Pregnancy: 24 Weeks

This week we are celebrating an important milestone: Viability!! If Hannah was born this week she would have approximately a 50% chance of surviving outside of my womb. Not the best odds, but better than none. Each week she gets a little stronger and her odds go up. By 26 weeks it's up to 80%. Of course we want sweet little Hannah to hang out all the way until the end, but still, the viability marker is a little more reassuring.

One thing to make note of -- it's hot!! I mean it is really hot. We wanted an October baby and got very lucky that the timing of it worked out (we didn't want a holiday baby. We want girlfriend to have her own time and season). So yay, October baby. However, I don't think I fully thought through what being pregnant ALL summer would be like. In Alabama. In the humidity. Yea, bad decision. I've always loved being a September baby: the seasons are starting to change (kind of, I mean it is Alabama), school is in session so you can celebrate with your friends, it's generally pretty sunny and pleasant out. I'm sure in the end I'll be glad for her fall birthday, but for now it's just miserable, and there's still 4 more months to go!!

Let's recap what else is going on at this point in pregnancy.

How far along: 24 weeks -- viability! 6 months, crazy!!

Symptoms: My knees are killing me. The pain that started over a month ago has changed a few times in how it manifests, but the one constant is knee pain. In pregnancy ligaments loosen and stretch to make your body ready for childbirth. The ligaments/tendons in my knees didn't get that memo. They feel so tight and constricted that when I bend my knees (both of the now. Joy) it feels like the tendons are going to pop. I've also started getting strained tendons or pregnancy related carpel tunnel in my right hand. Ouch. My brain is still mushy, and my bladder is getting worse. I'm still waiting for the glow people talk about.

Sleep: Hit or miss. Some nights I pass out quickly, some nights it's a fight to get comfortable and fall asleep. I have to have a pillow propped under my belly because it's getting heavy and pulls on my back. I wake up every 1.5-2 hours to use the restroom. That's no fun. Especially since it's recently started getting a little harder to get out of bed. Sound effects accompany my bed exit. Or when I get out of my car.

Clothes: It is summer time, and shorts are required. Usually I don't like wearing shorts to work. And I don't mean short shorts, but shorts in general. My office is pretty cold during the day and in previous years I'd freeze. Yea, not anymore! It is too dang hot out to wear jeans. I don't think I've worn long pants in the last 2 months. Shorts, maternity tank tops, ribbed tees, etc. I think I have the same ribbed cotton tank top from Old Navy in 5 or 6 colors. For real. They're so comfy. If I'm feeling fancy I might opt for a knee length cotton skirt.

Cravings/Aversions: Fountain sodas are still king of the mountain, but I've also developed a major taste for carbonated, flavored water. Not all flavors. Strawberry and watermelon are the best. The cold fizziness is just right. I still want salty over sweet. I have requested that Andrew bring home some cheesecake on a few occasions recently. It's so good, but so rich I can't eat much of it. I had some strawberry cake from Edgar's last week. It was really good, but I think Hannah enjoyed it more than me. Out of the 3 times I had it (over the course of a weekend) she got excited every single time. Girl knows what she likes.

Weight Gain: We won't go there. In fact I'm going to take this out for the next update. Month 5 was a high gain month so I'm working on lowering it and evening things out.

Exercise Routine: Sadly still not happening. My knees bother me enough that excessive walking or working out is painful. It's also really really hot outside. It's hot when I'm standing still. The thought alone of being active in this heat makes me hot.

Movement: We have upgraded from soft rolls to strong rolls, kicks, punches, hiccups and bongos on my bladder. I can usually count on her to wake up around 11 am, 4-5 pm and again when I have dinner. She moves intermittently at other times, but I can count on those hours for almost guaranteed action. Andrew and Kristina have now felt her kick, so she's getting strong. I can see my stomach jump when she's really having it out. It's so weird, and amazing all at once.

Random: She started getting the hiccups over the weekend and continues to get them a couple of times per day. I figure as her diaphragm develops she'll probably stop having them so often, but for now it's so cute. At first I thought she was kicking rhythmically, but then I remembered that neither Andrew nor myself have rhythm! haha

Baby Size: There's a little disagreement this month. One app says cantaloupe, one says an ear of corn, and another says the size of a standard letter envelope. Either way she's growing, and so am I!

