If there is one thing I'm not a fan of, it's rules. I've never liked them. I like freedom, and the ability to do as I please. I like to make up rules for myself and how I think I should live my own life. I hate when people tell me what to do, or even give me suggestions. That's just always how I've been. I was a real joy to raise, I know that for certain. I'm incredibly, fiercely, independent and would rather learn from my own mistakes than have some one warn me, or heaven forbid give me a rule to protect me.
So a funny thing happened when I got pregnant. I was bombarded with rules. Seriously, have you seen the list of rules for pregnant people? It's out of control. But oddly enough, I read them all, and for the most part, followed them all. After all, they weren't necessarily for me... they were for my baby, to keep him safe. And I would do anything for that, even follow rules. I even kind of liked it. These rules meant that I was pregnant, and I was living for someone else now. I couldn't just do as I pleased, I had to do for someone else. And that was a-okay with me. For a while.
To give you just a simple run down of rules, they are as follows: no smoking (done, easy), no drinking (done, also easy, the thought of it sent me to the toilet), no cleaning supplies, no painting, no lunch meat, no hot dogs, no sleeping on your stomach, no sleeping on your back, no ice skating, no horse riding, no lifting over 5lbs, no exercising too hard, no hair dying, no eating alfalfa sprouts (what are those?), no acrylic nails, no standing by microwaves too long, no caffeine, no swordfish (thank God), no rare meat, no ibuprofen, no nyquil, and the incredibly ridiculous list goes on. Obviously some of these are just insane and thus were disregarded completely... ie microwaves... what? But for the most part I followed everyone of them strictly. After all, I didn't want to kill my baby.
However, as my pregnancy progressed normally and without issue, I began to become lax with some of them. For example, I had a rumball or two at Christmas. That's alcohol. And for some reason, rumballs didn't make me want to vomit, so double bonus. I completely felt guilty though, I probably just made my baby drunk. And his poor little liver can't handle it. But the alcohol in them was really pretty minimal, so I was okay with it. Next came the sleeping on my stomach. I'm sorry, I just wasn't sleeping on my left side, and I desperately wanted to sleep. I decided I wasn't crushing the baby after all, and that he couldn't even feel it. So I had several weeks of blissful, stomach sleeping. Until my stomach got big, and unfortunately now the only option I have is my right or left sides. But thanks to my snoogle, it is much more comfortable now! Then one day, I couldn't take it anymore and I ate lunch meat! COLD lunch meat! From Jimmy Johns! YUM. But I felt sooo bad. I was so nervous I'd make myself or the baby get sick I barely enjoyed it. But it tasted so, so good. I've also cleaned my house from time to time. With cleaner. Yikes. He's probably high in my belly. But you know what, my house is well ventilated, and I don't inhale the stuff. Plus, someone's got to do it.
So there it is. I've been breaking some rules. And do you know what? My baby is still alive. And from what I can tell, very healthy. He kicks me lots to remind me. There are some rules on that list I will continue to abide by though. I will not dye my hair, I will not drink caffeine, I will not smoke or go to a place where smoking occurs, and I will not go ice skating. However, if you are pregnant and do those things, I don't judge you... everyone has their vices... mine was lunch meat. Although, if you're smoking, you should really stop.
Now this little person in my belly, has his own set of rules. He is supposed to meet certain milestones at certain weeks, and I am supposed to feel certain things at certain weeks. Let me just tell you, this child is mine. He has a mind of his own, and he is as independent and disregarding of rules as his mama :). Apparently, he is not supposed to kick me hard enough to feel until somewhere around 17-18 weeks. Folks, I felt him without a shadow of a doubt at 14 weeks 6 days. He was not supposed to make my belly pop out until 14 weeks or sometime after... I got my new belly at 9 weeks. He was supposed to let me zip and button my pants for quite a while, but that stopped at around 8 weeks. He wasn't supposed to cause me back pain until he weighs more, but at just 5 oz, he is putting quite an amount of pressure on me. He was definitely not supposed to let his daddy feel him until sometime in the 20 weeks, and that little bit of magic happened a couple of nights ago at 17 weeks 3 days. And last but not least, I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to be able to see him move from the outside yet, but low and behold before writing this blog his was moving SO much I decided to take a peak... and what to do know? My stomach was moving also! But I will not apologize for this baby one little bit. I understand where he's coming from. He doesn't like to be told what to do. He is his mama's child, and we do what we want, when we want to.
So with us each breaking rules one by one, we have made it to 18 weeks! Things are speeding up! We (Kyle) worked in his room all night Friday, moving furniture out. He now has a room all to himself. Filled with all of his crap. In just a week we will find out what exactly he is!! I absolutely cannot wait. I never thought this day would come! He (or she) had better cooperate that day! This week he is busy gaining his senses! He can now here us talk, and loud noises will startle him! His bones are really starting to harden now, and he is flexing his muscles lots. Glad to know he's already taking after his dad.
