We know....

This past week we had a lot of doctor's appointments. I say "we" but really it was all me. We saw Rowland on Monday and he said all my blood work came back fine. Everything looked great and I won't have to see him again till November.

So then Friday came, the BIG DAY!


First, and most importantly, the baby is great. Everything looks perfect, normal, healthy. No worries there, which is great. It really helped Dan and I feel such a sense of relief to know that everything is ok with our child.

Ok, ok, I have kept you waiting long enough.


Baby Harts is a.....

That's right! It's a Boy Baby Harts!

We are beyond thrilled! Half of you were right too, you guessed a boy! :)

So everything looks great. My due date is still the same, 12/17/13 and I'll get to see the little guy one more time at 32 weeks to make sure everything looks good. We met with the midwives after the ultrasound and everything still looks good blood pressure and glucose wise. 

Here is my today bump pic! So this is 20 weeks:

20 weeks in my new maternity jeans and maternity tank top!

I also started to feel Baby Harts move now! My placenta isn't anterior anymore!!! YAHOO! His feet right now are by my lower stomach so I can feel him kick me, especially after dinner. I am hoping soon Dan will be able to feel him move from the outside.

How far along: 20 weeks!! HALFWAY!

Total weight gain: Ok, not so bad. I haven't gained any weight from 2 weeks ago, so total weight gain for this pregnancy is 6 pounds. Not bad so far.

Maternity clothes: Bought a ton! Now I think I'm set for awhile. I have gotten some great deals on Ebay and the consignment shops in town. It's been a lot of fun finding 90 dollar maternity jeans for 10 bux!

Stretch marks: Still bathing in bio-oil.

Sleep: Can't sleep on my back really anymore, but always wake up on it. I hope to head to the chiropractor this week to help with my hip pain.

Best moment of this week: Finding out about our baby and getting to tell all our friends and family!

Miss anything: Being able to sit on the ground comfortably! Went to a park this afternoon with friends and couldn't sit on the ground easily. It sucked!

Movement: Stuff! Weird, light stuff, but STUFF! Kicks I am assuming.

Food cravings: Fruit, English Muffins.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Being back in Rowland's office in the cancer center made me feel so nauseous. I hated that feeling since I wasn't there to get any treatment. :(

Have you started to show yet: You guys tell me! My picture definitely looks pregnant up there, I am just happy to know I am not HUGE yet.

Gender: Boy!

Labor signs: No Braxton Hicks this week.

Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: Still on

Happy or moody most of the time: After Friday was over I felt I had been holding my breath the whole week. I knew I was nervous about seeing if everything looked good on the ultrasound. But Friday night I was able to sleep so hard and realized it was because I wasn't worried or anxious anymore!

Looking forward to: Next weekend we head to Indy to hang out with my parents some and then we head to a cabin with our best friends for a week of vacation! We'll be in the middle of nowhere on a lake in a gorgeous cabin. I have been looking forward to this week all summer! I know we are going to have so much fun and it will be nice to get away with everybody, possibly one last time before the baby comes!

This week

This week is going to be awesome!

Monday morning Dan and I get to take a visit to see our favorite oncologist, Dr. Rowland!

I will have blood work done and a physical examination. There is no doubt in my mind that he will give me a continued clean bill of health. And maybe we'll get to surprise him with my pregnancy!

Maybe not though considering his wife was my fertility doctor. :)

Did I mention that to you all?? We went for an appointment with Rowland in March and the nurse who checked us in made a joke that the only 2 doctors I had on my chart were married to each other! You could have blown Dan and I over with a feather!

What I am thankful for is that both Rowland and his wife are cancer survivors. We have always felt so understood and welcome by them both. I really love my doctors.

So it will be great to see Rowland and hopefully look obviously pregnant. I swear this weekend I shrunk! I don't feel as big! I am almost 5 months pregnant, I really didn't think I could hide it anymore at this point. 

But maybe not. What do you guys think?

I did not do my hair today so you can a neck down shot! Also excuse my painting shirt.

Also this week I get to go to pre-natal aquatic aerobics 2x, and then Friday is our day of appointments. Ultrasound first thing, then meeting with the high risk OB (due to my chemo), and then the midwives in the afternoon. Dan is taking the day off to go to all of the appointments with me and then we'll have some close friends over that night to announce the sex. 

