Gosh I was getting beaten yesterday! I think there's an octopus in there, not a baby! Feeling kicks, punches, head butts and elbow drops high and low all at the same time!! She was still sitting with her head up on Friday, but they said there's still plenty of time for her to flip...

I had a horribly vivid and intense dream last night that I couldn't have a baby so we had a surrogate and nobody told me my son was born until he was two days old but everybody else got to meet him. I refused to be his mom or take him home and cried for days... and woke up curled up crying just like where the dream ended.

Does this stuff happen to any of you?

I know I have dreams, because in the middle of the night when I wake up to turn over I remember having them. But I always forget by morning what they were about.

keller: I have awful, vivid dreams. Not necessarily about a baby, but in it I'm always protective and afraid of losing something. Last night, I dreamed about losing my pets in various ways (bird got eaten, cats got killed outside, etc). It's awful! I've never had such nightmares before.

I'm sorry you're having bad dreams, too. :(

They say vivid dreams are common with pregnancy. I've always had pretty vivid dreams so it got kinda freaky when I got pregnant. I felt like I never got any rest because the dreams were so real that they wore me out. And my common nightmares would keep me awake for hours afterwards because I was too scared to go back to sleep.
The vividness kinda died down a few weeks back, but now they are comming back. Sometimes it's kinda fun...other times not so much.

I talked with my boyfriend about pregnancy today and his knowledge of it put me to shame. He knew way more about it than I did when I found out I was pregnant. I have a lot of reading to do - I still feel so uninformed compared to you ladies.

So I've had a cough for about a week and a half, + stuffed up/runny nose. The cough keeps me up when I try to sleep and my chest and belly are getting so sore.

So I've tried two different baby-safe meds but they don't seem to work real well. I've just got a third but I have to wait a little to try it because I just took some other meds.

I hope the coughing stops because I guess my bladder muscles are weak now so that + cough = no bladder control :o and that sucks...at work is the worst.

DF and I found a duplex yesterday we really liked and applied. We got accepted today and can move in March 15th. He's beginning to freak out about money now though because we've bought a new sectional, big screen tv, entertainment center and all the stuff for the babys room. And seeing the numbers on how much we've spent(which we've had saved and budgeted to do so) is becoming too real for him.

He's been sick for the past week- and of course now I am. :mad:

Baby boy has been giving me right hook punches and elbows all day. Every which way I turn I get a painful jab and I know it's not kicks or his butt like it usually is.

Racrane- Books are a great help with pregnancy. My doctor gave me a couple with my last pregnancy that I had previously read.

Manda- I do have a support belt. It's practically the same thing as that link but it's from my dads doctor because my dad refused to wear it. The only difference is it doesn't have the top belly strap. The box says it can be used for strain in pregnancy though. I haven't however felt like it's helped even though I just started using it. The pain just seems to be getting worse no matter what I do- even I don't do anything except lounge around all day. I'm still going to give it a week to see but it doesn't look promising. I can no longer sit in the bath tub to even take a warm bath because I can't get out. It sucks.

Ok, so DH and I had agreed over this past weekend that we'd go to a second-hand baby store and buy a couple of things we weren't going to register for. Well, now he's totally against that and says we need to wait 'til after the shower!!

He just doesn't get it! We are totally and completely unprepared. He won't even help me move the TV to finish rearranging the little half of the spare room that the baby is going to get. There's going to be a whole lot to do with me walking around 8 1/2 months pregnant after my shower. Just frustrated!

Keller- I have crazy vivid dreams when pregnant too. Some are really funny and some are really scary and I wake up sobbing and in a panic.

About a month ago I had a dream them my DS fell into a river and I couldn't get to him and then he went under and I couldn't find him, it was horrible :( I woke up so sad and sobbing and had to look at DS to calm myself down (Had to stop myself from scooping him up and putting him into my bed, but then I would never get back to sleep as he is a kicker)

Glad you found a place you like, home hunting can be so stressful.

Sakai - Sorry you are sick. I too have had a cold for the last week. Hope your feeling better soon.

Racane - That's great your boyfriend is so knowledgeable about pregnancy! Some partners are clueless.

Had my MW apt today and all is good, baby's HB was 156 and I was measuring 23cm so 2 cm ahead but within normal limits. Baby has been active today which I am happy for because he/she had been quite for the last few days. I am going to have my GTT on Feb 13th but I get to have it at my midwife clinic which is great as it is way comfier then a lab and I have to bring DS with me and they have toys and couches so he can play and I can be comfy. I am going to do the 2hr 75g test as I am worried I will fail the 1 hr and don't want to do another test and don't want to take the 100g (too much sugar :( ) My numbers at home have been great as long as I stick to a low carb diet.

