Big belly

By kate on September 23rd, 2005

I hesitate to post this, but for those of you who are far away and curious, here’s a picture of me from last weekend.

I’m planning to post a better (clearer as well as more flattering) picture soon, so catch this one while you can.

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A new lease on life

By kate on September 23rd, 2005

For the past couple of months, clothing has been a real struggle. Not many of my existing clothes fit, and deciding what to wear everyday became hard and time-consuming. I’ve been wearing a lot of skirts because the fit is simpler and they’re more comfortable. I like to wear skirts sometimes, but I’m just not a “skirt person” who would wear them all the time.

Yesterday, my whole wardrobe was renewed with the purchase of several items at the Old Navy maternity sale (25% off everything regular price, and many further reduced items). I luckily found out about it yesterday, only three days before the end. I went right to their big downtown store and tried on a ton of things. From those, I got two pairs of pants, some shirts, a skirt (yes, one more), undies, and a jacket. Everything was on sale, so I got it all for a song.

Today I’m wearing my favorite item, a pair of jeans. I can wear jeans again! This makes me so happy. I’m just mentally comfortable in them as well as physically comfortable. They’re somewhat low-rise, but still have a thick elastic band at the top instead of the usual button/zipper. They just sit right on me, and don’t give me a baggy butt like so many other maternity pants. There’s enough stretch in the front that I’ll be able to wear them for a long time. I’m forseeing a heavy reliance on these jeans.

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Gender Guessing

By kate on September 23rd, 2005

I was just having small talk with a guy in my office (whose second child was just born). He asked if we were going to find out the gender of ours, and I said yes. He said, “I’m betting it’s a girl. I just have that vibe.”

I’m so mystified by these people (he wasn’t the first, by far) who profess to have such strong intuitions about other people’s children. On one hand, it’s kind of presumptuous, and also how would they know? On the other hand, almost everyone has been saying we’re having a girl. (For the record, I haven’t had any inklings of my own, and would be pleased with either.)

Next week, I’ll have the opportunity to empirically prove the pundits right or wrong. Our ultrasound has been scheduled! It’s next Wednesday at lunchtime. Hopefully, after that we’ll know whether Zippy is a “him” or a “her”.

I’m very excited about this, maybe unreasonably, since gender isn’t terribly important, especially at this point. I guess to me it’s an important milestone that marks the beginning of Zippy being an actual person instead of an idea. The ultrasound will also provide an all-important visual look at Zippy, and also make sure (knock on wood) that there aren’t TWO Zippys swimming around in there!

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A lot to celebrate

By kate on September 15th, 2005

Yesterday was my 31st birthday (making me “thirty-ONEderful” according to one of the Aerialistas). I had a nice dinner out with 20 friends, which was a lot of fun. I felt very loved. And, on top of that, I have Zippy on the way. A good birthday overall.

I’m going away for a long weekend this weekend with my mom. We’re going to a spa in Arizona to celebrate our birthdays, and I’m really looking forward to it. I hope to stuff myself with relaxation.

I’ve had a rough couple of afternoons this week. After lunchtime, I’ve been feeling kind of yucky. Not nauseous, really, but more like I have some kind of intestinal distress and/or a slight fever. It goes away by dinner time, usually. I’ve also been having a lot of headaches again.

So, I’m particularly looking forward to a little pampering, rest, and massage this weekend to get me back in better shape.

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Midwife Appointment

By kate on September 12th, 2005

We had our first real midwife appointment today, and at the same time met the other midwife in the practice. We liked her just as much as the first one, so we’re happy with our decision. If you’re interested, we’ve chosen Expecting the Best Midwifery. Also, we’re planning to have the baby at the Community Birth & Family Center in Montlake.

The appointment consisted mostly of getting our medical histories. Toward the end, she did a quick pelvic exam to make sure the uterus was about the right size and in the right place (it was). At the end of my 15th week, the uterus is about the size of a cantaloupe! We also got the chance to hear Zippy’s heartbeat again. This time, it was picked up right away, being louder and no longer hidden behind my pubic bone. Steve and Michelle (the midwife) counted a pulse of about 170 while I laid there listening and thinking how very much it sounded like a galloping horse.

