26 Weeks

How far along: 26 weeks 2 days

Countdown: 96 days to go!

Exercise: Was a slacker this week. Probably go swimming in the river today or tomorrow.

Stretch Marks: Nada yet!

Sleep: We visited friends in Dallas this weekend. Jay's friend was nice enough to let us crash at his place on Friday night ... with his California King sized mattress .... with a TempurPedic top on it. ::cue chorus of angels singing:: It was the closest I've been to sleeping on my stomach in months! I could have slept in that bed all day. If it weren't for the promise of food I would still be there right now.

Best Moment of the Week: Birthday party for one of Jay's friends; i.e. swimming in their inground pool, more food than a pregnant girl could ever wish for, and the opportunity to hang out with a great group of people. (Another Best Moment of the Week: Jay started calling the baby by name! It's not "the nursery" it's "Corbin's room". It's not "when the baby's here" it's "when Corbin's here". Hearing him say Corbin's name over and over made it so real. I just wanted to cry.)

Worst Moment of the Week: First and second experiences with my toes swelling. First was after wadding in the swimming pool for a few hours. Second, and much worse, was after driving home from Dallas. Being stuck in a car for 4 hours with no place to put your feet up- that sucks. I know it's only going to get worse from here.

Movement: Corbin's learning his way around the 'ol uterus, stretching side to side, top and bottom. The weirdest feeling so far would be what I can only imagine is him stretching his arms and legs in opposite directions across my body.

Food Cravings: New favorite combo: left over grilled hot dogs and chocolate cake ... a bite of each at a time.

Food Aversions: tomatoes and olives

Gender: Still a boy

Belly Button: In, but more and more shallow.

What I miss: bending forward

What I am looking forward to: planning a trip back home to VA.

About the Baby: Baby's network of nerves in the ears are more developed and sensitive allowing him the opportunity to hear Mommy and Daddy chat on the otherside. He continues to develop his lungs by swallowing amniotic fluid and practicing the art of breathing. If he is on track with the BabyCenter guide he should weigh about a pound and 2/3, measuring about 14 inches in length.

Grow Corbin Grow!

Aviation Nursery Theme Items

Oh who was I kidding thinking that I could pull together a nursery from mix matched pieces strewn across the interwebs. I finally found an affordable all-aviation bedding set! Most baby boy bedding sets with planes also include trucks and ships and the occasional train. So here it is! CoCo & Company's 4 piece crib set- Zoom Along! The set includes the quilt, bumper, fitted sheet, and dust ruffle for under $100!







I like to think I'm crafty, but I know I can't sew/applique/screen print anything near as cute as this. I'm in a rare mood where I will actually tolerate the matchiness of a bedding set.








It's just dumb luck that I stumbled upon this bedding set today. I've been toying with a Babies R Us registry for awhile, using it to keep a mental picture of how much stuff our Tater Tot is going to need. Well, they have been having alot of inventory issues and it seems everytime I log in half of my items are unavailable. So I clicked over to check out Target's baby registry and low and behold they have the items I'm eyeing in stock! I start working my way through their baby store and there I find the cutest baby boy bedding set ever!





It won't be long now! A few more months of hard work and planning and our house will be ready to move into! I just hope the rest of our house will look as good as this nursery!

100 Days Left

Holy Crap. Here are some numbers for ya.

100 days until our estimated due date of October 2nd

65 days until the 35/35 milestone

16 days until we start 3rd trimester

12 days until we start Bradley Childbirth Classes

1 day until we hit double digits in our countdown


Shout out to my facebook/blogger friend Tiffany who just delivered a beautiful baby boy! I figured as long as she was pregnant I wouldn't have to worry, I'd have plenty of time. Where did June go exactly??

First Day of Summer

It's officially Summer here in Texas. It's 97 degrees outside. But that's not stopping Jay from hammering away at the rest of the plywood ceiling for our hangar/house. I tried to keep him company since I can't really help at all. I think I lasted an hour before I went inside because it was too dang hot. He's a trooper. I know he's gotta be dying up there. I was dying sitting in a rocking chair infront of a fan and an ice box.

So if he can make it through a few more sheets of plywood before suffering from heat stroke, we will have ourselves a finished ceiling! Then comes electric and plumbing, AC ventilation, dry wall, tape and bed, texture, kitchen and bathroom fixtures, and we're ready to move in! And then we can worry about the upstairs.

We've got a little over a hundred days before Corbin makes his arrival! We're racing to make sure he has a home to come home to. Well, Jay is racing. I'm slowly fetching ice water and handing him tools. Good news is: Corbin should be very used to the sound of power tools once he's on the outside. Probably more soothing than Mozart by now.

