Armstrong Baby Blog

So I tried my first pregnant run today. I ran/walked 2.1 miles in 23 minutes, which calculates out to a 10:57 pace. It was quite difficult for me, especially since I had to pee pretty badly by the end of it, haha. But still, not bad for not having run in the past three-plus months! I will keep up with this route until it becomes easy and I can do it in nine minutes per mile, then will gradually increase to my goal of four or five miles a day for the second trimester. Happy, healthy mommy!

So today I went to see Dr. Harter for cervical cultures, bloodwork, a flu shot, and an ultrasound!  Here is our little angel at 12 weeks 4 days:

Looks pretty comfortable in there, huh? Sweet soft amniotic fluid…

It freaked me out how much she looks like a baby, especially since last time, when she really looked like an unformed sort of shrimp creature.  The doctor counted her arms and legs, and I literally felt a wash of euphoric relief knowing that she has two arms and two legs. Is this what early motherhood is like? To be thrilled over the most basic, beautiful things like the fact that your baby has working parts?

Rather than a transvaginal exam, this time Dr. Harter could get a picture of her right away on top of my belly.  She looks like she is just chilling, facing the outside world like she’s using my uterus as a chair!  Even better, Dr. Harter moved the instrument so that it gave us a bird’s eye view of the top of Baby’s head, and she was moving both her hands from in front of her eyes and then outward, like she was playing peekaboo! She did this several times! I was of course crying hysterical happy tears at this point!

Hence, the new descriptive moniker for our baby bump has changed from Fritz to Peekaboo!

Pretty little Peekaboo’s heartbeat was 150 bpm. I know you can’t possibly tell this early, but Dr. Harter was like, “It’s in the girl range!” so I am officially calling her a girl, since I need to pick a gender for blogging/referral purposes (“it” just isn’t working for me anymore), but I am quite willing to be proven wrong at the gender sonogram!

Next appointment: November 30.  Gender sonogram: December 15, my birthday!

The nurse gave me a bag full of promotional goodies from Similac, pamphlets on several different hospitals, some magazines (in which there are actually pictures of nurseries I LIKE), a planner, and a cute yellow onesie. I’ve got to decide where I’m going to put all this baby-oriented stuff, since I’m typing this right now from my office (future nursery), where the bookshelves and Sandy’s clothes are all still in place.  I’ll probably decorate the nursery in December or so.

Congratulations to my Auntie on the birth of her daughter, my cousin Evangelina Gabrielle!

Love,

Peekaboo’s Mama Bear

So we’re 12 weeks pregnant, more or less!  Here’s an updated picture, my tummy is growing and making it difficult to wear all my pants.  What’s more, my BUTT is growing as well, which leads people to think I’m having a girl?  Haha.

I’ve been able to successfully hike a full trail at Mt. Charleston, slide down rocky crevasses at Red Rock, and stay up past 11 at night!  Hooray.  I hereby vow that I will overcome this pregnancy body and remain active!  We just got back from Elizabeth’s amazing wedding in San Diego, which was loads of fun for all concerned, Tycho and Maggie included.  Then we took Tychi on a fabulous hike through Red Rock Canyon, where we scrambled up rocks and slid down them and he tried in vain to climb the largest rocks.  I’m pleased that my energy is holding out.

I missed the regional K9 trials this weekend, but my mom made up for it by buying Fritzie a bona-fide Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department K9-Unit unisex onesie!  It will definitely be very useful once this baby reaches appropriate poundage (um, this onesie is for a twelve-month-old! LOL)

Me thinking: Something this big is eventually going to come out of me??? Nooooo! Just kidding. I hope.

I’ll be back with more news after my doctor appointment tomorrow!

Love,

Progressively-Active Mama Bear!

So I’m more-or-less 9 weeks pregnant (I am really not sure how to count this stuff, since even the doctor can only give me a range estimate).  Hooray!

So the other day I tried exercising for the first time since I found out I was pregnant.  (Honestly, this past month I’ve been sleeping so much that exercising just seemed as far away as the moon.)  Dr. Nation had told me to take it super-easy the first month so that all the baby-making-jiggery would stick, which I managed to do.  But now I’ve got some get-up-and-go back, so Jenna and I decided to hike Mary Jane Falls at Mt. Charleston, with Maggie May in tow.  It was wonderful and crisp and clear, and generally so great to be outside!  But I had the stamina of a sixty-year old woman and had to take frequent breaks – no one tells you pregnancy takes away all your physical abilities!  Like, poof, they’re gone.  I doubt I could run a mile these days, though I certainly intend to try.  We hiked for awhile and then headed to the lodge to get some delicious hot chocolate.  All in all, a very satisfactory Saturday afternoon.  I’m eager to start exercising regularly again – and stop all this griping about being tired!

