Baby Hates The Vest

I think my baby officially hates the Vest. It always wakes her up and she usually starts stretching wildly. She is currently kinda transverse. Her head is by my left hip and her feet are on my right side above my belly button, but not all the way to the ribs. She pushes her little legs out as far as she can (against my side) when I vest. I am not sure if she is squished and trying to make more room or what. This morning she was stretching so hard it was hurting. I placed my fingers against the pain and I could feel her little feet!!! I have felt her feet kick before or briefly push by, but these little feet were not moving. I tried to apply a little (as in a minuscule) amount of pressure to get her to move, but she would not budge. Seriously, the coolest feeling ever. At the same time I felt horrible because I sensed that she wasn't the happiest camper since it seemed as if she was trying to avoid the vibrations by shimmying down my torso and stretching out as far as she could in her cramped corridors.

31 Weeks..Time Needs To Slow Down!

How Far Along: 31 weeks 2 days! 9 weeks left although it could range between 7-11 weeks. Man, that seems to be too big of a range. My CF doc said my goal should be 38 weeks, but I think this little one may be on the late side since she is my first. We will see...
How Big Is Baby: A pineapple- sounds painful!
Total Weight Gain: I have been trying to force myself to eat which has been hard due to current circumstances. When I do eat I try to stuff myself to the brim (yuck) because my weight tapered off before all this stress. I haven't stepped on a scale because I don't need any extra worry at the moment and I am doing my very best to eat a lot and high calorie.

Sleep: Sleep has been so much harder this week, but I highly doubt it has anything to do with pregnancy.

Movement: OMG! There are days that I wonder how she has the energy to move SO much. Thursday she rolled and tumbled and kicked so much that I am not sure more than 10 minutes went by without some crazy movement. Did she even sleep at all?? Seems 30 weeks was when she decided to transition from a mellow baby to a wild child!

What I Miss: Not much at the moment.
What I'm Looking Forward To: Lots of things, but baby related I am excited to finish the nursery.
Milestones: All 5 senses are in working order. Not sure what there is to see in there...
Symptoms: I am skipping this for the week because I think anything I am feeling now is not due to pregnancy.

Other: I am pretty sure my baby is already a little bilingual...okay maybe not, but she sure seems to like Spanish!

My husband spoke Spanish for 18 years before he learned English so we have decided to raise this baby bilingual. Her dad will speak Spanish to her and I will speak English and a tiny bit of Spanish since I will be home with her all day. 

Last night after my husband and I got in bed he decided to rub my belly to wake baby up. Even though a squirmy baby is not the easiest thing to fall asleep to I still LOVE when hubby plays with Peanut so I wasn't going to stop it. Within a few moments she was awake and wiggly, but not overly active. In all honesty, she was probably trying to reposition herself away from my husbands rubbing hand! Once she was awake he was talking o her trying to get her to give him a kick. She is getting squished so she is kicking less often and doing more stretching, rolling, and squirming. We both miss those kicks, but Peanut was non responsive to his request. I turned to him and said, "You are asking in the wrong language." He then requested her to kick in Spanish and she instantly gave out the hardest kick I have felt in days! Haha, okay I am know baby can't understand any language at this point, but it was pretty funny and ironic!

Holy Cow 30 Weeks!

How Far Along: 30 weeks and 2 days!!! I seriously cannot believe I am in the 30s!! How exciting is that!
How Big Is Baby: Cucumber
Total Weight Gain: My weight is worrying me because it really isn't going up. I have plateaued. I feel my appetite is down a little due to baby squishing my stomach so I am not eating as much, but I know I need to gain weight so this little one can bulk up. My doc still isn't worried, but I am.

Sleep: Love my sleep, but the last few weeks my mind has been so busy and I am in total nesting mode! I wake up early on weekends and have a million things I want to do for baby. Seems sleeping in is a thing of the past.

Movement: Her little feel are on my right side, middle of belly. Her head seems to be by my left hip. I have yet to figure out where her bottom and back are. I LOVE that I get these crazy thumps on my side and they are so easy to see and for my husband to feel, but I would like her to find her way to a head down position soon. Did you hear that, Peanut?!

What I Miss: Not having to pee so often!
What I'm Looking Forward To: My baby showers! Seriously cannot wait! I was told this week that April 25th I am having a work shower and I cannot be more excited!!! I think it will be really informal, but any reason to celebrate baby sounds good to me. I am also hoping there will be chocolate cake! My mom and sister are throwing me a shower on the 29th of April so I seriously can't wait for April to hurry along!
Milestones: Baby's bone marrow is now in charge of producing her red blood cells. She is growing up so fast!
Symptoms: I am less tired than last week which is good. I would say my main complaint is heart burn. I am getting it more and more and it really isn't too fun.

