.day 168: ladybug's name picks.

Ever since we found out Jelly Bean is a "she" bean, Hubs and I have been throwing around girl names trying to find one that fells "right." So far we've had no real luck.

Yesterday, I asked Ladybug what she thought we should name her baby sister. She thought for a moment (even saying, "Ummmmm..." to my utter amusement) and then told me, very matter-of-factly, "Carrot." I laughed and asked if she could think of any more names. She came back with, "Dinosaur."

And then you have today's name idea addition: Kermit

So, including the name that she offered up earlier in the pregnancy, here is Ladybug's list of names for her sister:

     -Heart
     -Carrot
     -Dinosaur
     -Kermit


I'll update more as she comes up with them. I have a feeling we might end up with a long list of very unusual baby names by the time Jelly Bean actually makes her big arrival.

*happy sigh* Gee whiz, I love that silly, creative kid!

.day 154: the name game.

Now that we know Jelly Bean is a girl, we are faced with the task of picking out a name. You see, we were so sure we were having a boy that we had name already picked out for the little fella, first and middle. Now, we are back to square one and we are finding choosing a fitting, female moniker very difficult.

We have a very short list and I am debating whether or not to ask for opinions on the names we are considering. I'm afraid someone will give me a reason to discard one of the names I'm really beginning to like.

It always happens; I start to warm up to a name, spill the beans to someone (figuring that they will love it, too), and they bring up some unsavory aspect of the title I hadn't even considered. I'm sure no one is actually trying to be a name saboteur, but I hate falling in love with a name only to hear about horrible classmates and terrible nicknames.

Then again, I would hate to give my child a name that the general public thought was outrageous or ridiculous.

So, do we put our name list out there, subjecting our carefully considered names to ridicule or approval? Or do we keep our naming options to ourselves and secretly decide between ourselves, critics be damned?

*sigh*

Well, we have a few more months to ponder, at least. I leave you with one of my favorite TV show quotes of all time. From the uber funny 30 Rock, here is Cerie on 'baby names:'

"We both want to have babies while it's still cool. I already have all the names picked out. If it's a girl, Bookcase... or Sandstorm... or maybe Hat, but that's more of a boy's name."

.day 140: the big reveal.

So, it's official! Our little Jelly Bean is... wait for it... a little girl!

As soon as the technician put that ultrasound wand on my bloated belly, I knew. He asked, "Do you want to know the sex?"

I thought to myself, "Uh, already I KNOW the sex. That, my friend, is a girl; there ain't a 'dangle' anywhere to be seen," but Hubs and I both just said, "Yes."

I watched as he typed on the screen the word I already knew was coming: girl.

I glanced at Hubs, worried that he might be crushed, but he was grinning from ear to ear. I was grinning, too.

We both enjoyed seeing our baby wiggle and move as the tech took measurements and saved pictures onto a flashdrive for us to take home. When he tried to get a profile shot, she kept her face turned just out of sight.

After a few minutes of trying to get a good close-up, the technician asked if I would push on the opposite side of my belly to try to get her to move. I did. Her response: to turn a little, but only to position herself  better to give my hand several good kicks, as if to say, "Mom! Knock it off! You're crowding my space!" I had to laugh at her saucy antics. She has quite a personality already!

Our little girly bean is measuring four days ahead, is healthy as can be and, obviously, feisty to boot. Seeing her move around on the screen made me a little weepy. She is perfect. *happy sigh*

It may take a little while for the shock to wear off, since Hubs and I were both convinced that this one was a boy, but we are both thrilled!

And heck, we already know we make super cute girl babies; Ladybug is awfully adorable!

Here, for your viewing pleasure, are some pictures of Jelly Bean! The first is the best profile we could manage and the second is the series of pictures the tech took while she was kicking at my hand while trying to get said profile picture (click the image to make it larger). That last picture in that sequence shows her kicking with some pretty impressive force for a person who weighs less than a pound!

Isn't she just precious?

P.S. Today just happens to mark my 20th week on the nose, so even though I will likely be pregnant for longer than the typical 40 weeks, I'm counting today as halfway there! Huzzah!

.predicting.

Well, today is the big day! In a few hours, if Jelly Bean is cooperative, we should know if Ladybug is getting a little brother or little sister! Of course, the waiting has been killing me.

Ugh. I hate waiting.

To pass the time, I've done a little gender predicting of my own... with the help of the trusty ol' "interweb." Here are the "findings."

   -Per a quiz at AmazingPregnancy.com, we have a 67% of a prince, 33% chance of another little princess.

   -According to another old wives tale quiz at Childbirth.org, our odds are 61% chance of having a "he" and a 38% chance of having a "she."

   -The Chinese Lunar Age Gender predictor at Baby2See.com, said our little Jelly Bean is a little fella. The gender prediction chart at TheBump.com gave the same results.