Well I think I'll go make myself useful and offer another round of water.

25 Weeks

How Far Along: 25 Weeks today

Countdown: 105 days

Exercise: Took Mugsy on a "walk" this morning. She's so terrible on leash. It's more of a moving tug-of-war around the airport. It was too hot for her so she acted up until I let her go back inside. I'll probably go for a bike ride down to the boat ramp this evening.

Stretch marks: not that I can see, although I will admit it's getting harder to see my belly's undercarriage.

Sleep: There was nothing but murder mystery shows on last night. One of which was a family who was murdered in their beach house, the wife was pregnant with a boy. So needless to say I did not fall asleep easily. But once asleep I slept like a rock until I woke up with a stuffed up nose and a full bladder. Then back to rock-like slumber. Then awake again. Asleep again. And so on and so forth.

Best Moment of the Week: Made a stencil for the back window of my car advertising my Couples Workshops. Came out pretty good I think. Also, died Mugsy green with food coloring again.

Worst Moment of the Week: When Jay made me wash the food coloring off of Mugsy because he didn't find it as hilarious as I did.

Movement: Stronger flutters everyday and more of them!

Food Cravings: Pizza, pizza, and more pizza.

Food Adversions: any milk other than Borden's.

Gender: Still planning on him being a boy.

Belly Button In or Out: In!

What I Miss: fitting into my favorite clothes.

What I am Looking Forward To: Going to Dallas next weekend for Jay's friend's birthday party.

About the Baby This Week: Head to heels he should be measuring around 13.5 inches, weighing about a pound and a half, roughly the size of a rutabaga. He's starting to gain fat and grow hair which will make him look more like a newborn rather than the alien look he's been working for the past 5 months. If we could see him now, we'd be able to know his hair color and texture. But looking at mom and dad, I'm guessing he'll be a dark haired boy (although Jay swears he had blonde hair at birth).

24 Weeks

How far along: 24 Weeks (4 days, but who's counting)

Countdown: 108 days

Exercise: Think I'll either go for a long walk or a bike ride today.

Stretch marks: Not yet (knock on wood)

Sleep: Weird dreams, wake up 3 or 4 times to pee, trouble getting back to sleep leads to watching tv or reading in bed which no doubt is effecting Jay's sleep.

Best Moment of the Week: Getting back to teaching Couples Massage Workshops!

Worst Moment of the Week: The appearance of the dreaded linea negra. And it's crooked. Also first few episodes of moderate back pain.

Movement: Picking up more flutters here and there.

Food Cravings: Pickles are still a staple of my diet. Also, ice cream sandwiches.

Food Adversions: Tomatoes, which is a shame because our neighbor grew some really good looking tomatoes last week. Jay grilled them with mozzerella cheese and all I ate was the cheese.

Gender: He's all boy. Chinese Gender Calendar was right.

Belly Button in or out: Innie, larger than normal, but still concave.

What I Miss: Sleeping on my stomach.

What am I Looking Forward To: Prenatal massage later today!

About the Baby This Week: If growing according to BabyCenter.com standards, he's gained about 4 ounces since last week making him weigh a little over a pound! Stretching about a foot long he is the size of an ear of corn. In developmental news, the brain, the taste buds, and the lungs are this week's overachievers. His skin is still translucent, but that will change soon!

Nursery Inspiration Board (WIP) Cont.

Wall decals from Babies R Us. I don't mind the vintage planes so much in this border, mainly because they are primary colors.

The cloud set comes with 20 clouds in various shapes and sizes. I think it will go well with the vintage plane & cloud wall border below.

Now I just need to find a few vintage cessna prints to frame and bring it all together.

I'm getting a pretty good mental picture of how the nursery will look. It won't be long before the house will be done and we can start decorating for real!

Eek!

I Want a Swimming Pool So Bad I'm Growing One

Well, we had another prenatal check-up appointment today. This time with midwife Joan. Sweet lady. Everyone that works at the Austin Area Birth Center is awesome.

It was a confusing day for numbers. I went to my appointment thinking I was 23 weeks 3 days pregnant. During the abdominal palpation I was told I was measuring 27 weeks (Yowza!). Joan explained that it's not as accurate as the ultrasound I had a few weeks ago and asked if the ultrasound tech mentioned anything about the baby measuring big. She hadn't.

Okay so apparently I want a swimming pool so bad my body is growing one for my inner child, literally. But then there was some confusion when I went to schedule my glucose test next month. You have to be 28 weeks along to do the test and rescheduling in 4 weeks I would have been 27 weeks, or so I thought.

