As I have said before; PREGNANCY = PIN CUSHION

So I am home from my 3 hour visit to the hospital. Ugh. I also had the Rho Gam shot last October when I had a miscarriage and I was in and out of there so fast (except for the hour and a half I had to wait between the blood draw and the shot..... oh wait some of you probably have positive blood and have no clue what I am talking about!)

Rho Gam is basically a shot that a pregnant mom with negative blood type (I am O-) has to get at 28 weeks and again after giving birth if the child has positive(+) blood. (My Kid is O+) To protect any babies in the future. Something to do with the antibodies of the (-) blood attacking the (+) blood of the baby and something can go seriously wrong.

When I get it done (my insurance dictates that I have to get it done at the hospital outpatient) I have to get my blood drawn so they can make sure I have (-) blood, because I would really go through all this shit for a painful shot in the ass if I knew I was (+). Then wait for a specified amount of time (anywhere from 1-2 hours) and come back pick up the shot from where you got your blood drawn and walk to the other side if the hospital to ONCOLOGY where they administer the shot. And you're done.

Anyway, since I went to the hospital last Oct for the SAME shot I thought maybe they would just look up my blood type on the computer and we could skip the blood sucking, I mean, drawing part and just get the shot and go home. NOPE! I brought the Kid and he was as good as an almost 4 year old can be in a waiting room. ie. pain in the ass and climbing all over me.
While we were waiting the hour before the shot was ready, we went to the cafeteria at the hospital for lunch. Last time it was almost 2 hours, so we went to a park together so the hospital time was much shorter and the Kid was so much better behaved. So fun picking out crappy food only to find out they only take cash (no signs - anywhere!) I had to leave our food and go to the ATM in the hallway and got charged $3 more for the cold crappy food....luckily my bank reimburses ATM fees.

Thank goodness that is over with. Now I just have to look forward to all the needles during the birth!

No News is Good News

I didn't hear anything from my doctor's office this week. They said the results from my glucose test should be in in 48 hours. I am assuming I passed. I am estatic that I don't have to take the 3 hours test! I never had to take it before and hopefully never will.

Oh, and I realized I actually have 6 birthday parties to go to this June....but 2 I can't make it. So I have only 4 that I have rsvp'ed to.

If any daddy's read my blog - have a Happy Father's Day tomorrow! If you are a mommy, go ahead and give your man a squeeze. Mine is working all day and the Kid is SO upset that he can't give daddy the presents he made him in school and we hid away last week. I am hoping he can come home a little early and get his hugs and kisses. Tomorrow will be Hubby's 6th day straight working and he is supposed to go in on Monday too. ugh.

There is a lighting storm rolling over, so I must shut down.
Nighty night.

No More Needles, PLEASE

A quick post before I go collapse in bed.



The cable guy was here for almost 1 1/2 hours, but fixed everything that needed to be fixed...no charge! yeah!



Then I sucked down the lovely orange sugar water and headed out to my doctor appointment. They take the blood right in the office and most of the time I can barely even feel the needle. Well, this time it hurt! I even have a little bruise around the shot site.
Next is the Rho Gam. ugh. Pregnancy = Human Pin Cushion

Damnit! I had a bunch more typed, but my computer froze up before I could save it. Here is what I can remember until I fall asleep at the computer.

I also got to see the little peanut on the ultrasound today. Nice bonus. Everything is doing well over here. The Kid got blue exam gloves b/c he was such a good boy. The doc thought it was for him to pretend to be a doctor...but I told him since daddy is a detective he likes to pretend he is on a crime scene. He even has the detective jacket, handcuffs and magnifying glass at home. Too funny.

This was a long story, making it short, went to my mom's after the appointment. Didn't call my Gram. She freaked out and called my mom around 7:30 asking if she heard from me. She had been checking the driveway every 10 min to see if I was home. She was so worried. She thought I was sent to the hospital or somthing. Poor Gram. I feel so bad. And not used to this living with other people thing just yet.

Going to bed now...my huge body pillow is calling me. Tomorrow is the Kid's last day of Nursery school and I will need all my strength not to cry.

Trying to Keep Cool

• Yesterday was much lying around doing nothing. TOO HOT! Our pathetic little a/c units do not keep the whole house cool, but at least they are at least 15-20 degrees cooler than outside.

