Some More Fun Facts

Today marks the first day of week 23:

How your baby's growing: 

Turn on the radio and sway to the music. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. And now that she's more than 11 inches long and weighs just over a pound (about the size of a large mango) you may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes. Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now — such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner — probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.

My Symptoms:
Good news, I have NOT noticed any swelling of the hands, feet or ankles yet.  I hear sitting or standing for long periods doesn't do you much good so thankfully my active job of moving around with kids might be helping!  Not to mention I've always been good about drinking lots of water and that helps too.  Other pregnancy symptoms include an annoying red, acne-rash-like spot just to the right of my nose that goes down towards my mouth.  Has been there the entire pregnancy!  I've tried several different natural remedies, I don't wear foundation or powder and the rest of my face is acne free.  Frustrating, but I'm aware things could be worse.   I have to file my nails once a week - NEVER have I had to file my nails.  They have always grown so slow and are thin and usually tear off when they get "long".  Sleep... I was very sad at first to lose my good sleep and hearing people laugh that this was preparing me for what lack of sleep I will soon experience did not help.  I'd rather keep sleeping good until that day comes!  :)  Anyway I seem to be getting more used to my new sleep, but if you see Josh with a black eye it's because I am hormonal and he was snoring too loud.

21 Weeks!

Thanksgiving in Pioneer

I was not very good about taking photos at Thanksgiving this year - too busy just enjoying everybody I guess! :)  Dad & Donna flew into Oakland earlier that week and then the four of us plus Indie and our bags and our food managed to fit in my Fit.  Barely, ha!  We drove up to Josh's mom's house in Pioneer, CA for a relaxing day of food and family.  Josh's brothers both came, Jake with Carli and Nathan and his wife Heather with Declan who is almost always laughing.  Beth and Philip spent the day with Josh's Dad in Sutter Creek and Sarah lives in NY so they were both missed.

Declan Arcadis Hill - age 1 year

Setting up for the feast!

Me & Josh - Baby Bean 21 weeks

Donna, Dad, Me & Josh (Indie showing his backside)

Jake & Carli

Me, Cheryl (Josh's Mom) & Josh

Favorite Things To Date

By FAR my favorite thing is feeling Baby Bean bump and thump around right now :)  I feel him a bit in the morning and different moments throughout the day, but like clockwork, when I lie down to go to bed he starts his most active routine for about 10 minutes.  The other night I laid there feeling him and then he stopped.  I said something out loud to him and got a big old thud in response that made me laugh out loud!

Another favorite thing that I'm trying to enjoy every minute of is my belly bump.  I realize this is going to start to take on a life of it's own and I will not be so pleased.  For now it's quite enjoyable and after a lifetime of worrying about my muffin top, the only part of my body I've ever disliked, I finally get to have it all pooch out and for a beautiful purpose, ha!

I am so very happy to have been loaned the pregnancy wedge pillow from Amy Morgan.  I would have had no idea about this and it's wonderful.  Small and easy to shift around when you change positions as well as pack for traveling and so supportive and yet I don't even realize it's there.  Our cousin Abi is due 2 weeks later than me and I told her about it.  She just received it and right before a trip to San Diego.  I'm hoping she finds it as helpful as I do.  I also have the boppy pregnancy pillow which doesn't work for my belly yet, I think it will once I'm bigger.  For now it's great for between my knees and using behind my back for sitting up in bed to read.

Food:  I'm still not in the hungry hippo phase yet, but there are a few things I get in my head on that I feel I must have soon:  Decaf coffee, fresh croissants, Zacharey's Stuffed Pizza (spinach and mushroom with pepperoni on top), Chipotle's veggie bowl and little treats to satisfy my sugar craving here and there.  To be honest, I'm not sure this is a whole lot different than when I'm not pregnant, I just don't go actively pursuing them as I do now.

And Josh and I joke about having a girl and naming her Clementine because I eat them constantly!  There is always one or two rolling around my purse.

