Success!!

I doubt that it will happen again for awhile, but last night Lily slept so good! She went to sleep at 11Pm, and did not wake up again until 6:45AM. Then she had a nappy change, and a feed, then right back to sleep until 11AM!! WAHOO! I woke up when Ross came home from work at 5:30AM and couldn't believe that she had slept that whole time. And to top off my great beginning of a day, her diaper rash has started clearing up....AND the diarrhea has gone away!! oh happy day!

Playtime

Brandi went to Vegas for Sam & Tony's wedding and brought Lily back that cute Viva Las Vegas Elvis onsie....so cute!

I got bored and started pulling out Lily's toys that she is too small to play with. Veronika & Ned got her this Bumbo chair that Nichole keeps singing the praises of. The box said that it is for infants who can hold their head up. Well, what about infants who have moms that hold their heads for them? Seems to work ok. I don't know how much fun it is for her, but it gave me 10 minutes of entertainment.

Doctor

(picture is Marje and Ross way back on August 3)
Lily has had a mild case of diarrhea since last Tuesday. I wasn't really that worried about it because she wasn't showing any signs of dehydration, but because it had been so long, we took her to the doctor just in case. Of course, she is fine. Doc said we shouldn't worry as long as she is eating well, and everything else is normal. The worst part is the horrible diaper rash that she has developed because of it. Her poor little bum is so raw and she wails every time we have to clean her up. It hurts me to hear her scream like that too. One of the "mommy changes" that I have developed is that I cry every time she does. This evening we went down to the beach for our walk and she got cranky and screamed the entire car ride back. I must have looked like a moron to anyone who saw me driving along with tears pouring down my face. Oh yeah, back to my story, the doctor said that Lily is growing well and even a little ahead of the average (Her Granddad in Zim has been telling everyone that she is advanced....now he is proven right!) She weighs 9lbs 12oz. She weighed 8lb 2oz at her 2 week check up.
Oh yeah, I can't believe that I didn't write this first...Lily is learning how to smile! She doesn't do it all the time, but every now and then if she isn't tired or cranky, you can get her to smile at you by putting your face really close to hers. Before now her smiles have only been gas. She is working really hard at holding her head up on her own too. She now prefers to be held up on your shoulder so she can practice. The bad thing about this is that every now and then she loses control and head butts you in the mouth or spits up down your back. :)

Zelda, Kenny and Zits

Zelda is driving me crazy! I know that Jack Russells need alot of attention but this one has gone off the deep end. Ross plays with her constantly (She gets more attention than Lily and I combined!) and I take her for a long walk or a run 6 days a week. She has a doggy door and a yard to play in, but all this just simply isn't enough for her. Today I took her running with me and she ran 2 miles, and then was bugging me to play catch with her 5 minutes after we got home!! Right now she is in my lap because she was crying for attention. Doesn't she understand that I am TIRED!
Ross got a new camera from his mum, so that one with Lily looking like Kenny from South Park is Ross's doing. I was at work so I am not sure if he was having trouble dressing her, or if he just thought she looked funny. Either way, I thought it was cute.
Lily has acne! I had acne really bad during my pregnancy and was so happy when it cleared up, until I realized that I gave it to my child! Everyone (including her doctor) says that it is normal, but I don't like it. I want her to have beautiful baby skin like the babies in magazines!

2nd post today....I'm catching up!

I don't know how well you will be able to see these pictures, but they are amazing! They are pictures of Lily compared to pictures of Ross and I. I was trying to determine which one of us she looks like, but comparing these pictures only made it harder to determine the answer to that question. The first 3 are Ross and the rest are Me.

