This Week in Pregnancy - Week 22

Your baby now looks like a miniature newborn, checking in at 10.9 inches and almost 1 pound. Her skin will continue to appear wrinkled until she gains enough weight to fill it out, and the fine hair (lanugo) that covers her head and body is now visible. Her lips are becoming more distinct, and the first signs of teeth are appearing as buds beneath her gum line. Her eyes are developed, though the iris (the colored part of the eye) still lacks pigment. Eyelids and eyebrows are in place, and her pancreas, essential for hormone production, is developing steadily.

Shotgun Wedding

We were talking about possibly getting married for two weeks. We told my parents and they thought it was sudden but not a bad idea. Mom had meetings on the day we wanted to do it but we were going to work around them.

However, after more discussion, we decided it would be better if just Eric and I went. His parents couldn’t be there because I was not about to have his mother anywhere near my family and he didn’t want her ruining our day. I didn’t want to rub it in his face that my family could be there and his couldn’t. My parents were okay with it as long as we had an actual wedding later.

On Tuesday the 20th, we got our marriage license. We managed to get down to the building to get the license at exactly 2:22pm. It took all of 20 minutes filled with strange questions about who our parents were and where they were born. It was surreal and strange. Then we went to my grandfather’s heart appointment, where he, grandma, mom, Eric and I all shoved ourselves into an exam room to discuss his possible bypass surgery. We drove the nurse crazy. Grandpa did decide to have the surgery, though. All in all, a good day.

On Wednesday the 21st, I called every judge on the list to no avail. Except one. We made an appointment for 1:30 the next day. PROMPTLY at 1:30. The lady made sure to repeat that 3 times.

On Thursday the 22nd, we got up early to get ready to get married. Why the 22nd? Because 2/22 is an awesome anniversary. 2/22/2007 is even cooler. So, we got up early, got out and bought my ring at a store who’s address was 2220. If I thought the license process was surreal, this was just nuts. I was so nervous. Honestly, more nervous than I’ve ever been for anything. Eric was completely calm, which made me even more nervous.

We made it to the courthouse with 30 minutes to spare. We parked with 10 minutes to spare. We went to get out of the car and Eric asks, “Have the rings?”
“Yes. Here’s yours. Here’s mine. In my purse,” smug, I was.
“The license?”
“Uhhhh…No, do you?”
“NO! SHIT!”

So we took off for home - the entire drive we spent calling ourselves raging fucktards. We got there about 1 minute before 1:30 and there was the license on the table. Staring at us. I called the judges office and explained our predicament. “We got all the way to the office and realized we didn’t have the license.”
“YOU DON’T HAVE A LICENSE?!?”
“No, no, no. We have the license we just forgot to bring it with us. Is there any way to reschedule?”
“Um…hold on.”
Picture here, Eric and I pacing back and forth, white as sheets, completely freaked out and feeling like idiots.
“Ma’am?”
“YES!” I think I may have screamed that…
“He can do it tomorrow at 1:30.”
“NO! I mean…we won’t be here. Can he do it tonight? After hours?? PLEASE?” You should have heard the desperation in my voice. It wasn’t pretty, but I’ll be damned if my anniversary was going to be on 2/23.
“Hold on…”
More pacing and praying.
“Okay, but be here promptly at 3. AT THREE. PROMPTLY at THREE.”
“THANK YOU!”

We spent the next 30 minutes or so trying to decompress. I laid down in the bed and forced myself to breathe. And right as I calmed down…we had to go again.

So, off we went. Parked with 15 mins to spare, got down to the office with 5 mins to spare. Some other couple was just leaving. Apparently, the judge had mistaken them for us. They weren’t us. I wasn’t leaving. I was prepared to chain myself to the door, if necessary. Luckily, the judge was perfectly okay with it. So in we went. A little paperwork, we handed him our rings, he had us stand by his bookcase - Eric to his left, me to his right. It HAD to be that way. He was a nice, humorless man who needed us to be exactly the way he asked us to be throughout the ceremony.

And it began. Everything was wonderful. Eric said during our vows was the first time I ever made and maintained eye contact with him since he’s known me. I don’t believe him but it was incredibly moving. It’s definitely one of the best memories I’ll ever have.

So now I’m a married woman. I don’t feel much different but I love being able to say Eric is my husband. My wonderful, sweet, strange, loving husband.

This Week in Pregnancy - Week 21

Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long. His eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed. And you can certainly feel him move. He’s oblivious to your schedule, though, so don’t be surprised if he starts working out just when you’re settling down for the night. If you’re having a girl, her vagina is formed now, though it will continue to develop until birth.

I’ve Been Tagged!

By Miss Kimmie.

I’ve been TAGGED!

Five (slightly odd) facts about me:

1. I hate balloons. They scare me and I have no idea why. Anyone making balloon animals around me should be prepared for me to run away, crying.

2. I don’t like to tie my shoes. It seems so inefficient, so I have them tied under the tongue and slip my feet into them. It works well for me.

