Halfway Cooked! (and other updates)

Brandy: So today marks the beginning of week 20. My bun in the oven is halfway cooked! Brian and I had an appointment with Dinah this morning. It was nice that Brian got to meet Dinah and see the birthing center. She said not to worry about the stuff that came up in the sonogram. The appointment went really well. We talked for a while, then I got to jump on the exam table for measurements and the heartbeat. My fundal height is 20.5 cm and the baby's heartbeat was in the 150's. Everything looks good, and I feel great that I am in Dinah's care. Brian really seemed to get along with her as well, which is important to me. At the end of each appointment, Dinah has you randomly pick a card from a little bound book to read aloud. They are statements to make you feel nice about pregnancy and birth. My statement was "I am comfortable with the energy of birth". Then Brian got to pick one too. His said "I treat myself like a goddess". Too funny!!

Friday I took a late lunch from work and Brian met me at 2 home day cares. The first one is a lady named Chantell. She is really sweet, and was recommended by our neighbors. Their little girl has been going there for a while, and they really like her. Chantell's daughter goes to the elementary school a block from our house. So, during the school year Chantell will drop her daughter off at school and then pick up our neighbor's daughter. The cool part is, she would pick up our little one too! How nice would that be? The rate is very reasonable, and if we take vacation with advance notice we do not have to pay! The other daycare we randomly chose to look at, but it ended up that Brian's step mom used to live on her street and knew Elvira (the lady who runs the daycare) very well!! So, this place is a little closer to home, and they have more kids here. They are allowed to have more kids because there are 2 caregivers. Elvira's daughter-in-law lives next door and helps her watch the kiddos. So, choosing between them... I really want Chantell as the caregiver, but we are not sure if she has a spot open. She has a lady that said she was going to use Chantell, but has not placed her deposit. Chantell is giving her another 2 weeks to place the deposit (since her baby is due now) and then she will give us her spot if she does not pay up soon. Legally, she can take on another child (in addition to the one who has not placed the deposit), but she has to pick her daughter up from school and there is not enough room in her van for all of the kids. So the other option is that Chantell is looking for an after school program for her daughter OR a friend that can pick her up. Either way, we are on a waiting list and I hope we hear something soon. I would be happy with Elvira, I just like Chantell a little better. If it works out with Chantell, I will use Elvira as a back up/drop in when Chantell is closed due to illness or scheduled vacation. That should save us in the event of a sudden closure (if Chantell, her hubby or daughter get sick).

Other news... Brian and I had a fun time discussing baby names Friday evening. I think we actually have decided on a name! We are using it aloud at home to make sure we really like it and it sticks. Saturday morning I went to prenatal yoga. and later we went shopping for baby clothes. We made the trek up to Allen Outlets because I had coupons for Carter's and Osh Kosh. I loved Carter's! They had so much to choose from, and great prices/sales. Osh Kosh was a bit pricier and the selection for babies was not very good. We also stopped at a store called Buy Buy Baby on the way home. It is owned by Bed Bath and Beyond, and has a really nice selection of baby products that is different from Babies R Us. The only bad thing is that the store is SO FAR away!

A Great Giveaway from Jolly Mom and Thank You Baby

Brandy: So I have said before that I am addicted to blog giveaways. I wanted to tell you about a fabulous giveaway I found out about! Jolly Mom http://www.jollymom.com Thank You Baby http://www.thankyoubaby.com and Cymax http://www.cymax.com are giving away a complete set of nursery decor and matching youth room decor! The retail value is $644! The giveaway ends on 8/10 so hurry over to Jolly Mom and sign up! Good Luck!

It's a... Surprise!

Brandy: Okay, so we had our 20 week sonogram this morning (even though I am 19 weeks and 2 days). I would say most everything went pretty well. We did not get very good pictures, because the baby would turn away every time the technician tried to get a good shot. All of the measurements and fluid level were good. The baby is actually measuring at 19 weeks, 5 days which is close enough to our due date. The heartbeat was 147. Just as I thought, the baby likes to face the back of my uterus, so that is why it is harder for me to feel the little punches and kicks at this point. When the baby faces outward, I do definitely feel the movements! We DID find out the sex of our baby, and the technician was 98% sure in this department. We can get another look to at my next sonogram. I have to go back for another sonogram in 4-5 weeks because they want to re-check 2 things. The first I do not think is anything at all to worry about. The technician could not get a very good look at the baby's heart, and she thought she might see some calcification. She assured us it is NOTHING to worry about since our quad screen was negative and the measurements she took of the neural fold area were normal. Honestly, I believe her when she says not to worry about it. The second thing they have to check again is my placenta. It is low lying (near my cervix), and they need to make sure it is growing up and away from the cervix. I do not have placenta previa at this point (where the placenta covers the cervix in whole or in part), but they need to make sure it does not develop. So, what does this mean? It means that if the placenta does not move away from my cervix, I might have to switch to a doctor. And if I develop placenta previa, this would mean a scheduled c-section. I am hoping and wishing and dreaming that I at least get to try natural childbirth. I do not want to be denied my chance to try. C'mon placenta - do your thing! I have an appointment with my midwife on Monday morning, and I am hoping she has some secret herbal remedy or exercises I can do to encourage my placenta to cooperate. I will do ANYTHING she tells me to do!!!