So is anyone planning a special outfit to take the baby home in? In my family it is tradition to have a "Take Home Outfit" With my DS I had a beautiful white cotton knitted one piece outfit with matching hat. My plan for this baby is to knit him/her a pair of wool longies (I love wool as a diaper cover and longies are like wool pants that go right over a cloth diaper) and finding a t-shirt to match the wool I pick out and maybe also knit a matching hat. I would love to see pictures/hear about others Take Home Outfits :)

So happy 31st birthday to me! Last year when I turned 30 I ran two miles just because I could, and to celebrate the fact that I could NEVER have done the same when I was 20 and overweight. I wish I could do it again this year...but I suppose yoga while six months pregnant is a good substitute!! :)

I'm really glad everyone's hanging in there.

Mindi, and a lovely, Happy Birthday! :) Enjoy your day.

I'm starting to read a lot about pregnancy, labour and the newborn (more than the textbooks I should be reading, whoops) but it still seems far away to me.

A lot of our knowledge is coming from books, too, Racrane...have a few coming to me from Amazon. I'll let you know if they're good! What are you reading??

We've got lots of books, too, and videos. Plus we do have childbirth education classes booked (we start on Feb 19th).

Mindi - Happy birthday!! Do you need his permission to start getting things? Or can you just pick some things up if you feel like you need them? It was making me crazy not to make progress on planning, so I sort of had to take the lead on doing it. I called my parents and had them help me move the heavy stuff :D

Keller - stick with the support belt, hopefully it'll help! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you get some relief soon.

Butterfly - We're talking about going home outfits. One of our friends called and said she was "looking for the perfect going home outfit", and I got a little miffed...WE get to pick that! We've had a couple people taking liberties in that kind of way and I'm finding it really irritating. We're going to have an outfit and a backup outfit, because I know that if I put the baby in something I have my heart set on, he is going to throw up/poop/otherwise require changing, so I want to have a backup!

Sakai - how is the cold doing? Any better? Hope that you're on the mend.

As for me, I'm feeling very unsexy. I can't imagine that this is going to get better. Trying to remember that I'm making a baby, which is the most important thing I can do! But oh, between the heartburn and the (TMI) hemorrhoid and the sweating despite it being winter and the endless flopping to find a comfortable position at night, I feel kind of trainwrecky and gross!

Thanks, Amanda!

I don't need permission, necessarily...I just would rather he be totally on board before I spend a few hundred out of savings on stuff, you know? I'd be royally PO'd if he just withdrew money and started spending when I didn't agree. I think he'll come around...just gotta work on him some more. I wish I had some help with the heavy stuff, but there's nobody here willing to help me. Stuck with him :(

We don't have an outfit for coming home...heck we're still not even totally convinced we're having a baby in May. Still hasn't hit DH yet, though she hits (and kicks and heat butts) me every day and night!


I feel you on the "unsexy" thing, Amanda. DH is wondering where this fabled amazing second semester sex drive is. I just can't make it happen when I feel like a beached whale...and I'm still a LOT smaller than other people as far along as I am! Also right with you on the night sweating. We constantly argue over thermostat. It gets into the 30s at night here, and I keep the temp on the heater on about 62 at night and still sleep with just a sheet and sweat.

Mindi - Happy Birthday!!

I had to LOL about the sex drive thing. I was a maniac with my first and then, with my second and third, I'm just so tired all. the. time. I never knew a person could actually function this tired. Unfortunately, sex has been diminishing in frequency instead of increasing. :( I can hardly stand at the end of the day, much less find energy for anything else. *sigh*

Mine just hasn't changed at all. After I lost weight it entirely went away...I was just so insecure with myself. It's crazy....I thought I looked good at 230 pounds, but at 147 I couldn't stand the way I looked. It's carried over to now, but is fading a little. The way I figure....by the time I have this baby I'll love my body again, then lose it all over!

After this baby, when I lose the weight, I may pause a while at around 160 and see how that feels. That was my original goal, but I couldn't find my maintenance and kept losing.

Mindi: I'm reading "What to Expect..." and "Your Pregnancy, Week by Week". There's a couple of labour books, too - but I've been too scared to read those. :D

Let me know if you like those books, I will most definitely get them! I'll probably order a book for my boyfriend, too. There's a few you ladies suggested so I'll get one for him. Thank you all. :)

Happy Birthday Mindi!