Two of my favorite books right now:

http://www.amazon.com/Nourishing-Traditions-Book-Baby-Child/dp/0982338317

http://www.amazon.com/Other-Baby-Book-Natural-Approach/dp/1475185421/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1387053190&sr=1-1&keywords=the+other+baby+book

"Halfway Point"

Starting Week 20!

And NOW we have movement!  For sure this time :)  About a week ago I felt a few multiple sensations of bubbles popping against my uterus and now I feel them several times a day.  It makes me smile every time, it's rather amusing.  I'm aware I need to enjoy this as much as possible before I'm complaining of lil bean moving and kicking my organs.

So what else is new... Nothing much!  Trying to figure out my income earning situation as of January 1st, a month earlier than I thought, but as I've had my official freakout I'm already on the optimistic track.

I urged Josh to try and read just the intro to each chapter in the pregnancy for Dad's book so he could also be connected to this new and exciting process with me.  That might have been a mistake on my part, lol.  As he read the first 3 pages of month 5, he learned that the baby can now smell and taste what I eat through the amniotic fluid.  This morning he convinced me to add tobasco to my eggs so our kid can get used to spicy and not have the aversion to spice that I do.  Seriously, I bet this will not be the first fun fact he'll find that will affect my habits I'm sure.  LOL

First Photo!

Today Josh and I had our first appointment with our OB, Dr. Kochenberger.  He's very kind and funny, we liked him.  He gave me my first sonogram and it was a blast!  I wish I could have gotten a photo of Josh's face, I'm not sure I've ever seen him with such a big grin.  He was amazed at how much lil Bean was moving :)  We saw his hands go up around his face and head, almost as if he was annoyed by the sonogram and trying to shoo it away, haha.

To many, this grainy photo may just be a few blobs, but if you look at the circle to the left, that's it's head and the black part the brain and at the top, the profile of it's nose.  The circle to the right is it's chest and the small black shadow in the center is his/her heart! :)

Other good news is that rough measurements show his/her size is right on track, shows a good, healthy spine, I have plenty of fluid and my placenta is up and away from my cervix.  All good signs.

Start of Week 18...

And the beginning of heartburn and back pain.  Good news is it seems eating coconut oil makes the heartburn go away.  I'll try this out a few more times and see if it wasn't a fluke.

I've got a little wedge that my friend Amy is letting me borrow.  I didn't realize I should maybe have been using it before now.  I didn't think my belly was big enough yet to need support, but my back is now telling me differently.  I ordered a pillow that will support my belly and fit between my knees, it should be here Thursday!   I've also been told that I may benefit from a belly band support thingy, a bit like what people where when doing heavy lifting.  I'm holding off on that for now.  If anyone knows anybody who used one, let me know what they have to say about it!

UPDATE:
So my SIL Sarah emailed me just after this post and said she used one and it helped a lot.  The very next day I went to my weekly chiro visit and the other Dr. there is 32 weeks pregnant and she had just gotten one.  She let me try it on and said as I get bigger, have Josh get behind me and hold up my belly for 1 minute.  When he lets go and I wish he wouldn't stop, then I'm ready for the belly support band :)

Just One Bean So Far ;)

Thursday afternoon I had a routine appointment with my midwife.  Josh wasn't able to come due to work running late, but I wasn't expecting anything out of the ordinary so it didn't bother me.  There was a brief moment when I thought he needed to be there... but no, everything is still on track and normal for now ;)  At my last appointment Pearl mentioned she was a little surprised that my fundus was a little taller (farther along) than expected at that time.  Again, she said my fundus was showing about 19 weeks, while I'm at 17 weeks.  My first question was "what are the reasons for this... twins??"  While that is one option, it's not the only answer thank goodness :)  As she found the little bean's heartbeat, my heart skipped a beat as she moved to the other side and we heard it again.  My eyes widened, but she assured me it was the same heartbeat.  And yes, I'm very aware that this early a 2nd baby bean could be hiding or quite stealth.  Josh and I would like a big family, but fingers crossed, we really just want one right now! 
I have a new patient appointment in a few weeks with an OBGYN and am going to inquire if I can get my 20 week ultrasound at that time, but I won't be surprised if they make it just a new patient exam and make you come back another time for anything else.

