The belly is growing!

Here are week 25 photos of the belly. It seems to be getting bigger every day!


I think fatigue is starting to come back again. I am more tired again and more irritable. I am hoping Cruella from Trimester 1 does not revisit the world. That would sure be a shame for everyone around me! I went for appointment #3 of the week for my glucose tolerance test. Drinking that nasty crap was not the highlight of my Friday, nor was fasting beforehand. On my drive home, I was soooo starving so I had to indulge on a little McDonald's action. Fasting while pregnant should fall under the category of "cruel and unusual punishment." No wonder I was so grouchy at work today!

Baby Feet

I am rather obsessed with baby feet already, so I was very thrilled to get cute photos of Emma's feet at the ultrasound on Monday.

Here is one of her strong kicking feet, showing her tiny toes!


Here is both feet kicking me and trying to kick the ultrasound wand off of my belly.


And here is a profile shot of her face. She has one leg up by her chin/mouth and the spot above her forehead is her hand. She kept trying to cover her face! =)

Emma is not down with bedtime...

Week 25 symptom...my first true sleepless night. No matter what side I lie on, Emma is basically jumping on the mattress. Don't get me wrong...I love feeling all of her movements, but today I am pretty tired. I returned to class at SDSU last night and after 6 hours of learning after a long day at work, I was hoping to turn in early and have a peaceful night of sleep. Oh well. Now that I know what to expect for all of my classes, Larry and I will be signing up for some fun-filled baby classes soon that will work around my schedule. I have a final for one class scheduled on May 19th (yup, I'm still due on May 15th). Sounds like the professor will be flexible and allow me to take it early. I am bound and determine to graduate this semester, even if I am finishing projects on the way to the hospital!!

Update on this week's appointments...everything is looking spectacular. Emma is indeed still a girl, no doubt about it! She was very busy again during the ultrasound on Monday. She was engaged in her usual Tae Bo action and kicked the ultrasound wand every time the tech pressed down. Yup, that's my girl. She weighs in at a whopping 1 lb. 10 oz. (more or less) right now. She should be gaining 4-6 ounces per week in the coming weeks! I will post her super cute baby feet pics when I decided I'm not too lazy to do it!

My appointment today went well. Her heart is beautiful and strong and they were able to get the pics they needed from the ultrasound. I only gained 4 pounds this month. Woo hoo. That was even after devouring a delicious burrito right before my appointment. =) Doc says everything looks great and is on track just like it should be. I have to go in later this week to do my one hour glucose test for gestational diabetes and get some bloodwork done to see if I have built up any antibodies to her blood (this goes back to the whole Rh factor business I mentioned from my last appointment). Three doctors appointments in one week is a new record for me. I will wait patiently for my award. =) My hips hurt a bit more, as do my ribs and feet, but the aches and pains are still of such mild intensity that I feel like a whiner for even mentioning it.

I checked out a very promising day care on Monday (especially promising since my work covers 40% at this location!). We get priority on the wait list due to where I work. It made me sad to see these tiny babies being taken care of by someone that was not their mommy, but I know this is a reality that I have to cope with. At least Emma will be close to 3 months old before I have to drop her off. It is hard to think of giving your child to someone else to take care of before you even get a chance to meet her!

Well, she is still kicking rather actively as I type and lying awake in bed for nearly two hours has made me very aware of the fact that I'm hungry...again. Maybe if I feed this monkey she will go to sleep! Too bad a banana just does not sound so appetizing right now.

Headphones on the belly

Larry started putting headphones on my belly last week since he wants Emma to be exposed to music from a young age. Rock and roll made her kick. Rap made her be still as could be. The books I've read say babies are able to "hear" the music when you put headphones on your belly. I look a bit weird, but fortunately the headphones were Larry's old DJ headphones. If they stretched over his noggin', they can surely stretch over my belly! =) Time for another poll....what should Emma be listening to?