   -The Chinese Gender Chart at LaborofLove.com, however, predicted a little lady.

   -My ridiculous "pee-in-cabbage-water" test from eons ago (day 36, to be exact) seemed to indicate boy, but I have a feeling that is hardly reliable...

   -The paperclip test also said that our second kidlet would be a boy. I've heard that is a pretty accurate, but I remain skeptical... I mean, it's a paperclip...

Well, I guess I've covered as many bases as I can. Nothing left to do now, but wait...

Ugh. I hate waiting.

.is it a sign.

When I was making Ladybug's birthday breakfast yesterday, I cracked an egg and found this:

Hubs joking told me it's a sign that we're having twins... twin boys. Not sure how he knew the gender just from looking at the yolks...

I guess it's not completely outside the realm of possibility. I haven't had an ultrasound yet this pregnancy, so I guess there's a small chance my husband's wish will come true. We'll find out for sure if there are two Jelly Beans occupying my belly tomorrow...

Hmmm... two babies? Not sure how I feel about that...

.day 130: check-up in 265 words or less.

Today we had our second prenatal visit with our midwife, Heather. I peed in a cup, got poked with a needle, and was pleasantly surprised to see I had gained 4 pounds. I could give you all lots of details, but I need to start dinner, so here are the highlights: 

 - Getting all my tedious little questions answered. I have a lot of them. Just ask Heather.

- Only having to get stuck with a needle one time. I have horrible veins; they are tiny and uncooperative. I am used to being poked several times before one decides it's a better idea to just concede defeat and bleed a little than continue to be prodded repeatedly with a sharp object. Gross side note, the vein she did stick then decided to bleed very s l o w l y, so she suggested I pump my fist to get the blood pumping. It was really weird to hear the blood filling the vial in little, forceful spurts. Yes. You could hear it. Yeesh! 

- Hearing Jelly Bean's heartbeat. It was strong and a steady 140 beats per minute. We could even hear the tiny valves closing between beats with a little 'pop!' So amazing! Heather also said that Jelly Bean was moving around like crazy and seemed to be doing very well. Hooray for Jelly Bean! 

-Scheduling our BIG ultrasound! We get to actually see Jelly Bean on October 5th! Be sure you vote on whether you think Jelly Bean is a girl bean or a boy bean. Pizza party to those who guess right!

.all the cool kids are doing it.

Okay, it's official. If you are reading this, you must vote on whether you think Jelly Bean is a boy or a girl. We will be scheduling our "big" ultrasound soon and want to get as many guesses as we can before the big day arrives.

What are you waiting for? It's super easy! Just answer the poll on the left. A couple of mouse clicks and you're done! What's your vote? Pink or blue for number 2?

.pregnancy chroncials.

Surprise! In case you didn't know by now, we are expecting baby #2 (lovingly nicknamed Jelly Bean) in February 2011! I have been blogging about my pregnancy journey since I got my positive pee-stick in June.

Sorry, to those of you who don't want to read my uncensored pregnancy thoughts (and whinings). My blog, my rules! Ha, ha, ha!

If you want to read only about pregnancy stuff, click on the "belly status" button on the left!

.day 126: over the moon.

I was just now, this moment, sitting on the couch, watching the History Channel and folding laundry while Ladybug is taking her morning nap. Deciding that one load folded was worthy of a little break, I sat back and put my hand on my stomach... not expecting it to be kicked by the tiny baby currently hanging out in my belly!

That's right! I just felt Jelly Bean from the outside!

I kept my hand there for a few minutes and felt several more bursts of movement. I am so excited! There really is a baby in there! I mean, of course I already knew that there was a baby in there (if there wasn't, my growing waistline would be real cause for concern), but to actually feel, from the outside, the little movements of the child I'm carrying is overwhelming!

.day 125: here we go again.

*head desk* 

I should have known to expect this. I was hoping to avoid going through this all over again with this pregnancy, but I guess I'm not so lucky.

What is 'this,' you ask? Gallbladder attacks. Yes. Welcome to my hell.

I had my second gallbladder attack this pregnancy at 2:00 am this morning. I was up, trying to no avail to alleviate the pain for about an hour before I finally got so tired that I conked out again.

I had gallbladder attacks when I was pregnant with Ladybug and they are tortuous. The pain is intense with no way find relief. It's in describable.

In fact, last time around, the pain with each attack was so bad it made me doubt my ability to cope with the pain of labor (we had a planned natural birth with Ladybug). More than once, Hubs would just have to rub my back while I sobbed, the pain was so unbearable.

So, I guess here's hoping that either the attacks won't be as bad this time around or that my pain tolerance has increased... or that I just don't have any more for the rest of my pregnancy. That would work for me just fine.

