We are having issues with Lexie. We've had her since the beginning of June, and when we first got her there were a couple of incidents where she peed where she wasn't supposed to. But those were mostly innocent. One time she peed in an empty litter box, and another time she peed in an empty laundry basket.
But we're now having a lot of problems with her peeing where she's not supposed to. She's been pretty good most of the summer, but recently she's peed on the rugs in the bathrooms (multiple times), and we just found a big puddle of pee on the top of a bag of unopened litter.
We're going to go buy another litter box today and see if that stops the wayward peeing. I'm wondering if now that she's getting older she doesn't want to share a litter box with Emmie. Whatever it is, this can't continue. What if she pees on the baby? Or on the baby's stuff and ruins it?
I love both of my cats dearly. And I don't want to get rid of them. But we got them because we couldn't get pregnant and we needed something to take care of and nurture. Now that we're finally having a baby, life would be simpler if I didn't have to worry about cats. I have this horrible vision of one of the cats hopping into the crib and smothering the baby. Or thinking the baby's flailing arms and legs are toys to play with and bite at.
How do you have a baby and two cats and feel that the baby is always safe? I'm so glad we don't have a dog.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
12.5 Week OB Appointment
I had an OB appointment yesterday. It was super quick. Not even time for questions, which was kind of disappointing. Probably because I had it at 4:00, the end of the day.
All we did was:
Blood pressure (normal)
Weight (eek!)
Reviewing the ultrasound briefly (apparently with the average of all the measurements, the baby ended up measuring about week ahead - 12.5 weeks when s/he was only 11.5 weeks. The baby is ahead in everything except length, where s/he's right on. What a good baby:)
Heartbeat (for a whole 10 seconds)
Talking about whether I would get the blood test portion of the nuchal translucency. I decided not to. I'm not going to terminate the pregnancy no matter what. And if my odds of having a baby with downs syndrome comes up as a little higher than I'd like, then I know I'd worry about it. But I wouldn't get an amnio to find out because I'm too paranoid about the risk of miscarriage. I decided that since I currently believe that my baby is super healthy because of the ultrasound last week where s/he seemed to have so much personality, I'd rather continue to think that way. So no blood test for me.
It was funny with the heartbeat, because this whole time I had pictured the doppler as looking like a stereo with a wand attached to it. I was always thinking to myself, "Where in the world does he keep the doppler?!?! Does he carry it around like a boom box from room to room?" It was so funny to me when I realized it was this tiny walkman type thing he keeps clipped to his pants. How that could be expensive is beyond me!
Speaking of dopplers, my pregnant neighbour's parents are doctors, and last time they came to visit, they brought a doppler. I was asking her last night "When are your parents coming to visit again? Can they bring their doppler??" because I have to wait 4 more weeks for my next appointment. I just like to hear the heartbeat... it reassures me for about a week at a time. She said she's going to ask them if they have an old one that she can have for the rest of her pregnancy. I really hope they do! I'd love to hear the baby's heartbeat whenever I want. Especially now, before I feel any movement.
I also found out that I can't have my next ultrasound until 20 weeks... :( That's so long to wait to find out gender! I wish there was a way around it. But when I even suggested doing it at 19 weeks 4 days because of my work schedule, there was a lot of hesitancy because that wasn't quite 20 weeks. The receptionist said they'd rather go later than earlier. What the heck?! How could it matter so much?
All we did was:
Blood pressure (normal)
Weight (eek!)
Reviewing the ultrasound briefly (apparently with the average of all the measurements, the baby ended up measuring about week ahead - 12.5 weeks when s/he was only 11.5 weeks. The baby is ahead in everything except length, where s/he's right on. What a good baby:)
Heartbeat (for a whole 10 seconds)
Talking about whether I would get the blood test portion of the nuchal translucency. I decided not to. I'm not going to terminate the pregnancy no matter what. And if my odds of having a baby with downs syndrome comes up as a little higher than I'd like, then I know I'd worry about it. But I wouldn't get an amnio to find out because I'm too paranoid about the risk of miscarriage. I decided that since I currently believe that my baby is super healthy because of the ultrasound last week where s/he seemed to have so much personality, I'd rather continue to think that way. So no blood test for me.
