20 week doctor's appointment

Well, we are officially having a baby girl!  Her name will be Genevieve Elizabeth Rau and we are already in love!  Our 20 week doctor's appointment went great, they took about a million pictures of her then we were given a bunch of papers on pediatricians, baby classes, and what to bring to the hospital.  Lot of information for only being half-way through the pregnancy.  Even with the hour long diagnostic ultrasound, they called us later to say they didn't get enough pictures of her spine so I have to go back in two weeks while Henry will be in San Diego taking the Bar exam.

Here's a picture of Ginny!

                                    

And now that we know, we just couldn't resist!

         

So although we want to try to keep the pink to a minimum, we're both very excited about all the cute little clothes that will be in our future.

20 Weeks

Okay so I've been very very bad about the blog this past week (or two) and I sincerely apologize.  In my defense... not a lot happened in week 19 so I think we can skip all that and settle into week 20.  Because a lot happened this week!
In personal news, Henry is still studying for the California Bar and I'm still taking classes.  I begin teaching my first class, Reading and Writing Historical Fiction, on Friday which is both nerve-racking and exciting.  I picked up my course packets yesterday and got a very satisfied feeling remembering how much I hated course packets as an undergrad.  It's good to be able to inflict them upon others now!  Plus mine says "Professor's Copy" on it, which is admittedly awesome.

And a big Congratulations!! to Lynne and Tom who got married last weekend in Seattle.  Lynne was, of course, an absolutely gorgeous bride.  I totally cried, and probably would have even without all the crazy hormones, and we're both so happy for them!  It also meant I got to go to Seattle.  Henry was sad he couldn't come too, but he's getting so close to the Bar it's really best for him to buckle down and having me out of the house for a bit probably helped with that.  I got to spend some time with my wonderful sister Tracy, her awesome husband Shayne, and their adorable daughter Alexandra.  I had such a relaxing and great time just hanging out with them, playing with Alexandra, and reminding myself that all this pregnancy stuff is totally worth it.  Plus I got to raid my sister's maternity clothes!  Does it get any better?  Oh wait, it did!  I also got to see my friend Nina and her son Holden, as they were miraculously in town at the same time.  Holden and Alexandra played together for a while, both doing a truly excellent job of sharing.  It was really too cute.

But of course I had to pay the price and this Monday we had a little issue.  It looks like I caught a stomach bug at some point over the weekend, the complications of which landed us in the hospital again.  We were released the same day and I've been okay since.  But as some of you out there know, dehydration causes contractions, and with the tumor I get extra pain really easily, so after a fun day-long trip to Labor and Delivery, I am now back to taking it easy and trying to drink lots of water.

• What's the Baby Doing?: Baby's skin is thickening and developing more layers, hair and nails are continuing to grow.  The baby is now 6 inches long and weighs about 9 ounces!
• Weight Gain: Four pounds in two weeks.  Ummmm, uh oh?  I partly blame Seattle and the excellent food my sister fed me (hello Cedars!), but it evened out in a not-good way as I lost some of it with the bug.

• Showing: Hopefully the pounds I kept were all belly.  I do feel a lot larger (in the belly) than before.  And heavy!  Everything feels heavier and firmer.  Yes, everything.

• Symptoms: I can't really call the events of Monday symptoms since they weren't normal.  Other than Monday when I couldn't keep anything down, and Tuesday when I didn't want to eat at all, I've actually been pretty hungry.  My new favorite food?  Yogurt covered cranberries.  Although I do still partake in the rampant onion eating.
• Sleep: Sleeping is starting to get uncomfortable.  I'm not supposed to lie on my back for long periods of time anymore, but I'm not the biggest fan of being on my side right now.  My belly is in the way!  It's in a weird in-between stage where putting a pillow under me isn't really that comfortable, but not having anything under me isn't great either.  Must go on hunt for tiny flat pillow.
• Movement:  YAY!!!!  The baby started kicking, like real big kicks, on Sunday!  It was amazing and hasn't really stopped since.  Of course as soon as Henry put his hand on my belly the kicks would stop, but I just think it's because he has a very calming influence ;-)  He finally felt them himself on Monday night and now the favorite bedtime ritual is to lie there with hands on my stomach and wait for the baby to start moving.  When I was in bed all day Tuesday and the kicks just kept coming, but as soon as I went back to work and school on Wednesday, the baby settled down a bit and I only felt a couple throughout the day.  I guess when I'm moving and active it actually rocks the baby to sleep.
• Best Moment of the Week: The kicking!! We can kind of feel the baby roll around too which is neat, but for me I love the kicks.  It feels like a little hello from inside.  Honestly, and this sounds weird, but it makes me feel even more connected to the baby.  Runner up moment of the week was Alexandra saying "Aunt Tori you look beautiful" while 'helping' me get ready for Lynne's wedding.  I just about died.  Second runner up was watching Alexandra and Holden play together.  They were just so cute!
• What I Miss:  Hmmm, I didn't really have a missing moment this week.  Although, Henry has been biking on the weekends and my poor bike looks so sad and unused on it's rack.
• What I'm Looking Forward To: Telling everyone the sex of the baby!
• Milestones: Again, the kicking.  It's a pretty big one.  Oh and I'm 20 weeks which means I'm half-way through!  Woo-hoo, only 20 more weeks to go!

