Pregnancy Exercise Videos

I bought a bunch of exercise DVDs, but I think my favorite exercise video was Gabby Reece's Complete Fit and Healthy Prenatal Workout. The video has workouts for each month, and she was right around that month pregnant when she made each segment, so you see her getting bigger and bigger just as you are getting bigger. That's probably one of the coolest things about this video.

But the exercises are pretty excellent too. They're interesting, challenging but not impossible, and each segment is 15 minutes plus a warm up. Pretty darn doable. I actually wish each segment were longer, and I think that's testament to how enjoyable the video is. To make it more effective, though, I'd often pause the video and do more reps, or add in extra exercises. However, on those days when I wasn't too ambitious, I'd just let it run through and still feel like I'd done my job!


It kind of sucks that for my next pregnancy, I bet I'll have way less time to workout. I can barely make myself do my physical therapy hip/pelvis exercises while I play with the baby on the floor. Oh well. But you know, I bet I'll do my Gabby Reece video!

Eventually I'll try to post on my other less fabulous DVDs, but I'll quickly tell you, I also did the Shiva Rea Prenatal Yoga DVD (enh), the video by the wife of Desperate Housewives' James Denton (she works you HARD, holy crap!), and the DVDs by some ex-Cirque de Soleil gymnasts (exercises felt very odd on my body, and they gave CRAPPY directions).

Really, the Gabby Reece one is awesome, because her trainer trains her, so he's giving her directions and she does the moves, rather than HER telling you how to do it. She does offer her own tips as she's doing the exercises. Yup, I think it was the best one. It does require light hand weights and an exercise ball, and I just modified for ones that required exercise bands that I didn't have.

Buy it on Amazon here. Click here to read full entry.

I Enjoy Making Little Public Spectacles

Because sometimes I
a) can’t help it
b) can’t resist.

Can’t help it: Walking through grocery store last night, my right inner thigh tendon muscles were spasming/shooting pain. Me: “OW OW OW!” I hobbled toward the ice cream, having to pause a few times when the pain hit again. No one said anything to me. Later, in the cupcake store, when the spasm hit, a lady said, “Oh, when are you due?” She said her daughter came the day after she had pain in that area, so I continue to be hopeful this baby won’t be too late.

Can’t resist: Sometimes, if I’m tired, or wired, or just tightly wound, I cannot resist going a little over the edge. Example: At breastfeeding class Tuesday night, I was exhausted. I was also chatty, though, because I’m getting euphoric about this baby coming soon. I was bubbly with the lactation consultant, but when the other few ladies arrived, they were pretty quiet. I didn’t want to dominate the class, so I tried to tamp down my energy.
At one point, the lactation consultant (who I could already tell was one of those pushy people who are so much like me that I try to resist them but later we become best friends) asked the 4 of us ladies if we knew what we were having.
Me: “Yeah, a boy!”
Twin lady: “We’re going to wait.”
Lady in back: “We're waiting, too.”
Other lady nods: "Waiting."
Lactation consultant, smiling benevolently: “Oh, that’s great. That’s great. It really is one of the last big suprises in life.”
Me, voice quickly rising: “Why does everyone say that? It’s not one of the last surprises! I’m going to have all kinds of amazing surprises in my life!  I mean, it’s—“
Lactation consultant, trying to change subject because she clearly realizes I’m teetering on the edge: “Oh, yes, it’s really an individual choice. It’s nice to know what you’re having, too. So, what have you guys heard about breastfeeding?”

FIRST OF ALL, that was tactless of her! Don’t ask a question and only give a positive response to the people who say the answer YOU agree with. I have to tell you, I do NOT get good vibes OR hear good reports about the lactation consultants at the hospital. I have heard some VERY BAD first hand reports about how militant and rude they are. Therefore, I am prepared to TOTALLY FREAK OUT ON THEM in the hospital if they give me any crap.

