Friday, March 29, 2013

Week 25


How Big is Baby: 

  • She measures between 13.6 inches to 14.8 inches and weighs between 1.5 to 2.5 pounds! She's definitely getting bigger! 
  • As she gains weight, her skin begins to become less wrinkled and she begins to look more, and more like a newborn. 
  • Also, her skin is finally gaining some color. 
  • Her hands are fully developed by this week, fingerprints and all! 
  • The structure of the spine is beginning to form (33 rings, 150 joints, and 1000 ligaments)
  • Her nervous system is rapidly developing, and she's enjoying her new sense of equilibrium, knowing which way is up and which is down. 
  • She's growing more hair too! 


Weight Gain: +9 pounds

Gender: Girl!

Name: Lenora (Nora) Quinn

Symptoms: Swollen feet and fingers and heartburn! Other than that, I've been feeling pretty good!

Sleep: I've been REALLY tired still! I've been sleeping well, but I always feel tired

Movement: She moves all the time. It amazes me that she sleeps 12 hours a day. Feels like she sleeps 2! She's been kicking pretty hard. She must be growing and gaining weight!

Food Cravings: None really!

Food Aversions: Everything makes me sick when I'm hungry

Rings On or Off?: On during the day, off when I go to sleep

What I'm Looking Forward To: The baby shower :)

What I Miss: Not getting winded after walking 20 feet

What I'm Loving: Everyone knowing I'm pregnant and her kicking like crazy!

Labor Signs: Nope, not even BH. Probably thanks to all of this dang water I've been drinking

Belly Button: In and I don't think it will pop out!

Next Drs Appointment: April 17th for the 28 week appointment and glucose test!

Best Moment of the Week: Our vacation! We stayed at the Dana Hotel and Spa in downtown Chicago in a corner suite with floor to ceiling windows instead of walls. We had a rainfall shower head in the shower and big fluffy robes :) We got 1 hour massages in the hotel, ate at the Rainforest Cafe and the Hard Rock Cafe, and went to the Adler Planetarium and the Art Institute. We stayed 3 nights and 4 days... and it was wonderful! Picture time!


Our view from bed
Big ole belly!

Bryan and I at the planetarium
First pregnant lady on the moon!

Rainforest Cafe

Bean!





Friday, March 22, 2013

24 Weeks

Week 24 is viability week! Big milestone!


How Big is Baby:
  • She ranges from 10.5-to-11.8-inches and she weighs between 12.7 to 20.8 ounces
  • Her see-through skin is gradually becoming more opaque.
  • And it's got a new pink glow, thanks to the small capillaries that have recently formed.
  • She will be gaining about 6 ounces of weight a week from now on!
  • Her lungs develop branches this week, and her inner ear is completely developed. In fact, she has basic control over all of her senses: hearing, touch, taste, smell, and vision!

Weight Gain: +9 pounds

Gender: Girl!

Name: Lenora (Nora) Quinn

Symptoms:
  • Still tired
  • Swollen hands and feet
  • Still sick every morning
  • A UTI! I told my doctor my bladder feels like it cramps up after I pee so she told me to give another sample.. a mild UTI. Good thing I had my appointment that day or I probably would have never thought about it until it got really bad! I'm on antibiotics and told to up my water intake
Sleep: I have been sleeping like a rock these past few nights, snoring and everything. I've been exhausted! I still have crazy, and sometimes terrifying dreams that keep me awake for a while. Chill out, preggo brain!

Movement: I feel her moving all the time now and I know when she's sleeping! Her kicks have been a lot stronger this week. She gets crazy around bedtime and Bryan gets to feel all of her crazy exercising.

