Baby Magazines

It's kind of weird, there are tons of magazines out there on the news stand for getting married, bride to be, getting the right dress and wedding planning and about a zillion Bridal Expos but there aren't that many for babies or expectant moms. Now let me clarify. There are plenty for family, raising a family, parenting and school age kids but none really for pregnancy and to-be-moms other than Fit Pregnancy and some private publications. Besides that, there are about 3 Baby Expos per year. 2 of them I am going to in November (my birthday present to myself since they fall on that weekend) and 1 in January- problem being the baby will already be here by the time the one in January rolls around. Interesting that not more focus would be put on bringing life into the world than getting married. I do have to be thankful that my OBGyn provides all of the private publications for free in his office and I get to pick up new copies each month when I go in for my checkup. Side Note: L. I will send them up to you when I am done with them! ;) It almost wants to make me crusade for more Mom-To-Be publications that are accessible to the general public. I mean think about it..... everyone HAS a Mother, everybody WAS born, not everybody gets married. Moms-To-Be unite! Time to rally for the information we need and the tools and resources necessary during 9 crucial months (give or take the few months before and after).

It's In The Water!

Pregnancy is all around. Wherever I look there's another pregnant woman. It's like an epidemic. It's contagious and spreading. Quick get inoculated. LOL Here's the scoop. I'm pregnant, my friend L. in Santa Clarita is pregnant, my best friend from high school is pregnant, my sister-in-law is pregnant and one of my girlfriends from a previous employer is pregnant. We are all due December, January, February, March and May. Craziness. There's got to be something in the water. Hay it's all good. The more the merrier. It's always nice to have other people around you going through the same thing so you can commiserate with one another LOL. Think about it. When was the last time you saw a baby smile or heard them giggle and saw the adult around them not happy. Babies are a good thing and they bring happiness and joy. So bring on the Baby-palooza!

Marvelous Monday

Got the house cleaned and laundry done over the weekend. Even had time for sleeping in both days and date night (dinner at the Auld Dubliner in Long Beach and entertainment at the Laugh Factory) on Saturday night. Lots of Hubbie time this weekend and I loved it. Well rested and happy and now it's Monday. Regular week, lots to do around here but 3 day weekend to look forward to. Happy Birthday to my sister in law Rachel (8/27) and happy early b day to my Mommie (9/2). Enjoy your special day ladies. Not much to report. Still in limbo waiting for 9/8 Dr.'s appt. to tell us the sex and see a new ultrasound. No baby movement over the weekend. Should I be worried??!! We will see what acrobats my child comes up with this week. Happy Monday everybody!

New Baby Bump Pics Are In

Again thanks to our neighbor and close friend the magnificent, marvelous Rob for taking these pics for us.

My belly is definitely growing!!!

My Baby's a swimmer!!!!

Kick, Flip, Turn...........Kick, Flip, Turn. Yup that's right my little one is a swimmer. Yesterday afternoon around 3 ish my cupcake in the oven decided he/she was no longer happy laying in the same position for the last 5 months and decided to switch sides. Almost about made me throw up it felt so weird. He/She did a complete turn around and made sure Momma knew it too!!! LOL How crazy is this? For all I know the baby is texting his/her friends, checking out the local TV news and reading a War & Peace. Who wouddah thunk it. There was a lot of kicking going on shortly after that and then I guess it was nap time again. Oh well. I am sure there is plenty more where that came from.

It's a bird, it's a plane.... It's Super Preggers!!!!

So I have officially joined the elites of the Super Hero Club as of last night. I am still working on my moniker and "Super Suit". I wonder if I can order a Preggers sign from the Commissioner to flash across the South Bay when I am needed....

They say hind sight is 20/20. You see things so much more clearly once the incident has passed. Last night I was part of a Divine Appointment choreographed by God to be at the right place at the right time to help save someones life. God is good.