It was funny with the heartbeat, because this whole time I had pictured the doppler as looking like a stereo with a wand attached to it. I was always thinking to myself, "Where in the world does he keep the doppler?!?! Does he carry it around like a boom box from room to room?" It was so funny to me when I realized it was this tiny walkman type thing he keeps clipped to his pants. How that could be expensive is beyond me!
Speaking of dopplers, my pregnant neighbour's parents are doctors, and last time they came to visit, they brought a doppler. I was asking her last night "When are your parents coming to visit again? Can they bring their doppler??" because I have to wait 4 more weeks for my next appointment. I just like to hear the heartbeat... it reassures me for about a week at a time. She said she's going to ask them if they have an old one that she can have for the rest of her pregnancy. I really hope they do! I'd love to hear the baby's heartbeat whenever I want. Especially now, before I feel any movement.
I also found out that I can't have my next ultrasound until 20 weeks... :( That's so long to wait to find out gender! I wish there was a way around it. But when I even suggested doing it at 19 weeks 4 days because of my work schedule, there was a lot of hesitancy because that wasn't quite 20 weeks. The receptionist said they'd rather go later than earlier. What the heck?! How could it matter so much?
Kindergarten Quotes
On Wednesday I was teaching kindergarten gym for the third time. This little four year old girl was standing in front of me and this is how our conversation went (picture a really tiny cute little girl with an adorable voice):
Cassie: You look like you have a baby in your belly.
Me: That's because I do have a baby in my belly!
Cassie (in awe): You do??? Is it a girl baby or a boy baby?
Me: I don't know yet.
Cassie: You're going to be a mommy. You need to buy some sippy cups so you can feed the baby.
Me: Don't worry, I'll buy sippy cups for the baby.
Cassie: (touching her chest) Or you can just feed it with your boobs.
LOL!
Then a few minutes later a little JK boy who didn't hear the conversation said to me "Why is your tummy so full??"
It's really starting to spread around my school now. All the students are figuring it out by looking at me. They talk to their parents, who also look at me and see it. Then those parents talk to other parents. Soon everyone will know. I'm expecting that within the week. I finally told my class yesterday, so they'll all tell their parents too.
A lot of people are coming up to me and straight out asking me if I'm pregnant because of my bump. I get that at least once a day. And people who I haven't seen in a long time are definitely noticing. I ran into a high school friend who I haven't seen since grade 10, so she doesn't even know what I normally look like anymore. But right away she was like "Oh, you're expecting!! Congratulations!! When are you due??"
It's a good thing I'm actually pregnant, or this all would be so insulting:)
Cassie: You look like you have a baby in your belly.
Me: That's because I do have a baby in my belly!
Cassie (in awe): You do??? Is it a girl baby or a boy baby?
Me: I don't know yet.
Cassie: You're going to be a mommy. You need to buy some sippy cups so you can feed the baby.
Me: Don't worry, I'll buy sippy cups for the baby.
Cassie: (touching her chest) Or you can just feed it with your boobs.
LOL!
Then a few minutes later a little JK boy who didn't hear the conversation said to me "Why is your tummy so full??"
It's really starting to spread around my school now. All the students are figuring it out by looking at me. They talk to their parents, who also look at me and see it. Then those parents talk to other parents. Soon everyone will know. I'm expecting that within the week. I finally told my class yesterday, so they'll all tell their parents too.
A lot of people are coming up to me and straight out asking me if I'm pregnant because of my bump. I get that at least once a day. And people who I haven't seen in a long time are definitely noticing. I ran into a high school friend who I haven't seen since grade 10, so she doesn't even know what I normally look like anymore. But right away she was like "Oh, you're expecting!! Congratulations!! When are you due??"
It's a good thing I'm actually pregnant, or this all would be so insulting:)
Sunday, September 13, 2009
New Friends and Nesting
We recently found out that a couple right across the street are also pregnant with their first baby and that they were due around the same time as us. We didn't really know them, but we on Tuesday we talked to some people who did know them and less than 24 hours later we were all outside at the same time and they came over and said they heard we were expecting! Then on Friday we happened to meet up while we were out on walks and when we got back to our houses they invited us in for drinks (nonalcoholic for the pregos, of course).
