Lil' G Week 20

Week 20 (2/16-22/14)

We're half way there!! 
So this week was a doozy!... in every way possible! I don't even know where to begin so I'll go day by day (and I apologize now, but this is a LONG one!)....
I'm going to start off my calling this week "Baby Prep"...

Monday: We drove home from Sedona, picked Lola up from our neighbor and took her to the vet to have her bandage changed.... The vet thought her incision looked a little 'puffy' so he gave her a steroid injection and they changed her bandage. I wasn't a huge fan of their bandaging skills, but I kept quiet. So that night we were all sleeping (yes Lo sleeps with us) and we woke up to a LAKE in the middle of our bed! The steroid made Lola thirsty.. which made her drink A LOT.... which made her piss all over herself in her sleep... yay!! So, we got the awesome opportunity to get up at 2am, give her a bath, wash the sheets (our down comforter had to go to the cleaners...), and move to the guest room. Lola slept on HER bed (and will be from now on)!! 

Tuesday: First we had to decide what to do with Lola... I was NOT leaving her to roam the house like she normally does, so I mentioned putting her outside (in 60-70 degree beautiful weather, with her bed and water, under the shade)... I thought Adam was going to have a coronary!! "Outside? Are you crazy?? We're going to have CPS called on us!"... I had to remind him that she's a dog and she'd be fine, but he wasn't going for it. So, we closed all the bedrooms and barricaded her from the couch and my beautiful rug. She was not a fan....

I went to work with very little sleep, but I can't complain because I just love my students. They are so fun and give me so much energy. Of course that energy was gone by 7pm and we were all in bed... for a little while.... Not only am I peeing every other hour, so is Lola. So, I was up hourly for one of us (yay for baby practice)! THEN at about 3am (30 minutes after I took her out), Lola started pacing... she wouldn't go out so I checked her bed and guess what??! She peed all over it.... So I had to wash that and bring her other bed in so she could lay down... such a diva!
SUPER AWESOME SIDE NOTE: When I left work, I checked my email and there was an email from THE ELLEN SHOW!!! I thought it was a joke, but for reals I got tickets!!! I literally screamed out loud! I have been trying to get tickets for over 9 years! I'm still in disbelief that this is real! There will be a whole separate Ellen post to cover this little journey.... from the beginning of my shenanigans ;).    

Wednesday and Thursday was a repeat of Tuesday (except for an exciting email from Ellen), but I finally got Lola's peeing under control by making her go out every 2 hours so there were no accidents/leaks. 

Friday: I had the day off so I planned to sleep all day, but the energy kicked in again! I literally cleaned and organized the entire house! I think this is that nesting thing I've heard about. I organized things that didn't even need to be organized. It was glorious!

Saturday: Adam and I did some shopping! I've gotten to the point where I can no longer MAKE my clothes fit so I had to make the maternity clothes plunge. I had already bought a pair of yoga pants and a few shirts, but really needed some pants. We went to the ONLY maternity store in Tucson and of course they don't make child sizes... Actually, when we entered the store Adam asked the sales person if they had clothes for pregnant children... she was speechless. Gotta love him! I finally found some maternity jeans at H&M. They aren't the best, but they'll definitely do the trick for now. After that we made a little trip to Babies R Us to confirm our car seat decision. Adam was amazed (and a little jealous) by the comfort and security of infant car seats... I'm married to a child myself. So after he pouted over there not being a seat big enough for him and then shared a few choice comments in the breast pump isle.
Pouting:

Then we went home....
To find Lola had eaten through her bandage, removed most of her stitches, peed on the couch and her bed, AND threw up on the floor!! This was the first day we gave her carte blanche in the living room...bad idea! So we got to take a nice little trip to the ER and spend a small fortune for her to get a new bandage and a pretty necklace:

Adam sent this text to a friend and I had to share: "Hi. My name is Lola. I was told that I get to be prim and proper and wear this Elizabethan collar, although it just amplifies my bad breath. Mom and Dad say it was because I was a bad girl and ate my own foot. I choose to believe that I'm just old fashioned."
  Fun times!

