Interview with the Wonder Belly

I've decided to frame an interview with myself, purely for entertainment sake.  Enjoy!
 
Due Date: August 28th, 2010.

When did you find out? December 30th, 2009.

Was it a surprise? Yes & No.  I had a feeling because mt head had been feeling a bit funny for a few weeks. I took the test because I was going out for New Years wanted to know if I should avoid the drink. 

What was your husband's reaction?  He played it all calm & cool at first, but I could tell he was happy (& maybe a bit shocked) -  he had to check the test for himself.  After he let his guard down I've never seen him so excited about anything in his life (not even hunting.  He likes to show my belly off & said he is most looking forward to showing off his baby when its born.

Were you nauseous?  Yes for the first 3-4 months, it came in waves throughout the day, it was sort of annoying, but never bad enough to upchuck.

Food cravings: Mmmmmm, peanut butter.  Can't get enough.  And sweets but that's not really new.  When I crave something specific I won't get it out of my head until I get some.  Yesterday I made lemon pie.

Food disagreements: Milk products & sugar are my worst enemies - unfortunately I want them all the time.   Who would have thought being pregnant can bring on lactose intolerance, the body does funny things.  Unfortunately sugar (as noted in previous question) is also a weakness of mine, so it is the battle of the wills.  I had ice cream for lunch yesterday...tasted great, but I soon found out it was a big mistake, I felt terrible afterwards.

Gender prediction:  My intuition was telling me it was a boy for the first 6 months, but then I became unsure & now I am leaning towards a girl.  Obviously I am confused.

Weight gained at this point: 27ish lbs.  Seems like a lot but people always seem surprised when I tell them my due date.  I must hide it well in my luscious curves.

Best part of being pregnant: Watching & feeling Wonder Baby poke around in my protruding belly.  I often wonder how many limbs this baby has, sometimes I can feel movement 5 different places at once.

Worst part of being pregnant:  Heartburn every time I eat & every night, so very annoying...& leads to a lack of sleep, making it hard to function some days.

What do you miss about not being pregnant? Jogging...although I wonder if I really actually would be doing it if I wasn't pregnant.

Most surprising symptom: Clumsiness, I drop things on a regular basis.  My poor floor.

Did you have an ultrasound?  Yes 2, one at 13 weeks, one at 20 weeks.  I almost cried during the first one when the baby waved at us.  You could see all its little fingers & joints, that's when it first seemed real.  The other pics just seemed alien-like.

 

Do you have names picked out yet? Yes, but I'm not telling!

Any pregnancy dreams? Only 2 that I can remember, although all my dreams are very vivid since the Wonder Belly.  Both dreams were about pain free labours - wishful thinking I suppose?

Are you moody?  No more than usual, I don't think, just ask my hubby. Well OK maybe a little.

Are you taking prenatal classes?  Yup, currently in progress & to my surprise, Rodd is quite enthused about them.  We recently watched birthing videos.  I thought I would handle anything, but quite appalled.  Oh well, no turning back now.

Favorite pregnancy books: You: Having a Baby, The Canadian Mother's Guide to Pregnancy, & Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul.

Favorite pregnancy shows: I didn't know I was Pregnant & Make Room for Multiples. These shows tend to put things into perspective for me. 

Home or Hospital birth?  Hospital (hopefully!).  Luckily it only takes 7 minutes to get anywhere in Moose Jaw, so there will be no babies delivered in a police car for me!

Epidural?  Probably, but want to do a bit more research.

Are you planning to breastfeed? Yes, if all goes as planned.

Nursery Theme: Owl theme. Dark brown, deep sunny yellow & fire red.  Gender neutral & somewhat unconventional, just the way I like it.  I want to paint a mural...better get on it.

What is one thing you would change about being pregnant? If only my clothes would grow with me, so I wouldn't have to find a new wardrobe every 3 weeks.  I think my bedroom floor would be a lot cleaner too.

Any words of wisdom for new Wonder Bellies? Surround yourself with lots of support.  I've been so lucky & have received so many maternity clothes, baby furniture & clothes, but more importantly positive support from friends & family (it makes the whole experience more fun).  I am so grateful for the generous people we have in our lives.

Soon to be Three

 

I observe as my belly button slowly disappears, & it becomes more of a reality that life, as we know it - just the 2 of us (& Willow of course) - is about to change in ways that we've never experienced before (thank you to the many child bearers in our lives that constantly remind us of this).  With less than 2 months to go I am really starting to feel the pressure of making sure we are prepared (a feeling that is becoming more frequent & pressing, very much in sync to the physical pressure on my achy ribs). Friends have generously given me more books than I can read - I may be a fast typer but I'm a slow reader - & we have been regularly attending our prenatal classes, but I know deep down that there is only so much we can do to prepare ourselves for the life changes to come.  Its kind of like how people can tell you what it is like to grow a baby inside of you (even if they skip out on all the gooey taboo stuff that people do not want to talk about), but you never really know until you experience it for yourself.  The unknowing of what is to come & how it will affect our lives is kind of exciting - & maybe a bit scary...  When people say "your life is going to change forever" I think to myself that this is the kind of change that I have been craving for the past few years, since the 'ticker' started.  Saying that, am I ready???  Or should I say are we ready???  Well maybe only as prepared as we need to at this point.  But being a girl who thrives under pressure & deadlines - (assuming Wonderbaby doesn't decide to make his/her escape early), along with the challenge of living with a husband that sometimes needs a little extra push to get his butt in gear, all in all I think we will be as ready as we need to be when we need to be. So as long as my innie is still an innie, I guess I can sleep at night (as much as Wonderbaby lets me) knowing that I have a little more time to do whatever it is I need to do to prepare for our birth into parenthood.

Again thank you Kristen for being brave enough to host a shower for me & inviting my many many relatives. Here is a little reminder. I hope you can make it!

Picture Time!

Thanks to friends Kristen & Brandi of Bella Carta Studios we had the opportunity to document this exciting time in our lives. Thanks girls for putting up with Rodd (well both of us)...you've opened my eyes to realize that he is 'one of those guys' & reminded me of why I don't try to take pictures of him for practice.


You can check out more pics of us parents-to-be (where my hubby is not making funny faces - well maybe he is but you can't see his face so I guess it doesn't matter) on their blog here.