Food Cravings:None this week really except... I could always eat Taco Bell

Food Aversions: Everything makes me sick when I'm hungry

Rings On or Off?: On during the day, off when I go to sleep

What I'm Looking Forward To: Our vacation to Chicago next week. I'm looking forward to taking lots of pictures for Nora's scrapbook and enjoying some time away with Bryan. I'm also pretty excited about my prenatal massage! I'm going to go get a pedicure today and maybe a haircut while I'm at it :)

What I Miss: Not drinking a gallon of water a day

What I'm Loving:Knowing Lenora is getting bigger because she is kicking harder! I also love this big belly ( except when I'm trying to tie my shoes, bend over to pick something up, etc). I'm also loving how excited Bryan gets when he feels her kick. He's going to be such a good daddy

Work Bathroom


Labor Signs: Nope, not even BH. Probably thanks to all of this dang water I've been drinking

Belly Button: In and I don't think it will pop out!

Next Drs Appointment: April 17th for the 28 week appointment and glucose test!

Best Moment of the Week: Seeing Ashley, Andrew, and Brody a couple times this week. He's getting so big and I'm missing it! I also really enjoyed bringing my parents along to see the house we've been looking at. We sign our papers Monday with the mortgage lady before we leave for our trip!


24 Weeks

24 Weeks

Thursday, March 21, 2013

24 Week Appointment

Well, ladies and gentlemen... I gained SEVEN pounds last month. Holy jeez oh man. I stepped on the scale and asked the nurse if I could see what I weighed before. I saw "+7" and I was like "Oh man... I'm in trouble." Doctor walks in and the first thing she said was... "Wow... did you know you gained seven pounds? That's a lot." Thank you, thank you, yes I know.

The first thing she asked was if I was drinking a gallon of water a day. Of course I'm not... it sounds do-able... until you feel like either you're drowning in water or you're going to puke if you take one more sip. Oh! And it's VERY hard to get anything done at work when I'm using the bathroom every 15 minutes. Bleh... I told her I was so hungry all day. She said, drink water when you're hungry. If you're still hungry, eat. She also called me out on eating badly. She said it's good to snack, but what am I snacking on? Veggies and fruit or chips?

Alright... so her lecture has inspired me to really try harder to eat healthier, maintain a healthy weight, and stay hydrated. I started keeping a food journal to track everything I eat. On the top I have a goal of "128oz water." Once I finish a bottle or a glass, I'll subtract the ounces from the 128. Hopefully this will keep me on track to at least drink MORE water than I was. I bought some MiO and some straws. They actually help a good deal. Here's to being healthier!

Nora's heartbeat yesterday was 136, which is low. I'm pretty sure she was sleeping though. While I was waiting in the office, I was sitting down and she usually kicks me pretty good because there's less space. She was quiet and calm. Sleepy little Nora :)

Also, she measured my fundal height... and then again.... and confirmed that I was just over 23 weeks, right? I agreed.. and she said "Well, you're measuring a little over 25 weeks.. which is normal..." And I just kept thinking "ANOTHER 2 weeks ahead? She's going to be SO BIG in July..." I feel like I wake up some days and just KNOW she grew overnight. Then Bryan will look at me and go, "Wow... did she get bigger?" It's not just me and my crazy imagination!

We only have 16 weeks or less left to go. Time is going by so quickly!

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

House Hunting in the 219

Well, we have been house hunting for a few weeks now and I was really starting to get frustrated with this lengthy drawn out process. We have been looking online at houses in Hobart near my parents with a limited budget...so the houses available to us are limited. Turns out, a lot of the three bedroom houses in our price range are Foreclosures which need A LOT of work, or get scooped up very quickly. We have been looking through houses like its our job! I've been writing down addresses, pros and cons with each, and sending them to Bryan so he can relay them to our realtor. The problem recently is that 1) The houses are selling very quickly and 2) A lot of the houses we're looking at don't accept FHA loans.

Thankfully we found a house a couple blocks from my parents house, in our price range, that we really like. We already looked through it once, but I always bring my dad through so he can tell me the ins and outs. He's a carpenter and knows all about the "normal", the "this is going to cost you a lot to fix", and the "No. You're going to be dealing with a lot more than you think". This house we like has a very small kitchen so I told my dad the idea I had to take out the back door and put up cabinets and an extra counter top. He was able to give me an estimate of how much my idea would cost and if my idea would even work!

