I can't even pretend this is a Wednesday update, but it's an update.
What's going on? We've moved! We're temporary residents of the south Chicago suburbs, and are starting our apartment hunt this week.
How pregnant are you? 15 weeks, 4 days. I have two tank tops that allow me to still pass for just chubby, but anything form fitting gives me away.
Relate this pregnancy to objects we tend to eat or other daily stuff. Bugbear is around 4" this week, roughly the size of a baseball or an apple.
Tell me some random stuff about the Bugbear. Bugbear's distinguishing feature this week, according to the many websites and books we've looked at, is the lanugo that covers his/her entire body. His/her bones are hardening, and s/he is also developing taste buds. Bugbear's heart is working tremendously hard, pumping around 25 quarts of blood each day. S/he looks more human and less alien than ever now, with legs longer than arms, and a body longer than the head. His/her capacity for hearing is developing, but the three bones in the inner ear are still forming, so s/he can't actually hear yet.
Tell me how you feel physically. I'm tired. A lot of that is probably stress. A lot of it is probably that I haven't been sleeping well. That may well be from stress. My migraines are down to 3 but that's still 12 a month, which is way too many.
What are you craving? Nothing this week. Not very interesting, I know.
Are you crazy emotional? Yes. I know that part of it is exhaustion, but I've also had some totally hormonal reactions to various events. I'm also lacking the magical filter that tells me to not say what I'm thinking. On my best of days, that's a fairly thin screen that can make me seem overly blunt, but one that's firmly in place. Now...it comes and goes. But mostly doesn't even bother to show up before going away.
Tell me how you feel otherwise. I want to be settled. I'm over moving, I'm over hurting, I'm just over this entire transition thing. Did I mention that I want to be settled? Just for good measure, I have a lot of big decisions that need to happen soon, and that's stressful, so I know that I need to get back to a regular daily yoga practice and find a church. And I really need a haircut.
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Wordy Wednesday
What's going on? I've driven 9 hours in two days to get to my mom's, arrived safely, and got to spend some quality time with fabulous friends in Columbus last night. We've figured out where we'll be living for June, and will be moving into our own apartment in July!
How pregnant are you? 14 weeks...holy crap. I still feel more fluffy looking than pregnant looking, but with the way things are moving rapidly, I imagine I'll actually look pregnant fairly soon. ::fingers crossed::
Relate this pregnancy to objects we tend to eat or other daily stuff. Bugbear is "about the size of your fist this week." I'm not entirely sure whose fist they mean; there's a major difference between my fist and just about any other adult's, but really, I'm not going to spend too much time trying to figure this one out. In measurements, s/he is probably around 3.4" and 1.5oz, or the size of a flip phone, or a lemon.
Tell me some random stuff about the Bugbear. Bugbear now has fingerprints. S/he is sucking his/her thumbs, wiggling around, and growing thin downy hair all over his/her body to keep warm. If s/he takes after me, s/he will deeply regret when this falls off and s/he is exposed to the cold outside world. Bugbear has developed facial muscles that mean s/he can now frown, squint, and suck his/her thumb.
Tell me how you feel physically. I'm glad to be out of the car! I've had a good deal of lower back pain in the last few weeks that apparently isn't going to just go away, and my migraines are getting more frequent. Those things suck. But I've managed to stay well-rested (sleeping like the dead helps a lot; I've never slept this soundly in my life), and the dizziness has backed off, and those things make me happy.
What are you craving? M&Ms and Cher. I cannot get enough Cher in my life right now, whereas I'm pretty sure that a small bag of M&Ms would sate that particular desire.
Are you crazy emotional? I'm back to crying more than usual, but I'm also getting used to that.
Tell me how you feel otherwise. Uneventful, really. I'm grateful for a week outside my normal life, and a chance to hang out at my mom's, see friends and family, and snag a bit of a break.
How pregnant are you? 14 weeks...holy crap. I still feel more fluffy looking than pregnant looking, but with the way things are moving rapidly, I imagine I'll actually look pregnant fairly soon. ::fingers crossed::
Relate this pregnancy to objects we tend to eat or other daily stuff. Bugbear is "about the size of your fist this week." I'm not entirely sure whose fist they mean; there's a major difference between my fist and just about any other adult's, but really, I'm not going to spend too much time trying to figure this one out. In measurements, s/he is probably around 3.4" and 1.5oz, or the size of a flip phone, or a lemon.
