17 Week Update

Just so you know, I had Heath take about four pictures of me this week. I kept trying to get one picture where I didn't look huge. No such luck.

How far along?
I am 17 weeks and 1 day (160 days left)


Baby is the size of a...
Turnip? Like I know what that is. It is 5 inches from head to rump. :) Here is a picture, according to BabyCenter.com, of the turnip we are comparing my baby to:

Symptoms:
I think I am starting to feel kicks every once in a while. I get really big jabs when I move weird or "squish" the poor baby while bending over. I am excited for this part! I know at the end it gets to be a LOT; but, in the second trimester feeling movement is the best! :)

I still feel pretty good. No more headaches in a while! Yay! My appetite is still really spotty. I don't want anything at all and nothing sounds good, then all of a sudden I think of or see an item and I want it really bad. I have been really wanting mozzarella sticks, or cheddar bites, or basically anything fried with cheese. Yum - I'm making myself hungry. Heath has let me indulge lately. I think he just wants to make sure I am eating.

Oh, I did wake up last night and my hips hurt for the first time. I am not looking forward to that again! :(

Anything New?
I am still in my regular clothes. I am in between right now, which is the worst. My normal pants don't button; but, maternity pants are awkwardly big. I have a lot of capris that I can wear; but, the weather started to get chilly again. :( Then, my legs are so pasty too that I'm self-conscience.

I have been dreaming a LOT lately. They are such odd and aimless dreams too. It is bugging me; I wake up and I don't feel rested. I did have a dream over the weekend that I had triplet girls. I apparently like to scare myself in dreams and have multiples; I think I'm accessing some tiny fear in the back of my mind. haha. Anyway, in the dream, I had to name the babies. I completely blanked on all of the names that Heath and I have actually discussed. I was trying to talk Heath into some names and all began with the letter 'A' - again! Remember I had a dream about the name 'Audrey'? More 'A' names...(perhaps I watch too much Pretty Little Liars). This time I suggested to Heath, "Amy, Amsey, Arie, Aria, Aurora" and some others that I couldn't remember. It is really odd to me, because Heath and I have never even considered an 'A' name.

New with Heath?
I really don't know. I'll be honest. He has been working really hard on Lucy's big girl room and talking about the finances when the baby comes; but, that is about it. I guess that is the dad's job - make sure the finances are set and get the house ready. It is my job to get all "mushy-gushy" about the baby and obsess over my growing bump.

Don't get me wrong, he still occasionally rubs my stomach and says things about having another one running around. :) It just isn't as "real" to him...not that I am any more prepared mentally.

With Lucy?
She is getting settled into her new room. She has been in there since last Saturday night. We are trying to get her used to the new room; so, when the baby comes, she won't have any attachment to the nursery still. I am crossing my fingers!

She still points are her own belly and mine to say, "Baby in dere." We tell her that, "Yes - there is a baby in mommy's belly." She makes me laugh, because she treats it like one of her dolls and says, "It cryin!" I always say, "No, baby's sleeping." Then, I had the crazy thought that maybe she has some baby ESP and the baby really is crying. Wouldn't that be creepy? haha.

We get to watch a friend's baby for about an hour on Saturday morning. :) I'm so excited. Plus, we think it is great for Lucy to be around a baby. It still bothers her when Heath holds him. So, we will see if we can warm Lucy up a bit to the idea.

Anything else?
Hmmm...dreams, symptoms, oh! I just remembered. I think my motherly intuition is finally speaking to me. For some reason the other day I was sitting in the living room and I told Heath, "I think it's a boy." At that moment, I just did. I just felt like all signs are pointing to a boy (except for my dreams!). Of course, Heath just smiled at that idea. I don't know how reliable my intuition is; but, we will soon see.

Oh, and I had a Facebook friend tell me that she had a dream about me and the baby too. I asked her what the sex was and she said that it was a boy. Who knows?! :)

Translation Please

Right now Lucy is talking up a storm! She just babbles and babbles. Some of it I understand. And, well, some of it, I have no idea what she is saying.

The other day at the lunch table, it was just Lucy and me.

She looks and me, smiles, and says, "I boopt."

I asked her, "You pooped?"

She was completely unimpressed with me, "No. I boopt."

I scanned my brain and the room..."boopt? boopt. boopt?"

I finally asked, "Your boot?"