Andrew's been on night shifts so we had to switch up the bump photo. It's kind of bright outside!!

It's hard to believe that I'm 6 months pregnant. Pre-pregnancy the thought of carrying a child was so weird and alien. I thought it would be the most bizarre thing ever. In some ways it is definitely weird, but it's not as foreign as I'd expected it to be. I don't mean it's been easy, by any means. My body hurts, my feet swell, I'm doing good if I don't get nauseous at least once during the day and there are plenty of stranger things that are not appropriate discussion for a public blog. But it's coming more naturally than I'd expected, and time is passing much more quickly than I thought possible. This is good and bad for different reasons. Right now I'm just holding onto my seat and flying through it!!

Pregnancy: 20 Weeks

Today marks the half way point of pregnancy -- 20 weeks. It's crazy that we've made it so far. I feel like I was just telling Andrew about our happy news the other day. But I guess that was the beginning of February and the time has flown by. Actually it's more like the saying, "The days are long but the years are short." In this case replace 'years' with 'months.' Obviously we still have a long way to go, and through the middle of summer at that. I'll probably be miserable all summer. It's just hot. It's so hot. And I'm getting bigger. It's an all-over big too. You wouldn't look at me and be like, "Aww Kassie, you're all belly!" Not even close. But that's ok. Everything about my body and the little one inside me is growing, changing, stretching and getting bigger. And that's a good thing! Some days it's hard to accept, but then I remember that it's all for Hannah and that amazing gift I'll have in my arms in approximately 20 more weeks!

So how are things holding up at the halfway point? Let's do a recap.

How far along: 20 weeks = Halfway there!

Symptoms: I'm actually feeling pretty good for the most part. I did throw up a few times this morning, but that was the first time I've barfed in over a month probably. I credit that to having milk and orange juice for breakfast. In hindsight, that was probably a really bad idea. The two just don't mix well. Energy is pretty good, as long as I get enough sleep. I am starting to swell, particularly in my fingers, ankles and feet. It doesn't help that my diet has been too high in sodium and it's been humid as all get out. I'm trying drink plenty of water and limit salty foods to try to keep that under control. Oh, and can we say heart burn? It's not severe, but enough to be uncomfortable. She better have a lot of hair with all this burning!

Sleep: I am not nearly as good of a sleeper as I used to be. It takes longer to fall asleep. Then I wake up every 3ish hours to use the bathroom. Then before I get back in bed I chug water because I'm just so thirsty in the middle of the night. This creates a vicious cycle of waking, bathroom breaks, more water, waking, etc. No matter how early I go to bed I'm still tired when I wake up. I can't sleep on my stomach anymore. I can barely sleep halfway on it (laying on my side but semi-turned onto my stomach). I can't really sleep on my back either. It's getting uncomfortable and hurts my lower back. This leaves sleeping on my sides. I don't mind it normally, but trying to stay like that for 8+ hours is hard. I end up turning back and forth throughout the night over and over again. I dread when I'm bigger and turning becomes more difficult.

Clothes: Maternity clothes rock. My maternity jeans that I bought early on are on their way out. They have a demi-band that was super comfy, but now that my belly is getting prominent the band flips over and digs into me. I've got a pair of jeans ordered with the full belly cover that should be awesome. Skirts that have loose waists are great. I'm not a fan of the maxi skirts/dresses because they are too long for my short legs and make me really hot. Knee length is just right.

Cravings/Aversions: Chicken is still a no go for me. Fountain sodas are still a god send. I'm trying to clean up my diet (Hannah has taste buds now, so I guess feeding her only fast food and crap is a bad idea) but it's harder than I expected. I get food that sounds awesome, then when it's prepared it's just not as good. Or it makes me nauseous later (like my oj and cereal this morning). It's a work in progress.

Weight Gain: I'm getting fat! Just kidding, it's a little bit of baby too. Let's be honest. It's both. I'm not positive on the number, but I'm thinking about 15 pounds. Ouch.

Exercise Routine: I wish I could say I'm walking and doing yoga and running marathons, but alas, I'm not. I did something crazy to my knee and it's been giving me a lot of pain. I saw a doctor last week that told me no exercise for 2 weeks to see if it improves. Well it's not improving and my body is getting more stiff from lack of movement. Next appointment is next Thursday. Hopefully it will improve or he can fix it so I can get moving.

