Birthing an Ewok?

So there's an old wives tale out there that claims the more heartburn a pregnant woman has, the more hair her baby will have.  Apparently some sources actually believe this to be true, as there was a small-scale Johns Hopkins University study conducted in 2007 that found women who reported having frequent heartburn to have birthed babies with above-average amounts of hair.  Most medical professionals still believe it's just a myth, and I kind of hope they are right... at the rate I'm going, our baby will look a lot less like this:

And a lot more like this:

I'm crossing my fingers for a happy medium.... a nice head of hair, but not an Ewok.

21 Week Bump Update

21 Week Bump Update:

This photo was taken on Easter at my wonderful friend Annie's house... I was closer to 20 weeks than 21 here.

How the Pregnancy is going so far:

How far along: 21 weeks today (Saturday)

How big is baby: She's about as long as a banana!  Crazy!

Pregnancy weight gain:   Somewhere around 12 lbs so far.  Haven't stepped on the scale in a few days, nor do I care to today.

Sleep: Having a hard time getting to bed at a decent hour, but once I'm asleep it's fantastic.  Still waking up on my back a few times a night and forcing myself to roll onto one side or the other. If I wake up to use the bathroom, I have no trouble falling back to sleep unless it's already light out... Then I'm up.

 Maternity Clothes: Inherited a nice supply of maternity stuff from recently preggo friends out here.  Most of it is still a bit big, but a few things (like the shirt in the photo) fit great!  I can still fit into all of my longer length pre-pregnancy shirts, and a few pairs of pants that don't have a zipper and/or button (see photo again).  Unless they have an elastic waist, I have outgrown all of my shorts... with a trip to Alabama to see Brian in my very near future, I will have to do some shopping ASAP.  Me thinks sundresses will be a staple this summer!

Best moment of the week:  There are a few:

1.  Easter at my lovely friend Annie's house was wonderful.  The food was amazing and the company was phenomenal, as always.  I am going to miss my Spangdahlem family a ton when I'm back in the states, and I dont want to even think about the upcoming move! 
2. Looking forward to the trip home - I'll be heading back to the states in three days for the 1st time in about 15 months.  Can't wait to spend a week with the family in MA and a few weeks with Brian in AL! 
3.  My awesome best friend.  Kelly, the love-of-my-life-in-the-form-of-a-girl,  just booked a flight from Chicago to visit Brian and I in Alabama.  The last time I saw her was 6 months ago when she (and her Brian) came to Germany for a visit.  I feel SO lucky to have a bff who will find a way to see me, wherever I am!
4. Checking major moving stuff off the to-do list.  Brian's car is now being shipped to Korea, a few more essential baby items have been purchased (and a huge array of awesome baby-girl items and bathtub were donated to us by a wonderful friend here!), and I'm pretty much packed for the upcoming trip!
   

Stressors this week: Getting everything done before leaving for the states.  The to-do list is never-ending because of the upcoming move.  Setting up moving stuff with Brian gone requires me to have several different powers of attorney and lots of associated paperwork... I still have lots to do on Monday (between two Doctor's appointments), but I'm confident it will all work out a-ok!  Also, I'm a little anxious about dropping Nellie off to be a "castle cat" for 5 weeks.  My fantastic friend Michelle, who will be watching her, is absolutely awesome, and Nellie likes her a lot... I just know how upset our fur-baby is when she's outside of her typical environment and I hope the change of scenery isn't too stressful for her. 

Food cravings : The major avocado craving I've had for the past 2-3 weeks seems to have subsided.  This week I can't seem to get enough corn on the cob (the frozen ones-- I cannot wait for fresh sweet summer corn!).  Also, filling my water bottle with 3 parts sparkling water to 1 part pomegranate juice has been nice and refreshing. Oh, and my splurge has been chocolate soy milk... I've definitely gone through more than a gallon this week! 

Food aversions: Nothing major, except that the post-dinner heartburn has stepped up a notch this week for sure.  I've been eating a much more bland (ie boring) diet in lieu of popping tums every hour.

Favorite Recipes/Meals this week: Nothing too exciting on account of the heartburn. Last night was tilapia, spinach and corn on the cob.  A few nights earlier I made a (faux) crab and muenster sandwich and sweet potato fries.

 Symptoms:  Sore shoulders and upper back the past 3 days.  I've tried changing up my sleeping positions but it hasnt helped much.  I may need to bribe Brian for a back rub when I see him!  Other symptoms: the aforementioned heartburn, mid-day fatigue, and occasionally bleeding gums.  On the whole, I still feel good... just bigger!

Movement: Ninja baby is definitely getting more active!  She was having a dance party yesterday as I had the apple-tv on while I packed.  Her favorite music so far (as determined by the frequency of her karate chops): The Flaming Lips, Jimmy Eat World, and U2.

Gender: They tell us she's a girl!

What I’m looking forward to: Going to the states!!!  Can't wait to see everyone.  I miss the family so much, and I miss my husband terribly... these past few weeks have gone by so very slowly!  I also am REALLY looking forward to warm weather and sunshine!!! It's been hovering around 50 degrees (F) here the past two weeks and I am ready to up that temperature by about 20 degrees!