Pros:

  • Three bedrooms (one is a master)
  • 2 bathrooms
  • Walls, trim, ceiling, and doors are in good shape
  • Windows are old, but do not need to be replaced immediately
  • Nice big 2 car garage with alleyway entrance
  • Fenced in yard
  • Bonus "Rec" room
  • Location
  • Ideal Elementary School
  • Big attic for storage
  • New furnace and water heater
Cons (or as I like to call.... "Expenses"):
  • Needs new carpets in bedrooms, living room
  • Kitchen needs lenolium
  • We want hardwood floors in the dining room and hallway
  • Needs an entire row of cabinets, counter top to make it functional for us
  • Small yard
  • RIGHT on top of neighbors (we could take down the chain link fence at some point and put up a wooden privacy fence if we wanted to)
  • Garage needs an apron
  • At the current time, the house next door is abandoned and has not yet been put up for sale as a foreclosure.... so it's an eyesight
  • No central A/C
Our realtor has given us a new contact for getting our mortgage since we weren't pleased with the lady who pre-approved us. She has been very prompt and helpful so far! I have all my documents printed today and ready for Bryan to fax in the morning. After she approves everything, hopefully we will get a more accurate approval price and we can make an offer on the house!

Our realtor checked last night and in the 6 weeks the house has been on the market, we are the only ones who have come back to see the house for a second time. They do not have anyone else who is interested at this time.... so fingers crossed... I hope they take our offer!

I'm so nervous... but I'm ready to have a home of our own! I want to nest and get Nora's room ready. Hopefully by next week, we will have a house! 

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Week 23


How Big is Baby:


  • Well, now they don't give us exact measurements, but a range. She should be between 10.5 to 11.8 inches and weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces
  • She's forming little nipples. 
  • Her face is fully formed now -- she just needs a little extra fat to fill it out. 
  • She's listening to my voice and my heartbeat -- and even to loud sounds like cars honking and dogs barking. I can tell she's listening! She likes it when Bella whines and barks, when Daddy talks, and when I sing!




Weight Gain: 2 pounds

Gender: Girl!

Name: Lenora (Nora) Quinn

Symptoms:
  • Still tired ALL the time
  • Cranky
  • Extreme hunger has slowed down!
  • Swollen feet and fingers
The lighting in the bathroom is weird today!

Sleep: I'm always tired, but I sleep like crap! I wake up a bunch to use the bathroom or because my arms fell asleep or anything else... then I can't fall back asleep!

Movement: She moves A LOT now! She likes music and her Daddy's voice

Food Cravings:None this week really

Food Aversions: Everything makes me sick when I'm hungry

Rings On or Off?: On during the day, off when I go to sleep

What I'm Looking Forward To: Spring Break! We're staying in Chicago for a few days to explore the museums, take some pictures, and stay in a fancy hotel! One more week!

What I Miss: Sleeping comfortably through the night

What I'm Loving: This big ole belly and feeling her kick all the time!

Labor Signs: No and thank goodness!

Belly Button: In and I don't think it will pop out!

Next Drs Appointment: March 20th at 24 Weeks

Best Moment of the Week: Bringing Bella home with us so she could spend the weekend with me!
Watching me eat!

Saturday, March 9, 2013

Week 22


How Big is Baby:

  • Nora is between 10.5 to 11.8 inches and weighs about 12.7 to 20.8 ounces
  • Her pancreas, a key player in hormone production, is developing steadily
  • She is going to start getting chubby!





Weight Gain: 2 pounds

Gender: Girl!

Name: Lenora (Nora) Quinn: I got a compliment the other day that "Lenora" was beautiful and very feminine! Makes me happy when I hear that because some of my family aren't a fan of her full name.