SECOND OF ALL, people said to me from the very beginning of this pregnancy, “So, are you going to find out what you’re having?”
Me: “Yup!”
Nosy party: “Oh, don’t find out! It’s so much fun to wait! It’s one of life’s last big surprises!”
My response would usually be, “I’ll be surprised by a healthy baby. That’s good enough for me. And this is NOT the last surprise left in my life. If it is, that’s sad. I have all KINDS of amazing things that are going to happen to me.”
The nosy party would try to explain further why the surprise was so special, and I’d say, “I understand the excitement of a delivery surprise because I’ve seen it: my sister was surprised all 3 times. When her third baby was a girl, we screamed at the top of our lungs. But for me, I don’t feel the need to wait. I’m a logical person, and I don’t like waiting for things, so I’m going to find out. I feel no need to wait.”
Sometimes, they’d keep going, and I’d say, “I don’t relate to that reasoning. I just don’t think that way, and neither does my husband.”

It also comes down to the fact that I do not like people telling me what to do. If you tell me not to find out, I’m going to find out just to spite you.

And ANYWAY, I did not ASK if you thought I should find out. If I wanted your opinion about that, I’d ask. I didn’t ask; you just told me. Guess what? I really don’t care if you think I should find out if I’m carrying a boy or a girl.

Oh yes. I am a woman on the edge.

Related Post:
--Dec 29, 2008-- Fight or Flight: I'll Kill You, and Your Little Dog, Too
Click here to read full entry.

The Big 3-4, 39 Weeks, Ode to Coworkers

Yay, I just got the urge the blog. I woke up at 4 am today, restless, feeling a little sick from being overtired... but it's my birthday! I'm not sure why birthdays are so fun; maybe it's because it's fun to have people make a big deal over you. I love that we as a species do that for each other. I'm also excited because last night my friend baked me a cake- it's on my kitchen counter, she's in the guest bedroom- and we're going to eat it at lunch at work today. I'm excited to celebrate with my awesome, awesome coworkers. Oh- and it's a FUNFETTI CAKE!!!!

I'm also excited about this upcoming baby of mine. I'm wondering when he's going to be born. I don't want to speak too soon, but I'm excited he did not choose MY birthday to be born. I mean, hey, if he decides today's the day, fine; it would, for sure, be a great birthday gift. But um, this is kinda MY birthday, and it has been for 34 years, so... let's just chill out for another day, baby!

It's kind of fun not being in labor, but anticipating it. Every time my stomach hurts a little, I get hopeful, and then, when nothing happens, I get a total rush of adrenaline at the idea that it will happen eventually. I'm still one week from my due date, but I'm eager to finish up this whole pregnancy and birth process- not because I'm tired of being pregnant, but because i know that birth is really exciting. People will tell you terrible things about birth, but I've seen a few, and they've been pretty darn amazing. I'm looking forward to experiencing it, even though I know it's hard work. And, I'd really just like to have this baby- like, have him where I can see him and finally see his face.

You know how people are always like, "Ooooh I hope my water doesn't break in public?" Well, I hope mine does, because that means you're gonna have your baby soon. I want this baby soon, and I want to go into labor on my own. I don't want to be induced. I'd be delighted if my water broke, like, in my new car, or in front of all my students, or... at the DMV. Whatever. Let's just get this baby out safe and sound and without too much to-do.

One of my coworkers said yesterday, "You know how to get that baby out of there- the same way you got it in." I had to think about that for several seconds before I could process it (I mean come on that's a long sentence for a distracted pregnant lady to handle), at which point she said, "Or you could drink a margarita and jump up and down." I liked that second idea best.

Do you see why I like my coworkers? They are almost all that open, friendly, and silly, but amazing at their jobs. Plus, they are good people. When I sent out an email asking for help with the school spelling bee, at least 10 of them responded. The bee went off without a hitch yesterday thanks to the 6 of them who ended up being available.

After the bee, I gave one of my coworkers/friends a ride home, and she offered to run errands with me. So, my baby's poster is now getting re-framed at an art store in town... with plexiglass, since another coworker/friend broke the glass when she came over 2 weeks ago to help me hang the poster. Do you see a theme here with my rocking coworkers? They are just nice, generous people... and because of that cycle of kindness, they'll get funfetti cake today.