Closest shot you are going to get of me in my bathing suit.

We basically sat in the pool all afternoon again, and then went to my MIL to visit and have dinner. They have central a/c, very nice.

• Today was the Kid's 2nd to last day of school *tear* and we hit up McDs and some playtime in the airconditioned playplace of germs and came home and went back in the pool. This was day 3 of the pool water, so it was a tad slimey on the bottom. We emptied it out and will fill it back up tomorrow.

• I am so happy my friend is letting me borrow her big curved body pillow! I have been flopping around this last week with a pillow between my legs and another behind my back. I happened to mention to her today that I was going to order one and she said "I have one!" I am so excited to go to bed tonight...and Hubby has nothing to do with it! hahahaha

• This baby boy is being very stubborn already, just like his big brother. When you last read that the Kid felt the baby kick for the first time it was the only time he has felt the baby. Everytime I call him over and put his hand on my belly he just runs away and says "I already felt the baby!" And then, when the one other person in this house that wants to feel the baby puts his hand on my belly the baby totally stops moving. So Hubby has yet to feel the movement.

• Tomorrow we have the cable people coming to see why we can't get the Disney Channel in our bedroom. There is a box, but it's just a black screen. And since it has never really worked well in the living room (3 boxes later) that was the only place he could see his beloved Higgly's. And then...I have my wonderful 'drink the nasty sugar water' glucose test. Yeah! Good times. At least the doctor's office will have a/c. That is a requirement of where ever I go these days.

Can I Go To Sleep Now?

I think as we will be becoming a family of 4 in about 3 1/2 months I think I have caught something called donottrestaminuteitis. I seriously have been going non stop for what feels like a month. From my friend AndreAnna....


"So I go to these family events - Great Adventure, the boardwalk, this Air Show. And I walk a lot. In the heat. I have a good time and I try not to complain. I come home tired, but happy I was there and have those memories."


I think that is how I feel. I am happy that I have these memories. And now, that I have this blog, I won't forget them!




I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact I am trying to squeeze as much one on one time with the Kid before he has his little brother to compete with. mmmmmmmm.




I already told you all about going to Great Adventure on Thurs (but didn't get to post it until Saturday), because I was busy doing other stuff.




~On Friday we really didn't do much until the afternoon when I went to my mom's and dropped my car off at my step-dad's shop for the tire changing to begin. Thank GOD I have a mechanic in the family...can't say that too often.




~Saturday, my grandmother and I took the Kid to her church carnival they were having. It was tiny, but there was a bounce house and that is all that mattered. Luckily we were able to get there and he could bounce before the sky opened up and it poured on us.



~Sunday, my mom and I went to the street festival in her town. It was hot, it was crowded...but there were MANY bounce things, some even had slides. The Kid was in his glory.

Resting on my mom's chairs after our day at the street fair. Poor baby.

~Monday - school day - We had his little Circus Day. His school doesn't do a 'graduation ceremony'. They believe it would be silly to take the kids out of their element for a day or 2 just to practice standing in line and sitting still. Too much to ask of 3 and 4 year olds. I totally agree. Plus all of them have another year of a pre-school before they go to kindergarten anyway. So each of them put on a little performance with the character of their choice as a member of the circus. There were many tightrope walker, tigers, a puppy, a monkey, a vender and a clown. It was adorable and the Kid was SUCH a ham.

My own Magnús Ver Magnússon

My little Strong Man

Yes, I made his barbells out of a painted dowel and 2 Styrofoam circles. I am crafty like that.


After we went out to lunch with my MIL and grandmother (the rest of the family had to go back to work.)

~STILL Monday - I was able to get the Kid to nap for a couple hours after I went to Shop Rite. Not an easy task for a kid that has fought naps since last summer. It usually entails me driving around for at least 20 minutes anytime after 3pm. I succeeded. Why? So we could go to the Blue Claws game that night. We had been given free tickets from my step-mom that she won at an auction and it was a 7:05 game. We went with my friend that was at the Please Touch Museum with us....of course, we both forgot our cameras. Mine was still in the camcorder case from Circus Day. Argh!!! And I wasn't as mad because I am all about the blogging now and I wanted to post some pictures (which I really wanted too) ...but because it was his FIRST BASEBALL GAME EVER!


