Data Info

Ill let you in on a little secret: these weekly photos are part of a bigger project. Each week, Ive been writing a note to baby about what has been happening. Week 15, I had gotten ready for my photo - showered and blow dryed my hair - and Mr. Fix-It shared that hed been thinking that he wanted a page in babys book. I couldnt resist: such a sweet request! So, I apologize, you dont get to see my lovely face. But, you know, our kid deserves a book with both parents included, right?

Since were mixing it up this week, heres a little Q&A often found on baby blogs:

• How Far Along: 15 Weeks!
• Weight Gain: 3-4 lbs. Amen.
• Gender: Not finding out (Think we can do it?)
• Movement: None yet, but I sometimes feel "pressure" which Ive been told is likely my uterus shifting. 
• Sleep: Not bad. I definitely wake up about 2x per night to use the bathroom, and Im getting better about being a side sleeper. 
• What I Miss: Occasionally, wine. 
• Cravings: DRINKS! Not booze, but anything liquid. Once Im thirsty I need to drink immediately. Soda always sounds good, but I dont let into that one often. I try to push a lot of water. Milk, gatorade, chugs of OJ in the middle of the night, smoothies all sound amazing at any given moment. And guess what my favorite thing to eat is? SOUP. So, really, more liquid.
• Symptoms: None. I am crazy lucky.
• Best Moment of the Week: Realizing over and over that each day we get closer to meeting this baby!

Week 17 was my least favorite BY FAR. Anxiety is never pleasant. Anxiety about your baby and knowing theres nothing you can do - the worst feeling I could imagine.

Late last week I was at a conference. During one of the breaks I used the restroom. And discovered I was bleeding. I quickly called my doctor expecting her to tell me to go home, rest, and to call if it got worse or if anything changed. Instead, she told me to immediately head to the ER and ask for OB Triage. Thats when I started to get nervous. I grabbed my stuff and bolted.

I called Mr. Fix-It, and he decided he was going to meet me at the hospital. I got situated and a nurse asked me a bunch of questions about what was happening. Then nurse-in-training-Im-dumb-as-rocks tried to find a fetal heartbeat. She gently rubbed the doppler over my belly for what felt like an eternity. Reality: 5 minutes-ish. She could tell I was starting to get anxious, reassured me "this happens", and then I firmly suggested that it was time for an ultrasound. She pulled out the wand-thing and again began aimlessly moving it around. "My doctor pushes A LOT harder" I informed her. The first nurse came over, pushed the wand more firmly and POP! baby on the screen. I stared. Praying to see movement.

Baby started moving, and the nurse pointed out that babys back was facing out. She found a strong and steady heartbeat. THANK GOD. Then she did an exam and concluded that she had no idea what caused the bleeding. I took this as good news, but sometimes answers are nice. Ultimately, the whole incident was rendered a fluke and I was told that everything looked as it should.

I was unbelievably relieved, but also had terrible feelings of anxiety over the next several days. What if something really had been wrong? What if they missed something? What if? What if?

Fortunately, Im feeling significantly better now and I have a follow up appointment "just to make sure" next week. This motherhood stuff can really knock you for a loop, but it also keeps you focused on whats most important.

Week 34 made me realize how much Im slowing down! I spent a busy weekend with two of my best girlfriends and - ooof! - I was exhausted by the end of each day. It was great, though, we enjoyed a blissful spa day at the Trump and shared many yummy meals. Such a treat!



This week also brought a huge accomplishment - my last full week at work! This pregnancy is timed perfectly with a number of Jewish Holidays, with at least one day per week off between now and my leave. The mindset of getting through only partial weeks is making this homestretch feel incredibly more manageable.

Also exciting, our childbirth classes at the hospital started this week. We signed up for four evening classes spread over a month versus the one-day marathon class. So far, I havent learned anything new but its definitely helpful to review all the basics. I think the class made everything feel that much more soon - especially when it was recommended that we be truly prepared: car seat installed,  hospital bags packed, hospital pre-registration complete, birth plans, etc. The nurse repeatedly told us to think of the due date as a "due month" - baby could arrive any time between weeks 37-41. Eeep!

