It's a Girl!

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We had the 2nd trimester ultrasound yesterday and it's a girl! In this picture the arrow is pointing to the goods or lack thereof. That's the labia. She cooperated quite nicely with getting that picture. Not so much with getting one of the heart pictures the technician wanted and did eventually get. She was moving around quite a bit.

More importantly, the ultrasound showed everything to be normal. We got to see and hear her heart beating (146 bpm), which was really cool, and the different sections of her brain, head measurements, her kidneys, spine, arms, legs, and face. Her weight is "good enough" which I took to mean she's on the small side of normal. Since I'll be the one pushing her out, I'm totally fine if she wants to continue being on the small side of normal.

These next two pictures are 3D pictures. Tim and I think they look freaky and like an alien underwater. There is one he didn't scan that looks really creepy.

As far as how I'm doing - blood pressure, urine, etc, - all is well and the same as the last time. My next appointment is on May 26th and I'll have the glucose test done then.

The bookcase/bed combo is mostly finished. Tim stained it last weekend but wants to do some touch up staining where he added wood filler. We'll have it in the computer room by the time Nancy and Phil get here for a visit next week. We'll leave the spare bed in the baby room until the end of their stay to give them more room.

The Whippet National

The girls and I had a lot of fun on our trip to Atlanta for the 2009 Whippet National Specialty.  Tim only joined us for the last day.  We got to Atlanta on Tuesday afternoon and attended the Welcome Party that evening.  The Welcome Party had a costume contest with an Easter or Spring theme for the pups and an American Idol contest for the humans.  It was a lot fun seeing all the creative costumes people had for their dogs from a box of Peeps to Hugh Hefner with Miss April to southern belles in their Easter dresses.  So cute!  

 
The Parade of Rescues and the Parade of Honors was held on Wednesday.  Our friend Jonathan was there with Zoey for the Parade of Honors.  Zoey was a dynamo in the show ring and had to give up her show career early due to some complications.  After retiring from showing she moved to Florida to live out the rest of her life with Jonathan and his crew of whippets and greyhounds.  A few months ago Jonathan and Zoey's owners made the difficult decision to amputate one of her back legs.  Then a few weeks ago she received a specially made wheelchair and can now enjoy walks on the beach and hikes in Montana, where Jonathan spends his summers.  Jonathan said she is up to going 2 miles with him on walks now.  You can view video of Zoey on youtube - just type in 'Zoey whippet' into the youtube search.
The National also consisted of an art show, raffles to benefit both The American Whippet Club and Whippet Rescue and Placement, lure coursing and racing, rally and obedience, agility, and of course conformation shows and shopping.  The art show was phenomenal.  Lots of talented Whippet owners!  The Hilton Airport Hotel was the host for the event and the girls did really well living in a hotel for almost five days.  The hotel allowed the dogs to run in the basketball court off leash, and this was a big help to get Tacy to release some energy.  This was the first time they had been crated in a hotel and after the first time we left them, there wasn't a peep to be heard from either of them.  The woman I roomed with said they got to the point where they didn't even care when she came in to grab something or use the bathroom.  They just laid in their crates chillin'.  The same can't be said for some of the other dogs on our floor.  We heard barking and whining all day long from other rooms.  One of Hazel and Tacy's favorite things to do was jump onto Hazel's crate and check out the view from the window.  Of course we didn't leave without buying a few whippety items - sweaters and necklaces for the girls, a metal Whippet wall hanging, greeting cards, and t-shirts.  :)

The Monday after I returned from Atlanta, I went in for my 20 week prenatal appointment.  As usual, all is well.  Baby's heartbeat was around 145 bpm.  As I left the office, I made the appointment for the ultrasound.  Monday, April 27th.  We can't wait!  Fingers crossed the baby sticks his/her junk up to my belly so we can see the goods.  Of course, the most important thing will be ensuring the baby is healthy and his/her organs are developing normally.  But still, finding out the sex will be fun!  A few weeks ago I could feel the baby moving every now and then and not everyday.  Now I can feel it moving throughout the day, everyday.  So far, it has only moved once that was strong enough for Tim to feel.  

