The Very First Stretch Mark

For my few friends who are not now and have not been pregnant - using cocoa butter or any other type of lotion to avoid stretch marks WILL NOT WORK. It will however, keep you from feeling all itchy and flaky, so I still recommend it.

I now have a very tiny beginning of a stretch mark down on my belly (below where I can see it without looking in the mirror). Steve verified for me this morning that it was an actual stretch mark and not just a mark from my pajamas. Obviously, it was a very sad morning and most of my bikinis went into the Goodwill bag, along with a lot of other things. I kept a few, just in case the mark is below my bikini line when my belly is back to its normal-ish size and shape.

Since there wasn't a clear victor in the nursery decoration vote, we are going to stick with Classic Pooh (we've registered for the set at Target). We figure it's the best of all worlds - classic, cute, neutral (sage and cream) and best of all, not pink and girly (for Steve's sanity since he will be living with all females for a long while).

My tennis ball sized ankles returned this week. Not that I did anything different than a normal week (40-ish hours at work, at my desk, calling builders and reading contracts). Hopefully the swelling doesn't get too out of hand. For now I can live with it, but if my shoes quit fitting we may have a problem.

0 for 6...

Well... The doctor is zero for six in his attempts to listen to Sparky's heartbeat. She is apparently afraid of having her heartbeat known. They tried really hard to pin her down today by pushing in on my belly, but she was too sneaky for them. We visited the doctor again this morning for the dreaded shot and blood draw visit. It was just as non-fun as I had expected. First was taking the two vials of blood to find out if I have gestational diabetes. Although they say you can't feel the needle once it is in your arm, I am pretty sure they are full of it because I felt that needle in my vein the whole time. Then I got to have a rhogam shot, since I am lucky enough to have rh negative blood. Hopefully Sparky won't have rh positive blood so I won't have to have that shot again - it really stung going in and my poor backside ached all day at work.

Sparky's next opportunity to evade the doctor and the doppler heartbeat monitor is February 13th - maybe as a valentine gift to the staff at the doctor's office she will decide to cooperate. Or maybe she will just be too big to evade them.

Hoping you are all staying warm - our garage door was frozen to the cement this morning and it took some boiling water and Steve prying at it to get it open.

Week 28 - Finally the 3rd Trimester

Well, we've officially made it to the third trimester - 2/3rds of the way through the journey. At this point I think pregnancy and aging are pretty similar. The first bit is exciting, but with lots of learning to do (like what causes morning sickness and all the shoulds and shouldn'ts of pregnancy). The second part is smooth sailing and the most comfortable part of the trip, and then there is the end where everything starts to get achy and you seem to be headed to the doctor all the time.

Week 27 went pretty well. Steve and I officially "graduated" from childbirth class. We both agreed that childbirth class was worse than any single day of our graduate studies. Steve said his head hurt even worse than it did at the end of his 8 hour days first year of dental school. I'd have to agree that no class in law school was as dry at times and as unbearable as watching way too many births (not the cleaned up discovery channel variety either). By the end of the day we were wondering what we'd gotten ourselves into. Yesterday I had my first bout of pregnancy related "freaking out" - I still don't know what was causing my extreme agitation, but I just couldn't get calmed down. The end result is a boxful of things to go to Goodwill and another square for my afghan halfway done. In the end I managed to get myself calmed down enough to get to bed at a reasonable hour and woke up this morning feeling fine. Hopefully my hormones will regulate themselves and I won't have too many more incidents of freaking out. Luckily Steve is pretty levelheaded and just let me have my issues without getting himself dragged into the situation.

This week Sparky has made it up to almost 16 inches long and weighs about 2.5 pounds. My belly, unfortunately, is just a hair over 44 inches (about 44 1/4). I've grown just a pinch, but Sparky's grown a lot, so I am feeling more and more of her movement. She's very, very active and I am sure she is still breech (head up) since all of the kicking and wiggling is centered on the lower half of my belly. She has definite periods of being awake and asleep, but even in her sleep I feel a lot of moving. Lately she has been getting the hiccups quite often - it is a rather odd sensation. I am back to the doctor's on Wednesday for the beginning of the every other week checkups. This visit I have to get the Rhogam shot (since I have O negative blood) and have to take the glucose tolerance test (the one hour version) to make sure I don't have gestational diabetes. Since I was tested for ultra-low blood sugar in high school I am hoping the screening comes back negative to low so that I don't have to do the three hour version of the test.

I finally took a little "Jen time" and got my haircut the other day - I was hating the layers in it and the time it took to make myself look nice each morning. The new haircut is pictured above, but Sparky seems to dominate the photo. Check back Wednesday night to see if Sparky decides to cooperate for the doctor this time (it would be a first...)