Receptionist: Okay so how far along are you?
Me: I'm 23 weeks 3 days today.
Receptionist: Okay, well that would make you only 27 weeks in 4 weeks. You sure she wanted you to come in in 4 weeks?
Me: Yup.
Receptionist: Hmmm.. Your birthday is [insert correct birthdate]?
Me: Yup, that's me.
Receptionist: Oh Okay.
Other Staff Member: Yea she's 24 weeks 2 days today.

That would make me 28 weeks at my next appointment and able to take the glucose test. Also brought our due date 6 days closer! So it looks like we are due October 2nd instead of the 8th. It's all estimated anyways. Weird day.

But sadly, we missed our Viability Day which would have been 2 days ago. So we're celebrating it today instead. Corbin got a swimming pool and I get to watch Last Comic Standing. Party on!

23 Week Bump Comparisons

There are a few things to note when comparing the picture on the left, which is approximately 20 weeks, and the picture on the right, 23 weeks.

First of all, in the left picture I am wearing wedge heels. These have now been retired, as have the worn out jeans featured in the same picture.

Now, in the right picture I sport a confused expression. This is because I am pondering where exactly my feet have gone. You'll also notice the different hand placement. Despite carrying Corbin so high, I can no longer button my pants. And the zippers have gone on strike as well.

Would like to point out I still have ankles at this point. Pretty excited about that fact.

23 Weeks Down, 119 Days to Go!

Circumcision is Plastic Surgery

To snip or not to snip ... that is the question. We didn't have to think about this issue at all the first half of our pregnancy because we thought he was a she. Now that we know what equipment we're dealing with we are faced with the decision every couple who has a boy is faced with- whether on not to have our son circumcised.

For some it's a no-brainer. Of course you have your son circumcised. It's automatic. Push 'em out and slice it off. But when you ask "Why did you do it?" you get superficial answers like, "well his father is circumcised" and "it looks better" which should be the definition of plastic surgery. Some seemingly legit reasons pop up from time to time. For example some say it's more hygenic to remove the foreskin, easier to keep clean, easier to teach your son how to clean, or that it reduces their chance of getting an STD. All this time I thought condoms were responsible for reducing a guys chances of catching an STD - silly me.

But for others, it's an issue worth investigating. I mean he's born with it. It can't be that harmful to our species or evolution would have eliminated it with the tail. And have you seen a circumcision video online or in person for that matter? It's horrifying! We don't do this to baby girls. It would be considered genital mutilation for female newborns. So why is it different for boys?

Non-religious neonatal circumcision exploded in popularity for us Westerners around the 1900's. The general public was becoming more and more germ-phobic and the penis became the scapegoat for the many new diseases running around. I can imagine the WANTED signs of male genitalia. Subtitled "Off with his head!"

Other non-sense reasons included the thought that removing an infant's foreskin would make him less likely to constantly masterbate when he's older and even later in life would reduce the chance of infidelity. Good thing no one told them their sex drive is in their head, not their foreskin, or the decapitation rates would have sky rocketed!

But seriously, are there hygiene and medical benefits to this procedure? The American Academy of Pediatrics released a statement in 1999 that said "Circumcision has been suggested as an effective method of maintaining penile hygiene since the time of the Egyptian dynasties, but there is little evidence to affirm the association between circumcision status and optimal penile hygiene." Contrary to popular opinion, circumcision does not prevent UTI's, penile cancer, or STDs. Infact, having a circumcision can have complications including infection. It is minor surgery after all.

Well, I didn't chop my dog's tail off for esthetics (or to fit her breed) and I won't chop off normal, healthy, functioning tissue from my son for appearance sake ... unless you can guarantee it will make him masterbate less when he's a teenager.

The Dorky Stuff On My Registry I Can't Wait To Buy

Just to recap, that's a tuxedo bib, pee-pee blocking tee-pee, and rattles that go on their feet!

Four more months and little man is going to be styling!

Nursery Idea Board (WIP)

I'll edit this post as I change my mind about things. Just going to use this to keep track of vendors we like so it's a bit cluttered but I think it will work out in the end.

Wholesale Applique

Since aviation print fabric is generally only available in realistic WWII fighter pilot scenes, we're going to have to improvise and use iron on appliques for the crib skirt, bumpers, and room decor.

The general theme is small personal aircraft similar to what Jay flies, a Cessna 170 , but airing on the cartoonish side. But we'll throw in some other single prop planes for diversity. All the while attempting to keep the color theme soft yellow, baby blue, and white.

Etsy: Define Your Space Vinyl for wall decals this set comes with 6 planes and 6 dotted loop lines not sure on what color to get.