Of course there were bouncing things there too. So being in the seats lasted about as long as it took to eat a couple hot dogs. We left in the 5th inning after MUCH bouncing and it was already close to 9:30. *YAWN*


~TODAY~ We had a wonderful playdate with some of my very close friends. One of which is moving back to Texas in 2 weeks. We have known her and her daughter (just 6 months younger than the Kid) for over 2 years and we will miss them dearly. They have all of their family there in TX, so it is a bitter sweet move for all of us. Love you A!

Weekend Recap

Wow! What a beautiful holiday weekend we had over here at the Jersey Shore.

On Friday we went strawberry picking. They are starting to get mush already! I thought they would last much longer when you get them right off the vine. But they were much cheaper than the store, so it's all good.

Saturday we just bummed around and then went to the fireworks.

There was traffic galore coming down here on Sunday...thank goodness I was going the opposite way to my dad's house. My brother and my grandfather were also there visiting for my dad's birthday. The Kid is so lucky to have 3 GREAT-grandparents still around. We got some more stories from India. My brother said that they WORSHIP cows over there like you wouldn't believe. The McDonald's (yes, of course they still have McD's) doesn't even sell burgers in most parts of India. Families will never kill their own cows, they use them only for milk and cheese, etc. Most of the country is vegetarian, except for the few that will eat chicken and fish...but that's about it. That is how my brother lost about 20 pounds...mmmm maybe I should get over to India for my diet. Nah, I can't stand curry. Which they have tons of different types of curry over there and my brother loved every minute of it. Plus they swim all.the.time. So he always had his workout in too.

Yesterday was a little windy, but we went on a nice bike ride down to the little beach near us. It is awesome to know that I still have all the balance to ride around with the Kid on the back. We love the bike. And when I told him that this would be the last summer he could ride on the back he was not happy about it. Mostly because he is almost 40 lbs and that is the limit on the seat...not to mention next year the baby will be in it and he is going to have to learn to ride his own bike!

And now today. As I sit here looking out the window there is the trickle of rain. Not fun. But I guess it has to rain sometime. We really lucked out this weekend, weather wise. There is a hanging plant outside my window on the front steps and I am watching these 2 little sparrows flying in and out of it with nest supplies. I guess we will getting baby birds soon!

Belly or the TV?

The Kid felt the baby kick for the first time this morning!! I was sitting here writing a post about our trip yesterday (to be posted after I upload pictures later) and I felt some kicks around 5 o'clock- as I am looking down on my belly and my belly button being the middle of the clock and the kicks around where the #5 would be. I called the Kid in here FAST and held his little hand to my belly and the baby kept on kicking. His little face lit up and laughed, and then promptly ran back out to watch Jack's Big Music Show. Short lived thrill. I can't wait until the baby does those long stretches that you can actually see moving across the belly. I think I may get more attention than the tv by then. hahaha!

Is It Really Friday Now?

Wow. I really lost track of days this week. When I sat down at the computer yesterday I totally thought it was Friday when I posted the Friday Funnies.

The Kid went to his new doctor yesterday morning and all was well. The lumps have gone down so much they are almost gone. The Kid said the doctor was really funny and liked him. So I think we'll be happy there. And the big plus is that he is about 3 minutes away.

Did I mention that I also had an OB appointment on Wed?? Didn't think so. It was good. Good heartbeat, good blood pressure and I only gained about 2 pounds. Not too shabby. I also got to pick up my script for Rho Gam. For those of you who have positive blood, you are so lucky you don't have to worry about that. I have to go to the hospital between 26-28 weeks and get a shot, since I am O-. I have no clue what blood type the Hubby is, but the Kid is O+, so I have a god chance that the new kid could have + blood too. And if he is + then I have to get another shot after birth.
I also got my yummy orange sugar drink to chug before my next appointment next month. I am hoping all will be well again with the glucose test. I only had to do the 1 hr with the Kid, so I am praying I never have to do the 3 hr one.

It is a rainy crappy day here. Tomorrow (for real - Saturday) there is a cute fishing contest for ages 3-13 in a local pond and I am hoping the rain eases up a bit so we can go.