I also had a routine blood draw (mostly to test for my iron level, as well as a few other things) and gave a urine sample. She referred us to a place that does ultrasounds, so we’ll be able to get one in about 3 weeks (the earliest that you can reliably find out the gender). We’re both very excited about Zippy becoming a “him” or a “her”.

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Klutz

By kate on September 8th, 2005

The pregnancy continues to progress. Here are some notable developments lately:

I’ve become clumsy. I guess this is a magnification of the usual PMS/hormone-related reduction of spatial capabilities (aka hand/eye coordination). It’s annoying to keep dropping things, and to know this may not go away for months to come. So, don’t let me use any of your good china!
I had another growth spurt over the long weekend, as I moved into my 14th week, 4th month, and 2nd trimester. Suddenly I really do look pregnant, and my belly is now sticking out further than my (larger than usual) chest. It’s nice to look pregnant instead of just heavy, and I’m finding myself walking around with extraordinarily good posture, making my tummy stick out. I’ll try to get a picture taken and posted so those of you reading from afar can see what I look like these days.
Despite the growing belly, I’ve unexpectedly had a really good clothes week (the past three days anyway). In the past month, I’ve gotten some new skirts with either elastic or wrap-around waists, and those are the most comfortable thing to wear. I finally found a happy confluence of new skirts, long-enough tops, and new knee socks. Having pretty new outfits reinforces the back-to-school feeling that comes around at this time of year. It’s illusory, though, especially as the weather cools. I have only one pair of comfortable pants suitable for work: my overalls. I bought a pair of track pants so I’d have something less schlumpy to wear around the house, but other than that, I’m out of luck when the temperature drops. I think it really will be time to go maternity shopping/begging soon.
My motivation to do things has been dropping, even though my energy level isn’t rock-bottom. I just haven’t really felt like going out much, or doing much with friends, etc. Instead we’ve been spending quiet restful nights at home and going to bed early. I feel like I should be putting more effort towards my friendships than I currently am, but hopefully everyone understands.
Soccer is over for me, for now. In the last game of our season (a week ago), I took a ball to the side, which was too close for comfort. At the time, my uterus was still mostly hidden below my pubic bone, but it’s been moving up and I don’t want to take the risk anymore. It’s a shame, though, because aside from the risk of abdominal trauma, soccer has been a very enjoyable form of exercise. I’m trying to figure out what to do for exercise now. I run once a week, and now aerial practice has been extended to three times a week. I think I need to find one other day’s worth of aerobic exercise.
At aerial practice, I mostly end up doing conditioning and climbing (but not very many tricks). I hate to see my aerial skills slipping away; it’s frustrating and embarassing to get winded climbing the tissue. I’m dreading the many months of near-downtime to come, and the work it’ll take to get back in top shape. Luckily, the Aerialistas are incredibly supportive. They’re excited about my pregnancy and about welcoming the littlest Aerialista (or Aerialisto?) into the world. They tell me that they’ll create a part for me in our big Winterfest show at Seattle Center around Christmas. (Maybe I’ll be the Sun, or some kind of Earth Mother…) In the meantime, I’m trying to keep my muscles in shape and contribute to the group in non-physical ways.
Steve and I finally found a midwife we like a lot. I’ll post more details about her practice later, but our first real pre-natal appointment is next Monday. I can’t wait. It feels like it’s taken too long to “get started”, although in reality we haven’t missed anything. At the first appointment, she’ll do things like a thorough physical exam, family history, and blood tests for things like iron and sugar levels.
We haven’t yet bought anything for the baby. Is this weird? I think a lot of expecting parents rush out and buy nursery things right away. For some reason, I don’t feel motivated to do that, or even buy small things like clothes or toys. When I walk through a baby department at the store, I get a kind of overwhelmed feeling. I feel like the rest of my life (or what’ll feel like it) will be filled with these things, so why start right now? There are so many decisions to be made, plus Steve and I are hoping to resist the “need” to buy one of everything. We’d like to keep things as simple as possible.