Other wall decals I'm considering include the phrases "Come fly with me" and "Up, up, and away"

I have sewn a felt mobile for above the crib. It consists of 2 planes and 2 clouds that dance around each other. I'll upload a picture when the neck is finished (after we get a crib in place)

Other wall art will be a large print (slightly cartoonized version) of Jay's plane and Corbin's name above the crib. I'm considering adding a door sign on the outside of the nursery that says "Pilot's Lounge"

More to come as I thrift for some more ideas

Huggies Jean Diapers

I'll admit, when I first saw pictures of the Jean Diapers I thought it was ridiculous. I still think it's ridiculous, but this commercial is too funny.

I wasn't a fan of Huggies. Pampers suckered me in with the Gifts To Grow program where you earn points by entering codes found on pampers products or freebie codes found online. I have accumulated 250 points in 10 point increments and haven't spent $1 yet. I like free things. Once you hit 1,000 points or so the rewards are pretty cool- free toys, magazine subscriptions, etc.

But now I'm in the cloth diaper camp so it doesn't matter either way. I'm sure you've seen the commercial already, but here it is to enjoy over and over again.

Background Story: It's A Boy!

May 25th, 2010

He's a boy and he's perfect! I'm glad we found out. It would have been a bit of a shock in the delivery room if I went 20 more weeks thinking it was a girl. But sure enough- she has a penis!

Jay and I agree on the name Corbin Bennett. We can't wait to meet you little man. Your Dad even sprung for a video of the ultrasound so we can watch you move around and try and stick your foot in your mouth anytime we want.

Here are some stills from the video:

Background Story: Third Appointment

We had our third appointment on May 17th. Although I was only 19 weeks the midwife said I was measuring 22. I hope that doesn't mean we are instore for a big baby. Jay got his blood drawn to see if I need a shot in my butt at the next appointment. Short and sweet.

I picked up a bumper sticker that says "Keeping Birth Normal". It's a pun on the "Keeping Austin Weird" phrase. I enjoy a good pun.

Ultrasound is next week. We decided to find out the gender because we have all girl hand me down stuff and if it's a boy he will have nothing to wear for a few months.

More to come.

Background Story: It's Gotta Be A Girl

Repost from Tuesday, May 4th, 2010 the bump blog:

From the beginning Jay said our tater tot was female. I was quick to disagree with him and said it was definitely a boy. I'm a pretty competitive person. Last night, Jay and I had a staring contest. We randomly locked eyes and with a raise of his eyebrow he had challenged me. Once challenged, I simply cannot back down. We stared at each other across the table for what felt like hours. Eyelids twitching, eyeballs drying out I was the first to resort to mind games, opening my eyes wider as if saying "I could do this allll day". But then a speck of dus took me out of the game. I lost fair and square. No hard feelings.

Then I realized something. I hadn't placed my bet on blue because I actually thought it was a boy. I didn't have any gut instinct pulling me that direction. I mean we picked a boy name first, but come on, boys names are way easier than girls names!

Nope, I just said it was a boy so that I had a 50% chance of being right. And if I'm right, then he's wrong! Na-na na-na na na! If I said I thought it was a girl too we would be in the 100% boat. 100% right or 100% wrong. What fun is that?

We picked the girls name this week. Daphne Marie. So now that we have a name I would like to officially join Jay on the we-think-it's-a-girl-but-have-no-proof team.

More to come.

Background Story: Name Woes

Repost from Saturday, May 1st, 2010 the bump blog:

So I have gone from LOVING the names we chose to hating everything about them. We had settled, and I do mean settled, on Corbin Levi for a boy and Amelia Leigh for a girl. We liked Corbin for awhile it just kind of clicked with both of us. Amelia was the front runner of the Amelia, Emily, Lucy race we had for a girl. Since Jay gets to give them their last name, I called dibbs on the middle name and chose Levi and Leigh as variations on my middle name Lee.

Now the whole naming process has put a bad taste in my mouth and I don't know left from right, up from down, good names from tacky names. Jay knew this day would come and was very glad that it happene now and not at the delivery. He just grinned and shook his head when I asked him last night "So... do you still like the name Tallulah?" ... He does.

So the search for the perfect baby name continues. Back to the drawing board. More to come.

Background Story: Anniversary Present

Repost from Friday, April 30, 2010 the bump blog:

Monday is Jay and I's one year anniversary. Being on a budget, I knew we wouldn't do much in the way of gifts, but I couldn't help myself. I was at Wal-mart today and I saw a cheap fetal heart beat monitor and decided it was the perfect gift for "us"- even thought I will use it way more.

Jay was out picking up the lumber we need to finish framing the downstairs of our new house when I got home. I decided I should go ahead and open the box, read the manual, and test this sucker out! I mean, I have to make sure it works before I give it to him right?