"Smart Girl's" New Outfit

One of my students proudly presented me with a gift bag the other day and said, "This is for Smart Girl." His mom told me she was sending in a few outfits but one of them my student had picked out himself. This is from my six-year old with autism, who was convinced that Emma was going to be a boy but now affectionately calls her "smart girl". He told me he picked this outfit so "smart girl can be a raccoon!" He was so happy to have me open it. Emma is ready for her first trip to Russia! =)


Tomorrow I will be visiting a potential daycare for Emma. It is scary to think of finding people to take care of her before I have even met her. After that, I have her follow up ultrasound appointment. I hope she is cooperative and turns outward so the tech can get a good picture of her heart! While they are down there, I am hoping they can check just to make sure she is still a girl! =) I am not going to buy lavender paint for her nursery until I am sure that she is a she! I really think that her umbilical cord is going to be in knots because she is a VERY active baby all the time. I'm glad she is constantly letting me know that she is there! Then my 6 month checkup will be on Wednesday. Only 16 more weeks til baby time!

Heartburn has really been a bitch lately. I have to pop Tums after nearly every meal. The newest thing that I am NOT a big fan of is rib pain. I know they are spreading as Emma is starting to occupy more of my abdominal space, but man, they are so sore! I feel like they just need to pop. Ugh. The things my body is going through for this baby. Hopefully they are just expanding and I won't have to replicate some of the broken/dislocated rib stories I have heard. I will fill you in after my appointments.

A milestone

Today, ladies and gentleman, I was called a "pregnant lady" in public for the first time. Although I am approaching the 6 month mark, I still get those questionable glances of "is she just chubby?" After a whirlwind tour around town to find bulletin board letters that match the ones I already have, I gave up on touring teacher stores and headed over to Starbucks with the gift card I won in the diaper raffle at Kelly's shower this weekend! =) As much as I heart my vanilla lattes, I ordered a decaf one. When the girl behind the counter called out my order to the barista, she said, "I need a decaf vanilla latte. Make sure it's decaf. It's for a pregnant lady." I guess this means that I can start snagging the "expectant mother" parking soon!

Shopping in Week 23

I had an IEP meeting at work on Friday and the goal is for us to dress a bit nicer than our everyday work shirts. I spent 45 minutes trying on nearly EVERYTHING I own on Thursday night. I could tell that Larry was trying to contain his laughter with some of the shirts because I looked like a sausage. =) The flowy, empire-waisted shirts were "in" before I was pregnant so I thought I'd be okay busting out the ones I had already. Well.....xtra-small/small does not look becoming on a pregnant woman who's boobs have grown two cup sizes. Pleats were being pulled all over the place. It was NOT pretty! Fortunately my mom had sent me some of her shirts of this style. Some of them my boobs cannot quite fill out yet, but I was saved to find a few (e.g. TWO) shirts that Larry thought looked cute. They looked cute but I certainly looked preggo in my opinion! I have had enough of ribbed tank tops so I decided to go shopping after work yesterday. That was a bust. Everything was a big fat thumbs down. Motherhood Maternity came through for me today and I was able to get a few cute shirts and a couple pairs of pants so I should be good to go! I have some cute long-sleeved shirts that work but it has also been 80 degrees lately in SD so long-sleeved make me too hot right now. My friend Kelly had her baby shower today. I can't believe she's due next month already! Here's a pic of the two of us.




Our bellies are touching cuz our babies are making out in utero. ;)

And here they are, my week 23 belly photos. Only 17 more weeks to go!!!

"So, Mai-wee, I can see the baby tomowoah pwease. I asked nicewee!"

Fortunately I have a student who says the FUNNIEST things to me lately to make me forget about the terrible day I had at work on Monday. During a tantrum, one of my kiddos whacked me in the stomach, so long story short, I won't be working with him for awhile. Emma moved around quite a bit afterwards. I had this vision of her beating the boys up on the playground when she is older. Right after the whack, she seemed to be behaving like, "Hey, who did that? Put 'em up, put 'em up....I'll hit you back sucka!" It was difficult to go through, but I feel very fortunate to have the full support of my bosses who are in protective "auntie" mode and will ensure that Emma and I are safe while I am at work.