One more thing about my coworkers: last Friday, about ten of us went to happy hour. I've known many of my coworkers for almost 11 years. It's such a good feeling to be so comfortable with such great people. At this point, they're like a second family, especially for me, whose family is NOT local. After happy hour, 5 of us went to our coworker's nearby condo, ordered Chinese food, and facebooked for hours. We made two of our coworkers join, and then we had fun showing them how to use it... oh, and texting in absurd messages to a TV music station and watching to see if our messages appeared. It was ridiculous. It was like being in college. Oh- and not a single one of us was drinking. We were just enjoying time together.

Here's a non-incriminating photo of some of my coworkers over at my house last year. You would not BELIEVE how loud a roomful of teachers can get. It's a little scary.

Related Post:
--SEPTEMBER 27, 2008-- That Man at Work Who Always Notices If You Gain Weight Click here to read full entry.

I Just Cursed at My Unborn Baby!

"Ow, you #@$&ing baby!" I just said, and was wracked with guilt for cursing at him. I feel so bad, but he is grinding into the lower left quadrant of my abdomen, and it hurts. It feels like he's trying to squeeze a leg through my ab muscles. He's getting bigger and stronger, so that's not so pleasant.

My tummy is not getting too much larger, but I think that's because he's lying sideways. And, my torso is a good inch or two longer than most people's, so baby's got a lot of room to spread out. I compared my torso to a friend's yesterday; I had a good 3-4 inches on her. When she was pregnant, her baby kept stepping on her spine- pressing with both feet, and pushing- and she was in a lot of pain. One of her friends passed out when her in utero baby kicked her in the heart. Did you hear me? The kid kicked her in the heart. And she passed out. So, I guess my ab discomfort ain't so bad.
Sorry, baby.

Oh- baby put on a good show for my last class of the day. I could feel him moving, so I sat down, made the kids look at my stomach, smoothed my shirt out, and leaned back, because he often moves when I'm lying/leaning back. The kids could see him move from across the room. Some were grossed out, and some were interested.

Either way, it's fun to play with the baby.

He's moving right now, and frankly, it's rather grotesque. Click here to read full entry.

Fight or Flight: I'll Kill You, and Your Little Dog, Too

In my sister's little one street neighborhood in Mississippi, the neighbors all let their dogs run loose. If I go out walking or jogging, there are usually 4 or 5 dogs wandering around. They might bark at me from afar, but I think it's just to say "Hey, who are you?" Some of the dogs are big, but over the 2 or so years I've visited here, they've proven themselves to be harmless. They rarely come up to me.

Every few months, a new dog seems to appear. Today, a scraggly brown dog I hadn't seen before skulked near me as I was starting my 30 minute brisk walk. Strange dogs can be a little scary, but I wasn't too worried. I was fairly certain that if the dog bothered me, I would destroy it. I could completely see myself kicking it in the ribs, gauging its eyes out, and strangling it with my bare hands. That seemed completely feasible.

I attribute my ease of violence to the fact that pregnancy activates something where you are very defensive of your personal space. In the fight or flight, your flight is impaired by oh, 20, 30, 40 extra pounds, so you're ready for a fight. I truly think I am jacked up on some hormone. I feel ready to punch anyone in the face who bothers me or gets near my stomach.

I hope I never have the need to do that, but I'm just saying to the world in general, I will $&*@ing kill you if you threaten my physical safety.

Here's a pic of my sister's hood. Lots of open space between the houses, a cotton field at one end of the street, and a cow pasture behind the house on the other end. It's a little annoying and dull to walk up and down the road 5 times to get in my 30-40 minutes, but there is hardly any traffic. It's much safer and more pleasant than my neighborhood in CT. Click here to read full entry.

Random Pregnancy Stories: I Amuse Myself

1. Me to ladies at fancy maternity store: "Yeah, only one of the 3 pairs of jeans I bought here really fits perfectly, so I pretty much wear them every day."
Lady: "Oh! Do you want us to order you another pair of the same one?"
Me: "Oh, god no. I just wear them dirty. It's no biggie."
Looks of horror of both ladies' faces.
Me, trying to make her feel better: "I mean, I alternate them every other day."

