26 weeks - 5 year anniversary

To this point, this has been an anonymous blog as I have never revealed too much of our identity. However I realize as I list a detail here or there, if someone I know happen to read, they could probably put the puzzle pieces together. Nothing necessarily wrong with that, just something I've thought about. Maybe one day I'll go completely 'public' anyway.

Today (September 20th - 26+1) is our 5 year wedding anniversary!  We don't have any extravagant plans,  but its exciting nonetheless. Its quite the milestone in this day and age.  I always wanted to have a baby on the younger end of the spectrum.  Its probably 2 or 3 years past when I might have thought I wanted to get pregnant, but I am typically a believer of everything happening for a reason.  I think we as a couple are in a better place to do so.  And I'm appreciative of the the fact that we had the time to spend together and get to know each other.  I had wanted to take professional picture once a year and did so on our 1 year anniversary. But after that, Papi wasn't having it.  So I agreed that the milestone years would do.  This is one of those years!  However I had the dilemma about if I wanted to do a maternity shoot.  Right now I am very much pregnant, but maternity shots don't typical happen until much later.  So I have already purchased the photo session, but will postpone our shoot a couple months so that it will be a 5 year anniversary shoot with a maternity shoot in one.  Not only will it save a few bucks, but I think it just makes more sense.  I love having picture, but I don't want it to be overkill.  Two photo shoots in a few months will result in too many pictures than I will know what to do with. I really need to get on a Picasa of sorts because my photos are already way too disorganized and when Baby Boy gets here I'm sure it will escalate exponentially. I don't want to risk ever losing any of these memories.  Maybe that will be a good thing to do while I'm on maternity leave.  I have idea about maternity leave that I will actually have spare time, I don't know if that's naive.

This week I gained a pound or pound and a half and it puts me almost back to pre-pregnancy weight, another half pound away.  With Baby Boy at approximately 2 pounds himself, the weight gain is favorable.  I think at this rate I will end up being right on track with my doctor's goal weight gain for me throughout this pregnancy, I believe with the upper limit being at 15 pounds.  I don't really know for sure, but I figure with 14 weeks left and the biggest growth periods rapidly approaching, I could easily fall in that range.  I have complained before about being able to see my bellybutton.  By that I meant the indentation around my bellybutton that originally didn't give my belly the round shape I wanted.  Well I've overcome that, I'm certainly showing enough that its not longer an issue.  And I've recently started to notice that my bellybutton is actually disappearing!  Its shrinking, becoming more shallow.  Papi can tell too!  Its fun watching these subtle changes.  Besides that, baby boy continues kicking and moving more and more, letting me know he's happy.  I love every minute of it.

Today is my last day of work at my current job.  Its bittersweet, but exciting in the end.  I am confident that I made a good decision.  After all, I have never lived with any regrets, so I'm not going to start now.  I will miss many of the people I currently work with, but this will be a good move for my career that my current position would not offer me.  Its the reason I finalized my decision in the first place and its only been solidified over these past few weeks. Its still nerve wracking for any big change and this one is included.  I'll let you know you how my initial days go next week.

25 weeks

This week I've had people ask if I'm pregnant outright.  So I'm clearly showing at this point.  Lots of movement these days, but Papi isn't patient enough to keep his hand there long enough to actually feel a kick.  I can easily see my belly jump and feel it happening with my hands.  I think feeling kicks on the instead is such a big cue though that anyone not feeling it wouldn't know when to look or feel so its harder for others to catch if that makes sense.  I'm trying to pay attention to the times that Baby Boy is active so that I will be ready to start counting kicks in a few weeks.  Otherwise I will be lost at what hours I should try counting.

I haven't prepared much more in the nursery or purchasing necessities.  I'm feeling good about the registry.  I have a lot of the big decisions out of the way, but of course could keep adding on odds and ends I will need.  I settled on a breast pump but I hope I can find a way to be more at peace with my decision.  I have been on the local baby wearing group site so I can figure out what type(s) of carriers I want. There's so many different types and brands, I don't know what's best.  (Reminds me of my cloth diaper dilemma) I was finally able to arrange to meet with a representative of the group that is going to personally meet up with me and show me a few.  I will be nice to both meet them and get my hands on the carriers.  I'm bummed that its so hard for me to make it to their meetings which are only the middle of the day Fridays.  At least I can go while I'm on maternity leave. I just wanted to at least have a few carriers before he is born.  So I'm hoping this meeting will accomplish that.

Otherwise, still not too much going on.  No news is good new I suppose.  Until next time.

24 weeks

Major milestones this week! First, we have officially reached the threshold of viability!! Its exciting, yet morbid when you think about it.  I have had serious concerns about Baby Boy for awhile now.  I have been so lucky to have a very smooth pregnancy so far with no complications at this point.  But it is definitely reassuring to know that should a problem arise, he has reached the point of survival outside the womb...  of course with major assistance and plenty of risk at this point, but a comforting still.  I can only hope that he arrives when he is good and ready, on his own time.

Second, I have been feeling him moving around for weeks now.  Kick are growing stronger everyday.  I am trying to pay attention to when he is most active so I will be prepared to start counting his kicks when the time comes.  But this week I not only felt his kicks outside, but I have SEEN a big kick pop out of mybelly!!  It was shocking and so exciting. I have not gotten to the point where I can inform Papi soon enough so that he is able to feel it.  That's what I'm waiting for next.

According to the growth statistics, Baby Boy is about the size of an ear of corn and nearly 1.5 lbs.  I'm definitely taking notice because the scale says I gained 2.5 lbs this week!  That means I'm now up 6 lbs from the 8 I lost.  Its the most I've gained and it freaked me out a little.  There's no problem as long as that trend does not continue.  I cannot afford to gain 2 lbs every week for the next 16 weeks, so I hope it slows down and everything just remains healthy.

Having announce my job change at work has been extremely difficult for me.  The hormones and emotions have been really getting to me.  I believe I'm improving little by little with time but very hard.  I'm blaming it on the pregnancy, but I think it would have been hard either way.

While a lot is going I don't think I have too much more to write. So I think I'll leave it at that!