Dan said he was going to be late so I told him he was on his own for dinner and that I would pick myself up some tacos and hit the pool to relax when I got home. Upon arriving home I texted the cavalry (my next door neighbor Nikki and my other neighbor Charli and her husband Rob) to see if they wanted to go with me. Rob was at class, Charli was going to stop by and Nikki would think about it. So off the the pool I went. Charli stopped by to hang for a minute before heading to our on site gym. Nikki soon followed and went straight into the pool. About a half hour later Nikki and I transitioned to the jacuzzi. Now before you get your panties in a bunch......... I know that I am not supposed to be in the jacuzzi. It is way to hot for me and the baby. I always sit on the side and I just dunk my feet in and out in and out to relax me and warm me a little but my feet don't stay in and I don't get in. There were 2 ladies, Hispanic, late 40's maybe even early 50's in the jacuzzi. I had noticed them when we were in the pool. They had been in the Jacuzzi as long as we were in the pool and then remained in the jacuzzi once we went over there. We were in the jacuzzi for about 20 minutes or so when the 2 ladies got out. They were sitting on a ledge to the left of the jacuzzi drying off and throwing their clothes back on. One of the women's eyes rolled into the back of her head and she slumped over falling off the ledge. Her girlfriend caught her and started slapping her around to wake her up. She came too again. About 2-3 minutes later she blacked out again and started to convulse. I called 911 and they sent 2 teams to our site. Nikki went out to the street to show them where we were and I let them into the locked pool area. As I suspected, the woman had suffered from extreme heat stroke as a result of the jacuzzi. She hadn't eaten since lunch. And for what I could understand from the Spanish I can recall she said she was taking 2 types of medication but hadn't taken them for the night because she had to take them with food.

Nikki and I were commended by the EMT teams for calling. They said most people would write it off as being tired or heat stroke and move on. But in her case it was important to get checked out because of how severe it was.

So thus begins my super hero career. Preganant by day, Super Hero (and still pregnant by night). I wonder if I can contact Mattel and get a contract for my own Super Hero doll. It could be just like Barbie but brunette and smarter with CERT expereince and come with its own EMT first responder kit. Hmmm, things to ponder upon......

Baby Shower Dilemas

Granted I am not far enough along to be thinking about baby showers per say but in looking at the coming months I have realized oops, bad timing to have a baby. Typically speaking a Mom-To-Be will have a baby shower any where between the end of her 7th month through the actual birth. Sometimes even after the birth if the parents wanted to wait to see what the baby was instead of finding out the sex early. Well, in my case I have screwed that one up royally. I would say I would have my baby shower in December, timing wise that makes a lot of sense, but with an extended Christmas party at my mom's house for the larger family, Christmas at the In-Laws and Dan's birthday, baby shower plans in December are shot. And January is out of the question with me due the 26th. I want 2 weeks to myself on early maternity leave to relax and nest. So that leaves November. Well......??!! November is 2 different baby expos for me to attend, my birthday and Thanksgiving but that leaves 1 weekend left the 5th so we will do my baby shower for my friends and colleagues then. Wait what about family? Looks like it will have to be end of October for that one. Wow. And I thought having the kid would be complicated. I didn't realize the planning around it would be so difficult. Phew! OK too many brain cells being used all at once.

New Baby Bump Pics Coming Soon!

Thanks to my friendly neighbor Mr. Robert Kugler the photographer extraordinaire, I took new baby bump pics yesterday afternoon. We compared befores and afters and I am definitely bigger. I will try to get them posted for all of you guys by weeks end.

Oh my gosh, we have a crib. WE HAVE A CRIB!!!

I can't believe it. I am absolutely stunned. Who would have thought that a random idea to swing by my Mother & Father-In-Laws house on Saturday would have yielded me the crib I was absolutely pinning after. Wow, I am just blown away. Dan and I were out in the Angeles National Forrest for an instructional seminar. We ended early at 4:00pm and decided since we were so close that we would stop by Fred & Laura's house to take them to dinner and touch base. Laura had randomly stumbled by a new baby store called Buy Buy Baby. Apparently it is subsidiary of Bed Bath and Beyond. Same set up, same feel just all baby stuff and they take Bed Bath & Beyond coupons too. We walked in and headed down the main isle towards the back where the cribs are. After a few minutes of walking around we ran right smack dab into it. The Sorelle Tuscany 4 in 1 convertible crib. Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhh..... the clouds parted, the sun raise came down and the angels were singing. I can't believe it. I had only seen it on line and thought we were going to have to order it from an out of state dealer and have it shipped. Yuck. It was decently priced and Fred and Laura said that if that was what I wanted then they would get it for us. I was stunned. Somebody pinch me. This is really happening isn't it??!! They said 16 to 18 weeks for back order. Wait!!! Stop the presses do the math. That is 2 weeks before our delivery date. Panic! Stay calm Pam, breathe, breathe. OK I said let's just do it. Come to find out after an hour and a half in the store they actually found another one in stock in the back in the wrong place. Praise God. No stress, no stress. Bought and paid for, my little crib is sitting in the back of the warehouse with my name on it waiting for me to pick it up, bring it home and give it a new home. I am just flabbergasted. How cool is this? Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU Fred and Laura for making our house a home for our little bundle of joy. You have no idea how much this means to me.