So today, one of my 10 year olds had the funniest things to say. Yesterday he was upset that he couldn't see the baby right away. After explaining to him that she wouldn't be coming until May, he continued to request to see her tomorrow. Yeah, clearly I was off my rocker thinking I could rationalize this whole baby process to a 10 year old boy with autism! He insisted that he needed to see her smiling. I told him, "She IS smiling cuz you have been such an awesome boy today!" This is one he proceeded to try to lift my shirt, demanding to see her. Clearly, not an available choice for him and then he says, "So, Mai-wee, I can see the baby tomowoah pwease. I asked nicewee!"(Pronouncing "l's" and "r's" clearly are not his forte!) I assured him that we would put on his calendar that she was coming in May.

He clearly thought about this last night and continued to ask me about it again today. He finally gave up, then lifted his shirt and stared at his own stomach. "Mai-wee, I don't have a baby in my tummy, wight?" "No, " I responded. The out came his priceless comment, which I couldn't help but begin laughing hysterically....."So, Mai-wee, would it be expensive for me to buy a baby at the stow fow my bewwy? It would be expensive, wight?" Soooo innocent in his questioning and trying to rationalize this whole baby thing. I decided to leave a message with his mom this afternoon. Her child, her conversation to have with him! =) Man, I love that kid!

Little Miss Emma has been super busy and I feel like I am getting bigger every day. I can now feel her kicks regularly. Her favorite times to dance are in the early evening and she seems to go for awhile before she settles down. I've been going to sleep okay, with my pillow fort surrounding me, but then she likes to start being active around 3 now. Guess she's getting me ready for what it will be like once she is here! =) I can feel her just above my belly button sometimes now, but usually she's down lower. Now that I'm expanding more upward, I have been experiencing more heartburn lately. Tums are now my new BFF.

We will probably do some nursery planning this weekend since my free weekends without homework or a master's project to work on are slowly coming to an end. =( I am looking forward to a three day weekend and am even more happy that tomorrow is Friday!

Week 22 and all the changes

This past week has brought on some new pregnancy symptoms. I'm still feeling fantastic and am really enjoying being pregnant right now. I've had a few hormonal outbursts the past week, but all in all, I've been happier than ever! =)

Symptom: waking up with numb arms every night. No matter how I manage to sleep, my arms are numb when I wake up. The uber-tingles are not so much fun. I guess it's better than my legs falling asleep so I don't fall when I get up to go to the bathroom.

Speaking of bathroom, I am back to trimester one symptom: constant trips to the bathroom. Since Emma is lying sideways, she uses my bladder like a waterbed/trampoline. I will feel like I have to pee gallons and will rush to the bathroom to find I only have a shot glass worth. Her increased weight and activity have definitely decreased the bladder capacity. Larry and I were out of the house for barely three hours today. This entailed two trips to the bathroom while at Costco, and one at Von's. I would have also gone at Blockbuster, but they didn't have a bathroom.

Symptom: Karate kicks. Emma's kicks are much more noticeable now and much more frequent. The other day I was sitting on the couch looking at my belly and you could SEE where she was kicking. They don't hurt at all, it's just funny to watch. With her kicks getting stronger, Larry FINALLY got to feel her kicks for the first time. I'm not sure if he thought it was as cool as I did, but I've been dying for him to experience her movements. Emma decided to finally stop being stubborn and say hello to dad. =)

Symptom: Braxton Hicks contractions. While totally painless, this sort of freaked me out at first! My stomach would mound into a giant hard ball and then within a minute or so, relax back to its regular self. At first I thought it was the baby pushing out, but apparently these type of contractions can begin in the second trimester. The tightness was a bit weird.

Symptom: Teenager skin...again. Ugh, I had been free of breakouts for awhile, but low and behold, back to looking like I'm 13. Not a big fan of this at all! One month shy of turning 30 is not the ideal time to start experiencing what it's like to be a "pizza face".

