MamaBelly's Journal

From The Tap
"The people in the village told me to boil an egg, toss it under the bed that we slept in, have your brother crawl after it, get it and eat it."

*blank look*

"And this does what?"

"To wean him."

"Mom, that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

My brother was 3 years old before he was finally weaned from my mother's breast and she warned me that it'd be difficult. Julia is now 5 1/2 months old and it's gotten to the point where she'll cry at the sight of the bottle. She'll even starve herself until she gets the real thing.

Would you believe that she'll eat cereal from a spoon, drink water from a sippy cup but won't drink milk from a bottle? She knows what she likes. Smartypants.

Well, I get to sport these boobs for a while longer...

4 Months Old
She sleeps with her little feet propped up against my updrawn thighs. I reach down to steal a squeeze of her chubby toes and she stirs. I retreat and cuddle her close to my bare breasts as she snuggles in to nurse. She lets out a sigh of content as she drifts into a deeper slumber and I pull the warm comforter up higher to protect us from the nippy draft sneaking in on this snowy day.

She will be 4 months old this weekend and as much as my body aches for more rest, her little face renews my soul. My life has been about her life and it's all worth it to see her smile.

I can feel the wind of time passing and it scares me.

Current Mood: peaceful

Week 49
Thank you for being so patient and continually checking back. This entry and future entries was and will be written over a period of many naptimes.

Although I went through 18 hours of labor, I'd like to believe that I had a rather easy experience.

Or maybe it's been 8 weeks and my mind has forgiven my body for putting me through such pain so that I will continue to procreate. Ask me if we'll have a second child now and it'll take one second longer to say "NO" than if you asked me a week ago. Human nature is funny like that.

As you may or may not recall, I was hellbent on delivering "au naturelle". That idea flew out the non-existant window of the delivery room when the doctor decided to "speed" things up with pitocin.

Pitocin = Epidural... PRONTO.

Women, hang on for the ride of your lives when you are given this. Men, prepare to see the devil herself.

The pitocin made the labor come on so fast and so strong that I had no time to catch my breath in between contractions. It seemed like forever for the epiduralists to come to epiduralize me. It was a scary experience because the woman was not seasoned and it didn't help that the overseer of this woman had a really twisted sense of humor. I'm surprised that J didn't bitchslap him.

With a steady flow of drugs going into my spine, I was good to go on bringing a new life into ours. J assisted right along beside my doctor and provided much comfort when I felt the most uncomfortable.

When Julia was born, I cried.

I'm unsure whether I cried out of sheer happiness that she is finally here or sheer sadness that she was no longer physically a part of me.

They say that bringing a child into the world is the easy part. They're only half right.

The doctors and books will tell you that there are only 3 trimesters... but really, there are 4.

The 4th trimester is the period of time your mind and body takes to heal and adjust. Trust me, there is much healing and MUCH adjusting to do after you bring forth the life you created with your mate.

New moms always tell you that it is beautiful and it is wonderful. They are right BUT there something they're not telling you or maybe they'll only skim the very surface of the not so beautiful parts.

It's the discomfort of sitting, the pain of breast engorgement, the tears, the short fuse. Worst of all, the fear of failure. After all, this tiny little person depends on you entirely. Then, it's the extreme high that even the best drugs cannot induce.

The highs and lows alternate for about 4 weeks (atleast, for me) and there were mornings where I dreaded getting out of bed, moments when I felt that I did fail because I did ask (beg) for the epidural, and more often that not, felt disorganized.

How do I balance being a wife, mom and housewife?

Postpartum stress is not a pretty thing but as the hormones settle, so will this new life.

She tells me she loves me daily... with her gaze. Her gaze is packed with the purest form of love and trust. And that... THAT is beautiful and wonderful.

Week 39
26 pounds and counting...