Sicky Icky Thursday

Sparky and I stayed home today because of some bad Chinese food last night (I think). Between the nausea, heartburn, and other intestinal problems, I think I could have been the spokesperson for Pepto Bismo today. Normally this wouldn't have kept me from doing my daily routine, including going to work, but when a small person inside of you keeps kicking your stomach and other upset insides it really intensifies the illness.

On the bright side, I am feeling pretty much back to normal (although I have not ventured into the kitchen to find something to eat for dinner). Now that Sparky is getting so big I am having a lot of daily back pain and also a lot of pain around my belly, probably related to more stretching. I've still got a belly button, but I am sure that it is not going to last much longer.

Hoping you are all feeling better than I am - Sparky is certainly feeling just fine, so no need to worry about her health today.

Week 27 - the Last Week of the 2nd Trimester

Well... with only one week left of the second trimester, I believe huge would be the word that best describes how I've been feeling lately. On Friday night I tried to put on the top from the photos in the week 15 update. Being a maternity top and a size large (my pre-pregnancy size was a ladies small) I figured it would be no problem. Boy was that a bad assumption. While the shirt went on (with some struggle), getting it back off was near impossible. At this point my only option is t-shirt material that has lots of stretch. So unfortunately, there goes 1/2 of my maternity tops. The bottoms are going much the same way - they are getting so tight around my belly that I'm thinking about just wearing dresses all day (something that I am not too excited about).

Sparky is still being very active and wild - my mom claims she told Sparky to act this way. On the bright side, Sparky has been getting wild mostly during the day and has been doing much better at sleeping through the night. It has made the work day much more difficult to get through - lots of kicking, wiggling, and flipping. My belly has gotten so big that it sits on my lap when I am sitting at my chair. This phenomenon creates an interesting activity for Sparky - she now kicks through my belly and into my leg. This is perhaps the creepiest part of being pregnant so far. While feeling her move is nice, because I know she is still healthy and doing just fine, feeling all that movement is not really on the top of the list of things I'd like to feel during the day (or night). I'm pretty sure I'm not one of those women who just love being pregnant. I know that Sparky will be well worth it, but I can't say I'm too excited about the thought of doing this too many times.

Well... on to the relevant data for the week. My belly is expanding again (ouch...) and is up to 44 inches. My belly button is being rather stubborn and is still an innie - but it is getting more and more sensitive and painful by the day, so I'm sure it's on its way to being an outie soon. Sparky has broken the 2 pound barrier and is around 14 1/2 inches. She's getting pretty regular in her sleep and wake habits. Her biggest wake times are between 7 and 9 am, 1 and 4 pm, and 5 and 8 pm. She also now has more clothes than any one baby could possibly wear, including 5 or 6 Christmas dresses.

Only 13 weeks to go...

Another Appointment... Still no cooperation

What an eventful doctor's appointment! First off, Dr. Sammarco was off delivering a baby this morning and was running late. At first we were going to just wait for him to arrive, but after a few minutes of waiting the nurses decided they would check in on Sparky this time. Sparky, as usual, decided to be wiggly and uncooperative for the poor nurses who were trying to count her heartbeat. After about 5 minutes of trying, without success, to find Sparky's heartbeat for more than a few seconds, the nurses decided she was doing just fine.

We have now progressed to the point of every other week check-ups. I am not too excited about this possibility. More time out of work means more phone messages to answer on Wednesdays when I get back after my appointments. We also have the pleasure of doing both the glucose tolerance test and the Rhogam shot next visit. Just my favorite things to do get a shot and have blood drawn...

Not only was Sparky super active this morning for the doctor, she continued to be wound up all day long. There were a few points during the day when I thought I may actually groan or scream from all the kicking that was going on. I'm sure my co-workers would not have appreciated my noise as a result of Sparky's activity. At some points I decided that working standing up was more bearable than sitting. This is the type of behavior we are hoping does not continue after the birth. On the bright side, this may be an indication that Sparky has decided not to be a night owl anymore. Having a baby who sleeps through the night would be a wonderful surprise.

We are hoping for an uneventful next two weeks and for another uneventful doctor's visit next time around.

Week 26 - The Picture-less Update

The pictures for this week will be posted later, when I am feeling up to messing with my camera card and the card reader. I've been instructed (by Steve) to keep my feet up and not be messing with things I don't need to mess with to try and alleviate my swollen ankles.