In other news, he is about to live through his first catastrophic, colossal, life threatening, historic snow storm. Good thing to know he will be warm and cozy even if we lose power. The scary part might come when we start running out of food, and he is still hungry. He is not a happy camper when he's hungry, and he makes sure I'm not either. But, I got us plenty of food... so we should be okay.
That's it for now. The next time I write, it will be after our doctors appointment and this little baby will have an official name!!!!
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
My Favorite Room
It's hard to wait a whole week in between blogs. I figured it would be easier on myself to just blog every new pregnancy week, that way I would have an easy way to keep track of things. Lately though, I've had things come up that I really want to write about. I write mainly so I can remember special things and times in our (mine and Kyle's) lives, and then secondly to share with whomever chooses to read. Now that we're expecting, this blog has taken a completely different turn... focusing only on the baby. I want him to be able to read what I've written about him (or her, in which case she'll hate me forever for calling her a him for so long), and to know just how in love with him I already am. However, I've had some other thoughts in between the Monday's when I document my week, and I definitely don't want to forget those moments or emotions I feel. Most of them still revolve around the baby, but not all. And although they've shifted significantly, Kyle and I do have other things going on in our lives right now. So with that, here come some ramblings about my favorite room in our house.
I've never really been attached to a room. Any room, anywhere. They're just walls, right? I mean, you've got your walls, your windows, closets, furniture of some type, curtains if you choose, and maybe some other decorations. That's about it. It's a room... a thing... a space... that's it.
If you would have told me 6 months ago that in a few months I would begin to get emotional over a room, I would have given you a "you're an idiot" look and disregarded it completely. I might have thought I would fall in love with the kitchen, because I like to cook, but that would be the extent of it. That's because 6 months ago I didn't get emotional. Really about anything. Sure I got the standard emotions like happy, sad, mad, giddy (ok, not so much giddy)... but that was it. Nothing really to bring me to tears. However, things change. Maybe it's hormones, I don't know. But certain things really seem to matter these days, and are requiring amounts of emotion I didn't know I had. More specifically, I have fallen in love with everything about a specific room in our house.
You guessed it... the little one's room. Before it was an office. Boring. Just a room, four walls, closet, desk, computer... your standard office. Then we got the news that changed our lives. And would ultimately change a standard office into a baby's, our baby's nursery. Only recently have I gotten attached to it though. For most of this pregnancy I just thought, sure... this is the office, then it will be the baby's room. Nothing much to it. We've had a pile of stuff in there for a while, and it's definitely growing the more we buy, and the most gifts we receive. That was always fun for me to look at, a little reminder of what't to come... but still, nothing to get too emotional over. Lately though, lately has been a different story. I'm not sure what has changed if it's getting closer, and thus more real, if it's that I can feel him kick now, if it's that the pile of stuff is getting huge, or if it's just my hormones wreaking havoc... but something is different about that room.
I can't really even describe it, but I just light up inside every time I walk in there. I am simply delighted by all that room will grow to be. That room means that we will be a family. That there will be three of us Proebsting's in the world soon. That room signifies all of the wonderful changes that are headed our way. It means that soon there will be a helpless little life in there depending on us to keep him warm, and fed, and dry. It means nights filled with story books, and me attempting to sing. It means that it will soon smell like a baby, filled with lotion and baby powder. It means millions of bedtime prayers are in our future. It means blankets, and toys, and stuffed animals. I can imagine myself stumbling in there at 4 in the morning, hoping to satisfy whatever need our little one has. I can imagine listening to Kyle talk to him through the walls. I can imagine going in there every morning and finding a baby in the crib, a constant reminder of our blessing. I've already planned out where everything will go. I have the wall for the crib, the changing table, the dresser, and the perfect spot for the rocking chair. I know where, and above what I will hang the decorations for the walls. I can picture the J A C K or the L E A H that will hang above their crib. I can see the closet filled with either pink or blue. I have the places and corners picked out for his play mat, and baskets for toys and books. These four walls have definitely taken on an identity.
So I guess a room is not just a room. It's not just a thing or a space to be filled with furniture. At least not this room. This room is already filled to the brim with joy, and happiness, and warmth, and everything that is good. It's already filled with more emotion than I even knew I was capable of experiencing. And do you know the funny thing? The funny thing is there isn't even a baby in there yet.
Perhaps I'm starting to get it now. Perhaps there is something to a phrase of which I've never put any stock. Perhaps after all, having a baby does change everything.
I've never really been attached to a room. Any room, anywhere. They're just walls, right? I mean, you've got your walls, your windows, closets, furniture of some type, curtains if you choose, and maybe some other decorations. That's about it. It's a room... a thing... a space... that's it.