Tell me some random stuff about the Bugbear. Bugbear now has fingerprints. S/he is sucking his/her thumbs, wiggling around, and growing thin downy hair all over his/her body to keep warm. If s/he takes after me, s/he will deeply regret when this falls off and s/he is exposed to the cold outside world. Bugbear has developed facial muscles that mean s/he can now frown, squint, and suck his/her thumb.
Tell me how you feel physically. I'm glad to be out of the car! I've had a good deal of lower back pain in the last few weeks that apparently isn't going to just go away, and my migraines are getting more frequent. Those things suck. But I've managed to stay well-rested (sleeping like the dead helps a lot; I've never slept this soundly in my life), and the dizziness has backed off, and those things make me happy.
What are you craving? M&Ms and Cher. I cannot get enough Cher in my life right now, whereas I'm pretty sure that a small bag of M&Ms would sate that particular desire.
Are you crazy emotional? I'm back to crying more than usual, but I'm also getting used to that.
Tell me how you feel otherwise. Uneventful, really. I'm grateful for a week outside my normal life, and a chance to hang out at my mom's, see friends and family, and snag a bit of a break.
Friday, May 14, 2010
Friday Photos
We all know that Bugbear has already stolen his/her dad's heart.
But now, s/he has also stolen his hat.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
I have a food aversion
Melted cheese. Tacos, nachos, pizza...it's sad.
Not as sad as if I suddenly hated butter, but still sad.
Not as sad as if I suddenly hated butter, but still sad.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Wordy Wednesday!
What's going on? Let's see. We have to move to Chicago by the end of this month so Mike can start his job, so we're packing like crazy, trying to sublease this apartment, and figuring out how exactly this move is going to work. We have about 17,364 options on the table at this point, many of which are the result of fabulous family and friends, and so we're just trying to make the best decisions while weighing many factors. It's an adventure!
How pregnant are you? 13 weeks!
Relate this pregnancy to objects we tend to eat or other daily stuff. Bugbear is roughly the size of a gas cap this week. Or the size of a peach. In inches, s/he is likely to be between 2.5" and 2.9" and between .66 and .85 oz.
Tell me some random stuff about the Bugbear. Bugbear's intestines grew really fast, and so large that they wound up squishing themselves into the umbilical cord. Now they're pretty much back in his/her abdomen, which is nice. This week, those intestines will settle into place and anchor themselves, and the other digestive functions start working differently as well--Bugbear starts producing bile, his/her spleen takes over the liver in producing antibodies. Head growth slows, so that Bugbear's head will eventually take on normate human proportions; right now it's roughly 1/2 his/her entire size. Bugbear's hands are gaining dexterity, and thumbs can move separately from fingers; it's possible that s/he is even sucking his/her thumb when we're not looking. S/he is also practicing breathing, and salivary glands are starting to work. By the end of the week, Bugbear's movements will be more fluid and infant-like and less jerky.
Tell me how you feel physically. I've had some weird bouts of nausea and dizziness, but nothing horrible. I think my body is shifting from wanting protein all the time to wanting something else, but I'm not sure what that something else is. My joints sound like rice krispies a lot of the time, but no pain, just weird noises.
What are you craving? I don't think I'm craving anything really, but food seriously tastes out of this world good. I opened a bag of orange milanos yesterday, and I thought I was going to pass out from happiness.
Are you crazy emotional? Not particularly. I notice that I'm easily irritated, but that also happens in periods of intense stress, and now is pretty stressful.
Tell me how you feel otherwise. Much as I'm working hard at looking on our current situation as an adventure, I'm also looking forward to figuring out some major issues and eventually taking a long deep breath, followed by a long, deep five days of sleep. I hate packing. And I hate unpacking. And I so look forward to not doing either of those for a few years. In the meantime, I have some fabulous craft projects in the works, and I'm finding time to cook, work out, and do other things I enjoy, so in the end I'm simply very, very lucky.
How pregnant are you? 13 weeks!
Relate this pregnancy to objects we tend to eat or other daily stuff. Bugbear is roughly the size of a gas cap this week. Or the size of a peach. In inches, s/he is likely to be between 2.5" and 2.9" and between .66 and .85 oz.