And perhaps you noticed this weeks photo looks a little different than some previous shots. We took maternity pictures! I cant wait to share them, but that will be a separate post. Im so glad we opted to take a few photos. I didnt feel the need to go too crazy, but I know it will be great to have a memento from this time in our life.

Did you take maternity photos?

Time just keeps chugging along! Im so excited that were REALLY in the homestretch!

Week 36 was great. On Monday, my co-workers had a little shower for our baby instead of our usual staff meeting. Our little one received lots of books and I got to show off photos of the nursery! The shower felt like a bit of a "goodbye", which I cant deny Im very excited about. The commute to my office is killer on a regular day, but in the 9th month of pregnancy Im just over it. Ive now wrapped up with my clients, and all I have left is paperwork. Im hoping that makes for an easy remaining two weeks!

Lately, it also seems that our little nugget is getting itself ready to head on out. I dont think Ill go into labor tomorrow, but someone has their head down looooooooow. Im not terribly uncomfortable, but sometimes when I stand up it takes a minute to adjust to the pressure. Im sure Mr. Fix-It loves watching me waddle off the sofa. Also, baby has had hiccups non-stop! Im glad s/he is practicing breathing. A pretty important skill, no?

At 36w 3d we also had our final ultrasound to get a measurement on the placenta. According to the techs, it looks like babys head is already so low (told you so) that it is past the placenta. This is great news for a natural birth, but my doctor still needs to review the ultrasound. As of now, we feel like weve got the green light to go ahead without scheduling a c-section. However, I meet with my doctor again next week and shell make the final, final call.

(Side note in the gender guessing game: A nurse at my doctors office told me my belly is "100% girl". I laughed and told her I agreed. Mr. Fix-It also insists he saw a little weenie during the ultrasound. Then he said, "Well, I guess it could have been the umbilical cord too". Im really DYING to know!)

Mr. Fix-It and I were able to squeeze in one last weekend getaway - a trip to his Aunt and Uncles lake house! Its always such a treat to visit, and we get to enjoy lots of time on the water and simply just relaxing. It was also mind boggling to think that the next time we visit well have our little munchkin with us!

This kid cracks me up. Seriously. This week we started our now-weekly non-stress tests. (Its a simple 30 minute test where two monitors are attached to Moms belly and babys heart rate, movements, and contractions are monitored.)


So, the funny part is that our baby LOVES to kick and push whenever pressure is placed on my belly. For the entire test our kid had a field day pushing and fighting the monitors. The nurse asked me TWICE to sit still because the belts kept shifting. I had to laugh and blame the baby. Sorry, kid! Youre FEISTY!

In other news, my observation of the week is that my food tolerance has shifted. Im noticing that complex foods sound completely unappealing. As in, the more ingredients in a dish, the less I am interested. An apple? Great. Yogurt with granola? Yum. A savory dish with all sorts of herbs and marinade? I couldnt even take two bites. I vaguely remember reading a reason why this can occur, especially as your body prepares for labor. Of course Im forgetting now, but I can tell you that if you offered me a bowl of chili I might dry heave a little.

As for this babys arrival? Your guess is as good as mine. Ive been feeling crampy here and there, which supposedly means my body is revving up a little. Now that this munchkin is full term, Im starting to get antsy. I fully realize, however, that were not at the finish line just yet and this little one will arrive whenever it is good and ready!

Week 31 shall forever be remembered as "The Week of Hormones".

Frankly, Im not someone who can relate to the idea of "feeling hormonal". Im generally unaffected by my womanly times, and Im not the kind of girl who would typically cry at a movie. So, when week 31 hit - WOWZA.

I literally dont know what came over me. But...