Sunday: So this should be my day of rest, right?? hah. Adam went for a bike ride early that morning and about an hour and a half later I got a call to pick him up (40 min car ride away) because he had "taken a really bad spill" off his bike.... I was hesitant to believe it was that bad, after all he was breathing. When I got there he and his bike were pretty banged up. Apparently he was watching a plane overhead and lost control and flipped himself and his bike into a bunch of cacti. Lovely. Did I mention I was married to a child?

So then I went home and rested.... after I cleaned. Yay for week 20!  
Now on to the good stuff....

Due Date: 7/7/14!!

The baby is the size of: a banana! 6.5in. 10.6 oz

"wow, are they going! If you're having a girl, her uterus is now fully formed and her ovaries are holding about seven million primitive eggs. If you're having a boy, his testicles have begun their descent from the abdomen to their ultimate destination — the scrotum. And while your baby is definitely getting bigger (weighing in at about ten ounces and measuring six and a half inches), there's still plenty of growing room in there, which allows him to twist and turn (and allows you to feel his acrobatics!)." http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/20-weeks-pregnant.aspx

Gender: It's a GIRL!!

Symptoms: Much better!  I have a TON more energy, but still nauseous most days. I also still have the sinusitis (constant stuffy nose) especially when I eat?? Frequent headaches, hip/joint pain, and I pee all the time! As I mentioned, the nesting has begun! And "preggo brain" is for real!! I forget everything! I'm just going to apologize to everyone now for forgetting something important. 
Baby girl is really moving now! She is MOST active right when I lie down at night and first thing in the morning! Adam got to feel her kick for the first time this week!! Yay!!! 

Sleep: I still get up every 2 hours to pee and reposition. Of course this week I was up EVERY hour either with Lola or myself.. so that was fun!

Cravings: This week has been all about salad! I had the best waldorf salad one day and an incredible wedge salad another. and Cheerios have been my jam! I'm still loving OJ, smoothies, fruit, and ice cream! 

Food Aversions: Still can’t do bell peppers, mushrooms or certain meats. and chips are just disgusting.

Total Weight Gain: 7lbs!! and 4 inches around my waist! Lil G is growing! It's finally starting to look like a real bump! 

Activity: I’ve brought my “daily 300’s” down to “daily 150-200’s” (my hips aren’t handling squats and lunges too well), yoga twice a week, and walking Lola. This week has been so busy it has been a workout in itself! Between work,   getting up with Lola, cleaning and our busy weekend I definitely got some cardio in. 

Lil' G Week 19

Week 19 (2/9-15/14)

Great week! I'm starting to feel better most days and have a lot more energy, which is good because I also started at UofA this week! I'm working 2 and a half days a week in the skills lab and teaching the second semester group. I was originally supposed to do pediatric clinicals, but I was nervous about being on my feet for 10-12 hours since I haven't felt too great. So, they switched me to a more relaxed setting. I'm LOVING it! I missed being around students! My co-workers are great too. The woman who is "showing me the ropes" is an older lady and she is definitely a mother hen... she almost tackled a guy for trying to shake my hand after he mentioned he had sick kids at home... Good People watchin out for the preggo! ;)

I'm also still teaching the RN refresher course at Pima Community College, which was all online this week so no excitement there. 

So, update on Lola.... she had her surgery on Wednesday to remove her "tumor/growth" and it went really well! She came home a little loopy which was comical, but overall she was fine. Just not a fan of the huge bandage, but she'll manage. They sent the growth in for biopsy and found it wasn't a tumor after all! It was a wart with an abscess underneath... interesting yet good news! The bandage will stay on for 2 weeks so we'll see how this goes...