18 Weeks

So I'm back at school again, and of course on my first day there were major thunderstorms in Chicago.  So bad that the tornado sirens started going off right as I was about to walk out the door.  Then the hail started, giant balls of ice pounding our window.  Well, well maybe giant-pea sized balls of ice.  But still scary.  Henry ended up having to drive me to Evanston which was a good thing because the lightening was striking so close to the car I'm sure had I been driving I would have flipped out and then spun out.  This weekend Henry went to the Family Law Institute here in Chicago.  He learned a lot and it was definitely time well spent.  But now it's back to studying full time and trying to keep the cats from turning him into a permanent pillow.

• What's the Baby Doing?:  This week the bones are beginning to harden (ossification).  The bones in the legs and inner ear are the first to ossify.  Now that the bones in the ear are developed enough to function, and the nerve endings from the brain to the ear are connected, the baby can now hear!  S/he may even be startled by loud noises.  The baby can now also swallow and is swallowing a fair amount of amniotic fluid every day.
• Total Weight Gain:  Big week!  I gained 1.5 pounds this week, which means I've made up for the slow gain in the previous weeks.  I'm supposed to gain 1 pound per week from now until the end of the pregnancy so I am now back on track.

• Showing?:  Wow, it's hard for me to tell the difference from one day to the next, but by the pictures it looks like it's getting bigger.  Right??

• Symptoms:  Lots of pulling low down on my sides this week, and pressure on my lower stomach area.  I'm assuming round ligament pain.  Also the cats are mysteriously passing over Henry to come cuddle with me.  It really started to freak me out because usually they won't even stay in the room with me unless Henry is there too.  The one exception was when I was stuck in bed with the tumor.  But even then, they weren't super cuddly, just wanting to be near by.  But today both cats have climbed up and slept on my lap.  Gosh, maybe I'm dying...
• Sleep:  Slept through the night twice this week!  Which was great because the other nights, right after I get back to bed from nightly wake-up, Dante decides it would be a good time to curl up next to me and purr like a motorboat.  Try getting back to sleep with a 20 lb (yes 20) cat purring in your face.
• Movement: Still not a lot of movement this week.  Felt a little this evening, but nothing like we felt a couple weeks ago.
• Best Moment of the Week:  Another Key Lime pie best moment!  When I heard that Henry's group at the Family Law Institute were going to Joe's Stone Crab for dinner I was insanely jealous because not only do they have delicious crab but they have the best (barring Henry's homemade) Key Lime pie in the universe.  So when I go to pick up Henry after his dinner, he had a huge bag with him.  He had ordered a bunch of crab claws and a whole Key Lime pie to go just for me!  Best husband ever!!!
• What I Miss: Not missing much this week.  I have felt a desire for diet coke this week and did break down and have one.  The caffeine is not such a big deal, but I'd rather not be drinking all the fake sweeteners right now.
• What I'm Looking Forward To:  Well, it would be nice if it was November already.
• Milestones:  The baby can hear!  Time to break out the Mozart!

Okay, no big parting remarks today, Deadliest Catch is on and I've got a baby blanket to finish...

17 Weeks

Congratulations to my brother Brett and his lovely wife Courtney on the birth of their baby girl!  Savannah Grace was born on June 20th, the day after Brett's birthday.  I'm so excited for them and can't wait to meet my new little niece!  Now I just have to hurry up and finish the baby blanket I'm making for them, but unfortunately I've got a ways to go. 
Well here we are going in to month five.  Things are going pretty well this week, I was able to go for a short walk down to the lakefront one day.  So much for my dreams of walking around the lakefront while Henry rode his bike on the weekends.  I guess that dream went the same way as the pregnancy exercise videos I was going to do in the mornings before work... oh well!