In the beginning, the doctor estimated my weight gain to total 24. I was afraid that I wouldn't meet that. I'm so relieved and pleasantly surprised that I've exceeded it! You can tell that I'm meatier all around... healthier looking. Healthy mom equals healthy baby and hopefully Julia will be born at an ideal weight. As long as she weighs more than 6 pounds, I'll be happy.

We're in the final stretch and Julia has started her descent into the pelvis. There is a lot of discomfort at this stage because of her increasing weight, I wonder if I'll fall over backwards after I give birth. I read that a women looks about 4 months pregnant right after giving birth. Not bad.

The belly has grown so fast in the last two months that I've underestimated the distance from how far I really stand from something or someone... it could get embarrassing when on a crowded train or bus. Especially since it's like carrying around an extra boob... but bigger... much bigger. People continue to give up their seats when I get on and I always feel guilty for accepting but when they insist, it's hard to refuse. Strangers can be so kind, it still surprises me.

For the past month, I've been overwhelmed with feelings of the two extremes. One being the selfishness of never letting her go.. that at this moment, she is mine and mine alone. She is safe in my womb, away from predators and the evil that lurks in dark corners or worse, in plain view wearing a mask.

Then, there is the overwhelming anticipation of finally seeing her in J's arms. We will both be blinded by the sheer joy of bringing into this world, the product of our love.

As physically painful and draining giving birth will be, I'm looking forward to this new experience. I'm not afraid, or scared or nervous. I am confident and I am ready.

Approximately 7 more days to go.

Current Mood: confident

Week 38
*Poke, poke*
*Squeeze*
*Prod*

"I feel a little foot there."
"Yes, I feel it too... daily... in my ribs..."

She hasn't descended into the pelvis yet so that means she won't likely be early. At this point of my pregnancy... I was hoping that she would be a little early, just a little. It's getting really heavy here and I'm starting to find that I have to cut down even more of my "playtime" outside of the house.

She got on a nerve last night... and she made me into a dancing puppet. Each step that I took, I cringed and doubled over in pain. Not a move I wanna make when I'm out shopping in the crystal section at Tiffany's... not that we can afford to shop at Tiffany's but you know what I mean. It was different from the first pain that I experienced a few months back. That was round ligament pain, this was sciatic nerve pain that shoots down the pelvis and thigh. Similiar but different. Round ligament pain, I had to lay off for a few days. The sciatic nerve... I had to wait for Julia to get bored of bouncing on it.

As we get closer to her birth, reality starts to set in.

Every time we add something to her room...
Every time we set a new outfit into her drawers...
Every time we answer the door, it's the postman/UPS guy with a package for Julia...

Our lives are about to be changed forever.
It is a welcomed change.

We're ready.

2 more weeks to go.

Current Mood: excited

Week 36
It was 4 o'clock in the morning and I was coming back to bed after taking a mini pee. I tried to reconnect myself with the dream world when it happened.

She threw the most awful fit. I can only describe it to be a baby tantrum and I was being assaulted from inside the womb. I felt baby blows to every organ and I could find nothing to calm her down. I read that during these "attacks", the mother should flip over in attempt to knock the baby off center so that he/she couldn't continue.

By doing this, I made it WORSE.

After about 10 minutes, I started to worry because my innards began to cramp. Actually, I'm unsure whether they were cramps or just pain from being pummeled. I swore that she was trying to break the bag of waters and charge out of me.

THEN... she got the hiccups. This was a good thing because she seemed to quiet down afterwards. I guess it tired her out and she went back to sleep. Of course, by then, I was wide awake.

~Physically, I am easily tired now.
~Limiting my outings by distance and time because of the pressure she puts on my pelvic floor. So long to the weekend trip I was hoping for us to make before her arrival.
~Watching me get off the couch has been entertaining to the hub. I compare this to watching a turtle try to get off its back with little success.
~I've swelled out of my wedding band.
~I still feel adorable in my non-fat clothes.
~I still can't believe that I'm pregnant.

