Can She Hear Me?

There is much controversy in the medical world over what (and when) babies in utereo can hear- or even see for that matter. Studies have found that fetal hearing is clearly developed by 24 weeks- and my own experience with BabyW would have to agree. I think that she began to recognize sounds right about that time, and coincidence or not, was active whenever we were in the pr essence of another baby. I've tested this theory again over the past few weeks while visiting my girlyfriends and allowing BabyW to have playdates with Baby Aaliyah, Baby Penelope and Baby Grayson! (She's a busy little girl already!) Every time we are around a baby, and it isn't her normal 'awake' time, she reacts with movement. My biggest conclusion as to her sensitivity was over the 4th of July.




I grew up in a a very Podunk, Norman Rockwell-esque town in the middle of California. Very small, and complete with the down-home 4th of July celebration every year. My mom still lives there (how much longer after BabyW arrives! LOL) This is the one time of year that I also get completely homesick- my extended family also comes and this is one holiday that we all get to see each other and catch up. This year was no exception, and despite the 660 mile/ 13-hour + round trip, we made the journey- plus it was school reunion time, a weekend, and the baby shower. Although the drive itself was uneventful, it required a few more stops than normal due to my bitty bladder syndrome. I also discovered that it takes twice as long to load up a car for the road trip and 20 minutes in, I was completely exhausted and began just tossing crap in the rental car- thank goodness for an SUV with room! BabyW was on her best behaviour during the travels- of course!

Saturday the 4th was a BUSY day! It started with shower preparations, then the parade (it runs down Main Street twice!) honoring our nation's military, a arts and crafts fair, visiting with family, the baby shower and on to the fireworks- usually my favorite part! Due to traffic LOL- if you could see the town, you'd be laughing too!- we hoofed it in on brand new sidewalks and joined friends to enjoy the fireworks. GrandmaH bought a sponsorship in BabyW's name- so very cool- but we didn't make it much longer than that. At the detonation of every firework, BabyW 'jumped'- again and again. After about 10 minutes, we were both exhausted and left. There is no other explanation to her reacting like that except for the sounds of the fireworks. Needless to say by the time we got back to my mom's, I was very tired and trying to ward off Braxton-Hicks and some minor swelling. It was quite an adventure!







So, I think BabyW can hear- will she have Mommy's cat-like ears is the question???




From the parade: 'Uncle' Dave & 'Aunt' Betty's old firetruck- we are normally riding on it!

Smokey the Bear!





BabyW's Fireworks that Grandma bought for her!

Fetal Hearing Research:

http://tinyurl.com/kjuwy3

http://tinyurl.com/djmlw

28 Weeks Down....

My personal soundtrack is playing the Star Wars theme and rolling the starting credits…. Today marks the beginning of the end. The start of the third trimester of the pregnancy- 28 weeks down- 12 to go (so ‘they’ say… could be less (we wish) or more… ugh) and the end of our lives as we knew it…. Jason and I are excited to soon become a family. Not that we weren’t a family before, but now we’ll be parents. It’s so exciting, so… new, so… intimidating! I will be the first one to admit that I don’t know ‘nuthin’ bout birth an’ babies’ (uhh, is it movie night in my brain??) and the classes that I was so quick to complain about having to go to will probably very helpful! As will all of my Mommyhood friends….. and they are on speed dial!



Right now I will just say that ignorance is bliss- which is the same reason why I quit reading most of the pregnancy books. Although I am far from a hypochondriac, I was expecting the worst to happen every time I turned around thanks to the information overload provided therein. Pregnancy on its own is enough to stress you out- adding in all of the potential problems is what makes you so emotional! If there was anything going on that was questionable, I either sent a message through webmail to my OB or did a quick internet search on reliable medical sites. I have to say that I feel very, very blessed to have had a healthy, uncomplicated pregnancy up to this point aside from random symptoms here and there! I would much rather go through each day feeling as normal as possible then wonder if each twinge and pain is a red flag danger sign. Coping with this weeks’ onset of sleeplessness, heartburn (never had it before in my life!) and bitty bladder is hard enough…







I want to just enjoy the time I have left to wonder about how my daughter is going to look and act and grow. And actually enjoy the dancing/ gymnastics/ soccer game/ open house that is taking place in my womb without a view. (Sorry, Daddy- it’s NOT a celebration party for your Lakers… BabyW is a Kings fan!) I’m going to tell her all about those times that she kicked me so hard that she made my eyes water- seriously. And how she seems to know when Daddy is nearby- even just on the phone! Speaking of wondering… we’ll get to see a sneak preview of BabyW on Saturday- we are going to get a 3D/4D ultrasound done- just in time for Father’s Day! Don’t worry, I will post the details as soon as I can! Until then, I might be scarce; I have our annual charity golf tournament at work on Thursday, and it is a huge time consuming project for me. (Hence the lack of blogs and tweets with the past few weeks!) I’m counting down the days until then so I can relax a little, but maybe it’s a good distraction from being excited to ‘see’ BabyW in the ultrasound on Saturday!