If you would have told me 6 months ago that in a few months I would begin to get emotional over a room, I would have given you a "you're an idiot" look and disregarded it completely. I might have thought I would fall in love with the kitchen, because I like to cook, but that would be the extent of it. That's because 6 months ago I didn't get emotional. Really about anything. Sure I got the standard emotions like happy, sad, mad, giddy (ok, not so much giddy)... but that was it. Nothing really to bring me to tears. However, things change. Maybe it's hormones, I don't know. But certain things really seem to matter these days, and are requiring amounts of emotion I didn't know I had. More specifically, I have fallen in love with everything about a specific room in our house.
You guessed it... the little one's room. Before it was an office. Boring. Just a room, four walls, closet, desk, computer... your standard office. Then we got the news that changed our lives. And would ultimately change a standard office into a baby's, our baby's nursery. Only recently have I gotten attached to it though. For most of this pregnancy I just thought, sure... this is the office, then it will be the baby's room. Nothing much to it. We've had a pile of stuff in there for a while, and it's definitely growing the more we buy, and the most gifts we receive. That was always fun for me to look at, a little reminder of what't to come... but still, nothing to get too emotional over. Lately though, lately has been a different story. I'm not sure what has changed if it's getting closer, and thus more real, if it's that I can feel him kick now, if it's that the pile of stuff is getting huge, or if it's just my hormones wreaking havoc... but something is different about that room.
I can't really even describe it, but I just light up inside every time I walk in there. I am simply delighted by all that room will grow to be. That room means that we will be a family. That there will be three of us Proebsting's in the world soon. That room signifies all of the wonderful changes that are headed our way. It means that soon there will be a helpless little life in there depending on us to keep him warm, and fed, and dry. It means nights filled with story books, and me attempting to sing. It means that it will soon smell like a baby, filled with lotion and baby powder. It means millions of bedtime prayers are in our future. It means blankets, and toys, and stuffed animals. I can imagine myself stumbling in there at 4 in the morning, hoping to satisfy whatever need our little one has. I can imagine listening to Kyle talk to him through the walls. I can imagine going in there every morning and finding a baby in the crib, a constant reminder of our blessing. I've already planned out where everything will go. I have the wall for the crib, the changing table, the dresser, and the perfect spot for the rocking chair. I know where, and above what I will hang the decorations for the walls. I can picture the J A C K or the L E A H that will hang above their crib. I can see the closet filled with either pink or blue. I have the places and corners picked out for his play mat, and baskets for toys and books. These four walls have definitely taken on an identity.
So I guess a room is not just a room. It's not just a thing or a space to be filled with furniture. At least not this room. This room is already filled to the brim with joy, and happiness, and warmth, and everything that is good. It's already filled with more emotion than I even knew I was capable of experiencing. And do you know the funny thing? The funny thing is there isn't even a baby in there yet.
Perhaps I'm starting to get it now. Perhaps there is something to a phrase of which I've never put any stock. Perhaps after all, having a baby does change everything.
Monday, January 24, 2011
17 Weeks! The Episode.
17 weeks came with a bang today. The day started off great. There are these little dates I have in my head, milestones that I'm excited to get to in this pregnancy. They are as follows: 9 weeks, 17 weeks, and 26 weeks. Not sure where I got those numbers from, or why they excite me, but nevertheless... today I met 17 weeks. And then "the episode" occurred. I was standing in the kitchen making my second breakfast. That's right, second. The first was oatmeal. The second was going to be a banana and toast. Suddenly I felt "off." Not really sick, but definitely not right. Then my chest got heavy, heart started racing. I continued on with my toast, not wanting anything to get in the way of breakfast number 2! But then it got to be too much to ignore. I got hot. Real Hot. Started sweating... a lot. "Ok, leave your toast, go sit down." About halfway to the couch my vision went black and fuzzy. I grabbed onto the back of the couch and seriously thought I was going down. I picked up my speed, made it to the couch and sat down. Chugged half a bottle of water and prayed that whatever it was that was going on would stop. Soon. And it did. I slowly got my bearings back. After about 5 minutes, I got the nerve to get back to my breakfast, I was still starving after all. Still a little light-headed I took it slow the rest of the day, but knowing I had a doctors appointment tonight put me at ease. And I had Kyle on guard to come get me should I feel like that again. Shew, episode over. The doctor seemed to think blood had pooled in my legs as I as standing, and just wasn't getting around to the rest of my body quick enough. Apparently it's fairly common in pregnancy, but if it never happens again I will be happy. That and she says the baby steals the blood he needs first, and I basically get the leftovers. Thanks, baby.
In other doctor appointment news, we heard his fast little heartbeat again! 156 this time. I seriously wish they would let me just lay there and listen to it as long as I want. Seriously, go tend to the other patients, I'll be here. No need to check on me. But of course, she always stops it. I can rest easy tonight though, knowing that he is alive and well... and obviously working very hard at growing in there. I also had to get on the scale tonight! Yikes. After this morning, I was going with the thought that my blood sugar was low... so I ate, and ate, and ate all day! (Which consequently got me kicked, and kicked, and kicked all day :)) So I got on the scale, and the grand total was... 3 lbs! Total! I can live with that. I won't always tell you my weight, don't get excited. But for now, it's bearable. And last but not least, we got information on classes. Birth classes, cpr classes, breastfeeding classes, hospital tours, etc. And we are doing it all. Things just got real.