I've gained 22 pounds with a little less than 4 weeks to go. The doctor is on vacation next week and I'm crossing my fingers and legs that Julia will remain patient while he's away.

Current Mood: full

Week 35
2 coats of Benjamin Moore's Raindrops on Roses (very light pinky/lavender). A random pick, agreed upon and chosen in two seconds when we spent over 40 minutes under different light bulbs, sweating and anguishing over which shade of "Sage" to go with.

1 Beechwood crib, which housed 8 babies in the time span of 12 years... now assembled and ready to cradle yet another life for the next 6 months-1 year.

1 Ikea White Hemnes 6 drawer chest, put together and ready to house her tiny little onesies, booties and droolies.

1 hospital bag, packed and waiting by the door, in case of an early dismissal.

1 father-to-be, scrambling to finish last minute home improvements and trying to make the mama-to-be as comfortable as he possibly can.

1 mama-to-be, resting and nesting... buying necessities little at a time to make the first days of baby's life go smoothly.

2 abandoned wedding bands, mama-to-be's swollen finger have outgrown hers, father-to-be's recent weight gain has him "finger trap free" as well.

1 active baby, torturing the mama-to-be with tiny feet pressing and stressing the organs. Easily startled by noise and responsive to touch, baby amuses the parents-to-be with tumbles and rolls. Daily baby hiccups always entertain.

2 oblivious cats, contributing to the mama-to-be's discomfort by hogging the bed and sitting on the belly.

5 more weeks to go.

Current Mood: hot

Week 32 (I swear the doc keeps changing the dates on us)
Did I tell you that ever since I got pregnant, I've developed super senses? I can sense danger coming from a great distance away, I can smell when someone's taken their feet out of their sneakers, I can taste when food is just on the edge of turning evil...

Ok, so not all my senses have been enhanced... my eyesight has gotten worse and my hearing is muffled (that could just be that I've been suffering from a sinus infection, it's all connected, you know). And you know, I swear I'm all thumbs. I used to crack open pickle jars without breaking a sweat. Now, I have to play damsel in distress and get the hub to come pop the top off... even then, there's no guarantee that the jar gets opened.

Let's not forget that 3-5% brain shrinkage. *Insert Valley Girl laugh* I was talking to the hub on the way to our usual cafe for some cake and decaf when my brain...

Wait.

Where was I going with this...

*Waddle waddle*

Slightly less than 8 weeks to go.

I'm starting to feel discomfort now with Julia's movements growing stronger and with her being more active, it's difficult to sleep at night. It's no fun having someone step on your kidney... and step on it repeatedly. If you look at my belly while she's active, you can swear she's about to reenact the scene from Alien and bust right through my bellybutton.

Pee break

When I visited the family this past weekend, my mom pointed out my excessive yawning. After I told her how many trips to the bathroom I make a night, she got off my case and suggested that I nap in her room instead of seeing my face balanced on my teacup. Sometimes I cheat and take a sip or two from the hub's coffee cup for a quick jolt. Really, the doc says I'm allowed no more than 4 cups of coffee a day (who the hell drinks THAT much coffee anyway???) but I've been good. Decaf here and there, real coffee once or twice a month. Not bad for a coffee lover, eh?

Now if only I can stop adding Amaretto to it.

You know I'm just messing around, right?

Current Mood: exhausted

Week 29
The aches and pains of pregnancy has finally hit... and has hit HARD.

After 7 months of escaping morning sickness and common complaints, my first week of my last trimester was indeed rough.

Friday afternoon found me on the couch. I was getting up to get a cup of water when... I COULDN'T. I tried to ease up and off the edge but there was a pain in my lower abdomen that radiated downward and also around the right hip. Trying to shake it off, I shifted to the left. Ladies, I can only describe the pain to feel as though everything was about to fall out of my vagina. The pressure was strong and I thought, "it can't be, it's too early". I pulled myself up despite the pain and waddled it off. It was better but there was still an unfamiliar ache. I flipped through the pregnancy bibles and although I already knew it couldn't be, I had to make sure.

