Mythbusters: 2nd Trimester Edition

I've heard that the 2nd trimester is the easiest and so far this is true. However, some of my worst nights so far have been within the last week. Whoever said you'll get more sleep in the 2nd trimester was clearly lying. I've had less sleep due to the terrible heartburn that won't go away so I end up sleeping while sitting up. Between the heartburn, the aches in my hips and sides from sleeping on my sides more often, and worst of all, horrible leg cramps, I've had some pretty miserable nights. I haven't had a Charlie Horse that bad in years. In fact, my right calf is still sore. owwweeee!

Chris's Adventures

Chris had a field day today. He used to work with several special needs kids throughout Denver but was recently moved to a different scouting program. However, one of the special needs teachers, Ms. Karen Baker, who he used to work closely with has stayed in touch and invited him to two recent events that have both touched our hearts and had us rolling with laughter.

His first reunion with Ms. Baker was a month or so back when she invited him to join her class at "Disney on Ice". They needed a vehicle and driver (i.e. Chris) to get them there and they would take care of the rest. So it was that Chris was reunited with the special needs kids that would make him smile routinely. They immediately bum-rushed him in a gaggle of flailing arms, and smiles, and squeals of "Hi, Mr. Chris." He was nearly knocked down by the lot of them. His next few ours during the show, which he thought would be boring and tedious was actually hysterically amusing as he watched all the kids going absolutely bonkers over every Disney character that skated out onto the arena. Those kids were more fanatical about Disney than a group of soccer hooligans at the World Cup! They screamed and danced in the aisles and generally went nuts. He loved it!

Then, just today he was invited again to join the class in watching a movie with them. The show had already started in the classroom before he had arrived, so he snuck in the back and took a seat hoping they wouldn't notice. Ms. Baker, however, DID notice and immediately turned on the lights and announced to the class, "Someone special is here and what do we say?" To which, Chris was bum-rushed AGAIN with squeals of "Congratulations on the BABY, Mr. Chris!" The funniest moment, had to be when one of the girls calls out, "Congratulations to yo' baby Mamma!" The teacher began laughing hysterically and ran out to tell the other teachers.

16 Weeks with the Wiggle Worm

Our prenatal visit was on Tuesday. I have to admit I was a little disappointed that they weren't able to do an ultrasound this time to determine sex. Apparently, my uterus is just a bit too low and still partially nestled in my pelvic bone so we're unable to get a good visual. We'll have to wait till our 20 week visit. The Nurse Practitioner used a doppler instead to hear the heartbeat, which was like watching a comedy as she chased the baby around my belly to hear its heartbeat. I guess we have quite the wiggle-worm. Every time she would find the beat the baby would immediately squirm away to the other side or roll over. I was trying not to giggle as the nurse was getting slightly frustrated with the baby. Definitely our child!

The baby is about the size of an avocado and can already sense light. If I shine a flashlight on my tummy it will squirm away. And, yes, I have finally felt the baby move. It was an amazing moment knowing that the fluttering in my belly was the baby saying, "hello". Chris has begun talking to it on occasion and telling it stories. We don't know if it can hear us yet, but we don't really care.

I had my first awkward moment as a female coworker rubbed my belly the other day. I don't mind friends or family doing that (even though my belly isn't huge, yet) and I don't mind Chris doing that, but coworkers and strangers are a different situation all together. I was caught completely off-guard. I wasn't quite sure how to say, "please don't do that" without offending her. Regardless of the fact that there's a baby in there, it's still my body your touching inappropriately. Thankfully, I haven't had any guys rub my belly, that would just be WEIRD!

We've begun working on the baby's room. An arduous process fraught with arguments about colors, furniture, where to store the stuff that's already taking up space in there... you get the picture. Loads of fun! But, we're getting there slowly. We hope to have it finished sometime this summer. In the meantime, stay tuned for some updated baby belly photos we should be posting soon.

First Trip

So, this past Easter Weekend was our first official vacation with the 'seamonkey' in tow. I was the matron of honor in a friend's wedding on Quintana Beach (just west of Galveston). I've been dreading this trip for quite some time. Not because of my responsibilities in the wedding (which was absolutely beautiful and one of the most casual weddings I've attended) but because I've been afraid of how I would do on an airplane on the tail end of the first trimester. I had heard the horror stories of how motion sickness is exacerabated by pregnancy and had felt my fair share of it every time I've taken the bus to work. Now, instead of a short jaunt by car or bus - which I could quickly get off and get some fresh air and solid ground under my feet- I would be soaring above the clouds for over 2 hours in cramped quarters. Needless to say, I was a bit nervous.

To my delight (and Chris's relief), I did just fine. I think I managed better on the plane than I do in the car when Chris is driving. We had a wonderful time and my growing baby belly got quite alot of attention. We received many congratulations from old college friends and our close friends, Kuda and Darcy even gave us a perfect baby gift... a Texas A&M Pacifier. Gig em' Baby!

Fears of Motherhood

I have to be totally honest. I am terrified of being a mother. Don't get me wrong, I'm also feeling the joy, anticipation and excitement of pregnancy but it's all edged with fear. A nagging fear that I don't know what I'm doing and may be a terrible mother. I know it sounds ridiculous, but it's true. I've always had this naive belief that women have this inate ability to calm and soothe babies, or that we all have a natural born ability to make babies happy.  However, I've also always believed that I just don't have that ability.  God, just left me with an, "I O U" sticker when it came to that gene. You laugh, but it's true. 

If there is a baby in the room, Chris will immediately want to pick it up, hold it and play with it. And, the baby usually responds to him with coos, and giggles, and gurgles and smiles. I, on the other hand, am shrinking into the shadows, praying that nobody asks me to hold the baby. I've even gone so far as to make up ridiculous excuses to save myself the impending embarrasment of holding the baby, which inevitably cries only proving my inadequacy at being a good mother. Insane, I know, ... but I can't help it.  At parties, where a friend might bring their baby I would dread holding the baby but not because I didn't like holding them. That part I loved. I loved cuddling them.  No, what I dreaded was my own fears that the baby would start crying and I couldn't soothe it and in my head the parents are staring at me wondering what's wrong with me and how can she not know what to do to calm a baby. I would try to hold it like the mother, try playing with it like Chris, but nothing seemed to work. I was hopeless. 

I've had one good experience with one really laid-back baby named Morgan. This little guy didn't care what I did, he was so relaxed and enthralled with me. And, for the first time, I felt somewhat calm. I held him for hours and he rarely fussed. Just cooed, and drooled and smiled at me with huge blue eyes.  So, maybe I'm not completely hopeless.

Baby Dreams

It may be a bad idea to talk about a dream that, in reality, may have a completely different ending but I just had to share this.

I dreamt that I was delivering in the delivery center nearby. After the last push, the doctor took the baby and handed it to the nurse who quickly took it away to be cleaned and dressed. Everyone was busy running around or cleaning up. No one was saying anything to me. Chris stood by smiling, trying to comfort me while I frantically began to wonder is it a boy? A girl? Is there something wrong? After what seemed like hours, the nurse came back in with this tiny bundle in her arms and said, "here's your baby."

It wasn't till I was holding this tiny thing (more like a ragdoll than a baby) that I noticed the tiny pink cap and tiny pink blanket.

How ironic it would be if I had a boy instead.