Ultrasound

So, yesterday at the ultrasound was awesome.

This little man was squirming all over the place. We could see him waving and moving his head and legs. It was amazing. And all is looking good.

For some reason I can't figure out how to crop the scanned picture, and it's pissing me off...but here are some pictures to put a smile on everyone's face. Say Cheese! Baby Boy!

It's A.....

BOY!

I don't have much time right now to write. But I wanted to let you all know. I'll write more later tonight. :)

May Day

May 1st? Seriously, today is May 1st?!?! That is the 5th month people, this year is almost half way over! Memorial Day weekend and the little thing we like to call around here at the Jersey Shore - Benny time - is only 4 short weeks away. Argh, the traffic is awful!!! Plus you have to go over one of 3 bridges in this area to go anywhere. Thank goodness they finally replaced one and it never goes up anymore.

I am halfway done with this pregnancy already. 20 weeks tomorrow. I am excited for the next couple days...tomorrow being the big one. :)

Boy or Girl?

And then Saturday the Kid is going to sleep over at grandma's and grandpa's house and Hubby and I are going out to dinner with some friends and have a house to ourselves before the grandparents come home on Sunday. Whoo Hooo! Will I still get up 20 times to look and see if the Kid has fallen off his toddler bed? Probably, and then go pee for the 100th time of the day. (We do share a room now until we get upstairs and we can get the poor Kid a twin bed and his own room.)

Today, while the Kid and I were still in our PJs at noon, Hubby decided to go out and mow the back yard since the grandparents are coming home in 3 days. I went out for a minute and the next think I know the Kid is running out of the house all dressed in shorts, t-shirt, sneakers and his sun glasses on and sprinted over to his toy lawn mower to 'help'. It was hysterical! Then when daddy brought out the weed whacker, he went and got his toy one. It was very cute. I had to run inside and get the camera. Don't you love how he matched his black shorts and his blue shirt...and it was not even that warm today!

I made him change into pants for Shoprite. Do any of your food stores have a little playhouse that you drop your kid in? Shoprite has Scrunchies and he LOVES it. And now we are heading to Chuck E Cheese for dinner. I know you are all jealous. But I will have some more pictures for you tomorrow! :)

Oh and for the love of Rolaids! I finally got some heartburn recently. With the Kid I had it from the moment I conceived, I swear...but just within the last week or so, at night when I lay down, I have been getting it bad. I found the most awesome product ever! Soft Chew Rolaids! OMG, they are like candy. I had to suffer through that chalky gross Tums everyday 4 years ago.

Countdown to Friday!

As you can see from my little countdown, this Friday, May 2nd is when we find out whether our new little bundle will be wearing all of the Kid's hand-me-downs or we will be going out and buying lots of pretty pink dresses.

I am so anxious to find out. That is why I could never wait until September and we actually see the real parts. I have no real desire to hear the doctor say "It's a ..." I just want to know what is coming and just pray that he/she is healthy.


We found out with the Kid as soon as we could. But the funny thing is, except for his tons of little blue clothes, we still did everything in the nursery pretty neutral (greens) so we could still use it if we had a girl 2nd time around. We had my mom and my MIL there to share in the news immediately. This time, it's just going to be us and the Kid. I am so filled with joy to see him get all excited about the baby. He asks my belly all the time "Baby. What time you come out?" And just recently he will talk to my belly and say "Baby, I love you." It is the sweetest thing. I think he is going to be a wonderful big brother. He does so much on his own already. He gets himself dressed, gets his shoes and coat on. Even tonight when we went to the diner he went up and paid (with my $20) and waited for his change all by himself ...and much more "I can do it myself" things...except clean up his own toys. So I am hoping this will be a smooth transition for him. He is a really flexible kid. He had no problem moving and adjusted really quick and really well.


They will be about 4 years and 2 months apart (as long as baby comes on time.) And the Kid will be going to 5 days a week (1/2 day) pre-K in September. So, by the time the baby is 1, the Kid will be going into full-day kindergarten. I am so happy about that. Since I was able to bring the Kid to all kinds of mommy and me classes and spend 4 years of 1 on 1 time with him, I am thrilled that I can spend the same 1 on 1 time with the baby too.