Five Weeks old today

(These pictures are from two weeks ago 8-3)Wow time is flying by! Lily is eating loads and pooping loads too! I remember when I was pregnant and had 5 weeks to go and it seemed like FOREVER but now that the countdown is working in the opposite direction, the clock seems to be running much faster.
David and Sharah were supposed to be arriving for a visit today, but unfortunately Sharah had a family emergency and they had to postpone. We are sad about that :(
Yesterday I had my last post-pardom (is that spelled right?) doctor visit. Everything is good. My doctor promised me that my strange scar swelling would go away. I was really worried about it too because I found articles on the net about it and they called it the "cesarean overhang" and had pictures of all these women's scars where it never went away. I am keeping my fingers crossed that my doc is right. Another good thing is that she gave me the ok to excersize again! We took a family run last night around the neighborhood. I had Zelda on a leash, and Ross pushed Lily in the stroller. I came back to the house and did sit-ups and push-ups too. It felt so good to work out again. The part that sucks though is that I am so fat that my belly jiggles when I run.....yuck! More motovation to keep it up. This afternoon when I got off work I went running up and down the beach and now I am so stiff. I LOVE IT!

Sleep torture, sucking fingers, and hats

Don't get me wrong, Lily is WONDERFUL and most of the time she sleeps very well. However, Every now and then we get sleep tortured. Look closely at the picture of Ross and you will see Lily's little body beside him. Here is how the sleep torture goes. Lily goes to bed, I quickly clean up and try to get myself to bed asap. A half hour passes and Lily wakes up screaming. I get her out of bed, rock her for awhile she falls fast asleep again. Lily back in bed, I get back in bed. another half hour passes and we go through the entire procedure again. Then we get to the point where she doesn't even need to be rocked. She will go back to sleep if you just put your hand on her and move her a little. This is torture! Somehow it isn't exhausting for her, but as you can see by the look on Ross's face, it is very tiring! We have tried putting her in our bed but it is so squishy that she rolls over into us and I am afraid that I will suffocate her so there is no way to sleep like that either. So, we have to make a palate on the floor in order to sleep with her.

The finger thing. When I was a kid I didn't suck my thumb, I sucked two fingers. It HAD to be those two fingers. Not any other. My parents finally broke me of it when I was about 4 by taping my index finger to my middle finger and my ring finger to my pinkie like star trek. I have caught Lily doing this twice! Crazy huh?

The hat. I ADORE it! The little outfit was a gift and it even has matching undies! It is a little too big for her, but I couldn't resist. She wore the hat the whole day too. That is, until Ross got a hold of her and then it disapeared. He thinks it looks stupid. He dislikes it so much that he wouldn't take these pictures to work with the rest of them! What do you think of the hat?

What the books don't tell you

I must have read a dozen books on pregnancy and childbirth, and none of them talked about what I like to call "the aftermath". I guess people are just supposed to know what a wreck pregnancy leaves your body in. Maybe because I don't have a mom, but no one warned me about all of this. I must have missed that memo.
I am just shocked at the condition of my body. Sure, I expected that I would be fat and I expected that it would take me awhile to get back in shape, but I didn't expect this!
1. Every ab muscle has disappeared completely. If I lay on my back and poke my belly, I can feel that I do not have a single abdominal muscle left. I have never had a washboard stomach, but I have always been able to feel at least some muscle under the fat. Not anymore.
2. Hormones effect hair growth. I swear my legs are hairy again 4 hours after shaving them.
3. If you have no ab muscles, you cannot suck in your gut.
4. a C-section scar swells up. Not only does my fat gut stick out of my clothes, but so does my c-section scar. I am serious! You can see the swollen lump through my clothes! it is the weirdest looking thing! It is disgusting. My doctor tells me that it will go away eventually, but it could take months....Great!
5. Fat clothes don't even fit! I feel mighty stupid wearing maternity clothes while you are pushing a stroller!
6. Hormones effect eyesight. I went into the hospital with perfectly fine sight and came out so blind that I can't read street signs anymore.

Not everything is bad though...
I have come out of pregnancy with some good changes too.
1. I have realized that I really don't need to be wasted to be social.
2. My nails grow longer and stronger than they ever have. For most people this happens DURING pregnancy, but I guess I am a late bloomer.
3. My acne has cleared up.