19 Weeks Beer Belly Pic & more

Here's the 19 weeks picture.  Don't mind the big red bump on my belly.  That's just where a mosquito had a nice snack.  Why it got my belly and not my exposed arms I don't know.  Looking at the picture from 17 weeks and this week, they pretty much look the same, but I can definitely tell the difference.  Anyway, all is well with me.  I can brush my teeth again for a decent amount of time and after eating, too!  I *think* I might have felt the baby move last night while I was trying to go to sleep.  I'm sure in the next week or two I'll feel him/her more and know that that is indeed what I'm feeling.

Last week we bought the Baby/Whippet-Mobile.  I already have two crate mats in the back for the dogs.  I've ordered custom made harnesses for them that will attach to rings on the side of the car.  The lady making them should be giving them to me when we are in Atlanta for the Whippet National.  All we need now is the partition to keep Tacy from jumping into the backseat.  Or at least attempting to once she has the harness holding her back.  Hazel doesn't seem to mind it back there, but she just lays down and goes to sleep in the car.  Hopefully Tacy will adjust quickly.

  

Here is the bookcase/bed combo Tim is making.  He has half of the shelves in now and just needs to finish the remaining shelves and attach the side and bottom pieces.  Then he can stain it and he'll be finished.  He'll need to disassemble it a little to get it into the computer room, but that shouldn't be too much trouble.  Once we have the spare bed and futon shuffled around then we can start putting together the nursery furniture.  The crib mattress is next on the list of nursery items to buy.

After doing a little more research and finding a really good website about cloth diapering I have decided to go the cloth diaper route rather than the flushable/biodegradeable disposables.  Unless we were to flush them, which we aren't due to last year's sewer line mess (and I do mean MESS), I'm not convinced they are all that much better for the environment than the regular disposables.  Once you put them in a plastic trash bag and throw them in the landfill, they really aren't going to biodegrade in the advertised 50-150 days.  I'm going to start with pre-folds and a diaper cover and then we'll go from there.  There are so many different types of cloth diapers to choose from these days, it can get a bit overwhelming trying to decide which ones are the way to go.   

Belly Pics - 17 Weeks, 4 Days

I'm a little late getting the belly pics started, but oh well.  We took close up shots, but they didn't seem to want to upload, so this is all you get.  Since I had a little belly to begin with, I was in no mood to take any "before" photos so we're just starting now that it seems to have gotten bigger.  To me it just looks like I've put on some weight.  Speaking of which, I've now gained a whopping 3 pounds from pre-pregnancy weight.  And my clothes are still fitting, but I can tell they are getting slightly tighter.  I've been told the next time we do these photos we have to avoid the clothing lines on my skin.  After a shower I guess.

A couple of weeks ago we bought the crib and changing table/dresser combo.  They are still sitting in their boxes, though.  We still have to clear out the room before we start putting things together.  We made a couple of trips to Home Depot and Lowes and Tim has started building the new bookcase/bed combo for the computer room.  He's hoping to get that finished this week or next and then we'll be able to shuffle things around.  I'll share pics after we've started making progress.

We've also started making progress in the baby/whippet mobile dilemma.  We test drove a couple of small SUV's and a few station wagons.  We've decided on the VW Jetta Sportwagen, which for a station wagon is awfully cute.  We haven't bought it, yet, but we've started the negotiations.  

I've been feeling pretty good lately, except I've been getting headaches the last couple of days and I've found out that Tylenol doesn't do poop for headaches.  I miss my Anacin.  My nose has been runny/stopped up pretty much from the very beginning of the pregnancy.  In fact, it started before I even knew we were expecting and according to the pregnancy books, this perfectly normal.  It's possible my sinuses are what's causing my headaches and I'm going to try some Sudafed next and see how that works.  Another joy of pregnancy that I've been experiencing this last month is what I call the "15 year-old face."  I think I have more pimples now than I did as a teenager.  Yay for hormones!  

