State Fair 2008

As some of you may have noticed in my current craves, I had a great time at the State Fair last Sunday! You see, the State Fair is home to endless booths of wonderfully-bad-for-you-goodness, served up in under 60 seconds, giving you plenty of time to sample the next fare in line. I'm convinced the State Fair is a pregnant woman's heaven. I mean, where else can you get fried twinkies, ice cream, pickles, corn dogs and cotton candy? Mmmmm, I'm smiling just thinking about it. Too bad the fair only comes around once a year!

Here are pics of Mama, me and Jamie making our way through the crowds last Sunday:

See my baby belly!

Quote Book: Huh?!

Jamie, attempting to tell me he wanted some "super chocolate peanut butter chunk" ice cream: Yeah, I want some of that super, chocolate, peanut buff chutter... (insane laughter breaks out)

Me: Did you just say buff chutter?

Jamie: Why, yes I did.

Me, recounting my awful bout of morning sickness last week: ...No, I think I buff chuttered the other morning. (More insane laughter)

We both laughed until we did the silly squeaky laugh that happens when you're trying to breathe mid-laugh. Good stuff.

Just say it out loud... buff - chutter ... yeah, you laughed, I know it.

My apologies if this doesn't translate well over the blogosphere. It was really, really hilarious at the time. :)

13 weeks!

Fingerprints have formed on your baby's tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now. Your baby is almost 3 inches long (the size of a medium shrimp) and weighs nearly an ounce.

CanCan looks something like this:(This ultrasound example is courtesy of babycenter.com and is not actually little Cancan).

Recipe for a Happy Mama

2 slices of honey wheat bread
2 slices BBQ chicken breast
2 slices of Honey Ham
1 slice Muenster cheese
two big fat slices of tomato
Kosher dill Pickles
Mayo on both sides
Salt & Pepper to taste

Yep, it's a sandwich, the ingredients for which cost $17.42 at Target on my way home tonight. But, this wasn't just any sandwich. This is the sandwich I've been fantasizing about since 11:25am, when my coworker unpacked her lunch, and proceeded to enjoy a similar spread as I sat and worked, stomach growling, waiting for a more reasonable time to eat lunch.

You see, if I ate lunch when I actually started getting hungry, I'd be chowing down at 10:00am every day. Do you know how long the rest of your day feels when you eat lunch at 10:00am?!?! Very, very long.

So, I waited until 12:30pm, proceeded to Arby's thinking I could get a delicious market fresh sandwich to curb my craving. But, no, it couldn't be that easy. Arby's was out of the sandwich I wanted, so I settled for a chicken club and fries, which, of course tasted terrible, as everything does, until you feed a craving.

But, not to worry, at 7:35pm tonight, after cheerful banter with the deli guy and a mad dash around the grocery aisles, I had my sandwich. My glorious sandwich. And, now, I am one happy mama.

12 weeks!

Our new due date of May 4 means we now begin a new week each Monday. So, welcome to 12 weeks everyone! The morning sickness seems to have passed and my appetite feels somewhat normal again. The intense smells still get to me, but at least things are beginning to taste good again. Can you believe I almost ate a whole box of mac and cheese in one sitting?! Me either :) But boy was it good! But, not to worry, I'm eating plenty of fruits and veggies, too!

How your baby's growing:

The most dramatic development this week: reflexes. Your baby's fingers will soon begin to open and close, his toes will curl, his eye muscles will clench, and his mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you prod your abdomen, your baby will squirm in response, although you won't be able to feel it. His intestines, which have grown so fast that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into his abdominal cavity about now, and his kidneys will begin excreting urine into his bladder.

Meanwhile, nerve cells are multiplying rapidly, and in your baby's brain, synapses are forming furiously. His face looks unquestionably human: His eyes have moved from the sides to the front of his head, and his ears are right where they should be. From crown to rump, your baby-to-be is just over 2 inches long (about the size of a lime) and weighs half an ounce.

11 weeks!

How your baby's growing: Your baby, just over 1 1/2 inches long and about the size of a fig, is now almost fully formed. Her hands will soon open and close into fists, tiny tooth buds are beginning to appear under her gums, and some of her bones are beginning to harden.

She's already busy kicking and stretching, and her tiny movements are so effortless they look like water ballet. These movements will become more frequent as her body grows and becomes more developed and functional. You won't feel your baby's acrobatics for another month or two — nor will you notice the hiccuping that may be happening now that her diaphragm is forming.

On all the websites, there is always a second half to the weekly updates... one I don't usually share from, because quite frankly they tend to scare the crap out of me sometimes! Not to mention it's usually pretty gross! It's the half that describes all the changes that are either going on in my body, or those I can gleefully look forward to. This week's was quite comical though, so I'm sharing...

