Ultra Sound Story & Tips

There was no other experience I was looking forward to more [besides actually holding this little Otter girl] than the ultra sound. We only had one ultra the whole pregnancy since I'm not considered high-risk & we had to wait until 19 weeks for this glorious appointment. So when the day came, I was all about those 40 ounces of water I had to drink in the hour before my appointment.

The joke was on me. 40 ounces is a lot in one hour for a normal person. Thats like 1 full Nalgene bottle & another 1/3 of the same bottle. For a pregnant woman, that is just torture. However, it wouldn't have been nearly as torturous had my appointment started on time. The office was running 45 minutes late the day of my appointment [a rarity my Ultra-Sound tech assured me]. So in reality, I held 40 ounces of water in my squished bladder for about 2 hours.

The appointment was scheduled for 1:00. At 1:40 I told Matt that if I had to wait any longer, I would pee on their chairs. I was not joking. The pain was unreal! So I did what I was told I shouldn't do, & went to the bathroom. 5 minutes later the tech came to get me & was apologetic for the wait, then concerned/annoyed about the lack of fluid in my bladder. Whatever lady, either it would have been on your waiting room chair, or the in the toilet...

Here's the thing... as long as your bladder is full enough [not exploding] by the end of the appointment,  it's fine. Not all the images need a bursting bladder to get a good picture. We got some beauties of our little lady, & by the time the tech took pictures of all those pictures, my bladder was at an acceptable level of full to capture other boring [and weird] images of the placenta & cervix [which need more water].

In the end, the wait was worth it. We saw our little GIRL for the first time. Two arms, two legs, a pumping heart, a brain, two kidneys, & her stomach! The frustration of waiting so long for the appointment to start melted away as soon as her image was on that screen & I was able to watch her for 40 minutes.

So here are my 5 tips to having a positive ultra-sound experience:
1. Drink 40 ounces of water... but start drinking the half hour before your appointment, not the hour before, in case the office is running behind & the appointment starts late [highly likely in my opinion]. This way, when the appointment is about to start, you will just be at an uncomfortable state of needing to go, & not wishing you had worn a diaper to the office.
2. Arrive 15 minutes early... Especially if there is some registration stuff to do. Even if they do get you started late, it won't be your own fault, but the staff [or the dingy lady before you who got in late, & is going over her allotted time] It made me feel better at least... & hey, maybe you will get in early!
3. Be nice to your ultra-sound tech... even if she did get you in late & forced you to hold an ungodly amount of water. She will be showing you every tiny party of your tiny baby & it's amazing. My lady was so kind after the initial drama of knowing I had emptied my bladder some, & was so excited with us when we FINALLY saw our little lady's gender-identifying parts. If you're mean or unpleasant, I hate to think how the appointment would go - because Lord knows I could not have figured that those swirly lines on the screen were actually the facial features of our little baby!
4. Ask questions... if you're curious about something, just ask. There were a couple times we thought we were looking at one thing, & Matt asked, & it was actually a totally different body part! It won't annoy your tech... it's part of their job.
5. Plan a whole afternoon for this appointment... Matt had to be back at work by 2:15. That wouldn't have been a problem had our appointment started on time. So the poor guy was only able to get 15 minutes of seeing his little baby before he had to leave. The appointment takes about 40 minutes & it's amazing. It was very hard on me emotionally being in that room alone for more than half of the appointment [& it was even more sad that we didn't know we had a little lady until after Matt went back to work. She was a modest little gal & kept herself curled up in a ball for most of the appointment. She finally gave us a quick peek at the goods & thank goodness because I did not want to leave that bed until we knew!] It was also fun for me to be able to go out and celebrate by buying one little girl clothing item, but it would have been more fun if Matt & I could have done it together!

& because I'm so proud of the adorable little lady we have... here she is :]

 Her little legs are curled up - those are her shins on the left, & belly on the right

 Otter girl's profile. What a gem.

Whole body: the grey circle on the left is her belly [umbilical cord is on the belly], arms to the right of the belly going up to her head on the right!

Amazing that these images were taken of something in my body! 

Current Baby Stats:

-20 weeks, Otter girl is the length of a banana, & 10 oz big. 