They weren't contractions as the pain was constant and consistent. Contractions come in waves. On the phone hoping to find my doctor, I found a recording and an option to the emergency operator instead... I hung up and found myself online with an old friend who is also a mother.

I explained to her the pain I felt and her response:

"Honey, it'll get worse."

Ha. So the pain is normal. Again, I am lucky. Lucky? How? Most women suffer from this "round ligament" pain at their 2nd trimester. The ligaments that hold up the uterus are being stretched it gets bigger and heavier. I'm already in the 3rd trimester and only now am I starting to feel the aches and pains. That's ok. I think I would've felt cheated if I didn't suffer a little during the pregnancy...

I'm going to pay big time in the delivery room, aren't I?

Current Mood: happy

Week 28
I caught a glimpse of myself last night as I walked into my closet. I had to stop, step back and look again. Did I GROW since morning? Maybe it's the Mexican food we had for dinner.

Week 28. I'm in the last stretch of the pregnancy. The 3rd and last trimester. My next scheduled appointment is in 2 weeks instead of the usual 4. We're getting close, my cyberfriends. We're getting close.

Braxton Hicks contractions have doubled. They don't hurt but they are enough to slow down the pace when we're out and about. It's a strange sensation, like a menstrual cramp and the uterus goes stiff for about 20 secs. The doc advised resting more (more rest?) and drinking more water (MORE WATER??). According to him, for every 1 hour of activity, I should rest 2. What?? Doctor's orders. No more long walks.

Being in my last trimester, am I nervous? Surprisingly, no. The hub has been working hard on preparing our nest. We have yet to choose a color for Julia's room. We're no longer going for yellow... but instead a more soothing blue, blue for tranquility, right? The trouble is, which shade of blue? A lavendery blue? Powder blue? Sky blue? Decisions, decisions. Eeny, meeny, miney, mo. Catch a tiger by it's toe.

If only you could see my belly wobble when Julia is active. It's like watching pie filling bubble underneath its crust while baking. It's quite a sight. I'll try to record it with our camera when she does this. What does this feel like? Like I ate Mexican for dinner.

Current Mood: good

Week 27
Swearing that I'd have enough time to run to the shoe store, pick up a pair of red shoes to go with my red bag that goes with my new dress, I ended up 15 minutes late to my ultrasound appointment.

Bad girl.

Upon arrival, to our surprise, it wasn't a long wait. We usually wait atleast 30 minutes to an hour. J and I were immediately escorted to the dimmed exam room by our sonographer.

A generous preheated (thank you!!) squirt of lube on the belly, we focused our eyes on the monitor.

There she was. All snuggled in, safely tucked in my belly. The sonographer focused in on her heart, kidneys, measuring her head, her tummy... he estimated her weight to be 2.9 lbs. (give or take 6 oz.) and right on schedule. He tried his best to focus in on her face but like always, she's a bit camera shy.

"There's her jaw here... beautiful jaw..."

I've found our sonographer to be much like an artist. He'll critique a body part like a work of art and find beauty in things where most people would never have noticed. Just like my first visit when I came to see him at 5 weeks along, he told me that I have a beautiful cervix.

My cervix??? Be careful buddy, my husband might just have to come in and kick your ass for that comment.

Just a few days ago, I mentally prepared myself for a C-section. For 6 months, she stayed in one position... laying across my belly. Her head on my left and her feet on my right. If she didn't turn her head downwards soon... I need to be prepared.

I felt a major shift in my belly two days before the appointment. It was such a strange sensation as if she had slipped and fell. Things felt different in there as if my organs were also rearranged. The kicks also felt different. I swore she stepped on my spleen or something.

"Your baby head is pointing down now."

Ah. So that's what that major shift was. She's preparing for her arrival. She must've sensed my concern. J says that she grew tired of me laying on her head at night. Yeah, she didn't like that much.

