Oh my...there's a person in there.

The latest ultrasound pictures are in and...he's looking less alien-esque every time we get to see him. I was kind of bummed after this last ultrasound, the tech was very subdued and only gave us pictures of his face. There was a really cute one where you could see both his feet and his tackle really clear, but we didn't get that one.

Most else is great. His placenta has moved to the correct location so no more worries there. He was head down during the scan, but I was unclear if that meant he would stay that way or if he just happened to be in that position.

He is moving around a whole lot now, the movements can be pretty strong, but I am told that will lessen as he runs out of room to move around as he gets bigger. His moving is starting to disrupt my sleep and be very uncomfortable, but what's a preggo to do? :)

We have his room mostly set up, just need to get the trim done, and put some shelves in his closet. Also need some decorations, probably a family picture after he gets here, and the art quilt from Grandma Karla, will be about all that little room needs.

I washed all of the clothes that we have accumulated for Leif so far and it took me an hour and a half to fold! Those little baby clothes are a pain to fold, jeez. I think I might end up with a "clean" pile, that just may be the last time I fold these tiny things, lol.

Not too much else going on here, starting to look toward the end of this part of the journey and get excited about meeting our little boy :)

The alien in my belly.

Well as you can see, I have not been very active on the blog recently. I believe this to be due to the fact that I have nothing to bitch about. I am feeling great, though I tire easily, and Leif is going gangbusters.

We had a doc appt this week, all is well on the uteral front. Leif's heart rate is starting to slow (135 bpm vs. 145 bpm last time), but that is normal and healthy and will continue to do so as his heart gets bigger (adults beat at about 70 bpm). My doc had promised us all an ultrasound this week, but she decided she wants to wait for another three weeks to peek in there to give his placenta time to really move away from the cervix, that way we don't all freak out because it hasn't moved enough, when really it just hasn't had enough time to do so. Thus no pictures for another 3-4 weeks! Bummer!

Leif, himself, is really cranking the movements into gear. I have a feeling he will be an excellent tap dancer, I can distinctly feel a cramp roll and I believe he almost has a jig down. Josh has been able to feel him moving around finally. In fact, his son kicked him in the ear last week, lol. Josh was shocked at how hard it was, I told him to imagine that came from inside your belly, he was amazed. In addition to kicks, I like to think that I am starting to be able to distinguish body parts, I am sure I have been able to feel his head, back, shoulder and either heel, knee, or hand. Very fun. He is also getting big enough to move my whole belly around, which is freaking weird and awesome all at once. As much as he moves now and as uncomfortable it can be I can't imagine as he gets even bigger. Yow!

The more he moves and the more I can distinguish his body the weirder this pregnancy thing gets. I mean, I have another person encased in my body cavity. Wtf, mate. Too bizarre, makes my brain hurt to think about it too much. And even weirder, that person has little boy tackle. ACK!

Everything else is good. Josh is starting show some signs of nesting and whatnot, as I slow down more and get bigger he is taking on projects and household duties. This weekend he is building me risers for the washer and dryer, so that I don't have to bend over to do the laundry anymore (I am pretty sure I pulled my groin doing the whites last time, lol).

I would like to thank all of the grandparents for their generous gifts. They are really helping us get the gear we need to be ready for this bundle when he gets here!

That's all for now, I will post again when we have pictures or something amazing happens :)

No this isn't a 4D movie, that was just my water breaking.

Hello all you Leif trackers! We had another doc appointment this week. No problems at all. His heartbeat is good, I am exactly the right size (according to my actual doc and not that crazy skinny doc I saw last time), my uterus measures 25 inches...centimeters...I don't remember, but apparently you should have the same number as the weeks you are pregnant and I am. I have to do the glucose test before my next appointment and at that appt they will schedule my next ultrasound to see how he is growing and see if his placenta has moved away from the escape hatch. However, even if his placenta hasn't moved my doc assures me that I should still be able to have a natural birth...oh goody. I am really rooting for a c-section at this point. I mean have you ever seen a birth video, I have seen "Faces of Death" movies that have scared me less.

In other news, I have a new companion I would like to introduce, everybody meet heartburn, heartburn this is everybody. Definitely not as bad as the vomiting but really annoying just the same. The suck part is that I am pretty hungry but if I eat enough to feel satisfied, whoa buddy, pain, lots of pain. Not just heartburn, but pressure around my lower ribs and kidneys. Small price to pay for your kid I guess. Oh! And why is it that I have to pee more frequently at night?! I mean come on, I am already tired and now I get to trudge upstairs (our one bathroom is on the second floor, anyone with an extra $5000 care to help us solve that problem?) every half hour. Joy.

I am in full swing of looking preggo, so much so that people are starting to ask me when I am due. It is kind of fun, and a little weird. If you think about it it's kind of a personal thing to ask about, "So when is the creature growing in your uterus going to exit through your vagina? Oh November, that's nice, just in time for Thanksgiving." The best encounter I have had so far was at the grocery store, a stock boy who had mental retardation pulls up beside me and asks me when I was having my baby, I told him and his whole face lit up, "Oh my god! OH MY GOD! That is when the Harry Potter movie comes out!" I was like "I know buddy, I hope I go into labor while watching it!"

Do your kids always have nicer stuff that you do?

