are so warm even my loose rings get stuck when the temp rises and I drink/eat cold stuff all day now to keep myself comfortable - something I never really cared for before. 

• Baby crib - Pottery Barn Larkin crib 
• Originally we just wanted to borrow/take someone else's because I couldn't care less about used baby things. But then we found out our only option was a dark cherry color and then I suddenly cared. So we ended up buying the Larkin crib from Pottery barn for a couple reasons:
• It's "convertible", which means you can buy add on pieces to turn it into a toddler bed and then a full sized headboard. I'm not really sure how useful that will be especially if you end up having multiple kids. But given that the price is about the same as if I were to just purchase a non-convertible crib, I gave up on my dreams for an overpriced tufted crib and went for this instead (D:)
• I liked a crib that has a backing against the wall (vs just backing on both sides). This one had the cleanest lines compared to others

•  Baby crib mattress - Colgate Eco Classica III Dual firmness Eco-Friendlier Crib mattress, Organic Cotton Cover. 
• Because this kid is Eric's kid so I just assume it will need some kind of natural fiber, firm, orthopedic, blahblahblah mattress. Of course if she takes after me she won't care so no harm done. On my side, I just wanted to make sure the mattress doesn't have a plastic cover because that doesn't seem safe to me and my logics.
  
  
   

  
  

Week 20 (updated)

Hello day 140 aka halfway mark!

In baby specific news,

IT'S A GIRL! :) :) :) 

Will post all the NSFW pictures of girl parts later.

---
Update 06.14.2015

So it's a girl! When we first got pregnant I said I wanted a girl. I mean sure, they can help out baby # 2 (HA) and etc but really because they are so much cuter to dress up :D. To spite me/make me not feel bad if it was a boy, Eric said he wanted a boy but really he doesn't care.

So the first sonogram at 14 weeks the sonogram technician said she thought it was a girl from what she could see but "don't go buying clothes". At the 18 week sonogram with the OBGYN, the dr thought it was a girl as well but that was due to the absence of boy parts which could still mean some poorly endowed boy - also her sonogram machine sucks. At the most recent 20 week sonogram with the fancy hospital equipment, they confirmed it was a girl with a sonogram of girl parts! For those of you who think sonograms still look like a bunch of bubbles (my mom included), they look for 3 lines in the sonogram depicting the female parts. Baby spawn did a really good job showing the goods this time.

It's a girl! Daddy doesn't like this picture being public. hahahaha sorry baby girl :D

3rd sonogram. 3rd picture of baby spawn sucking on thumb. This one is a fatty.

Hi baby girl!

The 20 week sonogram is also known as the "anatomy scan" where they look for all the vital organs of the baby. Scan takes FOREVER (okay, like 30m but it's boring) as the sonogram technician prods you with the sonogram wand. All the major parts checked out (brain, heart, 4 chambers of heart, spine, arms, legs, feet, hands, measurements, etc) but they did notice 3 soft markers. Soft markers are basically markers that don't indicate anything concrete but *could* be correlated with some more serious problems. These tests are newer as technology has advanced aka, our parents didn't have them

1. Small fluid bubble in the non thinking fluid part of the brain (or cyst in the brain) - about 50% of normal adults have it and it means that either Eric or I probably have it as well. It may go away over the baby's development in the womb but even if it doesn't, it won't affect the baby in any way
2. Small calcium spot in the heart - very common in Asians. As with the cyst, it may go away in the next few weeks and even if it doesn't, baby will be fine
3. Echogenic bowel - this one caused the most concern. It basically means the baby's bowel is brighter than usual meaning some kind of calcification. They view it by turning the sonogram down to the lowest setting and seeing how it compared with the spine brightness. You can kind of see it in the last sonogram posted above.
   
