Pregnancy photography (showing the belly)

As beautiful as you may think these photographs are, I refuse to take them professionally.

If I ever do take them, for the sake of remembering what my body once looked like pregnant, I will never take them with my belly showing.
I just can't imagine myself taking pictures of my exposed belly and passing them around like Christmas cards.

I have taken some "at home" shots of the exposed belly to document the changes. I do plan to show them to anyone (close to us) who cares to see them. But I just can't see myself planning a day to take pictures like these below:

Although, I do think this one is cute:

This one makes me nuyvos! Like she is gonna fall in. But yeah her belly is cute. I just can't seem to build up the courage to take some like these.

Here are some nude ones that I won't post, but you can go look, if you care to see them.
I can't believe that people actually took the time and paid money to have someone take nude pics of them like this:
http://www.jenniferloomis.com/portfolio_maternity24.html
http://www.newlifephotography.com.au/_images/lkghj.jpg
http://i58.photobucket.com/albums/g263/jbauls/DSC_3207_Mastered_mounted.jpg

This blog doesn't make much sense, since I would take pics of my exposed belly and post them here on my blog.


Can someone make sense and organize my thoughts and feelings about this? (LOL)

How do you feel about semi-nude, belly exposed or nude preggo pics?

Rude things people have said (non-intentional)

Dialogue
Person at work: "Iris, do you know if...... WOW! How come you're getting so big?"
Iris: :) "Because I'm pregnant"
Person at work: "Wow! Yeah your waistline is gone :) "



Guy at the gym: "Are you pregnant?"
Me: "Yes."
Guy: "WOW! I thought you were just getting fat LOL!"



Guy at the gym: "So you're pregnant huh?"
Me: "Yes."
Guy: "Well that's going to disappoint some men around here"
Me: "Oh really, didn't my WEDDING ring already do that?"
Guy: "I know ha!"

Scenario:
(Fat lady walks by in the same color shirt I have on. She almost falls)
Person: "Be careful! Oh, I thought that was Iris."
(He is serious)


(Non-dialogue rudeness)
*Person walks by
* I walk by
* We cross each other
* I say hi and smile
* They say hi ....AT MY BELLY
Now I know what Dolly Parton must feel like (sort of)

(Walking around the market)
*Guy walks by, does a double take on me
*Guy walks over to do some shopping around me
* Guy gets close enough to see belly
* Walks away

All I can do is smile about it :) I am happy being pregnant. I heard these stories before from other pregnant mommies. Overall, it's pretty funny to experience it firsthand :)

Got to save!

I have the incredible desire to want to save save save money.

What I especially want to save for is:

1) The baby's room. This doesn't mean that we are going to have a palace for the baby (although I would love to ;) It just means that I want to make sure we have the things the baby needs. I also want to have furniture and essentials that will make my new lifestyle easier. I've seen the prices on some of these quality commodities.

2) Baby items not received in the baby shower. This is a very detailed list. So, I want to make sure I am not lost without the things I need before the baby arrives.

3) When I am out of work. I want to set aside some money that I can use for when I am not working. This money will be used for my bills, food and food service (fast food, prepackaged foods, restaurants) for those times when I will not be available to get up and cook, and extra financial help when needed-We are a two income family.

4) Some minor home improvements before the baby shower. For example, the yard in the back. We keep losing our grass because we don't have a sprinkler system. The yard does well in the spring when it rains. But I am no good at keeping up with a set watering schedule. We are going to install a sprinkler system and sod. I'm pretty excited about it. But it will cost us.

Because of the above , I plan to not spend big (or small accumumlations) for the next few months.
I haven't bought any maternity clothes yet. A lady will be donating her maternity clothes to me soon. I haven't bought any items that I don't need but want, such as cute clothes, no shoes, no additional unecessary home decor, no random things I see at the store that I think I want at the moment, no food I see when driving around like smoothies etc. No pedicures, no getting my eyebrows done :( Yikes. This is tough. I love getting them done), no manicures, no random cosmetic products I don't need, no additional jewelry, no miscellanious items from the store or market, no dog toys for Zero, no lunches with co workers paid by me....this can go on.

All in all. I have been doing well in saving my moola. I hope I can keep this up through Christmas!

Some days I become swollen

Some days, I blow up like a puffer fish!

Usually it happens when it's hot and I am just standing out in the sun. I rarely take in a lot of sodium.

Because of this, my wedding ring, squeezes my finger to the point where I can't take it off.
When I finally do, my finger is marked with a red ring around it.


It doesn't happen often, but when it does, I just can't put on or wear my beautiful wedding ring.