3. I can fold my tongue in half. Not hot dog fold, but hamburger, flat in half fold, and leave it that way. I can stick out my tongue, talk, anything with it folded in half.

4. I hate socks, and always have. My toes feel restricted and it makes me uncomfortable. I try to stick to toe socks.

5. I only have one good friend in state. I love my life that way, but it’s strange when you have to make out invitation lists to something and only have one person to add. It makes my life much easier and comfortable, though.

Hotdogs and Cheeseburgers

We went for our 20 week ultrasound on the 13th, and after getting my blood drawn (my hypothyroid symptoms are back), we we went back to the ultrasound room. Chit chat is ridiculously hard when you just want the tech to get to the lookin’. He squirted a load of really warm gel on my belly then began looking. He began by showing us the huge head and the sweetest little hands I have ever seen. Then he went to the pot belly (measuring in at 13oz), and the legs. The baby flipped over and mooned us.

I was thinking, “Awesome! Cute little bum means cute little whoosiewhatsit coming soon.” So then he shows us the legs. THE CROSSED LEGS! “Come on, baby, uncross your legs.” Looking back on that now, that could’ve been where it all went wrong. Bowchickabowwow music comes on and it turns into a porno, but I wasn’t even thinking of it that way. I just wanted a shot of a winkie or a non! That sounded a little strange, too, didn’t it?….Moving on…

So, there I am, laying on my back, worrying that we’re not going to find out what this baby is and have to raise it on green and yellow for the first few months, when the tech SMACKS my belly. I’m not kidding. Thwapped it! The baby’s legs did open, however - Probably as shocked as I was that it just got smacked - and we got a good enough shot that both the tech and I knew immediately. The tech even said he’d bet $100 on it. Eric’s not so sure, but luckily we’ll be going back on the 13th of next month to confirm. However, as far as we know…

It’s a winkie!
Say hello to Benjamin Middle-name-yet-to-be-determined!

See More…

Halfway There

I can’t say I’ve enjoyed the majority of this pregnancy. Okay, who am I kidding? I haven’t enjoyed any of this pregnancy. I felt bad about it for a while. I should be happy that I’m carrying a new life, right? I should be able to ignore the sickness, the tiredness the strange change in bodily functions, all the weird growths and changes in body parts. But, I wasn’t able to.

Honestly, the first trimester + a couple weeks, suck. They completely suck. Your body is no longer your own, things grow in strange places and parts of your body begin to look less and less like anything you recognize. Body parts have been removed and replaced by aliens every night. My fat has all moved up to above my belly button. I got heartburn. I had constant gas. I threw up all the time, and when I wasn’t throwing up, I felt like throwing up. It all happens quickly and drastically. It sucks. Not to mention, I never felt assured the baby was safe and okay. There’s no movement to reassure you, either. You’re always sick, worried and confused about what the hell is going on with your body.

Then, suddenly this week, I began feeling better. The nausea has disappeared. The heartburn is much less strong. I’m used to the changes, I’m used to the gas. The absence of hell has become heaven.

The major turning point, though, was feeling the baby move. Well, kick to be more exact. Last Tuesday I ate some cereal, propped myself up on the couch and began typing away on my computer. As if to say, “Get the hell off of me,” the kid thumped me nice and hard 3 times. As if a superball was bouncing about inside me. It was the coolest thing I’d ever felt.

I’ve felt it maybe 3-4 times since then and it only gets more and more amazing. Everything about this pregnancy is getting better. I’m beginning to understand the whole pregnancy glow thing, finally, and (I cant believe I’m saying this but…) I’m actually almost sad that it’s already half over. Yeah, I’m nuts.

This Week in Pregnancy - Week 20

Your baby weighs about 10 1/2 ounces now. She’s also around 6 1/2 inches long from head to bottom, and about 10 inches from head to heel. (For the first 20 weeks, we use measurements taken from the top of the baby’s head to her bottom — known as the “crown to rump” measurement. After that, we use measurements from head to toe. This is because a baby’s legs are curled up against her torso during the first half of pregnancy and are very hard to measure.)

A greasy white substance called vernix caseosa coats her entire body to protect her skin during its long submersion in amniotic fluid. (This slick coating also eases the journey down the birth canal.)

Your baby is swallowing more, which is good practice for her digestive system. She’s also producing meconium, a black, sticky substance that’s the result of cell loss, digestive secretion, and swallowed amniotic fluid. This meconium will accumulate in her bowels, and you’ll see it in her first messy diaper (although a few babies pass it in utero or during delivery).

This Week in Pregnancy - Week 19

Your baby weighs about 8 1/2 ounces, and he measures 6 inches, head to bottom — about the length of a small zucchini. His arms and legs are in the right proportions to each other and the rest of his body now. His kidneys continue to make urine, and the hair on his scalp is sprouting. This is a crucial time for sensory development: Your baby’s brain is designating specialized areas for smell, taste, hearing, vision, and touch. If your baby is a girl, she has an astonishing six million eggs in her ovaries. They’ll dwindle to fewer than two million by the time she’s born.