We had a great time up north. Steve didn't get a contract to sign when we were up there, but he got the word that the contract is on the way and he has the job. We were both really excited about the opportunity and really like everyone that Steve will be working with. His co-workers are all really wonderful people and we had a great time having lunch with them last Friday. I'm sure there will be much joking going on in that office. While Steve was checking out the clinic, Sparky and I made our stops around town. We went to the courthouse and found out that I will be able to go back to doing Probate (wills, estates, guardianships) as a court appointed attorney. We also stopped by a realtor's office to get someone started on a house hunt for us. We are hoping to find a nice rental so you all can come visit Sparky and have a place to stay.

My belly didn't grow this week (praise the Lord!) so I've been in a lot less pain. I think my poor stomach muscles have finally adjusted to the 43.5 inch circumference. Hopefully the next expansion will be a little more gradual. Sparky is still super active, but seems to elude Steve's attempts to feel her kicking. He claims to have the "magic touch". We will see how magical it is once Sparky is born.

Tomorrow is doctor day, so we will see how cooperative or uncooperative Sparky decides to be this time. At least they decided to save all the pokes and shots for the next visit.

Have a GREAT week - from Jen & Sparky (and Maize who is trying to help type this and not being very helpful).

Week 25 - Only 105 days (and then some) left

Things are "growing" or going nicely for Sparky. My waistline expanded by a whole painful inch (up to 43 1/2 inches). All week I've felt like my belly was going to split right down the middle. Sparky is up to about 13 inches and is around 1.5 pounds, but after walking all around Ann Arbor tonight she feels more like 1.5 tons.

Not only is my belly getting big, I've also started retaining extra fluids in my legs and I've got some extra weight in my face. Other than that I've been feeling pretty good, except for leg pains during the night and waking up a whole lot (5 or 6 or 7 times each night). I guess it is good training for all of those late night feedings that we will be doing soon.

Steve and I are taking Sparky on her 3rd trip to the Upper Peninsula this week. We are leaving Thursday morning for Sault Ste. Marie and Steve's second interview with the Chippewa Tribe for the open dental position. We've been assured that the job is his if he wants it, so Sparky and I are going to focus our efforts on finding suitable housing while we are up there. We may also try to catch the Lake Superior State hockey game on Friday night. Sparky's favorite dog Maize is already safely in Hastings - so we will have to make a stop there on the way back on Saturday.

Below are samples from the baby afghan that I'm making for Sparky - I have 4.5 of the 9 squares done. 5 of the squares are going to be different and 4 are going to be solid yellow. Hopefully we will have this done before Sparky's first appearance.

What Sparky did at work today...

Here is the play by play of Sparky's day at work with me (starting with the waking up process):

5:40 - 6:15 - I was supposed to be sleeping during this time, but it was apparently kickboxing class for Sparky

7:40 - 9:10 - after her short nap, Sparky woke up again for more gym class during the ride to work and the first hour plus of me trying to get things done

9:25-9:26 - just when I thought Sparky was back to sleep, she decided to roll over and through in a few stretches in the process

10:20 - 10:28 - a brief flurry of activity before a little rest

10:50 - another stretch during the nap

12:15-12:45 - gym class part two (not very long, but super active)

1:25 - 1:50 - more gym class, followed by a nap

2:25 - stretching/kicking during the nap

3:25 - 4:00 - since too much gym class had already occurred for the day, Sparky switched to Tae Bo

5:30 - 6:30 - wide awake and kicking time (also known as me trying to make dinner and relax a little)

The 24 Week Check-In

Steve, Sparky, Maize, and I are watching the Capital One Bowl and hoping that Sparky will not be embarrassed to wear all of the maize and blue gear she has. While we had a great time in Florida, it is wonderful to be at home and back to a more relaxing pace of life. I sure get tired quickly. I also seemed to develop what my brother's affectionately called "cankles" (when your calf and ankle are indistinguishable) from traveling, but I can now see both ankle bones, so I should be back to normal soon.

Sparky may have been the only Obreiter in this house that was awake when midnight hit last night. I was out by 8:30 and Steve was asleep before 11. Even Maize was snoring long before 11. If Sparky was awake, she was being well behaved and let me sleep until about 4 a.m.

This week's stats: My belly measures 42 1/2 inches around (about 1/2 inch in the last two weeks - I didn't measure last week, so we aren't sure when the stretch happened). Sparky is about 12 inches long and 1 pound 5 ounces. I'm sure that is a mere fraction of her final weight. She's been busily beating me up from the inside out. I've decided she must think that gym class is a daily requirement. We've started piling up all of the clothing that people have given Sparky - she is already well stocked until at least 6 months (and I am sure for much longer since most of her gear is still at my mom's house).

Happy New Year to you all from the four of us!