18 Weeks

Doctor Check Up

Today we had another doctor appointment and this one was not as exciting as next Friday will be.  This morning we did the usual: peed in a cup, step on the scale, check blood pressure and check baby's heart rate.  The baby's heart rate is 150 which the doctor says is perfect.  I am up 3.8 pounds since we started this journey.  I guess the blood pressure was also good. 

Now it's time for the question and answer session with the doctor.

1. I read that sleeping on my back is not a good idea.  Is this really bad because I do this all the time?

It's not a good idea to sleep on my back (she provided the reason, but it's long and I don't think I can explain it without completely butchering the reason and without having it come out sounding ridiculous).  I don't have to worry about this until 20 (I think it was 20) weeks.  To prevent me from sleeping on my back I should sleep with a pillow behind me to prevent me from rolling on it.  Ok, we will give it a shot.

2. I have a constant sharp pain in the same spot, very low in my back.  Am I doing something to cause this or can I do something to prevent this?

This could be caused by where the baby is situated.  It could also be a nerve thing (ok, I am not a doctor so it's hard for me to re-explain without sounding like an idiot).  As the baby gets bigger he/she will re-situated her/himself and this might relieve the constant sharp pain.  I could also take Tylenol (which does not work) to relieve the pain.

3. I have travel coming up.  When is the latest I can fly?

I am able to travel up to 35 weeks.  So, I asked the doctor "I have a wedding in WI July 20th, is that out?"  Uhm, yes!  I guess I will not travel after the month of June.  I have two trips planned in June and then I am banned from flying for a while.

4. My weight gain seems to be low and that is starting to worry me.  Should I be worried?

I am right on target with my weight gain of 25 pounds for the pregnancy.  I should not worry about my weight being too high or too little.  The doctor will monitor that.  I should gain 5 pounds at week 20 and then after that I will find myself gaining 1/2 pound to one pound per week.  Wow!  I guess I did not need to worry about not gaining enough weight as I guess the abundance of my weight gain is still to come and I am right on target.

5. I think I have developed allergies and I am miserable.  Is this normal?

Yes this is normal as pregnant women tend to get sick and acquire allergies since their immune system is quite low.  AWESOME!  I can take Benadryl and Clairitin to feel better.  I have been taking both and I still feel awful!  I have never had allergies before...another glorious benefit of being pregnant.

Birthday Parties Have Changed

Attending birthday parties in your thirties are way different than attending in your twenties. Here are my top ten differences in birthday parties between the two decades.

1. The birthday parties in my 20's started at 9pm versus the current 11am start time.
2. The birthday parties ended with a last call as the lights flickered on and off and now they end about 2pm...just in time for you to make a trip to Home Depot or Bed Bath and Beyond and still get home to make dinner.
3. The parties back then were held in a local dive bar instead of a park.
4. The beverage of choice was whatever you purchased at the bar yourself where now drinks are provided for you in the form of bottled water or juice boxes.
5. The food offered back then was whatever drive-thru you stopped at on the way to the local dive bar (no friend in their 20's was going to provide food) where now in our 30's there is food provided at birthday parties.  BONUS!
6. The clothing of choice for a birthday party in my 20's was the tighter the better to get free drinks and now it's whatever is going to make you comfortable hanging out in a park.
7. The parting gift back then was a nice hangover in the morning and now the parting gift is a paper bag of goodies that you only receive if you are under the age of 12.
8. The birthday gift you would give to a friend was the worst shot (and cheapest of course) the bartender would come up with and now the gift giving consists of princesses or legos.
9. The entertainment at a birthday party in my 20's was a live band or people watching in the local dive bar while now the entertainment consists of watching kids in a bouncy castle or some creepy clown the parents hired.
10. The guest of honor was somewhere between the age of 21 (or 18 if you are in WI) and 30, but now the guest of honor is under four feet tall.

With all that said, Andy and I went to Ella's fourth birthday party this past weekend.  That is after we stopped at IKEA for a little home shopping...see number two listed above.  As we stood amongst the rest of the adults making random conversation, I looked around at my future (since I do have a bun in the oven)...and then thought of my past.  I was thinking how so much time has past and how my fun party days have changed.  When I was in my 20's the birthday parties mentioned above were a great time to me, but now being in a park on a beautiful Arizona Saturday celebrating my good friend's little girl's birthday party was a blast to me. That sounds more fun than over consuming in a local dive bar any time.

17 Weeks

16 Weeks

New Recipes

Since I have been very fortunate not to have morning sickness and not be turned off by a lot of foods, I have been making some new recipes lately that I thought they are worth sharing.