Current Mood: calm

Week 26
I don't know if it's the Spring weather or the possibility that I may be putting out extra hormones but...

I've been winked at and smiled at, eyeballed and catcalled. It's quite an ego boost and it's especially nice since many pregnant women tend to feel "fat" and undesirable once they start showing.... not that I've been feeling "fat" or undesirable. I love being pregnant. It's a totally fascinating experience and from the attention I've been getting, I may be more desirable than before pregnancy!

Women smile and squeal to their friends, men offer to carry my groceries up onto the counter at the local grocery store. Seats are abandoned on the buses and trains just for me... I'm not only being spoiled by the hub, family and friends but total strangers as well. I feel like I'm deceiving everyone because I'm not uncomfortable nor in need of help so I don't feel deserving of this attention. It is nice though. :)

Time is flying by, Julia will be arriving in 14 weeks. I wonder if there's enough room in this belly for her to grow! She's already taking up the whole width of me. As my sister-in-law pointed out, I'm starting to lose my waist. Bah... it doesn't bother me. Just ask anyone else, they'll point out my glow instead.

I've gained a total of 11 lbs, 2 of which is Julia. The rest is divided among the placenta, extra blood, amniotic fluid, etc.

Soft yellow has been chosen for Julia's room. Unisex color just in case our second child is a boy. Can't raise a boy in a pink room... that's just wrong.

Current Mood: peaceful

Achilles Heel
According to the book, 24 weeks is the earliest that my baby can leave my body and survive the outside world. She only weighs a little over a pound... and measures about 21 cm (about 8.25 in) from her crown to her rump. It's comforting that we've made it this far and we've reached yet another "safe" point.

2 weekends ago, I took a spill. I slipped on my way down our stairs and J helplessly looked on. It all happened so fast that J couldn't catch me in time. My reflexes (according to J) threw my belly forward to keep myself from thumping my rear/back on the steps. It was by some miracle that I only landed on one elbow and one heel, both of which were scraped up/bruised.

All I can say is... no more socks in the house. It was my socked heel that didn't grip that step... Although I escaped with the most minimal damage possible, I cried at how stupid it was. I should've been using the handrail. Lesson learned.

Now that the weather has warmed up, I've been able to expose the belly. My regular shirts haven't been able to cover up the bottom of the bump and people have been noticing and smiling... even offering me their seats on the bus. It really shows that New Yorkers aren't are cold as we are made out to be. Of course, it also helps to be as irresistably charming as this bellybaring gal. :)

23
I am so in need of a massage...

It's starting to get heavy, people. Climbing stairs leave my legs achy and sleeping has now become somewhat of a task; constantly searching for that magic notch in the mattress to cradle me into sweet slumber. Julia's been the little acrobatic lately. I've noticed she's most active after peeing. Maybe she's startled by the "falling" sensation as my bladder empties.

I've now memorized each store that has a bathroom, so that I don't have to worry about making it home in time. J actually buzzed me on my cellphone in mid-squat at Crate and Barrel yesterday. Great timing, honey. Other women in the bathroom must've thought I was talking to myself in the stall.

Shea butter, ladies. Forget the cocoa butter. I've been religiously massaging my "blossoming" areas with shea butter and the skin has been well hydrated. I bought a jar of this stuff from a man who traveled to Afrika (yes, it's labeled with a k)to get this shea butter. It's unbleached, unrefined... it's all natural with all the nutrients intact. It totally looks home-made, which is probably why it was so cheap. Screw L'occitane... buy the shea butter from the Afrikan man on the streets of the East Village. He's got the good shit.

Current Mood: as in the weather

Week 21
Julia's presence is quite obvious now as she "hiyas" and karate chops me every 2-3 hours. We can even see soft knockings at the surface of my belly if you look closely enough. I'd show you but she's shy when someone other than myself is watching. It took almost two weeks before she'd let J see her perform her high kick. Poor guy wouldn't blink for 5 whole minutes only to miss it when he does moisten his lids. It was rewarding when he did finally get to see her. It's these simple pleasures in life...