These are Bandit's toys.... These are the babies toys.

So I brought the baby bouncer home the other night and put it in our living room. It was already assembled ready to go but for space saving reasons I will be breaking it down and storing it in it's box till the baby gets here. Bandit (my Pug) on the other hand had a different idea. He walked up to it, sniffed it and then proceeded to crawl into it. No, no, no, no, NO! "No Bandit this is the babies toy. Not your toy. Here are your toys (gesturing to his bed and rawhide). This is the babies toy (gesturing to the bouncer)." He sniffed the bouncer one more time, gave it a lick and then walked away but gave me his big brown eyes routine before he did. He is sooooo cute. I know he would never harm the baby. He is so good with my niece Faith. He likes to smell her and lick her. He finds her fascinating. When she is playing on her mat he likes to sit next to her. When someone approached he stands up and gets in front of her but in between you and Faith. So protective.

Right now he likes to sleep on my body pillow at night curled up next to my belly. I know he senses something is different. He will sit next to me and stare at my belly button and then look at me with concern in his eyes. It's just darling but makes me laugh till I pee myself. What can I say. My little baby (Bandit) knows he is no longer the baby and that the baby (he/she) is on their way.

My 1st Piece of Baby Furniture

One of my colleagues, Brandi recently had her 2nd child in April of this year. She received multiples of many things. One of these items was a vibrating baby bouncer with mobile. She was able to keep them all packaged and give them away to family and friends who were also pregnant to share the wealth so to speak. I was one of those lucky recipients yesterday. Brandi gave me a Bright Stars Teensy Turtle baby bouncer. It's beautiful and has turtles and other animals on it so it works perfect with our animal theme for the baby. I am soooooo excited. Wow, this really is happening. Every day we get closer and closer to our baby being here. And seeing that bouncer in our living room right now just sets my emotions off. Ahhhhh, sweet bliss. My baby. How great is this process, sans the morning sickness and the alien taking over my belly. God is good and he saw fit for women to build and give life. I realize that so many things are going on inside of me right now, but more importantly I'd like to think that I focus most on the fact that I am bonding with my unborn child. That it knows that it is loved. That is is missed and longed after. That it is protected and wanted. And most of all he/she has people who surround me daily like Brandi who love this child already and he/she is not even here yet. Thank you for blessing my day yesterday Brandi. God bless you!

Alex I'll Take "What is Quickening for $200"

Quickening. An odd word. An even odder definition. It is the creaping and slight movement that the baby makes during weeks 16 through 20 before the momma-to-be starts to feel the kicking of the baby. Sometimes it feels like a air bubbles running across your stomach. sometimes like a little tickle in a certain spot of the belly but from the inside. Other times it feels like an itch in a certain spot but from the inside as well. Well, I am proud to say I am finally there. I can feel the quickening of the baby. Looking forward to the upcoming weeks when I can feel the baby really move and start kicking. I am in the last week of my 4th month. Starting this Wednesday I start my 5th month. Woo Hoo. It feels like it took forever to get here. 4 more weeks to go till we find out the baby's sex and get another ultrasound. I feel great and am enjoying every minute of this. I have finally picked out which crib I want and now just need to go buy it and pick it up. It's Dan's job to build it (he just doesn't know it yet LOL). Once we know the baby's sex I will be able to finally register too. Really looking forward to that one. So here's to the next month, let it go by slowly, let me enjoy it fully and let the time spent exploring my new relationship with my child be mesmerizing.

To Touch or Not To Touch?

When pregnant it almost seems like a knee jerk reaction for you to reach out and touch the mom-to-be's belly and give it a rub. I have mixed emotions about this. I don't mind it when it comes from family and friends who I know, love and trust. But when it is unsolicited from a total stranger I do have to admit it is a little creepy. I read an article which I will re post below that says since it is my body I have the right to say "No". It's just an odd situation to be in. I like the idea I read in another article that said to say "the baby is asleep and I don't want to wake him/her" when it comes to people wanting to touch my belly. LOL Here is one of the articles.

