What's in a name?

Ok I had to bend over to see my toes.. but they look so far way!

I am surprised at how difficult it has been thinking about a name.

The only thing that seems solid for us is Gustave. Neil's Grandfather was Gustave and so was a great grandfather of ours. It's perfect and it goes so well as Gustave Rubin. But now what about a middle name? I ran across Cain... but I also liked a few other names for him... Sebastian or Rafael.. which oddly enough my cousins have named their little men.

How I can't wait for this little mini me to appear! He moves a lot in my belly lately and I got my first kick to the rib this morning! Heart burn is a normal way of life too, I suppose when I eat the muscles are so loose and he's so mobile that it's just a bad combination. There are days the antacids or even my prescription zantac don't help.

My joints are popping a lot more on the simple movements as of late. When I haul myself out of bed, when I pick myself up off the couch, just walking around my joints are just not what they were a few months ago. Again I suppose this is another one of the subtle indicators that someone's birthday is coming soon! I am finding it more and more difficult to get up (from bed, couch). I feel like a turtle stuck on her back... Neil occasionally will try to help me up, pushes me out of bed or gives me a hand off the couch.. it's amusing.

My feet are also taking a beating! They seem tender each day! Putting them up on the coffee table at the end of the day has been helpful, it does relieve some of the pains, but it's funny to have these "typical" pains... it's wild how different each pregnancy can be but how similar they are too. www.babycenter.com has been a life saver answering all the little questions.

We also started reading my textbook for hypnobirthing classes, ok I started reading the book... I give Neil the highlights. We start class 10 Sept which is a little later than we wanted but it was the only class we could get into. I am hoping for a drug free labor, but we will see when we get there. I am no opposed to the epidural, but I would rather allow my body to do as much of it as it can naturally (I can hear many moms laughing... that's ok). Bethesda says they will give you the epi no matter how far along you are in labor. The biggest thing I do not like about the epi is no walking around! :(

So what other funnies for the week... I look like i am smuggling a watermelon in my uniform, I will have to take a picture next week. Most of my maternity shirts are really pushing the limits. I feel very ROUND, this belly sticks out significantly and there is still more to come!!!

I also have developed a small shadow of a linea nigra, a dark line going straight down my belly. They say it goes from your belly button down but mine is above the belly button... my tattoo hides below my belly button. So far it's a cute faint line... badge of honor! (You can barely see it, and upon taking pics, i realized that it runs all the way up and down!)


He moves so much it's wonderful. He keeps me company all day!


6 Weeks to go!

33 Weeks! 7 to go....

Seven weeks to go, that's nothing! Or I feels like nothing. It's been hotter than ever outside and we have been getting frequent thunderstorms which I love listening too. I bump into lots of stuff with my belly as of late, as well as having trouble getting in and out of the car, reaching my feet to put my work shoes on, and getting off the couch. Par for the course though... I have been sick for the last week. I am miserable. I cannot breath, I cannot sleep well, I will not take medication (although I used afrin the other night so I could breathe a little while I slept), and the snot is in my sinuses and I can't just blow it out of my nose and feel better. It's miserable and I can't to any exercise either - I just do not have any energy... and I tire quickly. Not to mention the headaches. Neil gave me his cold I suppose, he was sick last weekend. I hear it's going around and everyone at work is sick too.. what can you do... nasty summer colds! I also hear that one of our Chief Selectees has Mono... not happy about that and I will be staying clear of her.

I switch my exercise from running to swimming over the last couple weeks. Started going to the pool on base in the mornings and it's a wonderful feeling to be in the pool. It's so very comfortable, and I can actually move around with such ease it's a total pleasure. So I should be swimming the rest of the pregnancy to help me keep moving! I can't stop moving, it would drive me nuts. I am still doing other calisthenics though too, squats, push ups, lunges etc... trying to stay as active as I can!

So getting to the good stuff, the baby is moving around a lot! He gets the hick ups about once a day or so.. it's kinda funny, except when it happens at night. He kicks a lot and feeling him is amazing, it's just awesome, I love just putting my hands on my belly and feeling his movements and how random body parts fly past. I try to talk to him a lot too, he seems rather responsive. Especially when Neil talks to him. It's super cute. I might read him a Dr Seuss book today...I hear that it will make them used to the stories before they come out! Hmm.. we will see right? Neil sang to him last night too, and he was dancing for it... it was super cute. I think the little man really recognizes his daddy's voice!

Work has been demanding as well... with the Chief's induction season going on and my new assignment, I have been having to work a lot of extra hours here and there to stay on top of things. In fact I have to do my evaluations this weekend on most of my guys... oh well, I just did not finish them during the week, what can you do? It's like having homework. Speaking of homework, I need to get back into college. I think when the baby comes I am going to sign up for a class, get back on track with my masters degree. I need to finish that up! School dropped me last year because of my inactivity. I took the whole year off because of my instabilities at work and home and mind. It's been a rough year and I hope it will end better than it got started. Still a lot of work to do around the house but well, what can you do. We will be hiring some help in the near future to get some more projects completed. We need to get the baby's room togheter soon, but it's not that big of a deal since he will be sleeping in our room at the start. So we are ready for him!!! I am so excited! I just can't wait to hold him and snuggle him in my arms.