I guess that once you have a baby so much attention is focused on her that everyone forgets to tell you about these things. I am writing them here so that maybe we can have some pregnancy aftermath awareness!!

Lily is 3 weeks old already

Time has been flying by! I have been so busy and I love it! I was so bored during my pregnancy and now I am too busy to read my emails. This week my dad came to town to meet his first granddaughter. He arrived on Monday and left on Thursday so it was a hectic week. Fun though. Wednesday night Marge (Ross's Mum) watched Lily while Ross, my Dad, Brandi and I all went out. My first drinks since Halloween went down a little too smoothly. We all got good and drunk. It was so much fun, but Ross and I realized that we are not going to be able to both get that drunk at the same time until Lily gets older. In the middle of the night we each had to take turns holding her while the other one vomited. It was quite a circus act.
With Marge's extra help around the house I have still been able to open my new webstore even! I haven't done as much with it as I would like to, but thank goodness that I have a laptop and wireless internet. I hold Lily with one hand and try to manage web-building with the other. It is a slow process but it is working. Exciting too. I haven't started advertising yet, but I have actually had quite a few sales. Each week my sales have doubled from the week before so if I can keep that up (or at least just keep a weekly increase), it may just pay off afterall.

My two loves!

Isn't this the sweetest thing?

11 days with baby....my boobs hurt!

Breastfeeding sucks! My nipples are so sore that they hurt constantly. Newborns have to eat every 2 to 4 hours and I am beginning to think that is all I do. Thankfully I have this great book that Missy bought for me months and months ago about breastfeeding that has a journal part and a daily chart to keep track of everything. I realized at the hospital that I was going to have to write everything down because I was constantly being asked "how long since she fed?" and I was constantly answering "uh........well......um......I think it was about..." And in order to be able to determine if she is eating enough, you need to keep track of how much she pees and poops. This journal thingy is great too because there is also a chart to keep track of everything I eat. I can't fit into any of my clothes and I am still wearing maternity clothes, so that will turn out to be useful too. At the doctor's office last Wednesday I weighed 158 pounds. Pre-pregnancy I weighed 128........I think I went way overboard on the pregnancy weight gain!
Hopefully Lily and I will get this breastfeeding technique down soon so my boobs won't hurt so much. Everything I read says that if baby "latches on" correctly than it isn't painful and then they go through the steps of a "proper Latch" but obviously we haven't gotten it down right.
Wish us luck!