It's sort of true, I don't usually wear them to work two days in a row. Only if I'm really lazy, or, if on the previous day, I wore a longer shirt that hid the identifying pockets. I do put them on almost every day, though. Even if I don't wear them to work, I'll wear them out to dinner. They are so comfy and, unlike the other 2 pairs I bought, actually stay up. This is the only full body shot I have of my fave jeans; I'm putting my hair in a pony tail here. 

2. My new favorite song, David Archuleta's "Crush," came on our radio in the living room.
Me to husband: "Dance with me."
Husband runs away.
Me: Fine. I'll just dance with the other man in my life.
I dance around holding my stomach.

Click here to see the video on youtube. Actually, I recommend not watching the teeny bopper video. Just listen to the music. The video imagery is cheesy and nauseating; my husband says the actual song is cheesy, generic and overproduced, but I like it. Click here to read full entry.

Mystery of Superior Earth Mothers Revealed

I find myself doing things that I found vaguely annoying when I saw pregnant ladies doing them.

1. Resting one hand on your stomach. That always looked fake maternal to me. Like, "Ooh I'm pregnant, i'm resting my hand on my unborn baby because I'm an earth mother."
No.
Pregnant people are doing that because they feel the baby kicking. Or, the baby is moving and they're trying to figure out what he's doing, and that's probably more interesting to them than the boring conversation of the people around them.

2. Holding stomach wtih both hands. That looked obnoxious to me, like they were putting their belly on display. Now I realize the mom is thinking, "Holy shit, there's actually an almost full grown baby in there." Or, "What the %#$@ happened to my flat stomach?" Or, "Good god, is that hard structure in my abdomen a head or a butt?"

That's really all I can think of. But in general, pregnant people always seemed to act superior. Now I realize they were just:
-completely distracted
-thinking about how weird they feel
-thinking about how they have so much to do to get ready for a new person in the house and they are just too tired to do it
-uninterested in what I was saying because they had so much else on their mind.
Click here to read full entry.

Hyper Fetus?

I'm getting ridiculous movement in my stomach the past few days. Not only can I see my stomach moving through my clothes, the movements are much more than kicks. They're like, rolls, and palpitations, and super-fast tapdancing, and pushing on my ab muscles. It's fun, but it's a little freaky because it's impossible to ignore. I can't not say, "Whoa!" when I feel a totally new type of movement. What will he think of next?

My husband keeps telling me he was a hyper child. I can't help but wonder if this baby is going to be hyper. I have a little ADD going on, so I hope this kid is not a total space cadet. I mean, I don't mind if he is, but his life will be easier if he's not head in the clouds hyperactive.

That's a photo of my stomach while I was doing this blog post. Click here to read full entry.

Coughing, Blogging, Not Sleeping, Rectal Kicks

Why lie in bed coughing at 3am, clutching your right boob, when you can be out in the living room blogging and eating a bowl of your favorite cereal with 2% milk?

That's what I say. I'm trying to remain positive despite coughing for close to 6 weeks now. Oh, the boob thing. Yes. I appear to have pulled a pec muscle from coughing, so now when I cough, my right chestal area has sharp pains. If I put pressure on the area, it feels better. Unless I'm holding a pillow, I can only apply pressure with my arms, resulting in boob clutching. I'm sure my students are wondering what the hell I'm doing, but at least I'm at work. You have to give me that.

Two weeks ago, I had a pulled side muscle. Just as that got better, the pec started hurting! Huh? I guess coughing a lot yesterday started it. Darn it, I thought I was better. I am feeling better, but I'm still coughing, and it's just getting OLD. I'll ask the pulmonologist about this tomorrow, since he only appears to work on Wednesdays.

Me to my stomach just now: "What are you doing?" Because I can see my stomach jumping around in the 3:20 am light of my laptop.
I've been getting some impressive kicks, and repeated nudges in low-lying areas, that make me say, "Yikes!" I really did not know the baby was going to kick me in the rectum and the cervix, but uh, I guess that makes sense. I'm sorry to have used the word rectum, but it had to be said. Click here to read full entry.

Discussing Pregnancy (and My Butt) with Students

Last week, at 27 weeks (close to 7 months), I told my students I was pregnant. Turns out 11 year olds are pretty funny to discuss pregnancy with.

