When hormones attack

In my last post, I described what a scatter brain I was today. The story got much worse from that post. I actually forgot to go to the bathroom because I was sidetracked by yet someone else who needed to know about something I was working on. That got me wondering what was going to happen in 7 months when I take maternity leave? During my wondering, I walked back to my cubicle, sat down and got back to work. 15 minutes later I realized I still had to go to the bathroom. Repeat that process.

This evening, Brian and I were watching a movie. Truman, our beloved bulldog, was laying in between us on the couch just as he always does. For some reason, I started thinking about Brian's cousins and how they had to give up their dog because their newborn son was so terribly allergic.

I burst into tears. Brian was trying to figure out what in the hell was wrong with me and I said, "I don't want to give up Truman!" He asked, "Why would we have to give up Truman?" I explained the logic to him, but it didn't seem to strike the same emotional chord with him as it did me.

For those of you who know me, can you name five instances in the years we have known each other where you have seen me cry? And you can't count watching the movies "Stepmom" or "Marley & Me," or "Steel Magnolias," because they just make me bawl every time.

The Excited Grandparents...

Sunday, Linda and I met my dad and Shirley out for lunch at O'Dowds on the Plaza. My dad is very excited for his next grandchild...it's been 13 years since my niece was a baby, so he's going baby crazy! Linda & I walked into the door at O'Dowds, and in my dad's early timeliness, he & Shirley were waiting for us. They probably had been for about 10 minutes, even though my dad called to say he would probably be 5 minutes late. (Is 5 minutes really considered late?) Anyhow, they had two gift bags for us...gifts for McNugget! So McNugget has their first 4 outfits already! Since we don't know the gender yet, they bought gender neutral a Carter's newborn Duck's Pant Set and a Carter's 3 months old Duck Cardigan & Pants Set. Very cool!

On Sunday, we entered our 10th week of pregnancy! Hurray for double digits! We are inching ever so close to completing our first trimester... Only about 2 more weeks to go before that big milestone! This week McNugget is about the size of a kumquat. I have no idea what a kumquat is... According to Wikipedia, it is a citrus fruit that resembles an orange. Hmmm, who knew that, really? Or you could also say that the baby is about the size of a plum. I know what that is... Basically the baby is a little over an inch long and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce. So tiny.

Anyhow, this week, McNugget is no longer considered an embryo and has now graduated to fetus status, and will keep that status until birth, in medical terms. This generally means that all the parts are now in place, and this week is the beginning of a period when tissues and organs start to grow at a quick pace. McNugget is now swallowing amniotic fluid and kicking up a storm (although it's still too early for Linda to feel any of those kicks). The liver is now able to produce it's own red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac. Tiny finger- and toenails are now forming. The toes no longer have any webbing between the digits. A peach-fuzz layer of hair has started to grow too over the little body. McNugget can now bend their limbs. The hands can flex at the wrist and meet over the heart. The feet may be long enough to meet in front of the body too. The skin is still translucent and the outline of the spine is visible through the back. Spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from McNugget's spinal cord. McNugget's forehead temporarily bulges with the developing brain and sits very high on the head, which measures half the length of the body. From crown to rump (butt), the baby would be about 1¼ inch long. In the coming weeks, McNugget will double in size to nearly 3 inches!

We are still indecisive about names. I think Linda & I will battle about this over the next coming months. It's tougher than you can imagine, really. You have to think of the long run. Of when McNugget is an adult and has a career. You don't want to name them something too trendy or cutesy. In 2008, the most popular names were Emma and Aiden, which I like (but not enough to name McNugget either of those). In 1890, amongst the top ten popular names were Harry and Bertha. So, essentially, Harry and Bertha were like today's Aiden and Emma. Who, today, has named their kids Harry or Bertha? I chuckle to myself if I see the name Bertha now. You don't want to give your kid a name like those that will be a joke 50 years from now. It's a daunting and stressful task. My early favorites include: Amelia, Scarlett or Delaney for a girl. (Delaney was one of my great grandfather's name, actually...but sounds better as a girl's name, I think.) Evan, Kyler and Rylan for a boy. Linda pretty much hates all my choices... We still have months to figure it out.

Linda's 2nd doctors appointment is tomorrow afternoon at 3:45. It'll be mostly womanly stuff (e.g. PAP Smear, etc)...but I'm gonna be there. Well, not for the actual PAP, but I'll be waiting in the waiting room. Keep us in your prayers all goes well!

Now where did I put my...

I am a complete and total space cadet today! I can't concentrate on anything. I got money out of my purse, I remember now because I found it in my pocket, to get a snack and then I ended up visiting with a co-worker who asked about something completely random.

20 minutes later...
I went and got a granola bar from downstairs and then swung by another co-worker's desk to ask about something work related, but when I got there I forgot my question (Still don't know what it was, I just know I had a purpose).

She just called to ask if I left my granola bar at her desk... 30 minutes ago. Now, it's an hour away from lunch, I suddenly remember I am hungry again, and can't decide if I should eat my granola bar or save it for later. What if I forget I have it?

What the hell is wrong with me? Is it safe to take Ginko Bilobo or whatever the hell it is called when you are pregnant?

New Clothes

Yesterday, I bought maternity clothes for the first time. I was really excited when I walked into the GAP on the Plaza and they said that they did indeed have maternity in stock... on the third floor.

I'm sure I knew there was an elevator somewhere, but the sales lady just pointed to the stairs. I commented to Brian that why on Earth would they want pregnant women climbing three flights of stairs?