-we played for the first time last night... she gave a strong poke, so I poked back, she poked again at the same spot, so I poked back! This happened about 6 times. I cried :]

Baby Naming

Baby naming is a serious job. No sarcasm. Of the millions of names out there in millions of baby naming books & iPhone Apps, only one can be chosen! Talk about pressure. This name will become part of tiny baby's identity. There will be nicknames [potentially] made from this given name, & hopefully only nice ones. It will be potentially announced before sporting events or written on programs for music or theatre performances. This little name will represent a little person & I am feeling some pressure wondering if we've chosen the "right" name!

Maybe I'm being overly dramatic about this whole name thing... Especially since we had names picked out a week after we found out we were pregnant :] [we said we would wait through the first trimester to name this little rascal... that plan lasted a week. Kind of like our plan to wait 4-ish years to have kids & waited 4 months instead on accident] I just don't want to have a daughter who is the butt of jokes based on her name & that it fits who she will become.

So little Otter girl has a name. It's a secret. It's killing me... but I just love that it is our little secret & when she is here & we have met her, everyone else can meet her by her new name as well. [if you try and guess, you won't. if you do guess it, we won't tell you]

Here are some things we considered [or would have if we hadn't thought of the names so quickly] when we were choosing boy & girls names 14 weeks ago.

1. Family names: I won't tell you if we decided to use any family names or not, but remember.. [for example] if you choose to use part of the baby's dad's father's name, prepare to use part of the baby's mother's fathers name... don't wanna play favorites! & don't use family names for the sake of using the family name to please others if you really hate said name...

2. Classic names vs. popular names vs. unique names: Henry, David, Margaret, Nancy, & other names similar to this seem classic to me. Christopher, Michael, Brittany, Sara, & the like seem popular to me. Popular names are usually heard multiple times in the same classroom at school. I don't even want to list names I would consider unique at the risk of offending someone :] but I think it's pretty self explanatory. We narrowed our list of names down by knowing what category of name we wanted it to be in.

3. Make a top five list: Once the names have been narrowed down to personal favorites, each person in the couple make a list. Trade lists & cross off names that are highly disliked [be kind!]. See what names are left & make one list of favorites. If there is one mutual name that is on the list... ding ding ding the baby is named. If not... maybe have a wrestling match & whoever wins, their name is chosen? I'm not really sure after this point since Matt & I decided right away the names that we liked.

Maybe this helps. Maybe not. But regardless, go with what feels right. I kept questioning Otter girl's chosen name because I was afraid I wasn't emotionally connected to it enough - but hearing Matt continually use her name with adoration when we're at home got me hooked. We have our girl &  her name is perfect :]


Today's Menu:
Breakfast - Cheerio's with milk & a banana
Lunch - Salad with cucumber, green peppers, tomatoes, mozzarella cheese, & ranch, low-fat vanilla yogurt w/ granola & dried fruit, & two mini Hershey bars w/ peanut butter on them for dessert
Dinner - baked potatoes loaded with green peppers, mushrooms, yellow zucchini, mozzarella cheese, & a little low-fat sour cream

[just a little accountability to continue eating a diet that is high in fruit & veggies, whole wheat, & minimal sugar]

Looking ahead:
-lower back pain
-making a nursery
-pregnancy yoga & workout video reviews

Weight Gain Dilemas

Dilema 1: Physical strain 

At my last midwife appointment, 3 weeks ago, I was up 10 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight [so good!]. I started noticing about that same time that walking up the three flights of stairs to our apartment was making me breath a little heavy by the time I got to the top!

This got me wondering... I've never had problems walking up our stairs, except when my arms were full of groceries AKA extra weight. I realized that I need to up my workout routine a little more to counter the weight I've gained [I've been slacking the past few weeks].

I still have at least 15 more pounds to add to this body by May & thinking ahead, if I take this time to kick back & only relax... I will be in big trouble trying to get my buns, & eventually a 7 lb + baby, up the stairs.

Solution: Walk more, embrace stairs, & do body weight squats regularly.