I have had a couple dreams that this one is a girl, but now I am feeling more boy. I really have no clue and I didn't with the Kid either.

So, Friday is the big day. I will keep you all posted....I just hope the baby cooperates and shows us his/her bits!


What do you think I am having? I know there is only the one picture on the blog of me, just go with it and guess. :)

Love me some Tivo

Yesterday was a pretty uneventful day. I made the Hubby go to our storage place and get my bike and the Kid's bike seat, our helmets, my lock, etc... and we went for a bike ride. I took the Kid down to the playground on the beach *brrrr* and he had a blast, of course. At least we had jackets and jeans on this time.
I figure I have a few more weeks of bike riding. The danger of riding while pregnant (especially with a kid on the back of the bike) is the loss of balance. I actually have very good balance. I had no problem riding. It was my legs hitting my little belly that I have that was obnoxious. So, I am going to have Hubby raise the seat a little so my legs don't go too high.
I can't wait to ride with the new baby next spring. I am hoping by then the Kid can ride his own bike and doesn't get too jealous that the baby is in his bike seat with mommy.

I couldn't sit and type this last night because it was Sunday...it was Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters night! Love them both. I normally Tivo them every week, but since we have moved Hubby hasn't hooked it up yet. We picked out that iO package where cable, phone and internet all come through the cable company...yes that OBNOXIOUS commerical with the 1/2 nekkid people on the beach singing the phone number (I HATE that commercial- if you don't know what I am talking about, consider yourself lucky). So anyway, Tivo needs to be hooked up through a phone line...a phone line we don't have. Hubby has to take time to figure out how to hook up the phone cable to the Tivo. Time he does not have since my grandparents are coming home from Florida in 2 weeks! WAY EARLY! We still have so much work to do upstairs, by 'we' I mean Hubby, of course. I will take some pics of the progress and post at a later date.
But lord I love my Tivo. I don't know how I lived without it before, and I hate not having it now.

I think this post is pretty much boring bable this morning. Sorry for that. :)

Goals...

I am so proud of myself.
I have been feeling so good.
I have finally kicked this head cold thing and/or allergies that I have had since February.
The weather is finally beautiful. AND I walked two days in a row!

Yesterday I went and walked for 20 whole minutes while the Kid was in school. And then today I met a friend at a nice park that has a path and walked with her for about 30 minutes. Then the kids got to go crazy in the park. It was a blast.

I am going to try really really hard to keep up this momentum and keep walking at least 30 minutes a day at least 5 days a week. I'll spill, I was about 180 when I started my 1st pregnancy and I started out this pregnancy 20 pounds heavier than I did the first time at a whopping 200. And I can't kid myself, that isn't baby weight at all. When the Kid was around 7 months old I started going to the gym and running almost everyday. I lost 30 pounds in 3 months, I got to about 170. And I wasn't even watching what I was eating. But then the warm weather rolled around, I got bored with the monotony of the gym. I kept telling myself I'd go run outside. Then it got hotter and I got lazier. That 30 pounds came creeping back up on me in the last 3 years. Now you know why there have been no belly shots. Maybe when the belly is more tight and looks like I am pregnant and don't just have a huge beer gut, I may take a couple pics...maybe.

I even joined a great running class a couple years ago and started running again, doing a few 5K's and lost a little, not much because I didn't run enough between classes, and I didn't watch what I ate. I did join sparkpeople.com and for about a month around my 30th birthday (Jan. '07) I tracked everything I put into my mouth, and lost 10 lbs in that month. And I wasn't even doing any exercise. Can you imagine what I could look like if I had a little more self-discipline by eating well and exercising? ...well, I know you can't see me, but you know what I mean. Then the tracking of food online got very time consuming. And I stopped. And those 10 lbs came back too. ugh.

After this baby is born, I am going to try weight watchers. I've never done it before. I have never heard of a failure, unless the person let it be a failure. Anyone I know that has actually followed the program and stuck with it has lost weight. I am going to get back into running and I just pray I can stick with it. I know I would do so much better with a partner. I know my friend the Modern Matriarch wants to try out a 5K and I am hoping we can do one together next spring. :) It really is so much better to get out there when you have support.