She is due about 6 weeks before me (but I have a bigger baby bump than her). It was great to hang out with another couple who is expecting, and awesome for us to have made friends out here where we live. We'll both be off on maternity leave for a year together, and our kids can grow up with playmates! It'd be nice if they were the same gender.
We spent a lot of the evening talking about our babies and everything involved with them. It got me in the nesting mode. So on Saturday we set up our nursery! I'd been keeping my eye on Kijiji for nice baby items for a long time now. We've gotten a couple of things so far. There were always lots of cribs available, but none of them really caught my eye. Then suddenly yesterday a gently used crib and change table popped up for $200 that we actually really liked!
It wouldn't have been our very first choice of furniture if we were willing to spend any amount and we were buying brand new, but we still really like it. And I already had the dresser that matches perfectly to all the furniture. The crib and change table are solid wood, really sturdy stuff. I'm thrilled with it. And really happy I didn't have to spend thousands of dollars for furniture for that room. I'm too frugal for that. The only piece of furniture we still need for that room is a rocker.
So now we have a crib, change table, dresser, bouncy chair, and baby swing. We got it all gently used, and only spent $290. I added it up (because all these items are still available in stores) and if we had bought them all brand new we would have spent over $1500.
We still want to paint (I'm thinking greyish-blue), and we need bedding and the rest of the baby items. But I love walking in that room and having all the furniture arranged. The baby's room is across the hall from our bedroom and when I'm sitting in bed I can look right in there and see the crib... it's such an amazing feeling to have that all together! We're going to paint within the next couple of months and probably get some bedding soon too. I just love nesting for the baby.
Here's the new crib:
And the new change table:
She is due about 6 weeks before me (but I have a bigger baby bump than her). It was great to hang out with another couple who is expecting, and awesome for us to have made friends out here where we live. We'll both be off on maternity leave for a year together, and our kids can grow up with playmates! It'd be nice if they were the same gender.
We spent a lot of the evening talking about our babies and everything involved with them. It got me in the nesting mode. So on Saturday we set up our nursery! I'd been keeping my eye on Kijiji for nice baby items for a long time now. We've gotten a couple of things so far. There were always lots of cribs available, but none of them really caught my eye. Then suddenly yesterday a gently used crib and change table popped up for $200 that we actually really liked!
It wouldn't have been our very first choice of furniture if we were willing to spend any amount and we were buying brand new, but we still really like it. And I already had the dresser that matches perfectly to all the furniture. The crib and change table are solid wood, really sturdy stuff. I'm thrilled with it. And really happy I didn't have to spend thousands of dollars for furniture for that room. I'm too frugal for that. The only piece of furniture we still need for that room is a rocker.
So now we have a crib, change table, dresser, bouncy chair, and baby swing. We got it all gently used, and only spent $290. I added it up (because all these items are still available in stores) and if we had bought them all brand new we would have spent over $1500.
We still want to paint (I'm thinking greyish-blue), and we need bedding and the rest of the baby items. But I love walking in that room and having all the furniture arranged. The baby's room is across the hall from our bedroom and when I'm sitting in bed I can look right in there and see the crib... it's such an amazing feeling to have that all together! We're going to paint within the next couple of months and probably get some bedding soon too. I just love nesting for the baby.
Here's the new crib:
And the new change table:
And the dresser:
Friday, September 11, 2009
Amazing - 3rd Baby Ultrasound
Today was our third baby ultrasound. It was amazing. The baby looked even more like a real baby than it did last week, and having an abdominal ultrasound really made the picture better (I would've thought the opposite). You could see everything so much more clearly.
The baby was SO hyper! It was bouncing off all the walls, pushing back when the tech would push down, flipping around, changing positions... everytime the tech would take a still picture in order to measure something, when she came back to the live picture the baby was in a completely different spot in my uterus. Baby was waving his/her arms and legs like crazy. At one point while we had a front view, the baby pumped all of its arms and legs up and down over and over again, like a 4 month old does when it's laughing. It was so adorable.
Another time the tech had a top view of the head looking at the brain, and as soon as she got the view the baby started shaking its head back and forth over and over, as if s/he was like "No way! You're not getting a picture of that! Get outta here!"