My nesting instinct kicked in last night. It started with a stack of papers... which led to putting things away... which led to the lemon spray and a dusting cloth. It didn't start nor end there. Earlier in the day, I scrubbed the stove. This morning I cleaned and straightened some more. I had to force myself to get out of the house before I wore myself out... only to end up at Kmart to stock up on household things like paper towels, napkins, dish soap and facial tissue. We don't have to use toilet paper to blow our noses anymore. Could you tell that I was very behind in chores? I've caught up, though... and caught up fast. I'm running out of things to do here. Oh, wait, there's ironing to do. There's always ironing to do.

Oh... we looked at cribs yesterday. They've come a LONG way from the cribs that most of us slept in. They now have ones that convert into full sized beds. Imagine that... from infant to toddler to teen and only having to buy a bed once. Clever, clever, clever.

Current Mood: energetic

Halfway
Here we are. 20 weeks into the pregnancy (yes, our dates have been adjusted... again. This is the halfway mark and I gave in to buying Julia's first outfit... her welcome home outfit. Tiny undies and dainty shoes, pastel hints of dragonflies and delicate embroidered flowers. So soft, that these weathered adult hands could barely feel it. I nearly cried at the reality of all of this. I held in my hands, my future daughter's first set of clothing.

For the past 5 months, I've been guiltily letting everyone around me cater to me. At the supermarket, I'll jokingly say to J, "I'm pregnant, not handicapped... let me carry something" and he'll hand me a bag of potato chips. I guess people have to remind me that, yes, I can do it, but I shouldn't risk the strain. I've been forbidden to climb chairs, or scale the steps two at a time... no carrying or moving heavy objects and have denied a LOT of my favorite foods (Ok, mainly sushi).

I feel myself getting VERY spoiled but at the same time, VERY disciplined diet-wise.

I look down at my obviously pregnant body and smile at this wondrous mystery of life. What I feared for years, to be possibly impossible... became possible. I am able... and she will be here in only a few months. I'll obey these rules, simply because I don't want to risk it. We've come so far already. I'm going to bask in the life of being Queen for the next four months.

Current Mood: hungry

Rain On A Rainy Day
Julia Rain... That will be her name.

Why Rain? No, Julia was not conceived on a rainy night.

Come with me, 13 years back into the past.

"Hello? J? Guess who?"
"Betty? What's up?"
"I'm out here in Chinatown and was wondering if you wanna hang out?"

Yes, I made the first call... so you girls don't have ANY excuse to wait for ANY guy to call you.

I took the bus to Union Square to meet J... it had been many months, maybe a year since we last saw each other. We both had a crush on each other, but neither would admit it. We spoke of others, so we thought it was unlikely for us to be anything more than just friends.

It was a BEAUTIFUL sun-shiney June day, not ONE cloud in the sky. We spent the whole day roaming the city and stopped off at South Street Seaport (still holds special memories for us to go there). We sat and talked until the sun started to set. We saw that as an indicator that it was time to grab some dinner. As we got up to leave, these black angry storm clouds raced towards us and POURED rain on us, soaking us within seconds. With no umbrella, he took off his jacket and used it to cover us both and that forced us to cling to each other to keep dry. Of course, sparks flew... but even then, we ignored them.

The night ended innocently... he was a perfect gentleman, rode the train out to Brooklyn with me to make sure I got home safely. We made plans to "hang out" again and... you know the rest.

Fate worked hard on our stubborn minds. We knew we were perfect for each other, others knew it too... but yet the most unlikely pair to end up married with a child on the way. I used to hate the rain but now I'm reminded that it was the very thing that brought me and J together.

Current Mood: happy

It's a...
GIRL!!!!

