Moving at a different speed in Iowa

These days, I am moving at a different speed of pace. I am enjoying my days off of work and away from germs (since quitting my teacher's aide job); although, somehow have managed to get a head-cold which is wearing me down significantly. Seems that I need plenty of fluids and sleep.

I get up around 4am each day with Mike and have breakfast (because by 4am, I am normally QUITE hungry) and then, when he leaves for work around 5am, I am able to go back to bed for a few more hours before waking naturally on my own. By then, I am hungry again, too.

The cats have a whole new routine, as well, which is to avoid the dog as much as possible. They really do not enjoy spending much time outside of the bedroom and find that UNDER the bed is their new favorite spot. During the day, when the dog is gone and we have the house to ourselves, I like to lock them out of the bedroom so that they can explore and get used to the sounds of this house. They did discover that the screened-in porch on the back of the house is rather nice though. With temperatures rising into the high 30's by the weekend, we may just have to "step outside" so that we can all get a little fresh air. (They enjoy rolling and stretching on the cold concrete, for some odd reason.)

This week, I have been to church a few times for coffee hour; although, I do not drink coffee, nor do I really know anyone, but the invitation was there and I had nothing else going on. Indeed, that is the life of a retired person, for sure. I don't know that I can get used to that yet.

Pace of life is different in Iowa. It seems that people do not drive in such a hurry and I am finding that people wave as you drive down the road. (MUCH friendlier than in Minnesota.) This weekend, we are talking about going on a date to the movies to see the new release NEW IN TOWN, starring Harry Connick Jr and Rene Zelwegger, which is "set" in New Ulm, MN. (I wonder how many times I will have to go to the bathroom during the movie...)

The dial-up modem is also slowing me down a bit.... I am finding out how spoiled I am and how much I enjoy surfing at high-speed. All in due time, we will have a place to call our own again and will be pampering ourselves with high-speed internet, cable and unlimited telephone useage again.

Baby must be growing. Baby book reports that it should weigh A WHOLE POUND (or more) by now! Movements are becoming stronger and stronger. In bed at night, I can place my hands across my belly and feel thumps in various locations. Sometimes, I try to let Mike feel, but it must be movements on the inside that I am feeling moreso, since he isn't able to feel a whole lot yet. From the sounds of it though, he shouldn't have a problem much longer as baby will become stronger and more active. I can report LOTS of pressure on the bladder again so, position must have a lot to do with that. There are still days when I feel very little movement and others where I swear that there are aerobics classes going on in there.

I am enjoying pregnancy. It is a little more challenging to suffer through a head-cold without medication, but other than THAT, some belching/burpring and a little swelling in my badly veined left ankle, I really have no complications or problems to report. Belly still is not big enough to keep the maternity pants securely in place so, I must tug at those quite a bit - or else walk on the pantlegs moreso than I would like.

Better get on with my day. I have a lunch-date with Mike.

Counting down...

I AM COUNTING DOWN...

THE HOURS left to work as a teacher's aide (8:20am-2:20pm TOMORROW ONLY!) I am immensely looking forward to baby Sydney hearing mommy talk in a normal tone, instead of yelling on weekdays:

• WALK!
  
• Don't throw snow!
  
• We don't tackle our friends!
  
• Slide down feet first!
  
• Swing on your bottom, not on your belly!
  
• Keep your hands to yourself!
  

THE ITEMS left to pack up as we prepare our move. (Kitchen and bathrooms are pretty much all there is left to pack and the modem and cable box will be dropped off tomorrow after work.)

THE QUARTERS we hope to save by not having to pay for doing laundry. We are REALLY hoping to have our own laundry facility, especially with the baby coming and the forecasted increase in dirty laundry.

THE MILES that will separate us from our family. Instead of 352 miles (6+ hours) to the place Mike calls home in Iowa, we will be approximately 35 miles. Instead of 414 miles (8 hours) to the place I originally called HOME in Wisconsin, we will be only 163 miles (just 3 hours) away. Sounds like this will be a GREAT MOVE for us!