Well it doesn't. Atleast not yet. It's a sound amplifier not a doppler. I'm too early in my pregnancy for it to pick up the heart beat. Well isn't that fantastic. Happy Anniversary Honey. Sorry I spent money on something we can't use for 10 weeks.

One cool function is you can hook it up to your computer and record the sounds. I think I'll record my heartbeat and play it when our tater tot is trying to fall asleep.

More to come.

Background Story: Mini Milestone 1

Repost from Monday April 26th, 2010 the bump blog:

Last night Jay and I went to check out the Texas Rollergirls with some friends. Just like any other sporting event, people get drunk. The woman next to me started her night early and by half time of the secound bout she was feeling pretty good. She would occasionally bump into me and then appologize. And then she said the most wonderful thing:

"Oh man, I'm sorry. I shouldn't keep hitting a pregnant chick."

I LOOK PREGNANT AND NOT FAT AND A DRUNK STRANGER NOTICED!!!

Background Story: Team Green Debate

Repost from Sunday, April 25th, 2010 on the bump blog:

From the beginning I assumed we would find out the sex of the baby as soon as possible. Let's face it, in 2010 with all of the advances in prenatal care and ultrasound technology, that's just what you do. You find out by your ultrasound tech saying "there it is!" or "there it isn't!". And then, once you've got your answer, you go about registering for blue or pink baby clothes and crib bedding and all of the other million gender based items the websites tell you you need for your bundle of joy.

I posted a thread on the bump community board for all the other 2nd trimester preggos to weigh in on to either convince me to find out the sex at our May 25th ultrasound appointment or go for "Team Green" as they call it and wait until the birthday to know the sex. The responses so far have raised several issues I hadn't considered before. So let's work through their comments and pick a team.

Neutral Newborn Gear
If you don't find out the sex, one poster points out, you will be forced to dress your newborn in the neutral onesies you have acquired over the pregnancy.

A team green poster points out that if you plan to have more children, you can reuse neutral items even if the second child is the opposite gender from your first. They also said that once people know boy or girl you will wind up with gender specific gifts that you may or may not be able to re-use.

Unsolicited Comments
Even if a trained ultrasound technician tells you 100% it's a girl at 20 weeks, a stranger will tell you they had a friend's cousin's roommate's neighbor who was told it was a girl and it turned out to be a boy. Or people will tell you "I dunno, you look like you're carrying a boy". And people will negate your diagnosis.

There is also the disappointment factor to contend with. When someone is hoping and praying the baby is a boy and then you find out at 20 weeks it's a girl. You have 20 more weeks to prepare for a girl instead of 20 more weeks of praying for a boy.

Hearing the News: the Atmosphere
Team Blue/Pink posters swear they preferred hearing the news when they were not in pain, not exhausted, not surrounded by a team of medical staff, but in the quiet and comfort of an ultrasound room.

Team Green said an ultrasound room is just anti-climatic.

Hearing the News: the Source
Who would you rather hear the news from: a stranger or the proud father? Give the man his moment to be the one to reveal the gender.

The Wait
Team Blue/Pink said they just couldn't imagine waiting to find out if there was an opportunity to know half way through the pregnancy

Team Green says anticipation only adds to the excitement.

The ultrasound is in a month and I am excited to see the profile again and make sure everything is growing according to schedule. When they ask if we want to know the sex, I'm not sure what we'll say.

More to come.

Background Story: Second Appointment

April 19th, 2010

Roswitha was our midwife this time and she is a great. We listened to the heart beat on the doppler and it was strong 155 bpm. She laughed when I asked her if that meant it was a girl. "Boys and girls heartbeats are the same at this point" she said. Jay didn't go with me to this appointment so they took the opportunity to make sure he wasn't abusing me by having me fill out a survey. I was quite shocked by it. Have you seen my boyfriend? I hate to joke about domestic violence but I'd more likely be the candidate for abuser (still a derby girl at heart). He couldn't abuse anyone. Before I left we scheduled our next two appointments- one regular check up and the big anatomical ultrasound screening.

Oh and my blood type turns out to be O negative. So if Jay has positive blood I get a shot in my bum to protect the next baby from being attacked by my body.

In other news I have been obsessed with finding a name for this little guy. When I present lists to Jay I tend to overwhelm him with names and he ends up saying "no" to all of them because they all sound the same after awhile. Sometimes he just says "You pick" or "You'll find the right one" but then when I find one or two I really like- he doesn't. We have decided on Corbin for a boy and are between Emily, Lucy, and Amelia for a girl. Middle names are still up in the air. I feel like we are closer to nailing down a name, hopefully before the anatomical ultrasound.