Other: I am starting to get sentimental about being pregnant. I want to meet baby so badly, but I really love being pregnant. I will miss feeling little movements all the time. I feel like we have this secret little life, just the two of us. She wiggles or squirms and kicks and so often, like at work, or in the grocery store, I am the only one that knows. I love that we are always together and we never have to be apart. I love laying in bed and watching my husband talk to her and tell her how much he loves her already. I love laying my hands on her belly and feeling her movements and wondering what her little toes will look like. I love everything about her and this experience and I am sad that we only have 10 weeks of being just for each other.

Big Bumps and Good Friends

The other night I was exhausted!! I had a really busy day and was getting to bed much too late. Soon after I was about to doze off my dearest husband decided to go to bed which of course woke me up. I finally settled back down snuggled close to my husband, his arm around my now ginormous belly, and started to drift off to sleep. All of the sudden I was startled awake by him whispering, not so quietly, "Man". I was a little annoyed that whatever was bothering him woke me up. I figured he forgot something like setting his alarm or locking the door. Somewhat perturbed I asked him, "what's wrong?" I don't think he realized he had spoken out loud and tried to tell me it was nothing. Being concerned or maybe just nosy I asked him again. He knows how stubborn I knew I wouldn't sleep until he gave ma an answer. "Peanut just kicked me really really hard!" All my annoyance went out the window. I gave a little laugh. I hadn't even felt it because I was already asleep, but now that I was awake I could feel her wiggling around my belly. I kept saying, "Did you feel that?" and he would respond, "Yes!!" This continued for quiet some time until she settled down and I realized the alarm would be going off much too soon. How I love my little family!!!


In other news, a friend called me to say she was getting rid of some baby stuff and wanted to know if I was interested in any of it. Of course I was because we have so little for Peanut and baby stuff is so expensive! I went over after work and oh my gosh did she have a lot! She had a boy first and apologized for the lack of girly stuff, but Peanut and I are quiet content with greens and didn't mind one bit. She told me that most of it was handed down to her and used for both her kids and honestly some of it looks a little worn, but most of it is in fine condition. I ended up getting a bouncer, snap and go stroller attachment (you hook the infant carrier to it so that it is an instant stroller when baby is little and you don't want to pull them out of their carseat), a mobile, playmat, clothes, safety locks and covers to keep baby out of where she doesn't belong, a basic swing, and a high chair. Some of it is a little worn (like the high chair) and I may not use it all, but I am so grateful for her generosity! I feel like we are so much more prepared for little P to get here now!

What a Personality You Have Got!

This baby sure does have a personality! I just haven't figured out exactly how to read her personality. That sounds so confusing (cause it really is) so let me explain!

People would tell me to push on my belly when I feel baby kick and she will kick back. My baby used to do this, but she has taken a new approach. When I push on her, she moves. In fact, I once got her to make a whole semi-circle around my belly because she kept trying to avoid the spot I pushed. She would kick, I would push my belly, she would move and kick an inch lower. I would push, she would move...

If I press too firmly when feeling her kicks she also finds a new spot or moves. I have learned to very gently place my hand there so she can't sense my touch in order to feel her kicks with my hand. I have to tell others to give her a gentle touch as well if they want to feel anything.

All these little traits got me thinking, What a passive, shy little girl I have. She is minding her own business and trying to keep out of the way. 

When I shared this story with my sister she thought it sounded like I had a stubborn one on my hands.

I now am not sure if she will be a passive peace maker or if she will be a stubborn fiery one. Either way, I seriously can't wait to meet her.

Confessions Of Pregnant Cyster Part 3

To read Confessions Part 1 and 2 click here and here!

13. I love feeling my baby move and often laugh to myself when she decides to have little dance parties in my belly. Seriously, the coolest thing about pregnancy is her movements, BUT she is still turning in all directions and she sometimes settles into a breech position. I am not a fan of breech kicks. They aren't exactly painful, but they sure aren't comfortable!

14. My favorite part about being pregnant is having my husband feel and see our baby move. He is always so fascinated with her kicks and even more so of those crazy kicks you can see form the outside.

15. I am at a standstill with the nursery. I made a mobile and the wall art, but now I don't know what to do next. I am simply stuck!

16. Even though we have decided on a name we can't get ourselves to call her anything other than Peanut.

17. As more of my friends get closer to their due dates they are all stressed about labor and delivery. I am not concerned at all about labor and delivery simply because I am too stressed about how my CF will handle the end of pregnancy and after birth. I wish I could worry about the "normal" things in pregnancy.

18. Normally I love my job, but I am so over it now! I think getting sick last week made me hate being in a germ infested work place. I use hand sanitizer so much I had a student inform me that I can't build an immune system if I am never exposed to germs so maybe I shouldn't use hand sanitzer so much. Oh kid, if you only knew how nerve wrecking a CF pregnancy can be.