...Guy who honked at me when I was walking across the street (while I had the right of way)?
I wanted to slam my hand on the hood of his car.

...Mix up with my jeweler who was cleaning my engagement ring and wedding band?
It took the entire car ride to work for me to calm the effff down.

...Late for my doctors appointment due to traffic, and then Mr. Fix-It gets tied up and cant take me?
RAAAAAAAAAAAAGE!

...Mr. Fix-It acts grumpy over our dinner options?
I had to go for a walk outside before I could speak to him.

Fortunately, the crazies went as soon as they came. But SERIOUSLY, I was a legitimate mess. I actually now feel bad for people who self-identify as having a short fuse. Its no way to live! Week 31 also came with some positive things too: We completely and totally finished the nursery! I had another wonderful doctors appointment! And best of all, were one week closer to meeting this sweet little one!

Week 14 meant a trip to Mexico! When I turned 29, Mr. Fix-It asked me what I wanted to do for my 30th birthday. I told him one of two things: If I wasnt pregnant I wanted to drink lots of yummy wine in Napa. If I was, I wanted to go lay on a beach somewhere and do a whole lot of nothing. Obviously, you know how the scenario turned out - and we were off to Mexico at the end of April.

I wasnt too worried about traveling pregnant. The main thing I kept in mind was to stay away from the water. It wound up being fine and I never had so much as a tummy ache. Mr. Fix-It, on the other hand, wasnt so lucky and seemed to pick up a bit of a bug by the end of the trip. Better him than me!

We had 5 perfectly relaxing days that we spent at the beach and poolside. I did tons of reading and soaked up a healthy amount of sun. Around this time I was starting to feel that I looked a little pregnant, but some fellow Chicagoan travelers we met at the beach bar (virgin drinks for me!) were happy to inform me that youd NEVER know. Oh well, I was hoping to look less like a girl with a beer belly and more like a glowing mom-to-be. Ill give it a few more weeks.

Just before our trip to Mexico, I stopped using a progesterone supplement cream. Doctors prescribe progesterone for a number of reasons in early pregnancy. I was lucky enough (not) to have to use it during the entire first trimester. It wasnt too big of a deal, but coming off it was a nightmare. Over the past few years I came to realize that I have migraines tied to hormonal shifts. Guess what happens when you drop a daily hormone from your routine? Major, major migraine. It was the first time I felt truly awful during this pregnancy. I couldnt take my usual meds, so I had to suffer through. This meant vomiting from the pain and breaking down crying during a movie one night. Im SO glad that is over. And I tell myself that some women have said that their worst migraine was far more painful than labor. Fingers crossed. (Im sure Ill laugh at this in a few months.) 

Weeks 9 and 10 were complete opposites. Week 9 was a bit rough. For a combination of reasons, I couldnt sleep through the night that week. We had a bizarre heat wave in Chicago (in March!), I was getting up to pee all the time, I simply couldnt get comfortable in bed, and I found myself starving - not hungry, starving! - in the middle of the night.

Good news was, I didnt feel tired or lethargic during the day. More than anything, I just wanted to enjoy a good nights sleep. Oh well, it simply wasnt in the cards during week 9.

Week 10 was a breeze. I felt fantastic and was sleeping again. No more standing in the kitchen eating cereal at 4am! That week we also celebrated Mr. Fix-Its 33rd birthday. It was a nice change of pace to get dressed up and head out for the evening, because wed been pretty low-key over the past several weeks. Im not a huge drinker, but having a fancy meal sure does make you crave a good glass of red.

Oh! And I just remembered a funny story from around this time. Mr. Fix-It and I went out with friends for dinner and then made our way to a local bar. I played the, "Oh, I dont know what I want yet" card and then several minutes later sent Mr. Fix-It to get me a vodka sprite (hold the vodka) wink wink. I was proud of our covert operation until I took a GULP. Booze! Ugh. I had taken a serious sip. It was, in fact, the bar tenders fault. He had handed Mr. Fix-It the wrong drink, while my virgin-faux-booze sat on the bar. Sorry, little baby, it was an accident. Oh, and I should add, I then proceeded to chug gobs of water to dilute alcohol intake. Poor child.