The only way to accomplish this... be disciplined & do it [not my strongest quality]

My goal is to write into my planner a time of day that I will do a 20 minute body weight workout, focusing on legs & back. This will probably occur in the time frame between coming home from work & eating dinner. By sticking to a schedule, the likelihood of fitting in a quick workout is much higher!

A second goal is to walk/jog/elliptical with consistency. Doing a 30 minute cardio workout once a week doesn't do much in building stamina to support a higher body weight. We have a free gym membership to our local Y Center [thanks to my wonderful boss] & we don't use it nearly as often as we should. With the classic Michigan winter weather finally arriving... I will be the last person to take a nice walk outside in the 10 degree weather [I hate snow. I hate the cold. why do I live here!?]. Now is the ideal time to stroll on a treadmill, pop on some tunes, & read a book [most likely about something pregnancy/baby related]. Three times a week would be ideal. There are some weeks where it is just not possible to take the 15 minute drive to the gym & on those night a little Just Dance on the XBox Kinect will get this mama moving.

Dilema 2: Emotional Strain 
I've never weighed this much in my life. My initial reaction to those stinkin' little numbers on the scale was shock & instant insecurity. The baby weighs half a pound, there are other weight gain factors like a growing placenta & the girls up top, but how can all of that weigh 10 pounds?! Has my husband been lying when I ask if my buns are bigger? [bless his sweet little heart]

But I should be gaining weight. My baby needs food to grow healthy. & I know I've been giving her mostly nutritional food. So I'm not adding ice cream & fast food weight to these mama hips. This weight is good weight. So next time I get on the scale, I want to celebrate those numbers [as long as they're within the range I should be gaining] & picture my tiny girl getting bigger & healthier. At my final weigh in, [now this is full disclosure] the goal is to weigh between 145-155 pounds... for this petite gal, that seems like a lot. But those are some beautiful numbers that represent a new little girl that will be ours. Thinking about the weight gain in those terms, it is a wonderful thing & not something to be insecure about.
[it also helps to have an amazing husband who bathes you with compliments & kisses for a boost of extra confidence on those not-so-good days... Oh Matthew you are my prince]

Current Baby Stats:
-19 weeks & 5 days
-Otter is a GIRL!
-She is the size of a mango. Or green pepper. Whichever you can picture better.
-Nursery colors have been chosen & crafting supplies purchased [pictures to come!]
-Craving icecream [& not giving in this month! See The December Dilema blog post]
-Feeling pokes galore - Matt felt 5-10 kicks in a 5 minute time frame. Glorious.

Looking Ahead:
-Naming a baby
-Baby girl ultra sound pictures! [& tips for the appointment]

Open-Face Veggie Sandwhich

In general, Matt & I really try to eat a natural diet full of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, & some meats -mostly chicken & beef]. Since tiny Otter's existence, we've really made an effort to fill our fridge & pantry with these foods. Raw veggies can get dull, but we don't have loads of time to cook when we get home as we're both pretty worn out from work. We've been searching for quick, but healthy recipes for all three of us & this is one we've made a few times & love. 

This tasty sandwich is simple to make, doesn't require too much prep time, & provides a lot of nutrients. We've made it a few times & I think I've perfected the recipe [that I found on Pinterest of course, but have made it my own].

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
-fresh broccoli [about $1.00 for two heads]
-fresh yellow zucchini [$1.59 for two] --- I'm sure regular green zucchini would be good too
-onion [$2.29 for a bag of six, only half of one is needed for this]
-green pepper [can't remember the price]
-fresh mushrooms, pre-sliced [$2.50 at Aldi]
-loaf of french bread [$2.40 at Walmart]
-mozzarella cheese; block or shredded [block= $2.00 at Aldi]
-garlic mayo [home mixed]

=about $13 for total supplies, with PLENTY of extra veggies & bread left over [this is a meal for two, but I'm sure the supplies could feed a family of four, maybe with an extra loaf of bread]

Prep:
-cut up all veggies: fairly small pieces so they can be easily piled onto the bread
       To give you an idea of how much to cut up: half an onion, one yellow zucchini, half of one head of broccoli, one green pepper, as many mushrooms as you like
-depending on the number of sandwiches you're making, mix some mayo & about a half teaspoon of garlic powder.
-put all veggies on a tin foil covered baking sheet with a tablespoon or two of olive oil, & mix the veggies around in the oil so they're lightly coated. [vegetable oil works just as well, but olive oil is healthier]
-turn your oven on the broiler setting & place the oven rack on the top shelf, allow a couple minutes for oven to heat up