Lucy was annoyed. This time, she lowered her eyebrows and said it a bit louder, "I boopt!"

I had no idea. So, I decided to tell her, "I'm sorry, honey. I can't understand you."

She then, put her hand to her belly, opened her mouth wide, and said, "ughhhhhck." It was an obvious, mocking burp sound and then she stated, "I boopt."

"Ahhh, you burped!"

She was pleased, "Uh-huh! I bowpt."

I had to laugh. She was bound and determined to tell me about it. She actually knew to mock herself! I was proud, but promptly told her to say "excuse me." :)

She is growing up so fast! :)

Traveling Heart

I'm sure you've noticed; I'm in a funk.

Not a good funk, like The Commodores. A bad funk. My head is in the clouds. My brain is in a fog. My mind is...well, you get the idea.

A piece of my heart has traveled to Texas. And, I'm having a pretty rough time with it.

As most of you know, my dad recently got married and decided to move to Texas. Family, and specifically my dad, is very important to me. I'm sure you've realized my emphasis on family throughout the last year of posts. To add to the problem, I'm not that big on change. Sorry Obama.

When my dad decided to move, I was angry. I consistently fought my sarcastic, surly side; I wanted to say something hurtful or smart alecky. I knew that saying something mean wouldn't make him stay; but, perhaps it would remain in his mind forever. And, that is the reason I held a lot back. I didn't want him to have another reason to leave, like me being mean.

I didn't just hold the anger back. I held the sadness back. It's a common trait among my family members. We're not big on giving into painful emotion. It's much easier to pretend those feelings don't exist. Unhealthy? Absolutely. I have tried to work on it though. My psychology degree forces me to.

The day my dad left, I cried; however, I refused to let it sink in. He's not really moving. He'll be back soon. This is all temporary. My heart and my brain were in constant battle that day, trying to allow the truth in, while avoiding the emotion.

The first week he was gone, I did alright. We had gone a week without seeing each other; so, it was easy to pretend. The second week, it started to really set in. Things I normally held on to, to show him or to tell him about, I realized I would have to do over the telephone or Skype. He wouldn't be stopping by again after work.

Look at me. I talk like someone passed away, right? Whoa is me. But, it seriously is a big deal to me.

I was already feeling down about my dad leaving, then September 11th came and I watched all the horrible coverage, things that I tried to avoid and forget years ago, and then, my brother-in-law got into a terrible accident.  It was all a bit too much for my emotion.

I slowly fell into a funk - a deep, sad, funk.

We had a good weekend and somehow, today, I feel uplifted. I am not even sure why. I just am. Perhaps it's a turning point for me. Let's cross our fingers.

With the, hopefully steep, incline of my mood, there should be some more blog posts. Perhaps it's fall quickly approaching (heck - it might already be here!), that has me smiling. The leaves are falling, the windows are open, and I'm listening to the sweet sounds of football fans and broadcasters. Halloween is near. I have lots of plans for the next month and I'll be sure to share them all with you.

Sorry about the funk. And, I promise to get back with it soon. I will also include the final videos of my running challenge - like I've promised.

Happy September 19th! Smile everyone. It only gets better.

"Ahh...Man!"

When your little girl goes to daycare all day and spends the weekend with family, it shouldn't be surprising that she comes home with a new phrase. However, Lucy has clung onto, "Ahh...man!"

Heath and I have decided that we say it, but only sparingly. She had to of picked this up from daycare or her cousin, Alex. The amazing thing is, she uses it in the right context. It's hilarious. Heath and I enjoyed the other evening when Lucy's personality was really starting to shine through!

She was wound up. I don't think it was from sugar, but that we were all together playing. She was all over the living room. On one pass, she cut the corner too sharp and hit her arm on the coffee table.

"Aowww....aowww....aowww...," she repeated looking at us.

"Did you hurt your arm?" Heath asked.

"Aowww," was the only response.We both laughed.

"You're okay," I told her.

Seeing that we weren't going to come running to her little arm's rescue, she gave herself a kiss on the arm. We laughed, as we continued to watch her roam the room. She started to run a little too fast and past the ottoman. Her toe caught the carpet and down she went. She just disappeared behind the ottoman as we heard a light thud.

Silence.

We waited to hear if she was going to get upset.

"Ahhh....man!"

We laughed until we almost cried. I can't wait to see what she'll say next!