Symptoms:

  • EXHAUSTED. I tend to fall asleep mid-sentence. Last night I fell asleep mid-sentence, without putting lotion on, with my contacts in, without taking my prenatals, and my towel from my shower on the floor next to the bed. 
  • Out of breath. Just getting in bed sometimes will make me pant. The other night I was sleeping on my back, and I assume I couldn't breathe because I snored so loud it woke me up! Good lord.
  • Swelling. I've been swelling a little this week. There are indentions where my ring is and my feet swell after I've been on them all day
  • Hormones. Yup... still a crazy lady sometimes.


Sleep: We joke that I don't sleep, I slip into a coma. I sleep HARD.

Movement: I can tell that she has grown this week because I have been feeling her a lot more these past few days. I love it! It's funny because I miss feeling her when she sleeps in the morning. She tends to sleep until lunch or so.

Food Cravings:Taco Bell. She DEMANDED I get TB one day (where I ate WAY too much) and then she  kicked me while doing a happy dance! Cheese is always amazing, but gotta watch it!

Food Aversions: Everything makes me sick when I'm hungry

Rings On or Off?: On during the day, off when I go to sleep

What I'm Looking Forward To: The baby shower :) That means I'll be in my 3rd trimester, I get to see all my friends and family, I'll be able to finally get the nursery together, and I'll be preparing for my last week at school!

What I Miss: Having more than 5 shirts to wear to work, not feeling RLP when I roll over, and eating in the morning!

What I'm Loving: This big ole belly and feeling her kick!

Big belly and big ole boobs! Woah!


Labor Signs: No and thank goodness!

Belly Button: In and I don't think it will pop out!

Next Drs Appointment: March 20th at 24 Weeks

Best Moment of the Week: Spending a snow day with Bryan :) We had a lot of fun!

Monday, March 4, 2013

21 Weeks


How Big is Baby:

  • Nora is now 10.5 inches and weighs about 12.2 ounces. As her digestive system preps for the outside world, she's manufacturing meconium -- the tarry black substance you'll find in her first dirty diaper (ew)!
  • She's already got a lifetime's supply of eggs in her womb -- about six million of them!
  • The hair on her scalp is more visible, and she has probably developed eyelashes and eyebrows!
  • She is waking and sleeping in regular intervals
  • She is also swallowing amniotic fluid to help her digestive system mature for life in the "outside world." 
  • Her intestines also start slowly relaxing and contracting this week.




Weight Gain: 2 pounds

Gender: Little Miss Nora

Name: Lenora (Nora) Quinn

Symptoms: I'm not sure who these women are that get this burst of energy during their second trimester, but I am not one of them. I am so tired all the time. I've also been very emotional! I get a little crazy at times.

Sleep: I have been SO TIRED this week. I am thankful when I can dive home and lay down. I could sleep for 20 hours a day if I didn't have to go to work!

Movement: She is such a wiggle worm, especially at night. The other night I was getting some dull pain near my belly button (like a bruised feeling), I look down, and my belly is all lopsided! She was laying right where all of the pressure was. Bryan came up from behind me and could see her resting on my right side. Weird! No big kicks or hiccups yet, but I definitely feel her wiggling

Food Cravings: None this week really. I've been getting so hungry that NOTHING sounds good

Food Aversions: Everything makes me sick when I'm hungry

Rings On or Off?: On during the day, off when I go to sleep

What I'm Looking Forward To: School to be out so I can sleep all day and lounge in the pool!

What I Miss: Having more than 5 shirts to wear to work!

What I'm Loving: Bryan's reaction to this pregnancy. He talks to Nora and kisses my belly. He will look good with his daughter in his arms!

Labor Signs: No and thank goodness!

Belly Button: In

Next Drs Appointment: March 20th at 24 Weeks

Best Moment of the Week: Finishing up our swaddle collection! We now have about 10 of them... which would have cost us $100+ at BRU, but we finished our collection for about $25! Now we won't have to put any on our registry!

21 Weeks

Friday, March 1, 2013

Everyday Stressors!

