Things I Love, Things I Hate

I am more than halfway through my pregnancy and thought even though I've got a ways to go, I would list the things I love - and hate - about being pregnant. I have a feeling the "things I hate" list will grow as my pregnancy progresses, so I thought I would make the list before I became too jaded. So here goes ...

Things I Love

Maternity clothes. They don't make you look fat. They're comfy and the tops are cut in such a way that they make you look like you're just carrying around a popcorn bowl beneath your clothes.

Companionship. Call me crazy, but I feel like I've got someone to talk to. Though he/she is not a great coversationalist at this point, he/she is a great listener. Mostly we talk about the weather (it's too darn hot!) or food (do you like crinkle-cut fries and soft-serve ice cream as much as I do?) or daddy (when's daddy going to get home from work, huh?).

Smiles from strangers. It's funny how people smile when they see pregnant ladies. I guess the distinctive belly bump is a sign that there's still hope and innocence in this world. Either that or people are just thinking, "Boy am I glad I'm not carrying around extra weight in this heat. Good for her."

Things I Hate

Superhuman sense of smell. Of all the senses, why is smell the one that becomes ultra sensitive during pregnancy? This is the one symptom that I have experienced consistently since day one. It's terrible. My nose is assaulted on a daily basis. I work in a building with poor air circulation and, for reasons unknown to me, full of people who do not bath regularly. The 103 degree daily temps have not helped either. I am forced to eat my lunch outside in the heat in order not to hurl.

Health scares. Things that wouldn't have concerned me before suddenly seem hugely significant. For instance, the invasion of black widows at our home (ok, so that would have scared me a bit regardless). Or a few days ago when I learned that most artificial sweeteners are considered unsafe. Why did my pregnancy book fail to inform me of that until my twentieth week, after consuming diet soda on a regular basis during the previous 20 weeks? Oh, and on Tuesday I ate half a cup of pudding before realizing it expired four months ago. Anyone know the long-term effects of bad pudding on a fetus? Maybe I'll give Bill Cosby a call. It was Jell-O brand.

Disapproving stares from strangers. I don't know if it's because I work on a college campus and carry around a backpack, but I get looks regularly from girls that say to me "Ugh, look at that pregnant girl. Couldn't even wait until she was done with school." Maybe I'm just paranoid and they're really fretting over the latest gossip their sorority sisters are spreading about their recent indiscretions. Or maybe they're worried that they're knocked up too. Ah, cynicism - don't you love it?

Baby's First Pics

Ok, folks. I know it's been a while since my last posting, but I'll make it worth your while. Today we went for our first ultrasound. And we thought hearing the heartbeat was amazing! I had no idea how detailed an ultrasound could get this early on. We didn't even need for the lady to point out a lot of the body parts. Baby was a bit camera shy at times and kept trying to wiggle away. In fact, it looked like it kept trying to wiggle clear out of the uterus all together, stretching its long legs and squirming around. I haven't felt the baby move yet, but the lady said that's probably because its in the breech position and the placenta is on top, providing a cushion between me and the baby. She said to give it a week.

The heartbeat is at 150 and the baby weighs 10 ounces. It's crazy to me to think that some fetuses can survive birth at 25 weeks and just under a pound. My weight is at 154 lbs. Though it looks like I've gained much more, I've only put on about 10 lbs so far. I'm sure I'll be looking hot in my bathing suit when I head to the beach next month with my family.

And, no, we didn't change our minds at the last minute about finding out the sex of the baby. The woman doing the ultrasound assured us, however, that it is definitely a boy or a girl. Don't laugh, having a transgender baby has always been a very real concern of mine (stems from doing a very strange report in a religion class). And the lady said in her 22 years of doing ultrasounds, she's has had one baby with questionable features. So it does happen. Just not to us, thank goodness. Though I'm still considering several unisex names ...

Just in case you can't figure out the pictures above, the top one is of the baby face-down. It looks like it's somersaulting through my womb. Look at the cute bubble butt and those long dancers' legs! I hope it keeps the bubble butt - more fun to powder, I'm sure. The second picture is a more clear shot of the spine and rib cage. For those of you familiar with both mine and Andy's back problems, it's a miracle the spine isn't twisted like a pretzel. The third picture is of the arm. I think the baby thought we were the paparazzi coming after it - it looks like it's in a fighting stance with one fist up in front of its face and the other down by its side. The fourth picture is a profile shot with the face looking upward. The last picture is of the baby's face. Cute, I'm sure, but at this point it's hard to tell just how cute.