THE DAYS before we get to meet Baby Sydney. (Just 128 days until the estimated DUE DATE. This pregnancy is nearly 55% complete. AMAZING!)

YEP, we are counting down....

21 weeks: TaeBo class in my belly

HOLY COW! Yesterday, I think there were a few sessions of Billy Banks TaeBo classes going on inside of my belly!

It was not the typical light tapping - described by many prego's as butterflies flittering or goldfish swimming around - heck no, this was some all out jabs and kicks. (It was actually kind of funny... what an odd sensation!)

Baby Sydney sure was a mover and a shaker yesterday! Guess we'll see what today brings now that we are officially 21 weeks. 

Baby book says that 21 weeks brings the baby in at 11 oz. and measuring 7 inches long from crown to rump. (One week ago, Sydney measured in at 11 oz. so, most likely bigger now.) 

At 21 weeks, Sydney is practicing swallowing and digestion, consuming amniotic fluid. Arms and legs are finally in proportion to the rest of the body. Neurons are connected between brain and muscles. Cartilage is now turning to bone. All of this advancement means that baby has lost the jerky twitches - gaining coordination. 

Hmm, no wonder I'm starting to feel more and more these days!

EDIT: Posted belly pic from yesterday (20wk06d)... not the most flattering at all. HEY, at least it looks more pregnant than beer belly, right? Doesn't it? Yeah, we'll go with that...

POISON: Giving up tea!

Oh, my goodness!

Grandma Carol had sent us some tea a while back. Tonight, Mike decided to have a cup of the CALM your mind BEDTIME tea. Turns out, he didn't like it so, he gave it to me.

I later asked him which one he tried because after drinking half a cup, I did not really care for it either because it left an odd after-taste on your tongue. I looked at the box and noticed the warning on the box.

EEK!

WARNING: Not to be used during pregnancy or while nursing.

Looking at the ingredients, I decided that it MUST be the "organic skullcap leaf" that is bad for the baby because that just sounds BAD. So, I kind of freaked out that I had poisoned the baby with toxic drink.

Mike tried to assure me that it will be fine, especially since I had only 1/2 a cup.

Poor baby Sydney! SO SORRY to do that to you! I vow to be more diligent at reading labels from now on! Think it is best to give up (most) teas right now. Better safe than sorry, right?

Our baby's new blog header - WITH BABY NAME!

Grandpa Lowell admitted (via email) that he really likes to scroll down the blog to the older post so that he can see his upcoming grandbaby's ultrasound pictures. With that, I thought it was finally time to create a customized blog header for the baby.

Grandpa Lowell also prefers NOT to know the sex of the baby until the big day so, we're hoping that he isn't overly observant as far as what color (a dead giveaway) we seem to be buying, especially since we'll be living with him temporarily until we find just the right place to live in Iowa.

However, since we picked a uni-sex name, it IS safe to reveal the name of our baby.

Drumroll, please.....

SYDNEY

(Sorry, can't tell you the middle name or else it would give away the sex, for sure! Granted, we are still aware of the fact that they CAN be wrong in their predictions.)

Sydney is Grandpa Olson's middle name. He, my father, inherited that name because his own father (my grandfather/Baby Sydney's great-grandfather) was named Sydney. I believe that the name Sydney goes back one generation farther, but I would have to check the details on the family tree to confirm that one. (I never met my Grandfather Sydney because he died when my dad was in high school, but I hear that he was quite an AMAZING person!)

And so, you have it! Baby HeShe has a name! (Now, Mike just has to practice saying it... sometimes, when he talks to my belly, he slips up and says CINDY instead.... good thing we have time to get that one down pat before baby arrives.)

Enjoy the new blog header from the 19wk04d ultrasound while we all wait to meet Sydney!