• What's the Baby Doing?: Hair is continuing to appear on the baby's scalp and eyebrows.  The baby is also continuing to have bouts of hiccups which I might even be able to start feeling soon.  Fat is also starting to develop under the baby's skin!
• Weight Gain: This was a very odd week.  For most of the week it looked like I had lost the half-pound I gained last week which started getting me a bit nervous and prompted Henry to agree to get me a box of cookies on Monday and to even let me have half of them before they mysteriously disappeared.  For those who know Henry (aka the cookie monster) sharing half a box is a pretty big deal ;-)  But then today when I weighed myself it looked like I gain a whole pound.  I have therefore resolved not to weigh myself during the week and just do it once on Tuesdays from now on.  It's just too confusing. 

• Showing?: Yep, and the bump is starting to move up a little.  You can now feel the hard part well above my belly button!

• Symptoms: Still on my onion kick.  I had to buy two jars of cocktail onions because I ate almost a whole jar last week.  Henry grilled some sweet onions this weekend, yum yum!  Other than that, the nausea seems to be doing a lot better, although it's still difficult to eat in the mornings.
• Sleep:  Still the same.  Waking up once a night, but starting to get used to it.
• Movement: Sadly I can't remember feeling any movement this week.  :-(  Hopefully as I get farther along the moving will get more pronounced.
• Best Moment of the Week: Hearing the heartbeat on the Doppler at our Friday appointment.  Always amazing!  And a relief to know that everything is still doing okay in there. 
• What I miss:  There seemed to be a lot of conversation about alcohol this week!  Joselyne and I were talking about all the great wine she's going to have at her wedding, I was looking at the cool new movie theater downtown that has VIP seating with food service and a bar, and my office starting talking about doing a summer happy hour outing.  I haven't really missed alcohol that much, but somehow during the summer it seems to be everywhere.  Henry was so sweet and made us virgin pina coladas with organic coconut and pineapple juice and we sat out on our balcony in the sun for a while this weekend.  It was totally just as good.
• What I'm Looking Forward To: There is so much cool stuff going on with the baby this month, so I have to say I'm really excited for that.  This is a really big growth and development month, by the end the baby will weigh over a half a pound and we'll get to find out the sex!
• Milestones: Well this week marks the end of the fourth month.  Five more to go!

To end here's a picture of Isis "helping" Henry study for the bar:

16 Week Doctor's Appointment

Well nothing major to report.  We heard the heartbeat on the Doppler, which was wonderful, nice and strong!  It sounds so fast, but of course it's supposed to.  Then they took more blood (I'm surprised I still have some in my body, it seems like they have more of it now than I do) for the second trimester tests.  But that was really it.  All that was said about the tumor was that hopefully it won't happen again.  Yeah, tell me about it!

Next appointment is at 20 weeks for the second trimester diagnostic ultrasound, which means we'll find out the sex of the baby!!  If anyone wants to put down bets now, see our new Guess the Sex poll!

16 Weeks

Today I am 28, but since Henry will always be a year older than me I'm okay with it.  Just kidding, I'm really not one to worry about birthdays, it just means I get a Key Lime pie and that by itself is reason to celebrate!  I'm continuing to feel better, but still keeping work to part time so I can rest.  I've been informed that I'm starting to sound more life myself over the phone, which makes me wonder how bad I sounded previously.  But I will definitely take any improvement.  I've finished my quarter at school and now have a two-week break before I'm back at it again.  Henry is studying for the California Bar and doing great.  It sounds like it's coming back to him from the Illinois Bar, which I'm sure makes studying much easier.  With all the extra alone time I have now I'm trying to get some writing done, but my syllabus for the class I'm teaching this quarter is due at the end of the month and is hanging over my head.  Probably I should work on that...

• What the Baby's Doing:  Facial muscles are now developed enough to allow for a variety of expressions, although they are not yet conscious expressions of emotions.  More calcium is being deposited on the bones as the skeletal system continues to develop.  If we're having a girl, millions of eggs are forming in her ovaries.  The baby's eyes are now sensitive to light and as s/he develops breathing technique s/he is having frequent bouts of the hiccups, although I can't feel them yet.  The baby is about 5 inches long and weighs a bit less than 3 ounces.
• Total Weight Gain: Only half a pound up from last week, but any gain is good and there's no need to pack it on too fast! :-)

• Showing: Hmm, I feel about the same as last week.  Now that we're doing pictures maybe it will be easier to tell!  What do you guys think?