Well, from what Bryan was researching from the internet... we seem to think I had a bout with the Norovirus last weekend. We went out, ate spaghetti, and I fell asleep with no issues. I woke up less than two hours later with EXTREME cramping and nausea. I was trembling and kind of scared! I walked around for 10 minutes or so... and then laid back down. The room was spinning and in a rush of panic I ran to the bathroom and puked my guts out. It wasn't a "morning sickness" or a "hangover" barf.... it was like "Oh my goodness just let me die on the bathroom floor" kind of throwing up. I went back to sleep and woke up with a headache (I'm assuming from the dehydration). Then I felt fine the rest of the day! Last night Bryan woke up in a panic and said he was going to throw up. I don't know if he caught the virus one week later or what... but he was miserable all night. I felt so bad because I was so exhausted I didn't get up to help.

This morning there was some snow on the ground, but we've been driving in it for the past few months now. My car isn't too bad in the snow and the roads were pretty clear! Northbound I-65 had two crashed semis that crashed into the median. They were all torn up and it stopped traffic! Then Eastbound Rt. 30 seemed fine! I passed a snow plow who was putting out salt (for once!) Westbound there were multiple accidents all within 100 yards of each other. There were cars that flipped into the ditch, the road was closed off, and there were ambulances taking people out on stretchers! In that second my car hit black ice and I slid fast and without any of my control. I slid about 2 inches from a deep ditch on the side of the road before I caught some sort of traction and whipped over into the other lane.

I was so so so so scared. My heart was racing, I started shaking, and I felt my belly cramp up. After the road was more clear and I was driving 35 in a 55 in the slow right lane, I called Bryan. I started crying and just had to tell him because I was so scared. It's funny because now that I'm pregnant, I don't put myself first anymore. My first thought as my car was about to slide off the road and flip, I thought "Is my seatbelt on correctly on my legs and not my belly?", "Nora is going to be okay", and then my last thought was "All of our savings for the house will be gone if I crash this car". It's interesting how "Mom thoughts" come before all other thoughts in the time of danger.

We're okay. I was just shaken up and scared. I think I freaked Bryan out, but I just needed to freak out for a second in order to feel better. I texted him once I go to work to lighten up the mood and told him about my newest strange dream. I had chest hair like 4 feet long. I cut it off and it was like beautiful blonde Barbie hair so we brushed it. HAHAHA... good lord, Nora! What are you doing to me?

We are currently house hunting. We've only looked through one house but it was a bust. The house was perfect except a bowed basement wall (scary foundation issues). We are currently in the process of making an appointment to look at a (scary looking) foreclosure for $21K. From what I can see from the pictures, it doesn't look too bad! It is a 4 bedroom 2 bathroom house with a two car garage. All the flooring have been ripped out, some of the cabinets are missing, and no appliances. With a bigger loan, my dad could make it our dream home with the perfect cabinets, the perfect flooring, and with Bryan's discount, the perfect appliances. From the pictures, the windows and siding look pretty new and as long as the roof and foundation are fine (and there's no mold) we will be golden. It needs a new water heater and central air... but it would be easy for my family to do! My dad is really excited about looking at it with us. It would be wonderful to only take out $60K on a mortgage for a perfect forever home. Our payments would be so low. I'm trying not to get too excited about it until we go look at it, but I just want out of our apartment so badly!

I think it's just hormones, but I want to write "DOUCHEBAG" with my finger in the snow on this guy's windshield in my apartment complex parking lot. This guy has his sportscar parked in the front parking spot in front of the apartment complex... okay... not a crime, right? The thing is, he's been parked there for abut two months now AND HAS NEVER DRIVEN HIS CAR in that time. You can tell because there are NO tire marks behind his car in the snow. It just sits there! It makes me crazy because there is snow buildup between the cars that people have to walk through to get to the other side of the parking lot. It gets packed down and turns to ice! Now you have a guy with a sportscar parked in the front spot of the parking lot that doesn't move while a lady who is 5 months pregnant (that's me!) has to walk across the parking lot through the ice and snow to get to her car (and almost falls everyday!) There are also at least 2 other families in my building with babies/small children who have to carry their children out to the car through the icy parking lot. Use your freaking brain and MOVE YOUR CAR IF YOU'RE NOT DRIVING IT. It makes me crazy! Every time I slip and almost eat pavement I feel like throwing my coffee cup through their windshield. Good lord it makes me so angry!