Experiencing Childbirth

They say that childbirth is a miracle, I cannot think of any better way to describe it. It was definitely the most spiritual experience that I have ever encountered. The cycle of life is the most amazing thing. I cannot explain the joy that I was feeling at the moment that this picture was taken. As I write this Lily is one week old and this is her original due date, and I cry every time I see this picture. I had it very easy because I didn't have to do labor, but I was so scared none the less.
I had to start fasting at midnight Wednesday and we went to the hospital at 9:30AM. They sent us to the family waiting room and left us there with no more information or anything until 12:30PM. At that time a nurse (her name was Lillian!) came and told us that there had been too many births that day and that they would be moving my surgery back to 5PM. I begged her to let me have something to drink because I was SOOOOO thirsty, and she caved and gave me about an ounce of crushed ice (so generous). By this time my Aunt Charlotte, her boyfriend, and my cousin Sandy had arrived so we all went back to my house to kill a few hours. I went to sleep because I was so weak from lack of food or water and they all went out to eat. I got the best sleep that I have had in months because I didn't have to get up to pee every 15 minutes.
At 5 I called the hospital and they said for me to wait a few more minutes to let them find out weather or not they could do the procedure. At this point I am dying of thirst. Finally, when I called back at 6 they said come on in and we'll operate. Off we went.
As we are walking into the hospital I start to panic because unlike earlier that day, I am now wide awake and VERY scared of the operation. They shuffle me around a little because it seems that most of the nurses are unaware that I am supposed to be there. This of course sends me into super-fright because I really want everyone to know exactly what is happening. A c-section may be no big deal to them, but to me, it is a very big deal!
They put me in a gown and after two attempts, put in an IV. This makes my entire arm cold, but completes one of the things that I was scared of. The next thing that I was afraid of comes next....the catheter. Yuck. This pinches a little, but not nearly as bad as I was expecting. Now, more waiting. About 30 minutes later my doctor comes in and says "ok, are you ready?"
By this time I have cried buckets and poor Ross has had to work so hard to reassure me and keep me calm.
Then the hard part. They wheel me into the OR and move me to this very narrow little bed with planks for your arms that stick straight out the sides like a horizontal cross. I have to sit up and curl my back for the epidural. I kept thinking about the fact that I VOLUNTARILY spent three hours letting a tattoo artist put needles in my back so I shouldn't freak about this one. Yes, it hurt. Hurt like hell. And it made me twitch, but about 30 seconds later I started losing feeling in my feet. ahhh relax a little. Within a minute I could no longer move my legs. From here everything moved very quickly. Ross was next to me stroking my head and made me feel so good about everything. I felt like I was going to vomit so he held a pan under my chin. They adjusted my meds and the vomit feeling went away. I then had a hard time breathing and they adjusted something else and that went away.
The only thing I can feel at this time is what feels like people pushing on my stomach in all different areas. I felt this for about 10 minutes or so then I felt this spiritual out of body experience. Literally. I felt Lily coming out of my body! But not physically. I just knew it in my heart. Then I hear the doctor call the time of birth. Then I hear her cry.
I can't explain what I felt here. The best feeling in the world.
I see here over at a table over to the side and they are cleaning her up. They brought her over so I could see her and all I could do was cry. I couldn't move any part of my body and I couldn't hold her, but they put her close enough for her to touch my cheek and I could kiss her. This is the most special moment of my life. Everything else I have ever done is unimportant.
It took another 30 minutes or so for them to sew me up and then they turned off the meds and I began to be able to move my arms and after they moved me to the rolling bed they let me hold my baby. I got to hold her as they wheeled me to recovery and she had her eyes open looking at me the entire time. The rest of the world disappeared.
Once in recovery they took her to the nursery and Ross went too. The drugs knocked me out.

It's a Girl

Thursday, July 13, 2006
8:46 PM
7 lbs 9 oz
17.5 inches

Nesting, Belly Lines, Veins and heartburn

I think Ross is nesting more than I am. I feel like I am set up and ready, as far as the house goes. I have a to-do-before-Thursday list, but it mostly entails things like exchanging duplicate gifts and finishing thank you notes and getting my website orders up to date in order to leave it for a few days. I am not feeling the overwhelming urdge to decorate or clean as I keep reading about. I think Ross is though. He is a VERY neat person anyway, but this past week he has over cleaned and tackled little home projects that we both have been setting asside for months. But of course, his mum is arriving the same day as Lily, so maybe he is also trying to prepare to show off his house to his mum? Either way, he doesn't say much about being excited, but it is easy to see that he is feeling some rush from all of this.

I am dying to know what my belly will look like after the surgery. I keep reading that it still takes awhile to shrink back down and to expect to look about 5 months pregnant when leaving the hospital, but I have gotten so used to this giant entity that hangs out in front of me, that I forgot what that was like. Couple of weird things too. There is this thing called the Linea Niegra (I may be spelling that wrong) that is a dark pigmented line that goes from the belly button to about where your pubic hair starts (not a hairy line, it is your actual skin). Aparently, everyone has this, but it only shows up on pregnant ladies and is supposed to go away after birth. I never got this, but if you look at my belly shot, I DO have one, it is just from my belly button UP! I completely have a backward child! Maybe it is because her father is from the other hemisphere! :)
Another gross thing about my belly. You can see all my viens on the sides. Sure hope that goes away.
Lots of people at this stage of pregnancy experience the baby "dropping" and it is supposed to change the discomforts a little. It is supposed to put more pressure on the bladder, but at the same time releiving the out of breath feeling and the heartburn a little. Well, because Lily is sideways, she can't drop. So, unfortunately, no relief of the heartburn. I would gladly trade off a few more bathroom visists to get rid of some of the flames inside my esophogus!

