week 19: mango

Baby's the size of a mango!

Vernix caseosa, a greasy white substance made of lanugo, oil and dead skin cells (yum) now coats baby's skin, shielding it from the amniotic fluid. (Picture yourself after a nine-month bath, and the need for protection makes sense.) You might actually get to see the vernix at birth, especially if baby is premature.

clarification

Have you ever seen When Harry Met Sally? (It's only just one of the most brilliant movies of all time!) Anyway, Mike and I have a running joke that, like Sally, I'm "the worst kind." Here's the dialogue I'm referring to, in case you don't know the movie (in which case you should watch it!):

Harry Burns: There are two kinds of women: high maintenance and low maintenance.
Sally Albright: Which one am I?
Harry Burns: You're the worst kind; you're high maintenance but you think you're low maintenance.
Sally Albright: I don't see that.
Harry Burns: You don't see that? Waiter, I'll begin with a house salad, but I don't want the regular dressing. I'll have the balsamic vinegar and oil, but on the side. And then the salmon with the mustard sauce, but I want the mustard sauce on the side. "On the side" is a very big thing for you.
Sally Albright: Well, I just want it the way I want it.
Harry Burns: I know; high maintenance.
(Thank you, IMDB)

So, along those lines, I was complaining to Mike the other day that no one can tell that I'm pregnant. (Which, of course, goes back to my crazy fear of having yet another missed miscarriage. And which is why I was relieved to have my baby bump "medically confirmed" at our last appointment.) To which he responded that people are probably afraid to comment on my body, ever since my last post about body image stuff.  He contends that my post about getting comments on my body may have either (a) offended people or (b) scared anyone off from ever saying anything about how I look. If that's the case, I sincerely apologize! I merely meant to observe how odd it is to get comments about my body.

So if you want to tell me now that I look pregnant, I would not only not be upset, I would be veritably thrilled (and relieved!).  Yes, I truly am "the worst kind."   :)

(18 weeks)

week 18: sweet potato

Baby's the size of a sweet potato!

Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon.

Woe is me.

I am officially miserable.

I thought things couldn't get much worse after the awful "morning" sickness I had. But now I've reached a new low.

I had a dull ache in my back (especially on the left side, right below my shoulder blade) for the past few weeks. I'd been employing all my standard home remedies, such as yoga, walking, alternating my purse between my left and right shoulders, and even taking a bath.

(As a brief aside, let me just mention how phenomenally disappointing my bath was. After weeks of being unable to bathe in the first trimester, I finally got the okay to bathe as long as the bath water was less than 100 degrees. Well, it turns out that there is absolutely nothing relaxing about sitting in tepid water. Nor does it relieve any back soreness. It was terrible. Bath fail.)

Anyway, so I tried all my home remedies to no avail. Then last night, as I was laying in bed, the back pain got progressively worse...until I was in tears from the spasms by 1am. Every time I moved, it felt like my shoulder blade was on fire. It was (and still is) brutal.

Luckily I have the world's greatest husband who very gently rubbed my back, convinced me to take some tylenol (the only safe pain reliever during pregnancy), helped me take a steaming hot shower, and arranged my pillows so I could sleep relatively upright and immobilized. I've found that the spasms aren't too bad as long as I don't move - including not taking any deep breaths, not using my arms for anything (only my hands. Hence why I am slowly typing this post on my phone), and not coughing or sneezing (easier said than done for someone who is also fighting off a cold. This whole ordeal is definitely adding insult to injury. Or maybe adding injury to illness?).

Mike convinced me to call the nurse line this morning, and she told me to just continue the acetominophen and to alternate ice packs and heating pads.  Luckily my amazing husband came through again and bought me three different types of heating pads the second that Target opened.  He also did all the grocery shopping (his absolutely most hated chore) since it's pretty clear that wouldn't be possible for me to do this weekend, and we have a lot to do to get ready for thanksgiving.

So here I am, sitting propped up in bed, feeling sorry for myself, and trying desperately not to move. I am officially more incapacitated than I was after my laparoscopy this summer. I'm hoping that my tylenol and hot/cold regimen will help me feel better soon.