UTI & TMI

So I'm documenting my pregnancy and I have kept, and plan on keeping, some of the more extremely personal aspects to myself, but I'm an open book type person and I filter here just as much as I do in life.   This brings me to my recent week long battle with UTI symptoms.   The moment I noticed I drank a glass of water with a teaspoon of baking soda (this helps get your PH balance in check, lower any acidity) and over the next few days drank several quarts of cranberry juice, gallons of water and peed constantly.  I knew the dangers of getting a UTI while pregnant but also didn't want to jump into taking antibiotics either.  So in agreement with my midwife, I was going to monitor it for a few days.  I also read that even when the bacteria is gone, symptoms can last up to a week... so on day 5 we made the decision to go get a test which turned out completely clear, yay!   And wouldn't you know the afternoon after the test all symptoms were gone.  Of course.  lol. 

We have movement?

This morning I'm pretty sure I felt the baby move!  Only in hindsight will I be 100% sure... but I'm pretty sure :)  It felt like a little zipper went up through a small part of my uterus... could've been a stretching/growth thing...

Week 15

Some fun facts about my pregnancy at week 15:

"Baby's legs are now longer than his arms and he can move all of his joints and limbs.  Get ready for a cute attack: Her eyebrows are beginning to grow, and the hair on her head may be starting to sprout."

Symptoms:
I have been so very lucky to have had an easy first trimester!  From the many stories I've heard from friends and from the "what to expect" articles, etc. I couldn't be more grateful.  The early food aversions are almost all gone, although I still have issues with chicken and meat in general doesn't sound that great.  Since eating a more variety of foods, I have been able to go back to my more moderate intake of sweet treats although I still splurge now and again more than I used to but hey, I'm celebrating :)

I have had some allergy issues on and off for more than a year and haven't pinned down exactly what causes them so I just assumed it was more pesky allergy issues making me stuffed up as I lay down to sleep every night.  Come to find out, it's a somewhat common pregnancy symptom!  "Congestion during pregnancy occurs when high levels of estrogen and progesterone increase blood flow to all the body's mucous membranes, including the nose, which causes them to swell and soften."  Also fun news is that this can last the whole pregnancy... yay.   I'm going to pick up a vaporizer tomorrow and add some extra Vitamin C to my daily intake as I've seen suggested. 

The only other noticeable development is the round ligament pain.  "You may feel round ligament pain as a short jabbing sensation or a sharp, stabbing pain if you suddenly change position, such as when you're getting out of bed or out of a chair or when you cough, roll over in bed, or get out of the bathtub. You might also feel it as a dull ache after a particularly active day – when you've been walking a lot or doing some other physical activity."  So far not as "jabbing" as it sounds, just a tight/achy feeling.  I'm glad to be prepared for slightly more intense pains and to know this is normal and to be expected.  Nothing like feeling light aches and stretching sensations to give you a little moment of worry.  With the first pregnancy everything is so new!

15 week bump!

First Day of 2nd Trimester!

Today was the very first day of our 2nd trimester and our third midwife visit and we finally got to hear the heartbeat!!!  Josh and I shared the fear on the way home that, although completely unfounded, we both thought maybe we weren't really pregnant.  That maybe it was some hysterical or phantom pregnancy.  Having so very few symptoms and not having heard the heartbeat yet will do that to you apparently!  So I guess now I can start doing the happy dance and being thankful for my virtually symptom free first trimester!  Other satisfying news was that my fundus is taller than my midwife expected which makes me feel better about popping out so early :)  And no, there was just one heartbeat, also somewhat of a comfort to be honest, ha!

Objects look larger than they appear

These are horrible pics, I know.  I have to prop my laptop on an open drawer on my dresser, the lighting is awful and the photobooth app on my computer takes very low quality pics.  Hopefully I can team up with Josh and get him to take some better ones, we are hardly home (both of us awake) at the same time these days!  And I'll have to ask Josh, but I think I look larger in these photos than I really am.  I haven't gained any weight - no seriously - but I think it's because I was growing in size and losing weight at the same time and just netting out. Ha!