Probably the fun news of week 17 is the fact that yesterday I got a serious burst of energy and began the lonnng process of getting the baby's room in order! That means Kyle's desk and golf clubs get moved out, and a crib and changing table get moved in! I put a bunch of stuff on craigslist to sell. Things we don't need, don't use, don't want, etc. Why not make us a little cash in all this? My wedding dress was among those things. Sure it was beautiful, and I loved everything about it, but I'm not emotionally attached to it - and I do not want to store it for the next 70 years. I'm emotionally attached to the guy, the day, the memories, and the pictures, and I won't be selling any of those!
Another exciting thing of this week was the MOUND of maternity clothes my sister brought me for spring and summer! I'm so excited to wear all of them, if only it would get warm outside. This is just one of the advantages of being pregnant with my sister. The other is the millions of questions I ask her on a daily basis. "Did you get this," "Do you feel like this," "Is that pain normal," "When should I do this," the list goes on and on. I'm sure she's sick of me, but I am loving it. I also compare all of my belly pictures to all of hers with Zoey. She's like my personal compass during all of this. I love it. Here is a shot of her and 16 weeks, and me at 17 weeks in one of the shirts she gave me:
In other doctor appointment news, we heard his fast little heartbeat again! 156 this time. I seriously wish they would let me just lay there and listen to it as long as I want. Seriously, go tend to the other patients, I'll be here. No need to check on me. But of course, she always stops it. I can rest easy tonight though, knowing that he is alive and well... and obviously working very hard at growing in there. I also had to get on the scale tonight! Yikes. After this morning, I was going with the thought that my blood sugar was low... so I ate, and ate, and ate all day! (Which consequently got me kicked, and kicked, and kicked all day :)) So I got on the scale, and the grand total was... 3 lbs! Total! I can live with that. I won't always tell you my weight, don't get excited. But for now, it's bearable. And last but not least, we got information on classes. Birth classes, cpr classes, breastfeeding classes, hospital tours, etc. And we are doing it all. Things just got real.
Probably the fun news of week 17 is the fact that yesterday I got a serious burst of energy and began the lonnng process of getting the baby's room in order! That means Kyle's desk and golf clubs get moved out, and a crib and changing table get moved in! I put a bunch of stuff on craigslist to sell. Things we don't need, don't use, don't want, etc. Why not make us a little cash in all this? My wedding dress was among those things. Sure it was beautiful, and I loved everything about it, but I'm not emotionally attached to it - and I do not want to store it for the next 70 years. I'm emotionally attached to the guy, the day, the memories, and the pictures, and I won't be selling any of those!
Another exciting thing of this week was the MOUND of maternity clothes my sister brought me for spring and summer! I'm so excited to wear all of them, if only it would get warm outside. This is just one of the advantages of being pregnant with my sister. The other is the millions of questions I ask her on a daily basis. "Did you get this," "Do you feel like this," "Is that pain normal," "When should I do this," the list goes on and on. I'm sure she's sick of me, but I am loving it. I also compare all of my belly pictures to all of hers with Zoey. She's like my personal compass during all of this. I love it. Here is a shot of her and 16 weeks, and me at 17 weeks in one of the shirts she gave me:
Pretty similar, wouldn't you say? It's fun to have genetics to compare to. Now we just need a picture of my mom at 17 weeks!
I've read that now is the time I begin to have a "truckers appetite." And let me just say, it was about this time last week when Kyle wasn't finishing his steak and I was eying it, salivating like a dog. He finally told me he didn't think he would finish it and I jumped at the chance to take it off his plate! Never have I felt fatter. One meal, one piece of meat, one side... they just aren't enough anymore. I'm gonna need two of everything, please. Thanks.
So that's what I'm doing at 17 weeks. What's the little guy doing? Well, he is practicing sucking! He is also working on keeping his head up straight. He is growing his fingernails and toenails, and is the size of a baked potato! He is kicking LOTS - and I love him a little more every time I feel it. He (or she) officially has a Fredbird, and two Cardinals pacifiers! We are on the hunt for a Louie, and I can't wait to buy it to go with the collection. I love buying him things that are special to us. In the area of shopping though... at least clothes wise.. I am done. I can't handle all of the green and yellow I've bought, and Kyle already told me he hates everything in those colors. So I will not be buying another piece of clothing for two weeks.... when we can finally buy pink or blue!! It's hard not to buy "stuff" though because I know that I will need it all. And it's hard to wait for my shower to see what I get. The other day at Target they had almost everything I wanted on the clearance isle... the bottles I want, the breast pump I want, the pacifiers I want, the diapers I want... and it was all on clearance... but of course I had Dave Ramsey Jr. with me, so I wasn't allowed to get it in hopes that I will get it at a shower. So if you're reading this and coming to my shower, hint. hint.