We'll make the rounds that weekend with friends and family and then announce it on the blog Sunday night! So stay tuned!

And for those wondering I am ALL DONE with my grad school courses, I am just waiting for one more grade. For those keeping track, I am now officially half way through with grad school! Yippee!

This weekend was soooo productive! I am so thankful for my mom and all the time and energy she gave this weekend to help me get the house in better shape. We had to change our original game plan to get the nursery ready and instead tackled all the closets in the house.

5 closets, 3 bags of clothes to Goodwill (garbage bags) and 4 bags of trash later, I have organized closets!

The baby's closet is completely empty and ready for a closet organizer, my closet now has an organizer and is gorgeous! The coat closet, linen closet and Dan's closet all are clean and organized as well.

It make me ridiculously happy. Probably too happy, but I love being organized! So thanks Mom for all your help and thanks Dad for lending me Mom for the weekend!

Mom and I also went to a few maternity stores and I finally bought some more maternity clothes. Hopefully I'll have something to wear now, though I am really feeling this cartoon:

This weekend Dan will be home and I hope we can really get started on the nursery, or at least clean the room out completely so it is ready to go for paint. I am waiting to pick the final nursery colors and theme for when we know the sex. I am almost more excited about starting the nursery then knowing the sex! Almost.

Question time!

How far along: 19 weeks! Almost half way! Baby is the size of a Mango.

Total weight gain: I have refused to get on the scale this week. I'll let you know next Sunday.

Maternity clothes: Bought some! Still sticking with elastic waistbands for a little longer, though I do hope I look more pregnant soon!!

Stretch marks: Swore I found one, but Mom and Dan insist it wasn't. I am bathing in bio-oil.

Sleep: The body pillow has become my best friend. The aqua aerobics are hurting my lower back some so the pillow really helps me relax when I sleep.

Best moment of this week: Getting so much done over the weekend with Mom!

Miss anything: Soft cheese. That's all!

Movement: Nothing really this week. :(  I really hope that they tell us at the ultrasound that the placenta has moved more posterior than anterior.

Food cravings: Chinese! I made Mom go to the Chinese restaurant twice this weekend (sorry Mom)!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Not necessarily queasy, but if I stand up too fast I get the nice tunnel vision, whooshing in my ears feeling. So now I have to make sure I stand up slowly.

Have you started to show yet: I think I shrunk! :(

Gender: Soooooo close! 

Labor signs: No Braxton Hicks this week.

Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: Staying on! Unlike Dan's!

Happy or moody most of the time: Doing well, just getting anxious for the ultrasound Friday. Besides the sex we are going to find out if anything seems off or not developing correctly. I hope above all else that our baby is healthy.

Looking forward to: Next weekend Dan is home! Plus we will be able to start the nursery. And do I even need to say it...? ULTRASOUND!!!! :D

Yes, Dan is still here.

And he has opinions.  I'm kind of freaking out.
Let me just get this out of the way.  This won't be some mind bending computer code post like last time.

Opinion #1:
Babies are scary.  I know they shouldn't be but I find it hard to believe that any parent out there hasn't been hit by a case of the "what ifs".

Opinion #2:
Dogs are babies best friends. Proof.  I can't tell you how much I hope this holds true in our family.  To know that our first born has a built in companion makes some of the "what ifs" go away.

Opinion #3:
Pregnancy is a beautiful blah blah yackity shmack.  Phooey.  Pregnancy is cruel.  Temporary or not.  Life changing events can be traumatic.  Outside of the fact that it seems to be easier for some people, I don't think it should be taken lightly by anyone.  It's not fair that Julia has to worry about everything she eats, or every piece of discomfort that comes her way.  Given this definition of the word pregnant, it's no wonder that many mothers develop an inherent sense of guilt.  This important person hasn't even said hello yet and some piece of cheese that you thought sounded good might have some terrible bacteria in it that will impact this meaningful life.   Stallone didn't have this much pressure in Cliffhanger.

Opinion #4:
I am a selfish person.  I think everyone should leave me alone and I also don't like to share food.  There, I've said it.  I'm just being honest.  Not because I want you to know something about me, but because I'm afraid that I won't be fair with my child.  Mothers aren't the only ones afflicted by "mom guilt".