12 weeks 4 days

First Mom Friend!!

I went out this morning to grab a breakfast sandwich for Josh as he has a very long and very busy day today.  While in line at the cafe I asked the mom in front of me how old her baby boy was (Wallace 5mos) and we just kept talking.  She waited with me for my order and then we walked the same direction for a bit and exchanged numbers and a hug.  You can't imagine how elated I am!  And did I mention she lives on my street??  How amazing is that!?

UPDATE - I just had to update this... my first mom friend, the lovely, wonderful, unique, whole-hearted, fantastic friend: Kalene.  This post is just over 4 years ago.  She has been my rock and loyal friend every since.  I can't be more fortunate to have met her and her staying such a close friend.  Some pics below:

Baby Wallace, about the time of this post

One of B's first visitors!

Baby Chris Farley & Big Baby B

W & B 

New Symptom!

Vivid Dreams/Nightmares - sweet.

I'll say it now so we are all clear, I'm not exactly complaining... ok, I kind of am.  If this is the only new thing I have to report and grumble about then it's all pretty awesome and I am aware of that.  This morning sometime around 3:00... 4:00am I woke with a forceful breath from my very very stressful dream.  I still remember it fairly well and it's weird and all over the place because it's a dream, but the gist was I was being accused of some major crime (something to do with bookkeeping fraud, HA! - this is how much I obviously dislike accounting!).  Josh was too for some reason and there was this situation of jumping off a building with a parachute... all while being terrified of going to prison for something I didn't do, losing Josh as well, fearing for my life with the jumping from a building idea and I was really horrified of being pregnant in prison and someone else having to raise my baby.  Oy.  Most of the dream was basically me in hysteric fits of crying, hence why I woke up needing a big breath of air and bless my sweet guy, a 4am cuddle.  Josh is shockingly sweet when I wake from bad dreams, not that there have been all that many before now, so I'm hoping the next 6 months don't push his limits!  They will I'm sure...

Nothing else is new... feeling really good, which still frightens me a bit, eating pretty well but still not in the mood for all that much.  Still loving sweets more than I used to and still going to bed early which I think helps me from being too tired during the day.  Those drop dead tired days are gone, yay!  I can't really tell if my bump is bigger, but after looking at that last photo, I'm guessing it is.  I'll get Josh to take another photo soon.

First Photo!

10 weeks

Uneventful first Appointment

Mom arrived Wednesday, Sept. 11th just in time for our first midwife appointment on Thursday.  Not surprising I've been counting down the days for this first appointment and of course it was rather uneventful, lol.  I was prepared that it was probably too early to hear the heartbeat so I wasn't too disappointed when that was the case.  We did family health history, checked my sugar and protein levels (normal) and scheduled another appointment for just 2 weeks later so we could check for the heartbeat again.  Josh and I love our midwife, Pearl.  We met her a few months ago and I liked her then, I just couldn't really remember details.  After this visit I told Josh I remembered why I liked her so much, she shoots you straight, but is very calm and kind at the same time.  I like that :) 

Mom and I went window shopping and oo'd and ahh'd over baby things.  She got me a few maternity pieces as I already can't wear my normal jeans and prefer only 3 sundresses for comfort.  It feels so odd... kinda silly to have gained only 3.5 pounds since finding out I was pregnant and yet my uterus (which has doubled in size) has already pushed what belly weight I did carry up and out.  I dread when people will ask how far along I am, I'm tempted to lie and say 3 and a half months or something, rather than 10 weeks.  Not really that worried, but I still feel silly showing so soon, maybe that's just me.  Maybe I'm showing but I haven't personally fully committed to believing I'm really pregnant and that's why it feels weird.  I think hearing the heartbeat will help :)
My birthday came as a happy surprise Saturday morning when I was checking Facebook and read all the "Happy Birthday" notes.  I had completely forgot with Mom's visit and pregnancy consuming most of my thoughts.  Mom and I had stayed the night in Napa and enjoyed two days of browsing around, me taking tiny sips off some of Mom's better wine tastings, eating and enjoying the fantastic weather.