For Valentines Day weekend we made a little trip to Sedona and the Grand Canyon (we left Lola with our AWESOME neighbors)! It was SO beautiful!! This is the ONE place in the US that I have been and Adam hasn't.... finally! We stayed in Sedona, did some hiking, a little shopping, and a lot of eating! And we took a day trip up to the Grand Canyon. I had to laugh because Adam didn't know what Sedona was all about (it's a very spiritual place that just has beautiful views), and assumed it was a shopping trip... So, he was pleasantly surprised! We had a really great breakfast at "101 Omelets" with some friends who were doing the same trip and it was amazing! I got eggs, pancakes, toast, fruit, and bacon.. and pretty much ate it all... For dinner that night we went to "Cucina Rustica" and can I just say OMG!!! The food was to die for! The BEST salad and pasta with vodka sauce I have EVER had! Amazing!! 

Hiking in Sedona:

A few pics at the Grand Canyon (my pilot husband is afraid of heights...):

 And this was just comical (Notice where it's parked)... 

My Valentine's Day flowers :)

Due Date: 7/7/14!!

The baby is the size of: a mango!! 6in and 8.5oz

"Have you ever seen a mango dipped in cheese? Well, that's what your baby looks like this week due to a little growth spurt (she's about a half pound in weight and six inches long) and a substance called vernix caseosa. This greasy white stuff covers your baby's skin, protecting it from the surrounding amniotic fluid. (Without it, she'd look totally wrinkled as she entered the world.) The vernix sheds as delivery approaches, though some babies still sport a bit of the coating at birth." http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/week-19.aspx

Gender: It's a girl!! Now it's time to decide on a name.... This may be the most difficult decision of my life (even though I (thought) I had our girl name picked out since HS)... it's gettin' real folks! I'm going to make an entirely new post just about this... 

Symptoms: Much better! But still not feeling fab…  I have a lot more energy, but still nauseous most days. I also still have the sinusitis (constant stuffy nose).. especially when I eat?? Frequent headaches, hip/joint pain, and I pee all the time! like I have to pee after I pee... So, needless to say with the hip pain and peeing, I don't get much sleep either! I have really been feeling her move around this week! She may just be a little gymnast like her mom;). It's the coolest feeling ever! 

Sleep: pretty much impossible! I get up every 2 hours to pee and reposition. My snoogle is my best friend right now though!! It really does help! I forgot it at home when we went to Sedona and that was no bueno..

Cravings What I can stomach: Like I said, the nausea is still around so food isn’t always appetizing, but at least my appetite is back! This week I’ve gone for pasta (I made my "Mosquito Pasta" named after a little cafe in Galveston that I LOVE!... it's penne with spinach, sun dried tomatoes, and feta cheese.. sooo yum!), OJ, kind bars, tea, and FRUIT!

Food Aversions: Still can’t do bell peppers, mushrooms or certain kinds of meat.

Total Weight Gain: 6lbs!! and 3.5 inches around my waist! Lil G is growing! Adam is still calling me “potbelly”… lovely…

Activity: I’ve brought my “daily 300’s” down to “daily 150-200’s” (my hips aren’t handling squats and lunges too well), yoga twice a week, and walking Lola. 

Lil' G Week 18.... It's a GIRL!!!

Week 18 (2/2-8/14)

This was a busy and FUN week!!! Work at Pima County was very busy! We have a group of students in clinicals and I have to meet with them when they reach their halfway point (80 hours)..... well this was the week it happened so I was all over Tucson meeting with them at their clinical sites. I was also tracking the new group of students who are working in the online portion of the course. 

THEN Lola developed this weird looking thing on her paw that grew pretty quickly.... I took her to the vet and they are thinking it's a "Mast Cell Tumor". They put her on meds, and will remove it on Wednesday to biopsy and confirm the diagnosis. Prayers for our sweet Lola Mae!

The red mole looking thing is what I saw first, but the tumor's growing quickly underneath...

 She got excited at our party and made her paw bleed so I doctored her up... so pitiful.