What I miss from pre-pregnancy: Fitting into all my clothing.  Sleeping through the night.  Coffee that isn't icky decaf.  Clear skin. 

Next appt: I have two on Monday  - my glucose test (to rule out gestational diabetes) and a regular appt/ultrasound.  Looking forward to seeing what the gummy bear looks like this time!

A place for her to sleep

 

One thing that's become apparent since becoming pregnant has been the difficulty in obtaining a variety of baby products from America while being stationed overseas.  In the years past, we've run into occasional APO shipping difficulties, but it was seldom for products that were truly needed.  For example, our wine rack cubes couldn't be shipped here directly from the manufacturer so we sent them to Brian's folks and they, in turn, sent them to us... same with a few other items that we definitely wanted to have, but weren't essential.  It was an occasional frustration, but never that big of an issue.

Now that our family is expanding, it's a different story.  Baby Morrissey will need a place to sleep.. and a stroller, and  a car seat, etc.  Thankfully, some websites are far better than others and will ship things to APO addresses without much hassle.  If it takes 8-10 weeks to arrive, so be it... I'm just thankful it can get here.  We had wonderful luck recently when we ordered and received our stroller and car seat within two weeks!  I was pretty amazed- usually it takes longer than that for a simple letter to get here! 

Unfortunately, the one instance where this is not the case is with cribs.  There are virtually no baby stores or websites in the states that will ship a crib here (or to Korea for that matter).  The large base BX "mall" at Ramstein, which is an hour away, carries a few cribs, but the ones that they currently have in stock are very poorly rated by both consumer reports and Baby Bargains (a phenomenal resource book for all things baby gear related).  They also can order a few different (and higher rated) cribs, but they take 4-6 MONTHS to come in.  Not only will we we living in Korea by then, but the baby will have been born!  Our next option was to check the local German baby stores.  The Germans actually have some awesome (and adorable) baby furniture, but the crib dimensions are not the same as the states, so when we leave here and discover we need a replacement crib liner, or sheets, etc. we would need to order it from Europe and have it sent to wherever we are.  This is an option, but not a very economical one seeing as the products here are already quite expensive with the dollar/euro conversion rate, even before shipping. 

Since there is no BabiesRUs for us to duck into out here, we had one last hope...

 

Thankfully, the one chain that there is no shortage of out here is Ikea.  Now keep in mind that their stuff is no frills, and you have to assemble every last piece yourself, but we certainly weren't looking for a $700 sleigh crib, and Brian likes a good construction project so this seemed like a viable option.  Thankfully, it was!  We found a cute, highly rated crib that will look great in our nursery and will also convert to a toddler bed when the munchkin is toddling.  I promise I'll post a picture of it, along with some of our other nursery purchases in an upcoming post!  Until then, it is just a big relief to me that we found somewhere for our gummy girl to sleep.  

1/2 Way There!

This week, just before Easter,  marked the 1/2 way point of the pregnancy!  20 weeks down, 20 more to go.  Honestly, the past two months have been so easy, that the nastiness of the first few weeks almost seems like a distant blur... almost.  The time is going by incredibly fast now, and with a trip back to the states to see family, and the upcoming move on the horizon, I doubt it will slow down enough for me to catch my breath.  Speaking of catching my breath, I miss being able to do that in general.  I'm not winded after climbing a couple of flights of stairs or anything, but I'm just more tired and lethargic overall, and the dreary weather here hasn't helped.  Mid-day naps that I might have scoffed at in the past are now becoming a staple.  

Here are some other things I miss from the days before the gummy bear took up residence behind my belly button:

Sushi.  Yes,  I know I can still have a California roll or a cucumber roll, but I want full up raw fish on a little pad of rice... or an oyster on the half-shell, or smoked salmon on a bagel.   The funny thing is that none of these were a regular part of my diet pre-pregnancy, because, let's face it, fresh fish isn't exactly what Germany is known for.  So maybe it's just a sub-conscious psychological wanting-what-I-can't-have type of thing.  All I know, is that come September, we'll have found the best sushi spot in Seoul guaranteed.

Spicy Food.   Okay, so this one isn't off limits to me from a medical perspective, but it might as well be.  I still tempt fate and indulge in the occasional spicy curry or pad thai, but the heartburn that follows is miserable.  I see this as being a bit of an issue when we get to Korea, land of mouth-burning kimchi.

 Surfing.   This one was just added to the list.  Brian is in AL for work, and one of our good friends who is currently deployed has been awesome enough to let Bri use his house in Florida for the weekend.  On Saturday, Brian went surfing.  It hit me that when I'm down there in a couple of weeks, this won't be on my to-do list.  I can't even lay on my stomach and read anymore.  Grrrrrr.

 Handstands.  Kind of goes along with the surfing thing.  Not safe.  It's really too bad.... how cool would a big preggo belly handstand shot be?  Maybe that's just me.

Wine.  Or a Guinness.  Is an explanation really necessary?  