August 2013 - News Flash!

The newest news up on Cockrell Hill is that our household will be getting busier come April!!

Josh and I have been trying to get pregnant for about a year now.  We started tracking in February and were actually successful our very first month.  We had a positive test while in Texas so we went ahead and shared the news with our family only to lose the pregnancy just a couple of weeks after we got home.  We were definitely sad, the actual day was horrific, but after processing the information we understood how common early miscarriages are and were optimistic that we could get pregnant and that my body knows what it's doing and did what it needed to do.  After 36 years of not making a baby, I think that part of my body had to get shaken out of hibernation! Moving forward I was less motivated to take my temperature and track, but I also wanted to give my body some time to recover, have a normal cycle or two and just not feel obsessed with having to get pregnant again. Then this last cycle I got back on board and started tracking again and voila!

Today, August 25th we hit our first milestone: we have now reached the same point in the pregnancy as last time and things are looking... good... I think!  Hard to tell of course.  I've noticed slightly stronger and continuous symptoms so I feel that is good news.  I think my symptoms are very mild which I'd like to be thankful for, but mostly it makes me nervous the pregnancy isn't strong enough.  Otherwise I try to stay focused on being healthy and getting enough rest.  I am SO TIRED.  Based on my tracking, I believe we are starting the 7th week, but we will know more after our first Dr. appointment on September 12th.  Fingers crossed!!

August 29th

Did I mention I was tired?  Good lord!  It's like the lethargic truck ran me over.  I am so grateful I watch kids and can find the 15 minute rest and sometimes power nap I need to get through the day, but when I get home I am useless!  I don't have any sickness yet so I feel very lazy complaining.  As of this week I now have trouble feeling hungry, nothing sounds very good so it's hard to make myself eat and this borders on not feeling too hot.  Bart was extra crowded this morning and I got kind of hot and clammy, I wanted to sit down so bad!  Too early to use my non-existent bump to make someone give up their seat.  If it gets worse I may have to speak up, but not looking forward to that.  All in all it makes me smile every once in awhile to think all this means it's sticking.  Hope so, positive thoughts!!

September 6th
Only 5 more days until our first midwife appointment :)  Eeeee!  Based on the generic due date calculators and my tracking I'm finishing up week 8, but am looking forward to hearing how far along the midwife says I am.  I feel like I'm doing better on the tired front this week.  I get to bed pretty early which I hope makes up for the middle of the night bathroom breaks and I'm not feeling awful but am still having issues with food choices.  Not nauseated by the thought exactly... but close.  Lately pizza and chips and guac have been my faves.  I take desecrated liver supplements, cod liver oil-butter oil supplements and my prenatal raw vitamins and I make myself have some homemade chicken broth most days.  Fresh pressed juices and smoothies always sound good, it just sucks that they are like $8!  In other news... I am SUPER excited about Josh's new part time job!  He really wanted to get this gig, but after 2 interviews he didn't get it and was told he was "next in line".  Not a week later they asked him to come in for training with everyone (new place opening in a few days) so he could be a back up.  That was exciting in itself and THEN some scheduling conflict with the other guy came up so Josh is officially in already!   It's 2 blocks from our house and has 32 beers on tap, it's called Hog's Apothecary.  This is in addition to his work as the beer director for the start up, Wine Meats Cheese.  It's a slow growth right now, but we hope it takes off!

Visit from Sarah, Pahu & Calliope!

July 2013

Annual visit from the NY Hills!  So this is about a year old photo... but it does capture the wonderful and creative world of Calliope.  Love this girl!  I'm embarrassed to admit I didn't take any photos this year, aahh!  Every summer our NY family, Sarah, Pahu & daughter Calliope come to visit for 2-3 weeks.  This year was wonderful as Beth & Philip are under the same roof so it was one big happy household!  ...For the most part, ha!  Three siblings in the same quarters for that long, there's bound to be a feud or two ;)

Found One!  Aunt Boo & Calliope 2013

Road Trip to Texas - Grand Canyon stop!