Movement: There is definite movement going on in there. It's not solid like kicks or punches, more of a rolling feeling low in my belly. I don't know if it's her flipping over, or if her kicks are light enough that it feels like a tickling, bubbly sensation. It still isn't constant or even consistent. If I'm really busy/active/moving around I don't feel anything, but then when I get home and sit down for the night I start feeling a lot. It's like she's wanting to keep the party going. Also after I eat or drink sometimes I'll get some rumbles. It seems to be more noticeable when I have a full bladder. I guess it pushes the uterus up and closer to my stomach. Not sure about that one. Actually as I'm typing this she is making herself known! Guess her ears are burning!

Random: I'm sad to say that I am becoming dumber as each day passes. I swear Hannah is stealing my intelligence. I better have a really smart kid, or my brain power better come back after she's born!! Andrew just laughs and shakes his head. Last night we were grocery shopping and I'd had my purse in the cart, then put it across my chest like a messenger bag. We were choosing veggies and I told him not to leave the shopping cart because my purse was in there. He just stared at me and I had no idea what was wrong. Turns out I was wearing my purse and I didn't even realize it. Simple math stumps me. Thank goodness for the calculator on my phone!! There are daily instances when words disappear out of my brain or I get lost mid-story. Pregnancy brain is a real thing.

Baby Size: Hannah Banana can be her name this week! At approx 10.5 ounces and 6.5 from head to rump, she's a medium sized banana. Starting next week she'll measure head to toe in length instead of head to tush. (The change is because she's starting to stretch those little legs out, making her longer and easier to measure). She's swallowing and tasting the amniotic fluid, which apparently is flavored by my diet. Better cut out the Krystals and McDonalds trips!

The halfway point is a big marker during pregnancy. Our next big milestone is 24 weeks, which is considered viability should I deliver early for any reason. Happy 20th week, Hannah!

I'll leave you with a picture of Hannah's big sister, Sidney.

Baby Is....

We had our anatomy scan on Tuesday, May 13. (I'm a little behind on updates here, life is busy and fast moving!!). When we went in the US tech asked what we thought Baby would be, and we both said we thought girl. I told her if it ended up being a boy then my 'mother's intuition' was way off and needed practice.

She started with the important stuff, checking the growth, limbs, head, spine, organs, etc. Her and the doctor both said everything looks great. I had blood drawn, still waiting on those results. The Penta Screen as they call it checks for trisomy defects such as Downs Syndrome and other, more serious trisomy problems. I'll feel better when we get the results back, but since I'm still relatively young we are considered low-risk for these. Hopefully it stays that way!

After checking out the anatomy, the tech said, "Ok, let's see if those mommy feelings are right!" She started hunting around to get a good shot and said, "Well, you're right mommy. It's a girl!" My heart melted. I had kind of wanted a boy until about 2 weeks before the appointment, when I had the over whelming feeling she was a girl. At that moment I wanted that sweet baby girl of my dreams. And here she was! She asked if we had a name picked out, which indeed we did!

Hannah Claire Boggan

I asked the tech if she was sure it was a girl before we told all of our families, and she said with a laugh, "A vagina is a vagina all day long. It's a girl!" Ok then! Not the wording I'd expected, but we got the 'yes I'm sure' loud and clear! Baby girl it is!!

We both had the day off so after our epic, 2.5 hour appointment (long scan, blood draw, meet with doctor, wait on doctor, wait on nurse, etc) we headed out for lunch. We decided to do cupcakes with a pink filling for our gender reveal for friends and family in town. We hit Publix and they told us they'd be done in 15 minutes. Score! We grabbed lunch from the deli, took our cupcakes and had a picnic in the car in Publix's parking lot. While we sat there we made a little video to share with our friends and family that were out of state. 

We are beyond excited to be Mom and Dad to a precious baby girl in a few short months. Andrew was hoping for a boy, but I think the minute he lays eyes on Hannah he's going to be head over heels, wrapped around her finger, done for. He's a softy (shush! don't tell!) so he will have no guard against her.

Here are a couple of pictures from our day of telling everyone.

Don't be fooled by my blue shirt! What's in the cupcake?!? PINK!!