Cook:
-Place pan on the top rack in the oven, cook for 2-3 minutes then stir the veggies. Cook an additional 2-3 minutes. When veggies are soft [& the tips of the broccoli might start to brown], they're done
-While the veggies cook, it's a good time to spread the mayo on the bread. Just a thin layer is good.
-Take the tin foil off the cooking sheet [with veggies still on it obviously] & place slices of bread onto the cooking sheet. Using a spatula, pile the veggies onto the bread & place cheese on top.

-Put tray back onto the top rack of the oven and cook until cheese has melted, about 2 minutes.

Add a little salt & pepper on top if you like, & enjoy! We had fries on the side.
[potato fries are best, by just cutting up a potato into slices/wedges, and bake with some olive oil until they're soft. Another good side would be some fruit]

If you try out this recipe, let me know what you think!!

Bonus: with all those left over veggies, it makes the prep time for a stir fry practically nothing! I cut up extras of the veggies while I had the knife out last night, & all we have to do tonight for dinner is cut up some chicken & cook it up!

Basic Nutrition Benefits:
1 cup broccoli: protein, calcium, iron, dietary fiber, Vitamins A, C, E, K, and folate
1 cup yellow zucchini: dietary fiber, iron, various Vitamins & minerals
1 cup onion: dietary fiber, Vitamin B6
1 cup mushrooms: Vitamin D & C, folate, & various minerals

**all are low in saturated fats & cholesteral**
**fiber is a GREAT thing in general, but especially for pregnant women. With our hormones a little wacky, the digestive track is relaxed, making constipation a common side effect. I haven't had any problems with this, & I really believe it's because we've intentionally planned our meals to be nutritionally beneficial.

Looking ahead:
-walking & weight gain

Otter Baby

What to do when the baby gender is unknown, the chosen names are being kept secret until birth [if I can keep the secret that long], but calling the baby an 'it' just doesn't seem show much adoration & love?

Have a nickname of course :]

The original nickname was Satchmo. Like Snatchmo, but without the 'n'. We still call baby O this name, but we didn't originally understand what the name was. Matt's dad used to occasionally say it to Matt, so we assumed it meant 'little helper' or 'little pal'. Wrong.
We looked it up. It was the nickname of the famous trumpet player, Louie Armstrong. The full nickname was Satchelmouth. Because he had a huge mouth. Apparently like a satchel?

Not as cute as we originally thought, but still cute sounding enough to call Baby O our Little Satchmo.

Enter the real nickname. Otter. Thank you bestie Alyssa Allen for this clever name.

While texting about all the baby plans & excitement with her one day, she kindly asked if she could call the baby Otter. I instantly loved it. That's it. So simple. So I stole the name :] But there is more to why I just love this little name.

Matt was a rascal of a little guy. He is still full of energy and silly, but as a little boy, had he gone to school & wasn't home schooled, his teacher's probably would have pleaded for ADHD medicine. He was that squirrely. He was so cute. & so he was called Otter Boy by his family. Alyssa didn't even know this trivial fact about my darling husband when she chose this name for Baby O. Which makes me love it even more. Seems like destiny.

And that is how Baby O became Otter Baby.
Only 23 weeks & 1 day to go until we hold sweet Otter & announce the actual name :]
[as long as Otter arrives on its exact due date of May 17th. doubtful.]

The December Dilema

December is one of the best months [Christmas, Christmas trees, Christmas lights, Christmas cookies, Christmas parties...] making it the easiest month for poor eating & weight gain. With Otter baby celebrating this holiday season in it's warm womb bed, I'm trying to be extra careful about how many sweets I indulge in. Sugar isn't good for either of us. We will be attending six Christmas parties in the next few weeks.

& that's the December Dilema. I've read from various sources that on average, Americans gain 3-6 pounds between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Wow. While I'm supposed to be gaining weight, that's not the kind of weight I want to gain.