I had a crazy dream that, upon waking up, is kind of hilarious. I dreamed a fellow student at my college was pregnant with a monster baby, a genetic experiment gone wrong. In the dream, we could hear the monster roaring from inside her. The baby would eat her upon delivery. I woke up and after the "It was a dream" moment, I started laughing.

Anyone else have funny vivid dreams?

My dreams have been kicking into scary nightmare territory lately. The other night, I dreamed that everything I touched died, and I kept needing to pick up the baby but being unable to do so because I'd kill him. Last night I slept so horribly, a combo of bad dreams and my shoulder injury acting up. I think I got maybe 3 hours?

I am so. very. tired. It's been another loooong week. We have a date for our shower finalized, though, and a date for my mom and sister to paint the nursery, so that's all arranged. Now I just have to get through Valentine's Day with a florist wife.

I've gotten maybeone hour of sleep. I was up every hour cause baby boy sat on my bladder all night and I couldn't get comfy.

We also got 10 inches of snow in six hours.... and its still snowing. Up to 18 expected.

I didn't get to the grocery store yesterday and now my car is stuck with snow to the bumper so I can't even get out of the complex until they decide to plow... usually late afternoon or when its done snowing. Blah!

I guess today will be hw and nap day :)

Speaking of sex drive, mine went into over drive which makes DF one happy camper. I told him to enjoy it while it lasts and it seems I'm right because it's starting to taper down now that I'm feeling so big and icky.

The cold it still sticking around. Meds still not helping like I want them to. Still coughing and starting to wake up with a sore throat.

Gave up milk again last week and went back to almond milk. I never should of gone back into real milk when my cravings hit. It made me feel so bad. But it's better now that I've switched back. I've also cut out red meat and trying to lower carbs, but it's difficult for me for some reason. I want to go back to my whole food lifestyle but it's a bit tough when i don't feel like cooking like I normally would.

I did have a funny dream last week but you would have to be a bit of a gamer to understand.
My Df plays Skyrim...and the running joke on the game and all over the web is people saying. "I used to be a (Insert job...mostly Guard/Adventurer)... but then I took an arrow to the (insert body part, mostly knee)."
So one night I had a dream that a person came out of the game and shot my hairless chihuahua in the paw with an arrow and she had this big o'l white bandage on her little foot. I was so mad! but when I woke up and remembered it Df and I had a good laugh.

Sakai: my roommates play LOTS of skyrim too, I heard the "arrow to the knee" jokes before we even got it... working at a video game store gets special sometimes. My assistant manager's favorite joke was "I used to play Oblivion, until I took a Skyrim to the disk-tray!!!" And then he would laugh himself silly.

Mindi: Happy belated birthday!

Amanda: Your wifey is a florist? That's pretty cool!

Everyone's dreams are so wild and vivid! I had vivid dreams before being pregnant, but I remembered them more often than not before I was pregnant.

Went to the dr yesterday (technically the nurse, it was a family health history interview)... STILL aggravated at them because they refuse to do the ultrasound until I'm 20 weeks... even though NO ONE KNOWS WHEN THAT ACTUALLY IS because my periods are irregular and we're unsure when we conceived. I'm thinking I was pregnant through the holidays (Christmas for sure, possibly also Thanksgiving) I'm going to be looking for other places to go over the weekend. It breaks my heart because I really like the dr and the staff, but I kind of need to know. I'm busiest in the summer (in addition to having extra wedding/travel plans THIS YEAR) so I'd like to adjust my schedule accordingly. >< Am I just being too antsy with the doctor, or should I speak up at the next appointment (which is also on Valentine's day... heh)?

I've been in bed for two days with back issues, blech. It's happened before but I've always been able to take Advil and use heating pads before. It's getting better, but it's lonely laying in bed listening to my little guys playing with daddy. I feel left out. :(

/pity party

BiancaSimone - the due date they'll determine at an earlier ultrasound (before 12 weeks) is A LOT more accurate than what they can get at 20 weeks. I'd find another doc.

Gale - sorry your back is hurting! That sucks. Just think that if you take care of it now by resting, you'll be better able to play with your little guys later.

As for me - cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. And more cleaning. Later, though, we're going to reward ourselves with pedicures...ahhh.

Bianca- I would also find another doc. The first trimester ultrasound is way more effective at determining due dates.

I'm over emotional and want to cry about everything today. Its so frustrating because df thinks I just over react when I can't control myself. Ugh!

Good evening ladies! So I've been a very busy girl the last few days. We found out Weds morning that we're having a boy and my feet haven't hit the ground since :) I registered for baby presents, went with my Mom to pick out fabric for a baby blanket/bedding/curtains, and went to a consignment store and bought a ton of 12m winter/fall clothing; it was on a super sale. I didn't actually intend on buying anything there, just getting an idea of what they had so that I could fill in whatever I needed after the baby shower. It's just they had the fall/winter clothing at 15 items for $10... I couldn't resist (not that I tried very hard).