I've decided to buy myself a temporary larger replacement ring, for when I just can't wear my wedding ring.


It's a silver ring with a blue topaz gem set on top.

I chose the blue topaz gem because of the baby boy who is on his way. It fits loosely. Perfect for those swollen days.

Here's a better image from the original website:

Bradley Method

After researching and trying to figure out the best method for dealing with labor pains and understanding what happens during labor, we decided to go with the Bradley Method.

From this website:

What does The Bradley Method® Teach?
1. Natural childbirth - Nearly 90% of Bradley® moms having vaginal births do so without pain medication.
2. Active participation by the husband as coach.
3. Excellent nutrition (the foundation of a healthy pregnancy and baby).
4. Avoidance of drugs during pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding, unless absolutely necessary. No drug has been proven safe for an unborn baby.
5. Training: "Early Bird" classes followed by weekly classes starting in the 5th month and continuing until the birth.
6. Relaxation and NATURAL breathing - can be effective pain management techniques with training according to the National Institutes of Health.
7. "Tuning-in" to your own body and trusting the natural process.
8. Immediate and continuous contact with your new baby.
9. Breastfeeding, beginning at birth provides immunities and nutrition.
10. Consumerism and positive communications. Parents taking responsibility for the safety of the birth place, procedures, attendants, and emergency back-up. Parents being prepared for unexpected situations such as emergency childbirth and cesarean section.

Classes start in November, but since we are due before the classes end, we will have to jump in to the last 2 classes in October. We start October 26th with the breastfeeding class.

Then, in November, we start the actual method classes.

We decided to take these classes simply because we are noobs. So far, what we've heard is that we should take some sort of class. And there are many to choose from.

I am really aiming to do this naturally. I don't know what labor pains are like, first hand, except for what I hear. I don't know if I will be able to do it. But I hope I can!

I am pretty excited! O___O

Nesting Part 3 (Kitchen)

When we first bought our house, I knew that we would not be remodeling our old school kitchen. So, I decided to keep the theme simple and not too modern. I chose a "grapevine" theme.

We bought simple little grapevine touches like this bowl... no overkill.

We also got these grapevine curtains. These cabinets (pictured below) had doors on them that opened outward. Because we also used the area outside and to the left of the cabinet for storage too, it was always awkward to pull stuff out of the cabinet.

G had the bright idea to move the bottom cabinet doors to the top. These are the doors that were on the bottom cabinet. Before he moved the doors, these cabinets were wide open. I used to space everything out, in an displaying manner, rather than in a practical one. Well, since they are closed now, we have more room for storage.

He did it all in like 10 minutes by the way. It was so cool! He was like a pit stop tech! *power tool sounds*
The ol' switcheroo!
To keep with the grape theme, I went out to look for grapevine fabric, but didn't find any. Instead, I found this fabric with small purple flowers on a vine.
It took me a while to sew them because the sewing machine was not cooperating with me. But G fixed that too :S He got it up and running again and I was able to keep working on the curtains. I am pretty happy with how they turned out.
We didn't finish with the overhaul. I would say we are about 95% complete. Just need to clean up a bit and organize a few pots and pans.

Although, we are tired, I am sure G is more tired than I am-he is the one doing all of the hard work, it gives me a warm feeling to know we are preparing our home for our son's arrival.

Nesting Part 2 (Kitchen)

I would say, last night we got about 75% finished with the project.


Hopefully, today, we will be able to finish all the way.

Guess what? G organized so well, that I don't have to get rid of much; one or two items, at the most and no kitchen tools need to be donated. The problem, originally, was that I had too much unorganized clutter. But once you tetrisize all the junk, there's plenty of room!!!!!!!!! And I can store ALL of my kitchen supplies now, for whenever I need them. Even if some are used only once a year. YAY!

Once we finish, I plan to take some pictures and post them here. I should have taken some last night, when our kitchen looked like it had been ravaged by apes after a huge earthquake that was brought on by a giant baby learning to run. I guess I wasn't thinking about my blog.

We both went to bed so tired and sleepy.

I didn't wake up on time for my full 30 minute morning walk. I did take a short 15 minute one though.

Stay tuned for a part 3 of nesting in the Kitchen. :)

I'm like a bird

"Around the fifth month of pregnancy, the "nesting" instinct can set in. This is an uncontrollable urge to clean one's house brought on by a desire to prepare a nest for the new baby, to tie up loose ends of old projects and to organize your world.

Females of the animal kingdom are all equipped with this same need. It is a primal instinct. Just as you see birds making their nests, mothers-to-be do exactly the same thing. The act of nesting puts you in control and gives a sense of accomplishment toward birth. You may become a homebody and want to retreat into the comfort of home and familiar company, like a brooding hen. The nesting urge can also be seen as a sign of the onset of labor when it occurs close to 40 weeks of pregnancy."