I'm sick of typing. Good night.
Monday, January 17, 2011
16 Weeks. Snoogle!
What is a snoogle? Well folks, in short, it is a gift straight from God himself. It is not some sort of freak mixed puppy, you can stop trying to put together dog breeds in your head now. It is... a pillow. Not just any pillow, it is a pregnancy super pillow! I've been looking at them since the beginning of the nights when I didn't sleep, which was, oh, about 15 weeks ago. They are $60, so I had to really think this one through. How much can it actually do? Is it really worth it? What if I just surrounded myself with pillows? The snoogle is a "c" shaped body pillow that puts support in just the right places. My head, neck, back, hips, legs, and belly all get treated to a little taste of Heaven every night. Before I bought this little piece of magic, Kyle made me a pillow nest a couple times. I would lay down, he would shove pillows under my back, between my legs, under my neck, and so on. This was delightful, except for the fact that if I moved it was all for not. I'd wake up with half the pillows on the floor. Bummer. So finally the insomnia got to be too much. I broke down, and got myself a snoogle. It is worth every penny. I now wake up between three and four am with a completely numb ear and left side because I haven't moved all night. Then I reposition, and fall blissfully back asleep until morning. The only problem I've found with this pillow is the fact that I'm usually nestled so tightly, my ever increasing nightly trips to the bathroom have become a bit tricky. I usually trip only once on a good night though. Point of story: snoogle = magical. Get one if you've been thinking about it.
The snoogle easily slides me into this next paragraph. Kyle's black lung. That's right, he's come down with this dreadful disease and we're doing everything we can to stop it. He's self diagnosed himself, of course, but we're pretty convinced that's what it is. Last night he hacked until 3am, and no snoogle was going to save me. We are going to have to have an alternate plan of attack for tonight. Perhaps some bedside Robitussin is in order? Or my snoogle and I will forgo the bed, and head to the couch. It could also be the whooping cough we've decided, but I suppose we'll never really know. We do know, however, that there is no way it could be an ordinary cold...and he is in fact, dying. Rats. (That is all one big joke, no one worry. Except the hacking, that is unfortunately true).
So with my snoogle I entered 16 weeks! Holy crap, where did the last 15 go?? What have I done with my life? Well I puked a lot, out grew my pants, became a Subway hater, lost sleep, and bought a $60 pillow that changed my life. Not too bad.
The Proebsting's are also dieters now. Ok, Kyle is a dieter, I am a healthy eater with a pizza lunchable and/or bag of cheetos mixed in. He is doing a 12 week challenge that has a possibility of winning us $25,000. Yes, please. All this basically boils down to is the fact that I now buy a minimum of 5 million eggs and 100lbs of chicken every week. Then I spend my Sundays barefoot in the kitchen, pregnant, and cooking. Just how I always hoped my life would turn out. No, seriously. I can already tell a difference in him though, and am in awe of his dedication. So if I have to cook for an entire day, no biggie. And I got to make a homemade healthy pizza, so that was fun. And in 10 weeks and 6 days we can go to a restaurant again! Yes!
And now on to the baby. He's a mover and a shaker! I've felt him move several times, and I still can't get enough! He's definitely making himself a home in there. He is almost 5 inches long, and weighs anywhere from 3-5oz. He makes lots of facial expressions now, and if he sees light he will cover up his eyes with his hands! How cute is that?! His eyes are finally facing front, praise Jesus, he won't have the vision of a duck. He can now straighten his back out (which hopefully prompts more movement), and he gets the hiccups regularly. I can't wait to feel those! If I was a bettin' woman, I'd say we Proebstings have made a big baby. But I guess I'll let the doctor tell me that. I love reading all about 16 weeks, and how... "You might be starting to show!!" Uhhhhh.... I've already had a good six weeks with this new belly of mine.
That's all for now. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks until we find out if the "he" I always talk about is indeed a he, or perhaps little Leah is about to make me go back and edit all of these blogs.... See you at 17 weeks.
The snoogle easily slides me into this next paragraph. Kyle's black lung. That's right, he's come down with this dreadful disease and we're doing everything we can to stop it. He's self diagnosed himself, of course, but we're pretty convinced that's what it is. Last night he hacked until 3am, and no snoogle was going to save me. We are going to have to have an alternate plan of attack for tonight. Perhaps some bedside Robitussin is in order? Or my snoogle and I will forgo the bed, and head to the couch. It could also be the whooping cough we've decided, but I suppose we'll never really know. We do know, however, that there is no way it could be an ordinary cold...and he is in fact, dying. Rats. (That is all one big joke, no one worry. Except the hacking, that is unfortunately true).
So with my snoogle I entered 16 weeks! Holy crap, where did the last 15 go?? What have I done with my life? Well I puked a lot, out grew my pants, became a Subway hater, lost sleep, and bought a $60 pillow that changed my life. Not too bad.