BabyW's First Friends!

So my child is going to be the smartest baby ever. HA! Well, with Daddy's looks, and Mommy's brains.... a little Friday funny for you! No, really. My friend Paige came to my office the other day and brought her 4-month old precious daughter Penelope to come say hi. Paige (along with the rest of our family and friends, of course!) is so excited for us and we know that BabyW and Penelope will grow up to be good friends! (Along with Stella and Aaliyah too, and then we'll have Grayson to stick up for all of us!) Paige came before lunch when BabyW is usually napping; but I swear as soon as she heard Penelope 'talking' she knew she had company, she got all excited and was moving and kicking! I'm serious.... she loved the company! And then yesterday, I met up with BFF "Auntie Leah" and Baby Grayson and the kid started moving around again when Grayson's was chattering to us! And in the morning when Daddy wakes up all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed (not my trait...) at the crack of dawn and starts talking, BabyW gets excited and starts moving! (I can tell already that she's going to be a morning person......) I on the otherhand can barely manage a descernable 'uh-huh' or 'ugh' prior to 7 a.m.!


There's talk that babies can start recognizing voices and sounds as early as 30 weeks- but I think BabyW is already doing it! And she definately doesn't like the vacuum either! ( : I just thought this little Fun with BabyW was neat and worth sharing!




Also, it's a great chance to show off my BFF's little peanut- Grayson. Grayson debuted last year on August 26th and he's a doll (see for yourself!!) He also loves Auntie Pregnant Chick (maybe it's the preggers-sized tata's?) so how can I not love him back? I took this picture yesterday. No autographs please! ( :

Happy Friday Everyone- have a great weekend. It's only supposed to hit 100 degrees here this weekend.....

All's Well in BabyW Land!

Today’s OB appointment was without incident- despite my fear of the scale! This one was with my OB (every other appointment is with a Nurse Practitioner)- both of which I love. I have to admit that I was not so pleased with his lack of concern of our fertility issues, but he’s a ‘by the book’ kind of doc; however with our last and thank goodness, final miscarriage, he went out and talked to Jason and personally called to check on me the next day. I was impressed by that. Other than his insistence that I was to not gain any weight with the pregnancy, we like his personality and bedside manner very much.




Because everything is progressing smoothly, I’m relieved to have avoided the dreaded stirrups or lab tests this visit! I will have to go and do a glucose test in a few weeks and hope that my sugar levels are still good.
The fear of the scale was moot- doc even added that I’ve lost about four pounds since my last visit. That was a shock since I’ve nearly single-handedly polished off a whole lemon meringue pie within the last week, and dinner last night was very diet friendly (ha!) Mizithra Cheese and Butter from the Spaghetti Factory. Well, how can we resist their 40% off anniversary prices on Tuesday’s???




BabyW was in a feisty mood today; especially active after the doctor’s appointment- showoff! Her heartbeat was 149- good and normal and her average for each time we’ve gotten to hear it. They gave me a card to start recording her movements beginning at 28 weeks. I think that we could start that now! I’m happy to say (knock on wood!) that the pregnancy is so far uneventful and healthy- the only downside to that is we won’t get to see anymore ‘medically necessary’ pictures of BabyW. We are going to do the 3D ultrasound after 28 weeks (mid-June) so don’t fret, she will still make at least one more appearance before her arrival in early September!
The next regular appointment is another 3 weeks, and then we have classes. Oh, do we have classes! We had to take a few to get pregnant during fertility; and then an early pregnancy class; and at least three more before the end of July. I have to take more classes to have this little baby girl than I did to get my degree! I like to make the best of every situation, so they will probably be interesting; and they’re mostly free. Actually most of the prenatal appointments have been (thank you health insurance!) free….




We rounded out the evening by finishing the registry at Target (more free schwag at Target- an itty bitty diaper; samples and such. Love FREE(, book shopping- I love book stores; and starting to put a dent in the pile ‘o stuff that is in my former ‘walk-in closet” now the baby’s room! Oh, yes, this is where we got to try out SpaceBags- and the jury is still out. If they have still not expanded in the a.m., I’ll be satisfied…..