Me, pointing to my stomach: Hey, have you guys noticed this?
They stare at me blankly: Huh?
Me, turning sideways and poking my stomach: This. Have you noticed this?
Kids are silent.
Me: There's a baby in there!
They start shouting at me. "You're pregnant? Is is a boy or a girl? How far along are you? What are you going to name him?"
I let them shout at me for a while, then we got back to work. (Note: In this photo, you can see I look pretty thick around the middle, rather than hugely pregnant. You can see why people would not assume I'm pregnant, but rather, just porking up.)

When I told my other class, they also started shouting things at me, but they shouted funnier things than the other class.
Two of the boys said, "I did notice, but I didn't want to say anything in case you weren't."
One girl said, "When did you find out you were pregnant?"
Me: "Uh, July 1st." (Did she really want specific dates? I was surprised by the question so I answered honestly.)
Another girl: "Are you tired? My mom said she was really tired when she was pregnant with me."
Another girl: "Why do people gain weight when they're pregnant?"
Me: "Oh, well, there's more than just the baby in there. There's more fluid, and there's more blood in your body, and... there's other stuff." (I was not prepared for that question, and other kids were shouting things, so I gave sort of a bad answer.  I guess I also wasn't sure if I felt like teaching them what a placenta is, either.)

Then, I told my study hall, which is only 3 kids, and one was absent, so it was just one boy and one girl. We were doing some work, and I said, "So, guys, my stomach is getting bigger. I'm pregnant."
Kids: "Oh cool, is it a boy or a girl, when are you due, etc."  We chatted a bit, then I got up to go get something from my desk.
Boy: "No offense, but your butt's getting bigger too."

No kids ever say stuff like that to me, and I never let kids do that, but you know what, I brought up my stomach size, so I can't really fault him for commenting on my body size. Anyway, my butt's not getting bigger, so his comment didn't bug me. I thought it was funny, but all I said was, "You are ridiculous." I don't want to give his antics any encouragement. This is the same kid who asked me if he could call me by my first name. He's a great kid, but a bit fresh!

The next time I saw my study hall, the third student, another boy, was there.  I pulled out my cold medicine with codeine, because I was feeling like crap from my cough.
Boy, alarmed: "I thought you couldn't take medicine when you were pregnant!" (How do they know all this?)
Me: "Nah, that's just your first trimester."
Boy: "What? Your what?"
Me: "Trimester- first three months."
Boy: "What the- how many months are you?"
Me: "Almost seven!"
Boy: "Really? You don't look it. How long have you been pregnant?"
Me: "Um, since June?"
Fresh boy: "What day? What day in June?"
Me: "Um, June 11th?"
Fresh boy: "Oh my god my birthday is the 13th!"
Me, trying to get over the fact that I'm somehow discussing, with preteen boys, the date I conceived my child: "Uh... cool!"

I took some photos of my butt the other day,
a) because I like these jeans but they are too small and I don't think they ever actually fit me- they're medium and I should have gotten large
b) because I am pretty sure my butt's not really getting bigger. I'm putting on a layer of fat from my knees to my shoulders, but the butt is not getting disproportionately larger.
c) and because I just sort of wanted to get a look at my butt.

Turns out it's pretty challenging to photograph your own butt.





Here's a pic of my stomach, actually looking pregnant, but my stomach rarely looks like this. The way I was turning made my stomach stick out more. Usually, I look sorta normal, and I can still get away with just looking like I've gained weight. For real, I can. Click here to read full entry.

28 Weeks: 3 Months to Go

I find it hard to believe that this is actually what's in my stomach. I feel so good, except for this cough, that it's hard to believe I'm pregnant. If it weren't for the kicking, I'd just think I was plumping up. I probably am plumping up, because I have not exercised in oh, 6 weeks, because of my cough and icky feeling. And I ate a lot of sugar cookies this weekend. And a lot of Mexican food yesterday. And two cookies from the school cafeteria yesterday. And one today. Plus mac and cheese. My arms are looking fat for the first time in years. That's OK. I don't care too much. As long as my maternity jeans keep fitting.

I passed my glucose test, so I don't have pregnancy-induced diabetes. COOL! Click here to read full entry.