• Symptoms: Still taking my medication but it's working so no complaints.  The weirdest thing this week is my sudden craving for ONIONS!!  I can't get enough.  Pickled onions in V8 juice is my favorite right now, but basically Henry's just chopping up a bunch of Vidalias and putting hefty amounts on whatever I'm eating.  Since we're both of the school that food cravings mean something, Henry and I looked up what's in onions to see what it is I might be wanting out of them and found out that they are very high in vitamin K, which helps calcium bond to bone and is actually used for osteoporosis patients.  Very interesting!  Also, onions are supposed to help lower cholesterol in the blood stream, something which I could definitely use.  So for now, bring on the onions!  (as long as Henry can stand my dragon breath anyway)
• Sleep: I slept through the night one night this week!  Actually it was the day before my birthday so perhaps the baby was giving me a present.
• Movement: Felt a new kind of movement this week.  Instead of butterflies it felt more like popcorn popping.  Very very cool.  We were in the car so Henry quickly put his hand over the spot and felt it too.  It was very short and hasn't really happened again, but we're keeping our hands ready!
• Best Moment of the Week:  Well, unfortunately not baby related, but I'm going to have to go with Key Lime pie. :-)
• What I Miss: The sushi bar at Whole Foods is an evil evil place.  They have spicy tuna hand rolls just sitting out there, taunting poor pregnant women who aren't allowed to eat raw fish (or tuna for that matter if you're married to Henry who's on a personal crusade against high mercury fish).  I wonder how weird it would be for my first meal post-partum to be a big plate of spicy tuna and hamachi rolls.  Does Kamehachi deliver to the hospital?
• What I'm Looking Forward To:  Our 16 week appointment on Friday.  I'm hoping they won't be able to hear the heartbeat with the Doppler (which is totally possible with the location of the tumor) and we'll have to get an ultrasound so I can try and con them into telling us the sex ::rubs hands together villainously::
• Milestones: The new movement was big, now I just hope we feel it again.  Also getting my first pregnancy craving is pretty cool if not a little gross.

 

Next post will be on Friday for our 16 week appointment!

15 Weeks

I'm definitely feeling better and better.  I'm able to be out of bed more often, but mostly it's either work or resting on the couch.  Although I accompanied Henry to the grocery store for the first time in a long time to find something I would feel like eating, we still only walked out with a bag of cherries, miso soup and a little thing of greek yogurt.  The good part is I'm only really hungry for food that's good for me, especially apples and peanut butter, but I'm still mostly relying on the protein shakes Henry makes me. 

• What's the Baby's Doing: Eyebrows and hair on the scalp are starting to form as well as a thin layer of skin.  Bone, marrow and muscle are continuing to develop and by the end of the week the baby will be able to make a fist! 
• Total Weight Gain: Well, depending on where you count from it's either -6 or +4.  I'm still down from where I started, but since I began the protein shakes and eating more I've managed to put on four pounds which is great.
• Showing?:  Oh yes.  Basically because of the tumor I'm showing much earlier than is normal.  At 10 weeks, when we were at the hospital, I was measuring 18 weeks.  I don't know if that's gone up or down because I have no idea how big or small 18 weeks is, but maybe we'll find out on Friday at our next appointment!
• Symptoms: Still a bit nauseous, and I'm still having to take the pills that control my stomach acid so I can eat, but it's getting better and I'm eating more.  I still have my super sense of smell, so I'm very very excited that June in Chicago means Henry can break out the barbecue and start cooking food outside!
• Sleep: I started waking up in the middle of the night around the time the tumor situation happened.  Still waking up around 2:30-3:00am which makes getting up for work extremely difficult.  Especially since the cats think that while I'm up I might as well play with them.  They show their love by pawing my face as I try to go back to sleep.
• Movement: We've felt the baby move!!  Right now it's mostly little flutterings, but Henry was able to feel one too.  They're very few and far between, but exciting every time!
• Best Moment of the Week: We went to San Diego over the weekend for Henry to attend a seminar with my mom and her associates.  We were both really worried how I was going to handle the plane ride, and right up until a couple hours before we had to leave it was still up in the air as to whether or not we would actually go.  But I made it, and it was better that I expected.  I have to say that the whole trip was the best moment of the week because every day I did a little better.  I ate a massive amount of food at the Fish Market upon our arrival and the next day I visited with Dad, had lunch with Mom and went to a movie with Mom, Henry and Courtney (my very pregnant sister-in-law) which was much more than I had done in over a month.  The plane ride back was not as great due to some awful turbulence but overall it was a great trip.
• What I Miss:  Being able to function normally.  I just get so tired and after sitting for long periods of time I still end up in pain.  It's better, but I'd really like to just be normal again.
• What I'm Looking Forward To: Feeling the baby move some more!
• Milestones: Well the movement was probably the biggest milestone, coupled with my increased activity it's definitely been the best week in a long time.

Next week I'll post a belly picture!