Pregnancy symptoms are fine this week, no major changes.  It has been quite easy so far save the fatigue.  I’ve decided it’s boring to post belly shots until I’m at least showing a little, rather than expanding throughout my whole body.  My pants still fit, but some of my shirts don’t. I have decided that I refuse to buy maternity pants (bring on the shirts though) and will just find some way of making my current pants work.  This blog will document how successful I am at that as well.

New food cravings: I had a steak the other night, which makes my mouth water right now as I’m thinking of it, so I’m guessing steak has become a craving, along with yaki-soba bowls and cucumber salads.  Don’t feed me any garlic bread, though — I simply can’t eat it!

Names! We’re thinking Tiddlywinks, Champagne Supernova, or Chiquitita for a girl (gotta love those bananas), and Fortunato, Conquistador, or Rocket Science for a boy.  Sandy liked Prudence for a girl and Herbert Archibald for a boy, but I vetoed those immediately.  I can’t imagine having a “Pru” and “Herb.”

The birth will probably take place at Summerlin Hospital, and I am considering all sorts of labor options. Dr. Harter is very flexible with both pain medication and methods and will do anything I want, from a water/hypnobirth to a full-out epidural.  I feel very comfortable in my choice of obstetrician and can’t emphasize enough how important that feels to me.  I’ve got a lot of important things to consider in the months ahead!

Argh, time to eat again.  Every two hours my baby gets hungry!  I guess I should thank my stars I’m not losing my lunch every two hours like most moms at this point.

Signing off,

Mama Bear

Here are some current belly photos – do not be fooled by the pooching of the belly, it’s just normal pre-preggo fat!

This week has been busy – I’ve been spending several days helping Mom with the Baldy Bash fundraiser.  I think all the activity has been good for Baby, who we’ve jokingly taken to calling Fritz (definitely NOT a possible first name, just something more personal than Bean or Baby!)  I seem to have a bit more energy this week even though morning sickness is hitting harder – my trusty combination of Unisom/Vitamin B6 has been a lifesaver so far!  As you can see, I’m not yet showing, nor do I expect to until around the fourth month or so. Which is awesome because I tried on a pair of maternity pants, and let me tell you that nobody has yet figured out how to make those things flattering.

Little Fritzie is about the size of a blueberry and forming hands and feet this week.  The heart is already beating, though I can’t hear it.  Isn’t that exciting!

I’ve been thinking about music lately, namely the awesome lullaby CDs put out by Rockabye Baby.  Rockabye Baby takes songs by bands like Nirvana and Coldplay and adapts them into lullabies.  This is to make sure that 1) Baby gets exposed to good music in soft tones, and 2) parents don’t have to listen to Brahm’s Lullaby for the elevendy-millionth time!  I have been excited about this set for years before I was even pregnant.  Now I can’t wait to buy the albums for Nirvana, Coldplay, The Beatles, Green Day, and Queen.  I’m thinking of getting the Nine Inch Nails one just for myself, haha!

This is the playlist I put together for my baby (not necessarily for her to listen to, the Incubus is a bit grating), full of songs that make me think of my future child:

Earth to Bella Parts 1 & 2 by Incubus

Irish Lullaby by Nicolette Larsen

Beloved One by Ben Harper

I Loved Her First by Heartland

Chiquitita by Abba

Holderkin Sheep Song by Margie Butler

Zoe Jane by Staind

Wish for You by Faith Hill

Though I don’t know, my gut feeling tells me it’s a girl.  I am excited by either possibility, but I’ve always pictured myself with and expected a little girl, who is hopefully not as crazy as I am and can be satisfied by the mellower things in life.  I’m eager to get out of the first trimester so as to reduce my miscarriage risk – I think once I’m past the 12th week I’ll heave a huge sigh of relief knowing that he/she/it/Fritz is going to stick around!

Stick, baby, stick!

I’ll be back after the doc’s appointment on Monday!

Love,

Mama Bear

Here’s where you can get all the latest on the little Armstrong bean!  First of all, I want to thank all my family and friends for their support so far and in advance for the rest of my pregnancy.  This is a super-exciting time for Sandy and me.  Sandy has mentioned that he will be posting here too, so this will be a dual-parent baby blog!

I will be posting every week with news about how Baby is growing, info from doctor’s appointments, pictures, how I’m feeling, etc.  As of today, I am 6 weeks 3 days pregnant and our due date is May 8, 2010.  My first obstetrician appointment is on September 28.  I’ve been craving my mom’s barley soup (which she thankfully makes when I ask for it), veggie Subway sandwiches, Mexican food, and fresh fruit.  On the Yuck List are garlic (surprise!), chicken, and anything that smells strong. So far I’ve been feeling good, if a little tired, and the morning sickness is just starting to creep in.  Let’s hope it doesn’t get much worse!  By the way, those Sea Band thingies rock.

In the future, look forward to polls, photos of my expanding belly, photos of the nursery as it’s created (as well as possible designs), links to anything baby-related that I think is cool, and whatever else interesting pops into my mind.  Hope to see you all here often!

Love,

(Slightly nauseous) Mama Bear