Elbowing?

Last night, relaxing after a full day, I was enjoying the daily wiggles in my belly when I realized my belly had an odd shape - like something was trying to poke out - I gently pushed the protrusion and it was hard! I knew she was giving me an elbow or pushing with her foot and it kind of freaked me out! I called for Tim to check it out and we “WHOA-ed” out once again : )

21 Week Ultrasound

From our 21 Week anatomy scan!

My favorite is her leg - it’s so defined! It’s all ready to run a 5K : )

The first scan is her under-carriage! Somehow those three dots in a triangle mean GIRL - as conveniently typed next to her Hoo-Ha.

Bits and Bobs

25 Weeks

Had our 25 Week appointment yesterday - all’s good in the hood. The Boot’s heartbeat is where it needs to be and I was measured for the first time with a tape measure from my pubic[?] area to somewhere above my navel. I was laying down - not sure! I didn’t know that measurement in centimeters equals the weeks your pregnant - so I was right on - 25 centimeter belly! Also very content with my weight gain - I know there’s more to go, but I’m savoring the number for now!

BGK [Baby Girl Kron] has been a busy girl in there - lots of moving and shifting and bumpin’ - Tim and I had fun watching my belly move the other night - what a nutty sight!

I was also vainly admiring my new round booty earlier this week - some of us Battys were not blessed with a backside [or a frontside for that matter] so while sporting my cute maternity skinny cargos on Monday at work, I thought, “Finally I have a butt!”

Baby’s Second Concert

23 Weeks

Baby Girl Kron has now been to two My Morning Jacket concerts in utero. I think this show she could actually hear the music, got a few kicks here and there. I’m glad I can still really have a great time at my concerts even though I can’t enjoy a frosty one : )

I should try to play their music a little more and see how she responds once she’s out in the world. I know some friends whose daughters respond to music they listened to while pregnant with them!

Nursery Progress

23 Weeks

We assembled the crib Sunday - wasn’t bad at all - better than most IKEA pieces if you ask us. Our painted dresser/now changing station is situated and well as the lamp table, glider and extra bookshelf.

We bought some curtains at IKEA Sunday that were neutral with some subtle hits of brown, grey and blue. Got it home and decided it’s way too monochrome with the rest of the room - I’m thinking if I can’t find a patterned curtain I like [no, I can’t sew and don’t own a sewing machine], I’ll just go with a bolder color, like a dark orange - POP!

Strolling Along...

23 Weeks

Nothing too much to report - lots of movement action - it was fun to see my belly move last night while I read i bed - she’s got some force!

We got the crib delivered, of course I’m very antsy to set it up but after work I’d rather just crash and our weekend is pretty booked, so it looks like Sunday should be assembly day! Woo! I feel like once that’s put together I can focus on what else needs to accommodate to fill out the nursery; extra storage, fabric choices, etc.

Stumbled over some fun girl inspiration today:

What’s a Sheet Saver??

Yesterday was overwhelming - after some nudging from folks, we went over to Buy Buy Baby in Mason and started up the registry.

I had printed out lists from their website as well as The Bump and Baby Center... needless to say, for first-time parents it’s overwhelming. I knew we’ll have to buy a lot, but wow. Some of it was fun, some of it was frustrating. Mainly frustrating were all the feeding needs; the breast pump equipment/accessories, bottles, nipples, etc. I didn’t even get anywhere with that because I feel I need to research a little more on what type of bottles I want and all the Medela accessories I need for the pump I bought.

I think we’re not buying half the things suggested - we don’t need a diaper pail; our home is so small, it’s not a big deal to walk it out the to garage. I’ve read enough to learn a wipes warmer is a waste. I’m not registering for most clothes - those will either be gifts or thrift store finds. And do you really need a hairbrush for those wisps of hair?

We went directly from 2 1/2 hours at Buy Buy Baby to St. John’s Festival in West Chester with William & Emma. It wasn’t awfully hot, I drank plenty of water. We entertained ourselves with a little gambling, silent auction viewing/laughing and some festival food eating. We high-tailed it out of there as some dark clouds approached - just in time.

We got home and I felt ‘off’ - I’d been on my feet for 5 hours and my brain would not shut off with all the registry items. I even dreamt about the registry! I put my feet up, ate a veggie sandwich and downed more water, just tried to relax my mind.

Seeing all the baby items yesterday made the reality sink in a little more and I think I was having some anxiety over the responsibility growing inside me!

Hypnobirthing

That’s what I signed up for! My approach in life is to read and be informed about the choices I make and the effects they have on my body; food, cleaning products, fabrics, etc. So of course after much reading and talking and watching I knew I wanted to approach this birth as natural as I can - I want to go as far as I can without drugs, but not be down on myself if I can’t quite make it.

It was a toss-up between Bradley Method and Hypnobirthing and I tried doing research against both - Bradley uses the father as a primary coach while Hypnobirthing teaches you to kind of take the reigns yourself [of course the father is still there as a cheerleader]. And no, it’s not hte “you're getting sleepy” type of hypnosis, just a deep relaxation. Each works for different women, so it’s really a personal choice. I decided to go with the Hypno - I’ve read great things and want to give it a shot.

My doctors/midwives have responded with “Whatever you want to do!” and Bethesda North looks equipped to let me have an active labor instead of just lying back on a bed waiting.

A coworker compared her natural birth to a marathon - just prepare yourself - and I felt I could mentally get myself through multiple miles while running, so hopefully I can apply the same mental preparedness to giving birth!

Fingers crossed!

Bump Photo

21 Weeks

For those who haven’t had the chance to see me in person lately!