Ze baby basics

Amanda arrived March 6th just after midnight. She was born in a giant kiddy pool in my parent's kitchen. I caught her! It was awesome! She came out at 8 pounds, 10 ounces, 14 inch head, at least a pound larger than expected. So much for small people make small babies. But hey chunky babies are healthy babies. I liked like Buddha by the time I was three months so we shall see if she becomes a chunkette ;) More in her planned (awesome) homebirth later when she's not sleeping (trying to obey the new golden rule "sleep when baby sleeps").

And happy mother's day to me! Motherhood is much tougher than I imagined. And everyone knows I love challenges. But my life is now dictated by the whims & demands of a VERY communicative baby girl. Problem is her cues all look pretty similar. But she is flipping adorable, a good cuddler (I've only gotten a fat lip 2x from her head butting), smells like delicious milk,smiles like Toothless the dragon & makes me the happiest mama ever!

Off to drink my mama's day wine in bed with a little side 'o chocolate and give my girl one last snuggle before I make myself put her in the cosleeper. If I don't I get beaten up by her active arms & legs allll night, quite the active sleeper this one. And if not highly milk drunk she considers swaddling to be a straight jacket torture method & grunts til I let her out.

Life gets busy & busier

Hmmm excuses why I haven't written a darn thing since October. Yes 7 whole months.
In chronological order:
1- Noel LOVES netflix & takes over the computer when he gets home, which was before me
2- I wasn't sure if anyone read it. Not that I told more than 5 people...
3- I was pregnant, had a full time job & loved sleeping in
4- I decided it was a good idea (pregnancy brain?!) to plan ahead for my return to grad school & take Pharm for nurse practitioners online. At 7 months pregnant. A semester long class that bridged....
5- my baby Amanda's birth!!!
6- we moved at 8 months pregnant
7- see #5!

But now (I think) I'm ready to try again. In advance forgive the unusual grammar. Sleep deprivation saps my English language skills. And Spanish too, Noel has been correcting me alot lately, which hasn't happened in ages.

Let's do a quick photo recap (of those on my phone as the computer told me last week "replace hard drive!). These are the pics I have on my phone...Nevermind I am not smart enough to figure that out. Next time I swear!!!

Head Butting? Flips?

Panchita started moving! I was sure it was baby over a week ago, kind of feels like I am getting head butted on the low pelvic area. It took almost a week for Noel to feel'm, but I did my best by eating a whole bag of sour gummy worms :) Within 15 minutes baby was squirming around almsot every minute!

The day after Noel was able to feel Panchita moving around the fetal doppler I ordered arrived. I want for for peace of mind just in case I ever don't feel movement for a day or so. Peace of mind costs $50 :) I found the heartbeat really low in the same place I feel the movement, which makes me think it is head butting as there feet do  not have heartbeats. Panchita is the size of a large mango.

You may have noticed I switched to calling baby Panchita. No we didn't find out the gender, and still don't plan to, but I decided that so as to not be surpised if Panchita comes out a girl I should switch off using the male and female versions of the name.

I also finally gained weight! Between 4 and 6 pounds, quite proud of myself actually :)

Bad days & Beer

Today is the first day since I got pregnant that I want a beer. I am 133 days pregnant. Today work was terrible, patients that could not be made happy regardless of trying, constantly admitting patients, haivng to listen to a coworker who I dub "a stress monkey" and only 1 break in 8 hours (but it felt like 16).

So I settled for a full size bag of Tim's Jalapeno Chips. Full size I tell you. Yes there are still some left and Hugo did help :) And some sour gummy worms. Delicious. So even if work calls me and begs I swear I will not agree to work. Probably better that I don't even answer the phone as I would be tempted by time & a half pay.

Here is a 19 week & half a bag of Jalapeno chips belly :) No, those are not maternity pants, just my uber-comfy scrubs that I bought for nursing school clinicals.

Speaking of belly. Yesterday at work a patient finally asked if I was pregnant! Under ordinary non-pregnant circumstances this would have been a little insulting, but as I had just eaten dinner and I am 4.5 months pregnant (and no one thinks I look it) for me it was thrilling. 

I wonder what Panchito will look like: eyes the color of honey, blue or brown? bubble booty like my hubby or flat like mine? moles or moleless? surprisingly blonde or expectedly dark hair? One thing for certain Noel and my child will have long legs!

 

Beginning of the bump (finally)

I am pregnant therefore I am lazy....My hematocrit must still be low because I am not feeling that supposed burst of energy you are supposed to get in the second trimester. Boo.

"Noel, could you take a picture of my belly, but without my bra, okay?" Not quite possible by hubby photographer. This is 16 weeks...not much change.

But at 17 weeks and after eating suddenly Bump! Waaa hah hah finally :)

Now I am approaching 19 weeks and have a little bump all the time. I can suck it in about 75% if I want but it's hardly worth it. Now at work everyone knows I am pregnant so it's everyone's business (nurses are sooo nosy, not that I mind right now, as I like the attention).

My memory is that of a flea. Sometimes I wonder how I get by on a daily basis with matching shoes, luckily it's easy to get dressed for work. And if my memory is that of a flea my energy level is that of a slug. I get everything done,  but nothing done quickly. I started taking my mom's highly recommended liquid iron (gag).

Upcoming stories from Honduras:
~La Llanta (The Tire)
~There are at least two other stories and I can't remember now! See memory of a flea...

15 weeks and annoyed to be bump-less

Yes this is in fact a different photo. I just want to see how different I look throughout pregnancy while in the same outfit. Noel made me laugh "There's nothing there!"