Anyway, I went up there and they had a limited selection. Lots of jeans and a few pairs of dress slacks. If I could wear jeans to work, I would. But I don't have that kind of work environment. I usually wear women's business suits. GAP was having a sale, but of course I got the dress slacks, the only items in the store not on sale. Murphy's law prevails again, but at least I have some pants that fit!

It's a race... kind of

The joys of growing up with a larger-than-average family means you share a lot of experiences. My older sister and her husband have a beautiful 3-year-old daughter. My brother and his wife have an adorable nearly 3-year-old son. With cousins so close and age, they have someone to play with when the whole family gets together.

I am very happy that McNugget will also have someone to play with that is very close in age. In fact, they could realistically have the same birthday! No, I'm not having twins. Stop that thinking right now. My older sis is having a baby as well! Her due date is about 3 days ahead of mine. How cool is that?

So, this spring we are going to see who ends up in the delivery room first. I would put my money on me. I'm very impatient and expect McNugget to be the same way. Of course if McNugget takes after Brian, this could be a different story... Although I totally wouldn't mind because a child that takes after Brian would probably be a lot less onery!

Another Week Under Way

So we are in the midst of another week! Sunday marked our 9th week of pregnancy! I think the thing I hate the most is the fact I can't see any changes as of yet; besides the occasional nauseous moment or lower back pain Linda experiences. Other than those, I wouldn't have any idea that she was pregnant. I'm a very tangible, visual person and I hate waiting. I want to know that McNugget is okay. I worry endlessly and I keep saying a prayer that all is okay. I'm sure it is...but not being able to see much going on gets me anxious from time-to-time.

I've taken comfort in reading posts on babycenter.com from other expectant parents...mostly moms-to-be. One had an article posted that put some of my fears to rest, specifically, "If you can see the baby's heart beating on the sonogram after 7 weeks, your chances of continuing with the pregnancy are greater than 97 percent." Which we did - our first sonogram was when McNugget was measuring 7 weeks 5 days. I have to keep reminding myself that all is probably okay and McNugget will be here before we know it.

Anyhow, this week, McNugget is about the size of a grape and would weigh about a fraction of an ounce! They are starting to look more and more human as the days go by and not so much like an alien creature. All essential body parts are accounted for, but they will be fine-tuning over the next few months. McNugget's heart has finished dividing into four chambers and the heart valves have started to form. Tiny teeth buds are under their gum line. The tiny embryonic tail should have disappeared by now. McNugget's organs, muscles and nerves are starting to kick into gear as well! Genitalia has formed, but it's still too early to see the gender. The eyes are fully formed but the eyelids are sealed shut until about the 27th week. McNugget has tiny earlobes, and their mouth, nose and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta has developed enough now to take over the most critical job of producing hormones. Now McNugget's basic body physiology is in place, their tiny body is poised for rapid weight gain and fine tuning!

Keep us in your prayers that all continues to go well for us!

Ode to My Father

My dad is the type of guy that would bend over backwards for you, give you the shirt off his back, and generally help anyone out that is in need. I hope that I can live up to his example with McNugget.

Since we found out McNugget will be arriving in approximately 7 months now (wow!) - that has really lit the fire under our butts to get the renovations we started 2 years ago finished and get this place listed on the market. We bought new windows back in 2007 for our 80 year old building. When we bought our place, they had been renovated from the 1920s apartments into condos and had featured amenities such as refurbished kitchen with granite countertops, a marble bathroom, etc. But they failed to upgrade the windows. It suited our needs as DINKs. While living the city-life was great as a childless couple, downtown KC is no place I want to raise a child. Our neighborhood is great - it's a historic district located a block from the Kansas City Art Institute, a few blocks from the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art and the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, walking distance to the Country Club Plaza and Kansas City's historic Westport. In fact, "This Old House" recently picked our neighborhood as one of the best top 10 in the country. However, the notion of a city life has become stale and I really don't want to send my kids to the public inner-city school districts (KC public schools are rated a 5 on a scale of 10...ten being the best) or magnet schools. We are ready for the 'burbs. A real house with a backyard and a garage, not the glorified apartment we currently have. A neighborhood with young families and place that kids can ride their bikes up and down the street. I know that sounds very "Beaver Cleaver-ish". But I grew up in a neighborhood like that...

But I digress... Linda & I quickly learned we are more of the "pay-the-man" type of people, and are not the "do-it-yourselfers" that we aspire to be. Linda spends many of her Saturday and Sunday afternoons watching the DIY Network or HGTV, and schemes up these grandiose ideas that we can do many home improvement projects on our own. Why she believes this is beyond me? The windows are a great example of why I doubt this philosophy. Granted, our windows really needed to be replaced, not only for aesthetic reasons, but also to save on energy costs. The windows were original to the building, but not very functional. They were the old weight-and-pulley type. Many of them did not open due to the 50+ years of paint and guck built up on them. The windows that did open with all your might, were near impossible to close. Linda could literally hang onto the bottom pane of an open window, lifting her feet off the floor and the window would not close! Those were not fun to get shut...

Our condo is a 2 bedroom, one bath unit, and approximately 1200 sq. ft. It has 14 windows total. And one whole side of our condo is windowless, it is the common wall shared with our neighbor. Last year, her family came over and we were successful with their help in ripping out the old windows and replacing them. However, this was only part of the battle. With ripping out old windows, you have to also rip out the molding trim that goes around them...trim that you have to replace. Last summer, my dad & I went to Home Depot and picked up window trim molding. That trim sat bundled up in our hallway til yesterday. Nothing like procrastination...

Anyhow, yesterday, my dad came over with all his tools and circular saw and spent literally all day measuring, cutting and installing the trim. Dad does these things and never acts as if it's an imposition. That's just one small example of many about how great he is and how much I admire him. I pray I can be as good as a father as he is to me.