You oughta be in pictures...

OK, just 9 days late, I have finally posted a few of the most recent sonogram pictures. They are on the regular Baby Page of my website. Enjoy!

Just call me J-GLO

I have to admit, during the first several months of the pregnancy, I was supremely skeptical of the whole "glowing" state of pregnancy. Constant nausea, fatigue, skin blemishes, and a swollen belly that just looked fatter instead of pregnant were not exactly physical changes that I would have classified as "glowing". For awhile, I was so cranky, I figured someone MUST have made a typo years and years ago. They meant to classify pregnant woman as "glowering". According the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, glowering means to look or stare with sullen annoyance or anger. This description pretty much fit my first trimester perfectly.



However, I have been feeling better lately. This past weekend I survived three major social events, all within 30 hours, and had no real complaints except for tired feet! One wedding, one bridal brunch shower, and one fiftieth wedding anniversary party were crammed into two days. At the wedding, I basically knew not a soul. They were all work acquaintances of my husband. I just hung out and people-watched. The bridal shower was an intimate gathering and I was fairly relaxed as I knew over half the folks there.



The anniversary party was a big family affair. I saw lots of cousins that I don't see all that often, many from out of town. It was a nice afternoon and we received lots of congratulations. I got many compliments from my female relatives, and many said I was "glowing" with that mysteriously indefinable pregnancy glow.



I think there must be a secret sect of the society of motherhood, their sole mission is to perpetuate the myth that pregnant women "glow". Once you survive pregnancy, labor, delivery, you become aware that women would not sign up voluntarily for this lifestyle if they knew they truth about pregnancy. Everyone knows that labor and delivery is hard and painful, but there is semi-immediate gratification when your little bundle of joy is delivered into your weary arms. But the whole pregnany itself isn't exactly a picnic!



Oh, I know there are probably women out there who felt fabulous during their pregnancy and joyfully spent the nine months basking in the "glow". I know this, just like I know that supermodels and endangered snow leopards really do exist in small numbers.



Anyway, as a mother, it's your duty to perpetuate the myth of the "glow" to insure the propogation of the species. For now, I'm willing to play along, at least for awhile. My swollen belly actually looks pregnant (I've "popped", according to current online bulletin board lingo), my energy levels are improving, and my skin isn't exactly rosy, but it is improving. So, if you see me walking down the street, reach for your shades and don't be blinded by the "glow"!

Inversely Proportional

There are many things about pregnancy that I find strangely out of balance. For example, now that morning sickness is mostly a memory, I find that my appetite is inversely proportional to the amount of food I can actually eat in a sitting. I feel ravenous, as if I could easily tuck in a five course meal complete with appetizers, soup, salad, entrees, AND dessert. But when it comes time to actually eat, I'm full to bursting after two bites of salad.



Here are some other inversely proportional relationships that I've noticed:

* the more tired I am, the less likely I am to sleep comfortably.

* the increased degree of urgency demonstrated by my bladder only leads to a frustratingly decreased production volume.

* the smallest amount of sentimentality (in a TV commercial, for example) produces an overwhelming emotional response often including tears. (Can we say hormones?)

* the shorter the time period from now to the due date, the longer the list of "things that must be done before baby arrives".

* the later the hour, the earlier my attention span gives out...



And that being said, I could probably come up with umpteen more examples, but I find myself bored with the subject. And if I'm bored... you guys can stop yawning now, really, I get the picture!

Level-Two Coolness

Yesterday afternoon we had a level-two ultrasound and got to see our little squirt in fuzzy black and white. Our technician was really great, she explained all the pictures she was taking. They check and measure the arms and legs, the head, the belly, and the spine. She pointed out different parts of the brain they check, the stomach and the kidneys, and the four valves of the heart. They estimate baby weight at about 1 lb 3 oz which puts us right on target for the September 15th due date. Heartbeat was 147 bpm at one point and 163 bpm later on (after being pushed around by the ultrasound wand for 15 minutes!). Baby was resting upside down with the little feet around my belly button and the head down low.



We didn't find out the gender; baby was being stubborn/uncooperative/modest (daddy's adjective/tech's adjective/mommy's adjective). So we'll be surprised in September! The technician printed out some of the pictures for us. I will post them online as soon as I get them scanned in.

Brains through Osmosis

Sometimes I think that the baby is developing its grey matter by sucking all MY brain cells down into its own little head. There are several points that I can use to prove this theory.



Point 1 - The Soap Dispenser Incident



As a pregnant lady, I frequent the ladies room, uh, frequently. Nothing unusual about that. So, for someone who has used the same ladies room at my office, multiple times a day, for years now, you would think I could pretty much handle the routine, right?



Well, a couple of weeks ago, I waddle on down to the ladies room. I'm happy to find the handicapped stall unoccupied (it never used to matter, but the higher commode has its advantages...). So, I take care of business, then I belly up to the sink to wash my hands. (None of this is rocket science, right?) I turn on the faucet, and reach over to the liquid soap dispenser. It's the kind of dispenser you find in retail and restaurant bathrooms the world around. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated. You simply cup your hand underneath as you press the little bar and, voila, liquid soap is dispensed into your hand. Unless you are pregnant and the baby is sucking away all your brain cells. If that's the case, then you reach over and press the little bar WITHOUT cupping your hand underneath and watch in astonishment as that little stream of pink liquid soap falls unimpeded down onto the counter and pools prettily beside the sink.



What's wrong with me?!?!? Oh yeah, I'm pregnant.