20 week update (still at x + 9.3)

Just wanted to give an update from our 20 week appointment. I weighed in at x + 9.3 so, I did NOT gain this past month at all. I sure do feel hungry a lot of the time though. There are days when I look at the clock and exclaim "I just ate an hour ago!"

At 19wk04d, we had our ultrasound. At that time, they calculated that baby weighs 11 oz. and measured in at a size for 20wk01d. They were not willing to change any dates so, we're guessing that it will just be a big baby?

According to the baby book, it weighs about 1 ounce more than suspected for 20 weeks. From crown to rump, the book says it should measure about 6.5" long. It's upper leg measured about 1.5" long during the ultrasound.

The U/S report indicated no problems. It did state that they did not get an image to rule out cleft palate so, we're hoping that it is not a problem in the end. We're really not sure if they typically do another ultrasound before delivery day. Turns out, halfway through this pregnancy, we'll need to find a new doctor all over again!

A new doctor is the least of our worries right now... we need to find a place to live even more! It seems that the clock is tickin'!

Moving... to IOWA!

So, not only is the baby moving... but WE ARE TOO!!!

Mike got the confirmation today that he got a promotion to a store in Iowa so, we'll be about 30 minutes from Grandpa Lowell's house and will be 3 hours to Grandpa & Grandma Olson's house.

That's GREAT NEWS and we are quite happy with this! (Especially since we should theoretically be able to stay there for up to 3 years or so. Better that, than to be told that you have to move to somewhere you'd prefer not to live in order to get the promotion.)

Grandma Olson is kind of excited that she'll be close enough that if I call to tell her I am in labor, she has a good chance to be able to get there for the birth. (Not sure if she would be able to be in the delivery room with us; she did have to leave the room when I got my ears pierced.)

Exact timeframe for the move has not been determined yet. We're just glad to finally have confirmation! (We do know that we have 45 days from his start date at the new location to move if we want the company to pay for the Uhaul and gas.)

Weighed in at 11 oz, measures a few days larger

Our ultrasound was today (19wk04days). They took measurements of femur length (about 1.5" long), head circum., abdomen circum., and looked at major organs: brain, kidneys, heart, stomach, bladder. 

Baby weighed in at 11 oz. and according to measurements, they calculated it to be sized at 20wk01day old (or else just a little bit large for 19wk04day).

Grandpa Lowell doesn't want to know the sex until the birth, if possible, so we'll try not to post information on that on our baby blog; however, many of you know the guessed sex (via email).

At first, baby's head was on my left side. Then, a little while later, she measured the circum. of the head on my right side. I questioned "I thought you said the head was over here?" to which she replied "Yeah, well, it moved. Head is over here now." Amazed, I didn't feel a complete somersault... only felt minimal flutters.

Kind of cute, while she was poking around with the ultrasound wand, all of a sudden, a foot pressed up. She tried to catch a picture of that for us. Baby also kept putting a hand up near its face. She did manage to capture 4 visible fingers while the thumb was tucked under she predicts.

All in all, it was pretty cool.....

Video Clip: Baby belly 19 weeks 2 days

Sorry that it cropped off the lower portion of the viewing area... when I was filming it, I could see SO MUCH more belly at the bottom of the screen, but it must crop to a different size for video editing and viewing. (Will have to keep that in mind for next time.) I have never used iMovie before so, this was a trial run for me. Bear with me... maybe we will be able to post some ultrasound clips Tuesday... cross your fingers!

UPDATE: Mike took one look at the video clip picture that is posted and said "That picture makes you look like a goofball." I had to explain that it is not a picture, but that it is a frozen still from the video clip. I do agree that it is NOT the most flattering still shot though... He also teased about the clarification of "19 weeks and 2 days pregnant".

Hey, what can I say?

Photo: 17 weeks vs. 19 weeks

I am still thinking that I am "not that big"... especially when I see some of the other ladies that are due in May 2009 and have posted photos of quite large bellies. Perhaps, they started out larger to begin with.