   Any echogenic bowel can mean a few things:
1. Trisonomy 18 - aka, an extra chromosome 18 that happened during development. This is unlikely though as it also causes physical malformations and the baby's formations looked normal
2. Down syndrome - since it's a "soft marker" it doesn't actually indicate Down Syndrome by more like... x% (some low number I can't remember) of babies with Down Syndrome also have an echogenic bowel
3. Cystic fibrosis - unlikely as Cystic fibrosis is genetic and has to have both parents test positive for it. My test was negative
4. Viral infection - potentially I caught something and am showing no symptoms but the baby would have it as well
5. Nothing (most likely) - Baby has some kind of digestion blockage or I had some slight internal bleeding and baby swallowed some blood. OR, sonogram machine was too sensitive

So in any case, I'll be going in for a blood draw to test for viral infections and have another sonogram scheduled in four weeks. We also went in for genetic counseling where I was mesmerized by her genetic tree drawing shorthand. My chances of Down Syndrome based on my first trimester screening had put me on the lowest probabilities  so even with the new soft markers the chances are 1/10,000 so we're not going to go for an amnio as the risk for miscarriage or damage is much much higher (1/300).

Overall we're feeling fine :). For some reason I guess the genetic counselor thought we'd break down in tears or something (she kept asking if I was OK o.O) but we figured the chances of it being something severe is actually pretty low and even if it is, we'll handle it as it happens.

Baby stuff hoarding! This corner of the house makes me so happy

Week 18-19

The past couple weeks have been crazyy. So Baby Spawn, this is what you have been up to these two weeks in the tummy.

• Grandpa's Chen's funeral :( - you got an honorable mention as a great grandchild so you better not disappoint!
• Uncle Johnny's wedding :)
• kicked Daddy for the first time! He's been super jealous that Mommy has been "hoarding all the kicks"
• Auntie Betty (aka "your favorite aunt" as she wants to be known as) wanted in on the action so you obligingly kicked her as well. So sweet.
• went in for your week 17 checkup in the belly. Heart rate was around 155 (or 165, I don't know, I wasn't paying attention) and according to the OBGYN's crappy sonogram, she still thinks you're probably a girl. Although that is in the absence of a boy parts and not actual visual confirmation. 

Tomorrow is your week 20 anatomy screening with the hospital's fancy sonogram. That means, GENDER TIME!!! So please be a good little spawn and show your goods tomorrow - no need to be shy.

all the aunts-to-be

with nai nai

new auntie for you!

Week 16 and 17

okok, I'm falling behind on these posts :( Last day of week 17 today!

Week 16

Updates: It's getting pretty boring now as I am just busy rapidly expanding

•  I'm starting to feel weird flutters in my belly! Although that could be anything ranging from the baby to muscle spasms to.. gas. I'm going to choose to believe that I'm not disgusting and it's the baby. I've noticed that it happens more around certain times (like 5-6PM). WebMD tells me that it should feel like "gas bubbles" but I think "flutters" or "muscle spasms" is closer to how it feels. Another way I'd describe it is that it feels like my belly has a heartbeat. It's definitely not uncomfortable but it's not comfortable either (feels like a distraction) so I can only imagine that as the spawn gets bigger it'll probably get annoying :(. 
• Supposedly the baby is at the state where it reacts to light being shone at the belly now and will either move to avoid it or react to it. I was super excited about that until I realized sitting on a couch shooting a flashlight at my belly trying to guess the baby's orientation is super boring. So that pastime ended much faster than I anticipated.

Maternity wear!

• So I'm definitely showing now. I always read about women who are like "I didn't show until month 5!" In my case, that's a freaking lie. I could pretty much tell immediately. Maybe other people wouldn't notice at that point but the minute you start thinking you're showing, the self consciousness sinks in anyways and you find that perfect excuse to wear sweats 24/7... until they no longer fit. 
• I've moved on to maternity jeans. They are amazingly comfortable, amazingly hideous jeans that don't actually button and stretch all the way up to past your waist.
  

• My bras officially do not fit anymore. Even in my workout bras I am in constant danger of having something indecently pop out. Let me just say though, nursing/pregnancy bras are THE UGLIEST THINGS EVER and cost an exorbitant amount. As if you don't feel unsexy enough as a giant beached whale, it's like the fashion industry decided to add insult to injury and make you feel even worse :(. 
• For a while, loose fitting t-shirts were my best friend. They were comfy, pretty much worked with any bottom, and hid my growing belly pretty well - AND ALSO you can wear them after the baby!! Somehow in the past week or so my belly has grown past the point of no return and loose t-shirts now just make me look fat. But they are still comfy so I'm still sticking with them. 