Opinion #5:
Entertaining a small child is more difficult than entertaining three hundred wedding guests for FIVE hours.  I've figured it out.  I know what makes grown people break free from the safe comfort of their chairs and let everything out on the dance floor as if no one was watching.  I'm also fairly sure I understand the psyche of a woman, which every comedian will tell you is impossible, more than I understand what on earth a toddler wants to do.

Opinion #6:
I'll be a cool dad when my kid is old enough to hold a soldering iron.  How long does that take?

Opinion #7:
I will never be a cool dad.  And I actually kind of dig that.  I hope I embarrass the heck out of my kids.  If they are embarrassed it is because they actually do want to be around you they are just trying to look cool in front of their friends.  So my goal is uncool.  After thirty-one years of zero organized sports, four seasons of marching band, a penchant for anything Legend of Zelda, and a wardrobe that would make a college student look good; I've about got this in the bag.

Opinion #8:
My wife is amazing.  Sit down for this one.  You want to know what she did while I've been freaking out about a baby?
-Completed a semester load of graduate school courses.
-Planned at least three different permutations of a nursery.
-Organized a flash mob dance at a fourth of July celebration.
-Mowed the lawn.  Twice.
-Fed me.
-Kept the house clean.
-Planned a "Gender Reveal Party"
-Took an aquatic aerobic class.
-Shouldered the burden of worry about our child.
-Planned an out of town vacation with some of our best friends.  A well needed one at that.
-Babysat for our friends.
-Fed me.
-Found great prices on maternity clothes.  Like free!
-Insisted that corn dogs make a suitable dinner.  I can't argue with her.
-Went back to the next aquatic aerobics class.
-Got a "pedi".  And her toes still look great.

Opinion #9:
I have no idea what point B looks like now that we have a child to factor in to the equation, but I know that I will arrive with Julia.  And I will arrive because of Julia.

Ok, Questions:
How far along:  I'm 31 and a half.  I'll gladly accept birthday checks next January.

Total Weight Gain:  I've been kind of waffling between 3 and 5 pounds.

Maternity Clothes:  Why would you ask me that?  Next Question.

Stretch Marks:  Dude, I was a fat kid.  I've had those for years.

Sleep:  Daily.  Not a problem, although my IT band in my left hip acted up sunday morning.  So I got up and watched some crappy movies.  #sharknado

Best Moment of this week:  When Julia told me that she didn't care about me being lazy, she cared about me getting in the way of her eating at TGI Fridays.

Miss Anything:  Is that like a beauty pageant or something?

Movement:  Daily.  Around 9 am.

Food Cravings:  I love burritos.  Anything mexican.

Anything making me queasy or sick:  Our cat killed a mouse.  I mean it didn't really bother me but I guess it was gross.

Have you started to show yet:  Again.  Fat kid.  Stop asking bad questions.

Gender:  Male.  Duh.  OH! The kid.  Hell I don't know yet.

Labor Signs:  Like the orange ones on the interstate?

Belly button in or out:  I thought I told you to stop asking bad questions.

Wedding Rings On or Off:  Weird.  But Mine is actually too big and it falls off quite frequently.

Happy or Moody most of the time:  I'm a moody jerk.

Looking forward to:  Eating bagels with Julia sunday morning.

What will it be?

So we are getting so close to being able to say "It's a girl!" or "It's a boy". I am beyond impatient about it too. I decided this week since I am almost done with grad school and didn't have much homework (yahoo!) that I would try out all the old wives tales about gender. 

There are a ton! But I picked the easier ones or the ones I at least knew to try out. The results:

Placenta theory----girl

Skull shape theory----girl

Chinese calendar----girl

Cravings---- boy/girl (craving steak and fruit!)

Carrying----boy

Baking soda test----girl

Stealing mom's "beauty"---- boy (I don't feel my skin is freaking out or I look like crap)

More moody----girl

Dreaming of boy-----girl (Who knew?! You dream of one gender, get the other)

No morning sickness----boy (Mom didn't have morning sickness either though and had 2 girls)

So.... if you are keeping track that's 5 for a boy and 6 for girl. 