Guess What?

Brandy: I just received an email that I won another giveaway today! Two in one day, wow! This win came from Thrifty Minnesota Mama and was for a book called Where The Mountain Meets The Moon. I am on a roll!

Another Win!

Brandy: I am so excited that I have been lucky enough to win another blog giveaway. This one was from Natural Mommie. I won a baby tee that says "Organic Baby", and it is made of organic cotton! Here is the link to where the shirt is coming from http://www.littleshowoffs.com/ . The site has some really cute stuff! I hope that my luck keeps up!

My Search for Child Care and Other Updates

Brandy: Last week, I started looking for childcare, and I have to say it is a little overwhelming. So far I have found 2 places that I like. Here is the lowdown... Place #1: The Octopus Garden - it is right near work, very small, been around for a long while, the teachers have been there forever, nice activities for the kiddos... I was impressed with the place, but not "over the top" impressed. I would feel comfortable leaving my baby here. I could stop by at lunch if I wanted to. The only bad thing is that if Brian needs to drop off or pick up the baby, it will be out of the way for him. Also, the waiting list for the infant room is April of 2010! We would have to do some creative child care until the spot opens up, because even though I would love to, I can't take off of work that long. Place #2: White Rock North School - it is very near home (about 7 minutes), on 3 acres, is a daycare and private school, once our child gets older they have amazing activities (indoor skating rink, indoor pool, music classes, and PE are all included), pet horse on site... They also offer other activities we can pay for (karate, dance class, piano, etc...), I was VERY impressed with this place. Since it is close to home, it would be easy for Brian and I to both have access for drop off/pick up. They can guarantee us a spot whenever we will need them. And they are okay that we don't have an exact start date for them, considering that I can't guarantee when my baby will be born! The downside - we would have to pay monthly (not weekly like the other place). Also, since they are a private school, there are 4 weeks of breaks through the year they are closed (on top of other holidays). There is 1 week in March for Spring break, 1 week in August for teacher in service, and 2 weeks in December for winter break. Brian and I both have plenty of vacation to cover these weeks, and I don't think we will be taking any big vacations any time soon! I just hope that we can manage to have a few days off together as a family.

Other updates... Sunday afternoon, I am pretty sure I felt the baby move! The baby has been hanging around the same spot in my uterus every time we have been checked. The feeling was three distinct, sharp movements in that area... but then it just stopped! Since then, I have not felt the same movement, but I have been feeling some weird sensations that I am now positive is the baby. Once it felt like the baby did a flip in my stomach... it was the weirdest sensation. The movements are not strong enough to feel on the outside of my stomach yet, but I think they will be soon!

We Will Know Soon!

I called today to make the appointment for our 20 week sono. They actually scheduled it for the morning of July 22nd, even though I will only be 19 weeks and 2 days. I hope our little one is cooperative!

Confessions of a short order cook

Brian: Do you know how hard it is to feed a pregnant woman?

It's tough. Did you know they may not want the food you already have in the house after you spent $160 dollars at Whole Foods?

Guess what? Brandy doesn't.

I have cooked so much food over the last few weeks and it's still not enough. Please help me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Brandy: Brian has definitely been great cooking meals and preparing snacks for me. Usually, when the food in the house is not cutting it, it is because I have a craving. I can't help the cravings! Fellow friends who have been pregnant, you understand, right?

All Is Well

Brandy: We got the results of our quad screen test from Monday, and everything is okay! The results were negative for neural tube defects, Down's Syndrome and Trisomy 18. Yay! Oh, and I won another blog giveaway yesterday... a cloth swim diaper made by a seller on Etsy. I got to pick the material and the size, so we are set for swim season 2010!