Sidney didn't think the silly string was as clever as we did.

Best for last -- Kristina's reaction to the cupcake :)

So it's a girl for us, and we are so excited to meet her (but not too soon!), love her and teach her all kinds of girly, and manly things. I'm sure she'll be a disc golf pro in no time.

Pregnancy: 16.5 Weeks

No pictures specific week picture to show for this post. We've kind of been slacking on the belly pics. Since I was at my Mom's all of last week it just got away from us. I am definitely starting to look pregnant, although I joke that I'm in the "Is she fat or pregnant?" stage. I have been getting some looks from people that look at my stomach, then my face, back to my stomach, then my boobs, then back to my stomach. It's like they aren't sure if they should congratulate me or wonder if I've just gained weight. A little of both, to be honest! haha.

Picutre from my cousin's graduation. You can see some belly.

I've decided that I will not be one of those women who only grows in the belly. My weight is well distributed, so I won't be 9 months hearing "Oh you're all belly!" Even though I know it's pregnancy related, my growing size is kind of two sided. On one hand I feel fat, bloated and overall unattractive. But on the other hand I want to revel in pregnancy and it's growth spurts and love my growing body. Some days I feel good about it, but some days I have the 'woe is me, I'm getting huge days.' Don't get me wrong, I am so happy and blessed to be pregnant and experience all that comes with it when so many women have trouble. But it's just reality that the changes your body goes through aren't all flowers and smiles. It is a lot to cope with in some ways.

We go back to the doctor in 8 days. At that appointment we will do the anatomy scan to make sure Baby is growing properly and organs are completely formed and all of that good stuff. We will also get to find out the gender, if Baby cooperates and gives us a money shot. I cannot believe we are so close to finding out the sex. We both are leaning towards wanting a boy, but we also both think it's a girl. For the past week or so I've had the overwhelming feeling that it's a girl. We've chosen names (which we will announce when we find out the sex), and it seemed like after we decided on names, I told my belly "Goodnight Girl, or Boy, whoever you are!" (insert specific name instead of girl/boy). As soon as I said it, something welled up inside me and just screamed "I'm a Girl!!" Since then whenever I think of the baby it's with the female pronoun. We will see what mother's intuition says in 8 days!! We will announce the gender once we've found out and told family and friends in person. We are so excited and will be thrilled either way!

How far along: 16 weeks, 5 days

Symptoms: I'm  happy to report my morning sickness is under control, although I am still taking medicine for it. I'm scared to not take it! I've got about 2 weeks left on my current prescription, then when it ends hopefully my body will have fully stopped being sick. Hopefully. I'm not as exhausted as I was in the first trimester, but I do still have a bedtime of 10-10:30. If I stay up later than that I am spent and drained all the next day.

Sleep: I'm sleeping better though the night (yay for not waking every 3 hours!!). I know that is short lived, but I'll enjoy it for the few months that I can!

Clothes: I am fully in maternity clothes. I've done some shopping and hope to have enough clothes to get me through the pregnancy. Unless something comes up where I need a fancy dress, I should be good. Now I'll have to try to plan Baby #2 where I can be pregnant in the same season and reuse all these clothes! I love shopping at thrift stores, but finding used maternity clothes is very difficult. That means I had to break down and buy brand new mat clothes, which are not cheap!!

Cravings/Aversions: I've had more aversions than cravings (grilled chicken -- you better get it away from me!) Mexican food used to be one of my favorites, but it just isn't as good anymore. (Maybe because I can't have the margarita that goes with it!!) But, the main craving I've had is diet coke from a soda fountain. Something about the fresh, fizziness is just unparalleled to me. It's so good. Fried Okra? omg give me some now.

Weight gain: Yea, I'm up about 10-ish pounds. Again, i won't be one of those skinny, cute pregnant ladies. Sadly in the first trimester, the only foods that eased my nausea and sat well in my stomach were carbs. Greasy carbs. Think: McDonalds hashbrowns. It's like hangover food still makes my stomach feel better.

Exercise Routine: Not enough of one. I've been trying to get out and walk a few days a week, but last week had so much going on I only walked one day. I got 2 prenatal yoga dvds, but I've yet to try them out. 