So yeah. Not a lot of help there.

Bump picture!

Weird angle and kind of a bad picture. I'll do a better one next time!

Questions?

How far along: 18 weeks, yay!

Total weight gain: guys. I gained 3 pounds! In a week! Obviously the stress of grad school was getting to me and I ate my weight in carbs and sugar. Backing it down next week.

Maternity clothes: Regular clothes are no longer fitting. The elastic waistband skirts are still awesome but now I have to decide to wear the clothes above or below the bump. 

Stretch marks: No, but started freaking out at how big I was getting so started using bio-oil. Hoping it works!

Sleep: Really want to sleep on my back even though I am a side sleeper. That is kind of a no-no as I get bigger but I am winging it for a bit longer.

Best moment of this week: Finishing one class for grad school! Only 2 more to go!

Miss anything: Dan! :( He has been super busy with gigs, which is awesome. I am also home more so I notice his absence I think more often.

Movement: I think...I really do. When I was being super lazy on Saturday and laying on the couch I kept feeling something. Then it would stop and then start again. Not sure....

Food cravings: Fruit! Had a huge bowl of strawberries for breakfast this morning.

Anything making you queasy or sick: You know what stinks? Wanting to sit outside in the summer time and eat at a restaurant and everyone around you is smoking. Bleh! How can people smoke and eat!? It makes Dan mad cause he doesn't want me breathing it in and it always just makes me nauseous.

Have you started to show yet: Definitely. I am kinda waiting though for some stranger to ask when I am due though. Then I will know I really look pregnant.

Gender: Gahhh!

Labor signs: I think I felt some Braxton Hicks this weekend? Not sure. My belly would feel really hard and then a couple of minutes later it would go away. Calling midwife on Monday to discuss.

Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: Back to normal!

Happy or moody most of the time: Much better this week, though maybe a little sad/worried at times. I will definitely feel better after the anatomy scan. Have I mentioned that is in 12 days?!?!

Looking forward to: Getting ready to go to the drive-in with Dan in about 10 minutes. Also mi madre is coming over next weekend to help start nursery preparations!! YAY!

Hey, hey, hey!

Sorry this is a day late!
I had a huge paper due yesterday and decided at noon that I hated what I had written so far and was going to rewrite the whole thing. So twelve hours later I was done! But yeah, hopefully I won't come to that conclusion ever again.

I am kinda proud of that paper though. Too bad it has nothing to do with my major. Well I take that back. I may be able to use it for part of my thesis in 2 years, but we'll see.

So yay 17 weeks! Baby Harts is the size of a turnip! Crazy!

Funniest picture of a turnip I could find! :)  

Editor's Note:  I didn't find that pic, but I wholeheartedly approve of it.

So yes, only one more week of grad school after this one. My two huge papers were due yesterday so I just need to make sure the profs don't have any feedback about them and then I am in the clear!

I even applied for a summer job now that grad school is wrapping up. It is to direct a children's choir at a church nearby, which would just be really awesome. So I hope I get the job. 

Dan had a crazy week last week too, but for more fun reasons than grad school papers. He got to play with this guy:

Robert Michaels: Guitarist extraordinaire

In Pittsburgh! With only a weeks notice! So Dan was busy practicing all week and then driving out to Pittsburgh for the show Friday night. He had a lot of fun and I love when he gets excited about his music. Editor's Note: One Week Notice.  

We got to hang out a little bit on the 4th with some friends before he left. We went to the new pool in our neighborhood and had a little cookout after. It was a nice time. 

QUESTIONS!

How far along: 17 weeks!

Total weight gain: gained another pound this week, which really is lower than I thought it would be considering how much I stuffed my face this weekend. 

Maternity clothes: Wore my first pair of maternity jeans Saturday night! They really helped me look pregnant I think instead of fat. All my jeans are tight, so they just don't look right anymore. But I have a ton of skirts with stretchy waistbands, so I am sticking with them.

Stretch marks: Nope!

Sleep: Still sleeping well. Sometimes if I just try and lay down for a bit and just lay on my back my hips will be practically immobile when I get back up. So lately I really have been trying to lay on my side.

Best moment of this week: Going swimming and hanging out with our friends!