Yikes! Ive fallen behind. Ill catch you up on the last two weeks as soon as possible. I know, youve been just dying of curiosity wondering what Ive been up to.

Week 30 brought another baby shower! This time, we celebrated with Mr. Fix-Its side of the family in Chicago. I cant even begin to tell you how simply gorgeous everything was - Ill just have to show you in photos soon! I will! Promise.


My Mom flew out to join us for the shower. It was a treat to show her the nursery and run lots of baby-related errands. Frankly, I cant imagine well ever need another thing but somehow we managed to pick up a few odds and ends. After two baby showers, some incredibly generous gifts, we might be ready to send this kid off to college.

As for me and the little one, things are still going wonderfully. Ive still been feeling some HUGE movements from our wiggle worm - suddenly this baby feels BIG. And of course, s/he is only going to get bigger! Ive heard from here on out, babies gain about an ounce per day or approximately a half pound per week.

Ive heard people say that the day they hit the third trimester everything changed. Week 28 definitely felt different. I felt a little more tired, a little more uncomfortable, had a little more trouble sleeping, and felt a lot more like I wanted to do things other than be at my desk at work.

To add to the list, when I got to my office on Wednesday morning I literally could not walk. I managed to shuffle to my desk, only to continue to feel worse. I had a terrible pain on the lower left side of my belly. As the discomfort crept around to my back I started to worry about preterm labor. I called my doctor, grabbed my things, and got checked out. Once it was confirmed that the baby was fine and I was not having any sort of contractions, I felt a million times better. But, I still couldnt walk properly (or stand upright at all) and when the nurse touched my left side I nearly jumped out of the bed. Their best guess? Potentially a kidney stone. Oooof.

Supposedly kidney stones are fairly common in pregnancy due to all the extra stress your kidneys are under. Since theyre working so hard (and you pee all the time), they simply arent as able to process everything as well as usual. As a result, in addition to the other discomforts of pregnancy, kidney stones make the list of things that are more likely to occur.

By Friday, I felt back to normal. It was blissful. Not only could I stand up easily, walk, and had no pain, but my complaints from earlier in the week had also disappeared. Im opting to call this a minor set back in a generally smooth sailing pregnancy. 

On to week 29!

Week 27 came with a fun milestone: as of July 26 I was officially 6 months in, with 3 to go! What else does this mean? Weve officially entered the third trimester. OMG!

Its been another great week, and things are moving along wonderfully. I used to think the baby moved a lot before, but now weve graduated to what feel like giant body slams. Its hilarious and also feels completely bizarre. I witnessed one via ultrasound ages ago: baby lifted its bum and then released its legs and bam! Little baby body slam. Now when it happens my whole belly moves.

Similarly, Mr. Fix-It has started poking/tickling the baby. Hell find a spot on one side, and then I feel movement in a completely different place. Again, hilarious and bizarre. I think those two are going to be a handful together.

Weve also been working hard on the nursery. As of now, were down to only 3 projects remaining!

• Refinish side table
• Choose lamp for side table
• Choose and install bookshelves

 Im so excited to share the final product! For now, heres a little peek at an arrival from this week:


P.S. Babys crib has a BREATHABLE bumper. In the bumper debate, I opted to go halfway.

Week 12 was an exciting one all around! Mr. Fix-It and I flew to Providence to celebrate my 30th birthday with loved ones. My parents threw a wonderful party and the weather was just perfect!