She measured the heartbeat at 168 bpm... obviously higher than before because the baby was dancing around. We heard a little bit of the heartbeat, but the baby kept jumping away from the wand when she was trying to play the heartbeat. It was okay though, because we've heard the heartbeat twice before.
Unfortunately, even though she got like 30 awesome shots, I only ended up with one kind of lame picture. The pictures always seem lame after you watch the ultrasound. I also found out that they don't do the CD of pictures or record the ultrasound. That makes me so sad!
By the way, my baby's head is not really shaped like it is in this picture. S/he has a normally shaped head. The back of it just got cut off somehow. This is why I don't like ultrasound pictures!! :)
The baby was SO hyper! It was bouncing off all the walls, pushing back when the tech would push down, flipping around, changing positions... everytime the tech would take a still picture in order to measure something, when she came back to the live picture the baby was in a completely different spot in my uterus. Baby was waving his/her arms and legs like crazy. At one point while we had a front view, the baby pumped all of its arms and legs up and down over and over again, like a 4 month old does when it's laughing. It was so adorable.
Another time the tech had a top view of the head looking at the brain, and as soon as she got the view the baby started shaking its head back and forth over and over, as if s/he was like "No way! You're not getting a picture of that! Get outta here!"
She measured the heartbeat at 168 bpm... obviously higher than before because the baby was dancing around. We heard a little bit of the heartbeat, but the baby kept jumping away from the wand when she was trying to play the heartbeat. It was okay though, because we've heard the heartbeat twice before.
Unfortunately, even though she got like 30 awesome shots, I only ended up with one kind of lame picture. The pictures always seem lame after you watch the ultrasound. I also found out that they don't do the CD of pictures or record the ultrasound. That makes me so sad!
By the way, my baby's head is not really shaped like it is in this picture. S/he has a normally shaped head. The back of it just got cut off somehow. This is why I don't like ultrasound pictures!! :)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Secret Revealed
I finally told my principal that I'm pregnant. There was no "good" way to do it, so while I was talking to him I just said "Aaannd one more thing. I'm pregnant."
He thought he already knew I was pregnant back in June. I told him no, I wasn't. Not technically, anyway. Theoretically I got pregnant on the 22nd, because that was the first day of my cycle. But he was thinking I was pregnant before that.
I couldn't quite understand what he was saying but he totally had the situation confused. Anyway, he knows now. And we have our school community BBQ tonight (which I completely forgot about), so perhaps other people will start finding out. Who knows. I'm wearing a really baggy shirt that's the type of material that doesn't hang down, it poofs out from my boobs. So my baby belly, which sticks out further than my boobs, is more successfully hidden than usual.
Now that my principal knows I'd rather go back to wearing the fitted shirts I wear when I'm around people who know I'm pregnant. But I live 25 minutes from my school, so going home and back before the BBQ is a bit ridiculous.
On another note, Purolator tried to deliver my maternity dress pants yesterday, but I wasn't home to get them. So I'm going to pick them up after work today, while I'm in town. Fingers crossed that they fit properly because if they don't and I return them, I'm out the shipping costs. Which sucks.
He thought he already knew I was pregnant back in June. I told him no, I wasn't. Not technically, anyway. Theoretically I got pregnant on the 22nd, because that was the first day of my cycle. But he was thinking I was pregnant before that.
I couldn't quite understand what he was saying but he totally had the situation confused. Anyway, he knows now. And we have our school community BBQ tonight (which I completely forgot about), so perhaps other people will start finding out. Who knows. I'm wearing a really baggy shirt that's the type of material that doesn't hang down, it poofs out from my boobs. So my baby belly, which sticks out further than my boobs, is more successfully hidden than usual.
Now that my principal knows I'd rather go back to wearing the fitted shirts I wear when I'm around people who know I'm pregnant. But I live 25 minutes from my school, so going home and back before the BBQ is a bit ridiculous.
On another note, Purolator tried to deliver my maternity dress pants yesterday, but I wasn't home to get them. So I'm going to pick them up after work today, while I'm in town. Fingers crossed that they fit properly because if they don't and I return them, I'm out the shipping costs. Which sucks.