19 At the same time I cannot believe that in approximately 2 months I will not be working outside the home anymore. I am really excited to start my new job as a mom, but it seems so weird that I won't have to get in the car to go to work anymore.

20. The other day I was buying plants for the garden when the lady at the check out asked, "How far along are you?" It took me a second to realize what she was talking about. Even with this basketball sized belly I still sometimes forget I am preggo. How is that possible?

29 Weeks...Time is Flying!

How Far Along: 29 weeks and 2 days
How Big Is Baby: Acorn squash
Total Weight Gain: Around 16-17 pounds. Nobody seems concerned that my weight has tapered off except me. Hoping to make up for it by next appointment

Sleep: Still doing it all the time. Actually, I find I sleep more now that I am getting further along. 

Movement: She got the hiccups for the first time last week. It is so cute, but I feel a little bad for her when she gets them. I hope she doesn't mind them. She has only gotten them one other time since.

What I Miss: Bending down with ease!
What I'm Looking Forward To: Finishing the nursery. I am currently stuck. I have executed all the ideas i could think of and am now at a stand still.
Milestones: I just looked up the milestones online and it says one milestone this week is hiccuping. I guess she is right on schedule with those hiccups!
Symptoms: I am really tired this week. Not sure if this is the new norm or just a busy growth week. Friday night I fell asleep before 6, woke up at 1:30 to do my treatments and went back to bed at 3 and slept until 8! That is a heck of a lot of sleep!

Other: Got the results to all  my blood work and am so excited to say that I passed both my diabetes test and the test for anemia.I am so relieved that I don't have to deal with diabetes and happy that i am getting enough iron. Woohoo!

What happened to my bellybutton?

My bellybutton is quite fascinating these days if I do say so myself. It ever so slowly crept out of its cave until it was a flat plane blending in with the rest of my stomach. I discovered that bellybuttons are actually significantly softer than the rest of my skin, who would have thought! Well, just a few days ago my belly button decided to half way cave back in, but left the top half to ever so slightly protrude beyond my belly. I guess this is the course it is taking to become an outie. Oh, the changes of pregnancy.

I had a growth scan today which was basically an ultrasound to make sure my little girl is growing like she should. The tech warned me that it would not be in depth like the past ultrasounds and that he was just grabbing a few measurements. First off, my baby is getting SO big!! I can't believe how much of my belly she is taking up! Also, my breech little baby started off head down! Yay! Of course within 6 minutes she found her way to a transverse position. At least she is trying head down since she needs to get used to it!

The ultrasound was fun, but she doesn't fit nicely on the screen anymore since she is huge. We get to see her in parts. He did his measurements and I wasn't able to see too well, but my husband had a great view. The whole time my bladder was exploding because they make you drink a bunch 1 1/2 hours before the ultrasound and hold your pee. When he gets done with the measurements he says, that he has to wait for my bladder to fill because he can't get a look at my cervix. Uhhh, you mean to tell me my bladder isn't full? Then why do I have the urge to pee all over this bed? He said we may need to wait for another 30 minutes to get the measurement he needs and that I should drink more water while waiting. Telling a pregnant woman to hold obscene amounts of water for several hours is a mighty request, but I really had no choice so I crossed my legs and hoped for the best.

Luckily, to kill time he lets us see each inch of our baby: both hands, both feet and legs, and various bones. He then asked if there was anything else we wanted to see. I felt like we covered all the bases, but asked to see her little heart. One of the best moments in my life was seeing the little heartbeat of my baby at the 8 week scan and 20 weeks later it still fills me with awe to see this little heart beating away. The tech was awesome and zoomed all the way in so we could see all 4 chambers. It really was spectacular!! He was also the fourth confirmation ( 13, 18, 20, 28 weeks) that we are indeed having a little girl. I laugh when people say not to count on the sex guess because sometimes the docs are wrong. I am not so sure 4 different ultrasound techs can be wrong. We also saw a close up of her girl parts and there is nothing boy about her!

He was able to get the measurements before our 30 minutes were up which was a relief.  We find out in a week if she is growing on schedule. Next week cannot come soon enough!

Cough Cough

So I got the cold from hell. I have done really well this pregnancy not catching anything my little students have. I dodged two outbreaks of lice, the stomach flu, the regular flu a close encounter with whooping cough, and various colds, but somehow this one found its way to me. I was coughing all night and feeling exhausted all day due to coughing so much. I stayed home from work Monday and Tuesday which for anyone who knows me, is not something I do often. If I am not contagious I go to work and if I stay home I usually feel guilty all day about it. I am not sure why, but I hate missing work.After a lot of reassurance from my hubby that it was the right thing to do, I stayed home on Monday to rest. I had clinic and my numbers were down a little. The docs think it is from the cold/normal smooshing of the lungs due to baby. The docs didn't seem worried, but I was freaking out internally because I still have 12 weeks left would really prefer to delay the lung squishing.