Thank you for the impromptu pity party.

week 17: onion

Baby's the size of an onion!

Baby's skeleton is hardening, changing from rubbery cartilage to bone, and fat is finally accumulating around it. The umbilical cord is getting thicker and stronger, and those little fingers and toes are now topped by one-of-a-kind prints.

We Registered!

Yesterday we finished starting our registries! (I say "finished starting" because I'm pretty sure we'll make changes over time! Especially at Target, where the inventory changes fairly frequently.)

You may remember that I started our Amazon registry a couple weeks ago. This one has most of the big essentials (e.g., crib, car seat) as well as some smaller essentials (e.g., bottles, boppy, tub). I think this link will take you to our Amazon registry, if you're curious. :)

Then we also registered in person at Target for all the fun, cheaper stuff (e.g., onesies, sheets, receiving blankets) and a few essentials (e.g., wipes, pacifiers). It was a lot of fun to swipe things with the registry gun again - we hadn't done that for about 9 years, back when we registered for wedding gifts!

One thing that I learned at Target is that Mike and I have very different ideas about what "gender neutral" means. Basically, if you see anything in yellow or green on our registry, you can be sure that I picked it out. If it's blue or has a sports theme, Mike picked it out. :)

Another thing I was surprised by was how quickly I felt overwhelmed in Target. I had done a decent amount of background research to figure out what we probably need vs. what we "need." Yet I still got a bit overwhelmed when confronted by all the baby stuff in the store - it's such a good thing we didn't register at Babies 'R Us! So once I reached my limit, we just ended up registering for about 50 onesies in various sizes. Like Mike said, "I figure they're like cat food bowls - you can never have too many, because no one wants to do dishes/laundry every day." So please don't be appalled by the sheer volume of onesies on the list!

(Here's the link: Target)

Speaking of onesies, we couldn't help but buy a few while we were in the store!
Any ideas who picked out the one on the right vs. the one on the left?

We also got this guitar-themed 12-month outfit since it includes a onesie as part of the deal. I have an ambitious plan to take a picture each week (for the first year) of our kid in the same onesie. I think it will be pretty cool in the end! So this is the outfit that you'll probably all be sick of seeing in a few months :)



Finally, just because I love statistics, I thought I'd leave you with these numbers. Apparently the average Target registry is distributed as follows (with our numbers in parentheses):
$0-$10      23     (26)
$11-$30    15      (8)
$31-50      23      (0)
$50+         15      (0)

If we add in our Amazon items (based on the online prices when I printed out the list about a week ago), then our totals are:

$0-$10      23     (26+4=30)
$11-$30    15      (8+11=19)
$31-50      23      (0+3=3)
$50+         15      (0+6=6)
total:          76       (58)

I merely present these data because (a) I think it's interesting and (b) I hope no one looks at our registries and thinks we're greedy! :)



P.S. If any of you experienced parents have tips for us about essentials vs. non-essentials, please let us know!

Going the distance for family time

Going the distance for family time

Article by:  Star Tribune (here)
Updated: November 12, 2011 - 11:21 AM

Rachel Liechty was pregnant when she and husband, David, had an inspired idea for binding the family together after the birth: They would hike the Pacific Crest Trail. More than a year later, the University of Minnesota graduate students -- she is studying natural resources science and management; he is focusing on education -- headed out, with baby Hazel riding in a pack on her mother's back. Now that they're home, the parents have lots to say on the subject (see G1 for details on an upcoming talk). No word from Hazel, though she looks quite content in her fleece and mini hiking boots.

Q You were out with Hazel for six months, beginning when she was 1 year old. How did you plan for that?

David: We had done a long-distance trip before [on the Pacific Northwest Trail], so we basically knew what we had to do. We started planning before Hazel was born, but we weren't going to do it if she wasn't amenable. We took her on a high-altitude trip in Colorado when she was 5 months old, and she did great. We had to figure out whether we could set up a system where Rachel was carrying Hazel and I was carrying the gear.

Rachel: David's pack weighed more than 50 pounds, close to 60 when we had to pack a lot of water.

David: The biggest thing was, we had confidence about bringing Hazel outdoors. People have been living outside with their kids for centuries.