And FINALLY, we had our anatomy scan!!! See below for details on the gender and our "Sex Party"!!!

Due Date: 7/7/14!!

The baby is the size of: a sweet potato! (5.6in. 6.7 oz)

"Your pregnancy back pain may have you tied up in knots (see below), but your baby's getting ready to bust a move. At five and a half inches long and five ounces in weight, she now may be large enough for you to feel her twisting, rolling, kicking, and punching his way around the womb. Plus, she's developing yawning and hiccupping skills (you may feel those soon, too!) and her own unique set of toe and fingerprints." http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/week-18.aspx

Gender: It's a GIRL!!! It feels so great to finally know! And to be able to say her/she/DAUGHTER!! We had our "anatomy scan" on Thursday and of course it was a little nerve wracking! Adam had to work and I hadn't heard from him by 30 minutes prior to the appointment (not like him!), so I started to panic that something happened (he flew that day). He called 25 minutes before to let me know he was on his way..do NOT do that to a pregnant lady! I'm not the type to get anxious prior to things like this, except for the last hour leading up to it... I was so excited/nervous/scared. We would not only be learning about the gender, but looking at all of the baby's anatomy and organs to make sure she was healthy. What if something was wrong? I could not get that thought out of my head. Thank goodness everything looked great! and of course the anticipation was killing us! We sat in that room as the tech went over each body part/organ methodically.... ok great! now tell me if it's a boy or girl!! It was beautiful to see her sweet profile (she has mine ;), and her heart beating (we could see all 4 chambers!), but as they were showing us her abdomen, I could see in between those legs... I didn't see anything "sticking out" so I was sure I already knew the news, but I didn't want to get ahead of myself... I was beaming!! FINALLY we got the appropriate view and sure enough!! A little baby girl Gazda!! I started crying and Adam went into a little panic! It's no secret that he was 100% sure it was a boy! He even had bets going.... Sorry babe lol! It took a while for it to sink in for him (and to be honest, I think it is still sinking in for both of us), but he is beaming now too! He did have a few choice comments after we left the ultrasound....if you know Adam, you know they were inappropriate and hilarious... let's just they included things like the expense, and the things he used to think about girls... and his daughter may be doing them someday... I reminded him she's still just a fetus so he can chill for a while..    

We immediately called our family to share the big news!! Everyone was ecstatic! Especially my family on my Dad's side... like I said before, there hasn't been a girl in 26 years and there have been 9+ boys. I've made my Nonie proud ;). We also shared with anyone else who wanted to know that did not live in Tucson... of course we got a few texts from our Tucson friends "pretending" to live elsewhere...?!?

On Saturday, we had our "Sex Party" also known as a gender reveal, and we were finally able to share the exciting new with everyone!! It was such a great time!! 

Baby girl's dancin' feet! I drank a coke before the scan to ensure she cooperated... she did, a lot! 

Our Party!!

We announced by both revealing the contents of our boxes ;)

And this was just fun!

                             
                                        
                                         Big Sister, Lola!

                           The whole gang! Notice all the blue ;)

Symptoms: I'm not saying better/good anymore! Let's just say I'm learning to deal with the symptoms... Each day is different…  I have more energy for the most part, but still nauseous most days. I also still have the sinusitis (constant stuffy nose) and headaches. The weepiness has only increased… I find myself wanting to cry all the time, for no good reason at all. And odd pains in my hips and belly as the baby grows! When I'm lying down, I can feel her swimming around :). And when I'm really active it feels like the baby is purposefully pushing on every angle of my uterus.. not the most comfy feeling. And there are more that may be too much for a light-hearted blog.. but rest assured I'm taking notes! The things they don't tell you before you get pregnant! 
As for maternity clothes, I'm not completely there... I only have one pair of pants that still "work". I did buy a pair of maternity yoga pants. Also, I have several maxi dresses (see the one I wore to our party) that I bought last year from Victorias Secret that have rouching on the side so they work perfect! I actually bought them knowing they'd be very versatile (I got them in 4 colors/patterns) :). 