The Proebsting's are also dieters now. Ok, Kyle is a dieter, I am a healthy eater with a pizza lunchable and/or bag of cheetos mixed in. He is doing a 12 week challenge that has a possibility of winning us $25,000. Yes, please. All this basically boils down to is the fact that I now buy a minimum of 5 million eggs and 100lbs of chicken every week. Then I spend my Sundays barefoot in the kitchen, pregnant, and cooking. Just how I always hoped my life would turn out. No, seriously. I can already tell a difference in him though, and am in awe of his dedication. So if I have to cook for an entire day, no biggie. And I got to make a homemade healthy pizza, so that was fun. And in 10 weeks and 6 days we can go to a restaurant again! Yes!
And now on to the baby. He's a mover and a shaker! I've felt him move several times, and I still can't get enough! He's definitely making himself a home in there. He is almost 5 inches long, and weighs anywhere from 3-5oz. He makes lots of facial expressions now, and if he sees light he will cover up his eyes with his hands! How cute is that?! His eyes are finally facing front, praise Jesus, he won't have the vision of a duck. He can now straighten his back out (which hopefully prompts more movement), and he gets the hiccups regularly. I can't wait to feel those! If I was a bettin' woman, I'd say we Proebstings have made a big baby. But I guess I'll let the doctor tell me that. I love reading all about 16 weeks, and how... "You might be starting to show!!" Uhhhhh.... I've already had a good six weeks with this new belly of mine.
That's all for now. Tomorrow will be 3 weeks until we find out if the "he" I always talk about is indeed a he, or perhaps little Leah is about to make me go back and edit all of these blogs.... See you at 17 weeks.
Monday, January 10, 2011
15 Weeks! Orange.
Why orange? Well that seems to be a recurring theme in my day to day. Now that I am feeling better, and eating again I have four serious, can't go a day without one of them cravings: cuties(the clementines), cheetos, pizza lunchables, and wings. So obviously what do these things have in common? Besides being unhealthy and for 6 year olds(besides the wings), they are all orange! I noticed this because one day I sat down to have a "meal" of these things and everything on my plate was orange. I'm not sure if color has anything to do with it, or it's just a really weird coincidence... but nevertheless, week 15 has given me an infatuation with orange foods.
Another wonderful thing that comes with week 15 is the confidence I have in saying I am over the hump. The hump being the constant puking. It has been 11 days since I have thrown up, an accomplishment I am most proud of. I still get the very occasional wave of sickness, but nothing at all to complain about. Hallelujah.
With the not puking though, comes something I was not ready for. Weight gain. I know, I know, you're pregnant, of course you're going to gain weight. And of course I knew I would, but it had been 14 weeks before I put on a pound, so bare with me if I was a little taken back. In the days when I was throwing up, and losing weight, I would just eat and eat and eat, because I knew sooner or later it was coming up... and it always did. Then suddenly I caught myself eating and eating and eating... aaaaand nothing. It was suddenly staying in my stomach. Yikes! So now I have been more cautious of what I'm eating, and how much I'm eating because I know it's staying there for good. And by more cautious, I mean cheetos once a day, and not on a day I have a pizza lunchable. Thank God for the three clementines I average per day to make me think I'm eating healthy. Those aren't the only four things I eat though, no body worry, I'm eating plenty of healthy things... I just have to have at least one of those every day. But I've read that "most women" have gained anywhere from 5-10 pounds by now... so I will take the one pound that I've gained and enjoy it.
15 weeks has already given both of us a glimpse into our future. Two nights ago Kyle had a dream we had a really ugly little girl. And last night I had a dream we had an adorbale little boy. Wonder which one of us is actually seeing into the future? It has to be one of those, right? Let's just hope if it is a girl, she's not ugly. I also had a dream I was having triplets. Woke up a little scared from that one. Then I had a dream I went into labor, but decided I wasn't ready to have a baby, so I just stopped it. Neat, huh? It's crazy to me that I have all of these dreams in just the 30 minutes of sleep I get a night. So maybe it's more than 30 minutes, but not by much. I toss...and turn... alllllll night.
The most magical thing that has happened thus far happened last Friday night. I was sitting on the couch, stalking people on facebook. The house was quiet and still. I was propped up on my left side, half laying/half sitting, belly fully lopped over. When all of a sudden...thump, thump, thump, thump..............When the first one happened I felt it immediately and thought "what is that?" Didn't hurt in the slightest, and was like nothing I have felt before. Lighter than a muscle spasm, definitely not gas, not the normal "butterflies" I've heard about. The next three followed immediately. I sat in shock, poking my belly, wondering if what I thought happened really just happened. It's too early, right? So naturally, I called mom. I explained the situation and the sensation and, in all of her wisdom, she confirmed my thoughts. Whomever it is that has taken up residence in my belly, has now begun to kick me hard enough to feel!! And I wish he would do it every day, nonstop. He hasn't done it again since... but I will continue to wait patiently.