It was fun to share our baby news with friends and family - especially my sister! I had a small baby toy wrapped that I was going to ask her to keep until the babys arrival. When she opened it she initially looked annoyed, like, "Why are you giving me some dumb baby toy?" Then I asked her who she thought it was for. She seemed confused ("Why would you hand me a gift thats not for me?" was the look on her face) and then I told her it was for my baby. She was all smiles and excitement! Shes a funny one too, sometimes you just get a lukewarm reaction, but she was definitley thrilled. She quickly exclaimed that she "was going to be an Auntie!" and then asked if wed heard the heartbeat. So sweet.

The party was fantastic. It was great to see so many loved ones and have them share in our baby joy. Even though my Mom made it clear that it was a "no presents" event, baby still made out with some adorable gender-neutral outfits, toys, books, and stuffed animals! This kid is awfully smart, it already figured out how to swindle presents.

This week Mr. Fix-It and I enjoyed a little getaway to celebrate our 2nd Wedding Anniversary! It was a perfect trip - we got out of the city and felt like we were able to enjoy some quality time together before our little one arrives. We both snuck out of work a little early on Friday and headed up the west coast of Michigan. We stopped in one adorable coastal town after another, exploring and doing some light hiking.

My feat of the trip was climbing 200+ stairs during one of our excursions. At first I felt all, "Im so awesome for doing this" but then I got lapped by a 40w+ pregnant lady trying to induce labor. Oh well, I still made it!


Overall, things are still going wonderfully well and week 35 flew by pretty quickly! My office was closed Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday nights we were at the hospital for a breastfeeding and our childbirth class, and Friday afternoon we were on our way to Michigan. I can only hope time continues to move at this pace!

Tribute to Albert Woodfox
Angola 3 Political Prisoner

Each and all are waiting
Heart,
Spirit,
Mind.
Waiting for
the justice day,
Liberating Humankind.

Years forty three imprisoned,
conscious voice unarrested.
Waiting for
the justice day,
Liberty attested.

We will bring our warrior home,
gifted to the world,
Honouring
his justice day,
freedom flags unfurled.


Copyright©Tina Otito Tamsho-Thomas

While I was in Rhode Island last weekend, Mr. Fix-It was hard at work with nursery preparations. (My "pregnancy weeks" start on Fridays, so recapping each week is a little confusing. Technically he worked on the nursery during week 24, so Im posting about it now. Totally straightforward, right?) By now, youre likely wondering what in the world were doing in there. Finally, its a completely empty and painted room. Before, it was a major hodgepodge of office/guestroom/random storage. It feels so wonderful to have a clean slate in there! Now that Mr. Fix-It has completed his part, its my turn to have some fun: decorating! Thats a separate post for a separate day, though. More soon!

Pregnancy wise, things are still swimming along. Baby is a great little kicker and seems to be doing its thing. A few weeks ago I suddenly felt much bigger, but the feeling has tapered off again. It seems like I grow in spurts. I heard something recently about "popping" three times during a pregnancy - first when you get your little bump and your pants stop buttoning, then when you actually pop and have a noticeable bump, and finally towards the very end when youre sporting a serious basketball/watermelon as a belly. Im in phase two - for sure.

Of note, I realized I have had a pregnancy craving! GREEK FOOD. There have now been 3 occasions during this pregnancy when Greek food sounded better than anything on earth. It wasnt like a 3am pickles and ice cream sort of thing, but a definite, obvious, slather-it in-tzatziki-please moment. YUM.

Now, a few questions and answers:

• How Far Along: 24 Weeks! When people ask and I say "6 months" I feel so legit!

• Weight Gain: 8lbs and holding steady. Wondering if at some point Ill just explode. Hoping not. 

• Gender: Not finding out. And, as more time passes the more I honestly have no clue.

• Movement: Lots! Baby is a little kicker, and there are definite patterns to the movement. Its so fun to notice daily mellow times and active times - right on schedule!

• Sleep: Hit or miss. Im usually taking a few bathroom breaks in the middle of the night. My only complaint is that sometimes Ill get up and then be wide awake. For hours. Other nights I have no problem falling back to sleep. Overall though, I feel sufficiently rested and energetic.