Got the above info from this Website

Ok, so I want everything around the house to be complete. This can be good, but also bad.

I am aware some things cost too much to take care of right now, such as major home improvements. I know it, but I still want it. We're not doing it. :)

Other things are possible, like what we plan to do tonight; a "Kitchen overhaul." I want to take everything out from the cabinets, clean and reorganize. I also want to donate a bunch of kitchen items I don't use, have never used and probably will never use. My poor hubby. This will be bitter sweet for him. On one hand, he likes to organize and clean. On the other hand, he comes home very tired from work and just wants to relax. He has agreed to help me with the heavy stuff. Thank goodness.

I am so excited about this kitchen overhaul, that I actually made dinner LAST NIGHT in our crock pot, so that we have time to do this overhaul today. Yes, I am EXCITED about cleaning the kitchen!

Sad thoughts

I don't like to feel sad while pregnant.

I know that the baby should not be protected from life and all that comes with it, but I certainly do try to. Can't help it.

At work, there have been 2 women who have miscarried in the past 5 months. It's been a pretty saddening situation to watch. I can only imagine what they are going through. I try to focus on the positive. I see them every day and when I run into them, I can't help but feel my heart break.

Last week, I talked to my dad who told me that a family ( With whom we used to spend time, back when my mom was alive and I was still living at home) recently had their daughter kidnapped at 14. They are considering her an endangered runaway. She was possibly taken by a 25 year old man. She has been missing for 6 months now with no trace. The family is devastated and hasn't come out of their home.

G and I have an online 26 year old female friend, who has shown LOVE for her now 5 year old daughter, as long as we've known her. Her life is all about her beautiful daughter. If you saw her myspace page, you would think it belonged to her baby girl. We found out yesterday that our online friend died, leaving her daughter behind.

I couldn't sleep.

I am thinking of ways to prepare to show our baby how to deal with the sad things in life.
I hope we do a good job.

What I have done to cheer myself up:

1) Pray to God and asked him to keep all of us safe
2) Think about the good things in my life
3) Remind myself to appreciate my family
4) Remind myself that I can die today or someone I love can die today. So always love them.
5) Write down my thoughts.
6) Remember that things will be sad at times and they will be happy again.
7) Walk.
8) Talk about it.
9) Be involved with what makes me happy (talking to Zero, watching comedy on television, yoga, laughing at simple things)

That's it :( :)

Ultrasound Appointment Log 9/10

I left work early yesterday for an ultrasound appointment. This was a follow up to the other U/S appt. Last time, they were not able to get a good image of the baby's stomach because of the baby's position. They asked me to come back.

This time, the baby was cooperative and they were able to get the shots they needed of his organs.

Female U/S technician made a couple of comments during the U/S:

Tech: "Wow! You have an active baby! This guy is just moving around in there."
Me: "Yeah he's an active guy. I've heard that if they are active in the belly, they will be active when they are out."
Tech: "Not sure about that..."

********************************************************************

Tech: "Do you know what you are having?"
ME: "A boy right? "
Tech: "Absolutely. Look there, that's his pee pee"
ME: ":D"

Oh and this time, I didn't torture myself with 32 oz of water. I drank what I could when I got there. I didn't tell you guys the story of the first U/S. They made me drink so much water, I looked like I was in labor when I arrived at the hospital for my U/S.

First baby dream

I finally had a baby dream!

I dreamt that the baby was here. BUT, in my dream our baby boy was a girl. She was a sleeping newborn. I was measuring her head, with a measuring tape (not that her head was big LOL!) I was also waiting for her to wake up. Finally, she did. Her eyes opened and she sat up like a grown child, LOL! It sounds creepy, but in my dream it wasn't and it made sense that she was sitting up.

My interpretation is that, in my dream, I was measuring the baby's head because in real life, every time I see him at the doctors', it's all about measurements and test results. I haven't cuddled or held him.

There was another mom in the dream. It was Nat, my pregnant sister in law. But it wasn't her image. It was another girl that sort of looked like G's cousin, Edyth.

We were in a living room (not sure whose) but we were just there talking about our babies.
I know it was Nat and not Edyth, because it just felt like it.

Glad I finally had a dream about the baby. :)

Pregnancy=slapstick humor?

Oh come on!

Does it really happen? Is it really due to being pregnant?? Or is it just plain carelessness?
This is not like me at all.

This is just ridiculous!