And finally, the last thing I've learned about myself in the past 15 weeks is that I am extremely picky in terms of the "stuff" I want for this baby. I've researched everything from carseats to bottles, and I know what I want. And that's all I want. I've drilled it in Kyle's head that we are buying Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive diapers, and wipes just in case someone asks him. And of course, when I quiz him he makes sure to tell me, Huggies Unsenstive. Ha, at least I know he gets it. He thinks I'm nuts, I know. You can give me your advice on products, but I've never been one to take advice (mom and dad know) so don't be offended when I smile, nod, and do something completely different.
That's it for now, the baby is about the size of an apple now... crazy that he used to be the size of the seed inside the apple! His bones are getting harder, his legs are growing longer than his arms, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. We continue to pray that all of his milestones are happening just as they should! And I think it's safe to say that both of us are now completely head over heels in love with this 4 inch long baby.
I wonder what I'll learn about myself and our little one this coming week? I'll tell you all about it at 16 weeks!
Another wonderful thing that comes with week 15 is the confidence I have in saying I am over the hump. The hump being the constant puking. It has been 11 days since I have thrown up, an accomplishment I am most proud of. I still get the very occasional wave of sickness, but nothing at all to complain about. Hallelujah.
With the not puking though, comes something I was not ready for. Weight gain. I know, I know, you're pregnant, of course you're going to gain weight. And of course I knew I would, but it had been 14 weeks before I put on a pound, so bare with me if I was a little taken back. In the days when I was throwing up, and losing weight, I would just eat and eat and eat, because I knew sooner or later it was coming up... and it always did. Then suddenly I caught myself eating and eating and eating... aaaaand nothing. It was suddenly staying in my stomach. Yikes! So now I have been more cautious of what I'm eating, and how much I'm eating because I know it's staying there for good. And by more cautious, I mean cheetos once a day, and not on a day I have a pizza lunchable. Thank God for the three clementines I average per day to make me think I'm eating healthy. Those aren't the only four things I eat though, no body worry, I'm eating plenty of healthy things... I just have to have at least one of those every day. But I've read that "most women" have gained anywhere from 5-10 pounds by now... so I will take the one pound that I've gained and enjoy it.
15 weeks has already given both of us a glimpse into our future. Two nights ago Kyle had a dream we had a really ugly little girl. And last night I had a dream we had an adorbale little boy. Wonder which one of us is actually seeing into the future? It has to be one of those, right? Let's just hope if it is a girl, she's not ugly. I also had a dream I was having triplets. Woke up a little scared from that one. Then I had a dream I went into labor, but decided I wasn't ready to have a baby, so I just stopped it. Neat, huh? It's crazy to me that I have all of these dreams in just the 30 minutes of sleep I get a night. So maybe it's more than 30 minutes, but not by much. I toss...and turn... alllllll night.
The most magical thing that has happened thus far happened last Friday night. I was sitting on the couch, stalking people on facebook. The house was quiet and still. I was propped up on my left side, half laying/half sitting, belly fully lopped over. When all of a sudden...thump, thump, thump, thump..............When the first one happened I felt it immediately and thought "what is that?" Didn't hurt in the slightest, and was like nothing I have felt before. Lighter than a muscle spasm, definitely not gas, not the normal "butterflies" I've heard about. The next three followed immediately. I sat in shock, poking my belly, wondering if what I thought happened really just happened. It's too early, right? So naturally, I called mom. I explained the situation and the sensation and, in all of her wisdom, she confirmed my thoughts. Whomever it is that has taken up residence in my belly, has now begun to kick me hard enough to feel!! And I wish he would do it every day, nonstop. He hasn't done it again since... but I will continue to wait patiently.
And finally, the last thing I've learned about myself in the past 15 weeks is that I am extremely picky in terms of the "stuff" I want for this baby. I've researched everything from carseats to bottles, and I know what I want. And that's all I want. I've drilled it in Kyle's head that we are buying Pampers Swaddlers Sensitive diapers, and wipes just in case someone asks him. And of course, when I quiz him he makes sure to tell me, Huggies Unsenstive. Ha, at least I know he gets it. He thinks I'm nuts, I know. You can give me your advice on products, but I've never been one to take advice (mom and dad know) so don't be offended when I smile, nod, and do something completely different.
That's it for now, the baby is about the size of an apple now... crazy that he used to be the size of the seed inside the apple! His bones are getting harder, his legs are growing longer than his arms, and his taste buds are continuing to develop. We continue to pray that all of his milestones are happening just as they should! And I think it's safe to say that both of us are now completely head over heels in love with this 4 inch long baby.
I wonder what I'll learn about myself and our little one this coming week? I'll tell you all about it at 16 weeks!