Everyone wants to touch the baby, especially during the pregnancy, but doesn’t it seem like nobody asks before touching? If you haven’t noticed yet, the minute you start to show a pregnant tummy, everyone else will gladly reach out their hands to show you how big your belly is. The tummy becomes this magical, super powerful magnet for hands, and everyone wants to handle it. It doesn’t matter if you are walking around in a store, sitting down in a restaurant, or walking on your own street – someone is bound to start rubbing their grimy hands all over it and driving you crazy.

Your belly, clothed or not, is a personal space; sure, there is someone intruding inside you, but that person inside is very welcome. But to actually touch someone else’s belly, one should ask before they do it, and then kindly respect your answer. If you don’t want them to touch it, just tell them. While some women don’t mind all the attention, there are other women that don’t want their bellies touched; much less do they want their bellies showing for the whole world to see. Maybe they’ve gained 10 pounds, and they feel conscious enough about it, or they could be a very private person. There is nothing wrong with either at all.

Children may also want to touch your pregnant belly; usually, it’s because they know someone that has had a baby recently who permitted them to do that. If you don’t like it, let them know. If you don’t mind them touching your belly, you may at least want to hold their hand and place it gently on your belly. Children tend to get excited, and they can actually smack the belly when they are trying to reach for it.

Forget about the soft and smooth rubbing of the belly for a moment; be careful that you don’t get the person that likes to poke at it. Poking at your belly can hurt more than anything, and most of the time “belly pokers” just don’t get it. Try explaining to them as nicely as you can that it really does hurt. They may only be doing it because they want to see the baby move, and, when you jump, they just think it is part of the pregnancy reaction. If you let them know how painful it really is, in the future, they may think twice before doing it again to you or anyone else.

If nothing else seems to work, and you’ve been polite in letting people know that your belly is off limits, feel free to launch your husband onto them or even start shooing and swatting. You’ve already given fair warning. You’ve got every right to defend yourself – including your pregnancy belly. Don’t feel bad if you smack a person that lifts up your shirt in broad daylight either. This is a normal reaction, and people should really think twice before doing it. They wouldn’t do it if you weren’t pregnant.

Please pass the Ben-Gay

Well I really did a good one. I pulled a groin muscle last week and thought I was about to die. I went into the Dr.'s on Tuesday and it was confirmed. No treatment, No meds, No ice pack, No heating pad, No nothing. Just regular strength Tylenol that will help with the pain but it is not an anti inflammatory. No heat or ice to scramble my eggs or make the baby "chill" out. Just plain old 4-6 weeks of time. Lovely. On the up side though, while at the Dr.'s office I got to actually meet my baby Dr. for the first time and I have an appointment for my next ultrasound appointment on Sept. 8th. That is also the day we find out if we are having a boy or a girl. Yeah!!! So excited, can't wait.

The "Man Shower"

No I am not referring to our significant others needing to take a shower because they smell. I am referring to a new trend called Man Showers. In the past we have had Baby Showers. For a second child you would have a Sprinkle. We have even moved into the advent of Co-Ed Showers. Now the latest and greatest is a Man Shower. A Man Shower is a baby shower put on for the Dad to be with all male invites on the same day that the Baby Shower is taking place. It is at a separate location from the Baby Shower, no gifts are given unless completing humiliating and humorous and it revolves around a day of guys hanging out and providing info to the Dad to be. Think guy bonding over being a Dad. Dan is interested in having one of these when I have my baby shower near the end of the year. I think this would be a great idea. I think it is even better of an idea especially when it comes to first time Dad's. So Dan, here is to a day of beers, burgers and boys. Enjoy!

Where have all my ab muscles gone?

I thought I killed myself last night getting up off the couch. I lifted with my stomach muscles instead of my legs and literally heard something rip. Dan said it was an ab muscle. They are stretching and expanding and I need to lift with my legs from now on. I seriously thought I had ripped my stomach open I was in so much pain. My eye winced and I started to tear up. It took a good 10 minutes or so of sitting still, breathing and rubbing it until I could be coherent again and not have stabbing pains running through my abdomen. Yikes! Where have all my ab muscles gone???? Wow. I don't think I have felt anything that piercing before in my life. Remind me not to do that one again!