Does Baby Like Houska?

Thanksgiving is officially over, but my sister flies into Minneapolis/St. Paul this afternoon, and we'll bring her back to my brother's house to complete the guest list.  Then, we'll have our own feast this evening, complete with our Polish/Lithuanian/Czech embellished holiday.  I am responsible for making houska, a sweet bread that I think used to just get made at Easter, but now has become a staple at all of our holidays.  In fact, I need to get up and get that going!  We also make kugelis, which is a potato, onion, and bacon savory cake (to be simplistic about its description) topped with sour cream.

I'm finding I fill up more quickly than I used to, so I'm going to have to sacrifice with small amounts of everything.  Or just draw out the meal over a couple of hours...

The other night, I'm pretty sure I felt the baby move, but I don't want to make any assumptions.  It felt like a little flip that was different than other rumblings and pressure I've felt thus far.  I need a few more of those to be certain about what I'm feeling.

Wordless Wednesday

Midwife Appointment #1

I have a confession.  I ate a Third Pounder with fries from McDonald's tonight.  Nate and I were in a rush to get to our appointment this evening, and we had to opt for something quick to eat.  I accidentally suggested McDonald's, and we went.  I think I've had food from there about three or four times so far this year, and for me, that's three or four times too many.  I quietly told the baby I was sorry for eating that kind of stuff, but that I was hungry, and I would hope that it would understand.

Anyway, it was such a nice feeling to have spent over an hour with LaNette McQuitty, our Certified Professional Midwife, at our first appointment with her.  We were asked three times if we had any questions, and she took the time to answer every one of them.  We got to hear the baby's heartbeat, at a steady 150.  All my levels are good, according to the lovely-colored stick I peed on.  LaNette easily found the top of my uterus, and told me that in the next couple of weeks, I should feel those little flutters that I'm anxiously awaiting!

Charting the Belly

It's Date Night tonight, and Nate said part of it is that he would take a few belly shots before we head over to Rochambo and play cribbage and (hopefully) eat something sweet.  I keep comparing my belly to other people's pictures that they've posted on the Interweb, and I'm feeling inadequate.  Anyway, here are a couple of pictures:

The architect's idea to have the cutting mat as a way to chart the growth...

Yikes!

It's about 4.5 inches long right now.

Let's Move!

No, I'm not referring to moving out of our cramped apartment.  I am talking about wanting to feel the baby move!  Last Thursday, I was at 16 weeks, and according to everything I read, quickening (feeling the baby's first movements) usually happens between 16 and 20 weeks.  It's about the size of an avocado, and it's going to double its weight in the next few weeks.  However, being a first time pregger, I may have wait patiently for its movements until week 20.  LAME.  I have loved hearing women describe their first experience of baby's movement.  Here are a few descriptions I've heard from moms I know:

• flutters
• popcorn popping
• flips
• gas (Gert?)
• a light touch
• butterflies

The avocado
(taken from babycenter.com)

With all the craziness that happened last month with the loss of my dad, I never scheduled a three-month prenatal appointment.  Oops.  We do have a four-month appointment with our midwife this Tuesday evening.  I love the fact that we can have evening appointments with her, and Nate doesn't have to miss school, and I don't have to take sick time!

Week 15

My mother-in-law and her husband came to visit this weekend, and she really can't wait until Christmas!  I've been an amateur knitter for about eight years, and she got me a book of baby patterns and a few skeins of baby yarn.  It's been awhile since I've knit, so I started a very easy baby blanket with some guidance from my mom.  I'm so good at starting knitting projects and then abandoning them, and I hope that's not true for this one!

On Saturday, we went to Boerner Botanical Gardens and took a bunch of pictures, some of which were my first belly shots.

Grandma Becca rubs my belly for good luck

I'm still convinced that it's all just chub that's been pushed up and out of my abdomen.  That, plus bloating.  I can sometimes feel the top of my uterus, but it hasn't pushed itself out of my abdominal cavity quite yet.  However, I'm definitely rocking maternity pants and the BellaBand.

We also had some conversations about names this weekend...I am fairly certain we've decided on a last name.  Nate's is hyphenated, and we're going to take his C.-G. and combine it into one name: CG.  But, what do I do when Nate and I disagree about first names??  I know, we've got time to figure it out.

Physically, I'm alright, but I'm pretty sure I'm experiencing round ligament pain.  It's a pretty weird sensation, like a dull ache in my right groin.  It's been more frequent lately.  In weeks four and five, I had a super sharp pain in the same area when I would sneeze, but it would only last 5-10 seconds.  I thought I was going to sneeze the little zygote right out back in August.  Anyway, that's since gone away, but replaced by this intermittent pain I now feel.

Oh, and the other symptom I'm experiencing required me to go out and by some Citrucel at Walgreens.  It's got SmartFiber, which is apparently supposed to "give me the fiber I need, without the fiber effects I don't want."  Awesome.