Sunday March 31st

Indie on an old Model-T on Historic Route 66

This was along Route 66 (not Grand Canyon)

The must-have foot shot

Indie LOVED the views, no kidding!

Road Trip to Texas (part 2)

Tuesday March 26th - Saturday March 30th

We were SO lucky and happy that Melanie's somewhat last minute trip to visit her parent's couldn't have been timed more perfectly.  Mel and her daughter Lilly arrived Tuesday and she came over to Chandra's as soon as she could!  I was so thrilled to finally meet Lilly.  She IS cute.. but her photos can't begin to show off her personality.  So happy and funny, I wish they didn't live in NY!  It was a fantastic visit, very chill and it was great for Josh to finally meet Mel and Lilly was curious why Josh had a beard like her Dad, but where was his hair??  Indie had a blast meeting the Bashara's very energetic puppy, Bindi, as well... so much so that the old man was literally sore to the bones the next day!  Bindi ran circles around Indie!!  We had to give him baby tylenol and he was laid up a bit resting all day Wednesday.  No worries though, back to his usually bouncy, hyper self the next day.

Wednesday, late morning, we got on the road after a quick stop at the mecca Whole Foods in Austin :) To the country!  Which is still very city like for those who live out in the real boondocks in Texas... but 1700 people, the favorite bar in another town and the movie theater also a town over, is the country to me.  Shortly after arriving we introduced Indie to the Cockrell pups, Doc & Annie (hysterical, I wish I had gotten a photo!  Indie trotting around the yard constantly sniffing and check out the place with 2 little dogs at his heals like little ducklings!)  Then my Dad began the cinnamon rolls, YUM! 



We pretty much do the standard favorite things:  eat, hang out, look forward to the 8am breakfast with the gang and a trip over to Shiner for some tastings which is always followed by Luling's City Market BBQ - drool....

As always, our departure came too soon.  We headed out early Saturday morning for San Antonio for a very brief visit with my Mimi.  After that we were officially on our journey back home... with a quick detour through the southern end of the Grand Canyon :)

Road Trip to Texas

Thursday March 21st - Monday March 25th

    Josh and I left for Texas on Thursday night, (he) drove through the night and we stopped in Las Cruces, NM just outside of El Paso Friday evening.  Saturday we drove and drove and drove... on I-10 and were so excited to pull into my brother's place in Boerne about 5pm Saturday.  It was a short but sweet visit as it always is no matter how many days I get to spend with everyone, it's never long enough.  We went to dinner and then breakfast the next morning and it was off to Round Rock to spend time with my Mom.  We played dominos and went to dinner, then Josh and I left to meet up with my good friend and old roommate Jennifer for a few beers and some catch up time.  The next morning, Monday, my Mom had come down with a bug and was laid up sick ALL day and night :(  Josh and I drove Indie into Austin and took him on a walk around Town Lake.    It was a Gorgeous day!  After dropping off Indie and checking in on my Mom, we headed back into Austin planning to meet up with my friend Natalie in the hip new Rainey Street neighborhood which I had not heard about until now.  Love it!  All these historic homes turned into bars with cool back yards that have tables and stages for live music and best of all, food trucks with awesome specials!  On our way downtown, Josh and I were avoiding the start of 5:00 traffic so I drove us through some of my favorite Austin neighborhoods to avoid the highway and then zig zagged streets through downtown.  That's when we stumbled up a structure that had once been some large building is now just half crumbled concrete walls with beautiful graffiti art.  We climbed up and sat on a high spot and got to take in the beautiful late afternoon sun and a nice view of the capital and the UT tower.  Apparently it's on the 365 things to do list, but I love that we found it accidentally :)  click here to check out Baylor Street Art Wall.  Natalie got stuck at work, but Josh and I very much enjoyed spending a quiet Monday evening on Rainey Street tasting local beers and meeting a really cool couple who convinced me that I'd actually like to check out SXSW one of these days...
    Tuesday my Mom was on the mend but still weak so we met Natalie for lunch and then came back to the house to pack up our stuff and Indie and say goodbye to Mom :(  Next stop: The Bashara's!