• What I Miss: Being able to move quickly. I recently "ran" out to my car to close the windows when it was raining and I realized how long it had been since I was so speedy. Now, if I go from sitting to walking quickly, my stomach gets REALLY heavy and tight. I googled, supposedly those are Braxton Hicks contractions? Who knew!?

• Cravings: Greek food! Not often, but it has TOTALLY hit the spot a few times.

• Symptoms: I wouldnt say I have any "symptoms". The walking-fast-stomach-tightening thing is probably about it right now. And the being wide awake at 3am.

• Best Moment of the Week: Seeing how much progress weve made in the nursery!

Weeks 5 and 6 were smooth sailing. Some would say that it was too early for any real symptoms at this point, but I chose to believe that I was going to get an exemption from morning sickness and nausea. Lucky for me, that proved to be true! I reasoned that my history of "tummy troubles" rendered me as having already put in my lifetime dues of feeling sick and icky. Of course, thats not how these things actually work. A girl can hope, though, cant she?

There are a lot of things you assume will happen during pregnancy that I was finding to be not at all true. During this time I felt great - completely normal actually - and didnt have any major, obvious, everything is changing type feelings. I thought everything would be different - especially how I thought and how I felt. Wasnt I supposed to be hugging a toilet and super emotional? And craving things?

On the other hand, one thing I didnt entirely expect was an overwhelming sense of wanting to LOOK pregnant immediately. I was willing my bump to grow because I wanted it to seem more real, and I wanted the world to know. But when your baby is only the size of a sweet pea, you have to be patient.

I will confess that by week 6 I was rocking a Bella Band. This was pretty ridiculous. If you look closely in the photo, you can see the black layer peeking out. In reality, my jeans buttoned just fine and I had no signs of a baby bump whatsoever. In my defense, my jeans did start to feel uncomfortable by the end of the day (likely baby bloat) and I didnt want to squish the little munchkin. Mr. Fix-It rolled his eyes at me many times during this phase. Looking back, I cant blame the man. But I was just so excited!

With week 6 also came a significant milestone. At the beginning of the week the pregnancy was confirmed via ultrasound! The doctors wanted to be sure that the baby had implanted properly, and that the location of implantation was compatible with pregnancy. If the embryo was in one of my fallopian tubes the pregnancy would be considered ectopic and not viable. Also, it is possible to have a "chemical pregnancy" where the hormones are present (confirmed by blood work) but the sac is empty/an embryo has failed to develop. Even though I was not especially worried that anything would go wrong, it was a huge relief that everything looked great! We had a sweet little blob doing exactly what it was supposed to do and our very first ultrasound picture.

Do you know what this week means, friends? We are officially caught up! Im technically in my 19th week right now, and these posts recap the events of the previous week. I was starting to think we would never get here, but we made it!

After my not-so-favorite series of events last week, week 18 more than made up for it. On Thursday evening I was driving home from work and felt the baby kick! It was a quick, obvious little pop just below and to the right of my belly button. Then a few moments later, two more little kicks close to where the first one was felt. The next day I noticed a few more while sitting at my desk. Eeeep! The baby was really kicking!

Mr. Fix-It was also excited, but a teeny bit jealous that baby and I were getting to have such a fun interaction. He was in Boston for a few days last week and felt extra far away. I told him I didnt think hed be able to feel any baby kicks for a few more weeks, but surprise!, he was able to feel some just a few days later.

Something kind of not-awesome did happen this week. While driving to work one morning I got rear-ended. It wasnt bad AT ALL - we were actually excited about finally getting some work done on our slightly beat up bumper - but yeesh! This kind of thing makes you realize that you can do your best to stay safe and healthy but sometimes life just gets you. Thank goodness it wasnt worse.

All in all, things are great. Ive been feeling like myself - no crazy cravings, no real "symptoms", just a growing belly! Keep doing your thing, baby!