Monday night I was coughing so much that I thought I would go insane. At one point I was pounding around the bedroom cussing like a sailor because I didn't know what else to do (attractive huh). My husband and I both sleep like rocks so all my coughing and cussing had no effect on him while he remained in dreamland. All of the sudden I felt the little tap tap of Peanut. My little girl had no idea that I was sick. She didn't know i needed to work and I was missing out on sleep. She didn't know that I was worried about lung function and CF and being a good mommy to her while she grows inside of me. So as pissed off as I was that I got this nasty cold she reminded me of what really matters, her. I didn't want my bad mood to effect her in anyway so I put my butt back in bed and took the next day off. I am feeling better today, but still not 100%. I will keep you posted about my lungs/health.


News about Peanut
I like writing this part because it puts me in a much better mood than talking about being sick. My little breech baby who loves kicking down low or likes kicking her little legs on my right side has become more adventurous which i love! I have started to feel her kicks on other areas of my belly for a change and she is spending much less time being breech which is good because I of course want her head down as she gets bigger and ready for her appearance. The strangest kicks I get is when she is transverse (side to side) and I can feel her on both the left and right of my stomach! I am not sure is she is bouncing off one side and hitting the other or is she can stretch across my whole stomach and I feel both kicks and punches, but it sure is cool to get so much movement. Her daddy and I love feeling her and my husband already loves playing games with her. I know many parents feel this way, but sometimes I can't imagine that any baby could possibly be loved as much as our little one.

3rd Tri and a Cold

I am officially (by most sources) in the 3rd trimester!!! I can't believe how quickly time is flying by! I sometimes feel like I have barely started this pregnancy and it will be over in 3 months! I want to meet Peanut more than anything, but part of me does not want to have this pregnancy end especially since it may be my only pregnancy. I don't want to lose my bump and I love knowing my little girl is with me everywhere I go.

The other part of me is very nervous about third trimester. Unlike my friends who are worried about labor and delivery or the discomforts of pregnancy I am more concerned on how my CF will be effected by the lack of space for my lungs. I was talking to a co-worker who was saying she remembers feeling like she could never take a full breath by the end of pregnancy and how it was such a relief to just be able to BREATH again after her son arrived. That is exactly why I am a little scared of third tri!

I may have finally developed a cold. I spent a large portion of last night coughing and woke up to the tickly feeling in my throat that always seems to accompany a cold. My colds usually start with either a sore throat or a tickly throat/chest area, followed by incessant coughing for about 48 hours which results in a loss of voice. Then it either goes away like normal people or it turns into a respiratory infection. I have been so lucky with this pregnancy, but I am so disappointed to get a cold. Yes, I work with a bazillion little germy students everyday and yes most people do develop a cold once in 9 months, but I am still not happy about it. My friend was complaining that when you are sick in pregnancy it is so much worse because you can't take anything. I wish that was my only concern. I usually don't take anything for colds anyway, but I am just so worried about it going to my lungs. I am going to try my hardest to avoid a respiratory infection. It is a good think I have clinic on Monday so if my lung function is hit by this cold I can catch it right away.

Last piece of news, my best friend who is also pregnant is visiting tomorrow for the weekend. I am so excited to have a preggo weekend and spending quality time together. I really hope I am not coughing the whole weekend!!

26 weeks

How Far Along: 26 weeks and 3 days
How Big Is Baby: The size of a head of lettuce..a very strong kicking lettuce!
Total Weight Gain: Around 15 pounds. Woohoo!

Sleep: One of my favorite things to do.

Movement: YES! All the time. She loves kicking my bladder and cervix, but she also recently started flipping around and kicking my belly which is way better than the bladder.

Food Cravings: No cravings. Boring!
What I Miss: Sometimes I miss a nice cup of coffee.
What I'm Looking Forward To: My very best friend (who is also pregnant) coming to visit me on Friday for the entire weekend. I can't wait to spend some quality pregnant time with my amazing friend!!
Milestones: She should now have eyelashes. I hope she gets my eyes lashes because poor hubby can't compete with me me in that category. She also getting her immune system ready (not really sure how). I think both my husband and I have amazing immune systems (which is great for a cyster) so I am hoping she will follow suit.
Symptoms: Nothing new, but next week I start my third trimester so that may change quickly.

Other: Drum roll please... We have a name!! First, middle, and last FINALLY! It is so much fun to finally have a name for our little one. Of course, we still call her Peanut 90% of the time...

Excellent Care and Alien Bumps

I feel like I have a million things to talk about especially since so much happened while we without internet. I am going to start with one of the most exciting things I have experienced with this pregnancy followed by my high risk OB appointment which was very informative and somewhat interesting...