I've been hormonal lately. I can't tell if it's just the baby or the weather... or both... but I just want spring to be here already. I'm tired of the cold and the darkness... bring on the warm weather and the sunshine. I've also been exhausted. I feel like an overtired toddler at times because I get so cranky! Yesterday I told Bryan I didn't even want dinner... I just wanted to come home and sleep. It's the kind of exhaustion you feel in your muscles and gives you a dull headache. I sleep 8-10 hours a night and it doesn't matter. I'm a zombie by noon. Whoever has this "Second Trimester Energy Spike" should be nice and send a little my way. I'm just a tired, cranky, mama.

I think we're cancelling our Spring Break trip to Disney World. After looking at houses, we just want a home so badly. It seems crazy to spend the money when we need it for a house. We might just spend a few nights in Chicago instead and make our Babymoon a whole lot cheaper. It's only 30 min away and we've always talked about going to the museums and hanging out downtown... but we never have the time. I think we're just going to get a hotel close to Michigan Ave. and spend a day taking pictures, going out to eat, walking around, and a couple days going to the Art Museum and maybe somewhere else.

Saving the money makes me feel a lot better because now that Bryan's debt is paid off, we're working on mine now. I have one credit card that is making me feel so depressed. The interest rate is so high that $56 of every $100 I pay every month gets taken as interest... so I'm never paying it off. I almost cried yesterday as I  sucked it up and put a huge chunk of money on it from my savings account. I know it had to be done, and we plan on having it completely paid in full by the end of next month. I pay almost $1k a month in student loans (Yeah... cue jaw drop here) so I have been working on building my savings account to cover 3 months of me not working after Nora is born. They say money can't buy happiness.... but man, it really does help!

Every time someone asks "What would you do if you won the lottery?" I answer, "Pay off my student loans" before saying "Buy a new house, save for my children, travel around the world" etc. They're like this big grey cloud that follow me. I graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology with a mound of debt attached. I didn't go to school for business, or management, or nursing.. I went in because psychology facinates me. The only problem is the average psych job pays around $20,000. The last job I was in, I was in a residential facility with teenage boys with mental illness. I ran therapy groups sometimes, monitored them, charted on them, and had to constantly be on my toes to prevent physical fights. It was a HARD job... I came home crying some nights and I went back into work anxious and feeling like I was going to throw up. They only paid $11/hour. For all of the mental and physical work I put in, I got about $1400 a month. Paying rent alone with my student loans was impossible. I went to school for 4 years and graduated with a high B average to have a job that I can't live on. It's hard, and it sucks... but this will be my life for the next 13 years until they are paid off!

Alright... I guess that's enough venting for one day. It's just already been a rough day with Bryan being sick, me having AWFUL morning sickness before work, and then sliding off the road... I'm just ready to call it a day and go home. I feel like my belly is tight from stress. Poor Nora has an anxious, stressed out mom... and I'm trying my best to relax and stop thinking so much. But for those of you who have anxiety know you can't "just relax". It's much harder and it's sometimes impossible. The racing thoughts, the compulsive actions, the repetitive thoughts about the past or what "might" happen in the future, or the overwhelming sense of dread are always there. Sometimes it's just easier to push them away than other days. Poor Bryan has gotten an earful about cleaning the apartment because when I stress, the apartment HAS to be clean. The other night before bed I went on a cleaning rampage scrubbing the bathroom down so I could sleep. I need to just let things be!

 I'm in for a long weekend and I'm going to just push through it and know that I'll be a better, wiser person in the end.