I’ll sign off with updated information about Shyner dog- she had a visit to the vet yesterday (and got a bit spoiled with a picnic in the park with mom and dad!) and was given a clean bill of health. As clean as our little old and stinky girl can get! She will remain on medicine for the rest of her little life; but if not for the coughing and wheezing that brought her into the vet, she wouldn’t have the medicine to help her stay healthy for whatever time she’ll be here! Your positive thoughts worked! ( :

Dear Blog: Even Mommy Author Pregnant Chicks Can Have a Vacation!

I believe this is a first- I've been called out by my 'anonymous' blog because I've been missed... somehow I think that the blog's initials might be KL... but that's just a hunch.... I decided to take a little vacation from writing; not for lack of material but GrammaH (aka "Mom") was visiting for two weeks. We were busy, ahem.... she, was busy cleaning and organizing and of course, cooking (my dear hubby was so excited to taste home cooked food again- I've been averaging cooking about once every three weeks! ) ( : My otherwise free time was spent as quality time with Mom- much needed! And now without further delay, I'm back!

The last few weeks have been without 'suffering' pregnancy symptoms- I feel great in fact. I've been told by a few people that pregnancy becomes me- um, okay, thanks-I think? I have a bit more energy, headaches are far and few between, and my appetite is slowly returning.... although BabyW really tends to lean towards the carbs! BabyW is actually developing quite the personality and is extraordinarily active- and thank goodness, not just at 3 a.m. anymore! This past week she has tried out for the Rockettes, won a wrestling match with my kidneys, has perfected a gold medal trampoline act performed on my bladder and decided that she likes soccer. I think she might be going through a little growth spurt as it seems thats when I get tired. I officially am beginning to look pregnant and at 5-1/2 months I guess I shouldn't be complaining! Although I'm still in my regular clothes, that hasn't prevented me from buying some cute maternity clothes! I'm still relatively comfortable but am losing my full range of motion when it comes to bending; sometimes I do have a hard time getting comfortable sleeping though. We're over the half-way mark! ( :

I know that all of you BabyW fans have been waiting for updated pictures, and I'm happy to oblige! Here are a few choice shots from our ultrasound on April 23rd. Again, they confirmed that she's a girl! If not, the crib bedding choice and all of the adorable clothes are going to cause a little problem! Nitey nite blog world- it's past my bedtime (10 p.m. on a Saturday... and to think all of those spring chickens are just going out.... like me in a former life- LOL!)

Is It Pink or Blue for BabyW???

Our neighbor told us about a private Ultrasound place that you could get gender determination done at 17 weeks~ since we were 18 weeks at the time, we decided to call and try to schedule an appointment if the cost was relatively low and if we could get an appointment quickly. (Our formal ultrasound with Kaiser isn't until April 23rd- and I'm a tad on the impatient side!) So, we called on Tuesday and made an appoitment for that Friday and it would only be $65 or the appointment. Those four days dragged by and of course, we had to wait forever in the waiting room! I hopped up (or what resembles that action) on the table and the first thing we hear is a very strong heartbeat of the baby. Well, after that it was a tear-blurred five minutes! I was a crying mess (tears of joy, of course!) and I completely lost it when the technician proclaimed the gender (you must see to believe!!) I was so thrilled that I missed most of the video, so it's really awesome to be able to review the process again, and again, and again.... so, without further delay: Presenting BabyW:




Of course, Mommy has to do a 'play-by-play'

• 0:00 - 0:34/ BabyW heartbeat @ 148bpm- very good (if you look at the frame of the baby above, you can see her moving around a bit.


• 0:34- 0:50/ Good views of the profile- BabyW is putting on quite a show!


• 1:02/ Tech is pointing out her nose


• (NOTE: when the 'video' pauses, they are taking still photos of the baby)


• 1:12/ Looking for a 'hot dog' or a 'hamburger'!


• 1:16 -1:20/ It's the 'money' shot! - The yellow arrow points out the absence of a 'hot dog'- so mommy's intuition was right- BabyW is a Girl!


• 1:37/ Confirming mommy's second guessing- are you sure- and the tech is pointing out the vajayjay.


• 1:43- 1:47/ "There would be a 'hot dog' here if she was not a she...." (I belive this is when Jason finally breathed a sigh or relief that mommy gets her wish and gets a little princess!)


• 2:47/ BabyW's spine- Look, no tail!


• 3:08/ Close up of BabyW- isn't she cute? I think she has my nose! Hopefully Daddy's beautiful blue eyes too!


• 3:17 & 3:27/ "Woohoo, watch me kick Mommy's uterus! This is fun!"


• 4:15 - 4:30/ Noggin shot- oh good, only one head!