My mood has been improving, with one hiccup last night. We were about to fall asleep when I started messing with Jay, climbing on him and tickling him to wake back up. When he asked me what I was doing, I sat up and cried "I want to go to a water park!" And then I sat there and laugh/cried, eventually just crying about how huge I'll be when it's summer and I want to go to a water park before it's too late. Poor boy didn't know what to do. He just lost it and laughed until he could hardly breathe.

Back to name hunting ... More to come.

Background Story: Telling Everyone

We didn't want to tell anyone too soon. If you spill the beans and something horrible happens and you lose the baby, you have to explain over and over what happened. That can all be avoided by simply waiting until you are in the 2nd trimester of your pregnancy.

Janice knew from the time I peed on the stick. When I flew home to visit my friends and family I thought I would break the news to Mom and Dad, soon-to-be Grandma and Grandpa. I went back to Duckwall's where I bought the infamous pregnancy tests. And there I found 2 matching bibs that say "I love Grandma" "I love Grandpa". I also ordered personalized M&M's online that said "October 2010", "Grandma" "Grandpa" and "We're Pregnant!". My original plan was to take them out to eat and ask the waiter to put the M&M's on a dessert plate. Then I remembered my Dad's heart issues and his anxiety and I thought it best to do it at home where he is cloes to his pills. So I wrapped their bibs in pink and blue gift bags and boarded my flight for VA.

I watched videos online of couples telling their family in similar ways. The grandparents saying things like "No way! Are you serious??" and screaming in excitement. In hindsight, those couples were probably married. And those grandparents were probably hoping everyday for grandkids. My parents were not expecting this. But on the off chance they were secretly hoping for grandkids I decided to record the experience. Less than an hour after getting off the plane I went and got their pink and blue gift bags and hit record on my camera. I was convinced I was "showing" and I was getting hot in my baggy sweater trying to cover my "bump".

My Dad's reaction: "Reeeeeeeeally?"
My Mom's reaction: "Wow. How far along are you?"

I was right at 12 weeks just before the 2nd tri phase. I told them atleast they didn't have to worry about me drinking and driving while I was borrowing their car for my visit. I didn't tell anyone else that visit, I didn't want it to come back in a facebook comment and somehow get to someone Jay wanted to tell in person. So I kept my mouth shut. I wanted to tell everyone I ran into, but I waited. Once Jay finally told everyone he wanted to tell in person, I got the go ahead to make the announcement on facebook. Then we were officially out.

Background Story: First Appointment

After doing some research online, we tour the Austin Area Birthing Center. We love it! Since we don't have adequate health insurance we'll be paying cash for all the prenatal appointments and the labor and delivery. We make an appointment for our first prenatal exam around the time we guess our peanut is about 11 weeks developed.

March 19th, 2010

The birth center rotates on call midwives, so you meet with a different midwife at each appointment so that you are somewhat comfortable with whoever happens to be on call when you go into labor. Our midwife for our first appointment was Annabelle. She is super nice, funny, and incredibly knowledgeable. Maybe I'm so warm and fuzzy for her because she snuck us in the ultrasound room to sneak a peak at our baby.

We got to see his heart beat, his head bobble around, and his arms and legs wiggling and kicking away. She had to step out for a second and let us try to find him on our own. Jay got it on the first try. I couldn't find him anywhere. They sit a lot lower than I would have guessed.

The rest of the appointment was not as exciting. Internal exam, blood drawn, pee in a cup. I was anxious for the results to come back. I haven't been to a doctor in years, partly due to a mild breast cancer scare from some less than professional doctors at a health clinic back home. Annabelle assured me my breasts were fine and later the results came back looking great. My iron levels were a little close to concerning but so far so good.

Oh and we got take home presents:

More to come.

Background Story: Is That Two Lines or One?

It was the last weekend in January. Jay had gone to Dallas for the weekend and I was wondering when the hell I was going to get my period. I had never kept tract of when it was supposed to come and go, I more or less relied on my body feeling like it was going to start. Well I hadn't gotten any messages from my ovaries in awhile and I asked Jay what he thought. He wasn't sure either but told me not to worry, I wasn't drastically late. My friend Janice suggested that it was stress from opening my new business. But that wasn't stressful- that was fun!

I don't eat the healthiest when Jay's not around. I went to Mr. Gatti's Pizza and ordered a medium pepperoni for lunch. While they were cooking that up I went around the corner to Duckwall's. If you have never been to Duckwall's it's kind of like a Walgreens and a Dollar Store and a Lowes. Something new and unexpected around every corner. I had about 20 minutes before the pizza was going to be done so I walked up and down every single aisle. I found myself staring at the pregnancy tests. One said "Results up to 6 days before your missed period". Well, hot damn! I don't know how many more days before my period is supposed to be here but surely I'm not a week off. This little piece of plastic should put my mind at ease in no time.

