once again, i've been swept away with the busyness of work, commuting, home life, church life, taxes, preparing for twinkle's arrival, my quest to catch up with friends before twinkle arrives in mid-june, and worst case scenario planning (given that the we're all in the midst of a complete, global economic meltdown). of course, it doesn't help that my brain has turned to mush which is deeply affecting my memory and multi-tasking skills -- in a very negative way. i'm learning to accept that it's part of expecting and i'm reluctantly embracing it. ;)
so before i forget... the chronicle continues
weeks 21-24 (btw, week 25 started yesterday)
- bump size: the bump has grown and has started to get in the way. no longer can i "hide" the bump and it's big enough to start blocking my feet when i look down. pre-twinkle days, i was able to easily reach the kitchen or bathroom faucet -- now it's not so easy and requires a bit more leaning/bending over. it doesn't help that i'm vertically challenged. to my dismay, i've started to outgrow my first set of maternity clothing. lesson learned -- demi panel pants only work for the first and maybe part of the second trimester (if you're lucky). it's almost time to purchase more pants for work and home -- which is a big bummer. i should've purchased those full panel pants in the first place and avoided the hassle and extra money spent. thankfully, i got some maternity clothing for a steal at the japanese weekend maternity warehouse sale a couple of weeks ago (big thanks to you mish for the tip!)
- chest size: no change. thank goodness i didn't have to go out and buy new supportive gear. however, i've noticed that the extra weight is harder on my lower back. i've started noticing minor back aches. mommy girlfriends and the pregnancy books tell me it's only the beginning -- lovely.
- appetite: still digging savory and the "not so good for you" junk/fast food. started craving spicy food and have indulged in spicy soon du bu and *almost* want to try kim chee. i know these has to be twinkle's cravings --- this is not normal for me. and yes, i'm still pit stopping at mc donalds for the fish fillet and french fries. grilled cheese sammies --- well, it's become a regular lunch meal for me. so much that the place next door to my office knows my voice and what my order will be! =P i'm still not desiring sweets but at least i no longer get heartburn from eating some desserts although chocolate is still an issue.
- digestion: no change -- still get constipated, bloated and living through heartburn/acid reflux. i'm on bottle five (or is it six?) of gaviscon and have a spare bottle in my work desk drawer. tums does nothing to help.
- mood: still moody but the bouts are not as often. hubby has adapted quite well to these mood changes and now can anticipate them. he's getting pretty good at trying to curtailing me before i reach level 5 (red zone). i've started to get irritated at the small things (including small things family members and coworkers do) but thankfully i have not exploded at them and have found alternative ways to vent. temperament aside, i've become quite imaginative which is both good and bad. it's great to be so visual, detailed, lucid, and imaginative but horrible because when mixed with anxiety, it's torture. anxiety is a bear. the dreams have been interesting to say the least -- i have woken up from some dreams that felt so real. some were so alarming that i woke up with a pounding heart and just very fearful of what i just dreamt. it doesn't help that this economic crisis has me and hubby seriously worried about our future, twinkle's future and what would happen should both of us lose our jobs.
- mommy brain: bad. very, very, very bad. so bad that i couldn't remember if i locked my front door one morning last week and had to call my mom as soon as i got into the office and ask her to swing by my house to lock the door. there's no way i would give up my smartphone (even with my treo as tempermental as it is), outlook and laptop. if you forced me to do that, my productivity would be in the single digits. i guarantee it.
- twinkle activity: this baby loves to move and unlike his parents, he is a night owl. he's happily sleeping as i shower, head off to work and work through most of the day. occasionally, i'll feel a hiccup or a flip as he changes position but they're very brief and infrequent. come late afternoon, he awakens and starts moving. at night, twinkle is fully engaged with practicing his gymnastics. and there have been a few times when i'm quietly sitting and watching tv when all of the sudden, i feel him kick or stretch and see a bump rise underneath my clothes. it's pretty amazing. hubby is sad that he wasn't able to feel baby move very much but last week, he had his hand on my belly and experienced a round of baby hiccuping. it was very cute -- the look of amazement and wonder on hubby's face is priceless. yes, hubby -- twinkle is coming.