• 4:32- 4:36/ Watch on the right screen as BabyW is turning her cute little head to show off and be difficult to measure!


• 4:47/ "Watch me on the left side as I give Mommy another good kick!"


• 4:56/ "See how big I am: 4.08cm, and I'm actually 19 weeks- one week older than they thought! Hopefully I'll make my world debut on September 1st!"

What Was That?

So, I was standing by the office water cooler, and there’s a bubble…. Wait no, that was my tummy! And actually I was lying in bed, but there was an unmistakable first feeling of movement of BabyW last week. It was quick, but no other explanation… and then the next night I felt it again! The medical term is called ‘quickening’ and according to wikipedia, I can no longer be held responsible for a capital crime. WHAT?!?!
So, as you can imagine, I’ve been waiting and waiting to feel this again…. It’s not like further when you should be doing a ‘kick count’ but, its just such an odd feeling. Anyways, come Wednesday morning, and I’m not talking sunrise… let’s say 3:30 a.m. and BabyW decides she wants to Dance with the Stars- the Conga, to be exact- and simultaneously pop popcorn in there! Since she’s throwing a party, and I love a party, I get to wake up to join her! I can’t help but laugh a little until I look at the clock; and then I realize that these little wake-up calls are now going to be a major part of my life for the next 4-5 years- AT LEAST! And between the little party, my new kitty, and my wonderful husband snoring, I’m up for two hours! Good thing I had some reruns of Cold Case to watch off of the DVR or I would have bought a Snuggie and a GT Express and sold my extra gold for cash!

Oh, and then yesterday my BFF is kind enough to tell me that my little beans’ party time schedule inutero is going to be similar to the schedule that BabyW keeps for the first few months. Gee, thanks, BFF! ( :

I know, I know, bad blogger Pregnant Chick! I haven’t updated since Monday (It’s been a rather busy week and I was waiting for inspiration to strike!) and I had an email this morning wanting an updated picture of BabyW. Well, unfortunately we only had a Doppler heartbeat done at this rather routine appointment. I was very much looking forward to seeing her, but no such luck. It was pretty cool though as Jason got to hear the heartbeat for the first time (I had the hardest time describing it to him from my last appointment!) and he said it was the best anniversary present ever! Awwww!
Dr. V seemed to be very pleased with the lack of weight gain (so far) and progress of the baby. I did have to go repeat some labs that didn’t get done earlier…. The blood glucose was especially fun. I got to go watch Jason eat lunch while I fasted for an hour after drinking orange flavored nasty crap. Think flat Sunkist with a faint baby aspirin after taste. At least it was refreshingly cool, and I pretended that it was a nice wine cooler as I slammed it in less than 5 minutes as directed by the nice little lady at the lab. The results were fine- although trending towards a sweet tooth, my blood sugar is normal! Other results were fine, and DH and I got a good laugh of the NEGATIVE results for a particular one which had a long scientific name. I guess they just don’t want to go splashing syphilis around as the name for the test, eh? LOL! So, fans of BabyW, we have to wait a whole 25 more days for another check up and then the next day will be the BIG ultrasound where they really will confirm BabyW will be swathed in pink. If your curiosity is getting the best of you, click here to see details on what Week16 entails. Despite my other post (see below) I’m not opposed to dressing her in pink, I just do not desire the nursery to be pink!
Aside from an occassional headache or two- which could also be allergy related- and minor fatigue, the symptoms from the first trimester have subsided and each day is pretty much a non-event. Although, I did feel the baby move twice this week- once on Tuesday and once on Wednesday! It was a quick flutter and there's no other explanation for the feeling except that she was making herself known! Similar to the size of an avocado, she can still do backflips and such without me feeling much. AuntyL said just wait until I get an elbow to the ribs....
Jason and I had our official anniversary celebration at The Spaghetti Factory and then over to Rick’s Dessert Diner for the night cap. <-- A bonus to being pregnant is dessert! We agreed to a maximum $ amount for presents, so I received a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a James Patterson book- perfect! Unbeknownst to me, we would get another present later in the week (hold your horses!)….
Work has been busy this week with a new training class starting- working later on a few of the days although necessary, was not easy. Thank goodness for daylight savings and lots of light otherwise I would have been completely wiped out. It feels like working through quicksand sometimes with less energy and fighting through afternoon fatigue. But I always look forward to Frappacino Friday! ( :
We have a busy weekend planned- cleaning out the garage in preparation for the big community yard sale next weekend, a birthday celebration and I’m hoping a little picnic to celebrate the nice weather! Fear not, blogosphere, I have inspiration for some weekend posts, so you will have some light reading for your Monday morning coffee break! Until then, Happy FRIDAY!!!