This morning after treatments while I was sitting around in a robe little Peanut decided to give me some of her poweful kicks and it wasn't at my bladder! I am rarely sitting around doing nothing while she is kicking (work, moving, nesting all get in the way) or I am in bed with the lights out since she is my little night owl. Well, this morning being Saturday and the fact I accidentally poured boiling water on my hand while cleaning nebs rendered me useless I was doing a whole lot of nothing. I was sitting around being moping because I had so much to get done and I was stuck sitting with my burning hand in ice water when Peanut cheered me up with some really strong kicks. I opened my robe to play a little tag with her and pushed on my belly where she kicked. Sure enough she kicked back and along with the kick came a lump in my belly. I could see her little kick from the outside. She did it a few more times and then decided to move and kick my side where I couldn't see anything. How cool is pregnancy!?

I wanted to update about my high risk OB who I basically love. I feel like I get such amazing care. I had my appointment on Thursday and was excited to be brought to the ultrasound room. Little did I know they were doing a cervical length check which is with an internal ultrasound. Not so fun, but ended up being really cool. Since preterm labor is a higher risk in CF the doc wanted to make sure my cervix wasn't shortening which is a sign that labor may be getting closer. I had a resident do the check, but my doctor was standing right there. Since she was learning it was actually really informative because the resident had to explain to the doc what she saw in order to make sure she was doing it right. I got a nice lesson on the cervix. I also saw little Peanuts toes hanging out right by my cervix and bladder. The whole time they were wiggling around. I am so in love with her little feet! Turns out my cervix is super long. The third longest my doctor has ever seen or so he said! This is great news and I was told they won't do another cervix check for a long time since mine was nice and long and they had no worries of preterm labor at this point. It was a relief to know that preterm labor isn't something in my near future.

They also scheduled a growth check at 28 weeks because cysters can have babies with low birth weight so they want to make sure she is growing normally although it seems at this point that everything is perfect. Again, I am thrilled they are being so cautious and I am always excited for an ultrasound!! The doctor then asked me how work was going. I explained that it is going well, my energy is fine, and that I like routine. He said that he sees no reason why I can't keep working until the end as long as my health is maintaining. He did say however, that if at ANY point I decide I do not feel comfortable working all I have to do is call the office. No appointment necessary. I just have to say the word and he will do the paperwork to ensure I stop working. I feel like I am receiving amazing care and couldn't be happier with my whole pregnancy  experience.

Daddy Got Kicked!!!!

Daddy felt movement and we couldn't be more excited!!! Little Peanut loves being upright (breech) and adores having her little toes near my bladder which makes for a fun day at school. The bad part about this favored position (besides the obvious) is that nobody can feel her powerful kicks except me and my bladder. She will flip around once in a while, but only when I am home alone or when I get up to pee in the night and hubbers is sound asleep. Finally, FINALLY two nights ago she decided to cooperate!

Hubbers and I were snuggling on the cough talking about our day when of course we both fell asleep. Around one we woke up and made out way to the bed. We were just about to doze off when Peanut decided to give me some crazy kicks on my side. Now this has happened before and the second I wake my husband and tell him where to put his hand she stops or moves completely. I debated nudging him from his almost sleep state, but after 3 really hard kicks I figured it was worth a shot. He placed his hand on my belly and we waited. Silly Peanut already causing trouble. We were both exhausted and about to give up when I felt a thump.
"Did you feel that?" I asked
"I think so..."
"You did!?!" I practically screamed with excitement followed by, "Did you feel that?"
"Yes, there was a thump then a thump thump." My husband tapped my belly where he felt the kicks. I was so ecstatic because that is exactly what I felt.
 The next few seconds consisted of my husband singing some cheer song in Spanish to our little Peanut followed by my belly being showered with kisses. I am not sure which one of us was more excited, but that night I had the best sleep of my life and I am pretty sure my husband did too!

25 weeks

I have internet again!!!!!!!!


How Far Along: 25 weeks and 4 days
How Big Is Baby: The size of an eggplant! Wow!
Total Weight Gain: Still haven't taken out the scale from the move, but I have a feeling my weight slowed down because these past few weeks have been crazy and i have not been eating as often/much as I should.

Sleep: I am still sleeping well and still LOVE sleep! On the weekends when I can sleep in I get around 11 hours. On weekdays I try to get 8.

Movement: I panicked because over the weekend I did not feel her move AT ALL!! I was so upset that something was wrong because a day never goes by without movement. I called the online nurse and was on hold for over 15 minutes! I finally felt a little flutter so I hung up. Monday morning came and little Peanut was dancing all around! She continued ALL DAY LONG! I was so relieved!