How your life's changing:If you're like most women, you're feeling a bit more energetic now and your nausea may be starting to wane. Unfortunately, you may also be suffering from constipation (caused by hormonal changes, which can slow digestion) and heartburn (hormones again, relaxing the valve between your stomach and esophagus). Just remember, all this discomfort is for a good cause.

Don't worry if nausea has made it impossible for you to eat a wide variety of healthy foods or if you haven't put on much weight yet (most women gain just 2 to 5 pounds during the first trimester). Your appetite will likely return soon, and you'll start to gain about a pound a week.

Did you read that?! A pound a week?! See, that's one of those things that scares the crap out of me...

10 weeks! (we're 1/4 of the way there!)

How your baby's growing:

Though he's barely the size of a kumquat — a little over an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weighs less than a quarter of an ounce, your baby has now completed the most critical portion of his development. This is the beginning of the so-called fetal period, a time when the tissues and organs in his body rapidly grow and mature.

He's swallowing fluid and kicking up a storm. Vital organs — including his kidneys, intestines, brain, and liver (now making red blood cells in place of the disappearing yolk sac) — are in place and starting to function, though they'll continue to develop throughout your pregnancy.

If you could take a peek inside your womb, you'd spot minute details, like tiny nails forming on fingers and toes (no more webbing) and peach-fuzz hair beginning to grow on tender skin.

In other developments: Your baby's limbs can bend now. His hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over his heart, and his feet may be long enough to meet in front of his body. The outline of his spine is clearly visible through translucent skin, and spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from his spinal cord. Your baby's forehead temporarily bulges with his developing brain and sits very high on his head, which measures half the length of his body. From crown to rump, he's about 1 1/4 inches long. In the coming weeks, your baby will again double in size — to nearly 3 inches.

Doctor's orders...

Today's doctor's appointment went very well. Baby Cancan is growing so big! The ultrasound was just a bed-side ultrasound today, so no printed pictures unfortunately :( but I can tell you there are two arms and two legs! And we saw them move! Cancan kicked and wiggled several times for us on the monitor - as if to say "hey mom and dad!!!! i know you're looking at me!!!" With the kicks I saw, I think we may have a little soccer player, or jazz dancer, on our hands here! Seeing him/her move was amazing. Cancan's still a little top heavy, with his/her head almost as big as his/her body, but you know what that means... big head = big brain. We've got a smart one, too! I can also tell you that Cancan is super cute... looking very much like a real baby now, instead of a gummy bear, like last time.

All of the bloodwork from our last visit (all 5 viles of it) came back normal and, so far, I've gained a whopping 3.4 pounds. With everything I've been eating, I was shocked! But again, we're right on target. And, just so you all can update your calendars... Our new official due date is May 4!

Baby CanCan has a friend!

I got the best news today! My college roommate, bridesmaid, and very, very good friend Melissa is pregnant, too! I am so happy to have someone to swap stories and advice with!

While our kids probably won't grow up together, as we live 2 hours apart, they could go to college together!!! And, if I know Melissa, her kids will go to Carolina. And, of course, my kids will be slightly, persistently nudged toward Tarheel territory as well. ... and, guess what?! if we both have boys, or both have girls, they could be roomies, too!!

Ok, ok, I know I'm getting ahead of myself here... but you have to admit, it would be pretty cool.

A huge congrats to Melissa and Mike!!! We are so happy for you!!!

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9 weeks!

How your baby's growing:

Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a grape — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

Extendo-belts & Safety pins

So, I'm not really "showing" yet. As in, if you didn't know I was pregnant, you probably wouldn't know... You might just think I was a little chunky. But I know. And all my pants know, too. My jeans, my dress slacks, my skirts, anything with a waistband, they all know, and they are getting tired of being cinched and pinned and lassoed with my new found friend, the extendo-belt. Sure, it has a cute name like bella belly belt or something like that, but it's really just a clever snappy thing that corrals your two closest belt loops and cinches the un-buttonable. But what about those pants that don't have belt loops, you ask? This is where the almighty safety pin comes into play. One, two, sometimes three or more are needed to ensure a smooth-appearing waistband... add a long top to cover those shiny give-aways and voila! maternity-shmaternity. Who needs maternity clothes?!

There's just one problem... yesterday, the unthinkable happened. My beloved casual-but still dressy enough for work-comfortable-black pants not only refused to button.... they wouldn't even zip up! This can't happen at only 9 weeks!!! What's gonna happen at 20 weeks... or even worse... 40?!?!?! Guess I should start cutting back on the Bojangles french fries and boiled peanuts...