Point 2- The Good Samaritan



Last night I'm driving home alone from a movie. This older woman pulls up next to me at a stoplight and motions for me to roll down my window. She then asks if Such-and-Such Road is coming up soon. I tell her, yes, the next light is Such-and-Such. She smiles and says thank you.



The light changes green and we both proceed. At the next stop light, I look over and smile and wave as the woman turns right onto This-and-That Drive. Wait! This isn't Such-and-Such Road, it's This-and-That Drive. What have I done?!? This poor woman is going to be so lost!!! Such-and-Such Road isn't for another TWO lights! I feel like such a cad. Even though I didn't do it on purpose, I still feel horrible!



What's wrong with me?!?!? Oh yeah, baby is SUCKING my brain cells.



Point 3 - Dinner from a Kit



My husband is the best. He does as much cooking as me. He's a whiz at anything resembling a casserole where you dump everything in one dish and bake for 30 minutes. He can also whip up pretty good kit dinners, you know, where everything comes in one box or frozen bag, and you just follow directions, maybe add your own meat. And he's a demon on the gas grill, lately his Pork Chops have been killer.



So, this past weekend, I decide that he's busy mowing, so I should make dinner. I pull out a frozen bag kit dinner: Santa Fe Chicken. Everything is included. Just warm up and brown the frozen chicken pieces in the skillet, then add the rice and beans mixture, top with ranchero sauce and serve. Easy-peasy, right?



So, it turns out more like Blackened Chicken Alcatraz. It was awful. I think I was reading the temperature gauge on the electric skillet upside down or backwards. I kept turning the dial to lower the heat, but I must've been increasing the heat. The chicken was burned, the rice was over-fried. And, to top it all off, I didn't top it off with the ranchero sauce. I forgot it! So, the whole mess was burnt and dry.



What's wrong with me?!?!? Oh yeah, pregnancy-induced parasitic brain osmosis.



This baby better turn out pretty durn smart!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Soccer Kick or Ballerina Bow

I've been kind of worried lately, because I haven't really been able to feel the baby moving much yet. All the books seems to agree that I should be feeling movement by this stage. I've felt some light flutters, someone else on another online bulletin board described the feeling as a swish, as if a goldfish were doing laps in your lower belly. I'm pretty sure I've felt some of those. But they are so faint... it's hard to know for sure that I'm not just imagining it.



But this morning, laying in bed between 7 minute snooze alarms, awake but not ready to face the day yet, I felt a distinct movement! In fact I felt two. After the first one, I tried to stay really still and there was another one! Then I laid my hands across my expanding belly, hoping to feel a third. I waited over five minutes, but nothing else. Finally, at the insistent urging of my bladder, I got up and began my day.



It's actually pretty cool, and I'm even more excited than ever for our upcoming ultrasound which is scheduled for next Monday (05/17) afternoon. Maybe we'll find out... was that our little boy practicing punts, or was it our little girl dancing in utero?



My only complaint is that these movements are occurring so early in the morning. I'm definitely an anti-A.M. kind of gal, so having an early riser for a child will be quite the challenge! Of course, I've been told to enjoy my sleep now (what little I can get between late-night bathroom breaks), because once Baby Mullen enters the world... sleep will become a thing of the past anyway. Just thinking about it makes me want to go take a nap...

Soccer Kick or Ballerina Bow

I've been kind of worried lately, because I haven't really been able to feel the baby moving much yet. All the books seems to agree that I should be feeling movement by this stage. I've felt some light flutters, someone else on another online bulletin board described the feeling as a swish, as if a goldfish were doing laps in your lower belly. I'm pretty sure I've felt some of those. But they are so faint... it's hard to know for sure that I'm not just imagining it.



But this morning, laying in bed between 7 minute snooze alarms, awake but not ready to face the day yet, I felt a distinct movement! In fact I felt two. After the first one, I tried to stay really still and there was another one! Then I laid my hands across my expanding belly, hoping to feel a third. I waited over five minutes, but nothing else. Finally, at the insistent urging of my bladder, I got up and began my day.



It's actually pretty cool, and I'm even more excited than ever for our upcoming ultrasound which is scheduled for next Monday (05/17) afternoon. Maybe we'll find out... was that our little boy practicing punts, or was it our little girl dancing in utero?



My only complaint is that these movements are occurring so early in the morning. I'm definitely an anti-A.M. kind of gal, so having an early riser for a child will be quite the challenge! Of course, I've been told to enjoy my sleep now (what little I can get between late-night bathroom breaks), because once Baby Mullen enters the world... sleep will become a thing of the past anyway. Just thinking about it makes me want to go take a nap...

My First Mother's Day

This past Sunday I celebrated my first Mother's Day, at least as a mother-to-be. I received a lovely card from my dear husband along with a gift certificate for a pedicure (definitely a handy spa service for this expectant momma who can't reach her toes as easily as she used to...). I also received a card from my first "child", he of the canine persuasion, AND I received a card from the baby!

I also received cards and gifts from both grandmas-to-be! We actually spent Sunday going to visit my mom & my 2 grandmas, all of whom live in the metro area. It was a beautiful day, weather-wise, and relaxing.

{moved from baby mullen blog}

My First Mother's Day

This past Sunday I celebrated my first Mother's Day, at least as a mother-to-be. I received a lovely card from my dear husband along with a gift certificate for a pedicure (definitely a handy spa service for this expectant momma who can't reach her toes as easily as she used to...). I also received a card from my first "child", he of the canine persuasion, AND I received a card from the baby!



I also received cards and gifts from both grandmas-to-be! We actually spent Sunday going to visit my mom & my 2 grandmas, all of whom live in the metro area. It was a beautiful day, weather-wise, and relaxing.