Last summer, before the pregnancy, we (mostly me) planned on going to the Whippet National Specialty in Atlanta.  For you non-whippet types, it's pretty much a huge Whippet convention.  Competitions in conformation, obedience, agility, and lure coursing.  Lots of Whippet paraphernalia will be sold from martingale collars and bumper stickers to art.  I'll be going down at the beginning of April during the week to enjoy the festivities with the girls and Tim will join me for the weekend and drive back with me.  The girls and I are very excited to meet a lot of our online whippet friends and see again some of our old friends.  

16 Week Update

I had the 16 week appointment today and all is well.  The baby's heartbeat was 150 bpm and we heard it right away.  Last time I had a hard time differentiating between my heartbeat and the baby's but this time the baby's was loud and clear.  The midwife asked if I could feel it moving yet and when I explained the feeling I have in my lower abdomen, she informed me that was not the baby, but my ligaments stretching.  So no, no kicks, yet, at least that I can feel.  I still haven't started showing.  Tim thinks I am a little bit, but I can't really tell the difference.  I don't feel nauseous anymore and brushing my teeth has gotten better.  Not great, but better.  Now I can brush without the need to vomit about half the time.  Progress!

My next appointment is scheduled for April 13th and it will not include the ultrasound that I am anxious for.  They do the second ultrasound at 22 weeks.  So sometime around April 23rd should be the ultrasound where we get to find out if the baby is a he or she.  

Later this month we're going to start getting around the nursery furniture, so hopefully near the end of the month I'll have some beginning pictures to share with you.  Tim has started designing the new bookcase/bed combo that he is going to build for the computer room.  Currently the baby's room is the spare bedroom with a queen sized bed and we need a place to put it.  He's building a bookcase with an extension where the mattress can be stored up against the wall in the computer room.  Then we'll bring down the steel frame from the attic and make up the bed when we have company.  A similar concept to a murphy bed, just cheaper and without all the hardware.  The futon will go into the baby's room for now.  We'll probably get rid of it in a year or two.  It will give the girls somewhere to lay when I'm in with the baby.  And if we do get rid of it sooner, rather, than later, have no doubt that the baby's room will include at least one dog bed.

I think we will start taking weekly pictures of me from the side.  I don't know how excited I am about this, but I'm sure years from now, I'll be glad we did.  I'll add this week's pic later today or tomorrow, since it hasn't been taken yet.  

Our Baby and the Environment - Part 2

In the last post I discussed some of the ways we are being environmentally friendly in raising our baby.  Today I'm going to discuss the Top 4 Ways we aren't being Green in our baby raising (I'm sure there are more ways, but I can only think of 4 off the top of my head - sorry):

1. Having a baby in the first place - the world is overpopulated enough as it is and there are plenty of children in need of good homes.  Yet we're having a baby anyway and we planned it.  All I'm going to say is, oh well.  Don't worry, though, I'm not going to pop out 14 kids like a certain California mom.  One, two tops, and we're done.  Family planning, it's the next best thing.

2. Clothes, bed linens, etc. - As nice as it would be to have all organic cotton clothes and bed linens, it just isn't going to be.  For one thing, with organic, your choices are limited.  You can find a lot on the internet, but still not as much as normal clothes and they are about twice the price (or more) than regular clothes.  And if you're buying online, you're also paying shipping fees.  Just not all that realistic if you ask me.  I do plan on buying clothes at second hand shops and using hand me downs, but I'm not going to go nuts on organic only brand new clothes and bedding.  There are just too many cute outfits out there to go organic only.

3. Toys - Like organic cotton, environmentally friendly toys are not in abundance at our local Targets and toy stores.  Also, like organic cotton, they are quite a bit more expensive.  Not to mention that once our baby reaches a certain age, I doubt s/he will care that Barbie/GI Joe (or whoever is popular with the kids these days) isn't made of all natural products.  One thing, though, that I will be anal about when it comes to toys, will be baby toys and teethers that s/he will potentially put in his/her mouth.