Movement: I thought I might have felt felt baby, but nothing definite just yet. Driving back from Tuscaloosa Friday night I was pretty torn: Is that Baby, or the club sandwich I had for dinner? I think it was the sandwich being digested. I'm in the window, although on the early side, to begin feeling baby move. I can't wait for the popcorn and bubbles to start!!

Added: We got a 17 week picture, 1 day shy of 17 weeks :)

Spring Time

This Spring has brought flowers, pollen, storms and the beginning of my second trimester! I'm starting to feel better (most days) and energy is returning.

Beth and I celebrated the end of April with a girls trip to Sips n' Strokes to paint a replica of Van Gogh's Almond Blossoms painting. Obviously with being pregnant, I didn't participate in the Sipping part of the class, which is probably good because this painting was pretty tough! I've done 4 paintings with them now, but they have all been animals (Owl, Dragonflies, peacock) and a Christmas elf. The nature thing was a little harder. Neither of our paintings came out just like his, but that's the beauty of this concept. You make the painting your own.

BFFs

Finished products!

Andrew's kickball team made it to the playoffs so on Wednesday I went to cheer them on. I played with half of the team last season, so it was kinda sad to not be able to get out there and play with them. Before the game started we happened to pass by the championship trophies, so the team got a photo in with the trophies. Number 1 no matter what anyone else says!

Ah Cleet Cleet Motha Bunta!

Mom flew up to Idaho for a week to help get Nanny's house packed up so she could move down to Alabama. I stayed in Vestavia with Kristina for the week. We weathered some storms and thankfully although we had to go into our safe place, the tornadoes that were on track for us turned at the last minute. Andrew was not thrilled to be in the small Harry Potter closet below the stairs (our safe spot).

Sidney decided that storms were exhausting as well.

On Tuesday Kristina rescued a kitten that was left in the parking lot at Western. Sadly whoever left him there also left one of his littermates, but he was run over before Kristina could get to him. Luckily the kitten she did save seems to be in great health. Clean eyes and nose, no fleas, and very very friendly. He's about 7 weeks old and she named him Toulouse after the mouthy kitten in The Aristocats. This kitten is a talker!! He's so sweet and loves to cuddle.

On Saturday we took him to the vet to get checked out and get his first set of shots. He was doing great and playing like a madman. We had a traumatic experience later in the evening though when he found the one ledge we didn't kitty-proof and in the jerky, awkward ways of a kitten, he ran out on the ledge at the top of the stairs and fell. Time went into slow motion as I watched him superman off the ledge down a 12 foot fall. It was horrible. He landed belly first on the bottom step. Kristina ran down and grabbed him, we brought him up and watched to see if he'd survive. It was obvious his legs were fine, but he was really groggy and pitiful. To be safe we took him to the emergency animal vet clinic on Acton Road. By the time we got there he was starting to spruce up some and looked better. They checked him out and deemed him to be fine. They said to keep a close eye on him and if he seemed lethargic or didn't eat the next day to take him to the vet. From Kristina's reports he was ok, albeit a little sore. Thank heavens he was ok. After being rescued and doted on all week, it would have been a cruel, cruel twist if he had been seriously injured. But, he's ok and life for a kitten is pretty good!

Kristina and I went down to Tuscaloosa to celebrate our beautiful cousin Heidi's graduation from college at the University of Alabama, cum laude. We are so proud of her and her accomplishments!!

All in all we've had a great Spring, and now are moving on to Summer!

Hidden Baby Diaries #4

Yesterday Andrew and I went to my 14 week appointment, one day shy of 14 weeks. I've read that there are different theories on when the 2nd trimester begins, with some saying 13 weeks, some 13.5 and some say 14. Well I went with 13 weeks, but apparently my doctor likes 14 weeks. Either way, I'm 14 weeks today, so by any standard we are in the 2nd trimester! Woohoo!! What a relief to be out of the most risky stage of the 1st trimester. Of course, nothing is a sure thing and tragedy can strike at any time, but for now we are all good. The doctor did an ultra sound and we got a few pictures, and it looks like everything is progressing as it should. Yay!