Week 17

Holy crap have I gained weight. Officially hit 10 lbs today and did a before and after photo comparison. Left is before pregnancy and right is start of 18 weeks. Little spawn is around the size of a bell pepper now. I seem to be carrying pretty low which according to Google, means that it's a boy... about 50% of the time (haha). Other than that, it doesn't seem like carrying low means anything for the baby or mom. It's been nice though because sometimes at night when I'm hunched over it pushes up against my upper organs and its SUPER uncomfortable. So thanks baby spawn for not growing so high up!

We have a OBGYN appointment tomorrow and I plan on pestering her until she scans for gender so maybe we'll find out tomorrow! Otherwise, June 9th is the official gender scan assuming the baby cooperates and shows the goods. 

Week 15

Things I learned this week:

• Prenatal yoga = SUPERRRRR boring. If I wanted to breathe through times of stress I'd sit on my bed and breathe through my Hearthstone games while some BM player taunts me.
• Where does the weight go during pregnancy?
• Baby: 8 pounds 
• Placenta: 2-3 pounds 
• Amniotic fluid: 2-3 pounds 
• Breast tissue: 2-3 pounds 
• Blood supply: 4 pounds 
• Stored fat for delivery and breastfeeding: 5-9 pounds 
• Larger uterus: 2-5 pounds
  Total: 25-35 pounds
  *I'm pretty sure all 7 of my new lbs have gone straight to blood supply and body fat. I can't even take a walk without feeling winded.
• WHO INVENTED CLOTHES?!? I hate clothes. Nasty constricting expensive things.

Week 14 (2nd half)

I FEEL GREAT.

It's been almost a week since the last time I threw up/dry heaved and I feel so great, in fact, that I'm even starting to forget how miserable I've been the past couple months!

AND THIS IS HOW WOMEN ARE TRICKED INTO HAVING MULTIPLE BABIES D:

At least I've documented my misery in detail so the next time I start thinking babies are so freaking cute I can reread the trauma of the past couple months and make an educated decision (ha. yeah right :().

I'm almost back to normal now. I can move around, eat things, stay awake, and generally am operating like a human being again! Oh sweet, sweet basic life abilities, I'm never taking you for granted again.

First trimester recap

• Weight Gain: I've gained about 6 lbs first trimester and have officially started setting new records on my scale :(. As miserable as my nausea has been, I guess it doesn't fall on the extreme spectrum of morning sickness. Every time I've gone to the OB and lamented pitifully about how nauseous I am she has always rudely unsympathetic thanks to those women who lose 10 lbs their first trimester because they can't keep anything down. Hmph.

• Fitness: I never considered myself super fit prior to pregnancy but I was hitting up the gym about 3-4 times a week for weight lifting and a yoga class or quick run 1-2 times a week (ok, that sounds way more intense typed out than it was. They were not long sessions - around 30-40m and most of it was sitting around in gym clothes feeling "productive"). I stuck to that schedule for the first month but once morning sickness hit I've been at the gym a whopping total of two times - and both times were to pay for my bill. Needless to say I'm grossly out of shape now as confirmed by the fact that I tried to do "warm-up day one" of Kayla Itsines and got through half of it and almost died. By contrast, the last time I tried that workout I didn't even feel winded :(.
  
  Now that I'm starting to feel better I've been doing just light weights and squats at home so that hopefully the squat rack won't kill me right away when I visit the gym again. I will have to modify my workouts though as I can't do exercises on my back (as the baby gets bigger lying on my back presses on the vena cava and reduces circulation to the baby) and I'll most likely avoid heavy weights... just in case.

• Baby bump: The baby bump is SUPER UNCOMFORTABLE. It literally feels like I have a volleyball wedged in my midriff especially when I slouch over. Initially my belly expanded below the belly button but over time it seemed to shift upwards. I definitely feel like I'm growing more wide than out which is unfortunate because THAT IS COMPLETELY THE WRONG DIRECTION TO GROW IN. I don't know how I'll be able to handle getting bigger considering how poorly I'm handling it now.
  