Miss anything: The dog days of summer are coming and I am craving a cold, alcoholic drink. My favorite thing last summer was to sit out on our deck and have a glass of wine. Oh well. 

Movement: Nada. :(

Food cravings: Steak and red meat! Obviously I was low on iron. Dan and I went to our favorite burger joint on Saturday night though and fixed that craving!

Anything making you queasy or sick: I went to pick up some Hawaiian bread at the store today just to have for a snack this week and immediately felt nauseous. I think it might be because I ate a ton of this bread while i was in chemo. So yeah. Not ready for that yet.

Have you started to show yet: I asked Dan to give me his honest opinion when I had my maternity jeans on: Fat or Pregnant? He agreed with me, Pregnant. :)

Gender: Seriously the wait is killing me!!!!!

Labor signs: N/A

Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: A little tight this week surprisingly. Not sure why because I don't feel like I am retaining water anywhere else.

Happy or moody most of the time: Not so moody this week! I felt more in control of my emotions which was lovely.

Looking forward to: Possible drive-in movie date night Sunday night? Also being done with 2 of my classes after this week! Only one more to go!!!

Holy Cow! 4 months!

I am sort of in shock at the moment. One, the days are getting away from me (stupid summer vacation) and I completely forgot it was Sunday! And two, I am in shock that I get to write about being 4 months pregnant!

That seems so loooonnnggg! I never would have believed I was going to be able to write this post, but I am beyond happy I can! :)

So on to being 4 months pregnant. 

Well, here's the thing...I had an appointment with my midwife on Thursday and got to ask all the fun questions about being pregnant. "What are these weird brown streaks all over my arms and legs?" "Oh, that's the melasma that kicks into high gear when you are pregnant. Don't worry it will go away after the baby comes." Ok, great. But it looks like I have been coloring on myself with brown marker. Bleh! "Can I dye my hair now, I really want to!" "Well it's perfectly fine to dye your hair after the first trimester but you should only get foils." Oh. Well. I don't want foils. I want to go uber dark with all over hair dye. So nope. Can't do that either. 

Then we talk about the nuchal scan readings. "Well it looks like you have a 1 in 10,000 chance of having a baby with down syndrome or trisomy 13 or 18." YAY! Happy dance! "It looks like your placenta is actually anterior though." Crap.

Oh Dan

So yeah. Anterior placenta's are stupid. 

The most cartoon-y pic I could find of this. You're welcome!

With an anterior placenta I won't be able to feel the baby move as early or as much. So that stinks! Next week was when I was going to start to really pay attention for movement since they say 16 weeks is the time.

We are hoping that the placenta will actually move up as I become bigger and bigger and my uterus stretches out. It doesn't harm the baby and it doesn't harm me, it is just inconvenient. 

So if anybody has any good stories about anterior placenta please leave them in the comments to make me feel better. Thanks.

Onto the questions!!!

How far along: 4 months!

Total weight gain: 2 pounds gained (Womp, womp)

Maternity clothes: Actually wore a maternity tank this weekend. I bought my first pair of maternity jeans too! Got them at a great resale shop in town and they were only 10 bux! They are really cute but haven't worn them yet. My fat jeans are officially hard to button though so it may be soon.

Stretch marks: Nada

Sleep: Sleeping A LOT harder lately. Dan has noticed since the dog doesn't wake me up first anymore in the mornings. He also says I am talking nonsense a lot more during the night. Funny story...One night last week Dan come to bed really late and must of kinda woke me up because I immediately thought there was a stranger in my bed and I needed to get help. Dan says I popped right out of bed and walked into the hall. Then I slowly turned around and came back to bed telling him that I thought he was "a stranger that I had to get away from". Then immediately passed back out. He got a kick out of telling me that story the next day.

Best moment of this week: I got my haircut! For the first time since chemo! Before: fluffy and crazy!                                                         After: Nicely coiffed!

Miss anything: This week was a lot better. Did crave a coffee Saturday morning when Dan and I went to Starbucks, but I stuck with a tea.

Movement: Sadly no, and maybe not for awhile. 

Food cravings: Just HUNGRY. Like all the time. Eating double portions and finishing everything on my plate. This could stop anytime. Please.