 At one point I went outside to watch the kids for recess and have an hour before I could even potentially use the bathroom and she stomped so hard on my bladder I laughed out loud because she times it so well! Right when there was no possible way to empty mu bladder. She continues to dance on my bladder and kick my cervix all through the evening, but i was so happy to know she was okay that I didn't mind one bit!
Food Cravings: Still no cravings, but with moving I have not been as good about eating healthy. Sorry, Peanut!!!
What I Miss: Hmmm...at this moment nothing.
What I'm Looking Forward To: My appointment Thursday with my high risk OB. I so hope I get a sonogram.
Milestones: Baby knows which way is up and down now. I guess that is why she loves being breech and standing on my bladder.
Symptoms: Nothing new. just the same old, same old.

Other: We bought a CRIB!!! It is not set up yet, but it is on our to do list. I will post pics when it is up and ready. I love walking by her room and picturing the day she will be in there.

Things I Never Knew About Pregnancy

The top ten things (both good and bad) I wasn't expecting about being pregnant.

1. That it would be such an enjoyable beautiful experience and that I would truly love being pregnant. I always thought I would like being pregnant, but I thought all pregnant women got sick, had back pain, and had so many obstacles during the 9 months that it would be hard. I can say that I have never enjoyed my life as much as I have the last 5 months.

2. That my bladder control would have issues so quickly. I still have issues with sneezing and sometimes find that no matter how empty my bladder is at treatment times I will leak a little or a lot. I found through reading pregnancy forums that this is not that uncommon so at least I am not alone...

3. That my husband would fall in love with our baby so quickly. I knew being the woman and carrying my baby I would love her instantly (and it was instant), but my husband has been equally attached since day one. Just the other day he said, "I just love this world so much now that we have Peanut." He is totally smitten by this little person that he has never met or felt.

4. That I would leak pre-milk WAY before baby ever got here. I leak (very small amounts) after the shower, but not enough to cause any problems like leaking through shirts or anything (yet). Not gonna lie I was so excited that my body knew how to make milk even if it is a little premature. My husband thinks its adorable that my body is ready to feed baby 4 months early even if it is not true colostrum yet.

5. That I would feel so healthy! I expected to have trouble gaining weight, need to take time off work, and need medication throughout the pregnancy. I never expected to make it 1/2 way without having any CF related issues. My body is so much stronger than I gave it credit for. I am pretty sure I will need some CF help before baby gets here, but I am pretty damn proud of my body for making it this far.

6. That I would pee so much in the night that I can pretty much go to the bathroom in my sleep. I used to hate being on meds because it would make me pee during the night, but now I celebrate when I make it through the night without getting up more than once.

7. That I would be on a baby high for 5 months and counting. Seriously, babies really change your perspective on life and really how can anything upset you when your biggest dream is coming true?

8. That picking baby names would be so darn hard. Gaah!

9. That I would get stretch marks somewhere other than my belly. Yes, I got a few stretch marks on the underside of my baby feeders. Even more surprising, I do NOT even care one bit. I really don't want a million on my belly, but I really don't mind my new found badge of motherhood.

10. That this pregnancy would make my heart grow 10 times as big. The love I feel for this baby is beyond words and the new love I have for my husband is enough to make feel like the luckiest woman in the entire world!

Anatomy Scan

I was SO looking forward to our anatomy scan because we would have 30 minutes of Peanut viewing time. Not gonna lie it wasn't nearly as fun as I thought it would be. (It is a really long story, but I want to have all the details)

First off as I was leaving work I hit major traffic (which never happens on that freeway that early) because there was an accident. I was trying to remain calm because I had no idea how long I would be stuck going 0 miles per hour. I eventually got home to grab my husband and head out together to the doc. We then hit traffic to the hospital which I knew we would because on a Friday that freeway is always a mess which wouldn;t have been stressful except I was already running behind because of the traffic I hot earlier. We get to the office and are trying to check in when the lady informs us that we were at the wrong office!! There are at least 4 in the city and we went to the wrong one! Ahhh. I don't know why they scheduled me at this other location and I had no idea where it was. We then got directions to the correct office while luckily was very close and we made it only a little late. Now I love the office that I usually go to even though it is big, but it's really new and beautiful and everyone is so darn nice. This other place was old and gross and it was seriously lacking signs. We relied on random people walking in the hall to find the ultrasound room only to find a sign that said "sign in at MRI" We had no idea where the MRI office was and again signage was seriously lacking. We FINALLY made it , but were stuck in a packed waiting room. Then we waited....for an hour!

We finally get called back and I was just happy to see our little girl. My other office (where I got the NT scan) had two screens, one for the tech and one for the mama so you can see everything that is happening. This old decrepit hospital only had one for the tech. My husband got to position himself so that he had a perfect view which I was happy about, but I think the mom should have a good view too. I tried to twist so I could see the screen, but it wasn't all that great. She explained that they would be doing lots of measurements so it may be a little boring, but she would show us baby at the end.