Anyway, we got more pictures, but we thought these were some of the best. There are ten fingers and, as far as the lady could tell, ten toes. Even if there's nine (or eleven) toes, it doesn't matter. It's a healthy, normal baby at this point. We'll have plenty of time in the future to be goofy, paranoid parents and turn it into a crazy person.

Baby's second plane ride (or third, technically)

I'm off to California bright and early in the a.m. I'll be traveling to Santa Clara for the annual Rural Sociological Society meetings. Baby better not get used to flying - mommy and daddy won't be able to afford long-distance travel after she/he shows up. Anyway, I'll be returning late Monday evening.

In other news, I got us onto a waiting list for one day care. It is slightly more expensive than the others Susan and I checked out, but it's convenient for both mommy's and daddy's commutes to work and I just liked it the most. I may get on a waiting list at another place just in case (I'm not sure how it works when you're trying to get a kid in day care halfway through the school year).

I called about a birthing class and the lady said, "Wow, somebody who's actually calling early!" I took it as a compliment; I've been feeling like such a slacker lately (the nursery is still an oversized storage closet). The classes haven't even been scheduled yet for November. I chose the three-week class over the six-week class. I mean seriously, how many different ways to breath are there during labor? Besides, I would be really mad if I missed six episodes of "The Office" in a row and ended up getting a Cesearean anyway.

Bad Mommy Moments

Though I'm barely showing, I already am experiencing Bad Mommy Moments. Today, for example, my mother-in-law and I visited several day cares in Auburn. At one place the director was explaining that they have a long waiting list and asked me how soon I would need a spot (I had already told her my due date). My response was "well, how young do you take 'em?" I suddenly felt like a big neon sign was suspended over my head with an arrow pointing at me and flashing "mother who doesn't care!" Also, earlier I was comparing birthing classes offered by my OBGYN to those offered by the hospital. One is a three-week class and the other is a six-week class. Instead of considering which would be better on the basis of quality of services and information, I was doing the math to break down how much each class was by hour (multiply number of hours by number of sessions; divide this number into the total price). Is it okay to bargain shop when the health of my unborn child is on the line? Sigh. Being a parent is not easy as it is, why must I complicate things by worrying the world is judging my ability as one?

Battle for Eeyore

A coworker of Andy's gave Baby Dyer a gift recently - an adorable stuffed Eeyore. I was thrilled when I opened the package - Eeyore was always my favorite of the Pooh clan. Apparently, I wasn't the only one thrilled with the gift. So was Sullivan. The second he laid eyes on it, he was so excited and began to hop around. Now, I don't know if he thought it was an elephant (his favorite kind of stuffed animal to rip up) or if he just assumed all cute and fuzzy things belong to him (cats included). But, boy, was he dissapointed when I told him "No!" and put Eeyore back in the box. Then I realized we may have a problem here. Not only is Sullivan going to receive drastically less attention from Mommy and Daddy, but the toys we bring home will no longer be for him. How exactly are we going to teach him to distinguish between his toys and the baby's? I mean, if they duke it out over a stuffed animal, who do you think is going to win: the 100-pound ball of fur and claws or the squirmy sack of flesh that can't even roll over? We are actively soliciting advice from those who have experienced this or similar situations.

In unrelated news, I went to the doctor Monday. My uterus is slowly inching its way toward my belly button and the baby's heartbeat is at 155. Though I'm not gaining any weight, the doctor said it's ok because the baby is a parasite that will take what it needs. That was oddly comforting to hear. We go for the ultrasound on August 14. Sullivan has no idea what's going on, but he's been especially paranoid and protective lately for some reason. So maybe he's not so dumb and he really was staking his claim on Eeyore before the competition shows up ...

Baby's first plane ride

Tomorrow the baby will take his/her first plane ride. Janice heads to North Carolina to do research in county courthouses around the southeast portion of the state. While she's not thrilled about traveling (especially with an extra "passenger"), there was travel money to be spent in her grant budget and that's part of life as a researcher. Please keep both Mommy and Baby in your thoughts and prayers this week. They'll return to Auburn on Friday afternoon and hope to talk Daddy into taking them to see the new Harry Potter movie.

Signs of Progress

Ok, so things are slowly taking shape - literally. My belly is starting to develop the distinctive bump. I can still wear most my pants, if they're low-waisted, and you can't really see the bump unless you're really looking for it. It's still an exciting thing, though; physical evidence that there's another life in there. As for the nursery, we're slowly converting it from a storage room. As you can see from the picture, the mess has become a little more organized and mostly confined to boxes. We don't really have a design "theme" picked out for it or anything, but we have started to collect things to decorate the room with. Anyway, just thought y'all might like a quick update. Keep us in your thoughts!