6-30-2006

Sorry about the delay, I just haven't downloaded my camera lately, this was from June 30th.

This is the way I dress around the house all the time. Poor Ross, he may never find me attractive ever again. This is a tank top that was small, back when I was small! And as you can see, I am wearing it inside out because I am completely unwilling to put out the effort to dress properly.

I'm having a celebrity birth

We just got back from the doctor's office and it is now official. We are having a C-section. They scheduled it for a week from tomorrow. Thursday, July 13th. I am overwhelmed with emotions right now. I am happy that I don't have to go through labor, but I kinda feel like I am cheating. I am nervous about the surgery because I have never had a surgery before. I am frightened that I have to be awake through it too because I am very squeamish about blood and medical stuff. Ross is worried about the money, but I have been broke and in debt for so long that I am used to not having anything in the bank. I am also feeling a rush of nerves because now I no longer have almost 3 weeks to prepare, I have a week! There is so many little loose ends to tie up.
One of the nights that I have to stay in the hospital, Ross is actually going to have to work! His boss took off the whole month of July, which wouldn't be too much of a problem except that his girlfriend who is with him, is also a bartender! AND the other girl that Ross usually works with planned her vacation for the weekend of the 14th so she would make sure to be there to cover for Ross the weekend of the 22nd, but now that the baby is coming a week early, there is no one left to work for Ross. Luckily there is only a conflict on the one night while I am still in the hospital because I think I will really need him more after we come home.
The other conflict is that the 13th is the same day that Marge is getting here from Zimbabwe. She would have been flying for something like 36 hours and arrive to us already having the baby. We are scheduled for surgery at 12:30 and her flight gets in at 4:00. I hope she doesn't mind Brandi picking her up from the airport because I am not letting Ross leave my side!
I don't know if I am really ready to take care of a baby yet! I know I should have been thinking about all this way before now, but I feel like everything just kinda hit me!

Week 37

Baby Shower

WOW did I get a bunch of stuff this weekend at my baby shower! It was great. Brandi, Sam and Veronika put on such a great party for us. Ross didn't get to stay the whole time, because he had to work, but so many people came and shared the afternoon with us. We got TONS of presents....way more than I would have ever expected. We really have some VERY generous friends and family and I really have my work cut out for me writing thank you notes.

I am also so super happy that several of my friends made long journeys to come down. Chris flew down from Atlanta, Nichole from St. Pete and Rikki from Lake City!!! I was really feeling the love this weekend.

Ross and I haven't bought a camera yet, so I am waiting for my friends to send me their copies of the pictures. The ones here are from Rikki. I will post more as soon as people pass them to me.

Hope everyone has a nice and safe independence day celebration. I am going to skip it this year because I really don't want to fight the crowds at the beach and the traffic and the drunks. Zelda and I will probably kick back with a pizza (Ross has to work).

oh, and more exciting stuff. I made a post on Craig's list to try and find a rocking chair and someone is willing to sell me theirs for only $25.00! I have been looking high and low for a rocking chair for months now. All the stores have now-a-days are gliders. I also didn't want to spend a bunch so I have been scouring the yard sales and goodwills. I am thrilled that I finally found one.

Wednesday we find out weather or not we will be scheduling a C-section, so check back!