Congratulations to the following people for their lucky guesses on the sex of the baby!! Please email me your addresses for your prize. Please allow 4-6 weeks for arrival. If you feel uncomfortable about leaving your address with a total stranger, you are not obligated to do so. Work addresses, p.o. boxes are ok. Thanks all, for playing our first game!! Stay tuned for our next belly game.</b>

kyra,

hapaguy,

milissa,kuffz,

kalispice,

dilly,

imurdstiny

dakine023,

oh_prudence,

mintyminx,

snlee,

kwanlau,

sarcasticserum,

heybeautifuls,

hapachan,

xquisiteqt,

shmonica,

galaxyg,

daisies4u,

brittanytrang,iriebabydoll,

simplyjenn,serendipidee.

Current Mood: amused

Double Posting
Last night... the phone rang. I thought that it was the mother of the two little girls that I babysit, calling to confirm for next week.

"Betty?"
"OH, HI... HOW are you???"
"Good, I'm calling from Dr. Moore's office at St. Vincent's?"
"Oh, yes, yes... ok..."
"Everything looks good! I'm sure that's a relief for you to hear... would you like to know the gender of your baby?"

After hanging up, we let out a big sigh of relief... "Everything looks good"... that's what I needed to hear all these weeks. And the mystery of the baby's gender is no longer a mystery.

We can now get on that plane Friday morning and enjoy the Bahamian sun without thinking about anything... except that everything is good again.

As for you guys... please take part of the gender game going on at baby_exposed Some people already put in their guesses in the beginning but I'm putting up a poll to make it easier to keep track. Yes... there will be prizes for those who get it right.

Those who already took a guess... please resubmit your guess in the poll... like I said, it'll be easier to keep track of this way. Happy guessing.

Current Mood: ecstatic

16 Weeks
Hello, I'm Dr. King, how are you today?
Good... except, I'm very nervous.
If it makes you feel any better, I'm not.

Dr. King unwrapped all sorts of packages and arranged the tools and gauze on the tray within reach by order. I watched as he swabbed my belly with betadine to disinfect the skin. I felt myself growing tense, squeezing J's hand... I knew he was nervous, his hands are usually warm but at that moment, it was slick with cold sweat.

I watched on the monitor as Dr. King located a safe area to insert the needle; away from the baby. When he pierced my skin, I felt the needle push through my belly and on through my uterus, causing a slight cramp. After that point, I draw a blank. I responded when I needed to, but other than that, I wasn't mentally there. I didn't faint, I just took a break.

When it was over, he showed me two vials of amniotic fluid. It'll take 7-10 days for the results but we already know everything is ok. We did an ultrasound before he performed the amnio and we confirmed what I already knew. We're at 16 weeks, not 18 weeks. That's why the numbers didn't match. The amnio was just for peace of mind, plus, we want to know if we're having a boy or a girl. The ultrasound couldn't tell us because he/she was hiding the goods but it did show us that he/she has a LOT of energy. The sonographer had trouble getting a good picture for us because of our dancing little monkey.

And so, our drama seems to be over. I can't tell you how happy I am to get back to our boring but peaceful life. Too bad the sun and warm temperatures melted away all the snow, we could've gone up to our balcony to build our big penised snowman. Oh well. For now, I'm confined to the bed until the cramps subside. I could barely get into the taxicab earlier without wincing. No sex, no strenous activity for 48 hours. Atleast it's going to rain all day tomorrow. It'll be a snuggly, video watching, hot chocolate drinking kinda weekend. J's been so good to me all afternoon, helping me out of bed to the bathroom, bringing me drinks, cooking lunch... he better stop before I get used to this, otherwise, I'll have to order some leather pants and collar so that I can dress him up like a man slave. *evil laugh*

So now, without further ado... our first baby picture. It's a great profile shot. I'm already thinking that he/she's already got most of daddy's handsome features. :)

Current Mood: indescribable