Leif's crib finally arrived! Josh and I picked it up on Monday and put it together yesterday. It is beautiful! The color is very rich, not too much red, solid wood, heavy as hell, and just perfect. I can't wait to go get the bedding for it and make it up. I think we decided to go with all ecru/natural pieces. We hope this will make it easy to clean/bleach when he shits all over it, which my mom assures me will happen more than once. 

In other news he is kicking pretty hard now. I can see my belly getting punched from the inside. Pretty cool all in all, except it feels like getting sucker punched from the inside, there really is no bracing for that. And I think he knows when I have to pee, because he helps me by pushing against my bladder. What a sweetheart. 

We have another appointment in a week and a half. We will most likely have a glucose test and be scheduled for his next ultrasound, the 30 week one (we will be looking to see if his placenta has moved up and away from the cervix so that his escape route is clear). I will let you know what we find out. For now marvel at the wonder that is my spectacular taste in baby furniture...

Psht, what do the doctors know.

We had an appointment yesterday and everything looks good. Leif's heart rate was around 145 bpm. Nice and strong.

I, on the other hand received, a disapproving look from the OB for my weight. I have gained 11 pounds since they started to weigh me, but only 3 pounds in the last month. That's eleven pounds in the last 5 months. They told me I should gain 25-30 pounds over the course of my pregnancy, so that leaves me with up to 19 pounds for the next 4 months or so. So what the hell was she scowling about and lecturing me about .5-1 lbs of gain a week only and to make sure I am eating healthy. Grrrrrr. Makes me feel like crap when I am already trying to take care of myself. AND I was so sick that I lost like 5-10 lbs in the first two months, so as far as I am concerned I am only up 5 pounds from my normal weight.

Anyway, she just irritated me a little, kind of like that stupid twit at Macy's when I asked about maternity clothes and she said no but they have extra larges. I wanted to hit her.

In other news, we managed to get the kid's room cleaned out and the new floor laid last weekend. It turned out great. Now we need to decide colors and paint so that it is ready when the crib gets here.

Not much else happening. Leif is kicking strong, not so anyone else can feel it yet, but boy I can :) Mornings and evenings are his most active times, which I am told is pretty normal. I also notice that he quiets down for car rides and when I am on the go, which is normal as well.

Thank you for listening!

Halfway and loving it!

Well it has been a slow month for blogging. After the excitement of finding out his sex, not much else has been happening. Though I believe I have started to feel the little guy kick. It feels like the noise that those popper toys make that little kids push around with the balls in the dome, anyone know what I am talking about? And then sometimes it feels like gas that doesn't hurt, softer and rounder. Very cool, all in all.

Since getting all of the tests back that say he is healthy, no defects or anything, my biggest worry now is that he will strangle himself before he gets to come out. I have asked the OB about this likelihood, being that my mom had this happen to her and Josh was almost lost the same way, but she said that umbilical strangulation is very rare and nothing I can do will prevent or cause it. Be that as it may, it is the only thing I have left to worry about, so I do.

My next appointment is on the 8th of July. The OB told me that my placenta is riding too low, 3cm from the posterior side of my cervix. They are hoping that as Leif grows it will pull up and away naturally, but we won't get a change to see it again until a 30 week ultrasound (I am 20 weeks now).

I am starting to fill out my maternity clothes in earnest :) The belly bump is taking on a life of it's own. Also I am starting to get the pregnancy lean. You know the one, the distinctive belly forward, leaning back to balance the beach ball you are smuggling, walk. Ya, that one, I am beginning to go there.

Next week, oh joy of joys, I am going to find a maternity swimsuit, so that Josh and I can start using the pool at the Rec Center near our house, as part of my attempts to exercise. Wish me luck with the spandex!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails...gross.

It's official! We are having a boy! We had the ultrasound yesterday and the kid has external tackle. We are very excited about our son, and couldn't help but buy some newborn onesies. He was very cooperative and danced for us the whole time, flexing his spine and waving his limbs. Grandma Karla and Grandpa Phil got to go with Josh and I, which was special for all of us. The baby looks healthy, so the u/s technician tells us, no problems or anything. They also think that we are at 18 weeks, not 17 like the first u/s said. That gives Grandpa Phil a better chance of the kiddo arriving on his birthday. GP is also sure that the boy will be an athlete, the onsesie from GP says "Grandpa's Little Allstar."

I am stoked that it is a boy, that is what Josh and I were hoping for. We think we have decided on Leif Connor Konyndyk, for the name. Leif would be pronounced "Leaf" as an homage to Josh's middle name "Lee" and he will have my last two initials "C.K." which will be cool (hmmm, also Clark Kent, I wonder if he will be as good looking as Smallville...).

So I have to say that it is a little weird to think about the fact that I have a tiny boy living inside me. Makes the whole thing a more surreal, not sure why, but a girl seems more symbiotic, and it just is strange knowing I have a dude growing in me, peeing in my uterus with his little penis, lol. Strange.

I really like not calling the baby an "it" anymore and I am pretty excited that our first is a boy. Josh is stoked, he said "Whew, I know what to do with a boy. " I think he was stressed about how to raise a girl and this might have relieved some of that pressure for him.

Well with out further ado, here are some of the ultrasound pictures of our tiny man.