Doctor's Apointment update

Well, as of this past Wednesday, Lily STILL has NOT moved. The Doctor said that next week we will do yet another ultrasound (yes, that means another $500.00!!!) in order to make a definate plan as to wether or not to do a c-section. If we do a c-section we will have to go ahead and book the O.R. and everything for week 39. So, even though it will be alot more expense, Lily would get to come into our lives one week early. Another positive would be no labor for me! The doctor assured me that even though the healing process is harder, and it would be a few more weeks before I can go running again, it is completly safe and is done so often these days that it really isn't a big deal anymore. Ross is really concerned about the money, but even if we get to do it the old fashion way there is still so much of a chance of a risk or something that could end up costing thousands more anyway. Either way we are screwed, so why bother worrying, right?
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Shower!!!
I am so excited about my baby shower tomorrow. I am so excited to get all my friends from here together with Ross's friends and my friends from Tallahassee!

skinny

My dad sent me this picture of my mom to show me how quickly she got back in shape after having my sister (her first). It is (I assume) to try to encourage me after the baby is born, but realistically, it makes me feel even fatter because I was never that skinny to begin with!

Rockin' bikini though huh?
1973

33 days to go

Still no 3D ultrasound

Well, this week we went back to the doctor for another attempt at the 3D ultrasound. But, our baby is still being stubborn and has not moved around yet. This is a little bad. I can do without the 3D pictures, but now with only 5 weeks to go they are concerned that she won't turn around in time. So many people tell me about how they were breech or their kids were born breech. It is kinda scary because they are just reinforcing to me how often it happens! Well, these days it is more dangerous to try to deliver breech than it is to do a c-section, so if she doesn't turn than they will just schedule me to get cut open.
Advantages- no labor. I would do it just like the stars do. Check in, get the surgery and boom....there is a baby. Less risk of a complication. No cone head for Lily.
Disadvantages- Cost. I remind you all, I do NOT have health insurance! This would be about another six grand. Hormones. The body produces hormones during the labor process that help the body recover back to normal, and help the body start producing milk for breastfeeding. Without the labor process the body struggles to start these processes. Recovery - I'll be trying to learn how to take care of a newborn and learn to breastfeed while recovering from having major surgery. More time until I can run again. I am DYING to run! I want so badly to just run down the street as fast as I can. Having a C-section will mean a few more weeks extra before I can do that. (minor, I know, I just can't help but to think these things....I feel like I am handicapped)
Good news - non-baby related though.
1) The Miami Heat going to the finals in the NBA playoffs has given me the opportunity to work a bunch of extra shifts. I have worked 5 or 6 days a week for almost a month now (remember, I usually only work 2) and when I work extra I get cash (tax-free!)
2) I am officially a business owner! My new online specialty boutique is scheduled to open on July 15th but it is looking like it may open early around the 3rd or 4th instead. I am so excited! I cannot wait!

Pregnancy gives you strange dreams

I have had very strange very vivid dreams throughout this whole pregnancy, but last nights had to have been the strangest.
Last night I had triplets. I had three of the FIVE that I was carrying! I had three of them 7 weeks early and I was trying to describe to my friends that this occurance is common in multiple births. AND the babies were huge. They could talk even! I had them for a day and a half before I remembered that I was supposed to be feeding them. I took one and started to breastfeed and I was talking to my friend at the same time about what I should name them. They were all boys. Except for one of them. One, was a doberman! yes, a dog! (However in my dream no one seemed to think this was strange?) We decided to name one of the boys 'Junior' and I had decided to give the doberman up for adoption on account of me being afraid of him. Then I woke up.