Solution: no buying sweets. no exceptions. [fruit doesn't count! & neither does syrup for pancakes]

We don't buy sweets often anyways, but by cutting them out of our grocery list entirely we will:   1. save $$$$$$$$ [hello buying baby things!!] and 2. feel no guilt after eating my fourth cookie, sixth chocolate covered peanut butter ball, & tenth piece of fudge. 

[thanks pal Alyssa Allen for the inspiration for this brilliant idea]

Baby Updates:

-16 weeks & 5 days

-turnip size [i don't know what that is: Matt says it's about the size of a baseball]

-feeling more baby kicks. tiny kicks. like little pokes.

-officially unable to wear pre-pregnancy pants [with the exception of one pair]

-finally gained some weight. up 7 pounds from my original weight! The midwife was very happy about that

-best news= we find out if Otter is a 'he' or 'she' on December 21st. Matt thinks 'he'. I don't know.

Looking ahead:

-How Otter got it's Name

-Quick, Healthy & Tasty Recipe

The Overdue Post

When we first found out we were pregnant [September 10th, 2012] I had the idea to blog my experience as I try & do this pregnancy thing while maintaining a healthy & active lifestyle.

Then I got nervous. What if I offend someone? What if I'm critiqued & I can't handle it? What if no one reads anything I have to say?

Now I'm putting all those anxieties aside & am doing this for myself [& anyone who needs a boost of encouragement during their pregnancy]. Health & fitness have been an important part of my life, so why should that change while Otter Baby is growing in my belly? My hope is that this blog will keep me accountable to what I truly desire to accomplish in the next 5 months.

Here are my baby mama goals:
            1. eat fresh. eat natural. avoid excess sugar.
            2. continue a regular work out routine to keep my body physically strong & to avoid excess
              weight gain
            3. resist giving in to every unhealthy craving
            4. keep a peaceful, joyful, and confident mindset

& this is why:
             1. A better diet = A healthier baby, a healthier mama, & a healthier daddy. All three of us are eating the same meals together, & it's important to me that my pizza & wings cravings aren't putting extra pounds on all three of us. Those are wasted calories for the baby as they don't provide much help in the baby building process [& wasted for Matt & I as the lbs will just sit on our hips]
             2. Labor is tough. & I've read, a regular workout routine can help that process be a little easier. Maybe it's true, maybe not. But what have I got to lose if not? It certainly won't make it worse! [i hope!] & in general, I just feel better when I'm more active.
             3. Things I've heard about cravings & food....
     -"you're pregnant! you're eating for two!" [false... more like 1.15 people. the other person i'm eating for weighs less than a pound [and at most 8 or 9 pounds] & only requires an extra 300 calories a day... not 2,000] 
   -"you're pregnant! enjoy it! now is the time you can eat whatever you want, whenever you want! [sure.. if I want to feel terrible, gain 50 pounds, increase the potential for gestational diabetes, have a larger baby that won't fit through its exit route, etc. I could go on & on]
            4. I didn't realize how much these 9 months will change me. It's so easy to have a fearful mindset because, my goodness, so much is going on! Every week as I read the updates on what is changing & developing in our little Otter Baby I'm amazed at how much could go wrong. Also - my body is changing. I haven't gained any weight yet - but i'm still bigger than ever and clearly pregnant. There are a lot of fears that come along with that [will I get terrible stretch marks? will my husband still be attracted to me? how can I wear cute outfits with a bowling bowl sized belly? etc...] So I've decided this is a time [like every other time in my life] where I truly need to rely on God; His love, His power, His peace, & the joy that comes from Him. Or else I'll be stressed, & even THAT is not good for our precious babes.


So as my pregnancy progresses, I hope to blog about workouts I've done, food we've made, things we struggle with, exciting moments, & anything else baby/family related :]


Current Baby Stats:
-ALMOST 16 weeks [on Friday]
-avocado/apple sized baby
-cannot wear pre-pregnancy pants without keeping the top button open :]
-felt the first baby kick Saturday morning, laying in bed, on my side.
-heard a VERY wiggly baby's heartbeat on November 5th. a very beautiful sound.
-craving dill pickles