Celebrity Pregnancy Move

I'm cracking myself up at work. My students don't know I'm pregnant yet, and I figure I have at least 2-3 more weeks before it gets more obvious to them. But it's not them I'm worried about. It's their parents. For them, I've got a new move that I've learned from celebrities.
Whenever I see a mom volunteering in the library or main office, I shift whatever I am carrying in front of my stomach. Thursday I used a manila folder, and Tuesday at a parent meeting, my purse. One day, I wore a scarf long down my front. I'm sure they have not noticed a thing.

I'm not telling my students yet because... well, I don't want to break the illusion that they're stuck with me all year. There's a power in that. The classroom is based on the fact that they are under my control all year, and they know that. They know that they are my little captives. When I say read, they read. If I say close your eyes, they close their eyes. When I say do the hokey-pokey, they do it. But when they know I'll be leaving them in March, I'm afraid something will change, and my undisputed rule will be shaken somehow.

Also, it's just fun to have a secret, and go around with a large stomach, and pretend like it's not there. Click here to read full entry.

Monday: So Far, So Good! Maternity Jeans Rock

"Oh my god I'm so happy I don't know why it's because I'm pregnant!!!" - me to self while making my allotted 1.5 cups of coffee. I'm allowed two, but you know, I'm so good at moderation.

"Oh my god this has made my day. Yes, yes, YEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSS!" - me out loud sort of to self but also to husband after I found out Colin Powell endorsed Obama.

I'm already in a great mood and it's only 6:51 am. I hope this lasts. Also, I bought two more pairs of $ 120 maternity jeans. I'm wearing a pair today, and am really excited because I am going to look so good. We got a clean bill of health at the 5 month ultrasound so I am going to tell the rest of my co-workers today if my 15 pound weight gain has not made them suspicious. Baby is 11 oz. and like 10-11 inches tall.

If that sounds like a lot for jeans, YOU just try wearing pants that don't fit you. And sitting down in them. I tried on the $30 pairs, and I just cannot appear in public like that. I also tried on the $ 80 pairs. No luck. All I ever wear is jeans, so this investment makes sense. I was wearing my one pair of maternity jeans every other day, and one time, two days in a row, and that's just silly. After you've been wearing too tight pants, and you put on a pair that look good and don't squeeze your stomach... ain't no feeling like it. You just can't put a price on that. Click here to read full entry.

Choosing Baby Names

Me, last week: I found some great baby names.
C: Oh yeah, do you have any good ones?
Me: Yeah, but I’m not willing to share them yet and have my hopes dashed. I want to cling to my names a little longer.

I held onto the name I really liked for maybe 20 more minutes, then I said it, and it basically got dashed. After that little exchange, we spent an hour looking at baby name sites, and we now have a short list. C has a name that he likes a lot. We were discussing that name a couple days ago.

Me: That name is pretentious!
C: I'm a pretentious person! I think it fits! We've got to get away from all those Southern sounding names that you like.
Me: The South is pretentious in its own way. You're just not nuanced enough to appreciate it.

Rejected Names:
Merlin
Stone
Steel
Baby X
Alpha
Snake

Other rejected names:
Cosmo
King Arthur
Stewie
Barack
Hussein
Obama
Orion
Jupiter
Raiden (Japanese God of Thunder)
Rocket

C, just now, because I sent him another baby name site: "Evo. No, that's bad.
Cosmo. What's wrong with Cosmo?
Cosimo. Lucius. That sounds good.
Siris. Romulus. Now that's a name everyone likes.
Tiberius. Tiberius needs to be in the kid's name somewhere, just so you know. I like Tiberius. Tiberius, the name of an important Roman emperor. OK, so Tiberius it is.
Primus. Oh, there we go, Primus. Are you writing that down?

...You know, Cabbage Patch Kids come with a name, how come this one doesn't?" Click here to read full entry.

Fiiiiiiiiive Months Today!

Zippedee doo dah! Yeah! Five sounds like a lot! It's closer to 9 than 4!