We also let the cat out of the bag last night, announcing the happy news on facebook after making sure most all immediate family members had been warned ahead of time. After 3 months of not telling anyone, it was really hard to tell the world our news. I was so nervous and vulnerable before posting the status that told. I know that vulnerability is nothing compared to what I will feel after baby is born, but still. I was holding those cards so close and tight to my chest I didn't want to let go. But once we got the all clear from the doctor it was time to share. Our parents have been itching to spread the news, so we couldn't deny them (or Andrew's want to stop being so secretive) much longer. Honestly, if it were solely up to me I probably would have waited longer, but the news is out and it's a relief not to have to explain away absences, not drinking, feeling sick and needing to be in bed by 10:00!!

When we were doing the ultra sound it was so cool to see baby moving and flipping and waving, but not being able to feel anything. So crazy. Apparently our baby is a mover and a shaker. S/he was stretching out, flipping over, doing a high step (Andrew said he was practicing for the Heisman). We got one pretty good profile shot where you can see baby hanging out, and a hint of what I think is Andrew's nose!

Doesn't look like a round nose to me, must be Andrew's!!

High steppin' it! Heisman in the making?

Apparently the Buddha belly is normal, so no worries :)

Heart rate was 152 bpm, perfectly perfect. We've got a few guesses on gender, but we won't find out for sure for another 4 weeks, and that's if Baby cooperates and gives us a good shot. Andrew thinks it's a girl. I think it's a boy. Most of the old wives tales and the Chinese Gender calendar say girl. We'll see if Mother's Instinct is correct or Daddy's is better!

We are so happy and excited, and now we can share it with the world. Yay Baby!!

Hidden Baby Diaries #3

We are in double digits! 10 weeks and 5 days today. Last week we had an appointment to try to hear the heartbeat through a doppler radar. The doctor warned us that we were still early enough (1 day shy of 10 weeks) that we may not be able to find baby's heartbeat if s/he was hiding in a corner or if my uterus was tilted. After about 4 or 5 agonizing, nerve wracking minutes, we heard the sweetest sound. 172 per minute of fluttering, strong little heart beat. Magical. I looked at Andrew and his eyes got big and we just smiled at each other. I wish I'd thought to make a recording of it, but it all happened so quickly and I was concerned with hearing it, not recording it. Doc said everything sounded great. Success. Good job Baby Bear!! (Did I explain that part yet? Baby is lovingly referred to as Baby Bear since Andrew and I dressed as Mama and Papa Bear in the Christmas parade with Harlee aka Baby Bear).

All in all we were only in the doctors office for about 20 minutes. The beauty of an 8 am appointment, no women ahead of me to back things up! We decided to celebrate with breakfast at Waffle House. I can't eat as much in one sitting these days, but I still got the full spread of waffle, eggs, sausage, toast, hash browns. It was so good. I may not have been able to eat a lot of it, but I got a little bit of everything. I asked Andrew how he felt hearing the heart beat and he said it made things feel more real. I guess when you aren't fighting exhaustion, morning sickness, food aversions and more it's kind of easy to forget there's a baby growing nearby!

The last few days I've felt a lot better than I have over the last month. I'm really hoping this means my first trimester symptoms are starting to ease up. I thought I was in the clear last night after having 3 uneventful days. I was glad to feel good, but also a little nervous since I was feeling so good. Those pesky symptoms at least let me know baby is growing and things are moving along nicely. Well, my fears were unfounded because by 6:00 nausea had returned in full force while I was enjoying a lazy day. I'll take the good days as they come, but apparently I'm not out of the woods just yet.

We are two days away from being 11 weeks, and so so close to closing out this risky first trimester. We've decided to wait until about 13 weeks to tell extended family, and maybe even a bit longer to do a general announcement to facebook and the world. There are so many things that can go wrong, I kind of like keeping this one close to home for now. But as of now all the parents and siblings know. We've also spilled the beans to our best friends that acted as Best Man and Matron of Honor. They're so close to us that we needed to talk it out with a friend our own age, and it's kind of suspicious when I continue turning down drink after drink! I also had to let my boss and supervisor in on the secret to explain why I've been missing some mornings or looking generally hung over. Don't worry boss, I'm not out getting hammered every night!!

So that's the news for now. Even though things are going smoothly, I still feel like I'm holding my breath and just hoping and waiting to see that everything continues along a good track. Hang in there Baby Bear!! We love you already, despite the amount of nausea and moodiness you've brought me. Luckily Dad is a good sport :)