Tell me some random stuff about the Bugbear. Bugbear's intestines grew really fast, and so large that they wound up squishing themselves into the umbilical cord. Now they're pretty much back in his/her abdomen, which is nice. This week, those intestines will settle into place and anchor themselves, and the other digestive functions start working differently as well--Bugbear starts producing bile, his/her spleen takes over the liver in producing antibodies. Head growth slows, so that Bugbear's head will eventually take on normate human proportions; right now it's roughly 1/2 his/her entire size. Bugbear's hands are gaining dexterity, and thumbs can move separately from fingers; it's possible that s/he is even sucking his/her thumb when we're not looking. S/he is also practicing breathing, and salivary glands are starting to work. By the end of the week, Bugbear's movements will be more fluid and infant-like and less jerky.
Tell me how you feel physically. I've had some weird bouts of nausea and dizziness, but nothing horrible. I think my body is shifting from wanting protein all the time to wanting something else, but I'm not sure what that something else is. My joints sound like rice krispies a lot of the time, but no pain, just weird noises.
What are you craving? I don't think I'm craving anything really, but food seriously tastes out of this world good. I opened a bag of orange milanos yesterday, and I thought I was going to pass out from happiness.
Are you crazy emotional? Not particularly. I notice that I'm easily irritated, but that also happens in periods of intense stress, and now is pretty stressful.
Tell me how you feel otherwise. Much as I'm working hard at looking on our current situation as an adventure, I'm also looking forward to figuring out some major issues and eventually taking a long deep breath, followed by a long, deep five days of sleep. I hate packing. And I hate unpacking. And I so look forward to not doing either of those for a few years. In the meantime, I have some fabulous craft projects in the works, and I'm finding time to cook, work out, and do other things I enjoy, so in the end I'm simply very, very lucky.
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Happy Mothers Day (2010)
Good evening friends and readers,
Happy Mothers Day! After watching a marathon of TLC's "19 and Counting," which profiles the life of the Duggar family, I have developed a new (albeit hyperbolic) appreciation of what it is that mothers do, feel, and go through.
So to all of you mothers reading this note -- thank you for being you, which is synonymous with being caring, loving, intelligent, strong, tough, flexible, creative, and blessings to us all. This applies equally and prospectively to Krista, our new mom-to-be.
Yours,
-Michael
Happy Mothers Day! After watching a marathon of TLC's "19 and Counting," which profiles the life of the Duggar family, I have developed a new (albeit hyperbolic) appreciation of what it is that mothers do, feel, and go through.
So to all of you mothers reading this note -- thank you for being you, which is synonymous with being caring, loving, intelligent, strong, tough, flexible, creative, and blessings to us all. This applies equally and prospectively to Krista, our new mom-to-be.
Yours,
-Michael
Thursday, May 6, 2010
So, at our weekly visit to the Wegman's grocery store, I was educated that BugBear is about the size of a lime. Without skipping a beat, Krista grabbed a lime from the produce section and posed for this precious moment. Enjoy! We may be periodically posting new updates with analogous representative items from the grocery store. Watch out, cabbage and gourd section!
A Thought or Two
Being pregnant is weird. For any number of reasons, but today it's specifically weird because of what it's doing to my body.
Not the bloat. That sucks, but I'll get over it.
It's not even a lost sense of control, because I've never really had control over my body. It's been longer than I can remember since I've been able to know, much less control, whether I'll be able to walk without pain, or tolerate light from a migraine, or stand without my blood pressure dropping dangerously. Those are just factors of my everyday life. Regular exercise and a ridiculously healthy diet have certainly helped minimize those things, but I'd never say that I'm safely away from them, much less in charge of them.
Today I am weirded out by the sense of a loss of unity. Our very definitions of self and mental health in America are based on the notion that individuals are unitary--a person is one, and only one, defined by the boundaries of skin and distinction from others. More than one in a skin is mentally ill. And while I'm not ready to call Bugbear a person (and the "what counts as life?" question and abortion debates are for another day), I'm certainly no longer just one anything. I have a thing inside me that's probably more than 2", with a separate heartbeat, that responds to outside stimuli, and is certainly not me. Fascinating, but also disconcerting.