We get the 20 week ultrasound tomorrow. I can't wait to see what somersaults and kickbox moves the baby has in store. The dude is a kicker for sure. It's fun to be teaching, or watching TV, and feel kicks, even though he is only ten inches tall. But today at work I felt a kick in a weird place.

I sat down for lunch, then all of a sudden, I felt a thump on my cervix, from the inside. OK, that was weird, just ignore it, maybe you just imagined it, because that was disturbing. Then it happened again.  "Whoa! Um, guys, can a baby kick you in the cervix?"
"Oh yeah," a few of my coworkers assured me. "It's only going to get worse."

Corey tells me he was hyper kid. Great.

Oh, and also, all of a sudden, yesterday, I started looking pregnant. I'm too lazy to take my picture though. Click here to read full entry.

Feel Me Up in the Right Spot

So, a couple friends have put their hands on my tummy. That's fine (I have it worked out in my head, though, that if a stranger tries, probably in a couple of months when I actually look pregnant, that I'll slap their hand- do you dare me? Do you so dare me?), but people keep putting their hand in the wrong place. They put it on my belly button, but the top of the uterus is not quite there yet (actually, today it is, but I wrote this last week). So, their hand is on my, like, intestines.
It's a little awkward that their hand is on my pretty much flat stomach (ok my stomach got a little less flat in the past few days), so I make it even more awkward- yet anatomically accurate- by moving their hand below my belly button, where the baby actually is. I can tell that makes them a little nervous, because they're not sure how far I'm pulling their hand down, but too bad. Then, I hold their hand there and make conversation about my favorite topic: me and my pregnancy.
Isn't that sort of funny, and sick of me?

Being pregnant is literally all I think about. I guess when I'm teaching I think about the kids, but I'm mostly thinking, I'm pregnant, and there's a boy in here, and you guys don't know it yet, and I am so ditching you in March. Click here to read full entry.

Ouch, Pregnancy, Ouch.

So, there's this thing called "round ligament pain" that pregnant people might get around 18-22 weeks. A ligament attached to your uterus stretches and irritates a nerve. Here's what books/websites say about it: As a result, you may notice some achiness in your lower abdomen or even an occasional brief, stabbing pain on one or both sides — especially when you shift position or at the end of an active day. The ligaments that support your uterus are stretching to accommodate its increasing weight. This is nothing to be alarmed about, but call your practitioner if the pain continues even when you're resting or becomes severe.
Well, what the websites and books don't say is that it can double you over in gasping pain that lasts a lot longer than a few seconds. This happened to me last Saturday night while in the NYC subway and last Sunday on and off through dinner. After dinner we called my doc because what I was feeling didn't match the descriptions of RLP. The pain lasted even when I was still and struck out of nowhere when I was sitting. I was worried it was contractions or that the placenta had separated. The doc said it was probably fine, but to come to the hospital to get checked out.

Everything looked good at the emergency room, and we even got to find out the baby's gender. It wasn't hard to miss on the ultrasound.

The doctors at the ER said it was probably round ligament pain. Fine, but why was it so bad? I told myself it hurt worse and longer because my stomach is tight so the uterus had to work really hard to stretch. Even though I feel dumb for going to the emergency room for something normal, I'm glad I did, because I also read that "The sharp, jabbing type of round ligament pain shouldn't last longer than the few seconds in which you're changing position or getting up. Don't hesitate to call your caregiver any time abdominal aches or pains continue after a short rest or are accompanied by:
• Severe pain or cramping, or more than four contractions in an hour (even if they don't hurt)"
I was sitting in the car on the way to the emergency room writhing in pain, so I think it's ok that I went.

I went to work Monday and had no problems. Moved around all day, no pain. Tuesday I stayed home because my voice was tired. I sat around all day, then out of nowhere, as I was sitting innocently on the couch, I felt my stomach start to cramp. "Oh no," I thought. Then the pain struck. "Ow, OW!" I shrieked, trying the "raise knees to make pain stop" technique I read about online. The pain came again. "Ow ow ow!" I moved to the floor and curled up (that helps normal stomach cramps) but it kept hurting. The pain was so bad I felt like I was going to throw up. Then, 20 seconds later, it stopped.