  The baby bump grew alarmingly around weeks 9-11 and it hasn't seemed to grow much since then despite the fact that the baby has about quadrupled in size since then (from cherry to orange). Which makes me super suspicious that it was just bloating which is just disgusting so I'd rather not think about that.

• Diet: HAAA. WHAT DIET. Just kidding (kinda). On one hand I've cut out coffee, raw fish and most seafood in general, as well as pink meat, deli meat, and salads. Basically anything that puts you at risk for getting sick normally plus a couple other things that irritate the baby. I thought coffee would be a hard one to kick but after my strong distate for food and everything smelly the first couple weeks it ended up being super easy. You can have the equivalent of one cup of coffee of caffeine a day unless you want an irritated fetus and there are some inconclusive studies that show a correlation that the percentage of miscarriage is higher with women who ingested a lot of caffeine vs not.
  
  On the other hand I've basically turned into the guy from Supersize Me. First trimester was all about eating 1) food that would not be disgusting when thrown back up and 2) whatever I wanted. That ended up being a boatload of carbs in the form of bread and a ton of crap food. I tried REALLY hard to eat healthily the first couple weeks but just gave up and succumbed to trying to get through each day alive. I will never judge pregnant people again.

• Clothing: I was not excited about maternity shopping. That sounded like an exorbitant waste of money to look halfway decent for six months when you definitely don't feel decent beneath the ridiculously priced tent you are wearing. So far I'm still able to fit in most of my normal clothes and can even zip up my pants if I suck in my belly - but I don't even really want to do that non pregnant so why would I do that now that I'm 6 lbs heavier? Anything tight would exacerbate my nausea so I've pretty much been living in maxi skirts and tshirts for the past couple months.
  
  Belly bands are amazing inventions. Thanks to them I can wear pants on the desperate days I run out of laundry and I can walk around with my pants unzipped and nobody knows! The downside is that your pants slightly feel like they're in danger of falling down all day but who cares. 

• Stretch marks/linea nigra: Nothing so far... *knocks desperately on wood*. Actually I've recently discovered some small stretch marks around my boobs so THERE GOES MY DREAMS OF JOINING A TOPLESS COLONY :(. It sounds like it just depends if you're prone to stretch marks genetically and creams can help treat them but won't do too much to prevent them. We'll see how this progresses but so far for creams I like just plain coconut oil for its fast absorption and Burt's Bees Mama Bee belly butter for the days I just don't want to smell anything.

Whew, long recap. I'll edit if I think of anything else otherwise, on to trimester number two! 

week 14

HMMMMM... it seems my morning sickness may be subsiding! Given this amazing development, I now push myself to sleep later and later.. until my body rebels and I throw up. Then I crawl into bed a sniveling snotty mess at the successful late hour of 1030PM.

We went in for our 2nd trimester checkup with the OBGYN which was by far the least interesting checkup ever. Baby spawn didn't even get a headshot out of it. We just sat around and listened to the baby's heartbeat for about 3 minutes and then we packed my tummy back in and went to work.

Next up is yet another blood test and then I will have completed the combined first and second trimester screening for all the genetic diseases (whooo).

Baby bump is still hide-able depending on what I wear. Although I haven't determined what works or not. It seems to be all random

OR I can let the baby bump hang in all its full glory. So uncomfortable.

IN OTHER NEWS - Koopa finally got kicked out of his room so now we have deep cleaned, bleached, and repainted the room. Prior to Eric having a fit of insanity and moving the rodent into the house, the room was just our spare bedroom that we loaded all unpacked boxes into and pretended it didn't exist. In fact, we even called it "The room that does not exist". Still have a a bunch of stuff to do to make it habitable including:

• Removing that disgusting light fixture
• Repainting the ceiling
• Repainting the doors and baseboards
• Get a rug
• Get furniture
• Make it a live-able room

Baby project #1 done! 

Baby's room.. someday.