I went home with my pizza and my pregnancy test. I casually ate a few pieces while staring at the box in the bag. I took out the box and re-read what I had read in the store. Ate a few more pieces of pizza. I opened it up and read the instructions inside. "This is ridiculous." I thought to myself. "You're going to take this test, find out it's negative, and get your period tomorrow. Way to waste $12." Ok might as well go ahead and use the damn thing. Go ahead and find out it's negative.

I re-read the directions. You have to hold it in your pee for X number of seconds or you can pee in a cup and stick it in the cup for X number of seconds. Lovely. I was sitting there eating lunch trying to decide if I had to pee or not. I felt like a kid who was just potty trained trying to listen to their body. Well I should have listened longer because I infact did not have to pee. What little pee I had may or may not have hit where it was supposed to on the test and it was definitely not for X number of seconds.

I wait a few minutes for the results to appear. One line = not prenant, two lines = knocked up. Obviously I messed it up because there were one and a half lines. The half line being the not pregnant line. Good thing it was a 2-pack. I can take the other one after I drink some water and then I'll really have to pee and it will yield the correct results. No worries. But man that pregnant line is strong. And it says if the results are negative it will fade in 5 minutes, if they are positive it will last for 24-48 hours. But what if it already looks faded? I texted my best friend Janice for help.

Her exact response "Please don't tell me you're one of those stupid ass chicks who can't read a pregnancy test". Afraid I am. She asks to see a picture of the screen. Never in my life has it been so hard to take a picture with my cell phone. I call her before the pic goes through. All of a sudden I'm freaking out. Has it been 5 minutes? That first botched test is still there. She tells me to calm down and take the other test the next morning and reminds me not to tell Jay on the phone when he's 4 hours away. I spend the rest of the night staring at that still-not-fading test. Jay's not due home until Sunday night maybe Monday morning. I call and ask him to come home now and he gets worried something is wrong. I don't want to tell him on the phone so I just say I have a surprise for him and I want to give it to him ASAP. I also keep our conversations to a minimum so I don't "ruin the surprise".

The next morning I take the second test. I glance at the first test which still has not faded at all. Almost immediately two lines appear. I text Janice. She's excited and reminds me what a positive pregnancy test means- it means we're going to have a baby! I was still looking at this thing to tell me when I was going to get my period. It had completely escaped me that babies were a part of the equation until she said "Awww, you're going to have a baby!"

Well now Jay's coming home and I have to figure out a way to tell him. I make a gift box out of cardstock and jerry-rig it to spring open when he cuts the ribbons and bows off of it. I put the positive pregnancy test inside with a note that says "You're going to be a Daddy!". On the outside, just to warn him, I put a note that says "I love you always and forever". Jay pulls up and I waste no time. I rush him in and shove the box in his face. He cuts the ribbon and it springs open. He looks at it a second and says "Oh!" Then he stands up and hugs me as I start bawling. Neither of us saw it coming.

More to come.

Background Story: Conception

Every week for as long as anyone can remember the guys of the neighborhood would meet for "Boys Night" at Dave's. Drinking beer, grilling something manly, and swapping war stories. Well then I moved in and they so graciously changed it to "Family Night". Go ahead boys, bring your wives and your girlfriends.

A few couples would meet every Thursday up there on Dave's deck. We'd watch the thunderstorms light up the next town over, gossip about the neighbors we hadn't seen in awhile, and if Jay was working the grill we would devour something greasy and delicious.

On January 14th, 2010 I had something to celebrate. It was almost the end of my Grand Opening Celebration! I had successfully opened my private practice! Jay popped a bottle of champagne. No one else wanted champagne I guess because Jay and I must have drank that whole bottle by ourselves. After the night wound down, Jay and I stumbled home to continue our celebrations.

Sixteen days later I would learn of our happy little accident that night. More to come.

Background Story: My Very Own Clinic

I had dreamt about opening my own private practice since I graduated massage school 5 years ago. My best friend and I had even attempted a small business venture in Virginia Beach in 2006. We found a 2 office suite with a bathroom, bought our decorations, made business cards and fliers, and then promptly found out we couldn't operate a business there due to a zoning issue. The landlord let us out of our lease and we divided up our business.

Now, four years later, I was going it alone. After looking at office space in Marble Falls, Horseshoe Bay, and Austin I found the one. It was a small office in a health clinic. It had a shared reception area, client bathrooms, quiet neighbors, full kitchen, and even a space to rent for workshops. I signed the lease in late December and started to get things in order for the Grand Opening.