The other week I made a chicken pesto pizza...YUM!  I would highly recommend this as it was fabulous.  I found the recipe on pinterest and here is a link to the website.

I have made this recipe a few times before, but it's so good that I just have to share.  It's grilled Tilapia tacos with a mango salsa.  I found the recipe in my Cooking Light magazine.  I season the fish to my liking and then the salsa consists of the following: diced mango, diced avocado, chopped red onion, chopped green onion, chopped cilantro, juice from one lime, salt and pepper.  Very yummy and healthy!

I also made a chicken with goat cheese dressing over orzo pasta even though Andy is not a fan of goat cheese.  If I make it again I would made two different dressings: one with the goat cheese and another with the cheese of Andy's choice.  I also found this recipe on Pinterest and if you want to give it a try here is the link.  As you can see I got a little crazy with the dressing on my plate.  I just can never resist goat cheese.  For those of you questioning a pregnant lady eating goat cheese it is ok as long as the cheese has been pasteurized and this was so I am all good!

Akward Phase

Being 15 weeks along in the pregnancy I feel I am officially in the akward phase of it.  My clothes are starting to become snug, but not tight so I am not ready to upgrade (or downgrade depending on how you look at it) to maternity clothes.  I cannot wear fitted clothes right now because I don't look pregnant in them.  Instead I look like I have over eaten and need to get on a treadmill fast.  When I look in my closet for clothes options I don't have much to choose from since most of my clothes are fitted.  I am not going to walk around looking like an over stuffed sausage in fitted clothes...unless I can wear a sign that says I am pregnant...no fat!  I don't know if I should start shopping yet or not.  Do I wait until my current clothes are overly tight and truly do not fit me anymore, or can I start shopping ahead of time?  Should I wait until the baby bump is more obvious?  I really have no idea.  Until I figure it out I will continue to live in the akward phase of pregnancy where I don't necessarily look pregnant yet in clothes, but instead I look like I have been to one too many drive-thrus lately.

Spring Has Arrived

Finally, spring has arrived here in Arizona and it looks like it's here to stay.  I know my WI friends will find this post obnoxious as they are still dealing with snow and cold weather, but I think we are finally over the cold weather and I am so happy.  I feel like this was the longest and coldest winter since we have moved to Arizona and I disliked it very much.  One day it's 47 degrees out as I am driving home from work freezing waiting for my seat to warm up and the next day it's a beautiful 75 degrees out.  I couldn't handle the up and down with the weather as it took me back to my WI days.  What happened to the very predictable AZ winter weather?

Yesterday we were at the Cubs spring training game and it was a gorgeous 70+ degrees out.  It felt so wonderful just to lounge in the sun amongst some friends as it was a completely different day on Saturday.  It rained and was only 50 degrees and freezing on Saturday.  It was a sweatshirt and jeans kind of day when this girl is ready to bust our her flip flops and sun dresses.  Two weeks ago we were at the Cubs spring training game and it was so cold  that day I had three layers on and was wrapped up in a blanket.  I was so cold all day long that when we got home we both took hot showers and were still cold the rest of the night.  Not so much fun for this pregnant lady as I woke up a few days later with a massive head cold.  I was not surprised.  A cold is so much worse when you are pregnant because my usual remedy is now forbidden as it is not pregnant friendly.  I suffered for most of the cold until my doctor informed me I could take Robitussin and Mucinex.  Finally, I felt a little relief as I hacked and coughed all day long.

I am so happy we are finaly into spring and it is here to stay.  I am excited for the heat to arrive and the flip flops to be warn.  I am sure you will hear a different story in a few months when I am six months pregnant and it's 110 degrees outside. 

15 Weeks

People say at a time in your pregnancy you just pop and start showing quite a bit.  I may be wrong, but I believe this week was my "pop" week.

Big Announcement

Andy and I are expanding our family by welcoming a baby this fall.  Don't the girls look adorable in their bandanas I had made for them?  Super cute!  Our due date is September 1, 2013.  I have had a hard time keeping quiet for the first trimester so I blogged about everything, but couldn't post them until now.  Here are all the blog posts that you have missed.  Just click the title of each blog post and it will take you to it.

Yes +

December 30, 2012

First Doctor Appointment

January 4, 2013

Pregnant in Cabo

January 25, 2013

9 Weeks

January 27, 2013

First OB/GYN Appointment

January 29, 2013

10 Weeks

February 3, 2013

11 Weeks

February 10, 2013

12 Weeks

February 17, 2013

Testing

February 22, 2013

First Trimester Overview

February 23, 2013

13 Weeks

February 24, 2013 

14 Weeks
March 3, 2013

14 Weeks

March 3, 2013