Q So what was in that heavy pack of yours?

David: Beside the usual supplies and clothes, I had diapers, a small pack of wet-wipes, Hazel's rainsuit, the rainfly for her pack and that's about it. You don't need to bring toys. Hazel prefers rocks and leaves any day. We did usually have one book, which got read over and over and over again: Dr. Seuss' "The Foot Book" or Eric Carle's "Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?" I didn't have to carry "Baby Bear" after a couple months because I would recite it from memory ad nauseam to Hazel when we were hiking.

Q What kinds of reactions did you get from people?

David: People were rooting for us to hike the whole trail, but it wasn't about that. It was about being together as a family and being there for Hazel and seeing her grow. So many parents can't spend that much time with their children.

Rachel: We got a lot of questions, even from experienced hikers, on the trail. People asked, "How do you keep her warm?" Diapers was the number one question.

Q What did you do about diapers because, really, that is kind of a puzzle in this age of disposables.

David: We use cloth diapers called Flips that have a leakproof shell that buttons around a cloth insert. One side of the insert is made out of a moisture-wicking fabric, so they kept Hazel dry for a little while before changing. We packed 10 inserts, and would hand-wash them in a collapsible basin called the Kitchen Sink. We would fill the basin at a water source and wash the diaper inserts with biodegradable soap. After wringing them out, we'd hang them to dry on breaks, but the quintessential shot of our trip would be of me hiking down the trail with two to nine cloth diaper inserts hanging off my backpack. We always carried out Hazel's poop in a sealed waterproof and leakproof -- but most importantly, odor-proof -- sack called OPSAK.

Q What would you do if Hazel got cranky?

David: Hazel really didn't get cranky on the trail, primarily because she just doesn't get cranky that often. Since the day she was born, we wanted to expose her to different environments, but we've always let her dictate our trips. You don't have to drag Hazel kicking and screaming to get outside; she's actually more cranky if she can't be on the trail. On the occasional times that she would get mildly cranky, I would recite books from memory, sing lullabies or do a call and response "loon call." I would do my best -- painfully amateurish -- loon call, and Hazel would respond with something bordering on a happy primal scream.

Q What did you learn about your daughter during those months?

David: I think the great thing about our trip is that we didn't really learn much new about Hazel at all; we just had the opportunity to appreciate what we already knew about her: that she's a beautiful, incredibly happy child who loves being outside with the wind in her face and climbing on (or chewing on) rocks.

Q What surprised you, even with all your trail experience?

David: The biggest surprise we encountered wasn't the snow. We were already surprised with the apocalyptic snowfall the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountains got over the winter, well before the trip started. I'd say the biggest surprise was how mild the 700 miles of Southern California were weather-wise. When you're planning a [Pacific Crest Trail] trek, you always read about the "dreaded" Mojave Desert, where it can reach triple digits and be unbearably hot. Well, our coldest, wettest and windiest days came when we were descending onto the desert floor in Southern California. We actually saw snow falling on the fringe of the Mojave in the middle of May; that was pretty crazy.

Q Now that you're back home, what do you most want people to understand about this trip?

David: You don't need to go 1,500 miles. Take an overnight trip, or even a day trip. We are raising a generation of kids where getting dirty is an inconvenience, being outdoors is a foreign notion. Going backpacking with your kids shouldn't be viewed as this big accomplishment; it should be something you integrate into your life.

Before our trip, there were several people who basically told Rachel and me that our "time for playing is over." They implied that once you have kids, it's time to switch to anonymous provider mode. Well, we believe that it's fundamentally important that you don't stop playing, that you show your kids that you plan on living your life centered around your passions, whatever they be -- but you also center those passions around your child. You can't raise a passionate child without passionate parents.

The three things we focus on are rooted in children's brain development, D.N.A.: disequilibrium, novelty and adventure. Kids are constantly seeking these out and savor opportunities to be in new, challenging situations. We learned that if we keep our lives rich with disequilibrium, novelty and adventure, we're going to do all right as parents -- and we're going to be genuinely happy.

Kerri Westenberg • 612-673-4282