Monday, September 7, 2009
Back to Work and a Belly Picture
11 weeks
I start work again tomorrow... blech. I'm really going to miss summer vacation. I can't wait for the next 6 months to fly by so I can be on maternity leave for a year with our little baby.I think I'm just wary of the new teaching situation I'm going to be in this year. It's making going back just a little bit harder than it normally is. At least I only have to teach in the classroom for 2 hours tomorrow, and the rest of the time I'm doing resource stuff, like writing IEPs and figuring out a schedule.
Somehow this week I'm going to have to let the rest of my staff know that I'm pregnant. I'm not really sure how to do it, since I'll probably just have to blurt it out out of nowhere. It's my principal that I'm nervous to tell. I feel like it's weird to tell my boss that I'm pregnant. I'm also a bit nervous to tell his wife, who had a miscarriage in June. We spent a lot of time together last week since we're sharing the 5/6 classroom, and I never told her then, so I feel like it's awkward to tell her now.
Is it terrible if I just tell the other teachers that I've told that it's okay to start spreading the word? Is it bad if the rest of them hear it through the grapevine? The VP, who knows, said to me "You may want to tell the principal before he hears it through the grapevine." I replied that I was kind of thinking that I'd rather he heard it through the grapevine, and she was like "Oh, well, that's up to you!" I'm not sure if she was meaning that he would be mad to find out from someone else. But I don't know how to tell him. Email? Write a message on our chalkboard in the staff room?
So awkward.
Last night Justin took another belly picture of me. It's been a few weeks since we've done one. This is my 11 week picture:
Kind of hard to hide, eh?
Sunday, September 6, 2009
The Monster is Back
Apparently I spoke too soon about the nausea being way better. Saturday morning I was feeling pretty good, and then just before Justin was finished making breakfast my throat started to spasm and I almost threw up. I just sat really still like I always do and it went away.
Then I was eating eggs and toast, and I was feeling sick, but I often do when I’m eating. ¾ of the way through I really felt like I was going to throw up, which, again, is normal for me. Justin told me to go to the bathroom, but I didn’t because usually if I’m really still I can make it go away. Luckily he got up and got a garbage can for me because within 10 seconds I was puking up my entire breakfast. It was awful. It was sooo much food.
Then all day yesterday at the wedding we were at, I felt terrible. Even the loud music was making me more nauseous. There was this Italian guy singing (in Italian) and the speakers were turned up so high it was affecting my equilibrium and making me feel even worse than I already felt. I spent a lot of time outside the reception hall avoiding noises and smells. They pulled seafood out as one of the courses. Come on!
I’m putting my Diclectin doses back to where they were, since obviously I still need it.
Then I was eating eggs and toast, and I was feeling sick, but I often do when I’m eating. ¾ of the way through I really felt like I was going to throw up, which, again, is normal for me. Justin told me to go to the bathroom, but I didn’t because usually if I’m really still I can make it go away. Luckily he got up and got a garbage can for me because within 10 seconds I was puking up my entire breakfast. It was awful. It was sooo much food.
Then all day yesterday at the wedding we were at, I felt terrible. Even the loud music was making me more nauseous. There was this Italian guy singing (in Italian) and the speakers were turned up so high it was affecting my equilibrium and making me feel even worse than I already felt. I spent a lot of time outside the reception hall avoiding noises and smells. They pulled seafood out as one of the courses. Come on!
I’m putting my Diclectin doses back to where they were, since obviously I still need it.
Baby Ultrasound #2
I finally drove the hour to the RE on Friday so I could have a random reassurance ultrasound and everything was perfect. Our little baby looked like a real little baby! It was so neat to see. S/he was so adorable and measured perfectly and still had a heartbeat of 146bpm (which is strange, since it was 146 bpm on August 11).
The ultrasound pictures didn't turn out as clear as the actual ultrasound. The baby is straight up and down, head on top:
In this picture, the body isn't as clear but you can see a little arm fisted in front of his/her face:
I think I'm comfortable telling "the world" now, since I've read in a few places that once you hit 10 weeks if you have a normal ultrasound with a heartbeat, the chance of miscarriage goes down to 1%. Apparently 10 weeks is the big milestone, not 12 weeks/3 months. And I'm 11 weeks, so I'm golden.