One of my long term goals...maybe in 2012 or 2013...I would love to do the 1/2 marathon in Disney. There, I said it, it's in writing. Someone needs to email me 5 years from now and ask if I did it. And I hope I can say YES!

Let me know some of your long term goals? Do you have any? Short term? Think about it.

My Big Kid

It's time to reminisce about my baby. I was going through a bunch of my old pictures last night and feeling so sad about the baby I don't have anymore. I now have a little boy, a preschooler, a big kid.

First Day of School

He will be 4 this summer and then become a big brother in Sept. For the first 2 years of his life I seriously thought he would be an only child. He didn't have colic, he didn't cry all the time but ... it was the mere fact that he was still getting up every 2-3 hours for 18 months to breastfeed! I decided I had to have my body back and stop. It took another month and a half to wean, but I got it done. I know it was all our fault. I moved out of our house for 2 weeks while we did some renovations on our house when the Kid was about 6 months old. I ended up co-sleeping with him and it was SO much easier to bf in the middle of the night if I didn't even have to get up!

I look back now and realize I could have had it so much worse. He was such a good baby, we just didn't know it at the time.

Now I get to start all over again. Gaining weight, labor, child birth, sore nipples, little/no sleep, diapers, first smile, first laugh, first steps, first teeth, first haircut, potty training, first day of school.

I seriously can't wait!

DSFB

Yesterday we went to see Dirty Sock Funtime Band. The ones that are on Jack's Big Music Show on Noggin. It was so fun...after the $4 popcorn and 2, $2 bottle of water - the SMALL bottles! Of course, my Kid wouldn't dance. I told him he could dance in the aisle with the other kids, but he tells me "I'm watching." And when he says watching, he means it. He wouldn't take his eyes off the stage. There were 7 guys in the band, 2 guitars, 1 bass, 2 singers - 1 of them wearing a pink crazy wig - 1 drummer and 1 guy that would either play the bari-sax or clarinet. He was rivited. Now he wants to make his own band.

But, at one point Mr Clown went out into the audience and came and stood on the empty chairs right in front of us. The Kid didn't like that at all, but would you??

He was a little scary close up.

Today was my OB appointment. The doctor tried to see if he could see boy parts or girl parts, but he just couldn't be sure. I'll just have to wait another 2 weeks.

Fun House Mirrors

Well, I did it. I took the bull by the horns. I sucked it up. I jumped into the deep end on a cold day. I bit the bullet.


I went bathing suit shopping. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

It's never fun for any woman. Why do they have to have such awful lighting? If it was better and make you look tan many more bathing suits would look better. And what is up with those mirrors? Don't they know if they are free standing and leaning up against the wall everyone looks skinnier? Haven't they ever been in a fun house?

It's even less fun for a pastey white pregnant woman who is over 200 pounds.


Not fun, my friends.


I looked online first, like I could EVER buy a bathing suit online. I was just looking at the styles at Motherhood and Target, b/c I know I could actually go there and try them on.

I picked Target. They had only 3 bathing suits styles on the rack and there were only about 5 of each style. Oh boy! I better pick one now or I am going to be stuck with the ugliest one left! Or *gasp* buying one online!

Now I know you are all thinking how brave I am to even own a maternity bathingsuit, nevertheless wear it in public. Well, I live a mile from the ocean and I have a 3 1/2 year old child that LOVES the beach. So it will be our second home this summer.


I found a cute one:

No, you will probably not ever see me in it. Like you will probably never see any belly shots. But it was a nice large bottom and had some great coverage on the boobage....although, I did switch the bottoms... shhhhhhh. I slid one size top with a different size bottom past the checkout girl. (Larger on the bottom, of course.) Don't tell Target. Half the suits I brought in the dressing room were all missmatched anyway, so I don't think I am the first one.

Baby Flips Out

It's official! As I was sitting here this morning reading another blog of someone else's birth story I started feeling my little peanut doing back flips! It was the coolest thing ever...well except for my son's back flips, but now he just does those off the couch.
yeah! Now I just can't wait until we can feel him/her from the outside.

I had a whole post in my head last night while I was in bed. I was actually laughing out loud while I was thinking about it. But, alas, it's gone. I need to get that notebook.