I still struggle to keep the maternity pants in place, as my baby belly (or "beer belly" as Mike likes to call it) just isn't big enough yet. Baby HeShe is growing amazingly fast now so, I am guessing that my size will also start increasing rapidly.

At 17 weeks, in the pink shirt, I attempted to take a self portrait in the bathroom's medicine cabinet mirror. The striped shirt is one that Mike took of me yesterday - at exactly 19 weeks. That was taken early enough in the day that I did not feel so bloated yet. (By evening, there are days that I have tremendous strain on my lower abdomen... perhaps growing pains?)

I now have a cat in my lap... think that is my signal that it is past my bedtime. Sweet dreams!

Struggling with excitement in the New Year

Struggling with excitement here as we wait for word... as far as a job promotion and transfer that would bring us 35 minutes from Grandpa Lowell and just 3 hours from Grandma and Grandpa Olson. On our way home from our late Christmas celebration in WI, we went home via Iowa so that Mike could interview on Tuesday afternoon.

We also spent some time looking at two VERY DATED apartments and 3 older homes for sale and are trying not to put the cart before the horse, but in the same respect - know that there is potential to be relocating QUITE QUICKLY and that we would be best to know what we have for options.

Mike just left for work. I told him "if only we knew something, I would have had you get the boxes out of the rafters in the garage and I would have started packing today since I have the rest of this week off of work." Instead, we decided that I could probably just pack up the Christmas decorations instead.

If he DOES get the job, we talked about me staying in MN for a while so that I could pack in a less-rushed manner. If possible, I would PREFER to keep it the least amount of stress and trauma for the cats... something tells me that they would NOT like to be quickly moved to a house where they are chased by a small dog (Bishop) and then, move yet again when we have an apartment or a house to move into. (Cats truly do NOT adapt well to change like that.) We are stuck in our lease anyways so, I may as well keep working and making a little money while I pack. 

SO, WE'LL SEE.... at this point, I think that we are NOT the only ones who are excited about the potential move - closer to home. (My mom and I are excited to be that much closer to each other as well!)

Grandpa Lowell has already expressed that he does NOT want to know the sex of baby HeShe until He/She is born. We're thinking that if we end up living with him, it would be difficult to keep the secret since we will continue to purchase items for baby and either pink or blue will eventually give us away... and we may slip up on the baby name. Time will tell...

On our drive home yesterday, we stopped at the mall in Mankato, MN to stretch our legs and we bought our first official baby clothes there. On the clearance rack, there were some fleece one-piece outfits for $2-something each so, we bought a few of those for next fall/winter. Mike also wanted the little white dress shirt, dress pants and tie outfit for 2009 Christmas pictures if HeShe is a boy - and the little holiday partial plaid dress if HeShe is a girl. We figured that we "SHOULD" know the sex after the ultrasound this next week and that we can return the outfit that is not applicable since we have 90 days to return/exchange. For someone who does NOT like to spend money, he is certainly liking to look at baby clothes.... it is kind of cute! (Deep down, I believe that HE really DOES want to know the sex!)

If you ask him, Mike is predicting that HeShe is a girl. 

The Chinese Zodiac that compares our birthdays and the conception date also predict a girl.

Baby HeShe is moving more and more often so that I am able to feel it more frequently. This past week was an incredible boost in feeling all of the movement! (Must be because HeShe is getting bigger and more powerful in movements.) We're teasing that HeShe likes to dance because activity levels increased with louder music in the car. Also, activity increases after I have fruit juice or chocolate milk... baby HeShe must detect the sugars almost instantly!

We are growing with excitement all the time.... looks like 2009 will be an exciting year!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

8PM UPDATE: We had planned to have word on the promotion approval TODAY. Turns out that they are still waiting on approval... they have 4 out of 5 votes so far. Chances are, we'll know Monday. Then, in order for the company to pay for the relocation, Mike has 45 days to move (from when he starts there) so, we might be busy soon... KEEP YOUR FINGERS CROSSED!!!