Symptom: Tears...rivers of tears. I went through some patches where I didn't cry as much, but man, I'm back at it again. I see newborns, I get all choked up. I was watching "Bringing Home Baby" on TV the other day and was bawling when this couple brought home their twin daughters. Little girls sure are cute! We have been trying to plan out Emma's nursery. Not being able to find that perfect nursery idea make me cry thinking I would have an un-ready room for her. Fortunately that has passed. We have decided to go with a Hawaiian theme which I think will be super cute. The colors will be black, white, and lavender. I'm sure Larry can hardly wait to paint! =p

Symptom: Growing belly. Well, this one is pretty obvious. I wouldn't expect Emma to get bigger and my belly to stay small. I still don't feel too humungous yet, but I think I finally look undeniably pregnant. Here are some updated photos. I know it's only been a week since I posted the last one, but I figured my parents would appreciate the treat of having some pics a week before expected! =) Some people have asked if I have started getting the line below my belly button (the "linea negra"). While it looks like I have, I have also had a scar there for the past 10 years from a surgery, so in my opinion it still looks the same to me. Oh, and one more symptom. In this week's "mirror" picture, my hand is on my waist to cover my new found enemy....back fat. Gross. Black sure is a forgiving color for those extra pounds!



My repeat ultrasound will be in a couple of weeks to get better views of Emma's heart. Then my monthly checkup will follow a few days later. Ugh all of this will fall in the same week that I have to return back to the dreaded SDSU.

Practice with a princess, pure procrastination and a protective pooty-tat

My dear friend Khalielah just sent me a photo of me and her daughter Mahalia from her birthday lunch at Buca de Beppo's. My little niecey looks so sweet and peaceful. I'm not sure mommy agrees that her baby is a princess, but I sure think she is one! So how is this for some great practice? Aw, I just love this picture and can't wait to hold my sweet Emma. Note: the lesson from this experience=the burp cloth did not appear on my shoulder until AFTER Mahalia had already thrown up on my shirt. =)

Back to work tomorrow. Boo hoo. I miss the kids and all, but I have also been very content sitting on my booty doing nothing. It just makes me giggle feeling the baby move around and laugh even more since she still insists on stopping her kicks as soon as I put Larry's hand on my belly. I don't notice her movements as much when I'm so busy working so I've really enjoyed just looking like Al Bundy on the couch just feeling her move around.

My darling cat Chloe has been acting VERY strange lately. Larry and I have had her for the past 7 years and she has very clearly been Ms. Independent. I see her for food and she could care less for my affection otherwise. She would get especially moody with me after we had company or if I had been gone for a few days. She would pretend to walk over as if she wanted me to pet her, and then instead she would turn around and put her butt in my face! Yeah, very ladylike! She started sleeping at the foot of our bed Thanksgiving weekend and I figured that was just because she was scared of my dad's two dogs that were here. This behavior has now become part of her nightly routine. And wherever my feet move, Chloe moves on top of them. She follows me all over the house (almost tripped me once already!), even if I just go to the bathroom. I've been reading from other moms-to-be on one of my baby websites that their cat has been suddenly very lovey dovey as well. The most peculiar Chloe behavior was last night. I was sitting on the couch working on the laptop. She decided to jump up and lay across my tummy and began "kneading" her front paws all over my stomach. Clearly my kitty knows there will soon be another being among us. I just find it fascinating!

Well, since I can't convince Chloe to "knead" the keyboard and do some work for me, I better stop procrastinating and go get some work done. No more sleeping in until 9 for me. =( Thankfully I still have a few more weeks until I go back to SDSU....

Movin' on up....the alphabet!

Holy knockers Batman! Well, I have received several comments lately regarding this non-stop growing chest of mine! "Well, Maile, I'm not sure where you're putting those 18 pounds you've gained...except your chest." Yeah, thanks for noticing guys. I went bra shopping for the second time this pregnancy and have increased 4 inches (from a 36 to a 40! what the hell!?) and increased two cup sizes already. Sorry, boy blog-followers, if this is too much info, but this has been the major body change for me. And this is pre-lactating!? Good Lord, I can't wait to see if I can hit double letters of the alphabet! Yes, the belly is continuing to grow along with the chee-chees. I think once my belly gets bigger, my boobs won't look so much obviously larger.

Emma has been a very busy girl lately. I love feeling her move around. I have felt a few little kicks with my hand on the outside of my tummy, but as soon as I put Larry's hand there, she stops. Go figure, stubborn child of mine! I'm sure Larry will be able to feel her powerful punches in the next couple of weeks! We have started to talk about what we want to do with the nursery. We haven't made any big decisions but are both in agreement that Pepto pink is out of the question!