Anything making you queasy or sick: Wasn't a fan of working out at the gym this week. All the bouncing around made me a little queasy. May need to finally sign up for those pre-natal yoga classes and stop doing the hardcore kickboxing stuff.

Have you started to show yet: Yep. I would say it is there. Still probably don't look pregnant to strangers and I disappointed a teacher friend at the Gifford celebration by not "looking" more pregnant. But hey, I got plenty of time to be big!

Gender: Starting to try old wives tales. Half have said girl half have said boy. Sigh. But this weekend I had my first guess of a boy!

Labor signs: N/A

Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: On, they don't feel tight at all yet.

Happy or moody most of the time: Pretty tired this week for whatever reason (ummm maybe being pregnant?!) but feeling pretty good. Have noticed I will start crying uncontrollably at things I used to only shed a few tears over. Away We Go was a sob fest last weekend. Great movie though.

Looking forward to: 4th of July this week though I have no idea what we are doing and Dan has a gig in Pittsburgh the next day so he might not even be here for it. So yeah. Can I start looking forward to the last week of grad school in 3 weeks? Is that too far ahead?

Another week down!

Here I am about to start week 15.

This week I got to start grad school again for the summer and realized how freaking hard it is again! All these papers! All this homework (6-ish hours a night). I feel like my undergrad degree was just a joke now. 
"Haha, you want to be a music educator? That's fine, take these fun courses about theory and ethnomusicology! It's sooo fun."
"Oh you want to get your graduate degree in music education? Might as well practice writing your thesis for the next 4 years in 4 different ways for every class you ever take. Hope you didn't want to have a life. Baahahahahaha!"

Dan is back to making me memes!

So yeah, grad school is nice. 

After this summer I will be half way through at least!

Other than all that homework Dan and I went to see a a double feature at the drive-in Friday night which was a lot of fun. We saw Man of Steel and World War Z. We both highly recommend both. We had a lot of fun on our date night and didn't get home till 3am. It felt like college again!

On Saturday Dan helped a buddy install new windows in his house while dodging the torrential downpour we were experiencing at the time.

Today we went to talk at a church that helped us out a lot during my chemo treatment. It was nice to be able to tell them thank you and let them know how well I was doing now. Dan and I both cried as we talked in front of the congregation, but we got through it. We celebrated with a long nap after the service and now I am avoiding my homework by blogging! Oh yeah! :)

The week ahead is pretty much the same thing for us, though I get to go for my monthly checkup on Thursday. I don't think too much is going to happen, but at least I get to go talk about being pregnant again! 

Onto the questions!

How far along: 15 weeks

Total weight gain: didn't weigh myself this week, will see at my appointment on Thursday

Maternity clothes: Nope, but I got a TON of great clothes from a friend (Hi Kate!) and I can't wait to start wearing them!

Stretch marks: Nope Nope Nope

Sleep: I got a body pillow! It helps my hips which have been hurting more. Our bed has gotten a little crowded though. Dan says he doesn't mind. I named the pillow Fred. I have no idea why, but it's funny to say "Fred has fallen off the bed!" in the morning.

Best moment of this week: Date night with the hubster

Miss anything: Soda cravings are killing me, but I bought some pineapple juice at the store today. I think if I mix it with seltzer and a little grenadine it will help my cravings.

Movement: Nope, don't think so. There have been a few times that I went hmmm, but pretty sure nothing yet.

Food cravings: Sugar cereal and chocolate. Both I never have really liked that much. We weren't allowed to have really sugary stuff growing up and I am not a huge fan of chocolate. But man I wanted some fudge and frosted flakes this week!

Anything making you queasy or sick: Just some nerves from talking to the congregation this morning. No morning sickness anymore.

Have you started to show yet: A little bump has sprung I think. Still just look kinda chubby though. 

Gender: Still waiting, though it is starting to drive me insane.

Labor signs: N/A

Belly button in or out: In

Wedding rings on or off: On, they don't feel tight at all yet.

Happy or moody most of the time: Much better mood this week. Grad school is stressful, but not getting me down. Looked forward to our movie date all week which helped too!

Looking forward to: Gifford Celebration next weekend. It's a big 4th of July thing my school community throws that we have never been too. Should be fun!