I did have a night mare the other day though, I was at the gym and all of a sudden the baby was moving around and I could clearly see his hand and then all of a sudden there he appeared.. as if I had given birth right there in the girl's locker room... oddly enough Alisha was there... and then the baby had no face, and he was very heavy, like those stone babies from the tabloids.. or natgeo... but his arms were moving.. it was creepy.. it was very scary... woke me up in a huffy. The images freaked me out, it's amazing how the mind works. But it seems to me that my baby is fine and is in good health moving around in there. I am taking additional iron supplements (in addition to the prenatals and zoloft) and they help with my energy levels. Last couple weeks I have also been getting tingling in my lower lip.. I read it could be calcium.. but who knows.. I drank more milk and it seems to go away... so might be. The baby seems to be draining me of my nutrients more these days.. my nails are not even growing as fast as they were in the 2nd trimester. It's so strange! How much changes so quickly.

OK well off to start my day and prep this house for the small gathering I am having later.. I have a creative memories party this afternoon! Fun! But I wish more people were coming.. oh well... should be fun.. as long as someone shows up! ;) Have a wonderful weekend!

Three drops of pee and no GD!

OMG, just when you feel like you can't get any bigger!! I feel like a turtle stuck upside down when I am trying to get out of bed!

I had my doctor's visit this past week and found out NO GESTATIONAL DIABETES! I am so happy, but I am a little anemic and she prescribed me some iron pills to supplement. I also upped my broccoli and bean intake to try to help that along. My poo is black now though from the increased mineral in my system.. I know.. TMI.

What's more is sometimes little man sits on my bladder and I have to go constantly but then I get there, and it's only a few drops... it's kinda obnoxious but funny. You just have to laugh at these types of things, there is nothing I can do about it and I remind myself it's temporary.

This week really made me realize that I am probably going to have to lay off of some PT, particularly running I suppose! It's just causing too many problems with my sciatica nerve. But from talking with others, that might be a problem I will have the rest of the pregnancy. So taking it easy will have to be a must. Tylenol helps at least!

30 WEEKS and Red headed blueberry bushes!

Walking by the blackberry brush and lilies that are done for the season! (Thanks Cari for helping pick those bad boys ... they are still tasty!)


WELCOME TO WEEK 30 - 10 to go right?

Neil says 71 days till "the great escape" so I suppose we will see how that plays out as mother nature does her thing. Either that or he was sleepwalking - it was before 9 am. The body is so amazing. I have not had any stretch marks or stretching feelings lately so I am glad for that. I ran yesterday though for about a mile and a half and got some cramps in my lower right quadrant (of my abs/baby bump) but nothing to get overly concerned about. I am sure I just needed to drink more water and get some rest. But I am grateful, this little man moves

SO here's my 30 week bod. I have gained about 24 pounds I can estimate and I have a doctors visit this coming Wed to review my 3 hour glucose tolerance test and pick up some iron supplements. I had not done well on my 1 hour glucose test the week prior and Thursday morning this past week I went in for a test that should have taken three hours... but took FIVE! UGH. I got there at 0730, but they didn't pull my initial blood sample until just after 0800. So by the time the original results returned it was about 9am and I got to drink the glucose around 0920. It was rough. I had to drink two mini bottles of flat orange soda like substance, but one was warm and one was cold. The nurse had forgot to put two in the freezer for me, she only had done one. So I took the warm one first.... my throat was stinging from the sugar, my belly was hungry as I was fasting, and it was difficult to drink that much sugar in the morning on an empty stomach. I gagged and had to take it easy. When I got to the second bottle that was nice and cold it was easier but still.. I had to take my time and I had moments when I thought.. "here it comes, it's going to come right back up, if I puke I will have to do this all over again". But after about 10 minutes I got all the wannabe Fanta down the hatch and then drank some water. I was allowed to drink all the water I wanted, but I was so full of sugar juice that well... it was not happening for a while. Every hour for three hours the nurse stuck me with a small needle, same arm, same vein and drew a vial of blood. So I have four little holes dotting my arm, but she was stellar, there is no bruising so I don't look like a junkie. So Wed I find out. Fun.. let's hope for no gestational diabetes!

OK so that's not all the fun I had this week... Sage, my older cat, gouged my shoulder so I look like I was attacked by Wolverine. We will see how that heals. I think Fea, my younger sweetie pie, scared her as she jumped up to the couch... I just remember Sage looking back at me once he hit the floor in bewilderment at what just happened. A little blood a little hydrogen peroxide and some stinging but it's still healing. It's been three days.

So one more debacle for this week. We were growing blueberries in pots outside our front door. They would be in the ground but we have no garden as of yet in the back (as we had planned) and we could not agree where they should go. Sooooo we just left them there in teh front of the house. We had some pests come through and in my wisdom I decided to spray everything with a organicide. I must have not diluted it enough and well... now I have red-headed blueberry bushes. Umm.. to say the least we thought I had killed them first. But no, no, we left them there, the berries shriveled up, the leaves stayed red but as you can see in the picture, the green leaves are coming back. In two of three of the pots it looks like the plant will adapt and over come and ignore it's new red hue in the other branches. The leaves are still doing well so I guess it will be ok, but they look rather odd... as if something out of the willie wonka factory.

As for the rest of the greenery I sprayed everything else held up.. except for the cherry tree. Japanese beetles invaded it last week and left one leaf. Not sure if she will survive but well.. i bought it from home depot so as long as I can dig up the reciept, I can take her back and hopefull get an exchange, and next time use the Sevin like my mom recomends.

Well that's it in a nutshell this week. Chief Results came out yesterday so things should become increasingly interesting around here with work and well play. But I look forward to the season, as long as the other khaki quit treating me like a walking time bomb.. it's like the coordinators this year don't want me involved in anything because of my "condition". I am pregnant not dead! Damn it.... well either way... I will be out there making some new Chiefs, and worth while ones.

Oh PS got signed up for HypnoBirthing class finally.. I have to read the book and class starts in September.. More on that next week!

Have a great week!!!