At first Peanut was curled up sleeping by my right hip bone. The tech needed her to move, but Peanut wasn't having it. I was worried she would be lethargic because I didn't anticipate an hour wait so I was really hungry and figured little Peanut was too. The tech had me drink some water and oh my gosh little P went crazy! She was all over the place. The tech kept saying, "Your baby keeps playing games with me." and my husband who had a much better view said she was squirming everywhere! The tech kept laughing because of silly things Peanut was doing which I thought was cute because she does ultrasounds all day long, but you could tell she still liked her job and the babies she was looking at.

The first 30 minutes were pretty boring because she was zooming in so close that we couldn't tell what we were looking at. Even when she told us we couldn't tell unless it was her heart (cause it was beating) or certain bones. She couldn't talk too much because she was measuring and typing a lot. Suddenly I had a horrible back cramp and I had to ask to sit up for a minute. I realized that in order to see the screen I was twisting my back and it caused a cramp. I then had to lay straight and had almost no view of my little baby. The tech did show us the arms, legs, feet, eyes, tummy, and a few other parts that we could make out, but the majority of the time we were confused. I did get to see all 4 chambers of little Peanut's heart which was so cool.

At the end the tech was telling me that Peanut was so wiggly she couldn't get a few measurements and we may have to come back. She finally got the last shots she needed, but said they were blurry because of Peanut's movement and we still might have to come back to get them redone if the doc thinks they aren't clear enough. Fine with me cause I love seeing our little girl.

To the fun part! The tech turned the screen so we could see our little girl. She asked if we knew the gender and I said that at 13 and 18 weeks they said girl so we assumed it hadn't changed. She did the typical crotch shot and showed a empty space between her legs and said that it was definitely a girl! I am so beyond thrilled we are having a girl and I love hearing it confirmed even though I already knew. We got to see a lot of little Peanut and we got lots of pics. She then told me the baby was breech, but because they flip around all the time at this point it was nothing to worry about. She also told me I have an anterior placenta. This made me so beyond bummed and I will explain it in the next post since this one is already too long!

Busy Busy Weekend

Tomorrow is our long awaited anatomy scan. It is the 20 week scan that looks at baby's development to ensure baby is growing exactly as she should. I have heard that it can take up to 30 minutes to get all the information they need which means we may get to see Peanut for up to 30 minutes tomorrow! I am so beyond excited. Unfortunately, it isn't until 4:15 so I have to get through the entire day before the scan. I hope the day goes quickly. They will also confirm Peanut's gender, but we already know (guess at 13 weeks and again at 18 weeks. I saw the "goods" at 18 weeks and she is NOT a boy) so I am not too worried about having Peanut suddenly turn into a boy. I will be posting anatomy scan updates soon!

In other AMAZING news...we got the HOUSE!!!!! The landlord called and said that weird and unusual things were happening every time someone else looked at the house. People got in car accidents, people got sick and were hospitalized, and all sorts of crazy incidents happened that prevented them from renting the house so she decided to stop the search. She said that with all the crazy things happening she realized that the house was meant for us and she was taking down her sign. I am so relieved we don't have to wait one more day to secure a place to live. The house has everything we on our wish list plus more (like a fireplace) and it was within our budget! We are so excited to start the new chapter of our lives in a new (for us) home in a much quieter neighborhood. We sign the lease on Sunday, but we won't move until the end of February. The only bad thing is we have to pack!! Now that is scary.

You're GINORMOUS Today

I guess my belly really grew in the past week because kids and adults alike were saying how now even with my heavy coat on they can tell I am pregnant. After catching a glimpse in the mirror at the bottom of my coat sticking straight out, I can see what they mean!

I went to the high risk OB on Wednesday and all went well. After getting all the vitals, urine, and everything else in order the doc told me to hop on the bed to we could see baby. I haven't seen her since 13 weeks and on Wednesday I was 18 weeks (now I am 19) so I was beyond excited to see her. OMG, she is beautiful and so big (for 5 1/2 inches)! I really love her more each time I see her. She was looking right at us and kicking her little legs. The doc asked if I knew the gender. I told him they guessed at 13 weeks, but it wasn't confirmed yet. He asked if I wanted to know, he didn't have to ask me twice! He zoomed in and I had no idea what I was looking at! He then pointed to the screen and explained that it sure looked like a girl to him. The second he pointed I knew for sure our little girl was indeed a girl! I was so thrilled even though I already was convinced she was a girl. I was also relieved because we pretty much already have a girl wardrobe in the closet waiting for her and several of the outfits were gifts so we would have been in trouble is she ended up being a boy!