Woooo! Welcome to team Boy!

Yay team Boy!! I think we're taking over!

I went to the consignment store last week and did the same sparkle. Except ours were 17 cents for onesies and shirts, 25 cents for pants and even some shorts and 45 cents for outfits so we probably got at least 45 things. We've actually gotten quite a bit of stuff from the second hand stores- most still had the store tags on them too.

I didn't get anything bought this weekend, but my sister-in-law and I are supposed to go register for baby stuff on Wednesday afternoon. I say "supposedly" because she's made plans with me multiple times over the past five years and never ONCE followed through. So we'll see.

Well, I guess I technically did buy one thing. A lady here in town had a little girl about six months ago, and has a really, REALLY nice swing that the baby just didn't like. She paid $150 for it...I'm getting it for $50 and the baby used it once. Good deal there...

I'm glad everyone overall had a good weekend! :)

My morning sickness is still bad. I had plain baked potatoes all weekend, because that's all I could stomach. I really hope this goes away in two weeks. (That's when I hit the 2nd trimester.)

My doctor frustrates me. I called this morning, like he said to, to set up my glucose test for this week. Nurse just called me back. Apparently I'm no longer 26 weeks pregnant. No longer 25 weeks either. She said I can't have that done 'til I'm at least 25 weeks, so apparently I'm back to my 24th week. :( I may go to my appointment Thursday and ask him to do a pregnancy test. I mean, he's not sure on my due date or how far along I am at all...is he even sure I'm pregnant?

I'm getting ready to go into my ultrasound, and just got done at the OB. I'm 21 weeks today, and gained 5 lbs this month (!). I'm up 15 lbs total so far, not anything to worry about. Within my limits, at least. :) I'm looking forward to seeing how little dude has grown in the past month!

Gale- Hows your back doin? And howd the ultrasound go? I don't get anymore unless theres some kind of issue. I may get one more if I do end up getting induced early but not otherwise.

Mindi- I'm sorry your doctor is so frustrating and you don't have much choice in your area. Could they not tell how far along you were at the multiple ultrasounds they have done? When you sit down with him on thursday, explain how frustrating it is that you don't know where you are with him and that he doesn't know where you are in youre pregnancy as your so far into it already. Ask for an exact due date from him on what you should be following now and then what testing etc will need to be done, when. i always hope your SIL pulls through for the registry.

Racrane- I'm praying for the morning sickness to go away for you. Mine was bad til 20 weeks but even now I still am nauseas almost everyday and puking at least two to three times a week. Bleck!

Playing music for the baby right now to see if it gets her moving. So far nothing. :( Doc appointment on thrusday so hopefully everything checks out okay. Also got the papers i need to take time off of work. I don't know why but I'm nervious about taking so much time off of work (even though it's only going to be about 2 and half weeks unless the doc says otherwise.)

Keller, I had a very early ultrasound because I was having 45+ day cycles, so my last period wasn't an indicator of how far along I was. I KNEW when I ovulated, and the 4 week ultrasound matched my date exactly: May 21. Then at the 18 week sonogram the baby was measuring a week ahead, so they said I was due May 13, making me 26 weeks this week, or with my original due date, 25 at least. I don't know where they're getting 24. But I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt and assume his nurse is just an idiot who can't count or read paperwork. I'll take your advice and talk to him Thursday at my appointment about everything...

I honestly doubt my SIL will pull through. I figure I'll end up going alone. :( No fun in that at all!

Sakai: I'm a musical theater major so I sing a lot. I've trained with several voice teachers who have kids. They've all said while they were pregnant their babies would kick and move around a lot while they sang. So maybe instead of playing music, you could sing yourself? I don't know, just a thought. :) I have an appointment on Thursday, too. I hope yours goes well.

Racrane - Want to prepare you for something (I know none of the baby books said anything to me about this!). Preggo hormones knocked about 3/4 of an octave off the top of my range. Apparently it's the relaxin relaxing vocal chords, or something...I have another pregnant friend who sings, and she found the same thing. So I Googled it, and it does eventually come back! I discovered this when singing in the car, I was singing along with something normally sort of near the top of my range but totally reachable, and I couldn't hit any of it. So be prepared!

Midwife appointment this morning. It's with the one I don't like, but I'm trying to come around to her, because let's face it, if there are 3 midwives that rotate being on call, and I don't like one, that's totally the one that will be on call when Spencer's born.