Sleep: Still pretty much impossible since I get up every 2 hours to pee and reposition, but my new snoogle pillow has been a tremendous help with relieving pressure off my hips/back etc. If you don't have one (pregnant or not), INVEST! Even Lola loves it :)

Cravings What I can stomach: Like I said, the nausea is still around so food isn’t always appetizing, but at least my appetite is back! This week I’ve gone for Orange Juice (I could drink a gallon a day), pineapple, strawberries, iced tea, and cheerios... I'm sure there's more, but that's all my preggo brain can remember. One day, I was up north (Tucson) working around lunch time, so I decided to pick up some Cheesecake Factory on my way home. I love that place. So much to choose from, so I ordered crab cakes, quesadillas, a sandwich, salad and soup.... I wasn't expecting Adam to be home when I got there.. hehe. I couldn't eat the quesadillas because of course they had bell peppers :(. Adam took care of them for me though! 

THEN I started craving chicken wings! I decided that would be what we'd have for our "Sex Party", BUT I felt we needed to taste test them first... So, I ate them Friday night, Saturday at the party, and then made sure there were plenty of leftovers for Sunday. YUM! 

Oh, and I just have to say that Adam has been wonderful lately, really going out of his way to make me happy/comfortable.... BUT if he gets another one of my food orders wrong, I'm going to go ape shit! He's done it 4/4 times so far (not like I'm keeping track or anything). Today he called on his way home and said he was at Whataburger, wanted to know what I wanted and I told him... explicitly... chicken strips with GRAVY and don't forget the ketchup (he forgot the ketchup last time). First of all, if you are a Whataburgian you know that the chicken strips (and texas toast and fries) just aren't the same without the gravy (AND fancy ketchup). Second, what is this new business with Whatabuger offering "other" options?? No one wants your crappy ranch or bbq sauce when they could have that gravy. Third, Adam claims he never gets the chicken strips so he wasn't aware of the great gravy appeal... And he claims to be a TEXAN??

And what kind of mean joke is this?

Food Aversions: Still can’t do bell peppers, mushrooms or certain meat, and pizza doesn't have nearly as much appeal as it used to :(...

Total Weight Gain: 5-6lbs and 3.5 inches around my waist! Lil G is growing! I haven't "popped" yet, but I definitely have a belly.... carrying very low and wide. I also learned that my placenta is anterior (so in the front of my belly closest to my belly button). That, plus I still hold onto my habit of tightening my abs all the time, so my belly is flat, but protruding.. an interesting look. I'm working on not tightening so much, but I hear it's good for labor and after, so yay! 

Activity: I’ve brought my “daily 300’s” down to “daily 150's” (my hips aren’t handling squats and lunges too well) and yoga twice a week, but walking or any aerobic activity gets me a little winded so I'm taking it easy there but still doing my best to stay active (work has definitely helped with that!).

Lil' G Week 17

Week 17 (1/25-2/1/14)

Another week down!! I had an appointment with my doc on Tuesday and everything is moving along great! Lil G's heart was a steady 150bpm! 

I officially started working this week, yay!! Although I was completely exhausted after, it felt SO GOOD to be back in the classroom :). This week was the RN Refresher course at the community college, and I start helping with peds clinicals at UofA in 2 weeks. It will be really great to be back at the bedside with my students... I miss my tiny human patients ;). 

We had a pretty chill weekend. Adam had Friday off so he went golfing while I was at work... he came home with a broken iPhone screen, scratches all over his arms (he determines how successful his game is by how many extra golf balls he finds... he found 25... in cacti), and was asleep by 4:30pm (1 margarita and a few beers...lightweight!). I was snuggled beside him with my new snoogle (greatest "pregnancy pillow" EVER!!) by 8:30. Saturday, was a very lazy day (I'm basically worthless after 2 full days of activity), although we did go to a friends house for dinner and card games that night. My kind of night! Sunday (which is actually the beginning of week 18, but I might as well include it because I will likely forget by next week... I'm having preggo brain for realz lately...) we went to a friends to watch the Super Bowl. It was so great to see everyone!! I've pretty much been a hermit lately...

