Bambino Update

Actually, there's not too much to update!  I am at 24 weeks and feeling good.  My main complaints are acid reflux and feeling really full not matter how much I eat.  And a lot of vivid dreams and missing sleeping on my stomach and back.  But if that's the worst of it, that's not bad!  We went to the doctor this morning and had a 15 minute appointment (urine, blood pressure, weight, doppler.)  The hardest part for me (and I'm sure most women) is the weight gain, but that's part of the deal.  My next appointment will be the glucose test, which am not not looking forward to.  (I already asked if there was an all natural drink, but no, just the gross chemical water.)  Jim and I have both been able to feel the little guy or gal moving around.  Today I also toured my first day care and really liked it.   I am still jogging, working out, yoga-ing etc to stay well.  

We have a few top choice names but have decided we are keeping those to ourselves until the baby exits the womb.  Sorry, dudes, just like the sex, it will be a surprise.  Why?  No offense, but I don't want anyone else's opinions.  (Pregnant women LOVE both unsolicited advice and opinions).  And we also may change our minds the day we see the little kiddo's face.  Until then, you'll just have to hope we really don't name him or her Jimanda.

Jim's really excited to start getting rid of things in the guest room.  (If you don't know him, he LOVES throwing things away.)  We have our car seat, so by the new year we just need to have the pack and play and a few diapers, and we'll be ready!

20 Weeks

There's a baby in there!  We went for our 20 week ultrasound and everything is on track.  Crazy!

In all of my (five months of) infinite pregnancy wisdom, I thought I'd share some suggestions I have for things you should say to someone who's pregnant.  Not necessarily to me, just any pregnant woman you meet.  She will love you for it.  Even if it's a lie, here are some you might try:

"You look tiny!"

"You are so small, I would never have guessed that you are even pregnant!"

"Have you even gained any weight?"

"Do you even need maternity clothes?"

These are just a few ideas for you to gain major points with any pregnant woman.  I would avoid words such as large, huge, twins, big, etc.

And if you are going to tell a pregnant woman story about a friend, I would make sure that it ends with your friend having a really easy labor and a healthy baby.  Maybe avoid stories that end in dead babies.

And remember, it's okay to lie!

Otherwise, we are enjoying the last few days of summer.  Poor Trooper has been very allergic lately and had to go to the vet for a round of steroids.  He is okay now, but has a few open spots that his dad is tending to every day.  Poor pup!

My lovely husband made me pumpkin pancakes and took me to the apple orchard this morning.  What a guy!  I loved the orchard and was able to get about 25 minutes with my dear husband and got him back in the car before any signs of crankiness even set in!  I call that a success!

(Almost) Autumn

The members of the Zika/ DiVerde household have been loving these autumnal days (even though it's still technically summer.)  I am always grateful for time with my lovely husband and after working all week we both love spending time together.  (I hope....)

The weekend was crisp and lovely.  Both Saturday and Sunday morning, my phone said Sycamore had temps of 39 degrees.  Jim turned the heater on when he woke up and I love the smell of it when it is on on the mornings.  (When I told him this, he said, "What?  Burnt chemicals?")  By mid-morning we opened the windows and let the fresh air in.  We took Trooper on a few nice walks and I rode my bike, trying to get in a few more rides before summer officially ends.

I was also very into festively fall cooking!  On Friday night I made grilled cheeses with bacon, cheddar, dijon mustard, and Granny Apple slices.  They were really good.  I also made pumpkin/ chocolate bread.  (I love quick breads in the fall.)  And for tonight, I already cooked some Sausage and Lentil Soup.

I hope you are all enjoying the change of seasons!

Soup and Sammies

One of the best things about summer in the Midwest is the fresh tomatoes.  They make those weird things that they sell at the grocery store the rest of the year seem like mealy flavorless things.  Today I pretended I was an Italian grandmother and peeled and deseeded a big bunch of fresh tomatoes to make this Tuscan Tomato-White Bean Soup.  I skipped the croutons as I am making grilled cheeses to have with it.

I am at Week 18 and feeling well.  The second trimester seems to be pretty comfy so far.  I don't know if I posted that my blood/ urine/ etc came back all normal at my last doctor visit a few weeks ago.  We opted to not have the genetic testing done and are taking an ignorance is bliss approach.  I go back in two weeks for my next check up.  I am still exercising and keeping busy.  I even rode my bike to the gym this morning.  I have started looking for maternity clothes.  Right now dresses and skirts have been working fine, some of which are from before I was pregnant.  However, the weather will be getting cool soon (60s next week!) so I guess it's time to think about pants again.  Why aren't leggings appropriate for all situations?

Baby's First Bunny

A few years ago, one of my wonderful friends sent me Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Sewing for Christmas.  I used one of the softie animal patterns to make this little bunny for Baby Jimanda.  The ears did not turn out quite as well as the one in the book, but that's okay.  In 19 years I'll be weeping over it and saying, "Don't you want to take this to college with you??"

Week 15

Week 15

This week baby is around the size of an apple or orange!  It looks like a weird, tiny human.  I have been able to feel it moving (or I feel gas) which is exciting.  Confession about this picture: it was taken in the morning.  By night, I look 10x more pregnant because of all of the water I drink during the day.  I have already gained more weight than I would have liked, but I guess my body needs it.  And I can't complain because I just made a batch of peanut butter cookies, so I guess it's fun to splurge right now.  And that's what breastfeeding is for, right?  Jim also agreed long ago that when I had his child he would buy me an elliptical.  (My attorney said that verbal contracts are binding.)  I have been feeling much better lately.  I went on a lovely run this morning and got a bee in my bonnet and scrubbed all of the shelves of the fridge, so I must have some energy.  It's been nice to be pregnant in the summer, because dresses and skirts are much more comfortable as my waist expands.  We go for my next appointment on Monday afternoon, which will mainly been blood work and another Doppler.  I also have to collect my urine for 24 hours to get a baseline for my kidney function due to my blood pressure, which can be high at times.  (Don't look in our fridge on Sunday or you may see a large bucket of urine.)  In the meantime, we're just enjoying this beautiful summer.  (It was 46 degrees out when I woke up!  Is it pumpkin time yet??)

Big News!

We are excited to tell you we are expecting a little baby!  Baby Daddy does not want any mention of it on social media at this point, but I think he was okay with me blogging about it.  (I think.)  I will be at 14 weeks this week, so entering month 4/ second trimester.  We have heard the little heartbeat twice now and I go in for a host of lab work in 2 weeks.

I will try to think of all of the baby questions you may ask at this point.....

Our due date is February 3rd!

I am going to try to hold out and not find out the gender.  Jim is going to find out.  To me, it doesn't matter whether it's a boy or girl.  I would like gender neutral items that can be reused if we ever have another child.  And this poor kid is gonna have his or her whole life to live with gender stereotypes, so if I have a girl and can put off the Princess culture for a few months, I'll be happy.

I have been feeling blah every day but haven't actually thrown up.  Lots of headaches and such.  I have been told this should start to pass in the next few weeks.  I am still jogging and exercising and trying to stay fit.  We are trying to buy mostly organic/ hormone free/ antibiotic free right now.

I have a little bit of a belly but it mostly looks like I am getting fat, not pregnant.  I have not graduated to maternity clothes yet.  Luckily this time of year I am able to wear a lot of skirts and dresses.

I plan on returning to work after 6 weeks of maternity leave.  At this point, we are planning on a combo of daycare and a nanny/ babysitter who lives in the DeKalb/ Sycamore area.

We live in a 2 bedroom condo so the guest room will become my crafting room/ nursery.

I think that's all I can think of at this point!  Get ready for baby!