Weight a minute...

The title may be deceiving. I have not actually had problems with my weight gain in the past 4 weeks!!! I'm thrilled to share that I've only gained 2 lbs in the past 4 weeks. I know the last part of my pregnancy will be where the bulk of my weight gain will begin, but I'm resolved to maintain a healthy, steady gain and not a weight-gain-free-for-all I seemed to take part in during my last pregnancy.

So far, I've gained 15 lbs during the last 24 weeks, and I hope to only gain another 10 lbs. That would put my gain in the normal range for my height/weight pre-pregnancy. I think I can do it!

Here are some suggestions I have for those of you who'd like to assist me in this endeavor:
1. DO NOT tell me "It's okay, you're eating for two", because if I do that, I will look like I'm just eating for one really big person post-pregnancy.
2. DO tell me if you think I'm looking healthy. I really miss hearing people comment on how healthy I look!
3. DO NOT tell me I look like I'm getting bigger width-wise. Even if I'm carrying lower with wider hips, I really don't need to be told. I can feel it!
4. DO offer support when I eat a salad instead of a cheeseburger at lunch. I really love cheeseburgers, but I'll love being able to fit all my pregnancy clothes through to the end even better!
5. Last, but not least, DO continue to be the most supportive friends/family I've ever had. I wouldn't be so healthy if it weren't for the support I feel every day!

Okay, so I'm not going to post my weight, but I feel that posting my weight gain will help me stay on track. SO, as of 12/26/2007:
Weight gain: 15 lbs @ 24th week of pregnancy

Finally, good news!

We met with our doctor after not having seen her in 8 weeks. It was a great appointment, especially since we had all of our questions answered (our list was at least 6 deep!) Here is a short list of the answers we received:

1. Red raspberry leaf tea is perfectly acceptable for me to drink (it's the only herbal tea that is proven to be safe to drink during pregnancy, and is said to improve uterine health)
2. I am doing a good job trying to stay active, yet at the same time staying off my feet when I can. My compression stockings should help with some of the pain and pressure I am feeling.
3. Not only will my doctor allow me to start water aerobics, but she encourages it!
4. The ultrasound picked up an irregular heart beat, meaning Carolina's heart would skip a beat every now and then. What does that mean? It means that, unless her heart rate increases dramatically (over 240), then she will be fine. They will monitor her heart rate every two weeks to make sure she is fine.
5. There is no way to know if I will need bed rest at this point. Therefore, I do not have to worry about it any time soon.

She was so patient about answering my questions, even though she had a delivery to do just minutes after my appointment. I felt very fortunate that we had the opportunity to talk with her, and am now feeling much more at ease about the rest of my pregnancy journey.

And the verdict is....

We are having a GIRL!!!

Let us introduce: Carolina Lily Kessinger

The 27th is the BIG day...

We scheduled our "gender" appointment for November 27th. We are so excited about finding out the sex of the baby, mostly because I'd like to stop calling it "baby" and start calling the child by it's name. SO--we will announce our child's name on the 27th!!!

Does anyone have any guesses regarding the gender? Or any suggestions on names? We are pretty set on names, but have been known to change our minds every now and then.

Science is overrated....

My friend at school predicted the sex of the baby last week using a pencil, piece of thread and a needle. I know, it doesn't seem scientific or reliable, at least that's what I thought. But she used it on herself and it "predicted" that, in her lifetime, she'd have two boys and a girl (which is what she has). So after these trial runs, I get "tested". The verdict...in my lifetime, I'm going to have a girl (Victoria), and a BOY:) Can't wait to see if this test was right.

Any predictions you'd like to share?

So how was your month?

I cannot believe it's been a month since we were able to post. Actually, having been around here the past month, I can believe it.

With marching band season, and school, and fall sports, and other assorted real life kind of things going on, it's been hard to post. We've also had to deal with a dodgy internet connection that has been totally unpredictable. It's working now, though, so here I am.

Melody and I went in to the OB/GYN - or as I call her, the O.G.* - for the second monthly check-up Tuesday morning. Despite being unable to find a parking spot within the same ZIP code as the office, things went well. We did get to hear the heartbeat this time around, a rock-solid 140 B.P.M. Cool, right?

Our O.G. must have a lot of patients obsessed with finding out the gender because she immediately said "And you CAN'T tell the sex of the baby from the heartbeat." Two check-ups, two "and you CAN'T tell the sex" lines from her. Okay, Doc, we get it.

Not that we need to know the sex of the baby. Most people have already declared it a boy. I even had my first baby dream this week, and the baby was a boy.

We CAN tell the sex of the baby from a 20-week ultrasound, which we will have sometime around/after Thanksgiving (we haven't set that appointment yet). We're still set on Carolina Lily for a girl. We've been favoring Brooklyn Ilan for a boy, but we've been known to change our minds.

I will leave you with a scan from our first ultrasound last month - one normal shot and one with our latest progeny highlighted. Enjoy.

--Kess

*O.G. is hip hop slang, standing for "Original Gangster." It's also Ice-T's fourth album, released in 1991. This is incredibly funny to me. Mama Kess pretends to laugh along with me, part of the reason our marriage has worked so well.

What Not To Say To Expectant Parents Part 1

"Ohhhhh...You don't want to have a baby born on April 16. That's the day my mom died."

"THE Talk"

Tonight was the night. After putting it off for a day or two, I finally answered the burning question of the week:

"How does the daddy's sperm get inside the mommy?"



It wasn't that hard to do, actually. I had a day or two to look up age-appropriate things to say and to psych up for it. When the moment came, I stifled a nervous giggle and pressed ahead.



Whew. I hope I passed that test.



I gave VJ the scientific info she needed and made sure she knew it was okay to ask me any thing, any time. I only made her promise me one thing. Don't - don't - talk to your friends about this. Every mommy and daddy gets to tell their child about it in their own special way and they, not you, get to be the messenger. I hope she takes me seriously.



It's been nearly seven years since I had a newborn to care for, about two years since I had a preschooler. I realized the other day that I'm a bit out of the loop and better start brushing up on the latest trends in parenting.



Dana Loesch's column in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reminded me just how out of it I am. I recognized precious few of the shows on her "official pretentious hipster guide to kiddie shows" list. I agree with her on Lazytown, Oswald and Thomas the Tank Engine. Just horrible.



She piqued my interest, however, with her rave reviews for Yo Gabba Gabba, I show I was inclined to dislike on name alone (reminds me too much of the Doodlebops and TeleTubbies). How could Biz Markie be on a children's show and I not know about it?!?!?!? This is an outrage. I'm totally setting a tape for 9:30 a.m. tomorrow. It's time to brush up on the beatboxing skills.



--Jeff

It's Official!

So I guess this means it's official. We have seen the baby's heartbeat. It was a long process, but we finally viewed the this living creature and all it's amazingness.

We are 9 weeks and 6 days pregnant, which made it somewhat difficult to pick up the heartbeat the usual way. So the doctor decided we should have an ultrasound to see that everything was fine.

Once we saw the baby, it suddenly became real. We really ARE having a baby, and it really IS growing inside my body! It was moving it's tiny little arms, and it's heart was pumping strongly.

It is too early to view the sex of the baby, but all that is important right now is that the baby is healthy and has a strong heartbeat. We couldn't ask for anything more!

We will keep you updated as to the progress of this pregnancy, and we will share our ultrasound pictures as soon as we get them scanned in.