Now I'm just ready for Friday and Saturday to get here!! 

Due Date: 7/7/14!!

The baby is the size of: an onion! (5.1in. 5.9 oz)

"My how your baby has grown! She's about the size of your palm, weighs about five ounces, and is developing some body fat (join the club, baby!). Her heart is now regulated by her brain (no more random beats) to beat 140 to 150 times per minute — about twice as fast as yours! What else is up? She’s practicing the survival skills she’ll need at birth — like sucking and swallowing." http://www.whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/week-17.aspx#

Gender: I still have no clue!! Adam is 100% convinced it’s a boy, so that makes me lean toward girl just to be difficult ;). I have to admit, I will absolutely be happy no matter what  it is, but if it’s a boy I might freak a little just because we have NO boy names!! We’ll find out soon though! Our anatomy scan is scheduled for this coming Friday afternoon (2/7)!! EEkkk!! So excited! These last few weeks have gone by so slow! We will announce to our parents/family immediately. Then we will have a sex party on Saturday afternoon to announce to friends (and of course the rest of the world), so hold your horses! Until then, make sure you place your bet on what you think Lil G is through our Baby Pool!!

Symptoms: Much better! But still not feeling 100%…  I have a lot more energy, but still nauseous most days. I also still have the sinusitis (constant stuffy nose). The weepiness has only increased… I find myself wanting to cry all the time, for no good reason at all. And odd pains in my hips and belly as the baby grows!

Sleep: Still pretty much impossible since I get up every 2 hours to pee and reposition, but my new snoogle body pillow has been a tremendous help with relieving pressure off my hips/back etc. 

Cravings What I can stomach: Yay! I can switch it to actual cravings instead of just ‘what I can stomach’…. This is a big deal because I missed food! Like I said, the nausea is still around so food isn’t always appetizing, but at least my appetite is back! This week I’ve gone for mac n’ cheese, ice cream, brownies, ice tea, fried okra... I'm sure there's more, but that's all my preggo brain can remember. The sweet cravings have begun!! I REALLY wanted Ben & Jerry's Half Baked ice cream so I sent Adam to the store... they didn't have it... NOT acceptable! So, since he needed to study I decided to go to the convenience store... I tried three. The first one didn't even have ice cream... ridiculous behavior! The second one (which is connected to a medical marijuana dispensary) had some (strange flavors), but not Half Baked.. umm hello!! and the third only had 3 flavors. I wasn't about to go home empty handed, so I settled for some Dreyer's vanilla and I bought a brownie to mix in... it did the trick but still not the same. I found my half baked the next day and stocked up! I also found Blue Bell!! Then I made slutty brownies (cookie/oreo/brownie), gold rush brownies (graham cracker and chocolate chips), and cherry dump cake. Then, I decided to watch 4 hour long episodes of "Amazing Eats" on the Travel Channel... that's where the fried okra craving came in... along with deep fried pickles and BBQ (I really miss Texas..)

Food Aversions: Still can’t do bell peppers, mushrooms or red meat, and pizza doesn't have nearly as much appeal as it used to...

Total Weight Gain: 4-5lbs and 3.5 inches around my waist! Lil G is growing! Adam says that if people didn't know better they'd think I just let myself go, but just in the belly area (I think that's called pregnancy)... I'm carrying very low and wide...I look like I have love handles, but they're very firm....sexy. 

Activity: I’ve brought my “daily 300’s” down to “daily 150-200’s” (my hips aren’t handling squats and lunges too well), yoga twice a week, and starting to walk Lola again. I have to balance those cravings somehow!