- other physical symptoms: belly area is definitely itchy. it's a bit uncomfortable as i feel my skin stretching to accommodate the growing belly, especially if i lie down on my back or stretch a certain way. thankfully i haven't seen any stretch marks -- i just hope it stays that way and will continue to use lotion and speaking of belly, what is happening to my belly button? it's disappearing and pretty soon the innie is going to turn into an outtie. eesh...
- sleep: my snoogle has become a very good friend that enables me to get much needed sleep. it has helped alleviate pressure and made sleeping on my side much more comfortable. i'm still not used to it and often wake up to find myself on my back. that said, it's a bear when it's the middle of the night and you have to get to the bathroom. it's pretty tricky for a 4'11" girl to climb in and out of a raised bed, over this giant body pillow and get comfortable in the dark without waking up hubby. and i'm also waking up feeling sore and achy in some areas.
- activity level: same as before -- my energy level is about 80% of my pre-twinkle days. now i know why the baby books all recommend that you use this time to prep the nursery, find and secure daycare, etc. i can't imagine doing all that while waddling around with a huge belly in the third trimester.
- mobility/agility: my goodness -- i've been more clumsy and less agile. it's hard to sit, stand up, get out of bed and reach for things without help from someone. i'm full on waddling now -- hubby thinks it's very cute. i don't quite agree.
- researching what we really need and what we should buy (baby bargains and my mommy good friends are providing great, helpful and practical advice) and creating a list
- volunteering to offload any unwanted baby gear (clothing, furniture, toys, what not) from friends who are parents of toddlers -- ok, maybe there's some begging on our part ;)
- researching what to do about child care -- day care center vs. at-home day care vs. nannies vs. other solutions -- it's all pretty overwhelming. i've had to start a feature/service offering comparsion chart and list out pro's and con's (yes, that's the product marketeer/product manager in me)
- researching pediatricians
- pouring through all the "what to expect" and other pregnancy books. what's even scarier, my magazine preferences are steering to parents, american baby, parenting, fit pregnancy, and other family-related periodicals (including all the online sites like babycenter.com, thebump.com, etc). off topic -- don't even get me started about what i do and how i feel when i see the ads of skinny, lean women sporting all the latest fashion and the sales on non-maternity clothing... sigh.
- a lot of financial modeling and worst case scenario planning. we've hunkered down and trying to keep expenses low as we save up for rainy days. we hope they don't come but we'd be silly and reckless to assume that we'd never lose our jobs/sources of income. and with twinkle on the way, we have to prepare... it's amazing how our thought process has changed when it comes to finance. in addition to "is this what we really need", we've added "if i get this, what is the tradeoff for twinkle?" it's now all about twinkle and what's best for him.
- the nursery is mostly set up. we have yet to decorate or stock up on clothing, bottles, linen, etc but at least we got the big things done.
- the crib, mattress and dresser are there. we've laid down foam playmats in his room. the crib and dresser are pretty nice, beautiful and well made. although we spent more than we initially budgeted, we know its excellent quality and will last. we also negotiated a great deal at lullaby lane. we found these pieces at their clearance store and well, my mom is an awesome negotiator -- she haggled with the owner!. the cool thing is that these pieces will last for years to come. the crib is pretty neat - it converts to a toddler bed and with a conversion kit, we can turn it into a full size bed. the dresser is a 7-drawer double dresser that has plenty of space to hold all his clothing throughout the years. we're pretty happy and at peace with this purchase although we know we could've spent less and made do.
- we got a new stroller -- 2008 maclaren quest -- at a really good clearance price (thanks to our friends at lullaby lane)
- diaper bag -- i didn't go the girlie route but found a really cool timbuk2 tote bag from ebags that will meet my needs. the great part? it was on clearance at 47% off for $37 -- a steal if you compare them to the $100+ fancier designer diaper bags out there.
- started the registry....
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