I have to give a little student update because they are making my pregnancy so much fun. My students love to assess how my pregnancy is going based on my stomach. Every morning they scrutinize my rounding belly and make sure to report their findings back to me around lunch time. One Tuesday I was told that I was ginormous, but by Wednesday I shrunk and was just kinda big. My belly seems to fluctuate a lot in their eyes. I don't think they realize that what I wear may have some effect on what my belly looks like. I also had one student come up to me with a friend and confide that she was worried about the safety of my baby. She explained that she was concerned that my coat was getting too tight and I was squishing the baby too much. Her friend then added that her concern was that my buttons might fall off. They really are so cute, but I am glad I don't have body weight issues because being called big and huge would probably not help the situation!

18 Week Update

How Far Along: 18 weeks and 2 days
How Big Is Baby: The length of a sweet potato (about 5 1/2 inches long- baby grew one full inch in the past 2 weeks!) She also weighs about 6.7 oz which is not quiet 1/2lb.
Total Weight Gain: I think around 6 lbs. I originally thought I wasn't gaining enough, but at my appointments last week both  my CF dietitian and my OB said I was right on track. Still only eating when hungry and eating healthy. I was more than happy to force calories, but my dietitian said to do exactly what I am doing!

Sleep: I am still sleeping like a baby. I almost never have to pee in the night, but I always wake up with a full bladder. However, my dreams keep getting crazier and crazier!! I also sometimes dream of baby. I LOVE those dreams <3

Movement: The past couple of days she has been moving a lot! I started to feel her around Christmas, but then all of week 17 I felt nothing! I was trying not to worry because I know she is so tiny that regular movement isn't expected till after 20 weeks, but I was still stressed. My OB said that is completely normal and not to worry. Sure enough baby was healthy- great heart rate and measuring right on track. 
Food Cravings: Still no cravings. I still think they might be a myth, but who knows.
What I Miss: I miss my pre-pregnancy skin. My skin is much better now in the 2nd trimester, but I am still breaking out a little and since I can't use any acne face wash (you can't use benzole peroxide or Salicylic acid. I switched everything over to 100% natural products when I found out I was pregnant anyway, but I wish I could use a little acne wash once in a while) soI just have to stare at the little bumps and hope make-up covers them.
What I'm Looking Forward To: My anatomy scan. I seriously cannot wait to see our little baby again and I want to make sure she is healthy! I also want to make sure they still think she is a girl!!!
Milestones: Baby is yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing!
Symptoms: I had acid reflux for about a week, but I haven't experienced again this week at all. Little tip for acid (learned this in Nutrition about 7 years ago and never needed it till pregnancy) a natural way to alleviate acid is by drinking milk. Acid= acidic, milk=base so they neutralize each other. Quick story: I drank some juice right before bed and instantly felt acid reflux. I was all stressed because laying down makes it worse and I was trying to go to bed. I poured a full glass of milk and the second it was gone the acid was gone and I slept without any discomfort. But I did have to get up to pee after drinking so much before bed!! 
Other: My bump seems to be changing everyday and I love love love my bump! I looked at pics from prepregnancy and I couldn't believe how flat my (not so naturally flat) stomach looked. 

Doctors, Doctors, and Dilemas

This has been the week of doctors! I had CF clinic Monday and an OB appointment today. So there is great, good, and not so great news. I will summarize so this doesn't get too long.

The Great:

• Everything pregnancy wise is going really well!
• My blood pressure is really low and the docs are very happy about that!
• My weight is perfect according to my clinic as well as the OB.
• My baby is GROWING a lot! My uterus is already above my belly button!! Wow, I had no idea she was that high already. The books say they hit the belly button at 20 weeks, but I am short so that must be why she has already passed it! The doc said I was measuring right on schedule. Yay Peanut!
• Her heart rate is perfect. I love her so much!!!

The Good:

• My urine test came back good...no sugar in my pee and my CF doc said I didn't need to test for diabetes again until "normal" pregnant women test...sometime between 24-28 weeks. It is good that the doctors aren't concerned at this time, but I know things can change quickly.

The Not so Great

• My FVC is the same which means my lungs aren't squished yet- Yay! But my FEV went down 0.07Liters. This was about 2%. There are several possible reasons for this
• It could be due to the fact that I stopped a lot of my meds- Azithromax, Spiriva, Singulair...
• It could be a fluke. My doc said if I gave a few huff coughs I could possibly get back that 0.07L
• It could be a sign of an infection brewing.
• It could be that my last number was a freakishly high blow since it is not my normal baseline.
• So I am going back in 3 weeks to check my numbers again and see if I need meds. Part of me is freaking out and wants meds now to make sure it doesn't get worse and part of me is freaking out that I don't want meds unless I really need them because of baby. I will call if anything gets worse of course and I may just call to see if I can go in 2 weeks instead of 3. I knew at some point I would need meds because I have never gone 9 months without orals, but I kinda was hoping I could avoid it.