3D Ultrasound

Ross and I went on Wednesday to get a 3D ultrasound. I had heard good and bad things about it. Some people say it is creepy looking, and others say that it is so cool to be able to see so much of your baby before she is even born. However, it didn't really matter much because apparently Lily is already not wanting to cooperate.
First, we get signed in and the receptionist or Medical Assistant, or whatever her job title is, tells me "That will be $350.00 please" Of course I freak because as you know if you have been reading this blog.....I don't have health insurance. My doctors office put me on a payment plan that was supposed to include everything except any unexpected extras if any should arise. We broke up the payments and we made sure to pay them all before I quit working full time. Now, any money that is in the bank is very limited! I asked her about why it wasn't included and if it was really necessary. If it was just going to be for fun, just to see what she would look like....for $350.00, I would have skipped it. She needs a stroller and some diapers more than I need to see what she'll look like before she comes out! Anyway, the chick says that yes it IS necessary and that because I already got the ultrasound that was included in my package, this one is extra. Ok, so I dig out the credit card that I had worked so hard to pay off and paid it.
We go in for the ultra sound and the first thing the ultrasound tech says is..."oh shoot, we are going to have to try this again in a couple of weeks" and I panic because I DEFINITELY can't afford another $350 in two weeks. I ask her if I will have to pay again and explained that I don't have insurance and if it isn't necessary I'd like to skip it. And, she said, "oh no, this is free! The 3D is strictly for fun!" I told her that I had just been charged $350.00 for this "fun, free ultrasound" and she went and straightened it out with the stupid girl at the desk. They gave us a refund....YAY!!!!
but anyway, the reason that we couldn't do the 3D this week was because Lily is turned around backwards and all we could see is her spine. ALSO, at this moment, she is breech. Of course I don't want to hear that! My doctor said not to worry until 3 more weeks. If she doesn't turn around by then....that is when we start worrying. So, I already have a child who doesn't want to be normal! Backwards and upside down!

Countdown

Surprise Shower!!!!!

Today My Aunt Charlotte, and cousins Sandy, Pamela, Alexander and Allison came down from Melborne for a visit. No one here knew it, but they were bringing me a shower! They brought lunch and "little cakes" and TONS of presents. They brought gifts from everyone from the Strong side of the family. We cracked open a bottle of Champagne and a bottle of Sparkling Cider for me and the kids. We had a really nice day and stuffed ourselves silly. I now have SO MANY outfits for Lily. She is going to be the best dressed kid around! I had to include the picture of Brandi and I because she is just so excited that she is so much smaller than me. All of the time growing up, every time she teased me (remember she is the OLDER sister) I would just come back with "well, I'm skinnier than you" and even though I maybe weighed only 3 or 4 pounds less than her, she would get so upset. So now, she loves to call me fat and tell everyone how much skinner than me she is. It is ok, I'm taking it for now, but that is going to be my motivation to get the extra weight off quickly come August.

Kicking

Lily kicks and moves almost constantly now. I can tell she is going to be hyper like Ross because she moves all the time! At first the kicking was always in one general area just under my belly button, now she moves all over the place. Her favorite place to kick is right under my left rib. That one is kinda annoying.
I have been spending loads of time on the computer trying to get my websites to start earning some money, and all that time in a chair really allows me to notice just how much she kicks. Also, all this time in a chair has really made me a lard-butt! I have always had a job that kept me active, and between switching to a desk job and not lifting weights anymore, I have really packed on some extra pounds! I know I am supposed to gain weight, but I have really gone overboard. I have outgrown my maternity clothes even! I don't mind the huge belly, because that is understandable, it is the flabby arms and huge thighs and chunky butt that I have developed that is starting to bother me. I am really going to have my work cut out for me getting my figure back after Lily is born!

Heartburn taking over my life

I have acid reflux so I have dealt with heartburn for a long time, however, I have never had anything remotely close to this! I have been taking Zantac 150 twice a day for a month now and have STILL managed to polish off an industrial size bottle of extra strength Tums. I have to time my day around my Zantac and it still doesn't even always help. I feel like if I open my mouth fire will come out. Tonight I haven't eaten anything because my esophogus hurts so bad. I have already eaten 5 Tums and chugged Malox and I STILL have heartburn!!!! It doesn't matter what I eat either. Today's heartburn has been worse than ever and I haven't eaten anything bad that would usually be the culprit. THIS SUCKS!

Oh and to top it all off.....my beloved fan doesn't work! Does anyone know an electrician in my area that won't rip me off? I have to have someone come fix this stupid thing, I don't want to have to sleep in Lily's room for the next two months!

What a difference!

What I USED to look like, and what I look like now. Tonya hasn't changed a bit!