So far, just this weekend, I've lost my main debit card at the gas station (This debit card is the key to the account that I use for grocery shopping, gas, bills, automatic monthly payments, donations etc.) I have had this same card for YEARS!

I broke off my big toe nail (AGAIN) by bumping it into the bed. The last time I broke it off was pre-pregnancy. But it had been healing.

I broke a pinky nail in half, while trying to get dressed.

Broke a brand new ceramic soap dispenser in the bathroom (soap dispenser was so NEW that it had not been in our house for more than 24 hours) I was reaching for the Neosporin, while trying to bandage my broken pinky nail and dropped the items, that were in the medicine cabinet, on the new soap dispenser. It fell over, hit the ground and cracked open like an egg.

Last weekend, I was trying to put on my pants and my foot got caught in the leg, instead of going straight through. I fell over and caught my self before my body hit the ground.

Are you friggin' kidding me?

This clumsiness and forgetfulness can't be happening to me!

*sigh*

Possible solutions I am thinking about:

1) Get to bed on time
2) More Yoga and breathing exercises
3) Concentrate more while I am doing anything. Don't just rush through like usual.
4) If I can't do it alone, ask for help-This part is tough. For a simple thing like putting on a bandage, I have to ask G for help??? Not that I don't feel that I need his help, but to bother him while he is trying to relax at home or trying to work is just ugh...

If you have any additional solutions, please let me know.

Now that you all know...

It's a boy!

We would have been just as happy knowing it's a girl.

But now that we really know what we are having, I can't stop day dreaming about this new guy coming into our home. I'm happy!

What I love about being pregnant is:

Being able to have the baby so close to me. Feeling the baby move. Eating right, NOT just for ME and MY body (like before.) Sometimes when I feel bloated, I don't have to worry about a pooch, like I did before :D The baby bump and the looks I get in public from strangers. Being able to take it slow at the gym with yoga, stretching, walking, light weights etc... instead of heavy-breathing, sweaty circuit or strength training. Forcing myself to ALWAYS take it easy and walk away from anyone who tries to cause me stress, anxiety or anger. Where as before, I would let it get to me and I would take in their current state as my own. Taking the time for my morning prayer and thanking God for his blessings. I ESPECIALLY love it when G gives me and "the belly" attention. I get butterfly and hearts all over.

Dr's appt 9/2-Quick update

It was a regular check up.

I was worried because it was a male Dr.
Check up went well. He didn't do all of the procedures that female Drs do. So that was good.
We heard the baby's heart on the doppler through my stomach.

Anemia
I asked for a follow up on my anemia. He said not necessary to take another blood test. Hmmm ok...But he said as long as I am taking my iron pills, I should be ok. Not sure if I should insist on a blood test. I am taking my iron pills daily and did "up" my iron foods intake.

Everything else:
Anyway, everything else is ok. My blood pressure, my weight, urine results, stomach size etc. I'm healthy. No cramping, no bleeding no nothing to be worried about so far. Thank God.

Due Date:
Last week's ultrasound revealed by due date is January 23rd, 2009. But based on my LMP my due date is January 24th. Dr said they would not change January 24th as the due date. So it's set.

Strangest places baby kicks

What in the world?!?

Starting in the middle of the night and today, I felt the baby kicking in places I didn't know it could reach!

Because of the "strange location" movements, I did some research and read that babies can kick your bladder and cervix area too! I never knew that.

I read women talk about their bladder being kicked to the point where they felt like they have to go pee. But when they went, nothing came out. Some women, thought they had a UTI!

Other women, who felt kicks near their cervix, thought that they were going into early labor, having contractions or a miscarriage!

What I discovered is that, overall, it is very normal, but I should report any pain or bleeding to my doctor right away.

I seriously feel the kicks and punches very, very *ahem* low and it is just the weirdest thing in the world to feel. I'm trying to work! HAHA!

This baby doesn't stop moving. It is an ACTIVE one!

First baby nightmare (graphic)

I was laying in bed this morning, half asleep, waiting for the alarm to go off. I had one of those dreams where you think you are awake, but you're really sleeping and unsure, whether you are asleep or awake.

In my dream, which totally felt real, I got up to use the bathroom. I went "number one" and then wiped.

In real life, I always check the paper for abnormalities (sorry boys)

In my dream, I saw blood. So I wiped again to make sure, and there was blood again.
I was still sitting on the toilet and the baby started coming out head first. It was small (about the size of a doll that can fit in two adult hands.)

In "dream state", I told myself "This is just a dream! Wake up!" And I did.

I woke up a little worried. A few seconds later, I was optimistic and told myself this nightmare is inspired by one of my fears. No need to worry.

Any other mommies ever go through these kinds of nightmares during pregnancy?