European and American philosophers, generally white males, have often had things to say about pregnancy. Michael is totally the expert here, and I hope he'll contribute his own thoughts and perspectives as well. But even though I'm not the expert, I've done enough ready to know that these discussions are always tinged with a sense of the exotic, of "she may be human, but that is totally foreign," often simultaneous awe and disgust or condemnation of the utterly unknown. I count myself fortunate to have fabulous, thoughtful, and caring online communities where I can go with my absurd questions and need to feel understood, but I also wish that there was more thought available to me from an historical perspective. I want to know how women have dealt with this in the last 7,000 years, what they have thought, how they and their cultures dealt with this now-bizarre notion that there's more than one in me, and that's fine, good, even.
Since I can't have that, and our followers are women, what do you say? How did you deal with the weirdness of your skin holding more than just you?
Not the bloat. That sucks, but I'll get over it.
It's not even a lost sense of control, because I've never really had control over my body. It's been longer than I can remember since I've been able to know, much less control, whether I'll be able to walk without pain, or tolerate light from a migraine, or stand without my blood pressure dropping dangerously. Those are just factors of my everyday life. Regular exercise and a ridiculously healthy diet have certainly helped minimize those things, but I'd never say that I'm safely away from them, much less in charge of them.
Today I am weirded out by the sense of a loss of unity. Our very definitions of self and mental health in America are based on the notion that individuals are unitary--a person is one, and only one, defined by the boundaries of skin and distinction from others. More than one in a skin is mentally ill. And while I'm not ready to call Bugbear a person (and the "what counts as life?" question and abortion debates are for another day), I'm certainly no longer just one anything. I have a thing inside me that's probably more than 2", with a separate heartbeat, that responds to outside stimuli, and is certainly not me. Fascinating, but also disconcerting.
European and American philosophers, generally white males, have often had things to say about pregnancy. Michael is totally the expert here, and I hope he'll contribute his own thoughts and perspectives as well. But even though I'm not the expert, I've done enough ready to know that these discussions are always tinged with a sense of the exotic, of "she may be human, but that is totally foreign," often simultaneous awe and disgust or condemnation of the utterly unknown. I count myself fortunate to have fabulous, thoughtful, and caring online communities where I can go with my absurd questions and need to feel understood, but I also wish that there was more thought available to me from an historical perspective. I want to know how women have dealt with this in the last 7,000 years, what they have thought, how they and their cultures dealt with this now-bizarre notion that there's more than one in me, and that's fine, good, even.
Since I can't have that, and our followers are women, what do you say? How did you deal with the weirdness of your skin holding more than just you?
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Wordy Wednesday...on time!
How pregnant are you? 12 weeks!
Relate this pregnancy to objects we tend to eat or other daily stuff. Bugbear is about 2.1" and half an ounce, about the size of a plum. Thanks to this site, we also know that Bugbear is about the size of a small tape measure.
Tell me some random stuff about the Bugbear. We're apparently entering the "maintenance phase," which means that things are more or less formed, and now they're practicing function. So intestines are practicing movement and growing villi, the pituitary gland is starting to create the hormones that will make our lives a party in 12 years, and Bugbear's bone marrow is busy producing white blood cells. Bugbear is also developing reflexes this week. Fingers are toes are no longer webbed, and they curl and uncurl. Eye muscles are also practicing movement, and s/he is working on suckling motions as well. Tooth buds for baby teeth are forming as well. Bugbear's vocal cords will also develop this week, though we won't find out if s/he's loud like my family until s/he has air to move through them.
Tell me how you feel physically. If I read one more thing that tells me that my body probably hasn't changed yet, I will put my fist through something. I did not go from a size 6 to not fitting my winter weight size 12 pants because nothing has changed. Other than that, I feel fine. Tired sometimes, spacey often, but not bad, really. Aches and pains come and go, but it's really no worse than daily life before this whole thing started.
What are you craving? I'd love sugar. But it makes me queasy to eat too much, so I can't. I craved egg rolls all the time anyway, so I can't really count that. I would love a margarita, but I can't quite put that in the same category as a glass of wine and just indulge.
Are you crazy emotional? No more than usual, really. No crying jags or yelling fits to report. I think I've been too busy to be anything other than busy.
Tell me how you feel otherwise. I am fascinated by this. It helps me feel better about the bloat I'm experiencing. I am relieved and excited beyond belief that I'm done teaching and my grades are turned in! I'm looking forward to being able to exercise regularly now that my schedule is way more calm. I miss my dad, but May/June/July are always hard, so that's just to be expected. And I'm both nervous and excited to start telling people in a week!