My mind.  Specifically my memory.  Now granted, those who know me well can attest to the fact that I'm always a bit scatterbrained, and, as Brian often says, my "rememberer" is broken.  Top that with this recently acquired head in the clouds pregnancy brain, and it's a recipe for disaster.  Last week I locked my keys in the car while taking it to be repaired, I went grocery shopping and came home with lots of stuff, but absolutely nothing for dinner, and I had to email myself a to-do list for the week, because I think I inadvertently threw the original away. 

The good news is that all of these complaints are minor, and (hopefully) quite temporary!  :) 

Learning to Embrace the Color Pink

When we announced to the facebook world that we were expecting, we both posted pictures of mini-vans.  Brian's call sign is VAN, so we enjoyed seeing which of our friends would figure out the pun.  About a month later, I changed my photo to a purple mini-van.  Yup-- the mini-Morrissey is going to be a girl!

I was a bit of a tom-boy growing up.  Next to the dresses in my closet were the bike shorts I wore to climb to the highest limb of the tree in our front yard.  Amongst the dolls and My Little Pony collection was an admirable set of He-Man action figures.... You get the point. Anyway, these were the thoughts that ran through my cranium the 1st time I went browsing through the racks of baby stuff after learning that the gummy bear was a girl.  Then consumer reality hit.  Everything was a sea of cotton candy PINK.  Even here in Germany!  Ugh.  I really don't care for that color.  Neither does Brian.  

The more I think about it, the more I realize that maybe it's not the color itself... maybe it's the negative connotation that it stirs up in my mind; tiaras and princesses and a holier-than-thou sense of entitlement.  Maybe it's the gender stereotyping in general-- will wearing something frilly and pink perpetuate the idea that she's 'delicate' and cant dig in the mud with the boys?  Honestly, probably not.  If she's anything like her parents, by the time she's old enough, there will be grass stains and dirt on whatever color she's wearing.  In the meantime, she's just going to be a baby... squishy, needy and not yet able to express her preferences.  So, my new resolution: I won't pass up a perfectly adorable outfit, just because it's the shade of bubble gum.  We will, instead, try to have a big variety, teach our daughter that she can wear whichever colors she wants, and that she can grow up to be whomever she wants to be.   Even if it's a girly-girl... god help us.

Kick vs. Digestion

Somewhere around week 16 or so, people started asking if I'd felt the baby kick yet.  At that time, I hadn't, and I didn't know what to expect when it did happen.  I started paying close attention to everything I felt in anticipation of those first little movements.  About a week later, I started playing a game I liked to call "Kick or Digestion?"  I truly couldn't decipher a fetus ninja move vs. gas bubbles.  So I decided that if my stomach made a gurgling noise directly after I felt something, it was likely digestion... If there were no sounds and it happened a few times in the same area, it might just be a kick! Over the next couple of weeks, the motions became much more definitive, and now, at just over 20 weeks there's no mistaking what they are.  Nice work, ninja baby!  They are even strong enough to be felt from the outside now.   Such a cool feeling! I can't wait to see Brian (who is back in the states for work) in just a few short weeks and have him experience force of little blackbelt Morrissey!

On Deciding to Procreate

 “Having a baby is like getting a tattoo on your face. You really need to be certain it's what you want before you commit.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Eat, Pray, Love


The idea that we'll be parents in a few short months is pretty mind-boggling to me.  We knew, early in our relationship, that we'd like to have children some day, but not immediately.  We wanted to have ample time to grow our relationship as a married couple first.  Having these past three years, seeing the world, and getting to know each other that much better has been perfect.  I can honestly say that my relationship with Brian is stronger than it ever has been.  Alas, had I not heard my biological clock ticking louder after turning 32, I would have happily/selfishly kept my husband all to myself for another couple of years! 

The decision to have kids is not one we took lightly, but rather, something we had been considering for quite a long time.  It definitely stemmed more from the train of thought of; "We're ready and looking forward to imparting 61 collective years of knowledge and experiences on the next generation" as opposed to "Aww, what a cute baby, I want one of those!" (Although, since becoming pregnant, I don't deny that the latter has crossed my mind!) 

I see the shows that glorify teen pregnancy and hear the words "baby fever" and cringe... a lot.  I wondered for a while if we were making the right decision.  Do we really want to expose another person to all of the problems in the world?  Aside from the biggest issues like war and poverty (and reality tv),  I can't help but agonize over bringing a child into our AF dictated, nomadic lifestyle.  Then again, how could we deny someone the beauty and amazing experiences that are out there, especially those that come from living in different areas around the globe?  Do these experiences justify the need to take a long-haul flight to see the closest family member?  Currently, as it's just Brian and myself, I'd say 'absolutely,' however, I think that question will be increasingly harder to answer when the baby is here.  

What I do know, is that the wonderfulness of the world far trumps the bad... I just hope we have the ability to teach our child to see it that way.  I also see my friends who have struggled for years with infertility, pregnancy losses and health issues and wonder how we got so very lucky.  Odd as it is to say, I feel privileged to be bringing a new life into the world.  Now don't get me wrong... that's not to say that pregnancy is fun.  No, truth be told, it's frightening, annoying, and fairly miserable.  I hear the end result is worth it though; I guess we'll see in a few months!