I gingerly got ready to leave for a meeting, got in the car and started driving... then the pain struck again! What the HELL? I was driving through spasms, panting and squirming in my seat. A few minutes later, it stopped. I felt one little twinge during my meeting, then nothing for the rest of the day. I called the doctor and made an appointment for the next day. At the appointment, she checked me out and assured me that, "Oh yes, the pain can be so bad that it can drop you to your knees."
Me: "Well then why don't the books tell you that?"

Since then, my stomach has felt a little crampy occasionally, and I felt a sharp pain or two that quickly went away. Nothing of note, except after the doctor I went to Target and it happened there. I scared the crap out of another shopper. I'm hoping that my body has gotten used to the pain and senses it less. Also, I think the ligament got a good stretch because my stomach finally grew a little bit this week. I still don't really look pregnant, which is A-OK with me. Click here to read full entry.

I'm Gonna Find Out the Gender, So Get Over It

I hear I'm supposed to get used to people saying annoying things to pregnant people.

Whenever I say I'm pregnant, people say, "Ooh, are you going to find out what it is?"
I say, "Yeah."
Then, 75% of the time, the person says, "Oh, but it's so much fun to wait!"

Dudes, I know it can be fun to wait. I was there when my sister's 3 kids were born, and each time the gender was a surprise. It was exciting when the 3rd one was a girl. I screamed at the top of my lungs.

I am therefore quite familiar with the concept, and the reality, of surprise gender, so people informing me it's a surprise is not news to me. I've taken that idea into consideration and have decided that it's more exciting for me to find out now.

I am sure people have good intentions and just want to let me know how exciting it was for them to be surprised, but it sounds like they're suggesting to me that I should wait.

I am the oldest sibling. I do not like being bossed around. Being a teacher for 10 years has also increased my resistance to being bossed around.

However, now, when people ask me if I'm going to find out the gender, I find myself saying, "Yeah, probably," even though I definitely am, because people seem so disappointed when I say yes.  I just don't feel like hearing another person say, "Oh, but it's so much fun to be surprised!"
I'm trying not to find people's comments too annoying, because I'm sure I am an extremely annoying person a lot of the time.

Sometimes when I say "Yes, I'm going to find out," people say, "Yeah, some people are like that, they need to know, you know, to get things organized."

That's not why I'm going to find out. I don't need to know. I'm not organized enough to do anything like paint a nursery or buy a bunch a stuff in pink or blue.  I just want to know. I don't have to know.  It's just that if I can know, I want to know.  I want to know what is inside me.  I don't feel the need to keep myself in the dark for the reason of future excitement.  I want excitement now, and I'm sure I'll be equally and even more excited to actaully have a living baby in my hands when the time comes.

If people don't want to know what my baby is, I won't tell them. Actually, a lady at work, after she said, "Ooh, are you going to find out what it is?" and I said, "Yeah," she said, "Don't tell me!"

I'm totally cool with that. If she wants to be surprised, I will be happy to keep the surprise for her. I like that she acknowledged that it was more about her wanting to be surprised. I personally don't give a crap about being surprised, and that's why I am gonna find out the baby's gender on October 16, if, in fact, there really is a living baby inside me, which I still find pretty unbelievable. Click here to read full entry.

Sonogram From Last Month

Here's little baby's 2nd sonogram from 5 weeks ago. We get to see him or her again in two weeks at the 20 week ultrasound. I'm pretty excited to see how he/she has changed.

If you've had a sonogram, you know that this picture is crap compared to the clarity of the video image screen. The tech lady was moving the sensor thingy really  hard against my stomach, and it was pissing the baby off.  It was punching her like it was kickboxing.  It was really cool.

It was shocking to see arms, legs, hands, feet, a nose, and a perfect profile, after only seeing a gummi-bear-like blob just a month earlier.   It's unreal to know it's moving around that much but that I can't feel it. (I attribute that to my rock-hard abs. No for real, I have pretty good abs.)

As far as gender, I'm thinking boy.  I don't know why.  Probably because my sister's first two were boys and I'm used to the idea. Maybe because I've had no sickness or moodiness, and those are two things I associate with girls, or at least the kind of girl I am! Whatever.  I am totally okay with boy or girl. Click here to read full entry.