Relate this pregnancy to objects we tend to eat or other daily stuff. Bugbear is about 2.1" and half an ounce, about the size of a plum. Thanks to this site, we also know that Bugbear is about the size of a small tape measure.
Tell me some random stuff about the Bugbear. We're apparently entering the "maintenance phase," which means that things are more or less formed, and now they're practicing function. So intestines are practicing movement and growing villi, the pituitary gland is starting to create the hormones that will make our lives a party in 12 years, and Bugbear's bone marrow is busy producing white blood cells. Bugbear is also developing reflexes this week. Fingers are toes are no longer webbed, and they curl and uncurl. Eye muscles are also practicing movement, and s/he is working on suckling motions as well. Tooth buds for baby teeth are forming as well. Bugbear's vocal cords will also develop this week, though we won't find out if s/he's loud like my family until s/he has air to move through them.
Tell me how you feel physically. If I read one more thing that tells me that my body probably hasn't changed yet, I will put my fist through something. I did not go from a size 6 to not fitting my winter weight size 12 pants because nothing has changed. Other than that, I feel fine. Tired sometimes, spacey often, but not bad, really. Aches and pains come and go, but it's really no worse than daily life before this whole thing started.
What are you craving? I'd love sugar. But it makes me queasy to eat too much, so I can't. I craved egg rolls all the time anyway, so I can't really count that. I would love a margarita, but I can't quite put that in the same category as a glass of wine and just indulge.
Are you crazy emotional? No more than usual, really. No crying jags or yelling fits to report. I think I've been too busy to be anything other than busy.
Tell me how you feel otherwise. I am fascinated by this. It helps me feel better about the bloat I'm experiencing. I am relieved and excited beyond belief that I'm done teaching and my grades are turned in! I'm looking forward to being able to exercise regularly now that my schedule is way more calm. I miss my dad, but May/June/July are always hard, so that's just to be expected. And I'm both nervous and excited to start telling people in a week!
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Visit to OB, #3
Dear friends and readers,
The first time that we visited a doctor with regard to this pregnancy situation, the home pregnancy test was confirmed by Krista's general practitioner, who referred us to a State College obstetrician. The new doctor, a kind yet unique OB, met with us a few days later. Our second visit to the OB, which took place a few weeks ago, gave us an visual image of the embryo (seen below). This recent visit gave us audio to go along with the earlier visual image. Now we have A/V support. <-- Sorry, I couldn't resist that one.
These are certainly exciting times. We're on the hunt for a new dwelling in Chicagoland, finishing up work for the Spring 2010 semester, waiting to hear on a few job opportunities, thinking about making a transition from academic teaching into other fields: for Krista, the seminary; for me, possibly toward academic administration. I shudder to think what else could be overturned during this age of tumult and transition. Undoubtedly, a few more curveballs will be tossed our way, but unlike Pedro Cerrano ("Major League"), we should be able to handle these with teamwork and grace.
That's all for today. I need to get back to grading student papers.
The first time that we visited a doctor with regard to this pregnancy situation, the home pregnancy test was confirmed by Krista's general practitioner, who referred us to a State College obstetrician. The new doctor, a kind yet unique OB, met with us a few days later. Our second visit to the OB, which took place a few weeks ago, gave us an visual image of the embryo (seen below). This recent visit gave us audio to go along with the earlier visual image. Now we have A/V support. <-- Sorry, I couldn't resist that one.
These are certainly exciting times. We're on the hunt for a new dwelling in Chicagoland, finishing up work for the Spring 2010 semester, waiting to hear on a few job opportunities, thinking about making a transition from academic teaching into other fields: for Krista, the seminary; for me, possibly toward academic administration. I shudder to think what else could be overturned during this age of tumult and transition. Undoubtedly, a few more curveballs will be tossed our way, but unlike Pedro Cerrano ("Major League"), we should be able to handle these with teamwork and grace.
That's all for today. I need to get back to grading student papers.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Bugbear has a hearbeat!
We heard it today, 163 beats per minute.
If the ultrasound picture started to make this real, hearing that is making this very real! In just a week and a half, we'll be done with the first trimester and ready to start telling everyone!
If the ultrasound picture started to make this real, hearing that is making this very real! In just a week and a half, we'll be done with the first trimester and ready to start telling everyone!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