I bought a pair of maternity jeans on my way home. Unfortunately, Motherhood Maternity only had 2 types of maternity pants in long (I'm tall, and the normal pants were like floods on me), and only the jeans were in my size. So I still don't have maternity pants I can wear to work. I only have the tummy sleeve, which is really starting to drive me up the wall. It's fine when you're staying sitting or staying standing, but when you're sitting down and standing up repeatedly, you have to adjust your pants under the sleeve and then the sleeve over your pants, and then the camisole I wear on top of the sleeve - it's so much work! Now I know what size I am at that store though, so I'm going to try and order a pair of pants online.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
First Day Back
10 weeks 1 day
I had my first day back at work today, but without students. We had our big staff meeting and right up until it was my turn to "share," I didn't know what I was going to do. Tell, or not tell?
I did not tell them that I'm pregnant. I have a couple of reasons for this.
1. I really want to have another ultrasound and know there's a heartbeat before I announce it to the entire world. Sure, a pile of people already know, but if I announce it at school, automatically hundreds more people will know.
2. I was afraid that if I said I was pregnant, my principal would assign me all the extracurricular activities at the beginning of the year, so I'd be insanely busy while I'm exhausted and not feeling well, and then whoever takes my maternity leave from March onward would have nothing to do. So instead, I got assigned extracurriculars in a fair way that are spread out throughout the year, and one of them (track and field) happens completely after I'm on mat leave, so that's good for me. Less extra work.
3. My school owes me $900 for the course I took this summer, and I'm afraid if they find out I'm pregnant, suddenly something will "come up" and they won't pay me for it because I'm leaving in March for at least a year.
4. I still feel bad announcing I'm pregnant when my teaching partner just just a miscarriage in June. At 17 weeks.
Those are my issues. I don't know when I'm going to tell them. I'm only have four shirts that even slightly hide my belly, and even with them on people have probably noticed my round protuberance. Four shirts is enough to get me through the end of the week. Then I start teaching next Tuesday and maybe I'll wear all those shirts again. for that 4 day week.
My next ultrasound is next Friday. It's not that far away, but I really want to go to the R.E. for a impromptu ultrasound just to make sure there's a heartbeat. But it's an hour drive away, and I'd have to go alone because DH is already teaching. I really want to go (and I know you all day I should go, and I would give you the same advice), but I keep telling myself it's ridiculous.
I don't know what to do.
I had my first day back at work today, but without students. We had our big staff meeting and right up until it was my turn to "share," I didn't know what I was going to do. Tell, or not tell?
I did not tell them that I'm pregnant. I have a couple of reasons for this.
1. I really want to have another ultrasound and know there's a heartbeat before I announce it to the entire world. Sure, a pile of people already know, but if I announce it at school, automatically hundreds more people will know.
2. I was afraid that if I said I was pregnant, my principal would assign me all the extracurricular activities at the beginning of the year, so I'd be insanely busy while I'm exhausted and not feeling well, and then whoever takes my maternity leave from March onward would have nothing to do. So instead, I got assigned extracurriculars in a fair way that are spread out throughout the year, and one of them (track and field) happens completely after I'm on mat leave, so that's good for me. Less extra work.
3. My school owes me $900 for the course I took this summer, and I'm afraid if they find out I'm pregnant, suddenly something will "come up" and they won't pay me for it because I'm leaving in March for at least a year.
4. I still feel bad announcing I'm pregnant when my teaching partner just just a miscarriage in June. At 17 weeks.
Those are my issues. I don't know when I'm going to tell them. I'm only have four shirts that even slightly hide my belly, and even with them on people have probably noticed my round protuberance. Four shirts is enough to get me through the end of the week. Then I start teaching next Tuesday and maybe I'll wear all those shirts again. for that 4 day week.
My next ultrasound is next Friday. It's not that far away, but I really want to go to the R.E. for a impromptu ultrasound just to make sure there's a heartbeat. But it's an hour drive away, and I'd have to go alone because DH is already teaching. I really want to go (and I know you all day I should go, and I would give you the same advice), but I keep telling myself it's ridiculous.
I don't know what to do.
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