A one woman massage operation does not require a lot of equipment. I bought fresh linens, a bench and bookcase to match my massage table, and two lamps that dim. The most fun part of starting your own practice is writing your menu of services. I stuck with the typical Swedish and Deep Tissue therapies but I also offer specialties like Hot Stone and Ashiatsu.

I sent out introduction letters to allied health professionals in the area, wrote press releases, and announced the Grand Opening for January 11-15. Everything was going according to plan. I was reading every marketing book I could get my hands on. I was attending business networking meetings and joining meet up groups. I was on fire for my new company.

More to come...

Background Story: How I Got To Texas

I'm starting this blog at 21 weeks 6 days pregnant. In order to fully understand my story we have to go back, way back, all the way back to last year. (Hope everyone is picking up on the sarcasm)

May of 2009

Jay and I had just started dating. He was my knight in shining armor who flew all the way from Texas to take me on a date to Washington, DC. I was living in Virginia. Massage Therapist by day, Dominion Derby All Star by night. I skated under the name "Mayham N. Cheese" (number 102% because I'm extra cheesy). Jay came to my derby practices and we ran away to DC and Annapolis, MD to explore the east coast. His visit flew by and before we knew it, it was time for him to go back to TX. Back to talking on the phone everynight until I fell asleep.

This carried on for several months. Jay would fly out to VA for a week or more as often as he could. He came to as many derby bouts as he could manage. He even wore an "I love Cheese" shirt to a few of them.

But after three or four visits there was talk of it being "my turn". I owed him. I owed him a month to be exact.

When I found out I couldn't fly my faithful companion, Mugsy, out to Texas with me, I decided it would have to be a roadtrip because I refused to leave her for an entire month. And besides, who doesn't love roadtrips?

September of 2009

The stars aligned. Work was slowing down, my lease was running up, and after Regionals I could get away from derby for a month without missing too much. It worked out perfect. Jay flew out to North Carolina to watch us get our asses handed to us at regional tournament. For three days we got served beating after beating. It was probably the most fun I've had in three days in my entire life.

After that Jay and I drove back to VA to pack for my month long visit. My lease was up so I had to get my stuff out of there before I left. I didn't have much. I was renting a room from a guy who lived by the beach. It was fully furnished and he supplied all the kitchen essentials. So I had my massage table, my computer, my clothes, and my dog. I stored my massage chair and my bike with my parents along with some art and my dresser and the rest fit neatly in my Honda Element. Off we went on our roadtrip with Mugsy squeezed neatly behind the driver's seat.

We only had one scare in the 3 day road trip. Mugsy ate the soap I brought with us. We just knew she was going to get sick in the car on the last day of the trip. Luckily we made it to TX without incident.

October of 2009

Oh crap. I think I like Texas. Mugsy certainly liked Texas, with it's wide open spaces and roaming cattle. Now I have a choice to make. If I go back to VA, I have to drive for 3 days and find all new living arrangements. If I stay in TX, I have to find a job. Jay didn't help at all. He was going to be supportive no matter what I decided. If I go back to VA, I see my boyfriend maybe once a month but most likely less. Plane tickets aren't cheap. If I stay in TX, I get to sleep next to him everynight and wake up next to him everyday. I get to help him build his house (now our house) and enjoy his cooking and see him smile. It beat the pants off of waiting for him to log on to Gmail so we could play Scrabble online while I lived in VA. Texas won.

It wasn't an easy decision to completely walk away from my derby family. I was just getting started with my home team. Barely a year in to training and just starting to show signs of improvement. The nearest derby team I could try out for here is an hour and a half away. Staying in TX meant giving up derby for awhile.

November of 2009

I was granted a massage license from the TX board and now free and able to work. Not much work in the immediate area. Marble Falls and Horseshoe Bay had a few ridiculously priced spas that I applied for. Summer is the peak season, November isn't exactly a "hiring" month for massage therapists. Only one spa called me for an interview. I went in for the interview and was told "if a client asks for Deep Tissue they generally don't know what they're talking about and just use more pressure". When I asked if I were allowed to practice my Medical Massage, which I am trained in and have been practicing in VA for 4 years, was told "no. Absolutely not. You can't diagnose anyone. So no." The final straw came to scheduling. I would have to work "on call" every weekend. Oh and "on call" meant sitting in their breakroom waiting for walk ins only. Want to guess how many walk ins they get in winter? None.

So it was decided for me. I was going to have to open my own practice. It took a few weeks of research to find a location and get everything started. More on this in my next entry.