Sienna Marie

A little update on my pregnancy and Sienna's growth at 22 weeks. I've been able to feel her moving around for the past two weeks and I'm loving it! A few people have told me that it'll get old at the end when I'm trying to sleep, but I don't believe them ;) I sent out a Calling All Moms email numbered 1-9 with questions ranging from breastfeeding to baby carriers and got a ton of excellent responses. After reading them all, I came to a few conclusions: 1. I won't be induced unless Sienna is later than about Aug 8-10 . My aunt Rita, who is also a nurse, outlined some very important reasons why it's not a good idea to have your baby early. 2. I'll most likely skip the jogger stroller, as I'll probably go out running while the nanny is watching Sienna and purchase a more cost-effective model. It was suggested by many to get a swing, a baby bathtub and the Baby Bjorn. 3. Only one out of about 30 moms said they used cloth diapers, so I decided to go ...

I found out today that IT'S A GIRL!!!! The doctor didn't have the easiest time coming to that conclusion, but after 45 minutes he finally said he believes it to be a girl. I was beginning to get disappointed because a co-worker, Cynthia, who is 8 weeks further along than me (I'm at 20 weeks) brought me to her clinic specifically because they have better equipment to make a determination. When the ultrasound tech was taking a long time and continuing to say, "Que difícil," I was starting to wonder if today would be the day I'd find out. Thankfully, Cynthia asked how sure he was and he said 90% - that's good enough for me! He said with girls he waits to see three lines to make a positive determination and he wasn't able to see that, but he also couldn't see a male organ, so it's most likely a girl. It'll be interesting to go to my regular doctor and see what he determines - I won't tell him that I already know, but when the guy says 90%,...

During Semana Santa, Easter Week, I took off on a road trip to the Caribbean coast of Guatemala to connect with five friends from school. It was about a five hour drive to Puerto Barrios where I left my car for two nights in a parking lot for $10 and hopped a 30 minute ferry to Livingston. The ferry brought me right up to the dock of La Casa Rosada , where I saw Amanda and Roxy sunbathing. Our place was beautiful and all for $8/person! The following day we took off for one of the cayos (keys) of Belize. It was gorgeous - crystal blue waters, checking out sting rays while snorkeling and a small island to ourselves. The ride over there was a bit insane - just over two hours of bone-crunching wave surfing where I got quite the squat workout to protect my unborn child, but the return trip was better. After a few days in Livingstone, I headed back to my car and drove another 3 hours to meet my former co-worker Danna in Flores. The roads all the way were paved and smoo th sailing, for the ...

My appointment yesterday went really well. It was fun seeing the baby again. S/he's grown a lot since my last ultrasound. I thought the baby was about the size of an avocado, but it turns out s/he's closer to the size of a 20 oz water bottle (19 cm = 7.5 inches). S/he's floating around and fairly active, moving from one side to the next and flipping from front to back. It's so amazing seeing all of the bones of the hands and spinal column, ribs, etc. It's such a miracle that it's all going on inside of me and I can't feel a thing yet! I'm looking forward to feeling him/her kick, but I think it'll take another week or two. I'm around week 17-18; some of the measurements were putting the baby at 18 weeks and the doc bumped my due date up three days to August 10. I'm showing more and more each week, but I still can't believe that a water bottle could be curled up inside of my stomach. I'm almost halfway done and have plenty of time to po...

The first trimester is officially over and I'm heading into Week 15, feeling much more energized and having less food aversions. The only way I can tell I'm pregnant now is my chest has been a size larger since Week 5 and I have to get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. This is also the only time my stomach feels pregnant; when my bladder is full, there's nowhere for it to go having to share space with a growing uterus, so it puffs out. This gives me an idea what it'll look and feel like when I start showing - maybe in mid-March or April. I really timed this well, as I was able to spend a good portion of the exhausting first trimester on vacation, only having having to teach the last 4 weeks. By the time the third trimester rolls around, I'll be back on vacation! The student's last day of school is June 13. I head to California on Thursday 19 June until Sunday 6 July, spending one of those weeks in Minnesota, as well. I have a doctor's appo...

Well, it's about time...I'm having a baby!! I went to the doctor two weeks ago for my first prenatal appointment and I'm expecting in August!   I'll be 34 in March and I'm ready for single momhood, so it's a welcome surprise.  I was home at Christmas, so although it was very early, I told my friends and family so I could spring the news on them in person. The responses were incredibly supportive and ranged from my uncle's high-five to my mom's happy tears. My dad even said he can see how this way fits my lifestyle and life goals. They all know me and have followed me through life's journeys - they know I rarely do things the way "everybody else" does. It's very special to have such supportive friends and family! My first appointment was absolutely amazing!! It's unreal how much detail you can see - the baby was kicking its legs and moving its arms and it was only 2.5 inches long. I've been exhausted, but I guess that's to ...