Oh, and by the way, I handled the pain of labor just fine, thank you very much. ^_^

.day 99: laugh it off.

Somehow, when you are pregnant, you're emotions become amplified ten-thousand fold. Anything that would make you happy normally will, during pregnancy, have you weeping for joy. Anything that would have upset you normally will, during pregnancy, have you bawling your eyes out like you never have before. Yeah... there's a lot of crying during pregnancy.

To most outsiders to gestation, all this unnecessary emotion is confusing and seems a bit odd. Well, I wanted to demonstrate a time (yesterday night, to be specific) when something terrible happened and I was able to laugh it off.

For future reference, I expect to be given credit for this if any of you ever see me crying during a toy commercial or losing it over the fact that I can't find the right kind of breakfast cereal at the store.

The following is from my February 2011 DDC (due date club) forum. The title of my post: My evening is ruined! Ruined I say! (please note that fake names have been changed to abbreviated fake names)


Lucky Mama (me):  So, I've been working nights to try and bring in some extra cash for the delivery of this kiddo (gee whiz, babies are expensive) and I've been eating cafeteria food for dinner for nearly a month. The one thing that sounds extremely appetizing is the cream of asparagus soup. They have only served it once since I started working the evening shift, so when I saw it was on the menu for tonight, I was super excited!

I've been waiting for this blasted soup since Friday and what happens?! I get down there and it's ALL GONE! GONE! The only thing left is slightly burnt, very dry chicken strips (*gag*) and some kind of other soup that was not cream of asparagus and therefore was unacceptable. I did try the inferior soup, but was underwhelmed to say the least.

It seems dumb, but all I wanted was my dang soup! I feel a little like crying in the corner... Anyone have a good cream of asparagus recipe to share with this pitiful, pregnant creature?


S.I.S.:  Bahahahaa.... don't mean to laugh, but that was funny! Don't they know that the pregnant chicks should get first dibs!!!!


Lucky Mama (me again):  That's alright. I have to find the comedy in it because if I think about it too much, I might be ashamed at just how bummed out I really am. Over soup. :D

As far as pregnant women getting first dibs, I couldn't agree more. Not just in matters of stews and chowders and such, but in everything!

I mean, c'mon! I'm pregnant. I don't feel well. They should be happy, nay, honored that I'm even here at all! Is a little (read: VERY LARGE) bowl of soup so much to ask? 


J.L.:  LOL! I know there should be a certain amount of each food offered set aside for pregnant women just in case ROFL. Sorry you didn't get your soup.

I won't post all the sympathetic comments I received, but you should know: there were many. See? I'm not crazy. There are people out there who understand my pains (mostly of the hunger variety currently).

Perhaps the highlight of this online conversation, aside for my very valiant "stiff upper lip," was M.M.T.7.'s sharing of a cream of asparagus recipe! Huzzah!


Cream of Asparagus Soup
1/4 cup butter
1 onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups water
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed chicken broth
4 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and coarsely chopped
3/4 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper

Melt butter or in a heavy cooking pot. Add onions and chopped celery; saute until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in flour, mixing well. Cook for about 1 minute, stirring constantly. Do not burn, or let it go lumpy. Add water, chicken broth, and chicken soup base; stir until smooth. Bring to a boil. Add diced potatoes and chopped asparagus. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
Puree soup in a food processor or blender in batches. Return to pot.
Stir in half and half cream, soy sauce, and black and white pepper. Bring soup just to boil. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Serve hot.

Got this one off of the internet awhile back. It was very good! I leave out the celery though....I don't like cooked celery!

.what's up baby: week 14.

Jelly Bean is now 14 weeks old and is about the size of a lemon. He is keeping himself busy with thumb sucking, limb wiggling, and general womb acrobatics. He is now making urine and "breathing" the amniotic fluid. Jelly Bean is also growing lanugo (thin, downy hair) all over his body. It helps to have something covering you while marinating in water for 40 weeks.

.day 96: baby "heart".

After recapping our appointment for my family at Sunday dinner, my mom asked Ladybug what she wanted to name the baby. Ladybug answered, "Heart." I figured she was just referring to hearing the baby's heartbeat at the appointment, but when we asked her again a little while later, her response was again, "Heart."

It makes me wonder if "Heart" is more of a boy name or a girl name...

.day 95: first appointment.

Well, it's about dang time! After finding a midwife a couple of weeks ago, we finally had our first appointment. We got to sit down and ask Heather, our midwife, any questions we hadn't answered in our initial midwife interview... which wasn't many, because I asked every birth related question I could think of at our first meeting.

Heather calculated my due date, which we are very certain of because I was "charting" at the time I got my positive pregnancy test. So, the official due date is still February 22, 2011 (even though I'm preparing myself for a March baby).