4. Baby Mobile - This summer (hopefully before baby comes) we'll be getting rid of Tim's car and getting a new (to us) car.  As much as I would like to get a super gas efficient Toyota Prius or similar, it just isn't practical for us.  We need something in which we can haul around the baby and the dogs.  SUV's aren't great on gas or the environment, unless you go with a hybrid and they are too expensive for us at the moment.  SUV's also aren't really our style.  So we're most likely going with a station wagon.  Not great on gas, but not horrible either.  Dogs can ride around in the back and the baby doesn't get his/her face licked the whole ride.  Everyone's happy - at least in our family. ...Okay, maybe Tacy won't be so happy with this new arrangement, but she'll have to get used to it.

Our Baby and the Environment - Part 1

In the last year or so I've started trying to be more environmentally friendly.  Switching to recycled paper towels, tissues, toilet paper; using environmentally friendly cleaning products and soaps; energy efficient appliances; and switching all our lights to CFL's are a few of the things we've done to do our part.  We plan on continuing to do our part once baby arrives.  Here are the Top 5 Ways we plan to raise a Green baby:

1. Breast Feeding - Not only is this the healthiest way to feed to our baby, but it's Green, too.  Less trash, less water usage to clean bottles.  Plus, after reading all the recent articles about BPAs in plastics and lining canned foods, it's BPA free (as long as what I eat is BPA free.)  Not only is this environmentally friendly, but also friendly to our bank account and could save us anywhere from $1000-$4000 in the first year.  As The Bloodhound Gang like to say "Hooray for Boobies!"

2. Plastics - Some of the most toxic chemicals, it seems, goes into plastics.  I have no doubt the manufacturing of plastics is horrible on the environment, not to mention that every time you turn around there are new chemicals in the plastics that are hazardous to our health.  BPA's today - who knows what tomorrow.  In lieu of plastic bottles, we are going to go with glass bottles with silicone sleeves to prevent breakage.  I've read good reviews about these sleeves from moms whose babies like to throw the bottles on their hardwood floors.

3. Crib Mattress - Warning: this one is going to be long - Nancy sent me the book 'Raising Baby Green' by Dr. Alan Greene.  The section about mattresses I found to be rather disturbing.  Here's what he has to say, "PVC, the surface material used in nearly all baby mattresses, is widely considered to be one of the most toxic and environmentally unfriendly plastics in use today."  He goes on, "Phthlates, associated with asthma, reproductive effects, and cancer, make up 30 percent by weight of the PVC..."  Then there are the flame retardants, "...a typical baby mattress is also treated with toxic fire-retardant chemicals such as antimony, arsenic, and phosphoruos.  Various biocides are often added as well."  He goes on to discuss the foam and the toxic chemicals in that, but you get the idea.  The fact that conventional baby mattresses are so horrible, not only for the environment, but for our babies, is rather unfortunate.  Hopefully more people will go the organic route and eventually we can find organic mattresses at competitive prices at our local Wal-Marts and Targets.  

Because organic mattresses are somewhat pricey, we are going to our local second hand children's stores to buy our nursery furniture, which is also good for the environment.  Reduce, recycle, reuse!  

4. Skin Care - Pretty much just continuing what we've already started in using environmentally friendly shampoo, body wash, etc.  Again this goes back to the manufacturing of chemicals.  There are plenty of brands that are sold at Target or the grocery store, so these aren't as hard to find as they once were.  

5. Diapers - We all know how horrible regular diapers are for the environment.  They just sit in our landfills for hundreds of years taking up space.  There are a few alternatives - cloth diapers and flushable diapers.  The thought of cloth diapers just makes me think I'd be doing laundry every day.  Instead I've found a diaper that has a cloth outer covering and flushable inner liner.  After last year's debacle with our sewer line, I'm hesitant to throw anything other than toilet paper down the toilet.  But that's okay, because these liners can be thrown away and they break down in 50-150 days.  Yay!  One thing about these flushable liners, though, is they don't hold as much, therefore at night, I will probably go the cloth diaper route and use a thicker liner specifically for overnight use.