Unsolicited Advice

So I've read in a few books that strangers love to 1. touch a pregnant woman's belly and 2. give advice on pregnancy and/or parenting. Apparently now that I'm large and in charge and the belly is more obvious, I've received my first piece of unsolicited advice - from a very unsuspecting older gentleman who I would never think would want to sit and chat with me for 10 minutes! Apparently he was a former lamaze coach and is very knowledgeable in this area - this from him, not me.

His advice:

1. Don't chew gum! He tells me this while I am of course chomping away at the piece in my mouth and I feel obligated to spit it out in my hand and throw it away despite enjoying it ever so much. Apparently it produces acid and disguises my hunger, keeping me from providing my little one with the nutrients she needs. He was shocked and appalled that my doctors did not tell me this right away. Interesting.

2. I'm not "eating for two" but "drinking for two." Now this gentleman was of foreign descent, so I had a hard time following what he meant by this, but I think he was telling me to lay off the food and stick to healthy beverages. But, I'm not sure if he was trying to sell me one of his fruit smoothies since I was in his shop or telling me to lay off the food because I'm bigger than I should be! Who knows.

3. Lastly, he told me to roll the balls of my feet on a ball every night to help alleviate back pain. He said it would help relieve some of the pressure that can build up as you get bigger in your pregnancy. He also advised to tell "whoever did this to me" to massage my feet. So, this one piece of advice I will listen to and tell that man called Hayden - the one who did this to me - to massage my feet every night - Mr. Smoothie-man's orders!

I have to say that as uncomfortable as this conversation was it was quite entertaining and I just had to share!

Baby Kelly - 24 Weeks

Well another appointment down and things are looking great! We're officially 24 weeks now and at this appointment the doctor went over the results of our last ultrasound. Basically there isn't much to report, which is great news! Our lil girl is healthy and growing along just as she should be. Everything is in order, her heartbeat is strong and healthy and her genetic tests came back normal. Overall it was a great appointment and we're happy to know she's healthy!

The only thing the doctor was worried about was big ole mama! Apparently I'm growing at a much faster pace than I should be and she was a bit concerned. I haven't gained much weight until now, so she thinks I could just be playing catch up. But if I continue to gain this quickly, she'll want to review my diet with me. So, I've cleaned out the freezer and all of the ben & jerry's is now gone! HAHA. One little tidbit I forgot to share with the doc was that I do indeed indulge on the sweets. But geez, when you crave it, what can you do! Hopefully we won't ever have to discuss my diet, but we shall see. Other than the ice cream, I eat pretty healthy, so all should be fine.

Until next time...

And the Registering is DONE!

We're finally registered and have our registries all done! I had no idea how exhausting registering could be and thought it would be full of fun and excitement. That darn Babies R Us is one big store and full of so much stuff to look at and try out. Whew!

Luckily I did a lot online and didn't have much left to do, but man oh man was I tired. I think Hayden was toast as well, but we made it through and it's all done. I am pretty sure we've got everything on the list we're supposed to. Much thanks to Jenelle for reviewing our list for us and providing much needed advice on what we needed and didn't need.

And done.

*We're registred at Babies R Us, Target and Amazon.com

Is This Movement?

So, it's week 22ish and I've been told I'm supposed to feel the baby move by now. But what exactly is it supposed to feel like?! I just imagine it's a kick or something very recognizable, but I'm also feeling some odd muscle spasm type feelings. Could this be her moving? I have no clue - I've never done this before!

I turned to my trusted book and it tells me everyone reports something different. So that said, I'm going with it and saying that's her! Hopefully she'll soon really show me she's active, but until then I'll take these odd feelings as her first movement.

Tour de Hospital

So, because this is my first baby I have absolutely no freakin idea what I'm doing. I figured my doctor would prep me as much as necessary and tell me everything I need to know - even without asking! Luckily someone told me otherwise and let me know I don't have to wait for my doctor to tel me which prenatal classes are available and I can actually find them on my own - what a concept!

I finally went online and found the list of classes available. Little did I know most of them don't need to be taken or aren't recommended until about 4-6 weeks before the due date. Don't they know I'm a planner and want to take the classes NOW?! I'm sure though that it's more useful and the info will stick better when you're closer to delivery.

But I did find there was a free tour of the Mary Birch hospital where we will be delivering. This one didn't tell me when I "should" take it, so I signed up! What a great idea!

Not only did they provide a tour of the hospital - the birthing room, postpartum room, NICU, etc - but they had a physician's panel there to answer all your questions. Thankfully the class was full and lots of people had questions. I've realized I have a lot of questions, but never ask them because I don't know I have them! This makes sense to me somehow.

Anyway, the panel was great and provided some very useful information. But, the best person on the panel was the anesthesiologist! Hayden and I quickly fell in love with her and wanted to take her out for dinner to get to know her better! :) She was the sweetest, most calming lady I've ever met. I wish we could reserve her for our birth!! She could certainly make any mother feel at ease...I'm sure the drugs help to! So, fingers crossed she'll be there when we deliver.

Overall, we felt very comfortable with where were going to deliver our lil girl and happy to know we will be in good hands. It made me anxious and I wanted to give birth already!

First Trip to Babies R Us

So as soon as I found out we were having a girl, my decorating instinct kicked in and I started scouring the internet for nursery decor. I of course had to weed through all the pinks and pastels to find the patterns I really liked…which of course disappoints Grandma Miano who would probably have the room coated in pink and purple with frills and ruffles all over the place! But if you know me at all, you know frills are not my think. Not to say I don’t love the cute little outfits out there for little girls, but the frills scare me!

Now shopping online has its perks because there are endless options and you can spend hours on end finding exactly what you’re looking for. The downfall is you can’t touch and feel your purchases. That said, I made my first trip to Babies R Us as an expectant mother.

My first thought was “Yes! I finally get to park in those front spots marked for expectant mothers!” Although the lot was pretty much empty, I still didn’t park there. I find it difficult when I don’t look too prego just yet. Anyway, as I entered the store, I had one agenda…Bedding! But of course walking in I’m immediately hit with an overwhelming feeling of “oh crap, I’m actually having a baby!” thoughts. And I instantly forget what I was there for, who I was and that I had a brain. I kept walking in circles around the story and roamed aimlessly for almost 20 minutes! I think the employees there asked me if I needed help about 10 times. Little did they know I needed all the help I could get, but of course said no.

I finally made my way to the bedding section and didn’t find one thing I liked. Now this could be due to the mood I was in or the fact that they have the worst selection ever. So I figured online would be the way to go for my bedding purchase.

I continued on to the stroller and car seat section, quickly exiting when I realized I have no clue what the best model is or event what I need – a car seat, a stroller, a travel system, an extra base, all of the above??? I finally made my way to the clothes section – a section I am comfortable with! I refrained from buying every outfit in sight, more so out of fear that I’m actually going t have a little person to put in those clothes than to save a dime.

So my first trip resulted in a little shirt saying “It’s no secret I’m daddy’s girl” and an ultrasound picture frame. I left the store with no bedding, nothing all that useful, and a feeling of anxiety that I’m so not ready to be a mom. Needless to say, I have a few more months to 1. accept I’m actually having a baby and 2. to get comfortable with that store! I’m committed to creating a list next time I go in to avoid walking in and roaming aimlessly.

To all those who have conquered Babies R Us, my hat is off to you!