As our appointment progressed, Heather offered some morning sickness advice, we discussed what lab work we wanted done at our next appointment, and I (of course) had to give the standard pregnancy appointment urine sample. We also spent a fair amount of time just chatting and swapping stories. We were the last appointment of the day and instead of an hour long appointment, we ended up staying for nearly two hours.

The best part of our visit by far was the end of the appointment, when we got to hear Jelly Bean's little heartbeat. It took her a minute to find him with her doppler and once she did, Jelly Bean kept kicking and wiggling, causing load pops to come over the speaker. Heather announced that we had one very happy, very active kiddo in there. That made my whole month.

Of course, now that we have made sure the baby is doing well, it's time to tell the rest of our extended family and friends about Jelly Bean's impending arrival. I think a Facebook announcement is in order...

.day 94: flutters.

Yup. It's official. I am feeling this little baby moving around. I just felt some definite flutters!

In my opinion, feeling those flutters is one of the best things in the whole world.

.day 93: is that you baby? it's me, mama.

On and off, all day long, I've been feeling what feels like a little bubble rolling around on the inside of my steadily growing baby bump. It comes for just a moment or two and then is gone, but I'm pretty sure I know what that "little bubble" is...

Is that you, Jelly Bean?

Are you enjoying your temporary abode? Stretching your brand, spankin' new arms and legs? I hope so. Get nice and comfortable. You're going to be there for a while and I'm afraid you'll find the space you're enjoying now will rapidly decrease in size.

No worries, though. I'm sure you'll be "feng shui-ing" mommy's organs soon enough to get cozy.

.day 91: it gets better.

Okay, maybe I spoke too soon about speaking too soon. Things are looking up!

I just won a different eBay auction for the same lovely diapers I had bid on a couple of days ago. Yay! The cloth diapering experiment begins... in 7 to 14 days, when the diapers arrive from their current location in Canada.

Also, for the past couple of weeks I have been working a few hours a night at the hospital that employs me. When dinner time rolls around, finding anything that even seems remotely edible in the cafeteria has been a challenge. Tonight, the options were: apricot chicken (too slimy) with rice (too over-cooked), meatloaf (there is no way... there is just. no. way.), and cream of asparagus soup (iffy, at best). Alas, I was hungry and needed to eat something that did not originate in a vending machine.

What did I choose? The soup. I bravely chose the soup... and prayed my stomach would be strong for me.

The outcome, I'm pleased to say, was much better than anticipated. Not only did my tummy accept the thick, green concoction without complaint, my taste buds actually enjoyed it as well!

Now, not only am I happily full (a very rare occurrence these days), but I am even craving some more of the slightly-gloppy stuff. Imagine that! Perhaps the morning/all-day sickness is wearing off after all!

Huzzah!

.day 90: good day (part 2).

Geez louise! It seems I really spoke too soon: I just lost my bidding war for those cloth diapers on eBay. *head desk*

Oh, well... Life is still good. ^_^

.day 89: good day.

Today is a good day. I placed a bid on some cute cloth diapers on eBay (the Husband agreed to give them a try since they could save us a ridiculous amount of money) and my morning/all-day sickness seems to be tapering off.  
 
*happy sigh*

Life is good.

P.S. I spoke too soon. All-day sickness is back with a vengeance... Still a good day, though.

.day 86: cloth or 'sposie.

Ever since I found out I was pregnant with kidlet number two, I have been thinking of ways to safe money before and after our new little addition arrives. Hey, I'm very frugally minded. I can't help it.

One thing I have looked into, much to the husband's dismay, is: cloth diapering.

Okay, okay. Stop rolling your eyes. Let me say a little something in my defense. I know that my announcing that we are, or at least I am, considering using cloth diapers doesn't help the image I may emanate to many as an uber-crunchy, hippie-esque, granola mama. True, some of my thoughts on birth, breastfeeding, co-sleeping, etc. are a little foreign to some (read: most) people, but I swear I'm not that weird. I own a T.V., eat meat (albeit, rarely), and take long showers.

Cloth diapers just seem to make sense to me. They save the environment by decreasing the amount of diapers rotting in landfills on this planet, they don't have the chemicals that disposable diapers have, and most importantly, they save money! Ludicrous amounts of money! Is it sad that saving money ranks up there over saving the enviroment?

See. Told you. Not a hippie. ^_^

Since the Husband is pretty much against the cloth diaper thing 110%, I've been trying to put the idea out of my head. However, the idea of saving $80 a month on disposable diapers is really, really difficult for my frugal little mind to ignore.

So, what do you think? I wanted to throw this out there in cyberspace: cloth or 'sposies? Any opinions, experience, insight? C'mon, cyberspace! Don't fail me now!