Monday, January 3, 2011
14 Weeks! Exhausted.
Well, we're fresh in from our Kansas City New Years weekend, and it was a blast! But wore the little one and I out. We had so much fun hanging out with our hosts, and their friends. And I think for the first time since we've been together we shared a kiss at midnight?! We've shared 5 New Year's together, and I don't remember one New Years kiss. Not really sure why, either. Oh well, it's neither here nor there, on to the baby!
Well, without jinxing myself (again), I would just like to say I have not puked in 5 days. Five days. Do you know how huge that is?! It's pretty much a miracle, and such a nice feeling! My throat is getting a welcome break, and the toilet is seeing less of my face... which I'm sure it appreciates as much as I appreciate not staring at the bottom of that big, white bowl. I still have my moments of nauseousness, and the moments that I think I should make a run for it... but for the past 5 days I have been able to work, sit, lay, or drive through those moments vomit free. Glorious.
Sleeping is still a struggle, but after the weekend I had... the past couple nights I have been out like a light. For those of you keeping tabs, you know I go to bed at 8. 9 is a big stretch. So what time did I make it to on NYE? That would be 2:30.............AM. Yeh, I did it. Not without a breakdown at the end of the night, but I was awake at 2:30am. And as much fun as it was to sit and drink my water, watching the crowd around me get more and more drunk... I will never. ever. ever. ever. do it again. Ever. Got it? Don't ask me to push the limits of my exhaustion, because it's not ever gonna happen again. And I'm still tired. Last night I was asleep on the couch at 8pm, just like I should be every night. I don't know who I was trying to impress that night, but I should have stayed home all together. But, I shared a kiss with my love at midnight, brought in the new year with some pretty great people, and had some great memories to remind them of in the morning... so all in all I can't be too upset with myself.
The next day we had some down time, so I took myself to Kohls. I felt guilty for keeping the baby up so late, and making him listen to that ridiculously loud music so I bought him some clothes! Obviously, I couldn't get pink or blue, but I did come home with some cute yellow stuff. I think that will be my only shopping trip for him though until we know if he is a she or not, there's only so much yellow and green you can buy. But for now, he has a good start.
Now that the throwing up has subsided, I am going to try something tonight that I haven't done in about 8 weeks. I will be cooking dinner. I think. That's the plan right now as I sit on the couch. I feel like I can do it though. I believe in myself. I've been psyching myself up for it all day. I'm just hoping the smells don't get to me and send me straight to the bathroom. We'll see how it goes.
That's kind of it. 14 weeks is a little boring. I don't know what I'm going to talk about from here on out if I don't have anymore good puke stories for you?? Surely I can come up with something. In the meantime, I am looking forward to a weekend at home! Not traveling, not packing, not unpacking... just sitting.
See ya at 15 weeks.
Well, without jinxing myself (again), I would just like to say I have not puked in 5 days. Five days. Do you know how huge that is?! It's pretty much a miracle, and such a nice feeling! My throat is getting a welcome break, and the toilet is seeing less of my face... which I'm sure it appreciates as much as I appreciate not staring at the bottom of that big, white bowl. I still have my moments of nauseousness, and the moments that I think I should make a run for it... but for the past 5 days I have been able to work, sit, lay, or drive through those moments vomit free. Glorious.
Sleeping is still a struggle, but after the weekend I had... the past couple nights I have been out like a light. For those of you keeping tabs, you know I go to bed at 8. 9 is a big stretch. So what time did I make it to on NYE? That would be 2:30.............AM. Yeh, I did it. Not without a breakdown at the end of the night, but I was awake at 2:30am. And as much fun as it was to sit and drink my water, watching the crowd around me get more and more drunk... I will never. ever. ever. ever. do it again. Ever. Got it? Don't ask me to push the limits of my exhaustion, because it's not ever gonna happen again. And I'm still tired. Last night I was asleep on the couch at 8pm, just like I should be every night. I don't know who I was trying to impress that night, but I should have stayed home all together. But, I shared a kiss with my love at midnight, brought in the new year with some pretty great people, and had some great memories to remind them of in the morning... so all in all I can't be too upset with myself.
The next day we had some down time, so I took myself to Kohls. I felt guilty for keeping the baby up so late, and making him listen to that ridiculously loud music so I bought him some clothes! Obviously, I couldn't get pink or blue, but I did come home with some cute yellow stuff. I think that will be my only shopping trip for him though until we know if he is a she or not, there's only so much yellow and green you can buy. But for now, he has a good start.
Now that the throwing up has subsided, I am going to try something tonight that I haven't done in about 8 weeks. I will be cooking dinner. I think. That's the plan right now as I sit on the couch. I feel like I can do it though. I believe in myself. I've been psyching myself up for it all day. I'm just hoping the smells don't get to me and send me straight to the bathroom. We'll see how it goes.
That's kind of it. 14 weeks is a little boring. I don't know what I'm going to talk about from here on out if I don't have anymore good puke stories for you?? Surely I can come up with something. In the meantime, I am looking forward to a weekend at home! Not traveling, not packing, not unpacking... just sitting.
See ya at 15 weeks.
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